INTERNATIONAL

 

ROAD SAFETY NEWS

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ARCHIVE FOR AUGUST 2004

 

163 articles from 48 countries, including 4* new)

 

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Please always bear in mind that news and information from other countries can be important because -- irrespective of irrelevant things like which side of the road people drive on -- the laws of physics are exactly the same everywhere, and by checking data from around the world you will gain access to "best practice" and techniques which may not have been considered in your own country/community. Information is deliberately included here from "first world," "developing" and "third world" nations, as no one country has all the answers. Please note, also, that in some of the articles 'Drive and Stay Alive' writers will include glossary-type definitions for readers in different countries. For example, the word "pavement" in America means the road, but in Britain and elsewhere it means what Americans call the "sidewalk" so 'translations', in parentheses, may be given.

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  August 31, 2004 

2005 Subaru Outback Earns 5-Star Rating in NHTSA NCAP Tests

     Subaru of America, Inc., the only car company that features Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive as standard equipment on every vehicle in its product line, today announced the 2005 Subaru Outback earned the highest rating in the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) crash tests. The new Subaru Outback received 5 stars in both the frontal and side-impact crash tests for both the driver and passenger seating positions.

[Source: Yahoo Finance]

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  August 31, 2004: Traffic police out in force for start of school tomorrow

     The police will be out in large numbers beginning tomorrow to secure the opening zdays of the 2004/2005 school year.

     While the Israel Police attributes much importance to the issue of day-to-day security, it appears that the focus this year, in light of the sharp drop in the number of terror attacks, will be the subject of road safety. And it was to this end that the police's traffic department, under Major General Shahar Ayalon, held discussions last week.

     The Israel Police's preparations are being based on statistics regarding accidents involving school children in recent years.
     Most of the students returning to school are pedestrians, and even while some are dropped off at their schools in the mornings, many return home alone on foot. In 2003, some 8 percent of road accident casualties were pedestrians, but the worrying statistic is the number of fatalities: Some 32 percent of road accident fatalities in the country are pedestrians - the highest percentage in the world.

Full article, from Haaretz.com

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  August 31, 2004: Trillion cedis spent on road safety annually

     Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - About one trillion cedis is spent on road safety activities annually.
These include medical and funeral expenses, disruption to industry and commerce, and loss of property.
Sheikh Ibrahim Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, who gave the statistics in an address at a meeting of the National and Regional Road Safety Committees, said that amount could have been used to support or improve development programmes.

Full story, from Ghana Web

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  August 28, 2004: Few companies comply with safety reporting law 

     Nearly a year since the federal government started requiring automakers and certain suppliers to submit safety information, an estimated 10 percent have responded by submitting quarterly data on warranty claims and consumer complaints or notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that they will start soon.

                                      Auto industry members to share info on regulation, technology in Detroit 

     A conference held by the Automotive Industry Action Group at Detroit's Cobo Center that kicks off Tuesday. The conference, expected to attract about 4,000 industry executives and more than 150 exhibitors, is meant to bring automakers and suppliers together to mingle, discuss issues affecting the industry and take a look at new technology hitting the market.

Full story from Detroit Free Press

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  August 28, 2004: The human cost of carnage on roads - We all have a role to play in driving home safety message
    
The death of three teenagers in a car crash near Newry, Northern Ireland is the latest horrific example of how easily lives can be lost. The victims stood no chance when their vehicle was in collision with an articulated lorry on a bend

     The danger is that society simply shrugs its shoulders and concludes that this is an acceptable level of deaths. Such attitudes must be challenged all the time.

     It is particularly alarming that measures such as penalty points and tighter enforcement of seat belt legislation have not reduced the number of fatalities.

     More must be done to change driver behaviour and educate motorists about the dangers of fast cars.

     Advertisers who seductively promote the performance levels of new cars are sending out a dangerous message to impressionable young people. The focus of such campaigns must be reviewed.

     Tighter clamps are also required on drivers who flout the law by continuing to use hand-held mobile phones at the steering wheel. This practice is proven to affect concentration and be a cause of accidents.

Full Article, from The Belfast Telegraph.

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  August 27, 2004: Police to change tactics to counter rise in DUI deaths

     Police in all four counties in Hawaii are increasing the use of sobriety checkpoints because of a significant rise in the number of drunken-driving deaths, officials said. Starting in October, each county police department will set up at least one checkpoint.

     Statistics released Wednesday show drunken-driving deaths in Hawaii jumped 53 percent in 2003, the highest increase in the country.

     The figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that 72 of the 135 traffic deaths in 2003 were caused by drunken driving, the most here in more than a decade.

Full Story, from The Maui News.

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  August 27, 2004: Crack-Down on Lay-By Car Sales Begins Amid Road Safety Fears

     Motorists who try to sell their cars in lay-bys and on roadside verges around Whitehaven, Cumbria, are being targeted by police for distracting drivers and potentially causing crashes.

     They will be given one chance to move their ‘for sale’ vehicles before facing prosecution.

     The tough new crackdown follows concerns about the number of people who park their cars on the side of roads in a bid to sell them.

     Police say it is an offence and officers from the Whitehaven community police team have now launched a campaign to tackle the problem, after working with Copeland Council, the Highways Agency and the police traffic management department.

     PC Lorraine Murphy said: “Under section 147 of the Highways Act 1980, it is an offence to display anything for sale within 15 metres of the highway or on the highway if it is going to cause a danger to other road users.

Full story, from the Whitehaven News

[Glossary notes:  For non-British drivers, a lay-by is an extra-wide shoulder, set back slightly from the road, to permit safe parking while drivers rest, check maps, have a drink, etc. Also, in this context a highway in Britain effectively means any public road, not just large or fast roads.]

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  August 26, 2004: A Driver Who Rammed a Police Car and Killed a Sergeant May Face the Death Penalty

     Robin T. Schreiber, who allegedly killed a Clark County Sheriff's sergeant in Washington last month while fleeing his Brush Prairie home in his pickup, has been charged with aggravated first-degree murder.

     Schreiber, a 44-year-old former electrician with no prior criminal history, drew the attention of local law enforcement the evening of July 30 after his girlfriend called 911 to report he was suicidal and armed. As deputies arrived at his home, Schreiber allegedly rammed a patrol car driven by Sgt. Brad Crawford while trying to flee....

Crawford, 49, was in his patrol car keeping traffic out of the area while deputies pursued Schreiber...

Clark County Prosecutor Art Curtis announced Wednesday he was charging Schreiber with the state's only capital crime.... Full story, from The Columbian

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  August 26, 2004: Passive Safety Network Conference in Europe

     The fifth European Vehicle Passive Safety Network conference will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 1 December.

     The network aims to create a durable integrated European vehicle safety research programme as a means to reducing the number of road traffic accident victims in Europe. 

     The conference will see the presentation of the newly established Network of Excellence, the 'Advanced Passive Safety Network', as well as the results of the previous network, which include a passive safety roadmap.

For further information, go to:  www.passivesafety.com  [Source: Cordis]

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  August 26, 2004: Sweden's Vehicle Record Safe from the Ground Up

     Traffic safety is a fixation in Sweden. At 450,000 square kilometres, the country is about the size of Newfoundland and, like the Rock, 70 per cent of that is wilderness. It has a population of fewer than nine million, putting it somewhere between Quebec and Ontario in that sense. Yet it has two native car companies, Volvo and Saab, both with an international reputation for vehicle.

     Why is safety such a dominant factor?

     The answer lies in a national obsession with the sanctity of human life and a genuine desire to make a difference that goes to the very heart of the legal system. Scientists, engineers and reconstructionists are not only permitted to visit the scene of crashes and conduct thorough investigations, they are encouraged to do so and protected under federal law from being forced to testify to their findings in court.....

     Full story from the Globe and Mail 'Megawheels'

     (www.globemegawheels.com )

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Please note that DSA was only able to provide a very limited news coverage from August 21 to September 6, inclusive, due to an unavoidable overlap of staff absences and vacations.  We apologize for this situation and will strive to add key articles retrospectively, after the above dates.

 

 

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  August 22, 2004: Prosecute Motorway 'Lane Hogs', says the RAC

     The Royal Automobile Club is calling on the police to prosecute motorists who hog the middle lane of motorways, in an attempt to ease congestion on Britain's roads.

     The organisation, which has six million members, has made the plea after calculating that lane blockers are wasting up to one third of motorway capacity in peak periods - the equivalent of a 700-mile stretch from Aberdeen to Penzance.

     It predicts that the problem of "middle lane hoggers" will be compounded by heavy traffic over the coming August bank holiday weekend and says that if motorists fail to pull over to the left-hand lane when not overtaking, as stipulated in the Highway Code, they should be stopped by the police.

     The most persistent offenders, the RAC suggests, should be prosecuted to deter them from driving inconsiderately in the future.

     Edmund King, the executive director of the RAC Foundation for Motoring, an independent body established to protect and promote the interests of motorists, said: "We would like to see more traffic police on motorways pulling drivers over for hogging the middle lane. In the late 1950s and 1960s 'courtesy cops' advised drivers on how to use the lanes on the new dual carriageways and motorways. Perhaps we need some courtesy cops on the motorways today.

     "The middle lane hog and the outside blocker [i.e staying in the third lane] are selfish drivers who are wasting one third of our motorway capacity. If we can encourage these drivers to practise better lane discipline it would be equivalent to adding 700 miles of new motorway capacity."....

     Although more than 1,500 people are killed or seriously injured on the 2,172 miles of motorway in Britain each year, there has been an 11 per cent decrease in traffic police in England and Wales since 1997. The RAC Foundation said that the lack of a visible police presence on motorways enabled many drivers to get away with lane hogging.....

Full story, from the Daily Telegraph

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  August 21, 2004:  Something Has Gone Wrong With Road Safety Week Campaigns in Tanzania

     ....In thinking of any campaigns on road safety, Dar es Salaam City should be a dominant priority area; otherwise if serious attention is not focused on this particular end, the country’s road carnage record will continue to increase unabatedly.

     This year’s campaign will be meaningful if the authorities will seriously dwell on the causes and ways of curbing the ever-increasing number of accidents—largely involving lorries against smaller motor vehicles – cars and mini-buses....

Full story, from the Guardian and IPP Media

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  August 21, 2004:  Median Barriers Needed Urgently on One Deadly Highway in New Zealand

     Roading officials are moving urgently to cut the speed limit on a deadly stretch of State Highway One between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki which claimed the lives of four people on Friday evening.

     But emergency services say it will take more than that to stop people dying in the area known as Centennial Highway, north of Wellington....

     Transit New Zealand is now considering erecting a median barrier, but will first cut the speed limit from 100 kilometres an hour to 80km/h.

     "I believe we have an imperative here to be seen to act, we'll do that on Monday," says Chief Executive Rick Van Barneveld.

     But Emergency doctor Chris Lane says the devastating accidents won't stop "until a barrier is up".

     Kapiti Coast regional councillor Chris Turver also believes reducing the speed limit is not the answer. He says more than 50 people have died on that stretch of highway in the past 15 years.

Full story, from TVNZ

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  August 21, 2004:  A Brief Comment on Thai Road Safety 

     ...The death toll on the roads [in Thailand] is horrendous. When there is a collision, the driver of the biggest vehicle is always held responsible, so it is very common for coach drivers or lorry drivers to flee the scene of an accident....

[Extract from a newspaper article about life in Thailand for a British ex-pat'. Article here, from the Cumbria News and Star]

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  August 20, 2004: Accused of Drunk Driving, a Top Quebec Judge Resigns

MONTREAL:  Known for her decency and as a peerless administrator, the head of Quebec's highest trial court stunned the judicial world yesterday by stepping down because of a drunk-driving incident.

     The legal community bemoaned the departure of Chief Justice Lyse Lemieux of the Quebec Superior Court, praising her ability to reduce court delays, her readiness to fast-track compassionate cases and her basic civility.

     "This is tragic," Montreal lawyer Linda Hammerschmid said. "The loss to the public far outweighs the appearance of propriety."

     Chief Justice Lemieux made her decision as several drunk-driving cases have attracted attention in Quebec. Yesterday in suburban Longueuil, a judge gave Line Sasseville, 39, an unusually harsh 42-month sentence for killing a teen while driving when impaired.

Full story, from The Globe and Mail

 

 DSA Comments  We believe that in the light of her extremely bad decision to drink and drive, Chief Justice Lemieux does at least have a much greater capacity for knowing the right thing to do in the aftermath than does Montreal lawyer Linda Hammerschmid.

     'The appearance of propriety,' Ms Hammerschmid?  'The appearance of propriety'???

     In recent months there have been too many high-ranking officials in North America bluffing it out after having been caught drunk-driving. At least Chief Justice Lemieux has done the honourable thing, in the name of the integrity of the judiciary.

     Any suggestion to the contrary is nothing but a ludicrous denial of the considerable dangers and untold grief generated by drunk drivers everywhere.

     What if a top judge, in some moment of madness fired several shots from a gun, down a busy street, but by the Grace of God didn't hit anyone, Ms Hammerschmid? Would you still defend him or her with that nonsense about propriety? For it would indeed amount to exactly the same thing.

Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.

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  * August 20, 2004:  Stamping Out Drunk Driving in Croatia  --  a tough new law to combat traffic deaths

ZAGREB:  Drivers in Croatia have been enjoying the last carefree summer evenings sipping beer or wine on beaches and outdoor cafes. On 20 August, a tough new law introduces a zero-tolerance approach to alcohol on the roads.

     The new law on road safety was adopted by parliament on 16 July and abolishes the previous 0.05 percent alcohol limit. It has split public opinion in this tourism-oriented country.

     The conservative government justified the law by saying it had to take radical measures in order to stop the rising death toll on Croatian roads.

     Prime Minister Ivo Sanader pointed to statistics showing that in the first seven months of 2004, 339 people had died in road accidents in Croatia. Since 1991, when the country declared independence from the former Yugoslavia, 11,500 have died on its roads.

     "If this trend continues, the number of victims would soon be equal to the number of victims of the Homeland war," Sanader said in parliament on 14 July, referring to the 1991-1995 war that claimed an estimated 20,000 lives.

     "We have to send a strong message: if you drink, don't drive and if you drive, don't drink. I am fully behind this even if someone told me I’d lose the elections over it," he said.

     In 2003, 13 percent of all traffic accidents were related to alcohol; in the capital Zagreb, that number stands at around 20 percent. Among the other leading causes of accidents are speeding and inexperience, often in combination.

     Until now, the Interior Ministry has tried to fight the bleak statistics with an aggressive campaign involving television spots and billboards showing the effects of drunk driving with messages like "He was only 18."....

     The new law also imposes drastic fines. Those with up to 0.05 percent alcohol in their blood would be fined 1,500 kunas ($250), and those with over 1.5 percent would face a 3,000-kunas fine ($500) and the suspension of their driver’s license.

     Stricter regulations were also introduced for other traffic violations, with fines of up to 3,000 kunas for reckless driving.

     Drivers holding their licenses for less than two years are prohibited from driving cars with more-powerful-than-average engines. Regardless of their age, such drivers will be allowed to drive after 11 p.m. only in the presence of a person older than 25 who has had a clean driving record for more than two years.

     Under the new law, a driver who commits two serious offenses over a period of two years could face a 60-day jail term....

     So far, only some Eastern European countries--the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia--have introduced zero tolerance....

Read the rest of this article here, from Transitions

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  August 20, 2004: In Maryland, Firetruck Crashes Worry Montgomery & Highlight a Deadly National Situation

     Drivers of Montgomery County firetrucks and ambulances continue to be involved in what officials regard as an alarming number of accidents, causing insurance rates to skyrocket and forcing new policies designed to slow response times to some calls.

     In a stern department-wide e-mail last month, prompted by four accidents in a 26-hour period over the Fourth of July weekend, Thomas W. Carr Jr., chief of the county's career firefighters, said the drivers' performance was placing the public and fire and rescue personnel at risk....

     In May 2003, The Washington Post reported that Montgomery firetrucks and ambulances had been involved in 1,100 accidents in the previous five years, doing so much damage to the fleet that the department risked losing its insurance coverage....

     Steven Edwards, director of the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute at the University of Maryland, said Montgomery is part of a national trend of increased accidents involving rescue vehicles. Last year, he said, 33 percent of firefighter fatalities were caused by vehicle accidents, the highest percentage since 1977.

Full story, from the Washington Post (subscription)

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  August 20, 2004: 34 Die Each Week Because of Road Crashes in Ghana

     Statistics available to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) revealed that 4,870 accidents were recorded during the first quarter of the year.

     These tragic incidents claimed the lives of 408 people which translate to 34 deaths per week. A total of 3,240 also suffered various degrees of injuries in these accidents.

     The Chairman of the National Road Safety Commission, Mr Johnson Clifford Aboagye, made these disclosures at the opening ceremony of the Driver Upgrading Training Course for 420 commercial drivers from the meddle [sic] and southern sectors of the country last Tuesday which ends in September, is being sponsored by the NRSC in collaboration with the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC). It is part of the effort by the NRSC’s objective of reducing accident fatalities by 5% by 2005 and also in fulfillment of the GRTCC’s programme of restructuring the operations of commercial drivers....

Full story, from GhanaWeb

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  August 18, 2004:  There's a Long Way to Go for Road Safety

     ...In a story on our front page Aug. 11, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta reported that 42,643 people died in traffic accidents in 2003. That's a tragic number. The total for 2002 was even worse.

     These numbers are horrendous. Taken in a historical context, the accident experience on our roads amounts to a century-old national horror story. The federal transportation department has data from 1899, when 26 people died in auto accidents, through last year.

     During those hundred-plus years, more than 3 million people have died in vehicular accidents in the U.S.A.  Since 1949, the annual fatality total has ranged from 30,246 that year to 54,589 in 1972.

     If those numbers aren't enough to illustrate the extent of the problem, consider this: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn't have injury data available for years prior to 1988. But NHTSA figures since 1988 show that the injury total has exceeded 48 million.

     A transportation department spokesman said the number of people hurt in traffic mishaps since 1899 is probably more than 100 million.

     Despite that carnage, Americans' love affair with their vehicles continues unabated. When people get behind the wheel, they assume and accept the risks. But should all those risks be acceptable?

     Too many bad drivers, an alcohol-oriented society and its legions of drunken drivers, unsafe speeds and inadequate roadways are fundamental problems.

     Yes, seat belts have reduced the dangers, and this newspaper remains a strong supporter of their diligent use. But even with the protection that seat belts and other safety measures offer, clearly there is much more that can be done.

Full story, from the Kalamazoo Gazette, Michigan.

 

 DSA Comments:  What a refreshing change to see such a down-to-earth, realistic approach being taken to this subject.

     We far too commonly see either excuses being made for a dreadful situation, or at the other extreme, promises of 'silver bullet' cures to what is an immensely complex and remarkably deadly situation.

     Our compliments to the writers and editors at the Kalamazoo Gazette

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 and   August 18, 2004: TIRF awarded new contract to develop an alcohol interlock program in the UK

     The Canada-based TIRF has been awarded a contract by the Department for Transport (DfT) in the United Kingdom to develop a demonstration alcohol ignition interlock program in the Birmingham and Bristol areas.

Full story here.

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  August 18, 2004:  Residents are Urged to Report Risky Drivers

BENDIGO's top traffic police officer has called on residents to "dob in a driver" in a bid to help catch drunken motorists and speedsters who are endangering lives on city streets. An anonymous hotline has been set-up to encourage members of the public to report hazardous drivers to police. The move comes after a spate of dangerous driving in the Bendigo region.

     Head of the Bendigo Traffic Management Unit Senior Sergeant Allan Nilon yesterday urged the community to get behind the crackdown. "Motorists who choose to ignore speed and alcohol restrictions are a huge risk to innocent people," he said. "It is time we got together as a community and said enough is enough.' "I would encourage members of the public to report any person they know who is a regular drink-driver, speeds or who regularly drives in a manner that poses a risk to the community."...

     Last weekend, which was one of the worst traffic police have seen in years, 19 drink drivers and about a dozen speeding motorists were detected. Sen.-Sgt Nilon said it was a disgrace that so many motorists were flouting the law. 

     "Central Victorian drivers need to remember that driving is the most dangerous thing we will ever do in our lifetime," he said.

"Motorists have been reminded time and time again of the consequences, yet we still get idiots who place innocent lives at risk.

"We have already had 20 deaths on our roads so far this year. When you look at the number of motorists caught doing high speeds, it is just blind luck there haven't been more [killed]."

Full story, from the Bendigo Advertiser 

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  August 18, 2004:  Request for Safety Awareness in the Aussie 'Northern Territories' Raises Important Point

     In the Territory, locals and tourists are being asked to share responsibility for road safety - by respecting the big, multi-trailer 'road trains' that ply the north.

     Adam Magree from freight company Bulk Trans says if all drivers make an effort - not just those in trucks - the roads will be safer for everyone.

     "The main thing is to take their time and communicate.

     "Now they obviously can't talk to each other, but they just need to know what the driver is doing and try and look them in the eye and flash their lights to say, 'yeah you have passed me and it's clear to move back'; for everyone to get home safely."

[Source: ABC Rural]

 

Flashing the Headlights as a Signal to Others

 

     This practice of flashing headlights as a courtesy signal (in this instance to let drivers of very long trucks know that they have completely passed you and that it is now safe for them to return to the appropriate lane) is commonplace in some European countries and obviously also in Australia.

     And this particular practice of being courteous to truck drivers does have obvious safety benefits.

     Indeed, in many countries flashing the headlights has become a generalized courtesy signal, used -- for example -- to let someone pull out of a side road while the car with the flashing lights is still approaching the junction/intersection on the main road.

     Yet in Britain, where this practice is effectively universal, the official books state:

     'Only flash your headlights to let other road users know you are there. Do not flash your headlights in an attempt to intimidate other road users.'

     This is an interesting situation where popular practice has actually changed official guidelines and not the other way round. Only a few years ago, the same book used to state:

     'Flash your headlights only for the same reason as you would sound your horn:  to let another road user know you are there.'

     So it would appear that courtesy is now officially if cautiously allowed in the UK, but of course drivers must always be extremely careful to make sure firstly that any apparent courtesy is being extended specifically to them rather than, say, to an elderly pedestrian waiting to cross the road thirty or forty yards away. And secondly one must be sure that the signal IS being given as a courtesy, in the modern manner, as opposed to a warning signal, in the older style.

     And there are many times when headlights can and should be used as a warning, so how are the recipients of the flashes meant to know which signal is which?

     There is a simple guideline which should always make the situation crystal clear:

--   If a courtesy is being extended (such as 'go ahead and pull out in front of me,' or 'you are now safely past me, so you can pull back in safely,' two brief but not miniscule flashes should do the job nicely.

--   But if you need to warn another road user of your approach or your presence, put your headlights on and keep them on until the potential danger is behind you.

     As the British book suggests, repeatedly flashing your lights at another vehicle -- as impatient drivers repeatedly do when trying to pass another vehicle on a highway/motorway/autobahn, etc. -- is clearly aggressive and can trigger a 'revenge attack' of road rage.

     In the USA, by comparison, many drivers are reluctant to use flashing headlights for any purpose, as they strongly fear irrational and potentially violent responses to such.

     DSA would welcome other observations and comments on this topic from any country.

Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.

 

 

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  August 18, 2004: UK Motorists Want More Traffic Police on the Roads

     Nearly three in four motorists would like to see more traffic police on the roads, according to a survey out today.

     And nearly nine in 10 want banned [i.e. "suspended"] drivers to have to take a driving test before being allowed back behind the wheel, the survey from Tesco Motor Insurance found.

     As many as 49% want a lifetime ban for motorists convicted of drink or drug driving offences, and a further 38% believe drivers convicted of dangerous driving deserve the same punishment....

     -  81% would like to see the speed limit reduced to 20 miles per hour in the high-risk areas around schools.

     -  70% want more traffic police on UK roads, and 72% believe a reprimand by a police officer has more impact on drivers than getting points on their licence through the post.
The survey also showed:

     -  25% want to see motorists re-sit their driving test every 10 years, with a further 20% believing it should be 20 years;

     -  88% of motorists think the type of vehicle driven by young drivers should be restricted.

     Allan Burns, head of insurance at Tesco Personal Finance, said: “UK drivers on the whole are clearly very responsible, however they feel more improvements can be made, particularly in the area of police presence and speeding issues.”

     “Our survey clearly shows that everyone wants to reduce death and injuries on our roads, with the public feeling that stringent penalties will go some way to achieving this.”

Full story, from The Scotsman

 

 DSA Comments:  Speaking from personal experience, I can state that the days of the 'friendly warning' diminished drastically with the total change of economic practises that were made throughout public services in Britain at the end of the 1970's and thereafter.

     At one Traffic Department meeting, around 1980, I and many colleagues shook our heads in dismay when the then departmental Chief Superintendent, the late Ron Willatt, told us: "We have been ordered to be more cost-effective and whether we like it or not that means cautioning less people and reporting [i.e. citing] more of them for process."

     We knew then that a rigid approach was not always the best approach and that while the 'results' might look good on paper the other outcome would be a diminution of the respect that a large proportion of British people felt for police officers. For a host of reasons that loss of respect has happened but there can be little doubt that this was indeed one of the causes.

     I believe there is a lot of truth in the beliefs of the 72% of drivers mentioned above.

     In addition, the 49% who would like drunk drivers and drug-drivers to be banned from driving for life is a heartening observation: not because a lifetime ban is necessarily the best answer, but because it shows that the public attitude towards these two serious offences is hardening markedly.

     And if there is one thing we can all learn from Scandinavia in general, and Sweden in particular, it is that a strong public attitude against drunk driving and drug-driving are vital weapons in the war against the disastrous number of pointless deaths linked to these two, closely related problems.

Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.

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  August 17, 2004: Drivers are Quizzed on the Rules of the Road

     Hundreds of drivers across West Yorkshire have been put to the test to see if they are up to scratch on motorway know-how.

     Officers from West Yorkshire Police have been quizzing motorists at service stations across the area on all aspects of motorway driving. It is hoped the testing will remind people of correct procedures for motorway driving and help to reduce accidents.

     Chief Inspector Gary Parker, Head of Road Policing, said: “At this time of year thousands of people are using the regions motorway network as the holiday season continues. This quiz aims to remind them of correct procedures which will hopefully make the network a safer place for everyone.”

     Officers have been stopping motorists at Ferrybridge and Woolley Edge service stations over the last month. Drivers have been asked everything from what they should do when passing vehicles, to situations when fog lights should be used.

     Chief Inspector Parker stated along with ensuring drivers were aware of the correct procedures he also wanted to highlight the dangers of driving while tired. 

     He said: “It is imperative motorists make provisions to stop regularly when they are travelling, particularly if it is a very long journey. By failing to do so they are putting, not only themselves, but passengers and other road users at risk.”
[
Source: West Yorkshire Police]

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  August 17, 2004:  Death Toll Rises to 14 in Azerbaijan's Most Tragic Road Accident

     A serious car accident took place on 131st kilometer of Baku-Quba highway on August 16. 

     A Ford driven by Sumgait resident Ejder Asgerov crashed with a KamAZ driven by Baku resident Kamal Mammadov nearly Qandob village of Devechi region leaving 13 dead and 5 injured.
[
Source: Baku Today]

[Judging by a very small photograph, accompanying the original article, it looks as though the Ford concerned may have been a minibus or some sort of passenger van - DSA]

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  August 17, 2004:  Wasp Attack Puts German Drivers in a Proper Jam

     A German truck driver lost control of his vehicle on the A1 while trying to swat a wasp and spilled his 15-tonne load of jars of jam onto the motorway.

     "That's when he really started attracting wasps. There was jam all over the motorway," said a spokesman for the motorway police in the western town of Greven, on Tuesday.

     Police had to close the A1 motorway for two hours while they cleaned up the mess, thus causing an even bigger jam.

[Source: Reuters]

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  August 17, 2004:  Pizza Hut and KFC promote road safety among their delivery motorcyclists in Singapore

     Speed may be essential to a fast food delivery business, but it does not apply on the roads.

     KFC and Pizza Hut, the two fast food chains operating the largest such business in Singapore, made that message clear yesterday with the launch of their "Don't Play with Lives: Arrive Alive" road safety campaign.

     The campaign aims to promote road safety consciousness and responsibility among their "Waiters-on-Wheels" (WOWs), so as to provide a safer road environment for all road users.

     KFC and Pizza Hut operate a fleet of 384 delivery motorbikes and over 800 WOWs and carry out 1 million deliveries annually.

     With over 90 per cent of their WOWs under the age of 25 years — the age group most vulnerable to motorcycle fatalities — the two chains are taking steps to inculcate safe riding behaviour.

     For starters, the public can now lodge complaints of poor riding behaviour of their delivery riders through a public feedback hotline. 

     To motivate the riders, an incentive scheme offering cash and free holidays has also been introduced.

[Source: Today Online]

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  August 16, 2004:  Bus driver arrested for fatal accident

     The Jakarta Police arrested a Mayasari Bhakti public bus driver on Saturday afternoon for his involvement in a traffic accident in May on the Wiyoto Wiyono toll road near Rawamangun, East Jakarta....

     Two women were killed and four others injured in the three-vehicle crash.

     The accident occurred when a front tire of the bus -- traveling from Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, to Cawang, East Jakarta -- burst and the driver lost control.

     The bus drove through the steel barrier into on-coming traffic and hit a Mercedes-Benz sedan....

     The bus driver ran from the scene of the accident before authorities arrived.

     The suspect is likely to be charged under Article 359 of the Criminal Code on negligence leading to death, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

Full story, from The Jakarta Post

 

 DSA Comment Unfortunately, the article does not make it clear whether the bus driver was also the owner of the vehicle, or what consequences any separate owner might face if the tire that failed was in bad condition.

     Nor does the article point out whether the tire was in bad condition or whether -- for sake of argument -- it was brand new and any failure could not therefore have been anticipated.

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  August 16, 2004:  A New Traffic Patrol Police Force Hits the Road in Georgia

     Lauding increased salaries and his administration's commitment to reform, President Mikheil Saakashvili officially inaugurated the work of Tbilisi's new patrol police on Sunday.

     The new police unit is seen as the first step in reforming Georgia's law enforcement.

     Equipped with modern gear, new uniforms, and a fleet of brand new Volkswagen Passat's, the patrol police represent the government's most significant program to date to reform law enforcement.

     Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kakha Sakvarelidze told The Messenger that the patrol police - with their American-style of uniforms and 130 bright new cars specially brought from Germany - is an entirely new structure that will fulfill the function of both the traffic police and the criminal police.

     Rector of the Police Academy Levan Izoria says that the new units will be more proactive in protecting the city. "Unlike the former policemen who were hiding in the bushes to catch people violating traffic rules and then take a bribe, the patrol police will constantly patrol and warn people that in case someone violates the law, they will be punished," Izoria said in an interview with The Messenger....

     According to Izoria, people with any kind of professional background can apply to the academy and become a patrol officer after successfully finishing the nine-month course. Since the first class studied only three-months, they will have additional in-service training.

Full story, from The Messenger

 

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        August 16, 2004:  More Sports Personalities Involved, Hurt or Killed in Road Crashes

 

     Ivan Hlinka, the Czech Republic's national ice hockey team coach, has died after suffering serious injuries in a car accident.

     The 54-year-old coach was returning to Prague Monday when his car collided with another vehicle near Karlovy Vary....

     Hlinka was a player on Czechoslavakia's world champion teams in 1972, 1976 and 1977, and competed in the National Hockey League for several seasons before retiring. He also coached the Czech team to the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

     Hlinka's death comes just one week before the Czech team is to face Finland in the first round of the Ice Hockey World Cup in the Czech Republic.

 

Two athletes from Denmark's Olympic Yachting Team, Star Boat pair Nicklas Holm and Claus Olesen, and unaccredited coach Thomas Jacobsen, were involved in a traffic accident in Athens on Sunday night. A 30-year old Jamaican tourist guide was killed in the accident.

 

A Texas Tech basketball player remained hospitalized Monday with injuries she received in a weekend traffic accident in West Texas.

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  August 16, 2004:  Helmets and Seat Belts Have Been Made Compulsory in Goa

PANAJI: To curb the increasing incidents of road mishaps in Goa, the state has made the use of helmets and seat belts compulsory from Monday.

     "We are implementing the order from today as was announced