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The main purpose of this web page is to let drivers, legislators, road safety experts, police officers, parents of young drivers, etc., have an easily accessible insight into what is happening in their own countries and elsewhere, and thereby possibly do something to help save some of the many wasted lives on roads everywhere. Page edited by Eddie Wren
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News that the increase in the annual Victorian road toll has been slight is no cause for celebration. Every road death is unnecessary. The road toll for 2004 was the second lowest on record, up slightly on the previous year. Victoria has the lowest road death rate in Australia on a per-capita basis. But the trends suggest there is no room for complacency. Double the number of cyclists were killed last year. There was a 20 per cent jump in pedestrian deaths and the number of women killed increased by almost one-third. The question remains whether initiatives already in place aimed at reducing the toll are sufficient or whether even harsher measures are justified. The Transport Accident Commission has clearly decided that there is still more to be done in terms of altering driver behaviour, especially among the young. The Victorian Government is actively considering a two-stage P-plate system similar to that used in other states. Under such arrangements, first-year drivers will have more restrictions placed upon them. Among the measures being considered are curfews and further limits on vehicle power.... There is much work yet to be done on improving roads and vehicle safety. Above all, it will almost always be about attitudes of those behind the wheel. Full story, from The Age ___________________________
SINGAPORE : The Traffic Police mounted a six-hour traffic blitz on New Year's Eve between 11pm and 5 am. From road blocks set up along five different roads in several parts of the island, 176 motorists were caught, [including] 139 for speeding and 11 motorists [who] were stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol. The Traffic Police says it has noted that more people have been injured or killed on the roads on the first three days of the New Year [holiday]. It has appealed to motorists to be patient and cautious while driving during this period. [Source: Channel News Asia] ___________________________
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Vermont saw 97 people die in traffic accidents in 2004 -- that's the highest number since 1998.... The jump follows healthy declines in traffic fatalities, from 92 in 2001 to 78 in 2002 and 69 in 2003.
Newly released data shows nearly 6% of Vermont drivers are under license suspension for drunken or reckless driving. The Department of Motor Vehicles says 26,000 drivers are under criminal suspension, half of them for drunken driving. More than 6,000 Vermont drivers have at least three drunk driving convictions; 260 have at least five DWI convictions. Police say motorists need to know the danger from drunken drivers is even worse than the numbers indicate. "There's a lot of people out there that drive impaired for maybe even years without being caught," explains Vt. State Police Trooper Daniel Kerin. "We're just fortunate that maybe they made it home without getting into a crash, or hurting themselves or hurting someone else." The data shows about 10% of Vermont's 580,000 licensed drivers are currently under suspension, half of them are under civil suspension for ignoring tickets. [Source (for both Vt. articles): WCAX - Channel 3 News]
DSA Comments: Six percent of drivers suspended for drunken or reckless driving seems like a high number to us, and it would be interesting to know the proportions for all states, given that around 17,000 people are killed in alcohol-related road crashes each year in America, and 42,000 are killed overall. We certainly agree with Trooper Kerin and his colleagues about the level of risk in relation not only to the six percent but also to those who evade arrest. A common figure in America is that around one third of the fatal, alcohol-related crashes in the USA involve a repeat-offending drunk driver, so clearly the lethal risks from the first-time-caught is approximately double that from repeat-offenders. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
[over the lunacy of fitting video screens that a driver can watch while driving -- DSA] INGLEWOOD — Federal regulators fined West Coast Customs of Inglewood $16,000 as part of a crackdown on auto customization shops that remove safety gear from vehicles, it was reported today. The famed shop -- affiliated with the MTV car makeover show "Pimp My Ride" -- was fined yesterday for removing airbags to install video screens in steering wheels, according to the New York Times. Rae Tyson of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the fines are the first of what is expected to be a larger crackdown on car customizers who are disabling safety equipment. While the agency does not have jurisdiction over installing video monitors in trucks and cars after they are manufactured, it does have jurisdiction over tampering with safety gear such as air bags, according to the newspaper. "It's not only a bad idea to disable the air bag, it's against the law," Tyson said. "Air bags are there for a purpose, to protect you. If you have a DVD player there instead of an air bag, it's not going to protect you in a crash." An updated California law that took effect last January bans most video functions in the front seat, including DVD players, [but] with the exception of technology such as navigation systems. "We know that all kinds of distractions can be a problem. But it would be hard to think of something more distracting than watching a video while you're driving," said Anne McCartt, a vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "It's a really worrisome trend.".... Full story, from ABC7 ___________________________
Kentucky's death toll is creeping back toward a number that no one really wants — 1,000 deaths a year on the state's roadways. As of yesterday morning, there had been 954 highway fatalities this year, a number that will probably go up as delayed reports from some police departments come in. The death toll is up from 931 last year and is the highest level since the 1970s, when the number topped 1,000 some years, according to information from the Kentucky State Police. There are a number of factors in the rise in highway deaths, including more drivers on the road; bad behavior such as aggressive, out-of-control or impaired driving; speeding; failing to use safety belts; and driving while distracted by cell phones or other things, said state police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski, commander of the Governor's Highway Safety Program.... Full story, from the Lexington Herald-Leader ___________________________
The Arrive Alive campaign estimates that about 1,200 people have been killed on the country's roads since the start of the holiday season. The death toll is nearly the same as last year. In December 2003, almost 1,200 people were killed on the country's roads. The Department of Transport has so far refused to release any preliminary figures of festive season road fatalities.... Full story, from The Star ___________________________
While it’s well-known that drinking and driving don’t mix, new research sheds light on another reason drunk drivers are likely to be dangerous on the road. A particular type of depth perception, called motion parallax, is disrupted by ethanol intoxication. The full press release, from North Dakota State University, is available here. ___________________________
Also see the DSA web page on the subject of police vehicle conspicuity, here. ___________________________
Central Florida has shattered the record for the number of traffic fatalities in a single year, and with New Year's Eve looming, that number is expected to climb. Through Tuesday, 718 people have died this year on roads in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties, according to records released this week by the Florida Highway Patrol. The previous record was set in 2002, with 694 traffic deaths in the region. The number of fatalities is up 17 percent from 2003, when 615 perished on Central Florida roads. "These numbers are definitely alarming," said Maj. Ernesto Duarte, an FHP spokesman in Tallahassee.... Full story, from the Orlando Sentinel ___________________________
Nationally, between 1992 and 2000, fatal crashes at traffic signals increased 19 percent, outpacing the rise in all other fatal crashes. According to the Federal Highway Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, each year red-light running causes as many as 218,000 crashes that result in over 800 deaths and 180,000 injuries....
What exactly constitutes red-light running? According to Tallahassee CTW President Janys Barnidge: "If the car crosses the stop bar after the light is red, that car has run through a red light." On duty, she sees drivers in right-turn lanes who fail to stop on red before turning quickly; drivers who turn despite NO TURN ON RED signs... and drivers in left-turn lanes who "must figure that even though the light turns red, if they are following other cars in a line, there is nothing anyone can do but wait and let them go through the intersection...." Some cities use cameras to catch red-light runners in the act. Baltimore, for example, has red-light cameras at nearly 50 intersections and reports on its Web site that crash rates have fallen dramatically as a result. Tallahasseeans see the cameras perched over our intersections and wonder why we don't do the same.... [But] even if the law allowed it, those cameras at our intersections couldn't do the job. They don't store information. They're there only to help traffic engineers time the signals, reduce congestion and respond to traffic incidents. And there doesn't appear to be any interest in red-light cameras among local traffic engineers or police.... Full, worrying story, from the Tallahassee Democrat ___________________________
Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps was sentenced to 18 months' probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to drunk driving at Salisbury, Md. Judge Lloyd O. Whitehead granted Phelps probation before judgment, meaning his record will be expunged if he follows the terms of probation. Phelps pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, and prosecutors dropped charges of driving under the influence, underage drinking and failure to stop at a stop sign. "I recognize the seriousness of this mistake," Phelps told the judge. "I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life." The 19-year-old Phelps was fined $250, must attend a meeting sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and must give speeches to students at three schools by June 1, advising them about making choices and warning them about the dangers of alcohol.... Full story, from the LA Times (subscription needed) ___________________________
At the dawn of 2005, Uganda Police should be commended for rigorously enforcing the use of seatbelts on our roads. Seatbelts reduce the risk of death for a front seat car occupant by about 50 per cent and the percentage is higher for back seat occupants. But the image on Ugandan roads is still very gloomy. In the last 10 years the rate of accidents on roads have gone up by 96 per cent while deaths due to accidents have increased by 55 per cent. This year alone, every month between 120 and 150 deaths occurred countrywide and up to 5,010 people had serious injuries.... We can all save useful lives by making road safety our resolution for 2005. Full story, from The New Vision ___________________________
LAGOS -- A total of four persons have been killed and four others injured in a traffic accident in Nigeria's southern state of Enugu.... An eyewitness was quoted as saying the accident occurred on Tuesday when a BMW sedan collided with a Mercedes at Amaechi Junction on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. The eyewitness said the driver of the BMW, carrying a family of four and heading toward Enugu, capital of Enugu State, lost control and hit the Mercedes traveling from the opposite direction, killing the [Mercedes] driver and injuring three others. Three of the occupants of the BMW -- including the owner's wife, son and a house help -- died on the spot, while the driver was rushed unconscious to a nearby hospital. Nengite Olale, divisional police officer in charge of the local police station called Awkunanaw, described the incident as a result of overtaking and overspeeding.... Poor conditions of roads and vehicles, speeding, overloading and reckless driving are blamed to be the main causes of road accidents in the most populous African nation with a population of over 130 million. Official statistics show that Nigeria is one of the countries hardest hit by road accidents, with over 7,000 people killed and some 26,000 others injured annually. Full story, from Xinhuanet ___________________________
[But] Instead of the usual hefty fine, local motorists found to be committing minor offences in Krasnoyarsk over the holiday period can expect to receive nothing more than a leaflet on road safety.... Full story, from BBC News ___________________________
Under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, those who are convicted of drinking and driving offences; impaired driving, operating a motor vehicle with over 80 milligrams of alcohol [equivalent to a BAC of 0.08 per cent -- DSA] or refusing a breathalyzer test, must take certain steps in order to get their driver’s licences reinstated after the period of suspension ends. When the period of suspension ends (which is a minimum of one year for a first offence and three years for a subsequent one), drivers can only drive if they have an interlock device installed in their vehicles.... The law regarding how to obtain a licence reinstatement is way too hard. It results, not in deterrence or added safety to the public but in having too many people simply ignore the law. And the steps that need to be taken are simply too expensive.... Full story, from the Canada Free Press
DSA Comments: Despite us being generally in favour of significant punishments for all varieties of dangerous driving -- of which drunk driving is an outstanding example -- Arthur Weinreb does make a very good point in this piece. One method of dealing with the problem he highlights is to apply the Norwegian approach of linking the level of fines to the guilty person's monthly income. (In Norway, it is that actual amount; the fine for drunk driving is precisely one month's income. Hence, in June 2004, it made international news that a highly paid Norwegian executive had been fined the equivalent of $71,000 U.S. -- one month's salary.) It is a solution that would not be without problems but at least it could be used to largely eliminate legitimate concerns such as those voiced by Mr. Weinreb. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Saab is helping drivers stay focused on the road by developing a safety system that monitors eye and head movements, and sounds a warning buzzer if the driver's attention strays long enough to risk causing an accident. At 55mph a car travels 81 feet in just one second - so the consequences of attention lapses, no matter how innocent or brief, can be extremely serious. ___________________________
The California Highway Patrol reports there were 25 fatalities on the state's highways and freeways during the holiday weekend. Of those deaths, 13 were not wearing safety belts. From Friday at 6 p.m. until midnight on Sunday, the CHP made 653 arrests statewide for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 1999, the most recent year when Christmas fell on a weekend, 34 people died on California highways 715 were arrested for DUI.... Law enforcement agencies throughout the state are in the midst of a two-week campaign to nab DUI and speeding offenders. "Operation Holiday Wish List" is employing everything from "Drive Safely" messages on freeway signs to checking alcohol retailers for sales to minors as a means of reducing the number of traffic crashes and fatalities.... Full story, from News10 ___________________________
On New Year's Day, a new set of rules of the road will go into effect, changing everything from the way Californians light the road to the punishment they receive for driving under the influence, said a California Highway Patrol spokesman. Officer Mike Wright said that there are two important new laws for vehicle safety: one that requires a license to ride motorized scooters, and the other that requires headlights to be on whenever windshield wipers are in continuous use. "Too many people are not turning on their headlamps in adverse weather," said Wright. He said the new scooter-license law would affect the greatest number of people, as many children received scooters for Christmas. "Last year it was the helmet; this year it's the license," Wright noted of the safety laws that govern scooter driving. He said children not old enough to get the standard class C license will not be allowed to ride the scooters on roads, but they can use the vehicles on their own property. Wright praised a local lawmaker for authoring laws affecting convicted drunken drivers. Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, proposed a series of DUI laws after the deaths last year of two young children in Danville, allegedly killed by a driver previously convicted of DUI. Under the new legislation, a DUI conviction would stay on a driver's record for 10 years instead of seven, said Wright, and the courts, not the Department of Motor Vehicles, would have discretion over when these convicted offenders would get their licenses back. "Torlakson is big on DUI and we love him for it," said Wright.... Full story, from NBC11 ___________________________
Chandigarh traffic police, in a volte face, [will] now be seen exhibiting their educational skills instead of enforcing traffic rules and regulations upon the city residents in the coming year. The traffic police has decided to involve students from various schools and colleges in an interactive sessions to spread awareness regarding traffic rules. SP (Traffic) AS Dhillon said, ‘‘Our plans for 2005 revolves around imparting education and spreading awareness regarding traffic rules. The first phase of the plan would be implemented during the Road Safety Week.’’ Dhillon said, ‘‘We have succeeded as far as the enforcement part is concerned. But there has been a grouse that the police has not been emhasising on spreading awareness regarding traffic rules.’’ The first phase of the plan would include meetings with school principals. Sensitising the children about the traffic rules would top the priority list, Dhillon said adding that interactive games regarding traffic signs, rules are also under the anvil.... Full story, from Express India ___________________________
Bogota - Two buses packed with vacationers crashed head-on, on a highway in southeastern Colombia, killing at least 20 people and injuring some 30 others, police said. A spokesperson for Colombia's highway police said the accident occurred late on Monday on a main road linking Santander de Quilichao and Villarica, about 220km southeast of the capital, Bogota.... Police feared the death-toll could rise as more bodies are pulled from the wreckage. Road accidents are common in Colombia, and are often caused by poor roads and disregard for traffic rules. [Source: News 24] ___________________________
....since stricter traffic policing measures began on December 22, with 1,000 officers monitoring Attica roads until January 9, some 40 specialist drunk-driving units have conducted an average of 1,400 breathalyzer tests in Athens each day. About 40 drivers test positive daily, police said. No increase in accidents around the capital, which is common during the festive period, had not been noted, officers [said]. A senior traffic officer told Kathimerini that thanks mainly to the increased police presence, there had been few crashes and no fatalities on highways as Athenians left the city for the countryside in the days before Christmas. National roads linking Athens with Patras and Thessaloniki, as well as the highway from Thessaloniki to the Turkish border are being policed 24 hours a day over the holidays with 126 squad cars, 33 motorbikes and helicopters all monitoring traffic. Full story, from Kathimerini ___________________________
The comparatively low number of road casualties over the Christmas weekend this year was a boost to Greece’s traffic police, which saw its efforts at more systematic monitoring bear fruit. For their part, drivers seemed to be responding positively to the stricter measures, as only a few were caught driving under the influence of alcohol. The emergency measures will be kept in force until January 9 in the hope of averting the heavy casualties suffered in previous years.... The declining [casualty] figure was treated as a positive sign. Moreover, the combination of systematic controls and information campaigns targeting drivers inspires hope that the number of fatal road accidents will drop further. Comparing the number of accident deaths to war casualties is a cliche, but it nevertheless corresponds to a grim reality. Greece’s high death toll from road accidents is unacceptable by the standards of any developed country, and any government decision to increase funds for countermeasures is justified. Without a doubt, this year the traffic police were better organized. More police officers were out on the roads and their monitoring of dangerous areas in the road network was tighter. Notably, officers chose to be an overt presence rather than play the usual hide-and-seek game with the aim of punishing drivers for speed-limit violations, usually at points that are not treacherous. It remains to be seen whether these stricter controls will continue after the holidays and whether drivers will respond to the new measures by showing a more responsible attitude. A smart, long-term campaign is needed to act as a reminder of the hazards lurking in small violations. In addition, authorities must update traffic signs and regulations, and put stronger emphasis on prevention. Should such a combination be properly enforced, it will also help bolster drivers’ self-control; and there is no better recipe for reducing road deaths. Full story, from Kathimerini
DSA Comments: Wise words indeed from the staff at Kathimerini, and we are also heartened by the fact that Greek police officers not only chose to be conspicuous, but also that it has so swiftly been recognized as beneficial. It is a technique -- including highly conspicuous police vehicles -- that is used to good effect in many if not all of the safest countries. [DSA page on police vehicles and conspicuity, here.] Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
WASHINGTON -- The best public relations effort in the world apparently [can't save many victims] from drunken drivers. Now, federal investigators want to figure out why. They're examining why drunken driving persists in the face of aggressive anti-drunken driving campaigns. "It's really complex," said Marilyn Sabin, assistant director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "It's really a tough question, and I wish I had the answer." Urged on by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and worried lawmakers, the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General is beginning an ambitious nationwide study of drunken driving and efforts to curtail it. Investigators admit that, so far, they're perplexed. "Despite the combined efforts of federal and state safety officials, 2003 was the sixth consecutive year with no discernible progress in reducing alcohol-related crashes and fatalities," the Office of Inspector General noted in a memo announcing the study. Nationwide, 17,013 people died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes last year. This amounted to 40 percent of all traffic-related deaths, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The study will consider the "scope, direction, resources and expenditures" of existing state and federal anti-drunken driving programs. Investigators will compare drunken driving problems in states with different law enforcement policies, and count up all the federal resources currently being allocated. "We're encouraged by it," Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Washington-based Governors Highway Safety Association, said of the study. "We want to see what they have to say.".... Full story, from the Detroit News [The original Department of Transportation memorandum, dated December 14, may be viewed here.]
DSA Comments: We are not sure who created the above reference to America's current methods as being "the best public relations effort in the world" but we would go so far as to suggest that from the viewpoint of public perception the U.S. actually applies a rather low key public relations effort, rather than the "best" one. Our primary raison d'être, at Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., is to encourage all countries to look outside their own national boundaries in order to see what techniques are being used and what successes are being achieved in road safety issues elsewhere, so -- with no disrespect to anyone concerned -- we would urge the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General to do precisely that, on this occasion. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Washington, DC (UPI) -- A U.S. traffic safety group says teenage drivers are often incapable of driving sport utility vehicles safely, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that 49 people aged 15 to 20 died in SUV and pickup truck accidents in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia last year. The group says SUVs have a higher center of gravity and are harder to control in an emergency, which makes inexperienced drivers more likely than others to end up as statistics. "Because there's a good likelihood that a teen driver could be involved in a crash, parents would be well advised to select a vehicle that has the best safety record," said Rae Tyson of the NHTSA. Recent safety improvements to SUVs, a federal study found, are less likely to protect teenage drivers, [who] often drive older-model SUVs.... Rollovers accounted for 3 percent of U.S. crashes in 2002 but nearly 33 percent of driving deaths, according to the traffic safety administration.... In January 2003, NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, a former emergency room physician, raised a furor among automakers when he told an industry gathering in Detroit that he wouldn't buy his child "a two-star rollover [rated] vehicle if it was the last one on earth." Runge, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment last week. [Sources: UPI and MSNBC]
DSA Comments: Well said, Dr. Runge. Nor would I! Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that examines repeated experiences of cell phone use during simulated driving. According to the report, the harmful effects of conversing on the phone are very real initially, but may not be as severe with continued practice at the dual task, especially for young or middle-age drivers. Read the report abstract, plus DSA comments, here. ___________________________
Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya has praised a dramatic rise in seat belt use during an awareness raising visit to Costa Rica. The Colombian racing star was in Costa Rica at the invitation of the Automobile Club of Costa Rica to help raise awareness about the importance of always wearing a seat belt. At a press conference in San José attended by Montoya and the Transport Minister of Costa Rica, Randal Quiros, the results of the second national seat belt wearing survey were announced. The survey, conducted in August 2004, was organised to evaluate the effects of a combination of compulsory seat belt legislation, police enforcement and a nationwide awareness campaign backed by the FIA Foundation. The survey results show a sharp increase in seat belt wearing rates from the first survey held in July 2003, prior to the start of the campaign. Full story, from the FIA Foundation ___________________________
ROME -- Twenty-nine lethal accidents and thirty-three victims. These are the figures of road accidents in Italy during the long Christmas Holidays (December 24, 25 and 26) which were reported by Traffic Police and Carabinieri. Accidents are on the rise (last week end, lethal accidents amounted to 24 with 24 victims) and this is partly due to the bad weather which is sweeping through our country and is held responsible for 16 accidents and 20 deaths. It is difficult to make a complete comparison with the same week ends in previous years because this week end, this year, coincided with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing day, while in the past these holidays were not included in the week end at issue.... |
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December 27, 2004: