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The main purpose of this web page is to let drivers, legislators, road safety experts, police officers, parents of young drivers, etc., have an easily accessible insight into what is happening in their own countries and elsewhere, and thereby possibly do something to help save some of the many wasted lives on roads everywhere. Page edited by Eddie Wren
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Feedback and comments are particularly welcome concerning our news pages. Please do let us know if you find this global overview of road safety issues to be helpful to you or simply tell us what you like and what you don't like. Click here to contact us.
Throughout the current week, the exec. director of Drive and Stay Alive and editor of this website has been helping Erie County Stop-DWI with a large "traffic safety seminar" but today a simulated crash went badly wrong and six people were hurt. Our full article explains in more detail what actually happened and we take this opportunity to highlight the potential dangers of crash displays in the hope that other road safety professionals, around the world, might pay maximum attention to detail if they are planning to use a similar demonstration as part of their own events. ______________________________
The traffic police will conduct an experiment today using two Zeppelin airships to enforce speed limits and identify other violations near the Golani Junction in the north. The project, funded by the National Road Safety Authority, was initiated by its chairman, Vladimir Rubin, and the commander of traffic police, Shahar Ayalon. "We opted to carry the first experiment in enforcing traffic laws with the use of a Zeppelin in the area of the Golani junction... because it has become the most dangerous road in Israel, with 10 deadly accidents and a total of 10 dead people," said the commander of traffic police in the north, Yossi Hatuki.
The operation will involve the two Zeppelins flying at a height of 200
meters, each equipped with two cameras capable of 360-degree coverage.
The cameras are capable of focusing on targets as small as the license
plates of vehicles from a distance of three kilometers. The police believe that the Zeppelin will be able to offer an effective and less expensive alternative to helicopters. [Source: Haaretz] ______________________________
death figures DURBAN: Accident rates on South Africa's roads are among the highest in the world and cost the country over R13 billion each year. About 10 000 people die, 40 000 are seriously injured and 110 000 are slightly injured in about 500 000 accidents every year. These startling statistics were presented at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Interdisciplinary Accident Research Centre (Uniarc) symposium last week by Des Myers of Phepha International, who is an associate researcher for Uniarc. Myers, who consulted the national department of transport and conducted field reports in his research, found that 95% of all accidents happened as a direct result of traffic offences related to vehicle and driver fitness and reckless, negligent and inconsiderate driver behaviour. Further analysis by Myers has shown that other main contributory factors to accidents were speed, drinking and driving, fatigue, vehicle or tyre fitness and pedestrian behaviour. Myers found that most collisions occurred at night and on weekends, with pedestrians making up almost 40% of all road trauma victims. Over 12% of all victims were children, with the most "at risk group" aged between six and twelve.... Full story, from the Cape Times
DSA Comments: According to the CIA World Fact Book, the population of South Africa is 42.7 million (July 2004 estimate) thus according to Des Myers' figures, above, the per capita road crash fatality rate is approximately 23.4 and therefore reflects the high death rates experienced in Africa as a whole. The per capita rates for 30 countries and all 50 American states may be viewed here. ______________________________
Greece is mourning [seven] children killed in a road crash — again. Such accidents are an inexplicable sacrifice and, by all means, an avoidable one. The shortcomings dogging the country’s road network are well known. It is indeed a tragedy that we are in the 21st century and Greece still lacks a modern national highway system in line with the most basic safety standards, such as clear lanes and safe median strips, things that are long considered self-evident in the more advanced European countries. The Patras-Corinth national highway was considered state of the art in the 1970s but these days it is more reminiscent of a provincial road, only more dangerous. The nightmare of the Maliakos Gulf road, where dozens of people meet their death in crashes each year, the bloodstained Asprovalta on the Thessaloniki-Kavala link and other stretches on the national highway, are notoriously dangerous for drivers. The existence of those so-called death traps proves that death by accident is not just a matter of bad luck. It is governments that should be held accountable for the high death toll, as it is they are who are responsible for building safe roads. We hope that this time promises about improving the network will be met. Until then, as a temporary measure, the traffic police should increase their presence along the most precarious points. Intimidating drivers into continuing at lower speeds is a way of averting the worst consequence of government idleness: death. The State should also take stricter action against drivers who violate safety regulations, particularly truckdrivers who are so often the cause of road bloodbaths. The problems here are familiar: overloaded vehicles that refuse to obey the brakes; trucks that move at high speeds and then need a 100-meter-plus braking span; drivers who sit more than 20 hours behind the wheel, not to mention the sense of arrogance caused by the size of their trucks. No doubt the main causes of many fatal accidents are the unacceptable condition of sections of the national highway... However, part of the blame lies with our allowing the transfer of pupils without taking additional safety measures and, of course, with our reckless driving behavior. It is no coincidence that countries with modern road infrastructure do not hesitate to sentence dangerous drivers to prison terms. [Source: Kathimerini -- Commentary] ______________________________
Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said yesterday the alarming number of road deaths this year had instigated a government decision to announce a ‘Road Safety Year’, starting this Friday. Speaking at a news conference marking the beginning of this year’s Road Safety Week, Theodorou told reporters there had been 77 fatal road accidents this year, with 83 fatalities. “For this reason, the government, aware of its responsibilities and obligations towards society, decided at a Presidential Palace meeting to announce the Road Safety Year starting on October 1, 2004 until September 30, 2005,” he said. Theodorou said the police and all governmental and non-governmental authorities would continue to co-operate to reduce the number of road accidents in Cyprus, particularly serious and fatal accidents. “(But) unfortunately, despite police measures, the aim of this goal has not yet been achieved because serious traffic violations, or oversights put down to human error, continue to be made and make up the main cause of road accidents,” he said. Full story, from the Cyprus Mail ______________________________
Firefighters from local rescue stations will be taking part in the country’s first Highway Interdependence Day Celebration on to help focus attention on highway safety. The Greenwood Hose Company in Moosic, Pa., will be presenting cut and rescue demonstrations throughout the day-long event to be held at the Lackawanna County, Pa., Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 10am to 3pm. The Highway Interdependence Day Celebration will also include a truck show competition, No Zone Trucks, truck rides, games with “drunk” goggles, child safety seat demonstrations, show trucks with interactive exhibits, drawings, prizes and more. Joey Holiday the popular trucking songwriter and singer will also be performing. For more information about the celebration, contact Sheryl Youngblood at 570-341-5712 or visit www.truckerdoc.com ______________________________
A direct mail pack has been designed to encourage brands to sign up and will be targeted at a wide range of brands from petrol forecourts to caffeine drinks and online route finders. The central message on the pack is "Better that customers come straight to you, than don't come at all".
The creative execution features a graphic series of the letter
"Z", which zigzags along a road, imitating the reactions of a
napping drive.... Full story, from Brand Republic ______________________________
By ramming a barrier into the side of a new Pontiac G6 sedan, today, General Motors will mark its 15,000th crash test since the company officially began recording them in the late 1950s. The test is one of hundreds conducted every year at the GM Proving Ground in Milford, where safety engineers validate GM's advanced safety technologies that help protect drivers and passengers in a crash. ______________________________
A school bus swerved off a narrow road and plunged into a Brazilian reservoir today, killing at least 16 children. Firefighters pulled the driver and seven other survivors from the bus, and were searching for more, spokesman Zigomar Boeira said. “According to the driver there were 43 people on board when the accident happened. The death toll will certainly rise,” Boeira said in Erechim, 620 miles south-west of Rio de Janeiro. [i.e. 19 children are still missing -- DSA]... Full story, from IOL ______________________________
Sobriety checkpoints could significantly reduce the 17,000 deaths and half-million injuries each year in [alcohol related] crashes, but police agencies aren't using them nearly as often or as effectively as they could, according to new research.... More frequent and better publicized sobriety checks can cut impaired driving fatal crashes by 20 percent, the research shows. Public awareness about checkpoints is critical to their effectiveness because it deters people from drinking and driving. Public support for checkpoints remains high, but publicity about them has been waning, according to the researchers.... View a relevant, additional article here ______________________________
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Police yesterday took to the streets in large numbers in a major crackdown on traffic offences in all districts of the island. As the number of law enforcement officers swelled throughout the night, so did the number of arrests and fines with 255 drivers charged, 15 arrested and 20 motorcycles confiscated overnight....
Many people in Cyprus argue that fines and penalties with regards to
traffic violations are not hefty enough, an issue Justice Minister Doros
Theodorou raised last week: Also discussed yesterday was the possibility of a link up between the Ministry of Justice and the media with the aim of televising traffic accidents. Theodorou stated that he would request the assistance of the owners of various media sectors for the campaign aimed at preventing traffic accidents and the creation of a traffic awareness scheme, which is expected to last a year, starting on October 1.... Full story, from the Cyprus Mail ______________________________
Theatre group, Walking Forward, will be touring secondary schools from September 27 to October 1 with their production of The Price, a hard-hitting drama that aims to encourage young people to think more seriously about road safety. [For U.S. readers, secondary schools equate to high schools, though the transition is made at the age of eleven.] Organised by Newham Council and funded by Transport for London, The Price will be performed to students in their first year of secondary school and who have just started travelling to school by themselves. The drama addresses issues of social responsibility, anti-social behaviour, pedestrian and road safety, peer pressure and the transition from primary to secondary education. It encourages the audience to take responsibility for both themselves and their friends and not to take risks when crossing roads.... Councillor June Leitch, Cabinet member for Public Realm, said: “...Youngsters entering Year 7 are already very nervous about transferring to secondary school. They try very hard to make new friends and to fit into their new environment. However, it is important that they get the message that being cool doesn’t involve taking undue risks that could injure or kill.”... Full story, from the London Borough of Newham website ______________________________
The General Directorate of Traffic will begin targeting nursery and kindergarten students today as part of its annual Back to School awareness campaign. Female directorate employees will be visiting private and government nurseries and kindergarten to teach children basic skills and road safety tips. Traffic awareness and public relations director Captain Mohammed Bin Dayna said although the children were too young to learn how to cross the road, there were still some things they needed to know.... Full story, from the Gulf Daily News ______________________________
With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a Stillwater motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 205 mph. On Saturday afternoon, State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying near Wabasha, in southeastern Minnesota on the Wisconsin border, watching two motorcyclists racing along U.S. Highway 61. When one of the riders shot forward, Loney was ready with his stopwatch. He clicked it once when the motorcycle reached a white marker on the road and again a quarter-mile later. The watch read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be 205 mph. "I was in total disbelief," Loney told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for Tuesday's editions. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast." Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that, although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state. After about three-quarters of a mile, the biker slowed to about 100 mph and let the other cycle catch up. By then Loney had radioed ahead to another state trooper, who pulled the two over soon afterward. The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider... for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license -- and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.... Only a handful of exotic sports cars can reach 200 mph, but many high-performance motorcycles can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can hit 200 mph. [On this occasion, the motorcycle was] a Honda 1000, Loney said. Full story, from WCCO ______________________________
Emergency vehicles are supposed to respond to incidents as quickly and safely as possible, but all too often, they are involved in accidents of their own. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 500 people died from accidents involving emergency vehicles in the year 2000 alone, and many more were injured. A new safety system is now being introduced to prevent such accidents. E-ViEWS involves an emergency vehicle sign designed to keep drivers out of intersections when emergency vehicles are approaching. Transponders inside emergency vehicles activate these warning signs at intersections, letting drivers know which direction an emergency vehicle is coming from. By showing drivers where the emergency vehicle is coming from, drivers don't have to wonder where the siren and flashing lights are coming from anymore - making the roads much safer. The E-ViEWS system technology, designed and developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and brought to market with the help of Siemens, could also help improve overall communication among law enforcement agencies in times of crisis. It's expected that the technology will have many more applications down the road, from intelligent transportation systems to homeland security. [Source: Siemens] ______________________________
...Indianapolis Police supervisors arrested the 29-year-old policeman for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. His blood alcohol level was 0.16, twice the legal limit.... Channel 13 has learned McComas... left a party just before 4 a.m. He reportedly refused to give up his police cruiser keys. Seconds later he slammed into the back of a mini van.... IPD Lt. Paul Ciesielski says, "He told the officers on the scene that he was dialing a cell phone and lost his attention when he hit the parked car." After back to back drunk driving incidents earlier this year involving two IPD officers, Police Chief Jerry Barker decided to crackdown on officers who drink and drive their police cruisers off duty." Chief Barker used to let off duty officers drive their cruisers with a blood-alcohol level up to .03. But he changed policy last February to "no alcohol at no time."... [The owner of the damaged mini van] believes "He deserves everything he is going to get and more." She even noticed the sticker Officer McComas put in his cruiser warning drivers about Indiana's DUI law.... Full story, from WTHR ______________________________
[The answer is that young men driving cars are 370 times more likely to be killed -- DSA addendum, see figures below] ...22 deaths in the United States [are known] to have occurred as a direct result of a football injury since 2000. And inevitably, such tragedies raise questions. Are the risks inherent in playing football worth it? Is there anything that can be done to make the sport safer? Just how dangerous is football, anyway? "It's probably safer than kids getting in a car and driving on the highway," said Dr. Frederick Mueller, who heads the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. Statistically, anyway, there's no comparison. According to numbers compiled by Mueller's center, the death rate for football players at the high-school level last year was 0.13 per 100,000 (there were no deaths last year in college football). The death rate for male drivers between the ages of 15 and 24 years old, meanwhile, is 48.2 per 100,000, according to numbers published in 2001 by the University of Maryland Medical Center. Full story, from the Miami Herald
DSA Comments: By comparison, the national per capita death rate for the USA (2002 figures) is 14.9 per 100,000 people and this shows that young male drivers, in the 15-24 age group, are 3.23 times more likely to be killed in an auto crash than the average person -- a fact that is echoed by the next story: "Teen Driver Dangers". In addition, dividing the risk factor for young men driving (48.2) by the factor for deaths in American football (0.13) provides the fact that driving is 370 times more dangerous for young men than playing the sport. ______________________________
The latest study from the Iowa Department of Transportation shows nearly 364,000 licensed drivers ages 15 to 24 accounted for 27.5 percent of fatal crashes and were involved in 34,132 crashes in 2000. That's nearly twice as many crashes than the next highest age groups of 25- to 34-year-olds and 35- to 44-year-olds, which had about 19,000 crashes for 333,170 drivers and 18,807 crashes among 411,778 drivers, respectively. And it is why young drivers pay nearly three times more than older drivers for insurance.... Full story, from the Iowa City Press Citizen ______________________________
THONON-LES-BAINS, France (AFP) - A Swiss woman who drove her car into a French police van, killing two officers, while distracted by sending a mobile telephone text message was sentenced Monday to two and half years in prison by a court here. The judge found that Angela Shala, 33, was criminally negligent in causing the June 2003 accident, in which she was speeding at 170 kilometres (105 miles) per hour while tapping away on her mobile in a panicked effort to locate a friend's car she had been following. Two other police officers were injured when Shala's car slammed into their vehicle on an Alpine motorway, causing it to crash and roll over twice. The Swiss woman was also fined EUR 1,500 (USD 1,800) and banned from driving for five years. [Source: AFP, via Expatica] ______________________________
British millionaire drivers arrested in high-speed rally on French motorway SENLIS, France, Sept 20 (AFP) - Police broke up an illegal weekend rally by British millionaires along French motorways by confiscating driving licences from some owners of around 60 high-end sportscars which had been speeding along at over 200 kilometres (125 miles) per hour, officers said Monday. Four Britons were stripped of their licences on the spot after police, called by alarmed motorists, stopped them at a toll booth northwest of Paris and calculated their speeds from the timestamps on their tickets. One officer, Lieutenant Stephane Tourtin, said the expensive vehicles - mainly Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys and Lamborghinis - had been racing each other since arriving across the English Channel on their way to Monaco. Most of the other drivers managed to escape the dozen police sent to intercept them. A French court in Senlis ordered the four who were caught to pay fines of EUR 2,000 (USD 2,400) each and to appear again to answer charges of putting others in danger. The top speed limit on French motorways is 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour. French authorities have taken an increasingly strict stance with speeders in the past two years in a bid to crack down on road deaths, much to the chagrin of some British sportscar owners keen to test the limits of their vehicles on the good-quality roads. Last year, a group of British millionaires and celebrities who cough up GBP 10,000 (EUR 15,000, USD 18,000) each year to take part in a cross-border race called the Gumball Rally tore across France and Spain in a flashy contest of cars and drinking. [Source: AFP, via Expatica]
DSA Comments: Maybe some of these idiots need to read the news more. It is a mere five days since the mainly-British drivers of seventy fast cars had their vehicles impounded in Spain for exactly the same thing. It makes one wonder if any of them (or all of them) were stupid enough to be involved in this second incident, too. And that's to say nothing of them getting the British a bad name. If these people can afford such cars and such trips, they could easily afford track time so they could race all they wish, without risking other people's lives in the process. [Details of the first incident, here] ______________________________
...There are nearly 10,000 deaths each year in the U.S. from side impact crashes. New research shows you are three-times more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury in a side-impact crash than in a head-on collision.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently completed its first-ever test with side-impact crashes. Ten out of 13 cars rated “poor.” Only two cars, those with optional side airbags scored a “good” rating. When the airbags were removed, both cars failed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to announce new side-impact standards in the next few months. All vehicles will have to pass a new government crash test.
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The National Safety Council has called on the Government to change its attitude to road safety funding and recognise such funding saves money for the Exchequer in other areas. Council chairman Eddie Shaw said: "Both the benefits and the cost [of road safety initiatives] should be evaluated and should be set out in the annual budget statement. "If that is done, it then becomes clear that road safety is a sound financial investment on behalf of the community. Money is saved and needless tragedies are avoided." So far this year 287 people have died in road accidents in Ireland, up 40 on the figures for the same period last year. [Source: IOL] ______________________________
New Delhi's killer roads claim five lives every 24 hours, according to a new study carried out by Delhi Police. The shocking figure is contained in an in-depth report prepared by the traffic police, which analysed hundreds of cases of major and minor accidents that come to the police's notice every day. The reports said 1,198 fatal accidents were recorded across the capital in which 1,233 people were killed till Aug 31 this year -- higher than last year's figures. Pedestrians (602) and cyclists (122) died in the largest numbers in these fatal accidents. Police officers blamed rash and negligent driving as the main reason behind the growing fatalities. An officer said: "This year traffic police have taken action against 90,214 motorists who were charged with over-speeding, while 1,877 people faced penalties on charges of drunken driving."... In 2003, Delhi witnessed 1,642 accidents in which 1,710 people lost their lives.... Full story, from India News, via New Kerala ______________________________
A bus, a lorry and a car collided in southern Iran on Sunday, killing 18 people, police said.... Iran has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world, averaging five deaths every two hours. Full story, from Reuters AlertNet Foundation ______________________________
Lorry drivers are the focus of a campaign to cut road deaths in Cumbria after figures revealed they are involved in nearly half of all fatal crashes in the county. Up to 100 police officers, both uniformed and covert, took to the roads this month and warned drivers would be ticketed if they were [caught] speeding. Sergeant Mick Mills, leading the crackdown, said they were concentrating on the main routes in the county, including the M6, A66 and A69 in north Cumbria. Marked and unmarked cars will follow HGVs [i.e. Heavy Goods Vehicles] and take action against those caught speeding. They will not stop drivers, he said, but send Fixed Penalty tickets through the post. “For people who drive for a living, getting a ticket is a big deterrent against speeding again,” he said. “If they persist, they will be banned from driving.”
He said the month-long campaign had been launched to combat Cumbria’s
high accident rate, which is the second worst in the UK. Fifty-four
people died last year and 393 were seriously injured in 1,549 crashes. “Speed is a major factor in most accidents and with HGVs the collisions can have horrific consequences. Think of the impact of a crash with a 44-tonne lorry,” Sgt Mills said. “In three years, there have been 50 fatal collisions involving HGVs. The driver has not always been the cause, but some common factors in HGV collisions have been fatigue and the use of mobile phones.”... All of the force’s 100 Mobile Support Group officers are involved in the campaign, Sgt Mills said, with five dedicated to it full-time. The others will pay attention to lorry drivers while performing their routine duties.... Full story, from the Cumbria News and Star ______________________________
VICTORIAN Premier Steve Bracks has banished drunk-driving MP Carolyn Hirsh from the Labor Party after she was caught driving without a licence. Ms Hirsh, 67, had her licence suspended when she was caught driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.07 in June after a party to mark the end of the Autumn session of parliament. She stepped down from the parliamentary drugs and crime prevention committee after the incident and said she had been a "bloody idiot". But about midday yesterday she had another run-in with the law when police pulled her over and found she was driving without a licence and driving a car without current registration on display. Mr Bracks said he spoke to Ms Hirsh on the phone yesterday and told her she was no longer welcome in the parliamentary Labor Party after her actions, which he described as "not only regrettable but just damn stupid". [Source: NEWS.com] ______________________________
When he joined the Hopewell Township Police Department in 1995, most people dismissed Homer D. Copper as a dummy who would never fulfill his obligation to serve and protect. But nearly 10 years later, the mannequin dressed in a police uniform has proved exceptional at his job - fooling speeders into thinking they're approaching a patrol car with a radar-equipped officer on duty. During his rather stellar career, which includes being kidnapped in the line of duty, the ersatz officer has become one of the township's most popular men in blue, routinely receiving bags of doughnuts and other trinkets from enamored residents passing his patrol car. "I hired him," bragged Hopewell Township Police Chief Mike Chipowsky. "He's a good officer. He never complains. He always shows up on time and he never takes a sick day." Monday through Friday the life-sized dummy can be on various local roads, his sightless eyes trained on speeders. "His job is to slow traffic, which he does well," Chipowsky said. "People see the car, they see the hat and they slow down." "Most towns use speed signs or empty patrol cars to get drivers to slow down," said Ewing Police Chief Robert Coulton, president of the Mercer County Chiefs of Police Association. "I don't know of any other town besides Hopewell that uses a mannequin." Copper's presence behind the wheel isn't necessarily more effective than the other methods, said Anthony Parenti, president of the New Jersey Police Traffic Officers Association. "Quite a few towns in the state use them, but an empty car works just as well," Parenti said. Chipowsky said the radar-activated speed signs used in the township are effective at slowing speeders, but they lack the appeal of Copper.... Full story, from NJ.com ______________________________
The Minister for Roads and Transport, Hon. Richard Anane, has revealed that between January and June, this year over 700 persons were killed in road traffic accidents alone, while more than 4,000 others sustained various degrees of injury. This figure, he said, is unacceptable, and can be reduced drastically, if road users would stay focused and government institutions whose roles are to implement its vision and objectives for road safety are adequately equipped. This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy, Hon. Emmanuel Adjei-Boye, at the opening of a two-day workshop for 30 participants on "Road Safety Management Practices" here on Tuesday, this week. The minister contended that since road accidents are largely caused by human factors and not by any act of God, 90% of them are preventable. He therefore urged participants to appreciate the scale and magnitude of the problem at hand and resolve to address them at every level.... The minister also hinted that [by December, this year,] a comprehensive Road Traffic Bill, with considerable provisions for road safety, would have been enacted, hoping also that the decline of fatality rate from 31 deaths per 10,000 vehicles in 2001 to 27 in 2003 would be further reduced to a single digit.... Full story, from allAfrica ______________________________
Police officers will no longer attend the scene of a minor road accident it was confirmed today. Research carried out by the Police Service's anti-bureaucracy task force recently established that officers were spending too much time on attending slight collisions.
Last year alone police
in Northern Ireland were called to more than 25,000 collisions, the
majority of which were minor. Under the new system, those involved in a 'non-attendance' collision will be issued with a Collision Care Pack by post or e-mail.... Full story, from 4NI
DSA Comments: Given the financial pressure and limited resources on police forces these days, decisions such as this can hardly be surprising. But, of course, it is inevitable that occasional incidents will not now be attended that should have been, and either an obstruction of the road will cause another collision or, worse, somebody will be killed while trying to remove a vehicle, clear debris, help another person, etc. 'Protection of the scene' has always been a key role of British police officers attending a crash and neglecting this task is highly questionable. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ______________________________
A record 80 percent of Americans wear their safety belts while driving or riding in their vehicles, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced today during a visit to Seattle. The Secretary said the number of Americans wearing their safety belts has increased dramatically over the past few years. Drive and Stay Alive has the full press release, here, but we also asked two questions of the US DOT, for clarity: | ||||||||||||||||
September 30, 2004: Road Safety
Demonstrations Can Go Badly Wrong
September 29, 2004: Zeppelins -- A
New Eye in the Sky for the Israeli Police
September 28, 2004: Study finds
that bad driving and unfit vehicles contribute to South Africa's grim
road
September 28, 2004: Safer Roads are
Needed in Greece
September 27, 2004: 'Road Safety
Year' is Announced in Cyprus
September 22, 2004: The UK DfT is to Use Brands to Help
Publicise Road Dangers .jpg)
* September
22, 2004: 
September
21, 2004: 
and 
September 20, 2004: A Speeding
Swiss Driver Killed 2 French Police Officers While Sending an SMS
September 20, 2004: The Irish NSC Wants Rethink on Road Safety
September 19, 2004: Five people die daily in road accidents in
Delhi 
September 19, 2004: Eighteen people die in road accident in
south Iran 
September
18, 2004: 
September 17, 2004: Carnage On Ghana's Roads