|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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, safety professionals, police officers, parents of young drivers, etc., have an easily accessible yet wide ranging insight into road safety best practice globally, and through this be in a better position to help save some of the many lives wasted in road crashes 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.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
International Road Safety News from March 2005
Your 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.
Road Safety Vision 2010 covers the nine-year period from 2001 to 2010. The overall goal is [for Canada to have] the safest roads in the world. The specific goals are:
Lofty goals that can only be achieved when motorists start paying attention and taking an interest in their own safety and that of other road users. The above summary is a small extract from Safest roads in the world a worthy goal, in the Globe and Mail. ___________________________
Parents and residents are being encouraged to name and shame [their region's] most dangerous roads as part of a campaign to cut child road deaths. Brake, the national road safety charity, has launched its Zebra Hotline, asking communities across the UK to call 0800 0687780 and tell them the areas where children on foot or bikes are at risk. Callers will receive a free action pack to set up campaigns and educate local road users and be offered training sessions. Brake is calling on the Government to introduce 20mph speed limits outside every school, provide funding for more safe crossings and pavements and make road safety education in schools compulsory.... Full story, from the Enfield Independent, London. ___________________________
Unauthorized test-drives conducted on public roads by Isuzu Motors Ltd. since 1967 caused 104 accidents after 1985 alone, according to an in-house probe conducted by the automaker, it was learned Thursday.... The police take a serious view of the fact that Isuzu conducted unauthorized tests for years and believe it is necessary to prosecute the case to ensure the automaker abides by the law and follows safety procedures, the sources said.... Full story, from the Daily Yomiuri ___________________________
Governor Donald L. Carcieri has submitted a package of legislative proposals that seeks to make Rhode Island's roadways safer by targeting drunk drivers, aggressive drivers, and drivers who do not wear their safety belts. The package was went before the Senate and House Judiciary committees earlier this week. Carcieri said that Rhode Island must improve its safety record in all areas of driver safety. "My legislative package makes it clear that Rhode Island will not tolerate drivers who make our roads unsafe," Governor Carcieri said. "Drivers who drink, drivers who are aggressive on the road, and drivers who fail to buckle up will be held accountable for their actions."... Full story, from the Insurance Journal ___________________________
Students on foot and riding bicycles must be as cautious of the men in blue as motorists these days. Police have been giving tickets to pedestrians and bicyclists who violate traffic laws for a number of years, but because of recent grant money received by the Tucson Police Department, the agency is cracking down on violators, said Sgt. Carlos Valdez, TPD spokesman. TPD received a $15,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to "create a harmonious environment where pedestrians, bicycles and cars can operate safely," Valdez said.... Full story, from the Arizona Daily Wildcat ___________________________
Family and friends are mourning the deaths of four siblings in a South Texas traffic accident blamed on a drunken driver. Twenty-nine-year-old Juan Jose Garza of Weslaco is charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. Donna police say Garza's blood alcohol level -- of point-268 -- was more than three times the legal limit for driving. Investigators say the four children were in a mini-van. Their parents and an uncle who were in the vehicle -- survived. The suspect allegedly ran a stop sign Saturday night and his pickup struck the family's van.... Full story, from KGBT4 ___________________________
Traffic accidents are Russia's national problem, deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov has declared at today's meeting of the transport ministry's board. The minister characterized the situation regarding road safety in Russia as extremely worrying, referring to shocking figures, which show that 34,500 people were killed and over 251,000 were injured in 208,000 traffic accidents in Russia in 2004. Enhancing traffic safety is a strategic goal for the next 10 years, whose achievement requires coordinated efforts by specialized agencies, Zhukov emphasized. [Source: RBC] ___________________________
Thirty new high-tech police cars and 170 motorcycles began patrolling city streets yesterday, providing local lawmen with better [tools] to track down traffic violators.... The city spent about 16 million yuan (US$1.93 million) on the new vehicles.... The 30 new four wheelers, also known as the "electronic patrol cars," are equipped with a radar speedometer and a powerful camera connected to a computer system inside the vehicle. The camera can shoot pictures or take videos from any angle and swerve as rapidly as 100 degrees per second. The agile camera, together with the radar speedometer, will work automatically in shooting various images of traffic infractions, such as speeding and illegally cutting lanes. The images could provide vivid clues to support future punishment of drivers. The vehicles also carry an automatic car plate identification system. After shooting pictures of a vehicle, the computer will compare its plate number to its database containing reported stolen and illegal cars. The function is expected to assist police in catching hit-and-run drivers and illegal vehicles. All pictures taken are then stored on a computer disk and turned in to the police headquarters at the end of a shift.... Full story, from Xinhuanet. ___________________________
After a deadly Easter weekend on the roads of Victoria, the police want to look at new ways to reduce road carnage, including double demerit points.... Victoria recorded the highest death toll in the country during the Easter period, with eight lives lost. Nationwide, 26 people died between midnight on Thursday and 11.59pm on Monday. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Bob Hastings yesterday expressed disappointment that motorists had ignored his plea for a fatality-free Easter, with speed, alcohol, fatigue and failing to wear seat belts the contributing factors. He said he feared that the state's road toll could reach 390 this year, with 100 lives already lost, 19 more than at the same time last year.... Mr Hastings said Victoria Police would consider inter-state and international methods to reduce road deaths, including double demerit points for infringements during long weekends, a scheme used in NSW since 1997.... TAC road safety general manager David Healy said.... that while Victoria's annual toll had fallen by 670 in the 23 years between 1970 - when 1000 people died on the state's roads - and 2003, when just 330 people died, before the death rate again climbed by 12 last year, the rate at which road users were seriously injured had also fallen.... Full story, from The Age. ___________________________
According to the Italian press agency AGI, 46 people were killed on Italy's roads between March 25 and 28, including 21 individuals under the age of 30. Two fifths of the crashes occurred between 10pm and 6am. One sixth of the crashes happened in urban zones. And tragically, almost half of the fatal incidents (46%) involved speeding. The total number of fatal accidents was down on last year, when 46 accidents led to the death of 51 persons. Even the general accident toll was down on 2004, when 1,014 accidents were recorded -- compared to 849 this year. Some 43,459 police patrols were deployed, levying 28 thousand fines, for an equivalent total of 37 thousand driver license points and 1,200 driving licenses [were] withdrawn... Read the full story here, from AGI ___________________________
More people than ever are driving under the influence of their cell phones. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey released earlier this month, eight percent of drivers, or 1.2 million people, are using handheld or hands-free cell phones at any given time during daylight hours. That's double the number from just four years ago.... More and more studies are telling us that, whether it's handheld or hands-free, cell phone conversations are distracting to drivers... According to NHTSA, 2,600 deaths and more than 300,000 collisions each year are related to cell phones, not to mention a fair amount of road rage.... Full story, from CBS News ___________________________
But even so, more than half of all traffic fatalities in Wyoming from 1999 through 2003 occurred on rural highways. And that's despite the fact that less than half of all miles driven in Wyoming during that time were on rural roads. Meanwhile, The Road Information Project reports that Wyoming [does better than] its neighbors in rural traffic deaths. Wyoming's average was a little over two deaths per 100 million miles traveled on rural, two-lane highways. Montana averaged nearly four deaths, and the averages for South Dakota, Colorado, Utah and Nebraska were all around three per 100 million miles.... Full story, from KGWN ___________________________
When 26-year-old Claire Duncan died of a fractured skull after a severe rollover accident in her 2000 Ford Explorer, her family wanted answers. Their questions about how the SUV's roof caved in led to a lawsuit and ultimately a trial this month that uncovered internal Ford Motor Co. documents and memos that raise serious questions about the Explorer's roof and the automaker's contention that stronger vehicle roofs do not prevent deaths and injuries in rollovers. On March 18, a Jacksonville, Florida, jury ruled the Explorer's roof was defective and ordered Ford to pay Duncan's husband $10.2 million for economic damages, pain and suffering. Company documents shown to the jury revealed the Explorer's roof was made weaker when the SUV was redesigned twice in the 1990s -- after engineers recommended strengthening the roof earlier in the decade.... Full story, from the the Detroit News ___________________________
___________________________
The Easter weekend road toll of nine deaths, most of which were a result of excessive speed, is a grim reminder that speed is the number one killer on New Zealand’s roads, says the Director of Land Transport Wayne Donnelly.
See also: Tragic Crash Kills Four Young Kiwis and Leaves a Fifth Critical, below. ___________________________
Australia's national road toll for the Easter period is at 25, following four deaths yesterday. There have been [four deaths in Queensland, two in Western Australia,] eight in Victoria, six in South Australia, four in NSW and one in Tasmania over the Easter holiday period. The ACT and the Northern Territory remain fatality free. [The Australian Associated Press] Easter road toll figures are for the period 0001 March 24 to 2359 March 28. Some states and territories may have different periods. Full story, from The Sydney Morning Herald ___________________________
A man caught speeding three times and found drink driving twice in three hours was yesterday cited as the worst motorist on Queensland roads over the Easter long weekend.... The Brisbane man was caught driving while disqualified at 135km/h in a Bruce Highway 100km/h zone, and blew .145 when breath tested. He was [recorded] driving the same vehicle at 148km/h on the same stretch of north Brisbane road less than an hour later by a speed camera. A short time later a police patrol car clocked the man travelling at 133km/h, [and on that occasion] his breathalyser reading was .101. He was charged with drink driving and unlicensed driving and will appear in court at a date to be set. Full story, from NEWS.com
DSA Comments This raises a very serious question, either about Australian law, or about specific police procedure on this occasion. What possible justification can there be for allowing a drunk and disqualified driver out of custody while he/she is still over the limit and -- even more incredibly -- allowing that person access to their vehicle? Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
....The spirit of the [Holi] festival was also marred by over 100 road accidents. “This is a record figure. Such a huge number of accidents has never been reported on a Holi day,” said a police officers. Tata Main Hospital and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College received 75 cases of minor and major road accidents. “Despite the deployment of police at every important place in the city, this year we received more cases compared to previous years,” said a senior doctor at Tata Main Hospital.... The presence of police and para military forces at all the sensitive areas in the city could not prevent over 100 road mishaps due to drunken driving.... Full story, from The Telegraph, Calcutta. ___________________________
The two Hadassah University Medical Centers in Jerusalem have decided to join the fight against road accidents by teaching high school pupils who will soon receive or recently received their driving licenses about the consequences of carelessness on the road. Pupils will come to the hospitals for a day of study, during which they will hear lectures, visit the trauma units and learn how those injured in road accidents are treated. Later, joint activities for pupils and teachers in the schools will be organized, using kits developed by the Or Yarok organization that works to prevent road accidents.... Full story, from the Jerusalem Post ___________________________
.....At a recent traffic safety conference, the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration spoke to the urgent need for law enforcement to more specifically target speeding, commendably reporting that it wants to make getting drivers to stop speeding a new priority. Both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and NHTSA report about a third of all car crashes involve speeding. NHTSA had previously made drunk driving, seat-belt use, and curbing rollover fatalities its top issues, but since the government got rid of the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit in 1995, numerous studies have shown that higher speed limits lead to more traffic deaths. One report noted traffic deaths went up 38 percent when limits were raised from 65 m.p.h. to 75 m.p.h. - a change worth review.... Full commentary here, from the Christian Science Monitor ___________________________
Highway-accident fatalities in Illinois declined by almost 100 in 2004, due in part to the first full year of the state's primary seat-belt law, authorities said. The law allows police to stop vehicles in which drivers or passengers are observed not using seat restraints. Yet more than 1,300 people died in vehicle accidents last year in Illinois. Without additional safety, enforcement and educational measures, the death toll will surely climb as the number of vehicles on the roads increase. The goal of a newly expanded highway safety program focuses on reducing the toll to fewer than 1,000 fatalities by 2008.... The plan will help determine where federal highway safety dollars will be spent in Illinois. Police in Peoria, for instance, told state officials that drunken-driving related accidents could be cut significantly in that community. They said the key is securing more funding to conduct roadside checks regularly instead of primarily on holiday weekends. Alcohol is involved in 44 percent of fatalities on Illinois roads.... Full article, from the Chicago Tribune (registration may be needed)
DSA Comments As we have commented before, it is good to see Illinois taking this very creditable approach to the issue. Like many countries, Illinois is setting a target of reducing the actual number of people killed each year, rather than taking the more common approach -- in the USA -- of striving just to reduce the rate of people in relation to the overall mileage traveled by all motor vehicles in the country; something commonly referred to as the VMT Rate. Yet even though it is readily possible to reduce the VMT rate without significantly reducing the number of people killed, many U.S. bodies focus upon it as though it were some sort of Holy Grail. In our opinion, Illinois has the only truly justifiable target. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Two-wheeler and cycle tracks on highways, and additional central funds to bring down the number of fatal accidents in 2005 by 50 per cent — these were suggestions at the recently concluded 8th Annual National Road Safety Council (NRSC) meeting in New Delhi. NRSC member Chandmal Parmar said... data of accidents on all the national highways if made public would create awareness. To rake in funds, Parmar said 50 per cent of fines collected under various heads of traffic rule violation should be given to NRSC for work at the State-level. Parmar said already Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have started using safety measures... Full story, from Pune Newsline
DSA Comments If the above story has been accurately reported, it should perhaps be suggested that nothing on earth is likely to succeed in reducing Year 2005 road deaths by 50 per cent at this late stage. Such a massive reduction would be more likely to take several years to achieve. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
.....The proposed Road Safety Education (RSE) curriculum by the Transport and Education Ministries, says Dr Radin Umar, is based on the Australian model. “We worked hard with teachers and the curriculum division of the Education Ministry and we found that incorporating RSE into English and BM classes is the most effective approach.” Currently, he adds, research is being done on the impact of RSE on driving knowledge, attitude and practices of motorists in a bid to make Malaysian roads safer in the future. “I strongly suggest that RSE efforts be made nationwide. We must invest in the young as it takes only a seven-year cycle to create a new generation of drivers on the road...." More importantly, he stresses that the success of RSE will determine the success of other safety interventions. “For example, it is so difficult to persuade [people in the rear seats of vehicles] to wear seatbelts. "We need law and enforcement to make this happen. However, if we impart a safe culture right from childhood, it will become natural,” he says, adding that his own children wear seatbelts in the backseat without being reminded. He adds: “If parents love their children, this is the least they can do.” Full article, from The Star ___________________________
The number of teenagers killed in traffic accidents in South Carolina rose slight[ly] to 114 last year - many were not wearing seat belts. Only 20 of the 114 teens who were killed were wearing seat belts, compared with 23 of 101 teens who died in 2003, according to state Department of Public Safety data.... Full story, from Dateline Alabama
DSA Comments A 13 percent rise in teen road fatalities is "slight"? -- No. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
__________________________
Road safety experts in Australia have warned that the Federal Government will fail to meet its target of a 40 per cent reduction in the road toll unless it is prepared to force motor companies to improve safety standards. Last night, as the national Easter road toll stood at 17 deaths, including six in Victoria, Australasian College of Road Safety president Raphael Grzebieta said the Government was ignoring "silver bullets" that could lead to a dramatic reduction in fatalities. These included mandatory standards for airbags, seatbelts, speedometers, breathalysers [this refers specifically to alco-locks on a vehicle's ignition system - DSA] and the prevention of rollovers, he said. "About 50 per cent of the road toll hasn't been addressed by current measures, and any realistic reduction in the road toll will require firm commitment and a political will to implement such countermeasures," he told The Sunday Age.... Full story, from The Age. ___________________________
A 16-year-old youth died holding a stranger's hand as three of his friends perished in an inferno when their car crashed near Pukekohe yesterday. Their deaths mean the Easter road toll already equals the four people killed [for the whole of New Zealand] during the entire Easter holiday weekend last year. The young man died in a ditch after he was thrown from the car with another backseat passenger moments before it crashed into trees and burst into flames.... A taxi driver told police that just before the accident at 2.30am, the car overtook him in a passing lane, travelling at between 130km/h and 140km/h [about 80 to 90mph]. Sergeant John Yearbury of Counties Manukau said last night that police were confident they knew who the victims were. They were likely to be named later today after formal identification using dental records. Police believe two were aged 16 and the others 19 and 25. The sole survivor, also 16, was yesterday transferred from Middlemore Hospital to Auckland Hospital and is in a critical condition.... Full article -- Boy, 16, dies holding hand of stranger -- from the New Zealand Herald
See also: The Easter Death Toll in New Zealand is a Grim Reminder that the Abuse of Speed Kills, above. ___________________________
Venezuela's Civil Protection Office (PC) reports on Wednesday evening that the number of dead in road accidents has reached what it considers alarm status with 65 dead and at least 1,500 wounded. The government has expressed concern and ordered more vigilance setting up a record 2,100 control points throughout Venezuela. The main exodus of holidays makers started last night work, as most public offices and private companies closed for the Holy Week holiday. [But] schools have been on vacation since last Friday.... Full article, from VHeadline ___________________________
The Delhi Police has launched a massive drive to check Holi revellers.... Fifty-eight motorists were challaned by the Traffic Police for drunken driving and 26 were arrested. More than 1,400 motorists were challaned for traffic violations like drunken driving, riding without helmet, over-crowding vehicles and jumping red lights.... Full story, from Delhi Newsline ___________________________
Dutch Police Arrest a 'Lazy' Ghost Rider On Thursday night, police arrested a 27-year-old Oss man who deliberately drove the wrong way on the A50 Oss-Den Bosch motorway. "He was too lazy to take the normal route," a police spokesman said. The man bought a packet of cigarettes from a petrol station on the A50 and simply took the shortest route home. He was also driving without a valid licence. Motorists who drive against the flow of traffic in the Netherlands are called 'ghost riders'. Source: Expatica Netherlands ___________________________
A PORTUGUESE motorist was yesterday convicted of causing a crash on a Dutch motorway that killed three Welsh motor racing fans. Luis de Quintas Loureiro was driving a car that smashed into a Ford Fiesta carrying Jonathan Chandler and Shaun Williams, both 28, and 34-year-old Dean Andrews. The friends, from Newtown, Powys, had been travelling through Holland en route to the Belgian grand prix last August when they were killed in the pile-up, on the A16 north of Rotterdam. Yesterday a court in the city found de Quintas Loureiro guilty of causing a lethal accident.... He was ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service, to be replaced by 120 days in prison if he fails to do it, and was placed on probation for two years. If he commits an offence within two years he will be jailed for four months. He was also banned from driving for a year.... A statement from de Quintas Loureiro read to [an earlier] inquest said, "I looked to my girlfriend to tell her something had happened. "I looked back to the road the next moment the airbag on my car inflated. "I didn't realise that the cars in front of me were standing still.".... Full story, from icWales
DSA Comments It is always dangerous to speculate about the outcome of court cases unless one has sat in the courtroom oneself, and heard the entire proceedings. Given the man's admission, however, that even though he knew something was happening ahead, he actually looked at his girlfriend instead of keeping his eyes on the problem, his utterly unacceptable and lethal negligence appears to have gone virtually unpunished. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
(and the NHTSA Recommend Using Booster Seats for ALL Children Under 4'9" in Height) Children 4, 5 and 6 years old are required to use booster seats while riding in a motor vehicle, under a new New York state law that takes effect on Sunday. Until now, only those younger than 4, or weighing less than 40 pounds, had to use safety seats. But there has been a push across the country for booster seat laws, because many children who have outgrown car seats aren't big enough to be safely restrained by adult seat belts. Children wearing seat belts can suffer life-threatening internal injuries during a car accident, because the seat belts don't fit them correctly and put pressure on the neck and abdomen, said Thomas McDonnell, a safety officer with the State Police. ....The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration suggests using booster seats until the child reaches 4 feet, 9 inches tall.... Full story, from the Buffalo News ___________________________
The NH Coordinator of the Governor's Highway Safety Agency has a Standpoint that Shocks Experts and Cops The director of the state's highway safety agency is taking heat from some New Hampshire police chiefs for his opposition to a proposed mandatory seatbelt law. In a letter last week, Belmont Police Chief Vinnie Baiocchetti blasted Peter Thomson, coordinator of the governor's highway safety agency, for what he called "irresponsible, degrading and insulting" testimony during last month's hearing on the seatbelt bill. Read the full article, here, from the Concord Monitor, together with DSA Comments ___________________________
DUBAI — A traffic cop on duty died in Dubai yesterday after a car hit his motorbike on the busy Shaikh Zayed road.... Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Director of Dubai Traffic Police Department, said [officer Mohammed Saleh Qassim] was controlling traffic with a group of policemen on the heavily used road and was responsible for preventing vehicles from driving on the hard shoulder. The woman’s car veered abruptly off the road, killing the policeman.... Police officials said the Shaikh Zayed road (Dubai – Abu Dhabi highway) remained on the top of the list of the most dangerous roads in Dubai in 2004. They lashed out at the reckless driving of some motorists who pose danger to others’ lives as well as their own.... Police urged drivers to exercise caution as car accidents continue to claim many lives. Last year, 2,414 accidents occurred in Dubai, in which 206 people died. Full
article, from the Khaleej
Times ___________________________
Thousands of motorists could be putting their families in danger this Easter weekend by taking to the roads in cars unfit for the journey. Easter signals the end of winter, the beginning of spring and provides the first opportunity for millions of motorists to take to the roads on journeys as diverse as a trip to the local [home improvement] superstore to a family holiday. But at the end of winter many cars will be ill prepared - - and beneath layers of grime and deposits of the salt used to treat frozen roads, a catalogue of neglect could be waiting to turn a happy outing into a disaster.... Read the full, detailed article, here.
[DSA: And meanwhile, we commiserate with all our friends in the Southern Hemisphere who are now heading into winter!] ___________________________
A report to Liverpool City Council's Executive Board, to be considered on April 1, says that St John's Gardens are the most appropriate location for this type of memorial and would give bereaved families a peaceful area to remember their loved ones. This move follows a three year consultation excise undertaken with RoadPeace, the organisation which supports families bereaved because of traffic accidents.... "This is an issue which we want to deal with as sensitively as possible, "said Councillor Peter Millea, Executive Member for Regeneration. "We want to provide a place where the families of the hundreds of victims of road accidents over the years can have somewhere peaceful they can remember their loved ones. "We have consulted widely with RoadPeace to ensure that is the best way of remembering road accident victims. What we need to do now is look at how we deal with roadside memorials - flowers left at the scene of accidents. We need to balance the wishes of bereaved people against the road safety aspects and we will be bringing forward ideas on this shortly." Full story here, from Liverpool City Council ___________________________
Nails and other metal objects will be lifted from the hard shoulders of motorways and trunk roads in southern England by a new vehicle equipped with a giant magnet. The 18 tonne VT800 Series Johnston road sweeper vehicle is equipped with a bar magnet which can pick up an assortment of nails and other metal objects, reducing the risk of tyre damage for drivers. The road sweeper is also equipped with a high-powered brush, high pressure washing system and nozzle and acts as a litter picker, road sweeper and gully cleaner.... ___________________________
The 2005 New York auto show will set the stage for the North American debut of the new Volvo Cars S60 safety simulator. The simulator displays new safety features that contribute to safer and more relaxed driving.... With the company's latest developments, Volvo is cementing its leadership position among safety-conscious car manufacturers. A key component to this objective is that every new Volvo model should represent clear progress in protecting the car’s occupants. This has been demonstrated consistently in recent years with innovative solutions that enhance safety in a collision, for instance in the Volvo XC90, Volvo S40 and Volvo V50. However, in order to retain its lead in vehicle safety from a holistic perspective, Volvo Cars has also intensified its focus on systems that predict and prevent accidents.... ___________________________
From proven safety innovations to sophisticated braking systems, many of the vehicles displayed at this year's New York International Auto Show are equipped with Continental's life-saving and advanced technologies.... Full details and a list of the vehicles, here. ___________________________
Researchers and developers at Bosch again demonstrated outstanding inventive genius in 2004 with a record number of 2,791 patent applications (In 2003 the figure was 2,748). Bosch's Automotive Technology division registered more patent applications than any other company in the automotive industry. In 2004, the key areas for patent applications were electronic system networking and driver assistance systems - two areas in which Bosch is intensively pushing technological progress..... ___________________________
In Namibia, the simplest safety precaution holidaymakers can take this Easter weekend is to fasten their seatbelts -- and that goes for passengers in the back seat too. Aubrey Oosthuizen, Manager of International SOS in Erongo, told 'The Namibian' that too many people were still ignoring the safety belt rule. Since the Easter weekend is the second busiest time of the year on Namibian roads, and usually accompanied by a high accident death toll, people are urged to drive carefully this weekend.... Oosthuizen says the West Coast Safety Initiative, a combined effort by ISOS, the Namibian Police and Traffic Police, the Municipal Traffic Police and other services in December, has been reactivated for the Easter weekend. The three emergency ambulances and one 4x4 rescue vehicle will be stationed at strategic points to promote road safety awareness, and will be on standby in case of emergencies. Emergency packs containing emergency numbers and road safety guidelines will be distributed at tourist points.... Full story, from The Namibian ___________________________
The Department of Transport has urged motorists to obey traffic law during this Easter weekend as traffic volumes increase significantly on major routes during this time.... Acting Director-General Jerry Makokoane has pointed out that while rainy conditions over the northern part of the country were expected to clear up by the start of the weekend, rain could be expected in the middle part of the country. He warned motorists that long distance driving, especially in wet weather conditions, placed extra demands. "Before leaving on a journey drivers should be well rested. Fatigue is a killer and you should stop and swap drivers as soon as the first symptoms of fatigue occur. If there is no co-driver in the vehicle, stop and rest for a while," he stressed. Motorists were also warned against drinking and driving, to always buckle up both in the front and the rear of vehicles, not exceed speed limits as well as to drive slowly and to increase following distances to more than two seconds if visibility became low and when the road surface was wet or in a bad condition. Mr Makokoane said the fleet of 60 extra traffic vehicles that were acquired recently to beef up Arrive Alive Highway Patrol would make roads safer during the coming weekend and beyond.... Full story, from the BuaNews (government), Pretoria, via allAfrica. ___________________________
The Easter weekend road safety campaign is due to get underway at midnight. Gardaí [i.e. the Irish police] say the campaign will focus particularly on motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, speeding, the non-wearing of seat-belts and the improvement of pedestrian visibility. Five people died in road accidents and another 67 were injured on the roads over last year's Easter weekend. Eighty-nine people have also died on the roads so far in 2005, an increase of four compared with the same period last year. [Source: IOL] ___________________________
Only an hour after we wrote the commentary, below, about the Hawkes Bay Journalist, we received the following statistics from Land Transport New Zealand:
The statistics supplied also contained a list showing the number of road deaths each Easter, since 1980. And from that list one finds that between 1980 and 1994, inclusive, an average of almost 13 people were killed each year. During the ten years from 1995-2004, however, one finds that the average is just over five deaths a year. And even though we all know that better vehicle design and, in some places, better road design have had something to do with lower fatality rates, it is equally clear that more effective laws, increased enforcement, and in some cases, better education have also played their part. Therefore, to those people with the same beliefs as Paul Taggart (see the next story down) we would use this Easter situation as an example and ask: What part of this 59 per cent reduction in deaths do you think is less important than what you see as the wrongs of rigorous enforcement? Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. related story
Paul Taggart, in a Hawkes Bay Today editorial, wrote:
"Productive members of the community are losing their licences because the demerit points system is run with the efficiency of a Swiss watch and the ruthlessness of Guantanamo Bay; while burglars merrily burgle with impunity and murderers remain at liberty."
But if Mr Taggart believes he truly is making a valid comparison, regarding murders, perhaps he should publish the numbers of people killed over, say, each of the last 20 years by road crashes and murderers, respectively. In all likelihood, he will find that his analogy is severely misplaced. Even in such troubled countries as Israel, more people have been killed in road crashes than have even been killed by terrorist massacres and wars, let alone murders. [1] And even here in the USA -- a country where Hollywood and the media constantly emphasize the murders, the annual road-death toll hugely outweighs murders. New Zealand currently lies in 11th position (2003 figures) among the 30 member-countries of the OECD, with a per capita death rate of 11.48 per 100,000 members of the population. [2] This compares with a rate of around six in the leading countries. If some murderers "remain at liberty," Mr Taggart, so do some hit-and-run, road-crash killers. But the "huge emphasis on road safety in recent years" to which you refer has undoubtedly saved scores if not hundreds of lives. So tell us it wasn't worth it! Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.
[1] Source: Haaretz [2] Sources: The IRTAD tables from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 1988-2002, and Year 2003 tables from Drive and Stay Alive. ___________________________
Aucklanders will be the target of a road safety campaign on the notorious stretch of State Highway 2 around Maramarua over Easter. Eighteen billboards using the 'JAFA' theme -- Just Another Fatal Accident -- are being erected between Pokeno and Mangatarata. Transit New Zealand will also be setting up a 'driver fatigue' stop where people can pull over for coffee and a snack.... Full story, from XtraMSN, New Zealand ___________________________
ROME, Italy– One thousand six hundred patrols, 150 services areas with a police presence, 11 helicopter and seven aeroplanes, 400 speed cameras, 10 overtake-meters, 154 car speed check systems and 800 breathalysers. Thus the Traffic Police are strengthening their service over the Easter break. The 1,600 patrols will be to prevent road accidents and dangerous driving. The 150 police presences in service areas will be points of observation to prevent crime, assist travellers and monitor traffic. Besides the usual systems to check speed and drivers' state, there will be a new test to find out immediately whether a driver has taken drugs. There will be particular severe measures against people using their phones without a hands-free set, or people not using a seat belt or helmet. In the same way there will be increased checks on heavy goods vehicles in terms of hours of driving and rest, as well as maximum load limits and Friday 26 March 4-8pm and Saturday to Monday from 8.00am to 10.00pm heavy vehicles will be banned from the roads. (AGI) ___________________________
The key conclusion from two surveys carried out on the 'phone and via Internet by German ADAC, in collaboration with ACI and other European Automobile Clubs -- one on road signals' conditions and another on their legibility -- was that most drivers wish to see a reduction in the excessive amount of road signs, and to rationalise, make uniform, and render more legible the Old Continent's signs.... ___________________________
Arrive Alive and the transport department have turned to technology to minimise road accidents this Easter. The campaign is set to cost the department R6.29 million [US $1.02 million]. Transport minister Jeff Radebe says road fatalities increased from 12,348 in 2003 to 12,709 last year. As part of this year's campaign, traffic police cars countrywide have been fitted with video cameras, tracking systems, breathalysers and scanners. These scanners will read the barcode on licence disks and drivers' licences and feed the information to the National Traffic Information System. The department has identified the 86 most hazardous sections of road countrywide, covering a combined distance of 10,730km. Eighty patrol cars have been set up to guard the traffic at these points, of which 18 will be shared between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.... Full story, from ITweb ___________________________
.....In 2003, the most recent year for which statistics were available, 10 highway workers were killed on the job in Maryland. Twelve were killed in 2002 and seven in 2001. Nationally, highway work-zone deaths rose, from 1,644 to 1,798, between 2001 and 2003.... [This is an extract from Road Warriors, in the Towson Times ___________________________
For the second year in a row, a bill has been introduced to limit high-speed vehicle pursuits, and discussions about current pursuit policies have been triggered across the state. Senate Bill 718 states that it is designed to eliminate unnecessary risks from vehicle pursuits and to ensure that these chases are conducted in the safest and most effective way throughout the state. "Kristie's Bill was introduced for a pure and simple reason: to protect the most vulnerable and innocent victims from being injured or killed as a result of a high speed pursuit," said Senator Sam Aanestad after introducing the bill.... Full story, from Ukiah Daily Journal ___________________________
[The following is an extract from the article 'Drivers Need To Keep Their Eyes On Road ' from TBO News] Putting on makeup, reading a map, talking on a cell phone, drinking, eating or rubbernecking: Lots of folks think they can do it while driving.... BUT A 2001 study conducted by the University of North Carolina and the Automobile Association of America researchers concluded that nationwide more than 284,000 crashes a year involve distracted drivers. A 2003 AAA study placed cameras in drivers' cars and studied their habits. The volunteer drivers weren't told why they were being filmed, and the results seem to confirm what any commuter already knows: People try to multitask while driving. Nearly 100 percent of people taped for more than three hours of driving did something that distracted their attention, including eating, writing, reading maps and talking on cell phones, according to that study. Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Larry Coggins cited a recent accident in Hernando County in which a school bus flipped over, injuring eight students, as an example of a driver who was distracted. The driver took his eyes off the road to try to quiet the children and ended up rolling the bus over. The same thing can happen when you lean forward to change a CD, drive one-handed while eating a burger or crane your neck to get a better view of an accident, he said....
DSA Comments: If the above-mentioned school bus crash is the one we think it is, the film from inside it was shown on national television, and the sight of those kids being catapulted around, inside the bus was enough to sicken anyone. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
and an identical theme from the opposite side of the world
Driver fatigue is responsible for more than 100 deaths on NSW roads each year, and this Easter break could prove to be no exception.... No one is immune to driver fatigue and the best way to avoid it is to take active steps to prevent it. Driver fatigue can happen at any time, not just during the night so motorists need to be aware of the signs of driver fatigue to make sure that they don’t put themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk by driving while tired.... ___________________________
___________________________
The South Australian Opposition is calling on the State Government to use extra revenue raised by speed cameras to increase the police presence on country highways. It says something must be done to address the high road toll in rural areas. Opposition police spokesman Robert Brokenshire says the Government is predicting a substantial increase in the number of motorists caught speeding, yet no extra money has been allocated to increasing traffic police numbers. "I'm calling on a government that's addicted to revenue increases in their own budget for speeding motorists to put that money into extra traffic police, to employ some extra traffic police, some extra highway patrol police to try and curb the road toll," he said.... Meanwhile, the Opposition has confirmed that British police recruits undergoing training at Fort Largs will be eligible to work in country areas. The 82 officers recruited to boost the South Australian police force will complete their training in three months, with their postings to be announced at the end of that period.... Full story, from ABC News Online ___________________________
Wellington intersections were the scene of 559 crashes last year - a figure Wellington City Council is keen to see come down. The Council's Road Safety Co-ordinator, Kate Brockett, says all intersections are potentially hazardous but some intersections have higher crash rates than others because of higher traffic volumes and other factors.... Nearly half (47 percent) of the city's road accidents happen at intersections which is why the Council is again supporting Land Transport New Zealand's campaign to encourage people to "take another look" at intersections. The campaign ties in with the Government's strategy to reduce crashes by a third by 2010.... Full story, from the Wellington Government site. ___________________________
50 are arrested at a Mafia horse race on motorway Fifty people were arrested yesterday after police swooped on an early-morning, Mafia-run horse race being held on a motorway. Undercover officers acting on a tip-off broke up the race as the horses - Vincente Mi and Uliano - galloped down a mile-long stretch of autostrada watched by hundreds of spectators. Video footage broadcast on Italian television news showed police leaping out of unmarked cars to stop the race. Dozens of vehicles had blocked off the impromptu course, along a motorway outside Palermo, on Sicily, for the race. As the police operation swung into action, the hundreds who had lined the course were seen running off into nearby fields to avoid arrest.... Full story, from The Scotsman ___________________________
.....USA Today examined all deadly crashes involving 16- to 19-year-old drivers in 2003. About 3,500 teenagers died in teen-driven vehicles in the U.S. that year -- a death toll that tops that of any disease or injury for teens. The South proved to be the deadliest region. More than two-thirds of fatal single-vehicle teen crashes involved nighttime driving or at least one passenger age 16 to 19. Nearly three-fourths of the drivers were male. And 16-year-old drivers were the riskiest of all. Their rate of involvement in fatal crashes was nearly five times that of drivers ages 20 and older, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.... New medical research helps explain why, according to the report. The part of the brain that weighs risks and controls impulsive behavior isn’t fully developed until about age 25, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some state legislators and safety activists question whether 16-year-olds should be licensed to drive.... Sixteen-year-olds are far worse drivers than 17-, 18- or 19-year-olds, statistics show. Tellingly, New Jersey, which has long barred 16-year-olds from having an unrestricted driver’s license, for years has had one of the lowest teen fatality rates in the country. Other jurisdictions, too, have found the only sure way to cut the teen death toll is to limit unsupervised driving by 16-year-olds. Seven states and the District of Columbia don’t give unrestricted licenses to anyone under 18. In Britain and Germany, teens can’t drive until ages 17 and 18, respectively. Rules that restrict driving at 16 have clearly had a positive effect, the insurance institute says. As the proportion of 16-year-olds in the USA with driver’s licenses has declined from a decade ago, so has the proportion of 16-year-olds involved in fatal crashes. But the rate among those who are licensed has shown no improvement.... Read the full, detailed article, from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch ___________________________
.....if motorcyclists themselves cannot do more to make the sport
safer, government will try to do the job for them. According to the agency:
.....Texas is one of a number of states that does not mandate that riders wear helmets.... Organizations like the 14,000-member Cut and Shoot Harley Owners Group do an admirable job encouraging safe motorcycling by its members. The open question is whether such efforts are doing enough to encourage safer driving among motorcyclists as a whole. If private groups can't get the word out, it will be up to the state to enact laws that can improve the sport's safety record. Full article, from The Courier, at Houston Community Newspapers ___________________________
The truck accidents that have plagued our city in the past few weeks are cause for concern and there should be urgent action to stop the carnage. When we have repeatedly raised this matter, traffic officials have stepped up their vigilance - only to let it lapse a few weeks down the line, until another accident occurs. Traffic officials need to be more consistent.... We also urge truck drivers and other motorists to drive responsibly and obey traffic laws. Frequent checks of their vehicles for any mechanical problems will go a long way to reducing accidents on the roads.... Read the full Editorial Comment, from the Pretoria News ___________________________
LHASA -- Eight people were killed and 23 others injured in a traffic accident Monday afternoon in Linzhi prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, southwestern China, said a local official in Linzhi. A Dongfeng truck, carrying 33 people including three drivers, overturned off the road in Gongbo'gyamda county in Linzhi while traveling between villages. Six people died at the scene and two more died on their way to a hospital.... Full story, from Xinhuanet ___________________________
DOHA: The recent concluded Traffic Police Safety Road Campaign held at Al Corniche from 13 to 19 March 2005 was a proven success. With a genuine tag “Your Driving Reflects Your Manners”, the campaign was an effort by the Qatar Traffic Department in its effort to educate the road users to be extra careful and cautious while driving on the public roads. The campaign involved displays of numerous vehicles wreckages caused by fatal accidents over the past few years. On top of that, several activities for children were also held, most notably the ‘Magical Wonders Showcase’ by Jungle Zone, Hyatt Plaza.... Full story, from The Peninsula ___________________________
Almost 5,000 young people under the age of 14 have been killed or injured on Irish roads in the last six years, the National Safety Council (NSC) has said. It has launched a new campaign aimed directly at young people. Central to the campaign, which has been developed in conjunction with the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, is a television ad aimed at capturing the imagination of children. It uses the old road safety message 'Stop. Look. Listen. Live.' However this well known message has now been updated for a new generation of young people, 'who are much more media and brand conscious than their parents were'. The campaign stresses the need for young people to think for themselves and influence their peers, rather than the traditional approach of being told what to do by adults. "Too many lives have been lost needlessly because either young drivers or young pedestrians do not exercise proper care and fail to behave appropriately on our roads. We must raise awareness of the danger young people face on the roads and highlight what they can do to keep themselves safe and ultimately alive", said Northern Ireland Environment Minister, Angela Smith. [Source: Irish Health] ___________________________
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced that IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety (DTS) will be hosting a series of meetings across the state to get input from local agencies and the public at large as DTS develops its annual Highway Safety Plan.... DTS is developing the Fiscal Year 2006 Highway Safety Plan which determines where federal highway safety dollars will be spent in Illinois and will become a part of the Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan that is currently being developed. In each public hearing DTS staff will present an introduction and overview of the Highway Safety Plan. The meeting will also feature an open session where both written and oral testimony will be accepted from community members.... The annual Highway Safety Plan will become a part of the state’s Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan, which is currently being developed. A CHSP brings together safety organizations, state and local agencies to build upon existing resources and provide a more coordinated safety effort. It will focus on what are referred to as the four E’s of highway safety: Engineering, Enforcement, Education and Emergency Services. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials encourages all states to develop a CHSP as a way to reduce traffic fatalities.... Full story, from the Sun Times News ___________________________
expanding their joint educational program, Fasten Your Seat Belt ... Go Far! Now in its third year, the project will expand from 10 to 20 major metropolitan markets across the country.... Entries from schools must be submitted by May 3, 2005. ___________________________
The past year's experience has served to silence critics across the United States who predicted widespread defiance of OPD officers attempting traffic stops as well as attendant increases in crime rates.... ___________________________
Road safety officers from across New South Wales will attend a summit in Bowral this week to discuss how councils can work with the community to saves lives on roads. The first Professional Association of Road Safety officers (PARSO) conference at Craigieburn today and tomorrow will bring together road safety officers and community and industry representatives. "This the first time a conference has been planned for road safety officers by road safety officers. Events of this nature are usually planned by organisations such as the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority," said PARSO president Matt Irvine.... "We realised that road safety officers needed an opportunity to come together and discuss what this means for local projects. This is of particular significance in how we maintain our working relationships with members of our communities. They are the ones who have a genuine interest in making a difference when it comes to saving lives on our roads.... Full story, from Southern Highland News ___________________________
Yesterday, the car of an 80-year-old woman and a tourist steam train were involved in a smash in Mount Eliza, south-east of Melbourne. This morning, a driver -- believed to be female -- died when her utility [pickup truck] hit a train.... These fatalities bring the road toll for the state of Victoria to 83, compared to 74 for the same time last year.... Full story, from NEWS.com ___________________________
Three more AA Motoring Excellence Awards have been announced at a black tie function at the Langham Hotel in Auckland this evening. The Deloitte Excellence in Motoring Journalism Award has been presented to Dave Moore. Dave is Motoring Editor for the Christchurch Press and Wellington's Dominion Post. He is one of the most respected motoring journalists in New Zealand. Dave is a very worthy recipient of the inaugural Motoring Excellence Award in this category. Vehicle safety is becoming increasingly important in the purchasing decision of many consumers and the AA Motoring Excellence Awards seeks to recognise this through the GE Money Excellence in Safety Award. The Award is based on the global independent New Car Assessment Program or NCAP and the inaugural winner is two versions of the same vehicle - the Subaru Legacy 3.0 R and Outback 3.0 R Wagon.... Full story from Scoop ___________________________
This morning, Drive and Stay Alive received an e-mail asking us to take a look at a column in yesterday's San Jose Mercury News. The sender of the e-mail was concerned that advice given in Gary Richards' column was potentially dangerous, and we agree. That advice, and our response, may be viewed here. ___________________________
Teen drivers continue to be overrepresented in fatal crashes, and released data show young women ages 16 to 24 were in substantially more injury crashes than young men of the same age range. Since 1975, driver fatal crash rates have increased by 57 percent for women. In response to these alarming trends, CarMax, Inc., the nation's leading specialty retailer of used cars, and Safe Smart Women (S2W) yesterday held a free educational clinic for young women in Indianapolis, Ind. ... ___________________________
Police and safety advocates say the high-speed driving is causing accidents and costing lives, and they hope increased enforcement and modern technology will slow down the speeders. "It's a concern because high speed is a direct factor in about 65 percent of highway fatalities and injury crashes in the state of Maine," Maj. Randall Nichols, head of operations for the Maine State Police, said. The State Police analyzed speeding ticket information over the past five years as part of an intensive speeding enforcement effort planned for this spring and summer. "By strict speed enforcement and high visibility and coordinated patrols, we feel we can make a direct impact on the number of fatalities occurring annually," he said. High-speed driving has become a national problem, says Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association. "People are wearing their seat belts more so we should be saving a lot of lives, but we're not seeing the big gains we expected," Adkins said. "That's because people are speeding so far above speed limit, when they crash there's no chance of survival even with a seat belt.... "This is a tough one because the public is not with us. They don't see that high speed increases the chance they're going to die," said Adkins, of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Part of the problem, he said, is that speeding was neglected for years by highway safety programs in favor of seat belt use and drunken-driving prevention. "We're sort of where we were with drunk driving 20 years ago. People haven't made the connection yet." More than 13,000 people were killed nationally in speed-related crashes in 2003, according to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, and speeding was a contributing factor in almost one-third of all fatal crashes. The group advocates electronic speed sensors attached to cameras to enforce speed limits.... From the article: Maine police hope to pit technology against increasingly rash speeders, from the Portland Press Herald ___________________________
Each year the state pinpoints places on state roads that it suspects are so defective and so poorly maintained that they cause crashes or, at least, contribute to wrecks. Over an 11-year period, the state Department of Transportation and Development identified 12,508 locations on Louisiana roads where 267,128 crashes caused 763 deaths and 140,229 injuries, according to its Abnormal Locations Report, which catalogs crashes according to the site of the accident.... ....the fear that this information might be used against them in court precludes DOTD from identifying the direct link between the Abnormal Locations Report and prioritizing projects.... State and federal laws specifically forbid the use of Abnormal Locations reports in court. Louisiana judges have interpreted those statutes to mean that the state does not have to turn over the information at all when requested by a lawyer in a highway defect lawsuit.... Full story here, from The Advocate ___________________________
SANA'A - A quick visit to the mosque on a Friday will tell you all you need to know about road safety in Yemen today. There, beggars tell all manner of stories, the recurring theme being the breadwinner of a household having an accident in which his passengers are killed and a court ruling he should pay blood money. The death toll from road accidents in February alone was 113, with injuries numbering 600, according to a traffic department source. The interior ministry reported 390 road accidents in various parts of the country during the month. It has often blamed accidents on bad road conditions and indifference of drivers to traffic rules on speed limits and car maintenance. Director of Traffic Police at Bab Al-Yemen station Ali Al-Ashwal says that some drivers show a complete indifference to the regulations of traffic even if they are themselves most at risk. "This is despite the stringent enforcement of punishments for violations," he said. Traffic violations, particularly speeding, account for a high proportion of accidents.... Full article, from the Yemen Observer ___________________________
The flawed efforts to tackle carnage on the roads - penalty points processed manually, grainy speed cameras with blurred images, new speeding laws with loopholes - have been driven, in part at least, in ignorance. The key reasons for road deaths in Ireland have simply not been identified. Despite the introduction by successive ministers of a raft of new measures, the raw data on the underlying causes of the fatal accidents - the toxicology reports on road death victims - has never been collated and analysed. These vital statistics are held in the individual coroners' offices around the country, where they have remained untouched and outside the analytical scope of any state agency for decades. According to garda [i.e. police] sources, there is a legal question mark over the right of access of outside bodies to this information.... Full story, from The Post
Edmunds.com Unveils Top 10 Luxury Cars Under $35,000 "Few things communicate prestige and success as easily as a luxury car," said Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com. "Whether people have achieved certain financial goals in life, or just want others to think they have, these cars are a great way for people to get a foot in the door of the luxury car market." ___________________________
LAHORE:
Eight people, including two minors, were killed and 16 others injured
when a Lahore-bound bus collided with a truck at Motorway near Thokar
Niazbeg early Saturday morning, the police said. Five people, including two women, were killed on the spot, two [died] in hospital and another while being shifted to a hospital.... Full story, from the Pakistan Times ___________________________
....In the last few months, three motorists have been murdered after misunderstandings on the road.... Just in case. A growing number of Malaysian motorists are carrying a variety of weapons in their vehicles in case they come face-to-face with a road bully.... Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Musa Hassan warned: "Anything can be used as a weapon, even helmets and hockey sticks. But we advise anybody from getting violent. If you do cause harm, we will take action.'' Full story here, from the New Straits Times ___________________________
Cash raised by speed cameras in Tasmania should be diverted from Government coffers into new anti-speeding initiatives, says the RACT. The state's biggest motoring body said South Australia, Western Australia and now Queensland were directing funds raised by the speed-detecting devices straight into new safety initiatives. The Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania has urged the State Government to follow suit, by putting at least 10 per cent of its annual speed camera revenues to the initiatives. RACT chief executive Greg Goodman said this would total at least $600,000 a year.... Full story, from The Mercury ___________________________
A global road safety week will be held in 2007 to raise awareness about road traffic injuries, a UN body in Geneva has agreed.... ___________________________
According to a recent study done by Cornell professors, 1,200 people died in the months following Sept. 11 as a result of choosing to travel by driving rather than flying. "After Sept. 11, people were either afraid to fly, or they were discouraged by the security hassles," said Prof. Garrick Blalock, applied economics and management, one of three co-authors of the paper titled "The Impact of 9/11 on Driving Fatalities: The Other Lives Lost to Terrorism." Many people turned to driving instead, according to Blalock. The consequences of this trend, however, were severe. "On average you're a lot more likely to die driving than you are flying," said Prof. Daniel H. Simon, applied economics and management, who also co-authored the paper. Blalock and Simon, along with Prof. Vrinda Kadiyali of the Johnson Graduate School of Management, analyzed data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 1994 through 2003. This allowed them to understand driving fatality trends over time, and then to focus in on how the six months following Sept. 11 differed from these patterns. They also considered data on air traffic volume from the Department of Transportation. And they found a correlation between the decrease in air traffic volume and the increase in driving fatalities in those months after Sept. 11.... Although they have been able to prove that Sept. 11 had an effect, Simon said that they "cannot distinguish at all whether it is fear that caused people to switch from flying to driving, or whether it's the hassle of security."... Full story, from The Cornell Daily Sun ___________________________
Peers about the Dangers of Risky Driving LONG BEACH, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of teenagers from across the country are hoping to convince their friends that risky behavior behind the wheel can lead to death. The program is called Project Ignition. Sponsored by State Farm® and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council, teams of students from 25 schools around the country each received a $2,000 grant to implement programs addressing issues facing teen drivers. These topics include seat belt use, speeding, impaired driving and distracted driving. The 2004-2005 Project Ignition campaigns included student created videos, safe driving demonstrations, community outreach programs, promotional items like key chains, simulated mock crash scenes and public service announcements. Across the United States, 5,691 teenagers died in motor vehicle crashes in 2003, an average of nearly 16 teenagers killed per day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.... The Project Ignition program is now accepting applications for 2005-06 school year. Applications for the program must be submitted on-line and are due April 1, 2005. Visit the Project Ignition website ( http://www.sfprojectignition.com ) for more information and to register for the program. ___________________________
[Between 1998-2001 driving under the influence of alcohol] rose among college students. Despite ongoing public campaigns about the dangers of drinking and driving, an estimated 2.8 million college students drove under the influence in 2001. That’s half a million more than in 1998, says the study*. [Apart from DUI offences], alcohol-related deaths among college students were up in 2001, according to a new study.... The number of college students hurt or assaulted when alcohol was present also showed no signs of slowing down. “This paper underscores what we had learned from another recent study – that excessive alcohol use by college-aged individuals in the U.S. is a significant source of harm,” says Ting-Kai Li, MD, in a news release. Li directs the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.... Full story, from FOX News
* Hingson, R., Annual Review of Public Health, 2005; vol 26: pp 259-279. News release, National Institutes of Health. ___________________________
The Los Angeles city attorney's office says it is considering whether to file criminal charges against singer Paula Abdul for an alleged hit-and-run freeway accident last December in the San Fernando Valley. Spokesman Frank Mateljan said a Mercedes-Benz clipped another car on US-101 in the Encino area on December 20. He contends the driver apparently failed to look while changing lanes and did not stop to exchange information with the other driver. No one was hurt. Mateljan said the driver and passenger in the car that was hit took down the Mercedes' license plate number and managed to photograph it with a cellular telephone's camera. The plate was traced to Abdul. Full story, from AP, via News 10 ___________________________
.....In the space of ten minutes, at around 8 a.m. in the morning rush-hour [yesterday], four main arteries into Helsinki were blocked by wrecked vehicles, as fine, powdery snow and freezing rain took drivers unawares. Police and rescue services, who were seriously stretched by the simultaneous occurrences, have already blamed excessive speeds for the carnage. [After the occurrence] comes consideration of what went wrong to cause such a massive event, in which upwards of 200 cars were written off. The road conditions were obviously a significant factor. Roads in the capital area were extremely slick as a belt of fine snow and freezing rain swept across from the west. The overcast, slightly warmer conditions meant the road surfaces were moist, and when a layer of new snow was placed on them, they became an ice rink. At the same time, visibility was seriously hampered by the falling snow. Nevertheless, Finland is not a country that is unfamiliar with winter driving conditions. Equally pertinent to the problem is the weather that preceded Thursday: day after day of cold clear mornings and dry road surfaces that encouraged people to believe they were driving in summer conditions. "What is clear already is that the speeds being driven were too high relative to the road conditions", said Chief Superintendent Seppo Kujala of the Vantaa Police. "Apparently people were driving at motorway speeds. The result resembled the grisly mass pile-ups on the German autobahns." Kujala's remarks were echoed by rescue personnel, who commented that what they saw on Thursday morning was absolutely unprecedented in the Finnish experience. Warnings had been issued the previous day of impending difficult conditions, but nobody had predicted things would get this bad. Despite the rise in temperature mentioned above, it was still too cold for salting to have been of any great value.... Full story, from Helsingin Sanomat ___________________________
RIGA: The head of the traffic police in the western Latvian town of Liepaja has been banned from driving for three months and fined after he caused an accident while driving under the influence, a police spokeswoman said on Thursday. Liepaja traffic police chief Ivars Kervis has been fined 150 lats (215 euros, 290 dollars) and had his licence taken away after he tried to run a police roadblock and crashed into a police vehicle while driving under the influence on Monday, said police department spokeswoman Egita Guseva. He was given a breath-test and was found to be twice over the legal limit. "Drunk driving could cost Ivars Kervis his job," said Ivars Krauklis, deputy director of Latvian traffic police. In a separate accident also involving a traffic policeman on the same day, a policeman who was more than six times over the limit drove into the back of a car that was stopped at a red light. He drove off after the woman in the car refused to accept a cash pay-off for damage to her vehicle, and insisted on phoning the police, who quickly tracked down and detained the officer, sources said. [Source: AFP, via the Hindustan Times] ___________________________
Specialist driver training centres in Germany will teach advanced handling skills using British MG sporting cars. German motoring organisation, ADAC, the largest in Europe, picked the British brand ahead of some mighty German competition. It will use a fleet of 100 MG ZR hot hatch cars at its 60 training centres around the country. Drivers will learn the safe way to handle a high performance car, on ADAC's purpose-built handling areas, which simulate difficult driving conditions such as heavy rain, ice and snow.... Full details and photographs, here. ___________________________
Iconic design and cutting-edge technology are the hallmarks of Nissan Design America -- Farmington Hills, the newest chapter in Nissan Motor Co.'s expanding global design footprint. The new studio, which represents a $14 million investment, officially opened today in Farmington Hills, MI, on the grounds of Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. The facility, a sister studio to Nissan Design America, Inc., in San Diego, CA, represents a tripling in size over the previous studio space - to 50,912 sq.-ft. Unique to the facility is The Egg, a 15,000 sq.ft. outdoor viewing courtyard. ___________________________
Despite strong resistance from the European Commission, Parliament's Transport Committee voted on Tuesday to postpone the compulsory fitting of all new lorries [i.e. heavy trucks] with a digital tachograph by 5 August 2005, as the legislation is not expected to be in place in time. The committee says all vehicles manufactured after 5 August 2006 should be fitted with such devices and all vehicles put into service for the first time after 5 August 2007 should be fitted with them. MEPs said these two starting dates were more realistic for the industry. Full text here, from EuroParl
DSA Comments: For the information of people in countries where tachographs are not used, these devices provide tamper-proof readouts showing precisely when a vehicle's engine was running, when it was moving, and the speeds and distances covered. It also offers the driver the facility to record specific, accountable actions such as meal breaks, and is an efficient way for law enforcement officials or -- in the worst case scenario -- accident investigators, to ascertain precisely what the vehicle was doing at any specific time. In analogue form -- using a disk of waxed graph paper -- they have been in use since the 1970's, but these older models progressively are being replaced with digital models, as this article illustrates. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
After diagnosis, it is evident that road accidents could be reduced and made exceptions or unpredictable as they are supposed to be. If this argument is valid it follows therefore that both road users and officials could do something. Road safety campaigns usually undertaken during peak travel periods such as the start of end-of-year feasts, and summer holidays are necessary yet, not good enough. Recently, transport ministry officials planted billboards with messages to draw the attention of road users to the danger as well as scaring silhouettes at accident-prone spots on highways. This has neither helped in rescinding the number of accidents that occur nor checked the death toll. Statistics still indicate that hundreds died in road accidents over the past three months. Something still has to be done other than assigning road safety staff on all major roads. Full article, by Georgewill Fombe, for the Cameroon Tribune, via allAfrica ___________________________
Two police helicopters and more than 40 police cars will roam the north the next two days in an effort to catch traffic violators and prevent more deaths on the roads. Accidents have claimed 40 lives in the north in the past 10 weeks, 14 of them in the past week, according to the police. Since 1948, the number of Israelis killed in traffic accidents is greater than those who have died in wars. [Source: Arutz Sheva - Israel National News] ___________________________
A total of 137,096 traffic accidents were recorded in Bahrain between 2002 and last year, statistics issued by the General Directorate of Traffic revealed yesterday.... The statistics show that 228 people were killed and 9,805 seriously injured during the period.... About 7.4 per cent of accidents were reported between 4pm and 5pm and 36pc between 4pm and 10pm. Sixty three pc of the injury accidents occurred on roads with a speed limit of within 50 kmph, 13.7pc accidents happened at traffic signals and 6.4pc at roundabouts. According to the statistics, speeding caused 5.2pc of the injury accidents while 4pc were due to careless pedestrians, 4.6pc to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and 4.6pc due to jumping red lights. The rest occurred due to other traffic violations.... Of all drivers at fault in injury accidents, 42pc were within the age group of 20 to 29 years and 28pc had under one year of driving experience.... Full article, from the Gulf Daily News
DSA Comments: We cannot be sure precisely what is meant by "between 2002 and last year". Technically speaking, only the year 2003 is truly between 2002 and last year but we must presume that is not what is intended. If anyone can definitively confirm the exact period being referred to, we would be grateful. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Bahrain needs to establish a national traffic safety plan to reduce road accidents, particularly those causing fatalities. Its basic strategy was unveiled yesterday at the third Transport and Road Symposium at the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, held under the patronage of Interior Minister Shaikh Ras-hid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. The event, held as part of the 21st Gulf Traffic Week celebrations, was organised by the Centre for Transport and Road Studies at Bahrain University in co-operation with the General Comm-ittee for Road Safety.... The plan covers seven categories - public transportation, medical and emergencies services, vehicles, road planning, media, traffic rules and laws, education and training.... Full story, from the Gulf Daily News ___________________________
A comprehensive road safety program designed to educate motorists and future drivers was launched last Tuesday by Ford Philippines – Responsibility in Driver Education. RIDE is the company’s maiden project which will be supported with every purchase of a Ford and Mazda vehicle. From March 15 this year, Ford Philippines will donate R1,000 to a "Road Safety Fund" for every Ford and Mazda vehicle sold in the country. The funds will be used to educate drivers and promote the critical issue of road safety through training programs, research and studies. Cherry Ramirez, Ford Philippines assistant vice-president for corporate and government affairs, said that Ford will conduct seminars in selected high schools and colleges in Metro Manila to reach the vulnerable prime market of young and future drivers. "Each session will be designed for a specific audience to help them relate better to the topics. The seminars will include lectures on driving accident facts, road signs and common traffic violations, defensive driving, road hazards, driving etiquette and techniques, car conditions and understanding vehicle safety features," she said.... Full story, from the Mannilla Bulletin ___________________________
Bosch announces the introduction of its new driver assistance system, "Predictive Brake Assist," which helps drivers in the event of an imminent crash by preparing the brake system for emergency braking. Making its worldwide debut as an additional function of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on the Audi A6, Predictive Brake Assist represents the first stage of an overall "Predictive Safety Systems" product line by Bosch, which will feature systems with preventive effect.... ___________________________
New Hampshire's Motor Vehicles Department is revising the state highway death toll from last year, and the already-high figure has risen. In a new report Tuesday, the state said 171 people died on New Hampshire highways in 2004, up from the 167 reported previously. It is the highest number of highways deaths in the state in 15 years. The state said the number of deaths was revised because the state received late reports on several accidents. [Source: the Concorde Monitor]
DSA Comments: Even though experience from many other states and countries has shown irrefutably that the annual death toll from crashes does reduce when made illegal -- as a "primary offence" where applicable -- a majority of New Hampshire politicians have stubbornly maintained that their ideals are more important than people's lives. Many of the 171 killed in 2004 --and similar ratios from appropriate preceding years, too -- would still be alive if New Hampshire had a primary seat belt law -- period. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Virtually all drivers (99%) feel bright and easy-to-see road markings are important to driver safety, and 94% believe that state and local municipalities should make easy-to-see road lines a priority, according to a Higher Highway Safety Standards (HHSS) survey released today(1). The survey, conducted by New Jersey-based PKS Research, polled drivers between the ages of 18 and 65 and older from across the country, and found the importance of bright and easy-to-see lines evident across all demographic and geographic segments, especially among drivers who are 50 years and older.... ___________________________
The Minnesota State Senate recently passed a bill that would require children under age 9 and weighing less than 80 pounds to be in an appropriate child restraint system. Because more children die in motor vehicle crashes than from all childhood diseases combined, AAA strongly supports legislation that tries to reduce the number of childhood deaths on Minnesota's roads.... Full Op-Ed here, from Jeff Ogden at AAA Minnesota ___________________________
Cars had been around almost 50 years before the test was introduced but they were mostly the playthings of the rich. As the years went by, more and more people wanted to drive - and the toll of death and injury rose. In 1934, before seat belts, air-bags and driving tests, there were 2.5 million vehicles in Britain but 7343 people died in accidents. In 2003, there were 30 million vehicles on the road but the death toll was 3508. Before the driving test, a motorist simply bought a licence. Then Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald appointed Leslie Hore-Belisha as Transport Minister. He set out to reduce the death toll, first introducing the Highway Code, then the beacons which bear his name at pedestrian crossings [crosswalks] and then the test in the Road Traffic Act of 1934. Around 246,000 candidates applied in 1935 and the pass rate was 63 per cent, the highest ever. In contrast, and reflecting the much more intensive nature of today's driving test, the pass rate now is 43 per cent, the lowest ever. Drivers now have to pass a theory test - a written test of knowledge - before they take the practical tests. And a video hazard perception test was introduced in 2002 to help new drivers recognise potential dangers on the road. Last year 1.4 million hopefuls took the test, with 600,000 passing. Full story, from the Daily Record
DSA Comments: This article gives a small insight into rates of death. In 1934, the rate of fatalities in relation to registered motor vehicles was 29.37 deaths for every 10,000 vehicles; by 2003 the rate had fallen dramatically, by 96 percent, to just 1.17 deaths for every 10,000 vehicles. At the same time, the most important measure of all -- the actual number of people killed per year -- fell by 52 percent, from 7343 to 3508, despite the vast increases both in the population and the number of vehicles. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.
Larger-but-lighter vehicles improve overall safety. A new study released today by The Aluminum Association Inc. shows injuries in crashes involving SUVs can be reduced up to 26 percent by using aluminum or other high-strength, lightweight materials in the vehicle design and adding slightly longer energy-absorbing crush zones. The end result improves vehicle safety and compatibility.... ___________________________
The new Mercedes-Benz A and B-Class models are the first production vehicles to feature Bosch’s new steering assist system. In a joint development project with DaimlerChrysler, the new system supports the driver in making optimal steering inputs in critical driving situations by either enhancing or reducing assistance by the power steering system, thereby guiding the driver to an optimal steering wheel lock.... ___________________________
Over 2,000 people die annually in Ethiopia due to the alarmingly increasing traffic accidents, experts said Monday. The experts who are gathered to discuss "Road safety in Ethiopia" said that traffic accident is becoming a major cause of death in the country since the last few years.... "The problem is getting worse than ever before. It is increasing from day-to-day, month after month, and year after year. A lot has been said about the problem, but due attention has not been given to solve it," they said. Philipos Woldemariam, State Minister of Ministry of Infrastructure said that damages caused by traffic accidents is very high even though the number of cars in the country is low compared to other countries.... Ato Tsegaye Kemsi, President of Ethiopian Insurance Association on his part said that around 80 percent of the traffic accident in Ethiopia is preventable, and there is a need to give traffic awareness to the public and drivers.... "We can prevent this damage by promoting education to the public...." he added. Addis Ababa Traffic Police said that traffic education in selected primary and preparatory school has been given as a sample last month, and is expected to be given in high schools and in schools outside Addis Ababa. The officials said that there is a plan to reduce the current traffic accident by 50 percent in the coming three to five years. Full article, from The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa) via allAfrica
DSA Comments: While wishing Ethiopia good luck, we would respectfully suggest that a 50 percent reduction in crashes and -- presumably -- casualties, within 3-5 years is unlikely to be achieved. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Two economists from the University of KwaZulu-Natal have found that more than 200 deaths and 7 000 injuries occur to drivers and passengers each year as a result of road crashes in the eThekwini Municipality. Professors Geoff Harris and Abiodun Olukoga estimated the cost of these deaths and injuries to society as a whole at R140-million, mostly as a result of lost output. According to their research, wearing seat belts cuts the chances of being killed or injured in an accident by half. Wendy Watson, the Executive Director of the Arrive Alive campaign, said other research also showed that wearing seat belts reduced the risk of being killed in an accident by more than half. [Source: IOL South Africa] ___________________________
JEDDAH — Hassan Adawi writes: Last Friday, I was stopped on the Makkah Expressway. The traffic police claimed that I had been driving at 120 km/h. When I questioned this, he told me that he would write a ticket and then let me go. He took my license and car registration and told me to follow him. He drove to a police station where I was then told to leave my car and accompany him in the police vehicle. I did so and we then went to the jail. There were other offenders there and we were all told to hand our mobile phones to security. We were then led to a room that was 8 by 5 meters and were informed that we would be detained there for 24 hours after which we would be fined.... Full article, from the Arab News ___________________________
LAHORE: It seems that top army officers, politicians and bureaucrats have an affinity to speed, as vouched for by the National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) records which showed that since January 1, 2004 over 80 tickets (nine in 2005) have been handed out to VIPs or to the drivers of their cars. The Motorway Police hauls boast cars belonging to four lieutenant generals, three major generals, 27 brigadiers, one air commodore, two justices, seven ministers and two senior police officers. Among repeat offenders, provincial minister Hussain Jahanian Gardezi topped the list with four tickets.... Full story, from the Daily Times ___________________________
CHARLOTTETOWN - Doctors on Prince Edward Island have asked the province to toughen the rule that defines impaired driving. If the government accepts their recommendation, P.E.I. would have the toughest drinking and driving law in the country. The federal Criminal Code defines impairment as anything more than 0.08 per cent of alcohol in a person's blood. The P.E.I. Medical Society asked a committee of the legislature to introduce a provincial legal limit of 0.05 per cent. Dr. Gerry O'Hanley said 15 of the 44 traffic deaths on Prince Edward Island last year involved alcohol, and he said a stricter definition of impaired driving might have saved some lives. "The fatal crash rate doubles for each .02 per cent increase in blood alcohol tolerance," O'Hanley said. "Your vision starts to get impaired at .03, your steering accuracy decreases at .035." O'Hanley said the current legal limit is too dangerous. "We know drinking and driving kills. I don't think anybody would dispute that. The less drunk you are, the less likely you are to kill yourself or to kill somebody else."... Most European countries have set the legal impairment level at 0.05 per cent.... Full article, from CBC News ___________________________
Korean automakers expressed doubt Wednesday over a U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) survey that ranked some of the Korean cars being sold in the United States low in terms of driver safety during accidents. The survey, released on the institute’s website on Tuesday, indicated drivers of Kia Motors’ compact Rio and sport utility vehicle Sportage and Hyundai Motor’s compact Accent face a high risk of death in traffic accidents. The IIHS said it collected data on traffic accidents involving passenger vehicles and small-sized trucks from 2000-2003 on U.S. highways and calculated the death rates of drivers for each vehicle. If one million Sportage drivers were involved in deadly accidents on U.S. highways, 197 would possibly die, according to the survey. It fitted Rio as the most dangerous Korean car, with 200 per 1 million drivers being subject to death in accidents on the road. The death rates for Rio and Sportage drivers were much higher than those for Mercedes-Benz’s E-class series, which [was] regarded as the safest of all vehicles on U.S. roads. Ten per 1 million E-class drivers would die in accidents, the survey said.... Full, but erroneous article here, from The Korea Times
DSA Comments: The above interpretation of the IIHS report is severely flawed. What, in fact, the IIHS study gave were the figures for deaths per million vehicle years. It most certainly did not in any way suggest that "if one million Sportage drivers were involved in deadly accidents on U.S. highways, 197 would possibly die." How could one million accidents be "deadly" unless there were at least one million dead people? Or indeed, to put it another way, only 197 dead Sportage drivers in one million deadly crashes would make the Sportage an incredibly safe vehicle. Read the actual Status Report here (pdf). Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Police [in New Zealand] are defending using a $220 per hour airplane to spot dangerous drivers, despite only catching two drivers during the flight.... The tactic led to two drivers being fined $150 each for slow driving.... Tasman District Highway Patrol team leader Eric Davy defended the use of the plane, despite catching only two drivers for "impeding the flow of traffic". Holding traffic up by not allowing it to pass was an offence police regarded as seriously as speeding, he said. "It leads to people acting stupidly to get past them. They will overtake them when it's imprudent to do so, and that's why you have head-on crashes."... "You've got to look at the amount of money we spend on road traffic enforcement in relation to how many lives we save, and this is just one tool of ours ... It's part of police presence and it's part of a whole strategy in reducing road trauma."... Full story, from The New Zealand Herald
DSA Comments: Hmmmm... It is tempting to suggest that when the New Zealand police start telling journalists how to write articles, that is when journalists should tell the police how to do their job. If we examine the opposite extreme to the above scenario and hypothesize that the plane had stayed on the ground, and that during the relevant time period there had been a fatal crash, I suspect that the media would then have been screaming for police blood and demanding to know why more steps were not being taken to prevent fatalities. Journalistic dual standards. And little more than contemptible. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
More motorists are taking chances ... and more are getting caught They know the consequences, yet many drivers are choosing to take a risk by driving even after they have had one drink too many.... 2,929 people were caught for drink driving last year, compared with 2,389 in 2003.... While the Traffic Police stepped up the number of roadblocks last year from 1,040 in 2003 to 1,131 in 2004, what Traffic Police Commander Superintendent Ng Guat Ting is concerned about is the indifference exhibited by drivers. Full story, from TODAY ___________________________
[Traffic jam]-busting civilian traffic officers will soon be patrolling West Yorkshire's motorway network in a move Highways Agency chiefs say will have a "significant" impact on congestion. Up to 160 Highways Agency Traffic Officers are being recruited to operate from a new £5m regional control centre being built next to junction 39 of the M1 at Wakefield. From September around 40 call centre staff will manage traffic and take over the police role of answering calls from emergency motorway phones. The traffic officers, who will patrol the region's motorways 24 hours a day in 17 high visibility Range Rovers, will have powers to stop traffic and set up diversions but no powers to arrest motorists. West Yorkshire Police have welcomed the scheme which it says will free up police time. But one road safety organisation has urged caution.
Paul Watters, head of roads policy for the AA Motoring Trust, said:
"They will have people's lives in their hands which is an
enormous responsibility. Motorways are very safe roads and we don't
need anything that jeopardises that. An over-enthusiastic or
over-zealous traffic officer could risk road safety - the training and
safety monitoring will be critical."... Inspector Tim Dale, commander of West Yorkshire Police's Motorway Unit, said: "It will hopefully allow the police to return to concentrating on reducing road casualties and reducing the criminal use of the motorway network. We will be happy to hand over tasks that have become police work purely because there has been no-one else to do it in the past."... The Highways Agency scheme has been operating in the West Midlands since last April and is being rolled out across the country in an £80m government programme.... Full article, from Leeds Today ___________________________
DETROIT - OnStar's growing subscriber network represents the nation's largest, most technologically advanced fleet of Good Samaritans. Thousands of OnStar Good Samaritans have used their OnStar service to assist travelers who have been stranded on our nation's urban and rural roads or who needed emergency services. OnStar encourages subscribers to use their OnStar system to speak to an advisor on behalf of others in need. And OnStar subscribers have responded. Each month, OnStar advisors receive about 4,500 contacts from Good Samaritans whose vehicles are equipped with OnStar. With the help of OnStar's embedded cellular calling system and advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology, emergency responders can be accurately directed to the site of a stranded motorist, a crash, or to individuals in need.... Full press release from GM ___________________________
Anyone who has driven the state's back roads can attest to their danger. Combine narrow winding roads, speed and large trucks and the result is often deadly. A recent report confirms this: 81 percent of highway fatalities in Maine occur on rural roads, the second highest percentage in the country. Worse, the state's traffic fatality rate is rising. These numbers reiterate the need for improvements to rural roads, more attention to driver behavior and the importance of raising the truck weight limit on Maine's interstate highways to get big rigs off back roads. The report also highlights, if it needs to be said again, that the lack of a complete north-south interstate and a modern east-west highway is literally killing Maine drivers.... Read the full article, from the Bangor Daily News ___________________________
A traffic accident on Expressway 83 turned deadly Tuesday after a 18-wheeler couldn’t brake quickly enough to avoid bottlenecked traffic. [Two vehicles side-swiped each other, and although one got clear of the roadway the other stopped in the right-hand lane.] A tractor-trailer approached the accident on the highway where the speed limit hovers around 60, he said. Upon seeing the bottleneck, the big rig couldn’t slow down in time. The driver veered to the left, smashing into the truck, which in turn sandwiched the driver of the Taurus between the truck and car. The man, 47, of San Juan, was killed instantly.... So far, no charges have been filed against the driver of the 18-wheeler. The case is under investigation. Full
story, from the Brownsville
Herald DSA Comments: It is a fundamental rule: "Never drive so fast that you cannot stop your vehicle well within the distance you can see to be clear" -- period! And that includes any type of vehicle. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Police continue to investigate a suspicious traffic stop and vehicle search that reportedly occurred in Superior late Saturday.... Police officials say there are things people can do if they don't feel confident the person pulling them over is a real law enforcement officer. People who suspect they are being pulled over by an impersonator should continue driving to a public location such as a gas station before stopping, said Superior Police Capt. Charles LaGesse. With the proliferation of cellular telephones, LaGesse said people can also call 911 and ask the dispatcher to verify that the vehicle attempting the stop is a legitimate law enforcement official. Once the dispatcher verifies the officer is legitimate, he said, it is safe to stop. Callers also can ask that a marked squad be sent to their location, LaGesse said. In Saturday's incident, [an 18-year-old driver] was handcuffed and placed in the back of the authentic-looking vehicle while the alleged officer searched her car with a German shepherd. [The driver] was released after her vehicle was searched.... Full story, from the Duluth News Tribune, MN ___________________________
The Risk of Dying in One Vehicle Versus Another Driver Death Rates by Make and Model "....Car, minivan, SUV, and pickup truck models vary widely in the likelihood of their occupants dying in a crash. "The average driver death rate in 1999-2002 passenger vehicle models, during 2000-2003, was 87 per million registered vehicle years. But the death rates in some models were two or even three times as high [see tables in the linked document], while the rates in other vehicles were much lower. "Large cars and minivans dominate among vehicle models with very low death rates. The models with the highest rates are mostly small cars, and small and mid-size SUVs, many of which also have high rates of death in single-vehicle rollover crashes. "The model with the highest death rate of all -- the two-door, two-wheel-drive Chevrolet Blazer with 308 driver deaths per million registered years -- also had the highest rollover death rate (251 per million)...." At the other end of the spectrum, the best overall result went to the Mercedes E-Class (luxury car) with a remarkably low rate of 10 deaths per million registered years. Its German compatriot -- the Volkswagen Passat (midsize car) -- came in third place with a rate of 16. The other four vehicles in the top six are all Japanese and consist of three SUV's and a minivan.
Even if you live in a country where most of the vehicles in this report do not exist, DSA recommends that all our viewers read this Status Report (pdf). It is an excellent insight into the safety rewards of good vehicle design. ___________________________
The Highways Agency is working to make its roads even safer with the introduction of new flexible motorway signs. Although large signs are usually protected by safety fences the Highways Agency has been investigating how to lessen the impact on people and vehicles when there is a collision.... Columns on the new signs are are fibre reinforced polymers FRP (similar to fibreglass) and shred on impact.... ___________________________
New driver assistance system from Bosch a first in Audi A6 Bosch's new driver assistance system, 'Predictive Brake Assist', helps drivers in the event of an imminent accident by preparing the brake system for emergency braking. This represents the first stage of Bosch's 'Predictive Safety Systems' product line-up - - systems with preventive effect. ___________________________
Starting in the early 1980s, the Lifesavers conference attendance has grown steadily, drawing over 1,800 registrants in 2004. Each year, the Lifesavers Conference has become even more relevant and timely, providing a forum that delivers common-sense solutions to today's critical highway safety problems.
related story
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced awards honoring 18 individuals and groups from across the nation for accomplishments in promoting highway safety. The awards were presented at the 23rd Annual Lifesavers conference by NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., who delivered today’s luncheon speech.
related story
Continental Automotive Systems is showcasing industry-leading safety systems, as well as its total vehicle safety system approach, at the Lifesavers Conference 2005 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bill Kozyra, President and CEO, Continental Automotive Systems North America, will be a featured speaker and participant in the workshop on Emerging Vehicle Safety Technologies today, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., in room 209 A-B. The company will also feature information on a range of advanced safety technologies at its booth in the convention center. Additionally, Continental's "Safely There" mobile automotive safety exhibit is located at the convention center. It features displays of the company's core safety technologies including the Active Rollover Protection System (ARP), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), and a simulator that demonstrates ESC.
Continental is also promoting the "Be smart, play your part"
tire safety campaign, which actively encourages drivers to maintain
their tires properly in order to achieve longer and safer tire life.
related story
In a presentation to the Lifesavers Conference 2005, Continental Automotive Systems, North America, President and CEO Bill Kozyra told the nation's safety leaders that the technology to vastly improve vehicle safety is close at hand....
Two completely separate media reports within the past 24 hours, from the USA and Australia respectively, highlight the fact that speculation and inaccurate comments play an excessively large part in undermining road safety standards. First, from America, came a story about a man who died when his car ran off the road on a curve and overturned. Police officers at the scene said the man had probably fallen asleep at the wheel.... The second story, from Australia, concerned the case of a well liked and respected lady who was killed when "her car failed to negotiate a curve and veered off the road and into [a] river." In both of these cases, one must ask: Oh, really? Read the full article, by Eddie Wren, executive director of Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
When she was stopped by the police for doing 170kmh [105mph] on the Calder Freeway, a P-plate driver [i.e. a newly qualified driver] told them she was in an hurry because she was running late for church. She now faces 12 months without a licence, has lost eight demerit points and has copped $400 in traffic fines.... The head of the Gisborne TMU, Sergeant Geoff Neil, urged motorists to consider the consequences of speeding on their lifestyle. "We normally take a couple of dozen licences each month for speeding," he said. "What drivers need to realise is that losing their licence places a substantial imposition on a person - particularly in rural areas because we don't have public transport. "When you consider the trauma you go through to obtain a licence, to just throw it away is crazy.... "We are still seeing too many high speeds on our roads. As the old saying goes, it's better to arrive late than dead on time." Full story, from The Advertiser, Bendigo, Victoria ___________________________
The Texas highway system, both locally and statewide, [is] scheduled for major changes during the next several years. Sherman city officials received a letter from Texas Department of Transportation Area Engineer Kevin Harris in late February, announcing TxDOT will be putting up medial barriers on U.S. Highway 75 from FM 902, north of Howe, to slightly north of Travis Street. Barriers already exist from FM 902 southward to the Grayson/Collin county line.... Wall said in a report to Sherman city councilors that this action was taken "in response to the cross-over accident on U.S. 75, resulting in the tragic and untimely death of 10 innocent people and in hopes that future accidents could be prevented or the effects alleviated with the placement of these barriers."... Recent wrecks on U.S. 75 through Van Alstyne, where there are such medial barriers, has prevented cross-over wrecks, [sic] said Van Alstyne Police Sgt. Tim Barnes at the time of those wrecks. Although drivers ran into the barriers, their vehicles were deflected, rather than running across non-protected medians and striking oncoming cars. None of those wrecks were fatal.... Full article, from The Herald Democrat ___________________________
At least 19 people were killed and 15 injured on Sunday when a bus skidded off a mountain road into a deep gorge in the north Indian state of Uttaranchal, police said.... Bus crashes are common on Indian roads where traffic rules are poorly enforced and drivers often drive rashly. On Saturday, 16 people were drowned and nine were feared dead in the western state of Gujarat when a bus fell into a canal after the driver lost control. Full story, from AlertNet at Reuters ___________________________
Seven people including two children and a woman were killed and 28 others were injured in a head-on collision between two buses on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road near Haripur on Saturday. In Daska, three people were killed and more than 15 were injured in a collision between a van and a bus near Daakwala village on the Sialkot-Daska-Motra Road.... In the third accident, two people were killed and 25 others were injured when a speeding bus overturned near Haveli Lakha on Saturday.... More details, from the Daily Times ___________________________
Mother and Baby Die in Motorway Crash A young mother and her four-week old baby boy died following a four vehicle crash on a motorway, police said today. The 24-year-old mother, from Sheffield, had broken down on the south-bound carriageway of the M1 near Barnsley and was trying to remove her baby from the red Ford Fiesta when they were struck by another vehicle.... It is believed their car had broken down and was still in the carriageway [i.e. still in a lane used by traffic, rather than on the shoulder] when it was struck by the other vehicle. The child's father was in the broken down Ford Fiesta which was hit as his 24-year-old partner tried to lift their month-old baby out to safety. The man escaped from the crash with a minor leg injury. A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said: “The baby died at the scene but the mother died shortly afterwards at Barnsley District General Hospital.” [Sources: The Sunday Mail, The Daily Telegraph, and The Scotsman] ___________________________
Traffic cops have fired a warning shot across the bows of motorists who continue to defy new laws brought in to combat mobile phones' threat to road safety. Since the introduction of fixed fines for hand held mobile users in December 2003 the laws have been hailed as largely ineffective with scores of motorists flagrantly ignoring warnings from the police and road safety groups. Those who do get collared have to pay a fine of £30, but the penalties are set to get stiffer after the Government proposed to increase penalties to a £60 [U.S.$115] fine plus three penalty points in their Road Safety Bill, which was announced in November last year.... A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police road traffic unit said:..."We remind people it is an offence to use a mobile phone while driving and urge them to consider the safety implications. "If people are breaking the law, they should expect to receive a ticket.".... The Government is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by 40 per cent by 2010. As the Yorkshire Evening Post exclusively revealed last month, West Yorkshire is in line to meet the targets after posting the lowest provisional accident figures for 11 years. Casualties in the county have fallen by nearly 1,000 in two years. Read the full article, from Leeds Today ___________________________
A study released today by an insurance trade group says the new hours-of-service rule has resulted in truckers driving more and being slightly more fatigued than under the old rule. However, a new report from the American Trucking Associations [claims] that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study is “bogus, as usual,” said ATA spokesman Mike Russell.... "The new rule was supposed to improve safety, but our survey shows the opposite,” says Anne McCartt, IIHS vice president for research. “Truckers are using the restart provision to squeeze even more driving hours into the week." A work week restart provision of the current rule, requiring 34 hours off, increases allowable driving hours in a seven-day period from 60 to 77. The rule lengthens the mandatory rest period by two hours but lets drivers stay on the road an extra hour every day. A quarter of drivers who were surveyed by IIHS said they drive more than the new daily limit of 11 hours. Eight of 10 drivers said they're taking advantage of the restart provision that allows them to drive 25 percent more in a week.. Full story, from eTrucker ___________________________
Pedestrians who cross the road at non-designated areas will soon be fined between Sh300 and Sh500 [U.S.$4--$6.70, which equates to around 3-5 days' average income]. People targeted include those who do not use zebra-crossings and flyovers where they are available, said traffic police commandant Daudi Kyalo yesterday. He was speaking in his office as he briefed journalists on the road safety crackdown launched by Transport minister Chris Murungaru on March 1. It will also be illegal to cross the road when traffic lights show red, even when there is no vehicle in sight.... Although used countrywide, zebra-crossings in most urban areas, including Nairobi, have long faded. The latest move is aimed at reinforcing road safety rules introduced in February last year by the then Transport (now Internal Security) minister, Mr John Michuki. At places where there are no zebra-crossings and flyovers, pedestrians will be expected to cross the road when they are sure they will not be hit by a vehicle. Mr Kyalo cited the example of Singapore where, he noted, police had succeeded in curbing road accidents by arresting careless pedestrians. "I saw it myself in Singapore," he said. "There was this person who was crossing the road near a flyover when there was no vehicle approaching. But a police officer arrested him before he got to the other side.".... Full story, from The Nation (Nairobi), via allAfrica ___________________________
Recently the government [in Pakistan] mandated protective helmets for motorcyclists. Whatever else, this was the first time in quite a while that I saw the police in Lahore enforcing any law. The only time I have ever seen them this efficient is when they have to block local traffic to allow a VVVIP to pass. Perhaps this is a sign of good things to come, but then may be not and as a cynical friend suggested to me recently, the police are in with the helmet sellers. I, being an optimist, believe that the police are doing this because they actually want to save lives and enforce the law. The more interesting thing about all this was the opinion given to us by a leading politician that turbans were as good as helmets. As I started to think about this, I realised that this may indeed be true, and if so, how could we prove it. If we could only devise a method of proving this we could for a change teach the cocky westerners something that they not only never knew, but being the non-turban wearing sorts, never could know. For things like this, they use dummies with sensors and then simulate crashes and see how much damage would have occurred in different types of accidents to different parts of the body.... ......I suppose, what we need is a law that forces motorcyclists to wear either helmets or turbans.... Read the opinion piece from Syed Mansoor Hussain, together with comments from DSA, here (from The Daily Times) ___________________________
At least three persons were killed, 43 wounded in a serious traffic accident in Pintung county,Taiwan, on Friday afternoon. According to reports reaching [China] from Taipei, a travel bus carrying primary school students crashed with a truck on a expressway and fell off the hill on the roadside. [Source: Xinhuanet] ___________________________
Road accidents harm the Russian economy, snatching 2.5 percent from the GDP [definition below]. The figure was cited on Friday by Lieutenant-General Victor Kiryanov, head of the traffic safety board at the Russian Interior Ministry. "Harm from road accidents is comparable to the GDP share contributed by certain economic sectors, such as electric communication or the forest industry", the general said. In 2004, 208,558 road accidents -- killing 34,506 and wounding 251,386 people -- were registered in Russia.... In 2004 1.2 million drunk drivers were revealed, over 40.6 million violations of traffic rules and over 1.5 minor accidents registered, the general said. "In January-February 2005 the total of 22,306 road accidents entailing the death of 3,418 and wounds in 26,545 people were registered", Mr. Kiryanov said. "The main reason of road accidents in 2005 was the violation of traffic rules by drivers. They account for 16,625, or 74.5 percent, of road accidents", the general noted.... To him, upon toughening the responsibility for drunk driving up to disqualification from driving through court, the number of road accidents with drunk driving reduced by 9 percent in 2004, in January-February 2005 by 19.8 percent. [sic] "The goal is to half the number of road accidents, the killed and wounded numbers in Russia, in five years to come", General Kiryanov said. Full story, from Novosti
DSA Glossary Note: GDP is Gross Domestic Product. For a region, the GDP is the market value of all the goods and services produced by labor and property located in the region -- usually a country.
GDP for Russia in 2003: purchasing power parity - [in US$] 1.282 trillion (est.) [Source: CIA World Factbook] ___________________________
Mr Jean-Yves Le Coz, Head of Road Safety Policy at Renault was the keynote speaker at the "Road Safety... The Future" seminars, held in Melbourne and Sydney, this week. The seminars were organised by the Australian French Association for Science and Technology ( AFAS) with the support of the Stay Safe Committee of the NSW Parliament, Renault Australia, the French Trade Commission, NRMA and Engineers Australia, and also included presentations by leaders in the fields of road safety, injury risk management and road trauma. At these seminars, Dr Jean-Yves Le Coz declared that a holistic approach is necessary if the worldwide road toll is to be curbed. ___________________________
.....maybe it's not too late to prevent another teen-driving disaster. Maybe it's not too late to save your daughter. Or my son. Or the teenager down the street. Because I don't believe in unavoidable accidents. I believe in facts. And their message is chillingly clear:
It's undeniable: Teen drivers have significantly higher rates of involvement in fatal crashes than older drivers. And the more passengers they carry, the more likely they'll crash. But we don't seem willing to face these facts. Not as drivers, nor as parents, nor as politicians.... Read the full article, from Ian Gillespie at the London Free Press, Ontario. ___________________________
MADISON - When sudden, intense fog on Interstate 43 in Sheboygan County reduced motorist visibility the morning of Oct. 11, 2002, some drivers slowed down, while others continued at normal freeway speeds. That disparity in speeds, coupled with the blinding fog, resulted in a massive 50-vehicle crash that killed 10 people and injured 50 more, according to a Wisconsin State Patrol investigation. If drivers had learned of the foggy stretch ahead of time, the crash might never have happened, says David Noyce, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Noyce, who co-directs the Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory (TOPS), hopes to help drivers predict the future - by warning them of weather-related driving conditions ahead. His project is one of several current TOPS transportation-safety research endeavors.... ___________________________
People who aren't wearing seat belts are much less likely to survive a serious crash. As of this week, the Montana's 2005 traffic death toll included 33 vehicle occupants (not counting motorcyclists and pedestrians). Twenty-nine of those 33 dead victims weren't using seat belts, according to preliminary data from the Montana Highway Patrol. These terrible numbers make a compelling case for Senate Bill 43, which proposes a primary seat belt law. Surveys show that the majority of Montanans already use seat belts, but usage here is lower than in states with primary enforcement.... Full 'op-ed' article, from the Billings Gazette ___________________________
Accidents on Ireland's roads are claiming more than one life every
day, according to figures released today by the National Safety
Council. Full story, from IOL ___________________________
Drink driving continues to increase in Thailand despite media campaigns, said Probation Department director-general Kittipong Kittiyarak. During the recent New Year holiday, 467 people died and 26,100 were injured on the roads, with most accidents related to drink driving. About 3,814 people are being prosecuted and 3,429 have been ordered to perform social services, he said. "The trend is likely on a rise, especially in Bangkok,'' said Mr Kittipong. The government plans stricter measures, including forcing offenders to care for accident victims in hospital, take prison tours and clean cemeteries. The department plans a new television spot that tells drinking drivers they will both be fined and put on probation. Full story, from the Bangkok Post
View the DSA table showing Blood Alcohol Limits in Over 80 Countries ___________________________
___________________________
All new cars, vans, light trucks and sport utility vehicles in Canada will have to be equipped with antitheft immobilizing systems beginning in late-2007, the federal government announced yesterday. About 80 per cent of new vehicles in Canada already contain the devices, which prevent an engine from starting if someone breaks in or if a specially encoded key is not used in the ignition. Use of antitheft immobilizing systems in recent years has led to a decline in theft of vehicles containing such systems, according to Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, who added amending Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations to make immobilizing systems mandatory would further such a trend. "Vehicle theft and collision-related injuries resulting from thefts will continue to decrease with the implementation of these regulations," he said in a statement. That "will help increase road safety for Canadians."... Full article, from the Montreal Gazette ___________________________
Road accident fatality rates last year dropped to a 45-year low, at 160, but there is no room for complacency, Road Safety Council Chairman Tang King-shing says. Launching the Road Safety Campaign today, Mr Tang said road safety is an ongoing battle and the council this year will step up promotion of 'Smart Driving', educating drivers to 'Be Courteous, Stay Alert and Abide by the Law'.... Mr Tang called on the public to join hands with the council in realising the vision of "Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong's Goal".... Joint efforts will be made with non-government and community bodies including District Councils to drive home the road safety message to the public. Cycling safety is also a theme in this year's publicity programme. Full article, from HK Government Law & Order ___________________________
A new national body to plan and co-ordinate the development of cycling across the country and a new National Standard for Cycle Training was announced today by the Minister for Local Transport, Charlotte Atkins.... One of Cycling England's first priorities will be to promote the new National Standard for Cycle Training -- a successor to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents' (RoSPA) Cycling Proficiency. The new National Standard aims to increase the amount of cycle training, both among children and adults, and improve the quality and relevance of training.... ___________________________
Edmund King, Chief Executive of the RAC Foundation, is surely exaggerating wildly when he says that "one of the great mysteries of motoring has finally been solved" by his organisation. But the results of recent research, which do little more than agree with commonsense and past experience, are worth bearing in mind nevertheless. Most drivers will recognise the scenario - you are making steady progress along the motorway when suddenly you come to a sudden halt at the tail end of a lengthy queue of traffic. When you move off again you look for the cause of the jam, but there isn't one. No accident damaged cars, no breakdown, no dead animal, and no debris strewn on the road. So what caused everyone to stop? The answer is simple according to the Foundation - drivers travelling too close to the car in front. While compiling data for a survey on tailgating recently at locations all over the UK, RAC Foundation staff witnessed many of these "phantom" traffic jams and were able to identify the top five causes.:
"Tailgating is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous and foolish examples of bad driving but we see it everyday on the UK's roads and motorways. It is also recognised as one of the biggest factors in triggering road rage. If someone behind you is too close, don't be tempted to get angry, brake or speed away; simply let them go when it is safe to move over," [said King] "Tailgating limits the ability of motorists to be able to react swiftly to events which may be happening further along the motorway, and significantly increases the chances of a crash. We would urge drivers to obey the 'two second rule' when driving, and adjust their distance according to local weather conditions." Read a full explanation of the five causes, above, plus the rest of this article, from CARkeys ___________________________
Safety is a key part of any vehicle buying decision, but it’s not easy to assess a vehicle’s overall safety potential. Some buyers think they need a large vehicle such as an SUV or pickup because of its perceived crash safety. Others are concerned with the fact that there is a higher incidence of rollover accidents involving these types of vehicles. In fact, there are many factors to consider when evaluating overall safety. In this full article, Consumer Reports highlights the various safety issues you should consider and where to find additional information. ___________________________
An increased police presence around Mount Ruapehu because of the possibility of the crater lake bursting out and flooding the area (known as a lahar) has helped significantly reduce road deaths and crashes there, police say. Responding yesterday to a Dominion Post report saying locals were annoyed by the amount of speeding tickets being dished out in the region, police Deputy Commissioner Steve Long said it was effective policing. "If people are getting speeding tickets in the area it's because they have broken the law, pure and simple," he said in a statement. Police have stepped up their presence in the central North Island region so they can respond quickly to Mount Ruapehu's lahar alarm by closing roads and implementing safety measures.... Mr Long said while police were in the area they were deployed to undertake road policing duties.... The police statement said there had been a 31.8 per cent reduction in road deaths and drink-related crashes in the central police district since 1999. Average speeds have dropped and seat-belt wearing rates have improved from 81 to 95 per cent. "These successes are just a glimpse of the results achieved with proactive and sustained enforcement," Mr Long said.... Full article, from STUFF ___________________________
|
March 31, 2005: 
March 31, 2005: 
March 31, 2005: 
March 31, 2005: 
March 30, 2005: 
March 30, 2005: 
March 30, 2005: 
March 29, 2005: 
and 
March 29, 2005: 
March 28, 2005: Drunken
Revellers Leave a Trail of Blood over the Holi Weekend, in Jamshedpur,
India
March 28, 2005: 
March 27, 2005: 
March 25, 2005: 
March 25, 2005: 
March 24, 2005: 
and GLOBAL
March 24, 2005: 
* March
24, 2005: 
March 24, 2005: 
March 24, 2005: 
March 22, 2005: 
* March 21, 2005: 
March 20, 2005: 
March 19, 2005: 
March 18, 2005: The UN is Planning a Road Safety Week for
2007
March 18, 2005: 
March 18, 2005: 
March 17, 2005: 
March 17, 2005: 
March 17, 2005: 
March 17, 2005: 
*
March 16, 2005: 
March 16, 2005: 
March 16, 2005: 
March 16, 2005: 
March 12, 2005: 
March 11, 2005: 
March 11, 2005: 
March 11, 2005: 
March 10, 2005: 