|
All contents copyright ©, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., 2003 onwards, unless specified otherwise. All rights reserved. IMPORTANT: click here to read the DISCLAIMER |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
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
If you or your organization have safety-oriented driving news for publication, click here to contact us.
Fair use notice of copyrighted material: This site contains some copyrighted material that in some cases has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance the understanding of road safety, both at a global level and by individual people such as drivers and the parents of young drivers. By doing this, we hope to help save lives. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., is a section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, based in New York State, U.S.A.
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
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.
______________________________
Hong Kong Road Safety Campaign Committee Sunday launched a two-month new round of publicity to promote a smart road use with a vision as "Zero accidents on the road, Hong Kong's goal." The message of the campaign is "Stay alert. Be courteous and obey the law." Chairman of the Committee Lawrence Yu... noted that Hong Kong enjoys a good road safety record compared with other cities in the world. However, despite a drop of 19.5 percent compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, Hong Kong still saw 124 deaths in road accidents inthe first nine months of 2004.... The main cause of pedestrian accidents was crossing roads carelessly while accidents involving drivers were mainly caused by driving too close to the vehicle in front, speeding, careless lane changing and driving negligently. Each incident of death costs Hong Kong government some 1.9 million HK dollars (244,000 US dollars) to follow up. This is not to mention the serious and permanent damage caused to the family and friends of those killed.... Full story, from Xinhuanet ______________________________
A pack of wild boars wandered onto a German motorway, causing a five-car pileup, injuring a motorist and leaving eight of the animals dead, police said. The cars on the Dresden-Berlin motorway hit the boars at high speed. One car flipped, injuring a 33-year-old female driver. [Source: LA Times (Subscription needed)] ______________________________
The roads of this city, which has the highest density of vehicles in India, are no longer "safe" for VIP motorists -- the traffic police are coming down heavily on offenders. This was evident at a special checkpoint put up by traffic police Saturday night on the busy Chandigarh-Panchkula highway. Despite throwing names and their weights around to get away from being issued a traffic ticket, some offenders realised that such efforts were a waste. All their actions were videotaped under a new policy framed by the traffic police to use the evidence against offenders in court. The police not only issued them traffic tickets, but in one case they impounded the vehicle of an "influential" person, said an officer. The motorist -- driving a brand-new Ford Ikon -- had sought to threaten the police personnel not to issue him a traffic ticket as he claimed to be related to a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.... The motorist's arguments with policemen led to the offences listed against him increasing. Besides the original offence of violating the speed limit, he was charged with arguing with police officials, creating a scene and refusing to sign the ticket. Finally, he ended up getting his vehicle impounded. The motorist, his wife and four children, including an infant, had to walk -- leaving the car behind.... Full story, from New Kerala ______________________________
A Fort Bragg man is facing felony charges for allegedly driving drunk and causing a deadly accident. State troopers have charged him after a deadly accident in Chatham County took three lives this weekend. Authorities said Randall Hickman, 30, of Fort Bragg, was driving drunk when his truck hit a car on Highway 421 Saturday. The three people in the car, including a 10-month-old baby, were killed. [Source: NBC 17] ______________________________
NEW YORK -- The Television Advertising Bureau and the Ad Council have convinced rival station groups across the country to come together in a first ever campaign to curb drunk driving during the upcoming holiday season, Broadcasting & Cable magazine reports exclusively this week. Stations throughout the U.S. will put competition aside to participate in what TVB and the Ad Council call "Project Roadblock" -- an intense public service ad campaign that will build to a crescendo during the week between Christmas and New Year. "So far, Clear Channel Communications' 36 stations and Nexstar Broadcasting Group's 46 stations have enlisted. Individual stations from Belo Corp., Cox Broadcasting, Hearst-Argyle, Hubbard Broadcasting, Liberty, Tribune Broadcasting and Viacom also are participating. TVB President Chris Rohrs hopes to have several hundred stations by the time the campaign is launched," B&C reports. PSAs air free of charge, according to the industry weekly, which notes that the value of the air time participating TV stations will give up could exceed $100 million. [Source: PR Newswire] ______________________________
A passenger bus plunged more than 650 feet off an isolated mountain highway in the Andes, killing at least 28 people and injuring 28 others, officials said. The accident occurred just after dusk Friday near the town of Chuquibambilla, about 300 miles south of Lima... A further 28 were seriously injured and were being treated in Abancay, about 34 miles south of the accident site. Police said heavy fog may have contributed to the crash. [Source: The Star Tribune] ______________________________
A man who might hold vital clues to a serious accident on the M6 near Coventry has been asked to come forward by police. The motorist stopped at the scene of a crash two weeks ago and helped a badly burned woman out of her blazing vehicle. Police officers fear the man could be traumatised after the shocking incident and they want to help him with counselling if he needs it. The female driver is still in Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital recovering from 60 per cent burns... Her blue Rover 100 car is thought to have run off the carriageway after colliding with another vehicle, then flipped over on to its roof and burst into flames on the [side of the road].... The Good Samaritan who stopped to help the women is described as black. He was driving a white van. He left the scene before the emergency services arrived but police believe he could [also] hold vital clues about the cause of the crash. Insp Paul Andrews, of the Central Motorway Police Group, said: "We would like to see this man, firstly, to give him a big pat on the back for his help and also to find out if he can help us. "He may also be bottling up some issues after helping her, it was a very nasty incident. "He is as much a victim, even though he walked away from it."... Full story, from IC Coventry ______________________________
The RAC Foundation is backing calls for a road safety tsar to be appointed for Northern Ireland. Speaking at the Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland's annual congress today, Kevin Delaney, Traffic and Road Safety Manager for the RAC Foundation claimed that the number of people killed and injured on the roads was unacceptable and new thinking must be employed to tackle the problem.... Speaking on the theme of "What Cost Road Safety", Delaney said that while road safety measures were expensive, the cost of a life is priceless in human terms and costly in material ones. "The traditional three E's of enforcement, education and engineering all have associated costs and different benefits and consequences. "But as a nation we already spend huge sums of money investigating crashes, prosecuting drivers and compensating victims. Couldn't we spend that more effectively in attempting to change driver behaviour and attitude by better education, better training and better information? "As individuals, we also face a choice. Are we prepared to pay for safer roads that incorporate significantly increased safety margins, safer cars that provide crash protection not only for occupants, but also vulnerable road users and better driver training that treats driving as a 'life skill', training young people to drive, rather than simply to pass the driving test?... "Likewise school safety. In the U.S. they use yellow school buses to take children to and from school and they build safety legislation around them. Yes it costs a lot, but they believe the safety of their children is worth the cost.... Delaney added that Northern Ireland should appoint a single person, or legal entity to be responsible for all aspects of road user safety, co-ordinating education, engineering and enforcement and arguing for a realistic road safety budget from a position of influence. [Source: RAC Foundation] ______________________________
An announcement and latest research on this deadly problem, complete with detailed safety advice. ______________________________
The UK's largest driving school, BSM, are calling on the UK government to ensure that learner drivers have experience of night-time driving before they take their practical driving test. The call comes in the same week that MP David Kidney tabled a House of Commons question on the issue to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling. Although only about 15% of total vehicle miles are carried out between the hours of 7pm and 7am, about 30% of reported injury accidents take place in that same period. And the likelihood of being involved in an accident after dark is far greater for relatively inexperienced young drivers than for any other age group.... ______________________________
Details here for this year's winners and also on where to send nominations for future awards. ______________________________
The Department for Transport has today published a Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics, bringing together for the first time information from a range of sources to provide a comprehensive picture of motorcycling in Great Britain. View the press release, here, for further details. ______________________________
Gerrie Botha, Manager Road Traffic Management Strategy, National
Department of Transport has given RoadSafe the following up to date
figures that are mind-boggling! Of the vehicles on South African roads,
1.3 million are older than 20 years. (17.95%). Furthermore, on average
25% of buses, motorcycles and trucks, 28% of heavy trailers and 47% of
caravans fall into this category. However, in Europe the average
lifespan of a vehicle is 6.7 years. ______________________________
On 6 April 2004, Robert Bosch GmbH became a signatory to the European Union Road Safety Charter, thereby making a commitment to contribute to the universal goal of halving European road fatalities to 20,000 by the year 2010 through the promotion of its Electronic Stability Programme - or 'ESP'. ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) is an advanced braking technology which significantly reduces driving accidents -- particular side collisions caused by skidding -- by preventing a vehicle from losing control during sharp, accident avoidance maneuvers. An aspect of this promotion will be the 'ESPerience' programme - a driver and dealer salesperson training course available at eight race circuits around the UK to raise the awareness of ESP and its function in critical driving situations. The firm says the initiative is one of the biggest road safety commitments by an auto parts supplier in Europe.
______________________________
Its main effect is to reduce single-vehicle crash risk, including the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes ARLINGTON, VA -- About half of the 28,000 fatal passenger vehicle crashes that occur each year involve a single vehicle. Equipping cars and SUVs with electronic stability control (ESC) can reduce the risk of involvement in these crashes by more than 50 percent. Read this important report here. ______________________________
Call it infrastructure gone [to] waste or what you will, but 33 subways in the Capital are seldom used by those they were built for — pedestrians. Subways can bring down road accidents considerably, but footfalls continue to be negligible. About 48 per cent of fatal road accidents on Delhi's roads involve pedestrians. A majority of these happen while people attempt to cross roads and are run over. "If subways are used, many mishaps can definitely be prevented," joint commissioner of traffic police Qamar Ahmed said.... Experts said apathy to subways was because of several factors, like faulty planning, lack of maintenance and security. However, residents are equally to blame. Many prefer to either jump over railings [or] over road dividers. "Though we plan to have a subway at a place most convenient to the public, they are often built elsewhere because of objection from shopkeepers and politicians. This is a cause of faulty planning," a senior MCD official said. However, the [condition of the] subways deters people from using them. "They are filthy, stinking and have become a hub for anti-social elements. They are unsafe, especially for women after dark, as they are poorly-lit," Arun Kumar, a PR executive said.... Full story, from the Hindustan Times ______________________________
PESHAWAR: Seventeen people were killed and 12 were injured in two road accidents on Tuesday. Five people were killed and nine were injured when a coach collided with a truck near Kohat Tunnel, 35 kilometres south of Peshawar.... Meanwhile, 12 people died and three were injured when a jeep plunged into a ravine on Tuesday on Torekoho Road, 80 kilometres from Chitral. [Source: Daily Times] ______________________________
The Princess Royal (i.e. Princess Anne) had a packed schedule during her two-hour visit to the Transport Research Laboratory's new, purpose-built office and laboratory complex, today. After praising the significance and contribution of TRL's work in understanding transport issues, The Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to commemorate the official opening. She also presented awards to three members of staff in recognition of their outstanding contribution to transport research: David Lynam for his work in road safety, Richard Abell for his major role in understanding the construction and maintenance of long-life roads, and Graham Lawrence for his work on pedestrian protection from vehicles. Following the opening ceremony, The Princess Royal was taken to TRL's Impact Test Facility to watch a demonstration vehicle crash test which replicated a frontal impact at 64kph [40mph].... The Princess Royal was [later] introduced to TRL's groundbreaking work in accident reconstruction using laser scanning techniques. Last stop was TruckSIM, the UK's first Truck Driver Training Simulator.... The event marked a fitting end to the successful relocation, as all involved look forward to the future of TRL in its new, state-of-the-art headquarters. [Source: TRL News, November 2004] ______________________________
Drivers and Pedestrians Must See and Be Seen Children aged 12 and under are more than twice as likely to suffer death or injury from being hit by a car on Halloween than on other comparable days in October and November, according to a new analysis by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The Auto Club analyzed data collected by the California Highway Patrol. The analysis of death and injury statistics from 1994-2003 found children under age 13 are 136 percent more likely to be killed or injured as pedestrians between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Halloween compared to other comparable days in October and November. Over the 10-year period, this translates to 77 more children killed or injured. Adults and children aged 13 and over have a 45 percent higher likelihood of being hit by a motor vehicle on Halloween than on other comparable October or November days. "These numbers are startling because they show that despite efforts to make young children safe on Halloween, there is still a dramatic jump in deaths and injuries while they are walking from house to house," said Steven Bloch, Ph.D., senior research associate of the Auto Club and the researcher who performed the analysis.... "This year [will] be particularly dangerous because Halloween falls on the Sunday when clocks are turned back from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time," Bloch said. "Young children out trick-or-treating are particularly at risk because they are usually out near dusk or later when visibility is lowest. Sunset will be occurring an hour earlier than we are accustomed to. The key for drivers and pedestrians is to 'see and be seen'." Full story, with safety tips, here. Related Story (out of sequence)
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and PennDOT officials, the number of fatal accidents during Halloween [often surpasses] those occurring during the New Year's holiday. And alcohol is to blame for most of these accidents and deaths, they said. Between 1999 and 2003, figures for Pennsylvania showed that highway deaths during the Halloween holiday exceeded those occurring at New Year's for three of the five years. Full story, from Pittsburgh Live ______________________________
NAPLES -- The introduction of new road safety measures on Italian highways has led to an 18.8 pct reduction in deaths, and 22 thousand fewer serious or permanent injuries, according to statistics issued by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Pietro Lunardi. "These issues concern families and society at large. The data is preliminary, but this is just [the] beginning. We have to strive for more, we have to do more". On matters such as these the highway code appears to provide too few disincentives. Lunardi stressed the need for families to provide their teenage sons and daughter with the kind of education needed to avoid Friday night disasters. "Families need to educate their sons and daughters - Lunardi said - [...] towards pro-life values. Our lives and that of others is precious. That's our message." [During a meeting of 25 EU transport ministers], Lunardi stressed the significance of results achieved in Verona; the meeting focused on issues "on a much neglected issue, [...] namely road accidents. Transport Ministers have a very important task at hand, involving the safeguard of human lives. This involves an all-out commitment and EU ministers seem committed on that account. Verona will become an annual appointment on road safety." [Source: AGI] ______________________________
VERONA, Italy -- The driving licence is to be considered just like a gun licence. That's the comparison made by Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi today at the European Council of Transport Ministers, held today at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona. "In Italy" - he said - "7000 people are killed in road accidents each year, 150 are killed by guns. We need to be much more careful in issuing driving licences". Such a declaration follows the one made yesterday by the minister himself: "Hit-and-run and dangerous drivers should have their licences taken away for life". The cost of accidents affects the EU GDP by 2 pct, that's 105 bln euros, and this figure only regards accidents, because the cost of life cannot be assessed. "Casualties caused by road accidents" -- said Karle Peijs, Transport Minister of the Netherlands -- "are too many, and damages total billions of euros. In a country such as Holland, which features a very safe road network, 110** people are killed every year. In the entire EU, about 60,000 are killed". [Source: AGI] DSA Comment: ** The annual fatalities figure shown for Holland is undoubtedly a typographical error. The number of people killed in road crashes there each year is around 1,000. ______________________________
More than 1,000 drivers were caught speeding in a new road safety blitz across Northern Ireland, police revealed today. Scores of motorists will also be prosecuted for drink or drug-driving following the week-long crackdown. With the death toll still alarmingly high, police chiefs said the Operation Viper campaign proved they were getting tough with those causing mayhem. Chief Superintendent Wesley Wilson said: “Sadly 123 people have been killed on our roads so far this year. Speeding, dangerous driving, driving while under the influence, can lead to tragedy. “We have promised that we will be robust and targeted in our enforcement. I believe the figures we have released today reflect that determination.” Read the full story, with statistics, from The Scotsman ______________________________
'Men in Black' star Rip Torn was in court in New York Tuesday to fight drunk driving charges. The 73-year-old actor can be seen raging in a video released by police who arrested Torn after he drove into the back of a taxi. But, in court, Torn's attorney insisted the actor isn't drunk in the video footage, in which he staggers around arguing with cops and resisting arrest, but he is angry. Torn is expected back in court Wednesday. [Source: World Entertainment News Network, via 94Country WKKJ] ______________________________
Not to pick on the Governors Highway Safety Association, a worthy nonprofit association representing the state highway safety offices, but after two headline gaffes from them, we just couldn't resist sharing them in this space. The first one crossed our desk back in August and caught our attention with the headline, “State Highway Safety Agencies Cheer Historic Progress in Highway Deaths.” We didn't think that's what they really meant to say, and set it aside. Then on Oct. 19 another one crossed our desk, this one titled, “Speed Tops Priority List for New Highway Safety Leader.” Again, we doubt that driving fast is the priority; more likely the priority is to stop speeding on America's highways. Having said that, writing headlines is a tough job. But as one headline writer at The Kansas City Star said after reading the two, “Oh boy, those should be on Jay Leno's Headlines.” [Source: The Kansas City Star] ______________________________
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today released new crash test results for selected model year 2005 vehicles. The agency also released new rollover ratings for several 2005 pickups. The 2005 Subaru Outback sport utility vehicle was the only vehicle in the latest group to earn the top rating of five-stars for all seating positions in frontal and side impact crash tests. The 2005 Chrysler 300, and its corporate twin the Dodge Magnum, received the highest scores for a passenger car – five-stars for frontal crash in both seating positions and four-stars and five-stars, respectively, for side impact crash in the driver and rear seating positions. In rollover testing, the highest rated pickups were the 2005 Dodge Ram 4x2, the Chevrolet Colorado 4x4, and its corporate twin, the GMC Canyon 4x4, each receiving four-stars, a 17.9 percent chance of rollover, if involved in a single-vehicle crash. NHTSA uses both a five-star scale and a percent chance of rollover to rate a vehicle on its likelihood of rollover in a single vehicle crash.... ______________________________
If gridlock, stress and delays were not enough, scientists have found another reason for people to dread their daily commute. Sitting in traffic nearly triples the risk of suffering a heart attack a short time later, according to a study published last week. The heightened risk, which applies to drivers, bicyclists and people using public transportation, may be a result of exposure to airborne pollutants that inflame the lungs and damage arteries, but the emotional stress of trudging through traffic could also be a factor, the researchers said.... Full story, from the New York Times (subscription required) ______________________________
Seventy-seven people were killed in truck accidents on the roads of New South Wales from January to the end of May this year. Executive officer for the Transport Workers Union Scott Connelly... said that to meet unrealistic deadlines, a frightening number of interstate truck drivers were speeding or resorting to substance abuse.
Mr Connelly laid the blame at the feet of large companies that had
adopted an aggressive strategy to contract out work to sole operators on
reduced rates, which were the lowest they had been for 10 years. Full story, from YourGuide ______________________________
HOHHOT -- Six people were killed in a traffic accident in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Monday, local police said on Tuesday. A Hongyan truck firstly collided with a farming tricycle from behind at 0:40 a.m. Monday in Dongsheng District of Ordos City when it was trying to overtake and then had a head-on collision with a Jiefang truck. The driver of the latter truck was seriously injured. A half hour later, a car ran into the collided Jiefang truck from back, killing all the five people in the car, including its driver, at the scene. And the driver of the Jiefang truck died in hospital later. The tricycle driver along with the passengers aboard were just slightly injured.... [Source: Xinhuanet] ______________________________
Study Finds Florida Is Second Deadliest State For Debris-Related Crashes ...A study by AAA found junk in the road causes 25,000 wrecks per year, resulting in 90 deaths a year. Florida is the second deadliest state because of these crashes. The study found that between 1999 and 2001, Texas was at the top of the list with 33 fatal crashes caused by road debris; Florida had 17 and Missouri had 13.... In just a half-day over a couple of miles, workers picked up a trailer-load of debris from Interstate 95 near Cocoa Monday. Because of a rash of road debris-related deaths, the Highway Patrol gives top priority to road debris calls, responding to them like injury accidents.... [Five people have been] killed in Brevard County alone this year by road debris. Full story, from WESH ______________________________
A Traffic Safety Campaign, aimed at curtailing the slaughter on the roads has been launched in Chaguanas. Full story, from the Trinidad & Tobago Express ______________________________
Motorcyclists reluctant to wear "uncool" high-visibility
jackets are to be targeted in a new drive to reduce winter accidents.
Norfolk police are to highlight the dangers being run by bikers who
prefer black leathers to bright clothes as part of the campaign timed to
coincide with the clocks going back. So far this year 53 people have died as a result of 51 fatal road accidents in the county. Ten motorcyclists have been among those killed, despite two-wheeled motorised traffic making up just one per cent of road use. Others to have died include 20 car drivers, nine car passengers, nine pedestrians, two cyclists, and three lorry drivers. The number of fatalities increases dramatically with the change in daylight hours and the bad winter weather. Full story, from EveningNews24 ______________________________
______________________________
...Each traffic police interceptor vehicle is now equipped with a voice recorder. To be in the custody of the interceptor vehicle in charge, it will record the entire conversation with the violators while other men on the vehicle issue challans [i.e. tickets]. Full story, from Express India ______________________________
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. - Lately, the media has discussed and analyzed the war in Iraq because of the 1,100 men and women who have died in that war. I am the wife of a Vietnam veteran who also was a POW for seven years, and we both are true supporters of our troops and our country. However, I also am a victim advocate for victims of traffic crashes and have been involved with this ongoing tragedy for more than 20 years. My heart aches daily for the loved ones and children killed in tragic crashes on our roadways, most of which were preventable. Very few crashes are accidents. The recent crash involving the wonderful three young brothers killed by an alleged distracted impaired driver was a horrendous loss and was most likely preventable. Do you realize that approximately 43,000 people were killed last year on our highways? When and what will it take for the media to make highway deaths a priority? Do we have to wait until a celebrity or a public figure's family is killed. I hate the war, but there also is a war on our streets every day, and my grandchildren are riding on those streets. They need to be protected. Every American needs to take responsibility and drive as if their child was riding, every time. Driving behavior is out of control - not only because of cell phone usage while driving, but also drunk driving, eating while driving, distractions such as children while driving, nonuse of seat belts and so on. Distracted driving is the cause of so many deaths. I have been listening to the two presidential candidates discussing the war, domestic issues and so on, but I have never heard even one local or national candidate say, "I will do everything in my power to make our roads safer for all Americans." No one wants to talk about it until it hits home. Sharon Gehrman-Driscoll (director/victim advocate for Minnesotans For Safe Driving). [Source: Grand Forks Herald] ______________________________
....Germany is the only country in Europe that allows motorists to drive as fast as they like on the highway. Racing down the autobahn is almost a national birthright here, a rare sip of freedom in an otherwise highly regulated, law-abiding society. But now the sacred right to drive like a bat out of hell is under threat. To the horror of [fast drivers], Germany has started debating whether to slap speed limits across its legendary highway system. With polls suggesting for the first time a slight majority favors speed caps, politicians from all parties have embraced the message that environmentalists have been pushing here for years: that slower driving would not only cut pollution and limit fuel consumption, but also save lives. Bills raising the [subject] have not yet been filed. Earlier this year, the perils of roadrunner driving were highlighted when Rolf Fischer, a test driver for Mercedes-Benz, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for running another car off the autobahn. At the time of the crash, which killed a young mother and her daughter, Fischer was traveling legally at 155 mph. His trial was widely covered and prompted many Germans to question the wisdom of letting ordinary people, never mind professional drivers, enact their Formula One fantasies on the autobahn.... At the same time, Germany is under pressure from abroad to put on the brakes, with the European Union reportedly gearing up to impose speed limits on highways across the continent.... German authorities already have used speed caps to make the autobahn safer. Last year, after an 80-mph limit was imposed on the busy stretch between Hamburg and Berlin, traffic-related deaths fell from eight to zero, according to a government study. Full story, from the Houston Chronicle ______________________________
A new road safety initiative will be launched by the State Government in secondary schools next year. Shifting Gears is a new interactive education program designed to teach road safety to high school students in Year 9 and 10. Aimed at 15- to 16-year-olds, Shifting Gears [has been] designed to develop a positive attitude to road safety among school students nearing the legal age for obtaining a learner licence.... Shifting Gears is the newest addition to the existing Road Safety Education Program taught in NSW schools and funded by the Roads and Traffic Authority. The program focuses on the complexity of driving, factors that contribute to crashes, risk behaviours, decision-making and personal responsibility when using the road. NSW Minister for Roads Carl Scully said teachers will now be able to deliver road safety education as part of a new syllabus for personal development, health and physical education subjects. "Shifting Gears gives road safety a high level of importance within the school learning environment and enables students to explore road safety issues using a medium that suits them," Mr Scully said.... "Hopefully, this can help lower the over-representation of young people in the road toll." Full Story from Your Guide (Tamworth) ______________________________
Councils are clamping down on public expressions of grief by imposing tight restrictions on roadside tributes for accident victims. At least four local authorities are telling bereaved families not to lay flowers at the site of a fatal road crash after a predetermined period of mourning — sometimes as little as two weeks — and are seeking a ban on permanent memorials. The councils claim they are acting on advice from police who fear the tributes, many near hazardous roads, could endanger those placing them and distract motorists. The move — spearheaded by officials in Lincolnshire and Aberdeenshire — has been branded “crass and insensitive” by grieving families and road safety campaigners. Some feel memorials are being removed so they do not draw attention to the death toll in certain areas. Fatalities on Britain’s roads reached 3,508 last year, a 2% rise on 2002.... In Scotland, national guidelines disallow permanent memorials unless there are no safety implications, while temporary tributes should go after 30 days. So far, the guidelines have been adopted by Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. In the latter, flowers can be removed after 14 days. Full story, from The Sunday Times ______________________________
Teen Traffic Fatalities Spur Calls for Change .....Raw, undeniable numbers make teenage drivers four times as likely as older motorists to be involved in a car crash, and three times as likely to die in one. The risk is especially great among 16-year-olds, the country's newest drivers.... In just one month, 15 young people have been killed in the Washington region, including a 3-year-old girl, in nine crashes involving teenage drivers.... Each of the crashes involved cars driven by a teenager with at least one teenage passenger. Excessive speed played a role in seven of the accidents. Failure to wear seat belts contributed to death or injury in seven. Alcohol was a factor in one and was suspected in another. All but three happened after dark, and all but three occurred on a weekend. Inexperience -- such as drivers overreacting after the car drifted onto the shoulder -- played a role in at least four accidents. In every crash but one, the driver was male.... Nationally, "we lose about 6,000 teen lives a year. I don't know why this is acceptable," said Lon Anderson, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "The fact is, we do have a crisis. The fact that these deaths came together at once served to show we have a crisis." ... Traffic deaths of teenagers are rising nationwide, up 5 percent in the past 10 years, even as the overall fatality rate for such crashes has dropped. High speed, alcohol and the failure to wear seat belts were the biggest contributors to teenage deaths, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded in a report released this month.... Read the full, detailed story, at the Washington Post (subscription) ______________________________
WASHINGTON - Children strapped in with a shoulder belt in the middle of the back seat are dramatically safer from serious injury in car crashes than kids who only have a lap belt, new research shows. The study by the Partners for Child Passenger Safety offers more evidence of the importance of upper body protection as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers a new rule requiring shoulder belts in the only rear seat position without them. Belted children who have a shoulder strap [are] 81 percent less likely to sustain serious injury than kids also seated in the center of the back seat who [have] only a lap belt around them, according to the study of State Farm-insured vehicles carrying at least one child that crashed between Dec. 1, 1998, and Nov. 30, 2002. NHTSA is on track to issue the rule by year's end, the deadline Congress set in 2002.... Safety advocates say the requirement is long overdue since back seats adjacent to windows have had shoulder belts for nearly 15 years.... Full story, from the Detroit News
DSA Comment: Yes, "long overdue" is the key phrase here, and by the time any such requirement is actually in operation several years will have elapsed and countless, extra children's lives will needlessly have been damaged or ended as a result. ______________________________
MUSCAT — An official source at the Public Relations Department of the Royal Oman Police said 152 road accidents occurred in the various regions and governorates of the Sultanate during the period October 16 to 22, causing the death of nine persons and injuring 138. These accidents included 94 collisions, 16 run-overs, 27 turnovers and 15 collisions with stationary objects.... The ROP urged motorists to adhere to traffic rules and be careful while driving, as well as observing speed limit and the necessity to make regular maintenance for vehicles to ensure their and others safety. [Source: The Times of Oman] ______________________________
JOHANNESBURG -- A trip to a weekend wedding turned into a tragedy after nine South Africans were killed and 55 others seriously injured in a bus overturn on Saturday night.... Police spokesperson Jerome Mbatha was quoted as saying that police suspected that the driver of the bus lost control before it overturned on the R102 highway, and a case of culpable homicide has been opened.... The accident is the second serious tragedy on South Africa's roads involving buses in a week following another in Johannesburg on Wednesday, in which the driver was killed and 42 people, mostly children, were injured. Another bus accident killed eight school children and injured 60 others in Eastern Cape Province on October 12. South Africa experiences more than half-a-million traffic accidents a year, which kill an average of 10,000 people, and about 80 percent of the accidents are caused by driver-related factors, according to the statistics of the Department of Transport. Full story, from Xinhuanet ______________________________
Investigations by Road Safety analysts had revealed, out of 116 deaths in the country, 51 deaths were caused by road traffic accidents at present, compared to only one death during 1977. A fair percentage of the victims found to be those of `hit and run' vehicles.... According to [Transport Minister, Felix Perera] the instances of 'hit and run' vehicles are on the increase. It has made many of the victims suffer a total loss, without any form of compensation, having met with an accident.... [Money] will be allocated to improve some of the important roads and also for research and development. Analysts have found that the biggest killer on the highway to be the motorcycle while the bicycle, trishaw, lorry are lower in line on accidents. Buses are known to be the safest form of transport out of all modes. Registrar of Motor Vehicles (RMV) statistics has revealed that there are over 600,000 registered motorcycles at present, while the trishaws number over 200,000. According to National Transport Commission Chairman, Dr. Amal Kumarage, the vehicle population in the country increases by eight per cent per annum. Investigations have revealed that serious accidents could be caused even by light and slow moving vehicles like bicycles. Kumarage said, there had been 38 pedestrian deaths in the year 2002 due to bicycles.... It is revealed... that pedestrians are unable to make use of the pavements due to various reasons, and happen to walk on the main road. Road Inspectors have noted that almost all the city roads are being encroached by pavement hawkers. Obstructions are also due to potholes and garbage litters. Full story, from the Sri Lanka Sunday Observer ______________________________
....You wonder why, given the intense safety campaigns during such seasons, the death and accident rates continue to climb. [There is a] simple reason: callous drivers just do not care about their own safety and the safety of other road users. It is too much to delve into this complex problem but you don’t need to be a genius to tell from the everyday traffic chaos and total lawlessness, that we are a suicidal society when we are on the roads. More and more drivers are beating the lights, more heavy vehicle drivers are treating our congested roads like the Sepang Circuit. Motorcyclists, who have the most to lose, are not stopping at the lights and are riding against traffic flow for short cuts. You wonder if the traffic cops are still in service or have they all been happily deployed to set up speed cameras to trap unsuspecting drivers who exceed the speed limit by 10-20kph in an innocuous 80kph zone. Perhaps they think these are the culprits of our traffic woes. I have news: our problems are much bigger and faster than that. Full story, from The Star ______________________________
Federal traffic police issue an average of 10,000 summonses to motorists nationwide daily, according to a report in Sin Chew Daily. Quoting federal traffic police chief Datuk Gingkoi Seman Pancras, the daily said that from January to September, a total of 4,203,356 summonses had been issued. The number, he added, was an increase of about 600,000 from the same period last year.... On another matter, Gingkoi said the traffic police needed a three-fold increase in manpower. He said there were only 4,773 traffic policemen now, adding that they needed an additional 10,000 men.... Full story, from The Star ______________________________
Two factory workers who used the M62 for a high-speed race that killed a passing nurse and seriously injured his wife of only six weeks were sent to prison yesterday. Lee Harrison, 35, was jailed for five years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving as he weaved perilously through early evening traffic at speeds of nearly 100mph. His black Ford Mondeo hit passing motorcyclist Kirk Lee and his wife Lin, who had been out showing wedding photographs to relatives. Mr Lee, 47, suffered multiple injuries in the crash and was not able to speak again, but the master diver used hand signals learned from his favourite sport to tell his new wife he loved her before he died three weeks later. Mrs Lee was left with five broken ribs and two broken wrists. Harrison's colleague David Firth, 21, of Griffe Head Crescent, Wyke, Bradford, who was lagging behind in his blue Fiat Bravo, was jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of dangerous driving. Prosecutors had alleged the pair were taking part in a four-car race, but two other colleagues from Tyco Plastics factory in Brighouse were cleared earlier this week.... Full story, from the Yorkshire Post ______________________________
Eighteen year-olds in Cyprus are three times as likely to be involved in road accidents as forty-year-olds, a road safety expert warned yesterday. Andreas Papas, former director of Traffic Police and said the majority of road accidents on the island involved drivers under 25. “The message for youth in Cyprus is that just because you’re young, it doesn’t mean you are infallible. The truth is that you can end up in a wheelchair for the remaining 50 years of your life.” Papas, who is also the government’s advisor on road safety said the latest police figures showed that four out of 10 drivers who died in road accidents were aged between 18 and 24, while one in five accidents involved people who had been driving for under one year. Speaking at a conference to promote road safety seminars for soldiers... he said youngsters needed to change their attitude, particularly regarding drink driving, dangerous overtaking and speeding.... Road death figures on the island have improved – there were 97 road deaths last year compared to 113 in 1999, while the total number of traffic accidents fell from 8,167 in 1993 to 3,777 in 2003. But Chief of Traffic Police Andreas Paphitis warned Cyprus’ progress was “much slower than in the rest of Europe.”... He added that the “mania” for reckless driving was apparent among young conscripts in the 18-20 age bracket.... Full story, from the Cyprus Mail ______________________________
A coalition of 11 consumer groups want U.S. auto safety regulators to require safer power window mechanisms that would prevent accidental deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued new rules last month mandating new power window rocker switch designs by the 2009 model year. But the agency did not require automakers to install auto-reverse mechanisms like those on overhead garage doors. Seven deaths this year are blamed on children accidentally leaning on or stepping on power window switches. Even NHTSA admits that the problem of child injuries and deaths in power window closures will persist because of flaws in the rule, Advocates for Highway for Auto Safety President Judie Stone told the Detroit News. Adding an automatic reverse mechanism to vehicle power windows would cost an estimated $50 per vehicle, the consumer groups said. [Source: the Big News Network, Australia] [For an earlier story on power windows, click on the date: July 5, 2004] ______________________________
.... With over 260 persons killed in motor vehicle accidents so far this year, road safety needs urgent attention.... There have been 89 accidents on the Old Harbour segment of Highway 2000; and 36 per cent of these accidents have been attributed to tyre blow-outs. This raises the question of the current procedures in place to ensure that vehicles are roadworthy. In theory this should be indicated by an up-to-date Certificate of Fitness. As we understand it, this certificate is procured after the payment of a fee at a tax office which precedes actual examination of the vehicle at a depot where engine and brakes are tested as well as tyre pressures and a visual inspection of tread wear. It appears that there is no requirement for any in-depth testing of tyre quality. So the tyre failures recorded by the Toll Authority have happened in the absence of any regulations to guard against these happening.... The Bureau of Standards is only now developing a set of standards to deal with this matter. Many vehicles, it seems, are being imported with inappropriate tyres. It appears therefore that the procedures to ensure vehicle safety insofar as their fitness for the road is concerned must be thoroughly reviewed.... Full story, from the Jamaica Gleaner ______________________________
Like the rain that began a few days ago, the Central Valley's foggy season got an early start Thursday.... On the roads, CHP officials said, fog was spotty and moderately thick in most places, not like the heavy, dense tule fog that tends to start later in the year.... Still, patches of fog did get thick enough east of Bakersfield that CHP patrol cars "paced" traffic -- leading groups of cars slowly through the fog -- on State Route 58, CHP Officer Scott Jobinger of Fresno said. Full story, from the Visalia Times-Delta ______________________________
Ambulances in Northern Ireland have been involved in 121 road accidents over the last two years, new figures revealed today. Statistics show that 90 of the cases involved accident and emergency vehicles, with the remainder patient care service (non-emergency) ambulances. Health Minister Angela Smith revealed the number of accidents in reply to a written House of Commons question from Lembit Opik, Liberal Democratic Party spokesman on Northern Ireland. Mrs Smith said the number of accidents had to be put in context. "In the last two years for which information is available (April 15, 2002 to April 14, 2004).... the number of road traffic accidents reported must be seen in the context of the 677,000 emergency and non-emergency patient journeys undertaken by the NIAS over the past two years, a significant number of which were undertaken in a high risk environment..." ... A spokesman for Mr Opik said the question asked was part of a series across the UK on the safety of ambulances.... Full story, from the Belfast Telegraph ______________________________
The government has decided to observe October 22 as the National Road Safety Day every year to curb road mishaps as well as to raise awareness on road safety. Communications Minister Nazmul Huda said this on the day while addressing a rally as chief guest at a function at the city's Kakrail area on the occasion of Nirapad Sarak Dibash. Bangladesh has a sent a proposal to the United Nations to declare October 22 as the International Road Safety Day to bolster public awareness and contain road accidents around the world, Huda said. The minister hoped that the UN would accept Bangladesh's proposal. [Source: The Financial Express] ______________________________
COIMBATORE -- Visitors to the Regional Transport Office were stunned to see a kolu arranged at the entrance, marking the beginning of Navarathri season. It had nothing to do with the religion. But the transport department chose to embark on a vehicle of communication, which was expected to yield effective results.... Taking a cue that people would show more interest in novel approaches, the Regional Transport Officers... created a miniature of a city traffic junction with all road signs and caution boards. Small toy cars and motor vehicles were put on the roads in a bid to explain the road-rules effectively. Personnel were drafted from both the RTOs to educate and enlighten the visitors to the RTO office. Even, if 10 people out of the 1,500 visitors who see it in a day start adhering to road-rules, it would become a successful attempt, the RTOs pointed out. Not only [was there] a miniature road junction, there were even photographs and illustrations on the dos and don'ts on roads to minimise accidents that claim more lives, officials pointed out. The attempt paid rich dividends in terms of attracting every visitor to the RTO's who chose to spend a few minutes in watching the demonstration as well as in taking a look at the photographs and illustrations. Some of the photographs even reminded the motorists that they should bear in mind the dependants in their family when they take to roads.... [Source: The Hindu] ______________________________
It’s not too late for nurseries and pre-schools to register to run their own Beep Beep Day, which can be run at any time, by calling Jeremy at Brake on 01484 559909 or e-mailing beepbeep@brake.org.uk ______________________________
[The above headline comes from DSA. What follows, below, is an editorial piece from the Times Democrat.] Teen traffic fatalities hit crisis point THE ISSUE: Teenagers dying in traffic crashes ....Since Oct. 1, 15 teens have died in motor vehicle collisions around [South Carolina], including several in The T&D Region. There have been 79 teens killed statewide this year — a 22 percent increase from last year at this time, officials say. The weekend of Oct. 9-10 proved to be the deadliest when five teens were killed in four separate accidents across the state.... Something has to be done to reverse the trend. On Thursday, the S.C. Department of Public Safety took action steps, focusing on getting teenagers to understand they are more likely to be involved in an injury/fatality-related crash than any other group of licensed drivers. "We are extremely concerned by the number of teens who have died in motor vehicle collisions this year, particularly in the past couple of weeks," DPS Director James K. Schweitzer said at a press conference in Columbia. "It is absolutely imperative that parents, teachers and community leaders join law enforcement to fight teen highway deaths. We have to approach this as a team effort and make talking to teens about safe driving priority one." The S.C. Highway Patrol recently launched a new highway safety curriculum, which includes eight multimedia presentations geared toward various age groups. The curriculum, paid for by federal grant funds, includes images of South Carolina motor vehicle crashes, testimonials from families who have lost loved ones on S.C. highways and information about laws. The goal is to make all drivers — including teens — aware of the dangers on our highways by localizing a nationwide crisis and showing them the pain experienced by S.C. parents who have lost their teenagers. Earlier this year, the SCHP began a teen driving enforcement/education campaign "Final Exam." ( http://www.schp.org/finalexam ) That campaign includes a competition among schools to encourage students to take the Safe Driving Pledge.... We join in urging parents, teachers and everyone to recognize this highway carnage as the crisis it is. Get the message out to teenagers about driving safety. Encourage students to take the Safe Driving Pledge. Focus on safety. Go overboard in practicing driving safety yourself as a continuing example to those young people with their false sense of invincibility. [Source: South Carolina Times Democrat] DSA Comment: Our compliments go to the editorial staff at the Times Democrat for backing this campaign so ardently. ______________________________
A road safety expert says the success of the 50 kilometre default zones in South Australia shows there is a benefit in also lowering the highway limit from 110 to 100 kilometres an hour (i.e. from about 69mph to 63mph). The Centre for Automotive Safety Research compared road accidents in the 12 months from March 1 last year. It showed six fewer road deaths, 20 per cent fewer casualty crashes, and 495 fewer injuries, saving $60 million. Centre director Professor Jack Mclean says reducing the open road limit would [give] a 30 per cent reduction in crashes and casualties, as it did in Victoria. "Fifteen years ago there was a change in the speed limit of that nature on the Hume Highway and Geelong Roads on expressways and they found a 20 per cent reduction," he said. "Let's just say there are very large potential safety benefits from going a bit slower." [Source: ABC News] ______________________________
The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has today released a report, from its fourth annual Road Safety Monitor, that shows the majority of Canadians are not concerned about young driver safety, despite the fact that road crashes are the leading cause of death among young people. In a survey of more than 1,200 Canadian drivers, the TIRF found that less than one quarter (24%) of respondents believe that young drivers are a serious or extremely serious problem. By contrast, when asked about specific behaviours such as alcohol- or drug use by young drivers, the vast majority of respondents (84%) saw this as a serious problem. For a more detailed description of the results of the Road Safety Monitor 2004: Young Drivers, click here. ______________________________
CALGARY -- The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) and the University of Calgary Department of Civil Engineering has appointed Dr. Richard Tav to its first ever Research Chair in Road Safety. Dr. Tav was recently announced as the successful candidate for the position which will help lead a team focusing on road engineering, vehicle design, driver behaviours and other factors that contribute to road safety in Alberta, the Alberta Motor Transport Association [AMTA] reported on its website. Last year Alberta highways were home to 113,357 collisions, 385 fatalities and 24,426 injuries. For its part the AMA contributed $750,000 towards establishing the new research chair in road safety at UofC.... Alberta hopes to become a leader in road safety research as a result of this appointment, and it plans to share and export its new-found expertise with other regions, the AMTA says. Full story, from Today's Trucking ______________________________
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Volkswagen of America, Inc. has been named the winner in the Public Service Announcement (PSA) category in the 2004 PR NEWS Platinum PR Awards national competition. Volkswagen was presented with the award on October 6 at the PR NEWS Awards luncheon at the Grand Hyatt in New York. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), 5,500 teenagers lose their lives each year in auto accidents – two-thirds of those are not wearing seat belts. To combat this alarming trend, Volkswagen created Fasten Your Seat Belt...Go Far!, a national safety belt education program and PSA contest designed to educate high school students as well as stimulate their creativity in producing PSAs to spread the message that it’s “cool” to buckle up. At the core of Fasten Your Seat Belt…Go Far! is the premise that teens are more likely to listen to their peers than adults. Research has shown that the top reason teens don’t wear their seatbelts is because it’s considered “uncool,” “unhip” and “unnecessary.” “Volkswagen is considered a ‘hip’ brand by teens. We felt it incumbent upon us to try to educate our young people while also empowering them to affect positive change,” said Tony Fouladpour, press relations manager for Volkswagen. “Thus, our campaign entails teens urging other teens that buckling up makes sense – and can save their lives.”
....The winning PSA, created by Erin Cosens of Henry Ford II High School
in Sterling Heights, Mich., shows students disappearing from a high
school’s hallways and being replaced by seat belts. ______________________________
RIGA - The death toll on the dangerous highways of Latvia continues to mount, with each new week bringing new highway horror stories to the headlines. The leading daily, Diena, used its entire front page on Oct. 19 to list the names of the 380 people that have died so far this year due to traffic accidents, on a pitch black background reminiscent of a headstone for the Vietnam War Memorial. [Source: The Baltic Times] ______________________________
The alleged driver of a stolen truck full of illegal immigrants is in a Tucson hospital with a skull fracture, a law enforcement officer said Sunday. The Cochise County Sheriff plans to pursue criminal charges against the driver, who is believed to be responsible for the death of two Huachuca City residents and three illegal immigrants in Saturday's horrifying crash.... [The driver] apparently lost control of the 2004 white Ford pickup Saturday, crashing into a line of vehicles waiting to make a left turn on to the Highway 90 Bypass. The crash took the lives of five people and injured 23, Valenzuela said Sunday afternoon.... Full story, from the Benson News Sun ______________________________
Gardaí (i.e. the police) are set to begin another road safety campaign tonight in an effort to prevent deaths and injuries on Irish roads over the Bank Holiday weekend. The campaign begins at midnight and will continue through until Bank Holiday Monday night. It will focus on drink-driving, speeding and non-wearing of seat-belts. Gardaí said checkpoints would be erected throughout the country, with a particular emphasis on accident black spots. So far this year 295 people have died on Ireland's roads compared to 251 in the same period last year. [Source: IOL] ______________________________
Continuing its crackdown against manufacturers and suppliers of illegal lighting equipment, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced its decision that high intensity discharge (HID) conversion kits produced by a Texas company do not comply with federal safety standards.
The owner of ASTEX USA, a supplier of aftermarket HID kits, was ordered
to conduct a recall campaign and provide a no-cost solution to the
customer. The company is based in Dayton, TX. When installed in a motor
vehicle, the HID kits “can be expected to produce excessive glare to
oncoming motorists and others,” NHTSA said in its decision. “These illegal lights are a potential hazard to those who share the road,” said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge, MD. “And we will continue to pursue those offering them for sale and violating the law.” [Source: NHTSA press release 43-04] ______________________________
Euro NCAP has signed up with soccer giants Real Madrid to enhance the pan-European debate on car safety issues, it was announced today (October 18). The media conference, hosted by Spanish automobile club, The RACC, marks a major new initiative to raise the profile of Euro NCAP's vital work. Real Madrid has granted permission for the full results of Euro NCAP's Phase 15 testing to be unveiled at the Bernabeu Stadium, on the morning of Thursday November 25th. Which vehicles are the star 'strikers'? And which will pay the penalty for falling foul of the New Car Assessment Programme's rigorous test protocols. Euro NCAP Chairman, Prof Claes Tingvall, said: "This media conference will tackle some very unpalatable statistics relating to the road deaths of thousands each year. "We are delighted that Real Madrid and the RACC are helping bring the facts to the public." Bona Fide members of the media can apply for accreditation at www.euroncap.com Source: Euro NCAP ______________________________
Fifteen teenagers die in traffic crashes every day [in America], and high speed, alcohol and the failure to wear seat belts remain the biggest contributors to fatal accidents nationally, according to a federal report released yesterday. The number of people between 15 and 20 years old involved in fatal crashes rose 5 percent -- to 7,884 -- between 1993 and 2003, despite a slight decline last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Traffic accidents remain the leading cause of death among teenagers.... "This is not an inevitable consequence of going through one's teen years. These are preventable," National Highway Traffic Safety administrator Jeffrey W. Runge said in an interview yesterday. "This really boils down to parents." Parental vigilance, he said, could help by limiting how often students drive at night and how many passengers they have. DC and Virginia [for example] limit the number of passengers that young, novice drivers can have. Maryland does not.... Although teenage drivers were only 6.4 percent of all licensed drivers nationwide in 2002 -- the most recent year for which data are available -- they accounted for the highest rate of drivers involved in fatal crashes, with nearly 67 per 100,000 licensed drivers. The next most likely group to be involved in a fatal crash was 21-to-24-year-olds, with 47 involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers. [Despite the minimum legal drinking age of 21, in the USA] nearly 31 percent of the teenage drivers who died in crashes last year had been drinking, and 74 percent were not wearing seat belts, the statistics show. The data contained glimmers of hope: The number of teenage drivers involved in fatal crashes who had a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08 declined by 6 percent from 1993 to 2003. Highway safety officials attributed the decline to state laws setting the minimum drinking age at 21, as well as efforts by such groups as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Students Against [Dangerous Decisions].... Full story here, from the Washington Post (subscription) Mixed messages: See Oct. 15, below -- 'Report Finds Drop in Young-Driver Deaths' ______________________________
WASHINGTON -- At least 49 people were injured in road incidents believed to be triggered by a storm on Saturday, on the section of US Interstate 95 near Baltimore, the east-central state of Maryland. Media reports said dozens of vehicles crashed in the accidents, which were triggered by a storm that blew through a suburb of Baltimore, and a section of I-95, which links the states along the east coast from Maine in the north to Florida in the south, was subsequently shut down.... A local police officer was quoted as saying that there were at least four large accidents along an eight-km section of I-95, which started to happen at about 4:30 p.m. local time. [Source: Xinhuanet] ______________________________
Experts Call For More Enforcement Of Standards After the nation's worst bus accident in more than five years, regulators and industry experts say more enforcement of current standards could improve the safety of tourists heading to casinos, parks and other attractions. A charter bus carrying 30 people from Chicago to a Mississippi casino left a northeastern Arkansas highway on Oct. 9 and overturned, killing 14. On Mothers Day 1999, 22 died when a bus crashed in New Orleans on the way to another Mississippi casino. "Our industry has to do more than pay lip service to safety. If the public loses faith in our ability to carry them safely, then we no longer have an industry," said Norm Littler, spokesman for the United Motorcoach Association, which represents about 800 companies. "I want to see the priority given to people." In the days after the lone bus belonging to Walters Bus Service Inc. of Chicago left Interstate 55, investigators found cracks in the vehicle's rear frame rails and said they likely existed before the wreck. Full story, from NBC5 ______________________________
BOOM! Boom! Boom! That was all the drivers on a Taiwan highway heard for several minutes on Friday afternoon. No thanks to 30,000 screws that spilled from the back of a lorry onto the road, reported Apple Daily Taiwan. It was impossible to avoid them.... A speeding lorry was careering down a winding slope when one of several barrels of screws it was carrying fell.... The screws punctured the tyres of more than 100 vehicles behind the lorry, leading to a series of loud explosions. Full story, from New Paper ______________________________
Deputy Minister of Transport, YB Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, launched a road safety campaign aimed at changing road users behavior for the better through systematic rewards. The campaign, believed to be the first of its kind to be held locally, was launched today and will run until December 31, 2004. Themed ‘Have a Real Safe Journey’ it stresses the 4Ps of early preparation, preventive action through vehicle safety and maintenance, protection via insurance, and prudent driving including resting to avoid fatigue and stress. RealRewards members are rewarded with Real points and giveaways for their participation during each stage of the campaign. Deaths due to road accidents although declining from a high index of 7.61 per 10,000 vehicles are still comparatively at a high rate of 4.9 in 2003. With the creation of a new Road Safety Department the immediate target is to bring this high rate down to 3 deaths per 10,000 vehicles with a long term target to reduce to 2 deaths per 10, 000 vehicles. YB Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas emphasized that better behavior needs to be instilled. Based on data analysis for 2004 by the Malaysian Road Safety Council, 67% of road accidents are caused by drivers’ behavior. As such changing road users’ behaviour for the better is a top priority through education in schools, through the media, through the driver licensing system and through more stringent and deterrent enforcement programmes. Datuk Douglas encouraged campaign organizers to develop more innovative road safety campaigns which are well planned and have a lasting impact.... This year’s campaign will include promotional activities by the main sponsors, rewards for road users, distribution of road safety tips through leaflets, email, postcards, media advertising, on-the-ground activities and distribution of goodies bags during the run-up period leading to the festive season traveling. Full story, from Only Punjab ______________________________
The European Commission Decides to Take Ireland and Portugal to the European Court of Justice for Failing to Apply New Road Safety Standards The Commission decided on 13 October to lodge a complaint to the Court of Justice against Ireland and Portugal for failure to respect EU legislation on new minimum standards for theory and practical driving tests for all categories of driving licences. “It is unfortunate that a piece of legislation that reinforces road safety has still not been fully transposed throughout the EU”, Vice-President Loyola de Palacio said. In addition, the Commission on 13 October adopted reasoned opinions to be delivered to France, Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark, which have yet to notify measures transposing Community legislation on roadworthiness tests for vehicles, including checks on speed limiters and exhaust emission levels, into national law. [Source: EC Newsletter - Energy and Transport] ______________________________
______________________________
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Supreme Court upheld the state's mandatory seat belt law yesterday, much to the relief of prosecutors, law enforcement and traffic safety officials. The court, in a 7-2 opinion, allowed the law to stand, including authority for troopers to pull over motorists for failure to wear a seat belt. The ticket carries a $101 penalty. The decision removed a cloud from hundreds of cases, including drug and weapons charges that developed after motorists were stopped for seat belt violations. In some areas, police had stopped pulling over drivers for the primary offense of not buckling up. "This is wonderful news since it is proven that seat belts really do save lives," Gov. Gary Locke said. "Seat belt use in Washington is among the highest in the world, with a use rate of 94 percent. We can now continue these (enforcement) efforts uninterrupted." State Patrol Chief Lowell Porter said the seat belt law saves more than 65 lives a year. Troopers stopped nearly 105,000 motorists last year for not wearing seat belts and ticketed about 82,000, he said. "This is an extremely important ruling," he said in an interview.... Full story, from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ______________________________
A Trucker is Hit and Killed by a Passing Car While Confronting a Tailgater LEESVILLE - Truck driver Andre Bradley was so annoyed at a tailgater that he stopped in the middle of the street Tuesday to confront the man. That's when a car in the opposite lane hit Bradley. The 39-year-old Ville Platte man was taken to Byrd Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Louisiana State Police troopers said Wednesday. The road-rage incident comes in the wake of a murder trial that involved a highway dispute. Michael Hanes of the Pineville area was convicted Tuesday of manslaughter in the death of Robert Nevill Jr. The two men argued as they drove on U.S. Highway 165 in Ball, and the fight ended in the parking lot of Paradise Grocery when Nevill was shot three times.... [Source: Alexandria Town Talk] ______________________________
The British rock legend Eric Clapton has had his driving licence confiscated after being caught driving at 216 kilometres per hour [135mph] on a French motorway, police said Thursday. Clapton, who was at the wheel of a Porsche 911 turbo, was stopped on Tuesday afternoon by motorcycle police on the A6 near the Burgundy town of Beaune. In addition to losing his licence the rock star was fined 750 euros [US $936]. [Source: Daily Times] ______________________________
_____________________________
Northland's highest-ranked police officer has apologised to his staff and the public after breaking the law. Superintendent Viv Rickard -- Northland's district commander and top-ranked police officer -- was caught speeding at 112km/h in a 100km/h zone [70mph in a 63mph zone]. In the past anyone doing that speed may have escaped with a warning but police have taken a zero-tolerance approach to speeding as they try to stop Northland's road toll from climbing. Northland's 2004 road toll stands at 27 - it was 32 last year, 35 in 2002 and 27 in 2001. Mr Rickard is the second police officer to be caught speeding recently -- the first was a senior sergeant caught travelling at 149km/h in a 100km/h zone along State Highway One near Hukerenui, north of Whangarei, on August 26. The officer was issued a $630 [US $433] speeding ticket and received 50 demerit points. Mr Rickard's fine is just $80 but he openly acknowledged he should not have been speeding.... [Along with the $80 speeding ticket, Mr Rickard will get 20 demerit points on his driving licence. Demerit points are given for some traffic offences and all speeding infringements, except those recorded by a speed camera.] A police officer travelling in a marked highway patrol car in the other direction had clocked Mr Rickard's speed at 112km/h and had turned around to give chase. RoadSafe Northland co-ordinator Gillian Archer said it was not an example those working within the road safety field would want to see.... If drivers get a total of 100 or more demerit points within two years, they will be suspended from driving for three months... Full story, from the New Zealand Herald ______________________________
PUTRAJAYA: An integrated road safety campaign will be conducted for two weeks during the Deepavali and Hari Raya festive seasons, including the banning of commercial vehicles from all roads. Apart from that, a maximum fine of RM300 will be issued to motorists who flout traffic laws during the campaign period from Nov 8 to 21.... “All heavy vehicles will be prohibited from using the roads on the eve of Hari Raya between 6pm and 6am except for oil tankers and lorries carrying medical supplies, newspapers and wastes,” said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy after a post-Cabinet meeting here yesterday. Chan said express bus drivers must follow the new regulations which require them to drive not more than eight hours within a 24-hour span, have a second driver for journeys of more than 300km and record their travels in a log book. Drivers are also required to take a break after driving continuously for two hours. “The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has tightened the issuance of temporary permits for buses which are more than 10 years old. These buses will need to go for inspections before a permit is issued,'' Chan said.... Full story, from the Daily Star ______________________________
PUNE: If it was chaotic traffic and bad roads that were taking away lives of people, now it is reckless driving and lack of initiative by citizens that has added to the woes. And it is the highways that are vulnerable spots, so say statistics -- as per the figures with the traffic police, of the 133 hit-and-run accidents during the nine-month period from January to September. 90 per cent of them had taken place on highways and that too during the night time. ‘‘In most of the cases, the victims died due to excessive bleeding as nobody bothered to rush them to hospital in time,’’ police said. The other handicap is lack of clues. ‘‘Nobody comes forward and identifies the vehicle responsible for the mishap. We will be able to bring to book the culprits only if the citizens jot down the registration number of the vehicle involved in the mishap and pass them on to us,’’ says Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) A D Shinde.... Shinde says one of the prime reasons which causes hit-and-run accidents is because of the change in lifestyle, especially during night when traffic signals are not in operation.... Full story, from Express Cities (Pune) ______________________________
Road accidents in the Philippine are grossly underreported and yet those reported in 2003 alone had cost the country $900 million, or 1.2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Moreover, the Philippine National Injury Survey of 2003 revealed that most of those who got injured in traffic accidents come from the working class, signifying its enormous economic implication. The cost of accidents was revealed in a study on road safety by Dr. Ricardo Sigua of the University of the Philippines, whose paper also noted that about P2.3 million is lost whenever a person is killed in a road accident, P353,242 if resulting in serious injury, and for minor injuries, P69,423. The year before, in 2002, the police reported 714 road accidents but hospital statistics show there were at least 4,200 cases.... Full story, from ABS-CBN News ______________________________
A Birmingham accident prevention organisation has urged MPs to support a Bill which would end the annual autumn practice of putting the clocks back. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents believes staying on British summer time throughout the winter could prevent 450 deaths and serious injuries on Britain's roads each year. Nigel Beard MP's Ten-Minute-Rule Bill will have its second reading in the House of Commons tomorrow, which would bring lighter evenings all year round.... Studies show that vulnerable road users, such as children and the elderly, are more at risk during dark evenings than in the morning and motorists are more tired after a day's work, experiencing lower concentration levels. Under the current system, road casualty rates increase after the clocks are moved at the end of October, with the arrival of darker evenings and worsening weather conditions. In 2003 [throughout Britain] road deaths rose from 256 in October to 316 in November. Pedestrian deaths went up by more than 50 per cent from 60 to 95 and the overall casualty rate for road accidents also increased.... Mr Beard's Bill proposes advancing the time by one hour in England and Wales.... [Source: IC Birmingham] ______________________________
Children from less well-off homes are five times more likely to be killed on the roads, according to the children's charity Barnardos.... The research found that children in poorer areas, who have less access to cars and play facilities, are five times more likely to be injured. Barnardos wants lower speed limits and more speed cameras in the worst-affected areas. Many children believe speeding, selfish driving and busy roads are preventing them from playing in their neighbourhoods. A Barnardo's spokesperson said: "Children have a right to feel safe walking, cycling and playing in their own neighbourhoods. It's unacceptable that so many children are killed and injured on our roads, and that fear of dangerous roads is causing children to spend less and less time outside their homes. Full story, from BBC Newsround (a television news service for younger viewers) ______________________________
GLOBAL October 13, 2004: The FIA and Global Road Safety Today at the FIA Centenary Gala dinner at the Louvre in Paris more than 800 guests from the world of motoring and motorsport come together to celebrate 100 years of motoring and motor sport achievement. The FIA has taken this occasion not only to celebrate the past but to also look to the future. The vision that inspired the creativity of the FIA’s founding members, still drives forward the FIA today. It is an organisation that continues to innovate, and to evolve. In 2001 the FIA created a unique international foundation to carry forward the mission of promoting road safety, the environment, mobility and motor sport safety. Endowed with $300 million the FIA Foundation has been established as a charity in the UK and has quickly been recognised as an important contributor to motor sport safety and to a world in which freedom of mobility can be safer, cleaner and more affordable. Full story here. ______________________________
Lisa Rice's family was camping last summer when she backed up her pickup truck and ran over her 5-year-old son, Craig. Her boyfriend was guiding her on the driver side, but neither saw the boy come behind until it was too late.
"Kids 'N Cars" -- an organization that tracks the number of children killed each year in the driveway -- calls the problem the "bye-bye syndrome." Children follow their parents outside to wave good-bye, and the parent never sees the child coming. The death toll has grown along with the popularity of pickups and large SUVs [because of the much larger blind spots behind such vehicles]. Full story, from ClickOnDetroit ______________________________
MOSCOW -- A total of 851 people died in road accidents in the Russian capital in the first nine months of the year, the press service of the Moscow department for road safety told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. This is 8.5 percent more as compared with the same period last year, the press service reported. According to the sources, 13 children were killed in the first nine months of 2004 and 630 received injuries in road accidents. All in all, about 7,000 traffic accidents have [occurred] in Moscow this year, in which 6,845 people have been injured. [Source: ITAR-TASS] _____________________________
Entries close soon for New Zealand's road safety equivalent of the Oscars - the 2004 Road Safety Innovation Awards. The awards recognise the achievements of individuals, schools, community groups and businesses in the area of road safety. Closing on Tuesday 26 October, the entries will be judged by a panel of experts with the winners announced at an awards ceremony in Wellington in February 2005. The inaugural Road Safety Innovation Awards were held last year. Top prize went to dairy company Fonterra for a safe driving programme which helped to reduce injury accidents among the company's large fleet of milk tankers by 63%. There are five categories, plus the premier award: -- Road Safety Education Award -- Road Safety Community Award -- Road Safety in Organisations Award -- Road Safety Vehicle Based Award -- Road Safety Road Engineering Award Inspired by the Prince Michael Road Safety Awards in the UK, the New Zealand awards highlight examples of road safety innovation in this country with the aim of encouraging others to follow suit. To be eligible for the awards, innovations must have originated within New Zealand or have been significantly adapted for New Zealand conditions.... For more information go to www.roadsafetyinnovationawards.org.nz [Source: Scoop] ______________________________
ACCRA -- A study has established that among the deaths that occur as result of road accidents in the country, sixty percent are from the most productive age group, between twenty-five and thirty five years, while twenty five percent are under sixteen years. In an address to mark this year's International Road Transport Action Day, which fell on October 5, Police Superintendent Fatima Fusani of the National Road Safety Commission, (NRSC) said immaturity, poor judgment, lack of knowledge about road signs, drunkenness and fatigue are principal causes of road accidents. "These are people who go about bluffing that their uncles have bought cars for them, or that the car belong to my fathers or mothers and therefore they can drive, even though they know next to nothing about driving, and end up killing innocent people and sometimes, themselves." Superintendent Fusani lamented. Superintendent Fusani, disclosed that between 1999 and 2003, a total of 120, 000 accidents were reported, of which 16,000 people lost their lives and 138, 000 injured. She conceded that even though the death toll figures are very high, there has in fact been a reduction from five deaths a day to four, over thye last three years. She attributed the reduction to intensification of education campaign, and suggested that the pamphlet produced, to mark the Action Day, as well as the High Way Code, be studied by all drivers. [Source: allAfrica] ______________________________
KHARTOUM -- A total of 15 people were killed and 25 others injured in a traffic accident in northern Sudan on Monday, the official SUNA news agency reported. The accident occurred when a bus on its way from Khartoum to Dongula tried to overpass a car and then had a head-on collision with a truck, 200 km north of Khartoum, Director General of Traffic Administration Mohamed Abdulmajid Attayib was quoted as saying. [Source: Sudan Tribune] ______________________________
(And Don't Hog the Middle Lane) Two new safety messages - urging motorway drivers to 'Keep Left Unless Overtaking' and 'Don't Hog the Middle Lane' - will be piloted on selected motorway message signs in England for one week, starting on the morning of Monday, 11 October. The Highways Agency is testing driver reaction to the messages as part of its campaign to reduce accidents on England's motorways.... NOTE: The guidelines in this release are applicable on multi-lane roads in all countries. Simply exchange "lefts" for "rights", as necessary. It is worth reading, and hopefully the results may be made public shortly. ______________________________
Police shut down central Auckland and picked off a drink-driver every four minutes in the largest booze blitz to hit Auckland drivers. The haul of 140 drink-drivers has disappointed police, who say the drink-drive message is still failing to get through and have promised to keep up their vigilance in coming months. Drink-drivers had nowhere to run with every motorway on-ramp and arterial route leading out of the central city covered off in the blitz – dubbed Operation Wake Up – which ran early on Saturday and Sunday mornings. A total of 15,856 drivers were breath-tested by 90 police staff from all over Auckland, at a rate of 26 drivers every minute. As well as nabbing 140 drink-drivers, police seized 12 vehicles from drivers facing various offences and suspended 17 licences. Several motorists tried to avoid police, including one desperate driver who slammed on his brakes on the North-Western Motorway at the sight of a checkpoint and reversed back up the motorway the wrong way back to Hobson St. He ditched the car and tried to run away but was chased and caught by police.... Full story, from STUFF ______________________________
People living near major highways in the Northern Territories fear a repeat of a fatal car accident that was caused by debris from a truck. In January last year Jade Lange-Loades, 8, brother Rory, 7, and Nathaniel Rose, 2, drowned when the car they were in hit a metal plate and nose-dived into the flood-swollen Edith River. The recent coronial inquest into the deaths found the car had hit a 15kg metal plate that had fallen off the back of a road train.... Di Rogers, owner of the Larrimah Green Park tourist complex on the Stuart Highway about 500km south of Darwin, said objects fell off the back of trucks all the time. She said last month a large sheet of corrugated iron tied to a demountable on the back of road train flew off and landed in the middle of the road. "I find bits off trucks all the time, like mud flaps and chains that have broken off," she said.... Full story, from NEWS.com ______________________________
Tasmania's growing road toll could rival the horror tally of 2001 when 61 people died in car accidents. The death of an 18-year-old Launceston man at the weekend pushed this year's state road toll to 45. The number of deaths this year is 13 more than for the same period last year and already greater than the total of road deaths last year. Full story, from The Mercury ______________________________
The National Conference of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) convened recently in Dallas, Texas, where the group announced a measure of progress in the battle against driving under the influence. "MADD is pleased that for the first time since 1999, there has been a 3 percent decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. We credit much of the success to increased law enforcement and passage of key anti-drunk driving laws across the country, said Lynne Goughler, MADD vice-president of public policy. [More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed in the USA since MADD was founded 1980.] "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its 2003 Fatality Analysis Reporting System data and it shows that 17,013 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes-an average of one almost every half-hour-accounting for approximately 40 percent of 42,642 total traffic fatalities. In 2002 there were 17,524 alcohol-related traffic fatalities."... Full story, from the Texarkana Gazette ______________________________
Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Bauchi State Sector Command has appealed to motorists to exhibit high sense of discipline and adhere strictly to safety regulations in the last few months of the year. Making the appeal in an interview with ThisDay yesterday on the measures put in place to ensure this year's accident-free "Ember months", State Sector Commander, Prince Michael Adigun said the command was intensifying its vigilance on the roads by arresting erring drivers and other motorists who violated traffic laws and regulations.... While reiterating the resolve of his command towards checking reckless driving, the sector commander maintained that over speeding, drunk driving and general disobedience of traffic rules and regulations were causes of accidents on Nigerians roads. Full story, from This Day ______________________________
Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando has declared all out war against errant motorists and has ordered officers to show no mercy against those flouting the highway code. The IGP's edict comes in the wake of an horrendous rise in the spate of road accidents which has taken a heavy toll of life and limb. The IGP directed all DIGs to come down hard against drunk drivers and speed felons who use the roads as if they were race tracks.... A shocking revelation is that 222 children were killed in road accidents last year. They were among the thousands of victims of nearly 2000 fatal accidents on the country's roads last year. Full story, from the Daily News ______________________________
A deadly road accident killed at leastnine people, including three minors, and injured about 45 in central Peru on Saturday. Police said a bus heading for the city of Huanuco, 340 km southof the capital of Lima, collided head-on with another bus. On impact, one bus dropped into the embankment of a river. [Source: Xinhuanet] ______________________________
MARION, Ark. -- The lone bus belonging to a mom-and-pop tour operator careened off an interstate highway and overturned early Saturday, killing 15 Chicago-area residents traveling to a Mississippi casino. Among the dead was the bus owner's brother, who was driving. Investigators will consider whether he fell asleep as he took 30 passengers to a casino at Tunica, Miss. A witness told police the bus simply drifted off the road.... The impact tore off the bus' roof and emergency workers had to pull the top away to reach dead and injured passengers, state police said. Other victims were thrown from the bus among grass and weeds at the crash site about a half-hour northeast of Memphis.... Full story, from the Picayune Item ______________________________
An Austin, Texas, woman has pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter more than two years after she caused a wreck that killed four people. Forty-seven-year-old Doris Lee McCauley entered the plea yesterday. She is scheduled to be sentenced Monday and faces up to 20 years in prison on each count. After her arrest, McCauley told police she was high on drugs and alcohol on Memorial Day weekend in 2002 when the wreck occurred. Witnesses told police that McCauley's BMW crossed the median and crashed head-on into a Toyota Corolla. According to court documents, McCauley told a police officer that she had taken some medication, smoked marijuana and drank four beers.... McCauley... decided to plead guilty yesterday. Her lawyer said she entered the plea because she didn't want to put the families of the victims or her own family "through anything more." Full story, from KLTV 7 ______________________________
A report just out from the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center warns of increased danger from collisions with deer, right through fall, from October to December. It is estimated that at least 1.5 million deer are killed by motor vehicles each year in the U.S.A. In such crashes, the odds are clearly on the humans' side, given that by comparison "only" around 200 people are killed and 26,600 are non-fatally injured each year, but that in itself is obviously tragic. The annual cost, in terms of vehicular damage from "deer vehicle crashes" (DVC), was estimated in 1995 to be about $1.2 billion. Several excellent guidelines to enhance your safety are given in the report, but here is a brief summary: General -- Slow down in areas where there may be deer or where there are deer warning signs. -- Watch for eyes reflecting your headlights. Wherever it is safe to do so, use high beam. If you see eyes, slow down. -- Remember that deer often travel either in small groups or large herds. If you see one, another may be right behind. -- Don't trust "deer whistles" or other ultra-sonic devices. There is no proof that they are effective. -- Always wear your seat belt. It is your best protection. If a Deer Runs In Front of You -- Do not swerve! Swerving will usually increase the risk of serious injury or death for people in vehicles (see box, below). If You Hit a Deer -- Pull safely off the roadway and switch on your vehicle's four-way hazard flashers. Be wary of other traffic. -- Do NOT attempt to approach or move the deer unless it is definitely dead, it could cause you serious injury. -- Report the crash to the nearest law enforcement agency and tell them if the animal is still alive. View the full report here.
______________________________
Federal regulators are preparing rules that could lead to dramatic improvements in seat belt designs as part of a push to better protect vehicle passengers during rollover accidents. The National Highway Safety Administration, under pressure to reduce deaths and injuries during rollover accident, already has pledged to update a 33-year-old vehicle roof strength standard this year. But the agency contends seat belts contribute at least as much as collapsing roofs to head and neck injuries during rollovers because they can allow occupants to shift out of their seat and hit the roof. NHTSA believes a two-prong approach — stronger roofs and better seat belts — will save the most lives.... Full story, from the Detroit News ______________________________
The UK's Association of British Drivers today urged pedestrians to take extra care when crossing the road near speed cameras. As cameras positively encourage drivers to pay more attention to their speedometers instead of the road ahead, the ABD believes that drivers will be less able to respond to dangers in the road ahead — regardless of their speed. Consequently, the ABD believes that crossing the road at camera sites may actually be more dangerous than at many other locations. "We know that cameras are a major distraction for drivers — as they approach the camera site, they look away from the road ahead and check the speedo", says Mark McArthur-Christie, the ABD's Road Safety Spokesman, "The problem is, because of the threat of prosecution, many drivers don't just glance they stare, taking their eyes off the road and the hazards ahead". The ABD believes this puts the lives of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in danger. Rather than focusing on a numerical speed, the ABD believes that it would be far better for drivers' attention to be focussed on the road and hazards ahead. [Source: Press Release 416 of the Association of British Drivers]
DSA Comment The Association of British Drivers claims to be a road safety organisation but some would argue that it is simply a drivers' grievances club. If, indeed the ABD were truly a road safety organisation, how come there is no mention in the press release of drivers' responsibility to comply with legal speed limits and NOT stare at the speedometer. If such behaviour "puts the lives of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in danger", why aren't the ABD also tackling the root of the problem -- those drivers' alleged inability to take their eyes off their speedometer? That can only be described as incompetent and negligent driving. This ABD press release is no more than diversionary nonsense. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ______________________________
Without Urgent Intervention This Could Be 1300 Lives Each Day, By 2020 The World Health Organization estimates that more than 600 lives are lost and more than 45,000 people are injured on China's roads every day. The huge road toll in China is just a part of a global epidemic of road traffic accidents that accounts for the deaths of some 1.2 million men, women, and children each year. The burden of traffic injuries and death falls most heavily on low- and middle-income countries -- they have about 90% of all road traffic deaths and disabilities. That could soon rise to 95% if the problem is not confronted. Road traffic fatalities in China are predicted to increase to almost half a million deaths each year by 2020 unless urgent action is taken.... [Source: WHO Press Release] ______________________________
A series of road safety television advertisements produced by students at Southern Cross University has hit the air. The three commercials aim to show the consequences of driver disqualification [i.e. suspension of a driver's license] to the 16 to 25-year age group. Multimedia students and members of the Coffs Harbour Youth Arts Council are behind the commercials, which although funny, send a serious message. They try to present with humour, people trying to look cool getting around without cars. Almost 60 per cent of drivers who lose their licences state-wide through speeding are in the under 25 age group.... Almost half of all speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes on NSW country roads are under 30. Full story, from ABC NSW ______________________________
The number of crashes between vehicles and farm equipment that result in fatalities is staggering, and harvest is a particularly dangerous season for crashes. People who drive in rural areas should be on the watch for farm equipment, slow down if they see it, and be patient until the machinery operator can get out of their way. But farmers have some responsibilities on the roadway, too. Full article here, from Agriculture Online ______________________________
It's the most dangerous thing you do on any given day. You get in your car, turn the ignition and head out onto South Florida's roads, vulnerable flesh and bone encased in one or more tons of steel, hurtling along at highway speeds surrounded by other careening masses of metal. And what do you do? Do you keep your eyes glued to the road like an Air Force pilot watching for MiGs? No, you apply eyeliner. You fiddle with the radio. You eat breakfast. And you yak nonstop on your cell phone. How is it that we take driving so lightly? Psychologists say drivers are deluded, suffering from unrealistic optimism about our skills and our control of the road. Police say too few patrols allow drivers to speed and weave with no consequences. Still others say we simply take our safety for granted.... Full article, from the Miami Herald ______________________________
As part of their ongoing efforts to crack down on dangerous driving, the Belgian police are planning to use specially equipped unmarked cars to film unsuspecting drivers.... The Belgian police have just taken delivery of nine brand new unmarked Peugeot 406s equipped with secret video cameras. The new video cars are the latest weapon in the Belgian government's widely publicised war on bad drivers, which was declared earlier this year.... Once the officers inside have the evidence they need they will overtake the offending driver then switch on a sign in the back of their vehicle that says 'Police' and 'follow'. Then the motorist will be taken to the nearest safe parking area where he or she will be shown the video of their offence and asked to pay an on-the-spot fine.... The new in-car video systems, which are already being used in several other countries, do not come cheap. The total cost of the set up, which includes a state of the art camera, a flat dashboard-mounted screen and a video recorder, is a cool EUR 10,000. But the police say spending so much taxpayers' money on the system is justified, as it will enable them to crack down much more effectively on dangerous and aggressive drivers.... Full story, from Expatica ______________________________
Improvement continues in West; mixed progress in Central and Eastern countries; & worrying results in CIS states Preliminary official data available from the member countries of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) reveal considerable divergence in the evolution of road safety in European countries in 2003. While road safety continues to improve seriously in Western European countries, and seems to be moving towards real progress [in the fight against] road fatalities in Central and Eastern Europe, road safety indicators in the Community of Independent States (i.e. parts of the former Soviet Union) continue to deteriorate significantly. In Western Europe, the number of road traffic fatalities declined in [2003] by 6.3%, the best result recorded for the last 15 years... In Central and Eastern Europe the number of fatalities declined by 2.9% in 2003. This result puts those countries back on the promising trends of the years 2000 and 2001.... Once again, the Community of Independent States [suffered a significant rise] in the number of people killed on the roads. [Deaths were up by] 6.5%, reinforcing the already bad results of the previous year. Full press release, plus tables showing results in individual countries (pdf).
DSA Comments
to EU data already in the possession of Drive and Stay Alive, this was due to France studying and applying many of the techniques and the vigorous enforcement already in use in Europe's two safest countries, Britain and Sweden.
an increase of more than 11% in the number of road deaths compared with 2002. ______________________________
A report this week shows road fatalities in New Hampshire have continued to rise over last year at a rate of nearly 30 percent.... According to the report from the Department of Safety, there have been 116 deaths on New Hampshire roads since January, up from 89 at this point last year.... Full article, from the Citizen Online
DSA Comment A total of 127 people died on the roads of New Hampshire in 2003. NH remains the only state in the USA not to have a law making the use of seat belts compulsory. In terms of road safety and the saving of lives, that situation is indefensible. Ironically, New Hampshire ranks sixth-equal among the fifty states for its per capita death rate (9.84 deaths per 100,000 population in both 2002 and 2003). Given compulsory seat belt use, and effective enforcement of such, NH would undoubtedly reduce its annual death toll and climb even higher up the safety rankings. The state slogan is "Live free or die!" And it would appear that in attempting to do the former, many New Hampshire drivers succeed in doing the latter. Perhaps the American author Bill Bryson had a more survivable idea when he jokingly suggested that the slogan should be changed to "Live free or pout!" Click here to view the comparative, per capita death rates for all 50 states and for 30 countries. ______________________________
As part of its commitment to improve driver and pedestrian safety, the
Motor Vehicle Lighting Council (MVLC) recently launched its redesigned
website to better inform the motoring public about the benefits and
proper use of advanced lighting technologies. To increase public knowledge, the website provides an overview of various automotive lighting systems and includes answers to commonly asked questions, a glossary of lighting terms and links to industry resources. In addition, video simulations offer side-by-side driver viewpoints comparing the visibility benefits provided by vehicles equipped with advanced lighting technologies to vehicles with standard halogen lights. The MVLC recently updated its website to include information on AFS -- the headlight technology that modifies the beam pattern of the headlamp in response to vehicle speed, weather conditions and road situations. View the new website here. ______________________________
A new department – the Road Safety Department (JKJR) – will be set up soon to tackle the high number of road accidents and fatalities. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said a director-general would be appointed and the department, to be based here, would have 23 staff with administration, engineering, research and road safety backgrounds. The JKJR, which will come under the Transport Ministry, will have three main functions:
Speaking to reporters after presenting excellent service awards to the ministry’s staff here, Chan said JKJR would also have offices at the state level. “Road safety programmes are currently fragmented. There is no department fully responsible for them and we don’t have full-time officers dealing entirely on road safety,” he said.... He also said the Government wanted to reduce the number of road accidents and the fatality rate from the current 4.9 deaths per 10,000 vehicles. “The rates are still high. We used to have 8.5 deaths but after Government intervention in the mid 90s, the figure came down. It has to be below two, like in advanced countries,” he added.... Full story, from The Star ______________________________
The dangers of irresponsible behaviour on the roads must be constantly reinforced. The tragic waste of another two young lives on Victoria's roads early yesterday begs the question again of whether more can be done to encourage a culture of safe road use. The circumstances of the crash in St Kilda suggest that illegal street racing may have been involved. Soon after 1am, two teenage passengers in the rear of a car were killed when the vehicle struck a pole in Dandenong Road. Two other men in the car were injured. The driver of a second car has been assisting police with their inquiries.... The messages warning against speed and alcohol have been delivered in blunt and graphic fashion for some years. Yet many drivers seem to almost wantonly persist in ignoring calls for them to take care, slow down, concentrate, not drink.... Full story, from The Age ______________________________
The nation’s shameful failure to tame road carnage was yesterday demonstrated yet again after a bus, suspected by police to have been speeding, plunged into a valley in Machakos, killing 17 people.... Most of the 17 who perished were crushed to death as they dozed in their seats and their bodies were strewn on a vegetable garden after the bus’ roof was ripped off on impact, survivors said.... Full article, from The Standard ______________________________
A 48-year-old man of Moshupa died after he was hit by a car while a 12-year-old boy of Lotlhakane West died after the vehicle he was driving overturned. According to Moshupa station commander, Superintendent Thapelo Ngiye, the boy had taken the vehicle under the pretext that he was moving it to a shelter.... Despite their intensified highway patrols, Ngiye said there was no positive impact [on road casualties] as the number of accidents was escalating. Ramabokwa [a spokesperson for Sejelo police] also said that foreigners were more co-operative on the roads than Batswana people. Full story, from the Botswana Daily News ______________________________
Since January, 35 people have died in collisions on the county's roads. The total for 2003 was 31. Police say the number is expected to rise even further because of seasonal increases in crashes during the winter months. The figures coincide with a Department for Transport report which shows rural roads are claiming more lives. According to the Department for Transport (DfT) report, 63% of road deaths happen on rural roads. Inspector Paddy Craig, head of Devon and Cornwall Police's traffic department, said there was no doubt that crashes on the county's rural roads can be very serious. He said: "If you're driving at speed and you clip a kerb, you're probably going to bounce off a hedge or hit something coming the other way. It's not like being on a dual carriageway, there's just no extra space on small rural roads." The DfT report also says young people are most at risk, and are under the misconception that it is safe to speed on rural roads. Transport Minister David Jamieson think education is the answer.... Inspector Craig said there were simple measures which everyone could take - all of which would cut the county death toll. He said: "People should wear seat belts and strap in children in cars - it's an unforgivable dereliction of duty of a parent that I see day in and day out." Cornwall County Council also warned drivers to slow down. A spokesman said: "About two thirds of all collisions in which people are killed or injured happen on roads with a maximum speed limit of 30mph or less." Full story, from BBC News ______________________________
Police are warning nosy drivers who look at accidents that they could also end up crashing, after rubberneckers caused a three-mile motorway tailback. Hundreds of commuters were delayed in queues on Thursday morning because many on both sides of the A329M slowed to stare at a minor crash between a Honda, a Volkswagen and a hatchback.... PC Andy Burton, of Taplow traffic police base, said no one was hurt in the crash, and that the cars' drivers had even driven onto the hard shoulder to allow traffic to move smoothly.... "My advice to drivers would be to concentrate on your own driving and not on what has happened, otherwise you will be involved in an accident yourself," [he said].... Full story, from IC Berkshire ______________________________
The NSW Opposition says the Government is cutting back on police highway patrol officers, despite a rising road death toll on northern New South Wales roads. Opposition roads spokesman Don Page says latest statistics show the number of people killed on the region's roads this year is significantly higher than for the same period last year. Mr Page says the distance travelled by northern region police highway patrols that operate from Tuggerah Lakes on the central coast to the Queensland border has been reduced by 500,000 kilometres to carry out other duties. "They're being asked to do things like guarding hospitals and car parks and various other general duties work which really isn't appropriate for highway patrol officers," he said. "These figures I've got obviously come from the police service, they're very concerned about the lack of resources that are going into the highway patrol." [Source: ABC News] ______________________________
The Traffic Police department says that most public service vehicles are flouting the recently introduced speed regulations. Statistics show that majority of the PSVs are playing a game of cat and mouse with law enforcers. Police commissioner Major General Hussein Ali said most of these vehicles flout the rules by speeding, but he added that the police will soon introduce speed detectors to curb the menace. The Transport Licensing Board has so far cancelled licences for over 100 vehicles for disobeying the new rules. Full story, from allAfrica ______________________________
Major changes should be made to the driving test to concentrate on eye and brain skills rather than hand and feet ability, according to [the British School of Motoring]. The test “remains resolutely focused on simple control skills that could be examined more effectively by continuous assessment during training", BSM said. The company believes the “higher order” driving skills of anticipation, hazard awareness and appreciation of risk – rather than the skills needed to mechanically control the car – are key to reducing accident rates.... BSM managing director Paul Atkinson said: “Driving examiners currently spend far too much test time looking for spaces to carry out manoeuvres and driving in restricted areas where it’s impossible to assess a candidate’s ability to weigh risks realistically. “Instead, the UK should adopt modern educational practice by making formally structured and documented training courses compulsory and then allowing the professional driving instructor to certify a candidate’s competence in mechanical skills and manoeuvring during their training. “That would free up time on the practical test to concentrate on the higher order skills that are most important to road safety.” [Source: The Scotsman] ______________________________
Four of eight midsize cars earned good ratings in side impact crash tests recently conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2004 Saab 9-3, 2004 Acura TL, 2004 Lexus ES 330, and 2005 Mitsubishi Galant were all rated 'good' for side impact protection. The 2004 Saab 9-5, 2005 Mercedes C class, and 2005 Volvo S40 earned 'acceptable' ratings. The 2004 Jaguar X-Type is rated 'marginal'. But the main story surrounds that 2004 Saab 9-3. It not only scored five stars in the side-impact crash test but it has already obtained five stars in earlier IIHS frontal crash tests, making it the first car to achieve five in both and earn 'double best pick' status. In June 2004, the 9-3 -- as a convertible -- also achieved a maximum five star rating in the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). ______________________________
People from Maine die at higher rates in head-on crashes and after leaving roadways than most Americans.... While the state's overall highway-related fatality rate is below the national average, Maine drivers seem prone to head-on crashes and what federal officials call roadway departures -- accidents in which a vehicle ends up off the highway.... Maine had 207 fatalities last year... 140 of which resulted from highway departures. Those statistics suggested state and federal highway officials in Maine concentrate their actions on that type of wreck. Full story, from the Kennebec Journal ______________________________
Tasmanian motorcyclists will have a representative on the State's Road Safety Council. Minister for Infrastructure Bryan Green has met the main motorcycle groups with a view to improving road safety. He says he is particularly committed to improving safety for young riders. Mr Green says sadly, 16-year-olds are two to three times more likely to have a crash than other newly-licensed riders. He says he has asked his department to look at ways to better train novice riders, and he is seeking the views of the motorcycle groups. [Source: ABC, Tasmania] ______________________________
Mr Lionel Tan, 33, a financial planner, said: 'I think it's good to ban them. These bikes are too fast for the pavements and it can be dangerous for pedestrians. Also they are too slow for the roads and cause obstruction to cars.'... Full story, from the Straits Times ______________________________
Speeding is not the main factor in more than 80 per cent of fatal and serious road accidents [in Britain], according to Department for Transport research published yesterday. The study, based on analysis of 36,000 crashes over four years, found "loss of control of vehicle" was the key element in 43 per cent of accidents, the biggest single cause. Excessive speed was involved in two fifths of loss-of-control incidents, suggesting that it could have been the prime reason in no more than 18 per cent of all crashes causing death or serious injury.... After loss of control, the most common prime cause of fatal or serious injury accidents was pedestrians "entering the carriageway without due care". This was followed by drivers "failing to avoid a vehicle or object", "failing to give way" [i.e. 'yield'] or executing a poor turn or manoeuvre. Excessive speed was cited in 28 per cent of fatal crashes and 18 per cent of those resulting in serious injury. Impairment through alcohol was the eighth most frequently reported contributory factor. Drink-drive deaths rose two per cent to 560 last year, about a seventh of the total. The RAC Foundation urged ministers to adopt a more varied approach to road safety. "The increasing focus on speed cameras and decline in traffic police means that offences such as drug driving and careless driving could be going unchecked," said Edmund King, the foundation's executive director. "We should have more traffic police and introduce national speed awareness courses as a means of changing driver behaviour." Full story, from the Daily Telegraph ______________________________
The [U.S.] National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has proclaimed October "Booster Seat Safety Month." Safety experts have identified proper booster seat use for children in the four-to-eight age range as one of the nation's most important child passenger safety priorities. ______________________________
The momentum created by the campaign to improve road safety, launched on World Health Day (April 7, 2004) has led to sustained activity in countries across the world. Now, six months on, the World Health Organization (WHO) is hosting a meeting of more than 40 road safety experts from United Nations agencies and other international organizations to combine their global efforts to prevent road traffic injuries and death. The efforts on World Health Day to raise the profile and importance of road safety have been sustained over the last six months. Countries have launched new or invigorated on-going road safety campaigns (e.g. Australia, Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan), issued new road safety legislation (e.g. Costa Rica, Hungary, New Zealand), and announced new research, prevention and advocacy initiatives, (e.g. The National Institutes of Health in the USA issued a call for proposals for training in road safety)....
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
October, 2004: Irresponsible
Auto Journalism
October 31, 2004: 
October 31, 2004: 
October 31, 2004: 
October 30, 2004: 
October 30, 2004: 
October 29, 2004: 
October 28, 2004: 
October 27, 2004: Road
Safety: An 18 Percent Reduction in Fatal Accidents on Italian Highways
October 26, 2004: Lunardi: A Driving Licence
is Just Like a Gun Licence
October 26, 2004: Deadly
toll of truck crashes
* October 25, 2004: Traffic
Accident Kills 6 in Inner Mongolia
October 25, 2004: Road
Safety Campaign Launched in Trinidad & Tobago
October 24, 2004: 
October 24, 2004: 
October 23, 2004: 
October 23, 2004: 
October 23, 2004: 
October 22, 2004: National Road Safety
Day, in Bangladesh, Will Be On October 22 Each Year
October 21, 2004: Road crashes the
leading killer of teens but TIRF poll finds Canadians are not concerned
October 20, 2004: 
October 20, 2004: Gardaí Begin a
Weekend Road Safety Blitz in Ireland [DSA note: Deaths are up
by 17.5%]
October 18, 2004: Euro NCAP to Reveal "REAL" Scores
-- Safety Teams-Up With Soccer
October 16, 2004: Hundreds
of Tyres Burst as Screws Carpet a Taiwan Highway
October 15, 2004
October 15, 2004: 
October 14, 2004: 
October 14, 2004: .jpg)
October 13, 2004: 
October 11, 2004: 
* October 11, 2004: Crash Kills 15
People in Northern Sudan
October 9, 2004: Road Safety
Cautions for the 'Ember Months', in Nigeria
October 8, 2004: 
and 
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Croatia, on the other hand, had a very bad
year and each suffered
October 6, 2004: 
October 6, 2004: 
October 1, 2004: Petrol-Powered
Bicycles have now been Banned in Singapore
October 1, 2004: The W.H.O. and other UN agencies build on the
momentum of World
Health Day