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All contents copyright ©, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., 2003 onwards, unless specified otherwise. All rights reserved. IMPORTANT: click here to read the DISCLAIMER
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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
We recommend that you repeatedly use your 'Page Down' key to quickly scroll through this often-huge page, so that you may select the countries or topics that interest you.
If you or your organization have safety-oriented driving news for publication, click here to contact us.
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SHELL India and Ahmedabad Traffic Police organised a ‘Defensive Driving Training Camp’ on Saturday for members of traffic police. Over 300 police personnel participated in the camp at Police Headquaters in Shahibaug. [Source: Ahmedabad Newsline] ___________________________
“American Pie” star Chris Klein pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, was fined $1,800 and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service. San Diego County sheriff’s deputies arrested the 26-year-old actor Feb. 5 in Encinitas. Authorities said he had a blood-alcohol content above 0.20, more than twice California’s legal limit of 0.08.... Full story, from MSNBC ___________________________
Groups want government to regulate rear blind spots, which contributed to deaths of nearly 100 kids last year. Nearly 100 children younger than 4 were hit and killed while walking or riding bikes on U.S. roadways last year. Almost the same number died in parking lots and driveways when relatives or family friends accidentally backed over them, but those deaths went uncounted by federal regulators, safety advocates said. The government agency that ensures traffic safety doesn't track victims of back-over accidents, usually small children run over by family members who don't see them behind minivans and SUVs with limited rear visibility. The number of such deaths nationwide has averaged at least two a week for a couple of years, according to a children's safety group that compiles numbers from media coverage. A spike in the incidents this month is unexplained, said Janette Fennell, founder of the advocacy group Kids and Cars. Fennell has registered 14 back-over deaths in the past three weeks, most involving very young children who died from their injuries. Safety advocates say there are relatively simple and inexpensive ways to solve the problem, including placing cameras on rear bumpers. Legislation before Congress would require the government to study the issue and the auto industry to take steps to address it.... Full story, from the Detroit News ___________________________
The government's crash test program for vehicles needs an upgrade to remain relevant as automobiles and safety risks change, congressional investigators say. The usefulness of the crash test program -- which includes a star-rating system -- has diminished with the growing popularity of SUVs and other light trucks, creating different safety risks not fully addressed by the tests, a new Government Accountability Office report found. "The program is at a crossroads where it will need to change to maintain its relevance," according to the report, which Congress requested. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests vehicles and rates them on a scale of one to five stars -- five stars is the highest score -- to help consumers judge an automobile's crashworthiness and likelihood of rolling over.... Full story, from the Detroit News ___________________________
Whatever the result of Britain's general election on May 5, there can be no doubt that the enforcement of road traffic law should be a priority for an incoming government. There are a number of issues outstanding from the Road Safety Bill, notably the issue of variable penalty points for motoring offences and the opportunity to use training courses as a means of preventing re-offending. The joint departmental Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving closes on May 6. To carry forward some of the proposals in the review, especially the suggestion of a new offence of causing death by careless driving, will require legislation. That is why we have chosen to take the theme of traffic law and enforcement for our next conference in October, the details of which are published elsewhere on our web-site. The conference offers an opportunity to identify the priorities for the new government. Have we got the balance right between punishment and retraining? How do we allocate resources between police officers and technology? How does the United Kingdom compare with the rest of the European Union? Is our pattern of offences and sentences the most effective one? These are big issues that need a mature and thorough debate. I hope that this conference will help to shape traffic law enforcement policy for the coming Parliament. Please come and help us in our deliberations. Full details of the PACTS conference may be found on the DSA Conferences Page (See October 12) ___________________________
Athens - Traffic police in Greece rarely get a chance to caution the country's notoriously reckless drivers, but for an upcoming holiday weekend authorities have hit on a novel way to attract attention - folk music CDs. Since Wednesday, traffic police officers at major toll stations across Greece have been handing out thousands of free folk music CDs to drivers, alongside customary advice on safe driving during a holiday exodus that routinely kills dozens of people every Greek Orthodox Easter. Last year, 71 people died in the Easter rush according to the traffic police department. This year, over 100 people died on Greek roads in February alone according to Greece's national statistics agency.... Full story, from IOL, South Africa. ___________________________
At least 37 people were killed and scores injured in a collision between a bus and a train in Sri Lanka yesterday. At least 10 of the injured were in a critical condition. The accident highlighted the increasing death toll on the roads in south Asia, where bus drivers are under huge pressure from their employers to meet often impossible timetables, and warning lights at level crossings are often ignored. It appears that the bus driver ignored the warning lights and closed barricades at a level crossing and tried to cross before the approaching train. All of the dead were on the bus. The bus driver was arrested after being found in a hospital with minor injuries. Trains travel much slower than in the West, which leads many car and bus drivers to believe mistakenly that they can cross the line ahead of them.... Reports from Sri Lanka suggested the bus driver was racing a bus from a rival company - which is a common practice in South Asia, where private bus companies put enormous pressure on their drivers to arrive before the competition.... Full story, from The Independent, London. ___________________________
Delhi's privately run buses, known as Blue Lines, are continuing to kill on the roads with impunity. Neither the traffic police nor Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's promise to phase them out have had any impact on the wanton bus drivers. In less than four months this year, they have crushed to death over 10 people. The toll was 77 last year. There is probably no count of the number of motorists and pedestrians who have been injured or even maimed for life by the buses. Barely one and a half months ago, Dikshit had promised to phase out Blue Lines from the roads, calling them "an incorrigible lot". But she did not set a timeframe for it. Even as the buses continue to ply with impunity, bus owners dismiss the phase out threat as unlikely. The 4,500-strong Blue Line fleet, so called because the lower half of their bodies is coloured a deep blue, has no doubt contributed to public transport by dint of its sheer volume, but the buses remain a menace on the road. Equally shocking are frequent brawls and road rage incidents involving Blue Line bus drivers, conductors and owners.... Full story, from WebIndia123 ___________________________
A police officer injured in a traffic accident on Tuesday afternoon lies in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Twenty-one year old Leroy Kerr was off duty when the Mazda he was driving collided with a Mitsubishi Montero near mile fifty-one on the Western Highway. The other driver, Henry Barrera, a Guatemalan missionary, reportedly fled the scene. P.C. Kerr sustained a broken leg and internal injuries and was taken to the Belmopan hospital and later transferred to the K.H.M.H. Today Barrera was arrested and charged with driving without due care and attention, failing to keep to the right lane, and failing to stop and render aid. He was granted bail and is scheduled to appear in the Belmopan Magistrate's Court tomorrow. [Source: Channel 5, Belize] ___________________________
Every year over 130 children die and more than 4,500 are seriously injured while walking or cycling on Britain's roads and by 2010 the government aim to reduce the number of child road casualties by 50%. Research has found that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are five times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on our roads than their peers from the least deprived areas. The NRSI has been set up to find fresh and innovative ways to reduce road casualties, particularly those involving children. Fifteen local authorities participate in the new £10M initiative. The dynamic NRSI central team is based in Manchester and provides a resource to deliver and assist with a range of new initiatives to reduce road casualties in deprived communities. The team is working closely with the fifteen participating authorities in a variety of ways, including commissioning work and original research on behalf of all partners, extending and supporting partnership working, monitoring progress and sharing best practice. The key driver is to put Road Safety firmly on the social agenda. ___________________________
French motorists are being urged to copy British drivers and their "legendary civility" during a national road courtesy day on Thursday. The government-backed campaign says the "British recipe" explains why it has some of the safest roads in Europe and far fewer road deaths than France. But event organisers stopped short of asking Frenchmen to swap their Latin temperament for "British phlegm". The French government has made road safety one of its priorities. Road deaths in France fell 9% in 2004 compared with 2003, but campaigners say other European countries have achieved better results. French road safety group (AFPC) which is organising the "courtesy behind the wheel day", involving a variety of road safety awareness events, say the French need to take a leaf out the "British recipe" book. "With their legendary courtesy and civility and an active prevention policy since 1970, our British neighbours have the safest roads in Europe and has a mortality rate far lower than in France." "It's not about converting our Latin temperament into British phlegm but rather looking at this model example to learn a few things on driver attitudes and the ingredients behind this success." [This article was first published by BBC News on March 23, 2005]
DSA Comments It has to be said that a lot of British drivers will be wondering: "What legendary courtesy and civility?" Unfortunately, as with all other countries, Britain has certainly experienced too much offensive and occasionally violent behaviour from a minority of its road users. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. And, sadly, our comments appear to be supported by this story
Improvements in vehicle safety are failing to bring about a
reduction in deaths because there has been a concurrent
decline in driving standards, according to research for the
DfT (Local Transport Today, 17 March) by the Transport
Research Laboratory. The study suggests that, 'at a time when improving car technology had been expected to reduce the number of car occupant fatalities, this trend had been offset by a decline in the driving standards of some car drivers'. [Source: RoadSafe] ___________________________
A 2-year-old girl died this month after being run over by a car reversing out of a driveway. In February, a 1-year-old girl died when the driver of a four-wheel-drive vehicle stopped in a driveway to speak to a pedestrian. The infant went in front of the vehicle and was run over when the driver started moving forward again. Last September, a 10-year-old died after her father started the car and it lurched forward, pinning her against the wall of her home. She was an only child. In July a year earlier, a 14-month-old was killed in the driveway of his home when his uncle accidentally reversed over him in a truck. Each of those tragedies is revealed with one, quick search of the [New Zealand] Herald website. Confirmation in seconds of the grim statistic that the main cause of death of children aged between 1 and 14 years is from what statisticians call "pedestrian injuries". One in five occurs in the family's own driveway.... Read the full article -- Tragedies too close to home -- from the New Zealand Herald ___________________________
At least 25 people have been killed and more than 70 others injured, many critically, in two separate highway mishaps in central Bangladesh, officials said on Wednesday. The worst accident happened as a speeding passenger bus crashed through the railings of a bridge and plunged into a dried-up creek near the town of Kalihata 130km north of the capital Dhaka. Police and fire brigade rescuers said 20 bodies were found in the wreckage of the bus.... Earlier in the morning five persons, including the driver and the helper of a Dhaka-bound passenger bus from Kurigram, were killed, in another accident near Karatia bypass road on the Tangail-Dhaka Highway. The fatalities occurred as a passenger bus collided head on with a truck coming from the opposite direction. Full story from IOL, and a different article from The New Nation ___________________________
Doha: A novel initiative for road safety operation is underway in Ras Laffan industrial city, involving general public, all end- users and contractors of the city. The ongoing road safety programme allowed law-abiding road users to take part in traffic operation and to suggest ways and means to ensure road safety inside the city. Recent surveys have shown that accident figures inside the city are relatively low, a press release said yesterday. It is compulsory for those employees of the Qatargas, who violate the road safety procedure, to undergo a defensive driving course, the release added. Under the programme, an electronic database was set up to provide statistical data of traffic violators. The procedure does not make provision for a fine but a violator is penalised with a certain number of punitive demerit points. These points are added together and when a violator reaches 15 such points, he/she will be banned from driving within the city for a period of three months. After reaching 20 points, driving is banned for one year, the release added. Leon Van Der Heyde, head of security at Ras Laffan City (RLC) said with able partnership among the North Security department, Traffic and Patrol department and RLC's Security, this programme is set to meet demands of the rapidly expanding city. [Source: The Peninsula] ___________________________
"So many people are doing so many things to try put a stop to the tragedies that occur on our roads every day of the year. The motivation behind each person's actions may differ but in our eyes, all can be labeled heroes of the road carnage 'struggle'. For advocate Johan Jonck - a.k.a. 'Jonckie' - it took a personal tragedy and a burning sense of purpose to get the Arrive Alive campaign into the digital domain. He saw the need for more readily available educational material and discourse on road safety and the Arrive Alive Campaign. The Internet was the obvious place to base his mission station. Paul Collings spoke to him, for Fleetwatch."
At Drive and Stay Alive, we are pleased to class 'Jonckie' and his team as friends. Photograph: Fleetwatch. Click here, or on the image, for the full article. ___________________________
.....Highway deaths have, unfortunately become part of the woodwork - something we take for granted as a cost of living an automotive lifestyle. If a purple flu broke out and killed 40,000 people and caused $230 billion death, injuries and damage in the United States in a single year we would doubtlessly be beside ourselves demanding something be done. Something can indeed be done. Of those 42,800 people who died last year [in road crashes], 23,968 of them, more than half, were not wearing seat belts. Wisconsin, to its disgrace, still does not have primary enforcement of seat-belt laws, which enable police to stop violators and issue tickets solely for that offense. Predictably, Wisconsin also lags the national average for seatbelt use by more than 7 percent. As Mineta put it, "We already have the best vaccine available to reduce the death toll on our highways - safety belts." With odds like this, maybe it's time you took matters in your own hands ... and buckled up. Full story, from The Journal Times, WI ___________________________
[Results from the 2005 Canadian Consumer Tire Attitude Study Released During National Be Tire Smart Week --April 24-30, 2005] A new survey has revealed that despite the fact that 96% of Canadians say tire maintenance is important, the majority of Canadians believe inaccurate maintenance-related myths. These widely held misconceptions are costing Canadians money at the gas pumps, reducing their vehicle's safety as well as emitting unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. ___________________________
Association to raise consumer awareness about tire safety. Do you know the correct PSI for your vehicle’s tires? CLICK HERE to take a quick quiz to help you determine how much you know about tire maintenance and safety. The “What’s Your PSI?” campaign is designed to challenge consumers to learn the correct tire pressure (pounds per square inch or PSI) for their vehicle’s tires, help them to maintain proper pressure — and ultimately help everyone avoid tire failure and crashes. In addition to making road travel safer, inflating tires to the correct PSI has other benefits as well. Motorists who “know their PSI” and maintain it can help to optimize fuel economy and tire life, saving dollars and protecting our environment in the process. During National Tire Safety Week and throughout the coming year, look for NHTSA’s “What’s Your PSI?” and the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s (RMA) “Be Tire Smart, Play Your PART” campaign materials at tire safety partner locations throughout the country. ___________________________
VW's new Jetta Aces the Side Impact Test and Gets a 'Good' in Frontal Impact, Too ARLINGTON, VA — The 2005 Volkswagen Jetta earned good ratings in both frontal offset and side impact crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Plus the Jetta is the first vehicle to earn the top rating of good in every individual measurement category (injury measures, head protection, and structural design) of the Institute's side impact test. This car is designated a "best pick" for side crash protection, and it's a good performer for frontal crash protection. The performance of the Jetta in these tests plus its acceptable rating for seat/head restraint design in rear impact tests make it the top-rated car overall in the inexpensive midsize class. The redesigned Jetta, which is larger than its predecessor model, was introduced in the 2005 model year, and these results apply to the new larger Jetta. Read the full, important report, here.
DSA Comments Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this information comes when one also views the IIHS March 2005 'Status Report' on The Risk of Dying in One Vehicle Versus Another. On page three of that report, one finds that the VW Passat -- another midsize, four-door car -- ranks third overall in the safest vehicles, with an overall driver death rate of just 16 per "million registered years". Volkswagen certainly appears to be leading the field in the USA, in terms of midsize sedan safety. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
While pushing his car to the limit is something Marcos Ambrose does for a living, the V8 Supercar champion warned yesterday that public roads were no place for high speed.... "It is easy to get into a car and drive fast, but that does not mean it is smart or, most importantly, safe," he said. "It is a simple fact that I save it all for the track as there is no place for high speed on public roads."... Full story, from the Adelaide Advertiser ___________________________
For 11 years since 1994, the government has ignored warnings about our road safety situation and failed to bring South Africa into line with normal accepted road safety standards in Australia, America and Europe. Modern technology such as cameras, camera equipment and patrol cars make it possible for South Africa to keep abreast, which we have failed to do.
Now the government, by its failure, has landed taxpayers with the Richard Benson, Fish Hoek [Source: Cape Times] ___________________________
FAIRFIELD, California -- In the end, you could say physics took John Sandlin's life. The immutable laws of inertial motion, mass and velocity all conspired to kill the beloved veteran reserve deputy a year ago today on a curvy stretch of Cordelia Road during a brief pursuit of a speeding motorist. Sandlin, a 20-year-veteran of the sheriff's office and one of its most decorated deputies, died after being ejected from his Ford Crown Victoria patrol car when his rear right wheel briefly left the roadway and struck a large clump of discarded asphalt or a rock. The force of the collision corkscrewed the patrol car and threw Sandlin, who wasn't wearing his seat belt, from the vehicle. While the California Highway Patrol ultimately faulted Sandlin for driving too fast for road conditions that night, the fact he didn't have his seat belt fastened at the time of the crash continues to be a major focus of the case. Sandlin's friends and colleagues need only look to his partner, Deputy Jayson Roper. While Roper was shaken up, he survived the accident largely unscathed because he was wearing his seat belt. They also say Sandlin's death simultaneously reinforced the need to follow the agency's directives on seat belt use and the overall seeming randomness of the danger law enforcement personnel face each day they go to work.... Full story, from the Daily Republic ___________________________
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today called the problem of highway traffic deaths a "national epidemic" and encouraged Americans to view wearing safety belts as a form of preventative medicine. Mineta directed attention to his concern for traffic safety as he announced mixed results in the effort to reduce the number of people who die on U.S. highways each year. While the fatality rate dropped and alcohol-related crashes are down from 2003, 42,800 died on the nation’s highways in 2004, up slightly from 42,643 in 2003, according to projected 2004 data compiled by the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a preliminary report. "We are in the midst of a national epidemic", said Secretary Mineta. "If this many people were to die from any one disease in a single year, Americans would demand a vaccine. The irony is we already have the best vaccine available to reduce the death toll on our highways – safety belts".... Read the full NHTSA report here, and view DSA comments about the fact that although the VMT rate of deaths dropped, the number of people who were killed has actually increased. ___________________________
The Prime Minister on April 21 sent
condolences to the Viet Nam War Veterans Association and the families
of the war veterans who were killed in a bus accident in the
Thirty-one war veterans were killed
in the accident and two others are in critical condition.
The accident took place at
The bus was believed to be running at
a high speed. It broke a number of traffic signs and barriers on the
road side before falling into the abyss. Full story, from the Viet Nam News Agency ___________________________
Just as a few organisations in the USA argue that the now uniform 0.08% blood-alcohol limit is too low, despite only two countries in the world still having a higher limit, so Safe Speed in the UK argues that drivers should effectively be allowed to make up their own minds about what speed is safe at any given moment. Yet examination of both of these standpoints reveals deadly flaws that their authors either fail or refuse to accept. Read the Drive and Stay Alive editorial opinion, here. ___________________________
Emergency responders are hailing a proposed amendment to the Traffic Safety Act as a step in the right direction. According to a Government of Alberta news release, Bill 39, the proposed Traffic Safety Amendment Act, will "set speed limits for motorists passing emergency vehicles," as well as creating new offences for drivers speeding in construction zones. Under the bill, motorists will have to drive 60 km/h – or the posted speed limit, whichever is lower – when passing stopped emergency vehicles or tow trucks and drivers exceeding the speed limit in construction zones would be subject to double the fines for regular speeding offences. "Too often on our highways, motorists speed past construction workers and parked emergency vehicles," said Calgary-North Hill MLA Richard Magnus, who introduced Bill 39 in the legislature earlier this month. "Many drivers just don’t realize they are putting the lives of other people at risk." The bill also addresses driving without insurance; sharing of information to ensure road safety; and the roles and powers of the transportation safety board.... Full story, from the Airdrie Echo ___________________________
Shell petrol stations throughout the country are distributing quiz competition forms to motorists, encouraging road users to participate in a road safety competition held in conjunction with the National Road Safety Campaign themed 'We Care.' Up for grabs are 1,000 attractive prizes. The competition is organised by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), Brunei Shell Marketing (BSM), Brunei Shell Tanker (BST), Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd (BLNG), the National Road Safety Council and the National Road Safety Campaign. It is hoped that such a move will educate motorists on road safety and at the same time promote safe driving.... Numerous road-safety related activities have also been planned for the duration of the campaign, including drawing competitions for secondary school students.... In addition, billboards promoting safety will be erected at selected locations and video clips will be broadcast on RTB. There will also be SMS quizzes over the radio. [Source: BruDirect] ___________________________
Twenty-seven people were killed and four seriously injured when a coach fell off a bridge in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality in the small hours of yesterday morning, the Xinhua News Agency has reported. Local traffic police said the bus, with 31 people on board, veered off an 80-metre-high bridge in outlying Qianjiang District at 2:50am.... "The scene of the accident was extremely tragic, with body parts scattered everywhere," said Yang Ke, who was at the site of the accident yesterday. Yang, with the Chengdu-based West China Metropolis newspaper, said it may have happened when the driver attempted to overtake another coach bus at high speeds on a road slick with rain.... Full story, from China Daily ___________________________
LIMA, Peru -- At least 23 people died and 27 were injured on Tuesday when a bus swerved off a rutted road and plunged into a deep gorge in Peru's central Andes, in the fourth deadly bus accident this week, police said. The bus from the capital, Lima, was carrying locals along a potholed road some 300 miles (482 km) north of Lima near the central Andean city of Huaraz. There are at least 23 people dead. The bus came off the rutted road and fell into the 500-metre- (1,640-foot-)deep gorge," said a senior police officer who declined to be named. The exact cause of the accident was not known, he said. It brought the week's death toll from bus accidents to 46, after at least 23 people died and dozens were injured on Monday in three other crashes along the coastal Pan-American Highway. Hundreds of people die in bus crashes every year in Peru because of bad roads, poorly maintained vehicles and errors in judgment by drivers in treacherous weather conditions. Drivers involved in accidents are rarely prosecuted. [Source: Reuters AlertNet] ___________________________
A run of bad luck ended for Thames grandmother of six Cheryl Knuckey when she took a few minutes to learn about road safety and won a new five star safety rated car. After being made redundant five weeks ago, Ms Knuckey recently took part in Land Transport New Zealand’s road safety education initiative Up to Scratch. She had her eyes opened to the role of speed and alcohol in road deaths, and she's been rewarded with a new $45,000 Toyota Avensis GX Wagon for taking part in the scratch test education campaign. Along with six road rule questions, the Up to Scratch test Ms Knuckey completed included information and questions about the proportion of fatal accidents involving speed and alcohol, and seatbelt wearing rates.... Up to Scratch gives Kiwi drivers the chance to test their knowledge of the road rules and other road safety-related information, and to win safety-related prizes. 'Up to Scratch' test papers are delivered to motorists with vehicle registration and change of vehicle ownership papers, driver licence renewal forms and when a vehicle passes its Warrant of Fitness. Drivers who get nine out of ten questions right can enter draws for a Toyota Avensis and other prizes. “Every three months a driver receives a new Toyota Avensis, and another 860 win secondary prizes including new sets of tyres and wheel alignments from Beaurepaires, or driving lessons, pre-purchase vehicle inspections, AA memberships, travel guides and petrol vouchers from the Automobile Association,” Land Transport New Zealand Acting General Manager Communications and Education Lynne Heasman said. “In the 13 months that Up to Scratch has been running 930,000 entries have been received. The response rates are about three times that expected for this sort of initiative,” Ms Heasman said. Full story, from Scoop ( ___________________________
A growing number of teens are taking along a few unexpected passengers when they hit the open road in search of long-awaited freedom.... With so-called "black box" technology, parents can follow their teens in real time to find out how fast they're driving, where they're going -- even whether they're signaling before turns. Other products track every detail so parents can later download the data and look for signs of dangerous behavior.... Full story, from the Detroit News ___________________________
School Students in Large Passenger Vans
"The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued three warnings against 15-passenger vans, first in 2001, again in 2002, and recently in June 2004. The School Bus Information Council has also issued multiple warnings. NHTSA recommends that pre-school and school aged children should not be transported in these vehicles due to safety concerns," Frances Bardessono added. Their letter includes stickers that have been developed to warn occupants of the high risk of rollover and to keep school children out of large passenger vans. The adhesive backed stickers stating "WARNING. ROLLOVER RISK. NO SCHOOL CHILDREN IN VAN" allow schools, other groups, van owners and rental agencies to apply them in a prominent place on the vehicle. The Bardessonos are also accepting requests for the stickers from the public on a first-come first-served basis, and have posted information on how to make a request at http://www.vanangels.com/ [Source: Tim and Frances Bardessono, via PR Newswire] ___________________________
Think faster cars are involved in more crashes? You’re not alone. According to a recent phone survey of 1,000 people, one-third say that those who drive higher horsepower vehicles are involved in more frequent crashes. Well, it’s just not true according to the country’s third largest auto insurer, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies. After studying more than 12 million private passenger cars it insured over the past three years, Progressive finds that cars with more than 200 horsepower are actually involved in an average of 17 percent fewer auto insurance claims than are those with less than 200 horsepower. But, when a higher horsepower car is involved in a crash, they cause more damage to others. The resulting auto insurance claim payment made to other parties for property and injury claims is an average of 22 percent more costly ($5,673 versus $4,663). The horsepower race continues to heat up: Passenger cars with more than 200 horsepower represented only nine percent of all available makes and models in 1990; today, they represent 54 percent. So what does all this mean for consumers? If you choose a vehicle with increased horsepower, you will most likely pay more for auto insurance. [Source: Progressive] ___________________________
Today, the Senate Commerce Committee introduced legislation to reauthorize federal safety programs including state highway safety grant programs that address the behavior of drivers and other road users. GHSA members administer these programs. The GHSA appreciates the Senate enacting a reauthorization bill but is largely disappointed by its contents.... ___________________________
A Florida Highway Patrol report released Wednesday says a 22-year-old woman who was charged with hitting two sisters as they crossed an Orange County street with their mother told a trooper that she was on her cell phone at the time of the incident.... Witnesses [also said that the driver] appeared to be talking on a cell phone when she ran over and killed Victoria Velez, 2, and Anelica Velez, 5.... Full story, from Local 6 ___________________________
A top federal safety official Wednesday urged automotive engineers to speed advanced technologies to market to reduce fatalities and injuries resulting from crashes between cars and SUVs. In a keynote speech at the Society of Automotive Engineers 2005 World Congress, Dr. Joseph Kanianthra, associate administrator of vehicle research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said technologies that can help drivers avoid crashes or turn potentially severe crashes into fender-benders offered the greatest promise for reducing highway deaths and injuries. Several such technologies are on display this week at the SAE World Congress, such as lane departure warning systems and electronic maps that tell drivers how many vehicles are entering an oncoming intersection. In the future, advanced sensors will be able to detect when an accident is likely to occur, and apply brakes and take other steps to avoi |
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