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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.
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January 2006
January 2006: Following a brief spate of comments we have received, via 'Contact Us' e-mail (which does not provide the sender's e-mail address unless that person deliberately includes it), would readers please note that under no circumstances will we publish anonymous comments, whether or not those comments are intended to challenge anything already published on this website. Only well-written, factual reports, with reliable and preferably citable support information, will be used, and we also do require that contributors provide us with their e-mail address in order that we may ask questions about the information supplied. Correctly supported, well-reported comments from our readers are very welcome indeed, but anonymous messages will be deleted. Eddie Wren
Eighteen passengers were killed and twenty-four others injured on Tuesday when their bus slammed into a truck in the southern Egyptian city of Qena, state media reported. Egyptian official news agency MENA quoted a local official as saying that the bus's high speed was to blame for the accident. The bus collided with the truck and plunged into el-Ramadi canal in a village in Qena, a Nile city 640 kilometers south of Cairo, MENA said. It was the second major road accident on Tuesday. A tour bus overturned on a highway in southern Egypt early Tuesday, killing 14 tourists from Hong Kong and injuring 30 other people, some seriously, Egyptian officials said. The bus was on the outskirts of the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, heading toward the ancient historic city of Luxor to the southwest, when it rolled over while speeding around a bend in the highway, according to MENA. [Source: China View] Related story...
Fourteen tourists from Hong Kong were killed and thirty injured early Tuesday after their speeding bus overturned on a highway in southeast Egypt, government and health officials said. The crash, in which an Egyptian tour guide was also injured, is the second major bus accident in Egypt in a month following the deaths of six Australians on January 10. A statement released by the Egyptian Interior Ministry said that the driver of the bus, which was carrying 44 tourists from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada to the southern city of Luxor, was exceeding the speed limit prior to the fatal crash.... Full story, from Monsters and Critics [SMc] Related story...
January 10, 2006 Fatal Coach Crash in Egypt -- click here __________________________
RFA junior Matt Wanner is one of many students who values each and every friendship he has. But it scares him to think he could lose one of those friends in a blink of an eye. "It scares me because in all reality they could be gone tomorrow and that would be a huge effect on a lot of people's lives here. It's big, " said Wanner. As part of the Erie Insurance Group's Lookin' Out program, agent Debbie Adamo played the role of the grim reaper in RFA's first ever "White Out Day." Every thirty minutes, selected students were taken out of class. Their faces were painted white to represent a vehicle fatality. They were then forbidden to speak to their classmates for the rest of the day. "The program is geared toward promoting safe driving for teenagers not just alcohol and drug use but loud music, cell phone usage, any type of distractions, seat belt usage. Promoting safe driving habits overall," said Adamo.... Full story, from News 10 Now [SMc]
__________________________
Col. W. Fletcher Clay, Commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, today announced a significant reduction in the number of persons killed in traffic collisions investigated by the Highway Patrol. Fatalities were down 6.6 percent from 1,247 in 2004 to 1,165 in 2005. “We are really encouraged that traffic fatalities dropped last year,” Clay said. “We believe the implementation of Troop Stat and the hard work of our Troopers contributed to the drop.” The Patrol implemented Troop Stat in January 2005. Troop Stat is a management philosophy that requires the Patrol’s eight troops to review traffic collision data and respond to any identified collision trends. The overall number of traffic collisions, which included both fatal and nonfatal collisions, was down 3.4 percent, from 129,495 in 2004 to 125,020 last year. Full story, from The Pilot Newspaper __________________________
ADVANCED DRIVING NEWS January
31, 2006 Are
we raising a new generation of angry drivers? [Source: Easier] www.easier.com/ __________________________
Police have launched a new video playback scheme in their effort to tackle bad driving in the capital. Officers using special monitoring gear have begun stopping motorists during the rush hours across Edinburgh. The four-week crackdown, which started on Monday, has been instigated by Lothian and Borders Police in a bid to reduce casualties on the city's roads. Extra officers have been drafted in to patrol in marked vehicles between 0700-0930 and 1600-1800. The move comes after figures showed a dramatic rise in serious road injuries and deaths.... Full story, from BBC News [SMc] __________________________
The number of road deaths in Scotland has fallen to its second lowest level for 50 years, according to new figures. In total there were 306 deaths in 2004, 8% fewer than in 2003 and the lowest figure for more than 50 years. Of these deaths, 12 were children, five fewer than the previous year. A further 371 children were injured, the Road Accidents Scotland 2004 report said. This means 55% fewer children were killed or seriously injured in 2004 compared with the 1994-98 averages. The figure fulfils the Scottish Executive target of halving the number of children killed and seriously injured on the roads by 2010.... Full story, from the Scotsman [SMc] __________________________
Nearly 40 percent of young drivers who responded to a radio station survey said they had driven while under the influence of drugs – and more than half of them admitted their driving was adversely affected. Almost 20 percent of the online respondents to London radio station Kiss 100FM's survey confessed to being "very impaired". The survey of nearly 2000 young drivers was used to launch an awareness campaign, supported by London's Metropolitan police, highlighting the risks of driving after using drugs. Insurers believe the problem is out of control and forcing insurance companies and police to tackle it head-on. Insurance company executive Tony Allen said: "People may think they can get away more easily with driving drugged than drunk but that's a myth. "It's prosecuted under the same law as drunk driving – driving while under the influence of drink or drugs – a double whammy because taking drugs is illegal in itself. So you can be prosecuted for driving while under the influence as well as possession. "We take all factors into consideration when assessing people for insurance and will treat each case individually. Those convicted of drugged driving are no different." There has been an eight percent reduction in the overall number of deaths on UK roads in the last few years but the mortality rate for young drivers has risen by 12 percent. Full story, from Motoring [SMc] __________________________
A head-on collision or a road accident, and who is to blame? It is always the other person. Be that as it may, the statistics for road traffic accidents (RTA) are mind-boggling. As per the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention 2004, RTAs kill 1.2 million people a year or an average 3,242 people every day worldwide. The road crashes injure or disable between 20 and 50 million people a year. With the toll growing every year, road mishaps currently rank 11th as the leading cause of death and account for 2.1% of all deaths globally.... Launched in 2004, Ek Asha Road Suraksha focusses on the role of the individual road user. It promotes defensive driving and safety awareness. In the past, Shell has organised workshops tapping different driving communities such as women scooterists, police drivers, two-wheeler users and even driving school instructors. “With the current workshop, we hope to leverage NGO networks in the service of road safety awareness,” adds Shailaja Sharma, manager-CSR, Shell India. Also present on the occasion was Chamaiparan Santikarn, regional advisor, Disability, Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, WHO. She has conducted studies on child injuries due to road accidents in Thailand. She says, “In most cases, the victims of road mishaps are innocent. The cure lies in making efforts at an individual level.” Full story, from the Financial Express [SMc] __________________________
The political will to enforce road safety is essential if fatalities are to be reduced, writes Michael McAleer , Motoring Editor. If the prime minister of each of the 25 EU member states were to lose a child in a crash, would the issue of road safety finally get the political attention it deserves? While this recent comment by Finnish MEP and former world rally champion Ari Vatanen to The Irish Times was clearly aimed to be provocative, his point is not lost: road safety policy is at best reactionary. As the number of deaths so far this year rose to 31 and road safety activists aired their frustrations in the media, the Attorney General finally announced this week - six years after it was first proposed - that the Garda could indeed operate a random breath testing system to tackle drink driving. Alongside this, 31 new driving offences that will incur penalty points were added to the four introduced in 2002. At that time the Government proposed to have 69 offences incurring penalty points in place by 2003.... Read the full, important article here (with comments from DSA) [SMc] __________________________
Local authorities should be taking much more of the blame for road accidents and the finger of suspicion must move away from drivers, according to partners of the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP). Early this morning (Friday), one of the partners, the AA Motoring Trust, hit out at road authorities by accusing them of getting away with meeting their responsibilities. Paul Watters, the Trust's head of roads and transport policy, attacked the councils for not doing enough to make highways safer, hiding behind the popular belief that an accident is always the fault of the driver. He said: "Just because drivers, who are unfamiliar with a notoriously dangerous road, mistakenly take corners too fast and crash, doesn't mean they deserve to die or be severely injured, particularly if they hit, for instance, a lamp post or road sign that better design would have shielded behind a crash barrier.... Full story, from Transport News Network [SMc] __________________________
Writing in the New Statesman, nef’s Policy Director, Andrew Simms, argues that SUVs are as dangerous to health as tobacco and should be made to carry similar warnings They clog the streets and litter the pages of weekend colour supplements. Sport utility vehicles or SUVs, otherwise known as 4x4s, four-wheel drives and all-terrain wagons, have become badges of middle-class aspiration. They are also dangerous, fabulously polluting and, as part of a general transport problem, set to become, according to the World Health Organisation, one of the world's most common causes of death and disability - ahead of TB, HIV and war. But as the advert for the original British urban crossover car, the Range Rover, puts it, the SUV stands 'above it all'. It's a place to go, say the advertisers, to 'preserve your inner calm'.... At the least, cigarette-style car labelling would help the industry move out of denial. A recent advert for the Chrysler Crossfire invited the reader to 'kiss the sky' with the car. But in an age of global warming, a more honest slogan for a 23mpg vehicle would have been 'rip it apart'. Label up, and let's go. Full opinion piece, from New Economics Foundation [SMc] __________________________
ADVANCED DRIVING NEWS January 27, 2006: Brakes to Make you Slow -- Gears to Make you Go! This week's initiative [in Britain] to offer an advanced driving scheme to "white van man" was welcomed by everybody except, predictably, the people it was aimed at. Nobody likes to be told that possibly they could improve their driving. And when the news broke, White Van Men took to the airwaves from their cabs to protest. They claimed they were being picked on and that there are plenty of other drivers who are equally poor (mini cab drivers, [SUV] owners for example). But despite this initial hostile reaction to Transport Secretary Alistair Darlings initiative, common sense tells us that there is some excellent thinking here.... Read the full story here, from the IAM
[Note: 'Advanced Driving News' is a new addition to DSA's International Road Safety News coverage. As always, readers' feedback is welcome.] __________________________
Officials on Thursday were trying to pinpoint why a semi-trailer crossed into oncoming traffic in a construction zone on Interstate 57, causing a several-vehicle wreck that killed six people, authorities said. Those killed in the accident shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday near Marion included the driver of the southbound semitrailer that swerved out of control, State Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said. "The information IDOT has was that he was speeding and driving erratically, and that he crossed over and struck two vehicles head-on,'' Claffey said. Illinois State Police Trooper Ray Minor confirmed that a tractor-trailer crossed the grassy median and entered oncoming traffic, causing the accident that included at least two other semi-trailers and a pickup truck.... Full story, from the Chicago Tribune [SMc] __________________________
[DSA have added the above 3 descriptions to cover different national terminology] Two children died in a crash as they rode in their father's truck returning from a fresh produce drop at Warrnambool and Hamilton early yesterday. Police said 11-year-old Amanda Chinitidis and her 14-year-old brother Kirk were thrown through the windscreen of their father's prime-mover when it slammed into another truck parked on the verge of the Western Freeway.... Police are yet to determine if the children were in the truck's sleeper compartment or passenger seats.... Full story, from the Warrnambool Standard, Australia [SMc] __________________________
About 34,000 people were killed in road accidents in Russia in 2005, 1.6% fewer than in the previous year, traffic police department's press service said Wednesday. With a population of about 142.8 million, Russia's road fatalities in 2005 averaged at 238 deaths for every million people. This is more than double the European Union's 2005 average of about 95 road deaths per million people. "Last year, the situation on the roads slightly improved," the press service said. During the year, 1,341 children died in car crashes, 4.6% fewer than in 2004. The number of road accidents caused by drunk driving declined 9.3%, with fatalities down 13%. The police warned that the situation on the Russian roads remained volatile: "The total number of accidents increased by 7.1%, reaching 223,342." Addressing a conference Tuesday on the traffic police department's work in 2005, Viktor Kiryanov, the head of the department, said: "We can say today that the state and the public are now united in their aspiration to improve the situation on the roads." [Source: Ria Novosti] [SMc] __________________________
Six people died, including four Brazilians, and thirty more people were hurt on Tuesday morning when an inter-city bus turned over in southern Peru, local media reported. The accident happened on a curve close to Uchumayo, in the city of Arequipa, 1,200 km south of Lima, when the bus to Nasca, a municipality in Ica department, took the wrong road. The driver lost control when he was going too fast on a narrow curve, leaving the road and turning the bus over. A group of university students from neighboring Brazil were traveling in the bus. The Peruvian university has not yet named the victims of the accident. Marciolio Lana, official spokesman of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, said that Brazil had sent a top diplomat to Peru to speed the repatriation of the victims, who had been traveling to the World Social Forum in Caracas. The university had also asked for the Brazilian air force to help repatriate the bodies, he said. [Source: China View] [SMc] __________________________
Seven of a marriage party were killed and 15 others injured critically in a head-on collision between two vehicles at Tarn Taran on Wednesday. All the killed, four of them women, were occupants of a Tata Sumo which was heading towards village Patti for the marriage ceremony, SSP Tarn Taran PS Grewal said. The 15, who were seriously injured, were travelling in another vehicle, he said adding they were hospitalised. [Source: Hindustan Times] [SMc] __________________________
Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin on Monday expressed alarm over the high number of traffic fatalities that occurred on Grand Bahama in 2005 and announced initiatives aimed at significantly reducing that number this year. Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Minister Hanna Martin compared the high fatality rate to statistics out of New Providence. She pointed out that there were 23 traffic deaths on Grand Bahama last year and 33 in New Providence. "I think there’s more than three times, maybe four times the population in New Providence," Minister Hanna Martin said. "There are many more vehicles [in New Providence] and yet Grand Bahama has this extremely high alarming rate."... "We want Bahamians to understand that this is not a government issue solely," Minister Hanna Martin said. "This is an issue that involves every single member of the community." According to statistics from a world report on road traffic injury prevention, road crashes are the second leading cause of death globally among young people aged five to 29 and the third leading cause of death among people aged 30 to 44. Full story, from The Bahama Journal [SMc] __________________________
....The Virginia Senate this week voted out Senate Bill 137, which restricts teenagers from using cell phones while driving. It now goes to the House of Delegates. The bill, introduced by Va. Sen. Jay O’Brien (R-39th), was one of three addressing teenage driving.... A third Bill that did not emerge from the Senate committee would have restricted cell phone use by all drivers. “The committee did not like that bill for two reasons,” O’Brien said. “It would have given teens a hands-free exception. And [the committee] objected to applying teen standards to adults as well.” Full story, from the Times Community [SMc]
DSA Comments The committee "objected to applying teen standards to adults”? Teen standards? May we take it, then, that Virginia is unlike the rest of the world and that adults using cell phones never cause crashes and deaths there? Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
The state's tough new restrictions on beginning teenage drivers have left many teens and their parents confused. Thinking the law doesn't apply to them, some teens out there are taking people for a ride when they shouldn't be.... If you are younger than 18, and you have had your driver's license for less than one year, you cannot drive after 11 p.m., and you cannot have people younger than 20 in your car with you. Yes, that includes teens who got their licenses in 2005, before the new restrictions became law. You can read about it on the state Department of Motor Vehicles Web site. The first page to check is: www.dmv.ca.gov/teenweb/permit_btn1/permit.htm But there is more detail on: www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#cpdlr_012006 .... We have another question: Will law enforcement really pay much attention to this law? Truth is, safety officials say, the real enforcers are the parents. It's no sure thing, but teens generally will be safer, experts say, if their parents set firm expectations and pay close attention to where, when and how their teens drive. Full story, from MotorTrend Magazine [SMc]
DSA Comments On the subject of whether "law enforcement [will] really pay much attention to this law", how can American officers truly and accurately enforce teen driving laws until the USA makes it compulsory to mark the cars of unqualified drivers with 'L' Plates (i.e. 'Learner') or -- more likely in America -- 'S' Plates (for 'Student' driver)? At DSA we know of no other developed country that does not have this requirement, and apart from helping law officers to do their job, such plates also give other drivers fair warning that an inexperienced driver is present. Can anybody give us a genuine argument why the alleged "invasion of privacy" of the teen driver is more important than the additional safety that comes from such measures? For further detail on this topic, click here. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
The number of people who died in a traffic accident in Ankara on Monday morning increased to nine. When the driver of a bus lost control, the bus passed to the other lane and hit a shuttle carrying MFA staff. Eight people died on the spot and 12 others were injured. Later another woman who was injured in the accident died at the hospital, increasing the number of casualties to nine. Earlier it was said that four of the injured were in critical condition. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul who arrived on the scene said that the eight persons who died in the accident were members of the Foreign Ministry and expressed his condolences. [Source: The Anatolian Times] [SMc] __________________________
A road accident has killed six people and injured 15 others in
northwest China's Qinghai Province, local traffic police said Sunday.
A bus collided with a tip truck at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday at
a road section six km from the Delingha City, the capital city of the
Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Haixi in southwestern
Qinghai, police said.
The 15 injured people have been hospitalized. The bus was
speeding from Xining, capital of Qinghai, to Delingha when the
collision took place, according to police. Investigation into the
cause of the accident is underway. [Source:
CRI ]
[SMc] __________________________
Seventy-three people were
killed and 536 injured in 403 road accidents January 14-20, a police
official said.
Deputy Commander of Highway
Police?s Traffic Operations Department Colonel Seyyed Hadi Hashemi
also told IRNA the death toll shows an increase compared with the
corresponding figure for December 31-January 7, during which 58 people
were killed and 495 injured.
He said the drivers of 54.1%
of sedans and pickups, 14.4% of motorcycles, 17.9% of lorries, 4.8% of
heavy vehicles and 8.8 % of passersby were to be blamed for the
accidents reported during January 14-20.
The police official further
said 21.6% of these accidents took place due to diversion to the left,
21.74% because of high speed, 18.3% for not observing traffic
regulations and 21.6% over the exhaustion of drivers and sleepiness.
Hashemi noted that 5.16% of accidents are related to other
driving offences. [Source:
Iran
Mania]
[SMc] __________________________
Three people were killed, including a five-year-old boy, and
eight others seriously injured in a freak road accident involving two
trucks, a tractor, a mini van and a motorcycle, on a highway in
Zamboanga del Sur, officials said.
Officials said a 14-wheeler truck rammed a parked military
truck and ran over a motorcycle and hit a mini van before crashing on
three houses on Padap Highway in Labangan on Saturday.
All three passengers of the motorcycle—a couple and their
boy—were killed, while two soldiers and two civilians were injured
in the collision that also destroyed three automatic rifles of the
soldiers. No one was reported hurt or killed inside the houses,
officials said.... Full story, from ABS-CBN News [SMc] __________________________
In many countries, the road death toll has fallen dramatically
with the use of decoy cars.
These cars are used to fool drivers who think they can drive
over the speed limit without being caught.
In Canada, for instance, old cars painted in police colours are
stationed along major highways with a dummy at the wheel.
About two kilometres from the decoys wait the real thing —
highway patrols with their radars and breatherlyser equipment.
A survey found when speeding drivers see the decoy, they slow
down but as soon as they pass it, they start to speed again, only to
drive right into the trap and be caught red-handed.
Since the introduction of decoy cars, so many drivers have been
booked for speeding that most people now willingly stay within the
speed limit; and with it the road death toll has dropped
significantly. The question is, can decoy cars be introduced on our
roads or would it become just another failed strategy.... Full article, from the Fiji Times Online [SMc] __________________________
The death toll in the pilgrims' bus
accident today at Ahirant Wadi, about 50 kms from here, went up to 22
when one boy succumbed to injuries in the local civil hospital this
evening.
The dead include six women and four
children.
Of the remaining 39 wounded, 20 are
under treatment in the local hospital, while 19 were still at Vadi
rural hospital where 21 bodies have been kept for identification.
Twenty one pilgrims were killed on
the spot and 40 wounded when the private bus in which they were
travelling on a 3-day religious pilgrimage in Maharashtra overturned
and fell into a roadside gorge at Ahirant Wadi this afternoon,
according to District Collector Mahesh Zagade.
All victims hail from Goregoan and
Malad suburbs of Mumbai. They had left Mumbai last evening on a
pilgrimage to various temples, including Shirdi.
The accident occurred at Ahirant Wadi,
about ten kms from Vadi ghat on way to Nashik, when the bus driver, in
a bid to avoid a head-on-collision with a Tata Sumo, swerved and lost
control and the bus fell into the roadside gorge, survivors said.... Full
story, from Webindia123
[SMc] __________________________
In Delaware, stats show their passengers are more at risk;
tougher rules are in the works
Candace Socorso's green canvas book bag sits beside the couch
in the bright, breezy family room of her family's New Castle home.
A police officer returned the bag, stuffed with textbooks and
decorated with the graffiti of a 15-year-old girl, to her family after
Candace died in a car crash Nov. 13, 1997. Her mother, Donna Parker,
set it there, then couldn't bear to move it.
"It's been in the same exact spot for eight years,"
Parker said. "That was the only thing I got back from her. I've
never moved it, never taken anything out of it."
The bag is just one reminder of Candace, who was a backseat
passenger in a classmate's car when it slammed into a van on Old
Porter Road. Two other teens in the car -- Chris Wallace and Katy
Aukamp, both 16 -- died in the crash. The driver, Joey DellAversano,
then 17, survived and later faced criminal charges. The crash also
injured five people in the van, including the 60-year-old driver, who
underwent psychological counseling.
The crash was among thousands studied by the AAA Foundation for
Traffic Safety for a report released this week on the dangers posed by
teen drivers. The nationwide study of crashes involving teen drivers
between 1995 and 2004 found that the majority of the 30,917 people
killed were people other than the teen drivers.
In Delaware, the report counted 116 deaths. Of those, 59
percent were people other than the teen driver, compared with 64
percent nationwide....
Donna Parker said her daughter's death hardened her emotions to
other bad news.
"When you lose someone who was a part of you, there's
nothing else that can compare, no other hurts," Parker said.
"I don't react to things normally anymore. I don't cry. Nothing
is that important. Nothing has that impact." Full
story, from The
News Journal [SMc] __________________________
At least fifty-four people were killed and seven seriously
injured in a road accident in India's northern Jammu and Kashmir state
on Friday, police said.
The accident took place near Rajouri town, 160 kilometres north
of Jammu, the winter capital of the state.
Sixty-eight passengers were travelling in the bus when the
driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to swerve off the road
and fall into a 400 feet deep gorge, officials at the police control
room in Rajouri said....
Road accidents are common in India, particularly in its
mountainous states like Jammu and Kashmir and adjoining Himachal
Pradesh.
Tough driving conditions in the mountains and poorly maintained
roads and vehicles are blamed for motoring accidents that claims
hundreds of lives every year. Full
story, from Monsters
and Critics [SMc] __________________________
Lindsay Rivers says it's frustrating that she won't be able to
give her younger sister rides for the first three months after she
gets her junior driver's license later this winter.
Still, the 16-year-old South Burlington High School student
agrees with another restriction -- no friends in the car until she and
other newly licensed drivers have more experience behind the wheel.
Vermont law prohibits drivers with new junior licenses from
transporting friends for six months.
These restrictions, along with a hefty increase in hours
student drivers must practice before they receive their junior
licenses, took effect in the summer of 2000. AAA of Northern New
England, which pushed for tougher licensing rules, has documented the
benefits.... Full
story, from Burlington
Free Press
[SMc] __________________________
The 14 road deaths this year have cost the country an estimated
$21million.
Most of the people killed were aged between 21 to 40 years.
The Central/Eastern divisions recorded five deaths, or 37.5 per
cent of fatalities so far this year, while the Northern Division has
zero road deaths.
Four road deaths have been caused by drivers losing control,
four by speeding and four as a result of careless driving.
The causes of two other deaths are still unknown as police
await post mortem examination reports.
Five of the 14 road death victims fell into the 21-30 years age
group, four fell in the 31-40 years group, three in 41-50 years and
two in the 11-20 years age group.
Colo-i-Suva is the accident hot-spot, claiming three lives in
one accident, the highest number of lives lost in any one accident
this year.
National Road Safety Council acting executive director Timoci
Satakala said the deaths would affect productivity as most victims
were of working age.
Mr Satakala said the cost of the accidents took into account
productivity lost, police time, transport, pain and trauma to the
family of the victim, hospital expenses and other costs. This was
estimated at $1.5m per life lost. [Source: Fiji Times Online] [SMc] __________________________
Government traffic measures, such as granting pardons to
traffic offenders and withdrawing model traffic cameras are being
blamed for a surge in traffic accidents.
A study also found that raising speed limit, which is under
consideration by the government, is likely to further increase the
traffic accident rate because it does not take road conditions or
safety into consideration.
According to a report titled: “How to Set Reasonable Speed
Limits” published by Hanyang University and obtained by Dong-A Ilbo
on January 19, the current speed limit on most local highways was set
according to design speed. The university produced the report at the
request of the National Police Agency.
The Ministry of Construction and Transportation guidelines
define design speed as “the speed at which a driver with average
driving skill can drive safely and comfortably on any section of the
road.”.... Full story, from Dong-A Ilbo [SMc] __________________________
Seven people have been killed and twelve others have been
injured from a bus-truck collision in southwest China's Tibet
Autonomous Region, local government said Thursday.
The accident happened at the Amdo County of Nagqu Prefecture
onearly Wednesday morning, when a bus from Golmud City of the
neighboring Qinghai Province to Lhasa, the regional capital, ran into
a truck on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway due to overspeed, according to
the prefecture public security department.
Seven passengers in the bus died at the site and twelve others
were injured.
Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. [Source:
China View]
[SMc] __________________________
Seven passengers were killed and twenty-five others injured
when a minibus plunged into a valley in southwestern Chongqing
Municipality on Thursday, according to local government.
Five of the injured were in serious conditions, said local
hospital.
The accident occurred at 10:30 a.m. Thursday when the minibus
rolled down a cliff of more than 50 meters high in Conglin County of
Fuling District. Six people were killed on the spot and another died
on the way to hospital, according to the local government.
Investigation on the cause of the accident is underway. [Source: China Daily] [SMc] __________________________
The following are excerpts from two press releases: 1 Overnight work to improve safety on the M25 at Junction 10, near Guildford, Surrey starts on Monday 23 January.... The safety improvements include anti-skid surfacing, refreshing road markings, safety barriers and signs.... To minimise the disruption to motorists, work will be carried out overnight between the hours of 10pm and 5.30am.... 2 Drivers will benefit from new Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) being installed on the A3.... The new cameras are part of a £2.2m project, which will feed real time traffic information to the new Regional Traffic Control Centre (RCC) at Godstone. This will keep the Highways Agency and the emergency services in the picture about road conditions and help them deal with incidents and congestion more quickly and efficiently.... Seventeen CCTV cameras will cover this 29 km (18 mile) stretch of the A3 and the majority of the work will be carried out at night.... [Source: Highways Agency SE20-06 and SE19-06, respectively]
DSA Comments Clearly, both of the above projects are expensive. Some aspects of the first example should, however, be considered by all countries. One is that good-quality paint should always be used for road markings, with a high glass bead (or other reflective material) content. There is nothing worse than drivers not being able to see road markings on a wet night just because inferior paint has been used as a cheapskate, cost-cutting measure. (This is common, for example, in the U.S.A.) Another is that the UK now uses road signs with support poles that are designed to snap off at the base if hit by a vehicle. These reduce the likelihood of vehicle occupants being killed as their car is ripped apart by an effectively immovable pole. 'Snap off' legs can be introduced over an extended period and their use is surely worthwhile. A third is the use of safety barriers (i.e. "guard rails"). It is undeniable that erecting mile-upon-mile of barriers is a very expensive task, but studies (and common sense) make it obvious that such barriers are extremely effective at saving lives. Merely having wide central reservations (i.e. "medians") does little to stop out-of-control vehicles from crossing, lethally, into oncoming traffic. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
The majority of people killed in teen driver crashes are people other than the teen driver themselves, according to a recent analysis of ten years of crash data by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The new analysis shows that young novice drivers comprise slightly more than one-third of all the fatalities in crashes in which they are involved; whereas nearly two-thirds of those killed are other vehicle users and pedestrians. AAA Clubs say these new data provide new urgency to its advocacy efforts to strengthen graduated licensing laws (GDL).... "It's clear from this analysis that we have to approach the issue of teen driver safety in a different way," said Gail Weinholzer, spokesperson, AAA Minnesota/Iowa. "We need to focus on the effects teen driver crashes have on others in addition to the teen drivers themselves.".... While AAA says comprehensive GDL laws are the best way to increase safety for all road users, the organization also says parents play a critically important role in enforcing passenger restrictions. "Regardless of what [the] law says, parents should not allow their teen to ride with other teen drivers, nor should they be allowed to transport other teens in the first year of driving," said Weinholzer. "It's tempting to be lured by the convenience of having other options for getting kids to and from school and practices, but the risks are just too great.".... [Full article to follow, on this DSA web page.] __________________________
Victoria's Opposition wants all young drivers to undergo government-subsidised training with instructors before gaining probationary licences. Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder made the call yesterday as he accused the State Government of skirting the issue of road deaths involving young drivers. "They're playing around the edges of it and they don't want to spend money,'' Mr Mulder said. The Victorian Government will consider a raft of changes to probationary driver regulations after tabling a Young Drivers' Discussion Paper last year.... The RACV has thrown its weight behind reforms suggested in the government's discussion paper and also wants first-year P-plate drivers limited to carrying one passenger.... Full story, from Geelong Advertiser __________________________
Fatal accidents
involving teen drivers leave almost two times as many non-drivers dead
as teens who were behind the wheel, according to a new report.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety said that between 1995
and 2004, nearly 31,000 people were killed in crashes involving
drivers between the ages of 15 and 17. Of the 31,000 dead, 62.5
percent were passengers in a car driven by a teen, in another vehicle
or pedestrians or bicyclists.
CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien spoke with AAA president and chief
executive Robert Darbelnet Wednesday about the findings... Full
article, from CNN
[SMc] __________________________
New teenage drivers are more
dangerous than previously thought: Nearly two of every three people
killed in crashes involving 15- to 17-year-old drivers are people
other than the driver, auto club AAA will announce today.
Teenagers have long been the
riskiest on the road. AAA's analysis shows that unlike elderly
drivers, who mostly kill themselves when they crash, new teen drivers
involved in wrecks have an impact far beyond their own families.
"When we talk about
teen driver safety, it tends to be viewed as a problem that affects
teen drivers," says Robert Darbelnet, CEO of the auto club.
"I don't want to de-emphasize the importance of (teenage)
casualties, but your mother might be in a car hit by a teen
driver."...
AAA plans to use the
findings to push state legislators to enact tougher teen-licensing
laws. Thirty-two states restrict whom new teen drivers can transport
and when they can drive.... Full
story, from USA Today
[SMc] __________________________
Thirteen passengers died instantly and thirteen other were critically injured when their bus collided headlong with a cargo lorry along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on Monday, the traffic police reported here the same day. The early morning crash also destroyed an undetermined quantity of personal property when the 42-seater minibus ferrying passengers to Machakos in the Eastern region rammed into the lorry 15 km outside the capital, Nairobi. Police said the accident that occurred at Mlolongo shopping centre, about 50 km south of Nairobi. The exact course of the accident could not be immediately be determined. The cargo truck was speeding towards Nairobi while the minibus was travelling to Machakos, about 40 km south of Nairobi. Eyewitnesses said the minibus (locally called matatu) driver was allegedly avoiding a pot-hole when he lost control and rammed into the speeding lorry. The driver died instantly. [Source: AngolaPress] __________________________
Competing philosophies clashed at the Statehouse last week and set the stage for a full-blown fight over whether Vermont should strengthen its seat belt law and allow police to stop drivers solely for not being buckled up.... State law now lets police ticket unharnessed drivers only if they are stopped for another violation, such as running a stop sign or speeding. But a bill introduced by Sen. John Campbell, D-Windsor, the majority leader, would make failing to buckle up a "primary offense" and allow officers to stop motorists for that reason alone. The new law would also net the state $3.7 million in one-time federal transportation funds. Campbell's action is countered by competing legislation that not only keeps Vermont's seat belt law a secondary offense, but prevents police from running roadside blockades designed primarily to catch motorists who do not buckle up.... Full story, from Barre Montpelier Times Argus __________________________
....A study released last month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows Kentucky ranks 47th in seat-belt usage, with only 66.7 percent of drivers wearing them. Such statistics have prompted some, including Gov. Ernie Fletcher, to suggest tougher laws. Two bills have been filed for the 2006 General Assembly to make it legal for law enforcement officers to stop motorists just for not wearing seat belts. Indiana, which is one of 22 states with a primary seat-belt law, fares much better than Kentucky on the national study -- with 81.2 percent of drivers wearing seat belts. Indiana's law exempts drivers of pickup trucks. .....Kentucky Rep. Charlie Hoffman, D-Georgetown, who has proposed one of the measures that would make failure to wear a seat belt a primary offense, said he thinks this will be the year the legislature passes a tougher law, after years of defeating similar measures. He expects the bills to be combined into one, debated by the Kentucky House by early February and considered by the Senate before the end of the session. Seat-belt use has been "proven to save lives," Hoffman said. "It's about making roadways safer for Kentuckians."... Read the Full story, from The Courier-Journal. __________________________
13 people died in Sa-kaew province this morning when a pickup truck carrying 23 people rammed into a truck carrying eucalyptus wood. At 4.30 am this morning a pickup truck carrying 23 construction workers from Bangkok en route to Ubonratchathani hit a truck carrying eucalyptus wood, and then lost control and rammed into a second wood-carrying truck that was trailing the first one. A total of 13 people were found dead inside the pickup truck and on the road. 10 others were injured and have been sent to hospital. The accident occured at an intersection in Sa-kaew province's Muang district. [Source: ThaisNews] [SMc] __________________________
It's hazardous to be a teenage driver, or a teenage passenger in a vehicle with a teenage driver. But when a cell phone conversation by a teenage driver is added to the mix, the situation becomes downright dangerous. Under legislation introduced into the Alabama Legislature by Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, drivers under 18 would not be allowed to talk on a cell phone while driving in Alabama. It's a good bill supported by sound research. Lawmakers interested in saving the lives of teens - and of older drivers who share the road with those teen drivers - should support the bill. A report by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds that all drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a crash with injuries when they are using a cell phone. And the risk of crashes are greater whether the cell phone is hand-held or hands-free.... Using a simulator, Ford found that without distractions both teens and adults missed potentially dangerous driving situations about 3 percent of the time. But when cell phone use was added to the tests, adults failed to recognize dangerous driving situations 13 percent of the time while teenagers failed to spot the dangerous situations more than 50 percent... Full editorial, from the Montgomery Advertiser __________________________
In the context of the current crime rate, most citizens feel that disease aside, if they were to meet an untimely end it would probably be at the hands of armed bandits. They would be wrong. As our story today on page 3 shows, an inhabitant of the coastal belt is more likely to be killed on the country's roads than shot by gunmen, or murdered by anyone else for that matter. In 2005, when over 120 people were murdered, 182 lost their lives in traffic accidents. It is an astonishing statistic. According to our report, Traffic Chief Roland Alleyne gave the leading reasons for the fatal accidents as being speeding and dark roads. With reference to the latter it should be noted that just under half of the accidents occurred at night, although whether in every case darkness was the only causal factor involved is not something which is revealed in the figures. It would be interesting to know, for example, whether in some instances where there was poor visibility, drivers were going faster than the conditions warranted, and might have avoided a collision had they only been proceeding more slowly.... Full article, from Stabroek News __________________________
Some 22 persons were killed and 40 others injured in a highway accident at Savar, 40 kilometers north- west of Dhaka, as a passenger bus slipped off the road and fell in a roadside ditch, television channel NTV said Friday. The television said the overcrowded bus was coming to Dhaka from Dhamrai of western Manikganj district. It slipped from the road and fell into the ditch while it was giving side to another vehicle. The television said 19 people were killed on the spot and three others died at the hospital after they were taken there for treatment. Police rescued the 40 injured people from the bus and sent them to different hospitals. [Source: People's Daily Online] [SMc] __________________________
Ad campaign aims at buckling up, slowing down and paying attention. Honey Bee Brenchley went to the spot in Tooele County where a motor vehicle accident killed her 25-year-old son. She saw how many times Courtney J. Florence's body hit the pavement after the Ford Explorer he was driving rolled on Interstate 80 near Delle. She had to address the injuries to her son's body. And she had to decide what he was going to wear and how to comb his hair before the funeral. "Courtney chose not to put his seat belt on that night, and it cost every one of us our lives," Brenchley of Ogden said Friday at a news conference announcing "Zero Fatalities: A Goal We Can All Live With," a campaign to reduce traffic deaths in Utah. The campaign, which includes TV, billboard and radio advertisements, is expected to begin in March. UDOT spokesman Nile Easton said the goal is to make it emotional enough to cause people to stop and reflect. The ads will focus on distracted driving, seat belt usage and aggressive driving. They also will target the rural communities, where at least 65 percent of the fatalities occurred.... Full story, from the Salt Lake Tribune [SMc] __________________________
At least 53 lives could have been saved on South Australian roads if all cars had a technology common in cars overseas. Police and an Adelaide research expert have said while the electronic stability control system is available in some top of the range Australian cars, they want it to be fitted in all cars as standard safety equipment. They say the experience in the U.S. and Europe shows accidents have been reduced with the electronic system, which automatically resists the driver through the steering wheel and brakes to prevent the driver over-correcting when going into a slide. Superintendent Graham Lough said police records showed more than 50 people had died in car accidents in SA, where the driver had lost control and the cars were not fitted with electronic stability control, since December 24, 2004. "We believe that some 53 people were killed as a result of people losing control of their cars," Supt Lough said.... Federal Roads Minister Jim Lloyd said while he was impressed, he felt it was too early to say whether it should be made mandatory in cars. Full story, from The Advertiser Adelaide [SMc]
DSA Comments Despite the excellent research undertaken in the USA, Europe is a long way ahead of America in terms of the proportion of new vehicles fitted with stability control systems, and in particular it is Germany to whom we should all look for extensive real-life experience in this field. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
Most of the people who died or were seriously injured on Tasmania's roads last year were involved in single-vehicle accidents during daylight. The figures found that speed and inattention were the two major causes of crashes last year. More than half of the crashes happened when the driver simply drove off the road. More crashes in 2005 that caused death or serious injury happened on rural roads with 100kmh speed limits than on any other road type.... Young men were the highest risk group but the age group above them, men aged between 30 and 49 years, had the highest fatality number in 2005. While motorcyclists were considerably over represented in the crash statistics with seven deaths and 65 serious injuries last year, more than 75 per cent of the people to die were car drivers or passengers.... Full story, from the Tasmania Examiner [SMc] __________________________
Police say their strategies
for cutting the road toll on the Princes Highway on the NSW south
coast are paying off. The State Government says the provisional road toll for the highway between Wollongong and the Victorian border last year dropped to 13. It is one of the lowest road tolls on the highway for a decade and compares to 24 road deaths in 2004. Sergeant Steve Hegarty from the Shoalhaven says police and the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) have implemented a number of strategies to combat road deaths on the highway. "Police have been targeting the key program areas which is obviously speed, impaired drivers, occupant restraints and driver fatigue," he said. "We've got a new developed intelligence system at the moment, which allows us to identify hot spots, high risk accident areas and obviously the repeat traffic offenders, we've also been working very closely with the RTA which has been giving us extra funding for local operations." [Source: ABC Regional Online] [SMc] __________________________
Bonn: Parents can improve their children's safety by dressing them in bright clothing when they are playing outside at dusk, according to the German traffic safety council. When dressed otherwise, children could possibly be seen too late by drivers. Too many children and youths are dressed too inconspicuously in winter, and they can be especially hard to see between vehicles, the council said. Senior citizens also should dress in bright clothing because they typically need more time to cross streets, the safety council said. Generally, a pedestrian dressed in dark clothing is barely recognisable by a driver from a distance of 25 metres while one in bright clothing can be spotted from a distance of 90 metres, the safety council said. The light reflected off reflective material in outerwear is perceptible from a distance of 150 metres, the council said. Clothing in white or yellow is ideal. [Source: New Kerala] __________________________
The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2006 recognises the importance of transport policy and has underlined road safety and inland waterways as key areas in its work programme. One aim of the Presidency is to promote a Community policy with the declared objective of making roads safer for citizens. The Austrian Presidency also views increased use of inland waterways as an important alternative to the ever-growing haulage traffic on the roads. Modal shift will be promoted with emphasis on environmental conservation and safety. The Presidency also intends to follow up a number of legislative proposals that are important for citizens, such as the European driving licence.... Full text here, from EU Presidency __________________________
In tests of SUVs and pickups by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), the Volvo XC90 is one of few models to earn top ratings for whiplash protection systems. The independent research and safety institute used crash test dummies to register loads on the neck during a simulated impact from the rear. This is the first time the IIHS has carried out a dynamic test with SUVs and pickup trucks. The test was carried out in two stages. First, the seats were measured to determine the head restraints' geometry and to determine the preconditions for protecting the head of a person of normal height. Only seats with good or acceptable head restraint geometry went on to the second stage, the dynamic crash test. Here, a moving platform was used to simulate a situation where a car standing still was hit from behind by a vehicle of the same weight driving at 20 mph. The test method and the evaluation criteria have been developed within the framework of broad international cooperation between experts in preventive whiplash injuries (IIWPG – International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group). Only 6 of the 44 vehicles tested proved to offer effective protection against whiplash injuries. The Volvo XC90 was one of the best. The overall assessment includes both the seats’ measured geometry and the results of the dynamic test. The IIHS emphasizes that effective protection against whiplash injuries is an important factor for reducing both human suffering and the cost of rehabilitation. Collisions from behind are very common and neck injuries are the most common type of serious injury arising from car accidents. According to the IIHS, the key to effective protection is that the seat occupants' head and upper body should move in harmony during the collision sequence. The reason for whiplash injuries is usually that the head cannot keep up with the body as it jerks forward under the force of the impact. For this reason, the seat and head restraint must interact to support the head so that it accelerates together with the upper body. It is also important that the head restraint is sufficiently high and positioned close to the head. “Volvo’s head restraint is designed in precisely this [way],” explains Ingrid Skogsmo, Director of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “WHIPS, Volvo’s Whiplash Protection System that is fitted as standard in all new Volvo cars, is designed in such a way that it ensures both that the head and torso move together, and also that acceleration forces are limited.” More information about the test can be obtained from the IIHS website: www.iihs.org There is also a DSA web page about car safety equipment on which you will find links to articles about head restraints and whiplash protection. [Source: Volvo Cars North America] __________________________
At least 22 factory workers died Friday morning in southern Russia when a train hit the minibus in which they were traveling. The minibus, which was carrying up to 40 workers home from a factory shift, was struck at 8:34 a.m. at an unmanned crossing in the Ust-Labinskiy district of the Krasnodar region, the BBC reported. Another five people were seriously injured in the crash, which reportedly occurred during heavy fog.... Full story, from New Kerala __________________________
The happy mood of Eid-el Kabir celebration [in Benin, yesterday, was] dampened by a fatal multiple road accident that claimed over 48 persons including three children below the age of three. The accident, which occurred at Ugoneki on the Benin-Agbor expressway, involved a trailer, a bus and a Peugeot car. Narrating the accident to our reporter... an eye witness said the road mishap occurred when a trailer... had a burst tyre, veered off its lane and collided with a Toyota Hiace bus... from the opposite direction. The death toll increased when another Peugeot car coming from behind the Toyota Hiace bus also rammed into the trailer.... The accident, which happened at Ugoneki, had four persons, who survived the accident and are currently receiving treatment at Abudu, near Agbor.... The Edo State Sector Commander, Samuel Obayemi, however, said the fatal accident was the fourth in the last five weeks, and warned all motorists to desist from violating traffic rules and regulations. [Source: The Tide, Nigeria] [SMc]
DSA Comments Based on quick calculations, Benin is the 146th country to be featured on the DSA International Road Safety News pages, though clearly at this price we would prefer not to get new countries! Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
__________________________
Survivors yesterday told how the roof peeled from an Egyptian bus as it overturned in heavy rain killing six Australians, including a child. Twenty-five others were injured, six critically. The bus was one of two carrying 80 to 90 mainly police and emergency services workers and their families from Queensland, Victoria and the NT on a goodwill visit organised by the Egyptian Federation of Victoria.... Full story, from The Courier-Mail [SMc]
Two more fatal coach crashes in Egypt -- Click here __________________________
The Defense Department changed regulations Dec. 1 and now requires anyone driving on a military installation to use a hands-free cell phone device. Military police will cite drivers with a $50 ticket for an infraction. The Pentagon changed its regulations to increase motor vehicle safety on its installations. "I don't think anyone should be allowed to use a cell phone while driving period, whether it's hands-free or not," said HM2 Daniel Quick, a National Naval Medical Center dental technician. "Talking while driving diverts your attention away from the road where it should be." A University of Utah study, titled "Inattention Blindness," helped the Defense Department conclude the new regulations are necessary. The 2001 study found a driver talking on a cell phone has a slower reaction time and is more likely to have an accident. Researchers also found that talking on a cell phone while driving impairs a driver's ability to process visual information. Drivers, even when looking straight ahead, may not see objects because their attention is diverted.... Full story, from DC Military __________________________
A tractor-trailer rig slammed into a pickup truck that was stopped in the middle of a fog-shrouded rural highway early Thursday, killing six people, all students or recent alumni of a nearby community college, authorities said. Chief Deputy Jimmy Green said two other young adults in the extended-cab pickup were injured. They were hospitalized but no information on their conditions was available. The pickup had pulled onto Highway 26 from another highway when it was hit about 3:30 a.m. The driver of the rig was not seriously injured, Green said. State troopers have determined the pickup had stopped and was sideways on the highway at the time, said Sgt. Joe Gazzo, a spokesman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol. He said it was unclear why the pickup's driver had stopped. "There was a very heavy fog," Gazzo said. "The 18-wheeler came out of the fog and he couldn't see the pickup and they couldn't see him."... Full story, from Fox News [SMc]
DSA Comments While the above description would suggest that the pick-up driver may have either taken the wrong road and attempted to turn around or perhaps, for some reason, skidded and ended up with the vehicle sideways, there are clearly two aspects to this crash. It must always be remembered that in all circumstances one golden rule of all driving must be: "Never drive so fast that you cannot stop safely, on your correct side of the road, within the distance you can see to be clear." In cases such as this it becomes brutally obvious that this rule must be applied to all types of vehicle and to all types of weather conditions. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., and Director of Policy, Advanced Drivers of America, Inc. __________________________
Two-times Olympic silver medallist Eric Namesnik died Wednesday at a Michigan hospital following an automobile accident last week on an icy road.
Namesnik, 35, was in a medically-induced coma in an effort to
reduce the swelling around his brain, officials said. "The loss of Eric Namesnik is shocking for the entire swimming community," Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming executive director, said in a statement. "'Snik' represented everything great about the Olympic movement. "His work ethic, toughness and dedication were the embodiment of an Olympian and they made him one of the most admired competitors the sport of swimming has seen." Namesnik was the 1992 and '96 Olympic silver medallist in the 400m individual medley. [Source: Reuters] [SMc] __________________________
The first automobile crash in the United States occurred in New York City in 1896, when a motor vehicle collided with a pedal cycle rider (Famous First Facts, by Joseph Kane). The NHTSA has released statistics of cyclist deaths and crashes in 2004, and the numbers make for sober reading. In 2004, 725 cyclists were killed in traffic crashes, and more than 41,000 were injured. This is a sharp increase from 2003's 629 deaths.... and an additional 41,000 were injured in traffic crashes. Pedal cyclist deaths accounted for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities, and pedal cyclists made up 1 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. More than 49,000 pedal cyclists have died in traffic crashes in the United States since 1932 — the first year in which estimates of pedal cyclist fatalities were recorded. The 350 pedal cyclists killed in 1932 accounted for 1.3 percent of the 27,979 persons who died in traffic crashes that year.... Pro Cycling News, at the Daily Peloton, made the following comments: Most fatalities occur in urban areas (66%) between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., during the busiest traffic hours and onset of twilight (30%). [To make a case] for avoiding high traffic areas and improvement and addition of bike paths in the urban environment these statistics are all one needs. The time of the fatalities also points up the usefulness of lights and white or reflective clothing as darkness approaches. 36% of all fatalities occurred not surprisingly during the peak months of riding in the summer months of June through August. Nearly one-fourth (24%) of the pedal cyclists killed had a BAC of .01 or higher, and one-fifth (20%) had a BAC of .08 or higher. (A BAC of 0.08% is the legal limit for drivers in the USA -- DSA.) Full article, from the Daily Peloton. __________________________
The statistics are grim: every sixteen hours a California teenager is killed in a car crash. In an effort to help teen drivers cope with the dangers of the road, AAA of Northern California is launching Driver-ZED, a new computer program designed to teach teens lifesaving driving skills. Driver-ZED is an interactive computer DVD-ROM that allows teen drivers to gain experience at recognizing dangerous driving situations in a safe virtual environment. The software offers more than 80 different live-action scenarios in a wide variety of driving venues. Copies of the program can be ordered at no cost for AAA members at www.csaa.com For non-members the cost is $7. [Source: MyMotherLode.com] [SMc]
DSA Comments At Drive and Stay Alive, we reviewed the earlier version of the Driver-Zed computer program, and it was very good indeed. We have no doubt that this updated version will be even better and at $7 it is immensely good value. After all, any young person's life must surely be worth millions of times that amount. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
The University of Iowa will conduct at study of new teen drivers using video cameras installed in cars. The study will record the actions of newly licensed drivers with cameras mounted near the rearview mirror. One camera will record what's going on in front of the car. The other will record the driver's action. The study will use volunteer students from the Clear Creek Amana school district. Researchers will use the recording to determine what the drivers did right, and what they did wrong. The goal of the study is to help improve the safety of young drivers, who are the most likely to have accidents. The study is funded by American Family Insurance. Researchers hope to expand the study to an urban area, such as the Twin Cities or Des Moines. [Source: WOI] [SMc]
DSA Comments At the risk of sounding cynical or excessively critical, a question should be asked here about the judgment of driving standards. The article states that "researchers will use the recording to determine what the drivers did right and what they did wrong," yet that in itself clearly requires that the researchers themselves have sufficient knowledge of global best practice in the safest driving techniques, in order that they may make the required judgments. The standards of driver training and driving tests, and therefore the standards of the average person's subsequent driving ability in the USA, are reprehensibly low. In addition, several deplorably poor techniques (such as "rotational" or "hand over" steering, as opposed to "pull push", or the universal use of signals before checking mirrors) are still either taught or at least accepted in America. And this could easily be made into a much longer list. So the question is: What will be the driving qualifications and criteria upon which the relevant researchers will base their appraisals? Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., and Director of Policy, Advanced Drivers of America, Inc. __________________________
An Oireachtas Committee has called on the Government to consider holding a referendum on the introduction of random testing of motorists for substance use.... Meanwhile, the Department of Transport has totally rejected claims by the Irish Insurance Federation that the National Road Safety Strategy has failed. The IIF says the three-year strategy, which is already two years old, has failed to tackle road deaths effectively and has not been fully implemented. The department says the current Government is the first to introduce penalty points and a Traffic Corps, and that legislation to cover the introduction of speed cameras is soon to be introduced. The federation says there is a lack of political will on the issue and it is calling for greater action.... Full story, from RTE.ie News Related article
__________________________
Bikers have called on the National Transport Commission (NTC) not to implement a proposed ban on lane splitting by motorcyclists, saying it would increase congestion and accidents. In lane splitting, a motorcycle rider exploits their limited space requirements to manoeuvre their bike through stationary or slow moving traffic.... The MRAA's John Karmouche said there was no evidence that this practice was unsafe, based on available research and statistics. "Some of the anti-lane filtering approach by regulators appears to stem from an attitude that motorcyclists should wait their turn and be treated like other traffic," Mr Karmouche said. "Numerous overseas jurisdictions have either explicitly moved to legalise lane splitting or are in the process of doing so. "Among the jurisdictions are the UK and the Netherlands which have produced sensible guidelines for the practice. "California has legalised lane splitting at all legal speeds on freeways and their experience has shown that there are no specific safety issues involved." Mr Karmouche said The Hurt Report, produced by the University of Southern California Traffic Safety Centre in 1981, found there was an improved margin of safety for motorcyclists when filtering through traffic. "The Hurt Report found the ability to filter between lines of traffic effectively prevents motorcyclists being rear ended, which was a major cause of accidents in traffic." He also cited the Oxford Systematics report produced by VicRoads, in Victoria, which found "that no examples have yet been located where such filtering has yet been the cause of an accident."
DSA Comments Our only observation on this topic is the importance of differentiating between bikes manoeuvering between slower-moving lines of traffic and those bikers who exceed sensible speeds to plough between vehicles that are already travelling at a reasonable rate. The latter is, of course, unacceptable whereas the former -- when done with a modicum of common sense -- can be entirely acceptable. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. (and former UK "advanced" police patrol motorcyclist) __________________________
Aging riders and the repeal of helmet laws are possible [undeniable -- DSA] factors behind the increase.... In 2004, an estimated 76,000 riders were injured and a confirmed 4,008 died in motorcycle crashes, compared with 57,000 injuries and 2,320 deaths in 1994, according to the U.S. agency that regulates auto safety. While there are more riders on the roads than before, statistics show sharp increases in deaths and injuries per mile driven. The fatality rate, for example, has risen from 22.7 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 1994 to 38.9 deaths in 2003, the last year for which the rate is available. The injury rate has gone from 561 to 703 per 100 million miles over the same time period. The numbers are particularly dramatic among riders over age 40 - 1,847 died in 2004, compared with only 541 in 1994, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Federal safety officials don't fully understand the age trend since people tend to be safer drivers as they get older, at least when it comes to cars. But demographics explains part of the puzzle - more new, inexperienced riders are coming into the hobby later in life, and longtime riders are aging. NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said that in multi-vehicle crashes - about half of motorcycle accidents involve only the bike - nearly 80 percent are the fault of the person driving the other vehicle. "What that illustrates is riding a motorcycle needs to be a much more defensive activity than if you are driving something else," said Tyson, himself a rider for more than 35 years. "Motorists either can't see you well or didn't see you at all or misjudged your speed. All those things can be factors." Tom Lindsay, a spokesman for the American Motorcyclists Association, which represents 260,000 members, said he thinks law enforcement needs to get more aggressive about penalizing at-fault drivers. NHTSA has found a strong correlation between states that require helmets and crash outcomes.... For example, Florida eliminated its helmet law in 2000. Motorcycle deaths increased in that state 81 percent when comparing 2001-2003 to 1997-1999. The national death numbers for the same period increased 48 percent, NHTSA said. Some of the increase could be attributed to more bikes on the road. "When a state repeals its helmet law, we see an increase in injuries and fatalities almost without fail," Tyson said. "California has been wise to resist any effort to repeal its helmet law." [Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety] is lobbying to increase the number of states with all-rider helmet requirements from 20. Seven states have repealed their helmet laws since the late 1990s, said the group's president, Judith Lee Stone.... The safety group said that motorcycles make up less than 2 percent of registered vehicles and less than half a percent of all vehicle miles traveled, but their riders account for more than 9 percent of traffic fatalities nationwide.... __________________________
Capt. Ray Madrigal, newest member of Ukiah's California Highway Patrol Office, considers his role as a communicator and educator inseparable from his duties as a police officer and hopes to continue in these roles in his new job as Ukiah CHP area commander.... "I don't think enforcement is always the best way to solve a problem," said Madrigal. "Ultimately we're after voluntary compliance." While in Ukiah, Madrigal said he intends to focus enforcement efforts on catching DUI suspects, speeders and those who don't wear seat belts. These are the statewide goals for CHP and Madrigal thinks they should be local goals as well because these three violations contribute to the highest number of traffic fatalities. Madrigal also plans to implement the Start Smart program in Ukiah. This is a program through which CHP will educate new teenage drivers on the responsibilities involved in driving a car. "I don't think children understand the gravity of driving a car," said Madrigal. Drivers safety classes will last a couple of hours and Madrigal hopes Start Smart will help young drivers learn how to be safe in a car and let them know that the CHP cares about their safety.... Full story from the The Ukiah Daily Journal [SMc] __________________________
The number of fatal road traffic crashes fell in 2005 compared to the previous year – giving the lowest figure for 10 years. There were 35 fatal crashes in 2005 compared to 48 in 2004. The number of people who died in these collisions also fell from 58 in 2004 to 47 in 2005. No children died on the county’s roads last year. Superintendent Steve Turnbull who oversees road policing for Cumbria Police said: “Every fatal collision brings tragedy. Families and friends all suffer as a consequence. “It is the aim of the police to reduce the number of collisions and casualties on Cumbria’s roads. “We are very pleased that the number has reduced so dramatically during 2005. “A considerable amount of time, effort and money is invested by all the organisations who have a responsibility for road casualty reduction in the county".... Full story from the News & Star [SMc] __________________________
Last year, road accidents in the Czech Republic claimed the lives of the lowest number of people in 15 years, Police President Vladislav Husak and traffic police representatives told journalists today. A total of 1,127 victims perished on the roads in 2005 which is 88 fewer than in 2004.... Full story, from the Prague Daily Monitor [SMc] __________________________
176 people lost their lives over the Christmas, New Year and Three Kings holiday, 39 more than during the same period last year, according to General Traffic Department (DGT) statistics made public today. Between the 23rd December and midnight last night, there were a total of 152 fatal accidents, which also left 86 people seriously injured and 91 others less seriously so. A DGT spokesman explained that although it has been the second least tragic year since 1987, fatalaties were 39 up on last year, when 137 people died. In 2003-04, there were 195 deaths, nine fewer than 2002-03, when 204 people were killed. There were 222 deaths in 2001-02, but the worst results were recorded in the years 1988-89 and 1989-90, when the totals reached 317 for two years in a row. The same source pointed out that there were far fewer deaths in 2004-05 owing to the fact that many drivers had decided to cancel their journeys because of poor weather conditions. The highest number of casualties this year were recorded on the 1st and 3rd January, when 17 people died each day, followed by Tuesday 2nd, when there were 15 deaths. By region, the regions most seriously affected were: Andalucía (30), Castilla La Mancha (28), Valencia (22), Cataluña (18) and Galicia (15). La Rioja was the only region where there were no fatal accidents. [Source: Think Spain] [SMc] __________________________
Young drivers may be getting cheaper car insurance but the costs of irresponsible driving remain dire. Insurance company Suncorp today launches a new motor insurance offer to drivers 24 years of age and under. The policy — Suncorp’s Family Discount — allows driver’s under 25 with a clean driving record 60% off a standard premium if one of their parents has a rating one and takes out a GIO motor insurance policy.... According to Suncorp, an 18-year-old female from Rockhampton with two year’s experience would pay $684.06 instead of $1197.12 to insure a 2003 Holden Barina. Full story, from Mackay Daily Mercury [SMc] __________________________
F1 Racing legend Nigel Mansell is to be the new President of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). Mansell passed his Advanced Driving Test last August, 19 years after scoring his first Formula One victory at Brands Hatch. "I believe driving expertise isn't just for the race track," said Mr Mansell. "My grandfather always told me that it is no good lying on a hospital bed saying ‘But I had the right of way’. That is why drivers can gain so much from preparing for their IAM test. "I am honoured to take the Presidency of such a well regarded organisation and I hope that in this, its 50th Anniversary Year, we can inform and educate more drivers and riders than ever before,” he said. Welcoming the appointment, IAM Chairman John Maxwell said: “I am delighted that Nigel has accepted the invitation to be our new President. He is a well respected public figure, with immense driving experience. As well as his legendary track record, Nigel has consistently campaigned for safety on the road and I know that drivers of all ages will regard him as a leading proponent of safety, both on and off the track.” With 31 Grand Prix wins, Nigel Mansell already has his place in the Formula One Hall of Fame. He has joined racing drivers John Surtees, the late Graham Hill, Sir Stirling Moss and motorcyclist Geoff Duke who have all passed their IAM test. [Source: IAM] __________________________
Four bicyclists died and eight others were injured when their group was hit by a car. The group, which included adults and children, were on the A547 Ludland Road near Abergele in North Wales when the accident happened. They were hit by a Toyota Corolla travelling towards Towyn. Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called out and four cyclists were pronounced dead at the scene. North Wales Police said eight other casualties were taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, some with serious injuries. The dead were confirmed as three men and a boy, North Wales Police said. Four of the other cyclists were seriously hurt, but their injuries were not life threatening. Three suffered minor injuries, and there was "no information" on the condition of the eighth, a police spokeswoman added. [Source: The Scotsman] [SMc] __________________________
Sixteen vehicles collided on an icy road near the city of Kocaeli, 80 kilometers east of Istanbul, on Sunday. Twelve people were killed and forty-four were wounded, including four heavily, HaberTurk television channel said with the reference to the Kocaeli governor. The wounded were taken to hospitals in Izmit, Kocaeli and Derince. The traffic on the Ankara-Istanbul highway was suspended because of the traffic accident, the channel said. [Source: ITAR-TASS] [SMc] __________________________
The express ways linking the
metros under the Golden Quadrilateral project could get emergency
centres for treating accident victims under a proposed collaboration
with Indian doctors in the United States.
According to the American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), it wants to utilise its expertise
in treating accident victims in India which has one of the worst
records of road accident deaths in the world.
"We are planning setting up
emergency centres on the quadrilateral express ways," says Dr
Vijay Koli, president of AAPI, who signed an agreement with the
Ministry of Overseas Indians Affairs (MOIA) yesterday to help develop
a comprehensive primary health care set up in the country.
Though India has only one per cent of the
world's total roads, the country accounts for 10 per cent of the
world's road accident deaths. About 90,000 people die in India every
year in road accidents, the most in the world, according to the Safety
and Quality Forum of the Institute of Engineers (India).... Full story, from Webindia 123 [SMc]
DSA Comments While we have made these points before, they clear warrant repetition. Firstly, if the 90,000 annual deaths is an accurate figure for India, the country actually has about 7.5% of the world's road crash deaths, as the global total is around 1.2 million [WHO]. Secondly, China undoubtedly has far more road deaths each year. The Chinese government claim the figure is around 105,000 road deaths annually, but well informed organizations calculate that figure to be much higher. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
In Wallingford, the Central District and other neighborhoods across Seattle and the rest of King County, pedestrians know they are at risk. The streets and traffic here are much too mean, particularly along the arterials. A 2005 study for Public Health-Seattle & King County found pedestrian deaths account for nearly 20 percent of traffic fatalities here, compared with just 12 percent statewide and 11 percent nationally. Annually, the county has about 25 to 30 pedestrian deaths, with about half occurring in Seattle. In recent years, many local cities have made efforts to reduce the number of fatalities and serious accidents for pedestrians. Last year, for instance, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched a campaign to improve safety through intersection improvements, law enforcement and driver and pedestrian education. Other cities have their own innovations, including a pedestrian flag system in Kirkland. There's a good chance to bring more coordination to the efforts later this month. Public Health, County Executive Ron Sims and others will host a Jan. 19 pedestrian safety summit to share ideas, discuss options and develop strategies.... More recently, studies and national experts have suggested that the health benefits of walking are so great that cities ought to consciously promote pedestrian options. That trend, however, underlines the need for safe conditions. David Levinger of Feet First, a Seattle-based pedestrian advocacy group, says the best way to understand the seriousness of the local safety problem is to talk with residents. "There is really a concern among people in sending their children out to walk," Levinger said. The summit should provide new ideas in such areas as dealing with traffic speed, how to involve businesses and more of the community in safety and what works around the country. But the ultimate measure of success over time will be whether people feel they can walk some distance without having to worry about traffic safety for themselves or children. Full story, from the Seattle-Post Intelligencer
DSA Comments Pedestrian safety, and particularly pedestrian safety facilities, are areas in which it is fair to say that the USA is badly lacking. Although it has the appearance of a "chicken and egg -- which came first?" situation, we believe it likely that the historical lack of safe facilities to cross the roads was a catalyst for the "must drive everywhere" mentality that now prevails and the result of this is that many Americans generally don't even get the exercise of walking from store to store. If pedestrian deaths are to be cut, it is vital that all relevant authorities develop the political willpower and serious investments necessary to improve safety facilities dramatically. And one of the first priorities should be the standardization of pedestrian crossings, nationally, instead of the wide variety of designs currently in use -- many of which are barely visible to drivers, and a large number of which do dangerously live up to the ludicrous description of "unmarked crossings"! Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
.....Dr. Robert Foss, an alcohol specialist at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, says the strongest deterrent to drunk driving is certainty -- not severity -- of punishment. That's where efforts by [North Carolina] and others fall short. Drunk drivers don't believe they'll get caught.... Changing that perception requires a two-pronged effort. One is enforcement: many more traffic checkpoints at a wider variety of locations and hours of the day. The other is publicity: Make sure the increased use of state and local checkpoints is widely publicized. The goal is not only to arrest more drunk drivers; it is also to make the public keenly aware that the odds of getting caught have significantly shifted. More state troopers, more checkpoints and an intense public awareness campaign should be a consistent part of the state's anti-DWI efforts. Other changes would help, too. Among them: • The state can confiscate automobiles used by drunk drivers, but law enforcement officials need to be better informed about using that authority. • The state can require offenders to install ignition interlocks that require a driver to pass a breath test before starting the vehicle. The task force found that while 13,000 arrested drivers in recent years could have been required to have interlocks, only 3,500 were required to do so. That tool should be used much more often. North Carolina has basically good laws about drunk driving. The task force tells how to make them better. What's needed is will and resources. Read this interesting article, from the Charlotte Observer (And well said, Dr. Foss!) __________________________
Many drivers are blithely unaware of the hi-tech safety devices fitted to modern cars that silently keep them from danger. We put four volunteers in a 1990 car to see what happens when you take away the [safety technology]. Twenty-first century cars come with an armoury of safety systems, from ABS (antilock braking) to Sips (side impact protection system), ESP (electronic stability program) and the dangerous-sounding Whips (whiplash protection system). Nonetheless, fewer than 30% of those questioned in a recent survey by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders had heard of ABS, even though it is now standard on all new mass-produced cars. Only 5% were versed in the benefits of ESP. Drivers increasingly take for granted that their car will meet high standards of safety. A campaign by European governments and competition between manufacturers have led to a steady increase in the number of gadgets and systems to warn drivers of dangers and prevent them losing control of their vehicles. Recent innovations include lane departure warning systems, blind spot protection, which issues a visual or audible warning when an object enters the driver’s blind spot, and brakes that are applied automatically if sensors tell the car it is in danger of colliding with an object ahead. But as cars get better at keeping out of trouble some experts worry drivers are getting worse — cocooned from danger, unaware how fast they are going or how slippery the road is, and less aware of other vehicles. The Sunday Times decided to put four motorists to the test to see how they would cope in a car with no “active” safety features at all. With an expert sitting alongside them we would assess how well they reacted to hazards and difficult conditions without the unseen protection of a battery of electronic guardian angels.... Read this important, interesting article, from The Times __________________________
One of Britain's biggest car insurers has become the first to offer 'no claims bonus' discounts to drivers named on others' policies. The offer will benefit the huge number of young drivers who start off their motoring careers as named drivers on another person's insurance policy, by allowing them to build up a no-claims discount if they do not make a claim. If Direct Line's move is seen as successful, it is likely the rest of the car insurance industry will follow suit – slashing the costs for fledgling motorists. Due to sky-high premiums, young drivers often begin driving life as named drivers, but then struggle to take out their own policies in later years as they have not built up a 'no claims bonus'. The move will also benefit the millions of experienced drivers who have built up 'no claims bonuses' but are then at risk of losing them due to sharing a car with wives, husbands and partners. Under Direct Line's plan an 18-year-old who spent three years as a named driver and did not make a claim would build up a 50% discount if they switched to a policy in their own name, aged 21. [Source: This is Money] [SMc] __________________________
The glass-shattering destruction of vehicle crash tests — inflicting massive trauma to a car's front end or side — happens in a matter of seconds. For the engineers who conduct the tests, the process is painstaking: an individual test can take days to set up and several hours to analyze. The results are closely watched by automakers and safety-conscious consumers. But with many of the same systems in place for years, the crash test programs conducted by the government and the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are facing a period of transition. "Almost by definition they have a limited lifetime," said Brian O'Neill, the recently retired president of the institute, which is funded by the insurance industry.... The government's watchdog group, the Government Accountability Office, said last year that the [NHTSA] program — started in 1978 — needed improvements in order to remain relevant to the modern mix of sport utility vehicles and light trucks in the vehicle fleet.... NHTSA and the Insurance Institute, which has its crash tests featured on "Dateline NBC," conduct their tests differently. On frontal tests, the government has the full front hit a barrier at 35 mph, while the institute's test has a barrier strike part of the front end at 40 mph. For side tests, the government's program measures the equivalent of a passenger car striking another passenger car in the driver's side at 38.5 mph, while the institute simulates a sport utility vehicle striking a passenger car at 31 mph.... "Doing well in a NHTSA test definitely does not guarantee they will do well in our test," said Raul Arbelaez, a senior research engineer with the IIHS.... Read the full, informative article, from Mlive, Michigan __________________________
Automakers are increasingly courting twenty-something motorists. Among offerings to young drivers are compact, affordable vehicles that don't scrimp on technology and give owners plenty of ways to customize. Automakers are desperate to reach the Generation Y market of about 70 million people to build a base of loyal customers. Several are expected to showcase a range of smaller models aimed at young buyers during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens to the public on January 14th. In recent years, automakers have worked to make cars customizable, fun to drive and compatible with MP3 players and i-Pods. They also have started publicizing vehicles at concerts and nightclubs and on the Internet. [Source: Wood TV] [SMc] __________________________
The Inspector General of Police, Ousman Sonko, has announced that records by the Gambia Police Force has indicated that road accidents have reduced to a level of 28%. [sic] According to the IGP who was addressing his men at the end of year [march-past] last week attributed such accidents to careless driving and negligence on the part of drivers. [Source: The Point] [SMc] __________________________
Fatalities due to car accidents rose 20 percent in 2005, according to a local NGO tracking Lebanon's traffic. "This year was a very tough one," said Ziad Akl, head of the Youth Association for Social Awareness (YASA) International, a non-governmental organization that has been lobbying to improve road and traffic conditions in Lebanon since 1994. "Official reports show there were over 700 victims of car accidents in 2005, pedestrians included," he added. "New Year's Eve was a catastrophe, as usual," he said. "That night counts as many road accidents as the entire year." During this year's celebrations one of those accidents happened near the Chouf village of Kfar Him in which a nine-year old boy who was playing with fireworks on the highway at 11:30 p.m. was hit by a car. "The highway was badly lit," one witness said. "Besides, highways are not the perfect place for little boys, especially on New Year's Eve."... Full story, from The Daily Star [SMc]
DSA Comments The figure we have for road deaths in Lebanon for 2004 is 397, which would suggest a rise or around 80 deaths for 2005. (See our multi-country table for road deaths and death rates in 2004, here.) Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
Spiralling road carnage in the Republic [i.e. Southern Ireland] is in stark contrast to the latest statistics from Northern Ireland, which reflect the lowest death toll there in over half a century. To its shame, the Republic of Ireland is the only state in Europe where road deaths are on the increase. The Government’s collective handling of this grave issue is so inept that it has been accused of criminal negligence -- a damning charge levelled by Eddie Shaw, former chairman of the National Safety Council. Disillusioned, he resigned that post in protest over the Coalition’s mealy-mouthed performance in tackling road carnage. Sadly, 399 people died on our roads last year, a depressing increase on previous years and the worst death toll since 2001, when 411 people were killed. With 2006 hardly a week old, there have already been five fatalities. [Source: Irish Examiner] [SMc] Related story.....
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The road accident fatality rate was a national disaster of the worst proportions, said the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) on Friday. Satawu's Ronnie Mamba said the union was disturbed to learn that the "road carnage" had again claimed more than 1,000 people's lives on the roads during December. "Statistics received indicate that in just 30 days [South Africa] lost 1,162 people [in road crashes]. "This means the country has been losing 39 people every day to car accidents. Even viewed against war scenarios such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, the casualties on our roads come out worse," Mamba said. The death toll since the start of the December holidays climbed to 1,254 on Friday after a crash in the eastern Free State on Thursday night in which six people, among them five-year-old twins, were killed and 21 people were injured. Apart from the emotional cost of losing loved ones, Satawu also noted the staggering implications this had for the national budget. It was estimated that last year's accidents cost the government more than R30bn. "This is equivalent to the government subsidy for public transport for the next 100 years," said Mamba. [Source: News 24] [SMc]
DSA Comments The analogy to war deaths is both accurate and very telling but in truth it is not known to many people and is not mentioned often enough. It is commonly claimed that the world's first fatal road crash involving an internal combustion engine vehicle resulted in the death of pedestrian Bridget Driscoll, in London, 1896. The first driver/passenger deaths are said to have occurred on 25 February, 1899, also in what is now London. This was allegedly due to a rear wheel collapsing, as a result of which the driver, Edwin Sewell, and his passenger, a Major Richer, were both thrown from the vehicle and subsequently died. The location, at Grove Hill, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, is now marked with a commemorative plaque. Since that time, it is said that motor vehicle crashes around the world have claimed the lives of more people than all of the wars in history, combined. Given that road crashes now claim an estimated 1.2 million lives worldwide, each year, and this figure is rising fast, we believe this claim is impossible to dispute. Take, for example, the U.S. fatality figures for the Vietnam War. About every 14 months, America's roads claim more lives than were lost in combat in 9½ years in Vietnam. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
Pretoria - The Department of Transport has embarked on a programme to have learners from grades one to nine study road safety as part of the mainstream school curriculum. This move throws more weight behind efforts to reduce fatalities on the country's roads by educating the nation's children on road safety, the departmental spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said.... In the lower grades, pupils will be taught about traffic signs, while learners in the higher grades will deal with more complex traffic laws.... [Source: Bua News - Government Communication and Information System] __________________________
Pardon me, I wasn't paying attention. That's the problem we all face as drivers from time to time. We drive with too many distractions. Trust me, I know because I've got four kids. The noise from the back of my van can be very distracting. I appreciate my "selective hearing" as my wife would put it. I tend to block out the dull roar of the kids. We try to reduce the distractions while driving by giving the kids something to do. They look at books, read, play games or sometimes we put on some music they want to hear. Other distractions we face aren't as easy to put aside. Some are man-made distractions. Cell phones are a major distraction these days. We do our best to help the driver with hands-free devices giving us two hands on the wheel. That's a good idea, but is it good enough?... We can control most of the distractions we face as drivers. Staying focused on driving can be distracting enough, never mind trying to talk on the phone, drinking coffee, eating a jelly donut and talking to passengers...all at the same time!.... Full story, from Hamilton Mountain News [SMc]
DSA Comments Hmmmm.... This is an interesting article, and it's on the right lines, but in some areas it does not go into sufficient detail or address global "best practice" as it should. For example, no mention is made of the fact that extensive research has shown that using any cell phone -- hand-held or hands free -- has a dire effect on the mental activity of a driver and results in a distraction level somewhat worse than that driver being the legal (0.08% BAC) blood-alcohol limit. All cell phone use by drivers should be discouraged and preferably banned if safety is the main aim. It is a simple matter to check one's voicemail after a journey or during a rest break. On a less-commonplace but still potentially deadly matter, the subject of trash in the car should have included the risk of items rolling forward, or even being thrown forward during braking, and potentially getting underneath the pedals. Bottles and cans are the worst but by no means the only dangers in this respect. DSA report from the first International Conference on Distracted Driving, Toronto, October 2005. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
Ludhiana: To control the increasing traffic and road accidents in the state, a State Road Safety Council will be constituted.... This was announced by Transport Minister Mahinder Singh K.P while addressing a function at Children Traffic Park here today. He said senior officers and representatives of many organisations and non-government organisations would also be included in the committee. The Transport Minister was addressing the gathering organised during the Road Safety Week being celebrated from January 2 to 8. Stressing the need for awareness among public about the traffic rules, K.P. said, ‘‘To impart training to people about heavy vehicles and lights, a training centre is being constructed at Kapurthala on 14 acres of land in collaboration with Tatas.’’ He said that at present, 37 lakh [i.e. 3,700,000 - DSA] vehicles are running on roads in the state and every year two lakh new vehicles are added, so the number of road accidents is increasing. To cope with it, road signs have been installed on highway roads but for these the people must be aware about traffic signs and so the week is being celebrated.... Full story, from Express India __________________________
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Volkswagen now offers new integrated child seats in the Passat and Passat Estate. The seats for children between three and twelve years old (weight class II to III) offer protection for frontal, rear and side-on crashes. They are operated with minimum effort and are fully collapsible in the rear seat bench. Around 50 percent of all child road casualties die as passengers inside vehicles because they were not or were wrongly secured. According to European studies more than half of all child seats are wrongly fitted or used. Integrated child seats minimize these risks, as wrong fitting is not possible. There is no annoying fitting and removal of often bulky mobile child seats.... During a crash, the rear section of the raised seat surface automatically sinks in a fraction of a second, effectively preventing the child from slipping under the belt. This intentional and controlled "collapse" of the booster, systematically absorbs impact energy. This patented mechanism protects most during frontal collisions. Seat height and side head restraint ergonomics allow an optimal command of the three-point belt. The three-point belt buckle has been modified to extend the belt during impact to enable soft cushioning. Numerous crash tests confirm the protection offered by the integrated child seats in the Passat in frontal and rear-on collisions as well as side impact collisions. All specified European safety norms have been fulfilled.... Full story, from Motor Trend [SMc] __________________________
Francisco Garcia-Caro, the head of the Alicante Traffic Police yesterday stated that last year had been an exceptionally bad one for fatal road accidents in the Province. With 120 serious accidents and 138 deaths, these figures put Alicante at the top of the list of road fatalities for last year, with a 10% increase in the number of people who died when compared to 2004. According to Col. Garcia-Caro, the worst zone for accidents is the passage of the N-332 main road through Torrevieja. However, when asked his opinion on the reason for the increase of road deaths, the colonel expressed the view that this was probably due to drivers from North Africa or Latin America, who did not understand Spanish sufficiently or who had not enough experience behind the wheel. He added that by far the largest number of fatal accidents -- 38 -- were caused by the driver falling asleep, whereas only 21 were caused by an excess of speed, 9 as a result of driving on the wrong side of the road, 18 were caused by drivers breaking the regulations of the Spanish highway code and 8 were accidents when pedestrians were fatally run over. [Source: Think Spain] __________________________
Almost a third of young people killed in accidents on Scotland's roads were from the Strathclyde area. Latest figures show 81 young drivers and passengers died in road accidents in Scotland last year - 24 of them from the west of Scotland. Grampian was just behind with 22 deaths - despite having a much smaller population. It has led to concern from motoring groups about the standard of driving by young people. And it has raised suggestions that insurance firms should offer discounts to novice drivers who take additional courses.... Edmund King, of the RAC Foundation, said he was appalled by the figures. He added: "There is a danger we are becoming complacent about what is a massive problem. "We'd like to see insurance firms offer big discounts to young drivers who have taken an additional Pass Plus course."... Full story, from the Glasgow Evening Times [SMc]
As holidaymakers head back home and traffic volumes increase on the country's national roads, National Transport Department spokesperson Collen Msibi says the death toll is still down from last year. It now stands at 1167 compared to last year's figure of 1 237. Mr Msibi has attributed this year's reduction in road deaths to the department's zero tolerance attitude towards reckless driving, saying that the Arrive Alive campaign was geared to saving lives and "unnecessary" financial losses. However, he said, the worrying factor for the department was an increase in the number of pedestrians killed this year. Many were killed while trying to cross national roads while under the influence of alcohol.... Since the launch of the Arrive Alive campaign in 1997 to promote and enforce road safety in South Africa, it's been reported that road fatalities decreased by an average of 7,4 percent over the first four phases. Full story, from Bua News [SMc] Related story....
The department of transport says it is concerned that almost all of the 499 pedestrians who died on the roads during the festive season died because they had taken alcohol. The department also attributes some of the deaths to pedestrians not wearing visible clothing, especially on busy roads. Pedestrians account for a large number of fatalities on South Africa's roads during the festive season. The department's records show that holiday season casualties for the period between December 2004 and the beginning of January 2005 totalled 488. The latest figures released by the transport department's Arrive Alive campaign for the same period - from December 2004 to early 2005 - show that the number of pedestrian deaths has increased. "We have 499 pedestrian deaths on our roads, averaging 15 a day and many of these are attributed to drunkenness as well as night-time walking," said Ntau Letebele, the national department of transport spokesperson. Wayne Minnaar, the metro police spokesperson, said that pedestrians caught walking on freeways will be stopped and issued a fine of R100. [Source: SABC News] [SMc] __________________________
Children are no safer riding in sport utility vehicles than in passenger cars, largely because the doubled risk of rollovers in SUVs cancels out the safety advantages of their greater size and weight, according to a study. Researchers said the findings dispel the bigger-equals-safer myth that has helped fuel the growing popularity of SUVs among families. SUV registrations climbed 250 percent in the United States between 1995 and 2002. "We're not saying they're worse or that they're terrible vehicles. We're challenging the conventional wisdom that everyone assumed they were better," said Dr. Dennis Durbin, a pediatric emergency physician who took part in the study, published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics. Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said he had not seen the study but cited government research released last summer that found SUVs have become less top-heavy since 2000 and made dramatic improvements in rollover resistance. "SUVs have an exceptional safety record and are safer than or as safe as cars in the vast majority of crashes," Shosteck said.... Full story, from Yahoo! News
DSA Comments For the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to suggest that "SUVs have an exceptional safety record and are safer than or as safe as cars in the vast majority of crashes," is -- to say the least -- disingenuous. That claim also very conveniently ignores the danger that SUVs pose to ordinary-sized sedans and station wagons, and the occupants of those smaller vehicles in the event of a collision, or to pedestrians, or to young drivers who are too inexperienced to drive an SUV. The AAM and Eron Shosteck do nobody a favor by pronouncing that everything in the garden is rosy. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
A Robert Doyle government would enforce a minimum of 120 hours' practice for young drivers wanting to get a licence, the State Opposition Leader said yesterday. Mr Doyle said he would trust parents to oversee a compulsory logbook ensuring learners drive in all conditions. "As a parent, who's going to put their hand up and would lie about signing off on their children having had that experience?'' he said.... He said education was one of the last remaining areas to reduce the road toll, which last year was 348, five more than the year before and 18 more than in 2003. "In roads, vehicle safety and legislation - introducing more severe penalties, we have got it right,'' he said. "You can never legislate for idiots. (But) we need to give young people the tools they need to be better drivers if we want to reduce the road toll.'' Full story, from the Geelong Advertiser [SMc] __________________________
On the last business day of 2005, Transport Canada released its tally of collisions and casualties for 2004. The report confirms that the number of collisions causing injury or death is decreasing, even though there are more drivers and vehicles on the road than ever before. In 2004, there were 2429 fatal collisions, and 148,865 crashes which resulted in injury but not death.... Transport Canada also analyzes the location of collisions. In 2004, 106,117 crashes causing a fatality or personal injury occurred on urban roads and streets. Another 43,046 occurred on rural roads. Although there are fewer collisions classified as rural, this type of crash is much more likely to result in fatalities. Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics, 2004 is available on Transport Canada's Road Safety web site. The statistics are collected annually by all provinces and territories, and are sent to Transport Canada for inclusion in the National Collision Database. [Source: BodyShop Biz]
Addendum: The 2429 fatal collisions referred to above seemingly resulted in 2730 actual deaths -- Science Daily; January 7, 2005. __________________________
Annual road deaths in Japan dropped to 6,871 -- a 49-year low -- the National Police Agency said Monday. Japan Times online said 2005's total reflects a decrease of 487 fatalities from 2004. The number has dropped for five straight years and dipped below 7,000 for the first time since 1956. The death toll for 2005 was just 40 percent of the figure for 1970, when traffic fatalities hit a postwar record of 16,765. Traffic death figures only count people who die within 24 hours of an accident. The agency attributed the improvement [to] stiffer penalties for traffic violations, a rise in seat-belt use and improvements in life-saving technology. A revision to the Road Traffic Law that took effect in November 2004 apparently limited accidents involving drivers using cell phones, which became a new offense under the law. Further steps, especially those addressing elderly drivers, are needed to achieve the government's goal of reducing the annual death toll to fewer than 5,000 by 2013, agency officials said. [Source: United Press International] [SMc] Identical theme....
The number of deaths on Sweden’s roads has dropped to a level not seen since the Second World War. Vägverket, the Swedish Road Administration, announced on Monday that there were 440 traffic-related deaths in 2005. Those numbers represent 40 fewer deaths and a drop of eight per cent from 2004 when 480 road deaths were reported. The improved safety record was most pronounced on smaller roads and among pedestrians, cyclists and moped drivers. The improvements come despite a rise of one per cent in the total amount of traffic on Swedish roads.... Children are among those benefiting from improved safety, says Vägverket. The 2005 preliminary numbers show that 11 children aged 0-14 died while twice that amount died in 1996. 118 children within the same age range were killed in 1970 comparatively. The use of seatbelts climbed marginally by a half per cent. It is estimated that nearly 93 per cent of drivers and front-seat passengers buckle up.... The number of newly sold cars with anti-skid braking systems (ESP) reached over 80 per cent in 2005. Vägverket pointed out that is the highest representation in the world. The final figures for 2005 will be released in April. Full story, from The Local [SMc]
DSA Comments We have three comments regarding the above two stories: Firstly, the reference to "anti-skid braking systems", above, may suggest ABS to some readers, but the "ESP" (Electronic Stability Program") gives away the true meaning. Stability technology is undoubtedly going to play a major role in increased crash reduction over the coming years. Secondly.... Our congratulations to all road safety professionals in Sweden. What a wonderful achievement! And thirdly.. Our identical congratulations also go to all road safety professionals in Japan. We suggest that readers also view the Drive and Stay Alive "Focus for the Year", below, particularly in relation to the death toll and death rates for the U.S.A. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. ___________________________
Eleven schoolboys were killed and 14 seriously injured early Sunday when a truck reportedly ran into them on the Indonesian island of Madura. The high school students were walking alongside a road in the town of Pamekasan when the vehicle struck them. An official at the town's hospital said the students died on the scene. Four of the most seriously injured were transferred to a hospital in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province. A local policeman told the Antara news agency that the truck driver fled the scene but was arrested later. The victims were all either 15 or 14 years old. [Source: CBC Calgary] [SMc] ___________________________
Icy and slippery roads in Italy were blamed yesterday for separate accidents that killed at least eight people and temporarily closed parts of highways, according to police and news reports. The most deadly accident happened near the central town of Pratola Peligna, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Rome, and involved two buses, a truck and several cars, police said. Five people were killed, including a 38-year-old Austrian man, and between 17 and 20 people were injured. The accident apparently happened when the truck slid on the ice and lost control, causing the cars and buses to slam into it, police said. Separately, heavy rain in southern Italy caused a head-on crash between two cars that killed three people on a highway about 165 kilometres (100 miles) south of Naples, Italian news agencies reported. Snow and thick fog enveloped most of northern and central Italy, and temperatures in the north dropped as low as -17 Celsius (1.4 Fahrenheit). [Source: The Jamaica Observer] [SMc] ___________________________
In Britain, between the years 1935 and 1954, there was a dramatic reduction in accidents among the Metropolitan Police drivers, following the introduction of Approved Police Driving Schools in 1935. Figures produced by the UK Home Office showed that the use of advanced driving techniques in the Metropolitan Police reduced accidents to one-sixth of their previous total. A group of people from that Road Safety Congress subsequently decided to form what we now know as the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Throughout 1955 they formed a Steering Committee with the result that the IAM was registered on March 10, 1956, with the stated aims of improving driving standards, promoting road safety, and establishing an advanced driving test for all drivers. No longer would the skills be confined to police officers. In 1958, recognising that advanced drivers represent a 'selected risk', a number of Lloyds underwriters began offering a 20% discount to members. In 1996, the IAM celebrated its 40th anniversary with many activities over the whole country, the launch of it's own website (based on a web server sitting on top of a fridge in a flat in Manchester -- how things have changed!) and looks to the future with a range of new initiatives, including a campaign to target younger drivers. In this year, the IAM also won the Prince Michael Road Safety Award. In the year 2000, the IAM carried out it's 300,000 advanced driving test, and introduces a £10.00 Discount Voucher scheme to encourage the 'most at risk' generation (i.e. those under 26 years of age) to benefit from the life saving possibilities of taking and passing the IAM Advanced Test. Read the full IAM history, split into two periods: 1956-1979, and 1980 to the present day. See also our article on RoSPA/ADA (RoADA) being 50 years old, this year - 2005.
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January 1, 2006: New Zealand -- Lowest Road-Death Toll Since
1963