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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
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February 2006
There is an unnecessarily high death and injury toll on the roads of Papua New Guinea. Some accidents would not have happened if the roads were up to required standards.
There are other road accidents that are caused by factors such as
driving while under the influence of alcohol and stress or fatigue. Read the Article, from The National __________________________
A quarter of Australian men aged under 25 admit to driving
under the influence of illicit drugs, according to a major car
insurer.
AAMI released a drug-driving fact sheet, a compilation of
drugs-related statistics from the insurer's annual and independent
poll of young drivers' attitudes.
"One in four Australian men under 25 admit to driving
under the influence of recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine,
speed or ecstasy," AAMI said....
The AAMI Young Driver Index is an annual survey of 2,500 young
motorists. It is conducted nationally by independent group Sweeny
Research. Full
story, from The Age
[SMc] __________________________
The Illinois House of Representatives unanimously approved
legislation backed by Secretary of State Jesse White and State
Representative John D'Amico (D-15) to strengthen the Illinois
Graduated Drivers license program including increasing the amount of
practice time young drivers will need before being able to obtain an
Illinois driver's license....
House Bill 4768 would require parents to spend 50 hours with
their child in the car, including 10 hours of night driving, before
the young person would be eligible for an Illinois driver's license.
In addition, parents would have to sign a form before the student
would go to get the license.
Illinois law currently requires parents to spend 25 hours with
the student driver behind the wheel, and signing a consent form before
the student receives a driving permit.... Full
story, from Canton
Daily Ledger
[SMc]
__________________________
A new program targeted at young drivers is set to bring home
the consequences of reckless driving on the region's roads.
With statistics revealing that the actions of drivers between
the ages of 17 and 25 are contributing "highly" to the
State's road toll, police from the Dubbo PCYC together with the Local
Area Command have hatched a plan to attack the serious problem of
young driver fatalities.
The PCYC is now taking bookings for the MAD (Making a
Difference) Driving Program, which will be held next month to educate
young drivers on all levels of their responsibilities on the road.... Full story, from Dubbo Daily Liberal [SMc]
__________________________
Almost half of young drivers regularly speak on mobile phones
and send text messages while behind the wheel, a survey shows.
And about a quarter of them have driven more than 140km/h.
The annual Safe Drive Young Driver survey, done by
Brisbane-based company Safe Drive Training, asked more than 3000 young
drivers between the ages of 17 and 20 about their driving experiences
and their attitudes towards it.
The survey commissioned by car manufacturer Proton uncovered a
host of alarming figures.
Forty-four per cent of respondents admitted they regularly used
mobile phones, for both voice and SMS, while driving.
Twenty-six per cent admitted driving at more than 140km/h,
despite most being P-platers, and 64 per cent said they had been a
passenger in a car that had exceeded 140km/h.... Full story, from the Melbourne Herald Sun [SMc] __________________________
Driving experts say the biggest challenge for the new teen
driver is simply surviving those first, all-important years behind the
wheel.
Although the number of traffic deaths and injuries has steadily
declined over the past decade, road crashes remain the leading cause
of death for young people in Canada.
Across North America, governments, the insurance industry and
parents are looking for ways to keep young drivers safe on the road.
Measures have gone beyond graduated licence
programs to tracking devices in cars that allow parents to monitor the
speed and whereabouts of their teen drivers, to legislation being
considered in Ontario that would deny licences to teens who drop out
of high school before age 18.
Joe Sears of New Brunswick, a veteran instructor with Young
Drivers of Canada, says he thinks it's time for Canadian governments
to demand more frequent and rigorous driver examinations.... Full story, from The London Free Press [SMc]
__________________________
EUROPE
February 27, 2006: Europe Must Do Better on Road Deaths - Commission
Roads deaths in the European Union were 8,000 less than 2001,
according to figures released by the European Commission.
The Commission released figures on Friday, February 24, showing
the efforts made in the European Union since 2001 on road safety.
Considerable progress has been made, especially in some Member
States. In 2005, there were 8000 fewer road deaths than in 2001.
However, the Commission says not enough progress has been made
and more effort is needed, at national and European level, to achieve
the objective of halving the number of road deaths by 2010....
The Commission currently has plans to launch new initiatives
once the revised Transport White Paper has been adopted, this being
expected at the end of April. The informal Council of Transport
Ministers will discuss road safety in Bregenz (Austria) on 2 and 3
March. Full story, from the Transport News Network [SMc]
__________________________
Thirty-two persons perished and five others are still lying
critically ill in hospital, following an accident that occurred on
Friday on the Birnin Kudu-Kano road.
Agency reports indicate that the accident occurred when two
mini-buses collided at Kwanar Huguma at about 8.00 p.m.
The driver of one of the buses, with registration number, XA
369 MBD, said to have left Kano for Gombe, attempted to overtake
another vehicle and in the process had a head-on collision with
another bus which was travelling from Birnin-Kudu to Bigidan.
An eyewitness, Malam Adamu Ali, who claimed he was the only
passenger to have escaped without injury, was reported as saying that
all the 32 dead passengers were burnt beyond recognition.
Meanwhile, the Jigawa Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Abba
Kukuma, as well as police and road safety officials have visited the
scene of the accident.
All the 32 dead passengers were given a mass burial. [Source:
The
Tide] __________________________
Responding to the weekend death of an officer -- the sixth over
the past five months -- California Highway Patrol Commissioner Mike
Brown today ordered commanders of the agency's 108 local offices to
make time for employees to grieve.
He also expects the commanders to provide training sessions
that would include a review of safety policies.
"As far as the highway patrol goes, as far as the number
of incidents, with the number of fatalities,'' Brown told a news
conference, "we have nothing like this in our history, 76
years.''... Full
story, from The
Mercury News [SMc]
__________________________
A garage in Okayama entrusted with vehicle safety inspections by the Construction and Transport Ministry passed about 4,000 vehicles without actually inspecting them, police have learned. According to the Hyogo prefectural police, the garage, Fujiwara Jidosha Seibi Kojo, approved vehicles without checking them for three years beginning around autumn 2002. Although the ministry's Okayama transport branch audited the garage once a year without notice, it failed to discover the fraudulent inspection scheme. The ministry's failure to notice the scheme is likely to attract criticism.... Full story, from the Daily Yomiuri __________________________
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a warning that manually adjusting automatic slack adjusters [i.e. in large trucks] is dangerous.... These adjusters are required on certain air-braked vehicles manufactured on or after Oct. 20, 1994. Motor carriers must ensure that the devices are properly maintained....
Manually adjusting automatic slack adjusters should be done only
during installation or for an emergency move to a repair facility, the
NTSB said. This practice also can cause abnormal wear to the internal adjusting mechanism, which can lead to brake failure, the board said.... Full story, from eTrucker __________________________
Tennessee has ended its policy of issuing "certificates for driving" to illegal immigrants, citing federal investigations that uncovered applicants using fraudulent documents — and even bribing state workers — to obtain driving privileges, officials said on Friday. The state began giving immigrants the certificates in July 2004, with the hope of balancing domestic security and traffic concerns. The cards give holders the legal right to drive but, unlike driver's licenses, they are not to be used for identification purposes. For instance, they cannot be used to board an airplane. By doing so, Tennessee officials had hoped to solve a problem that has bedeviled other states, including California, where some lawmakers continue to press for full driver's licenses for illegal immigrants despite opposition from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Tennessee model was criticized early on from diverse quarters. Anti-immigration forces worried that it gave legitimacy to illegal immigrants. Immigration-rights groups feared that police and others would be confused, and therefore inconsistent, in dealing with cardholders.... Full story, from the LA Times __________________________
Federal agencies under the Bush administration are systematically gutting state regulations aimed at safeguarding the public and consumers from corporate wrongdoing, while imposing new rules to protect private industry from civil lawsuits, according to an investigation published in the February 19 edition of the Los Angeles Times.... New pro-industry rulings are often inserted into legislation designed to regulate on behalf of the consumer, as with heightened vehicle roof safety standards imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last August. Hidden within new rules purportedly designed to require tougher safety standards for vehicle manufacturers was protection for those manufacturers from future roof-crush lawsuits. As examples of similar measures the Times [cites] the NHTSA’s support for the auto industry’s bid to quash attempts by California and other states to regulate tailpipe emissions linked to global warming. The agency maintains that such regulations would signal “a backdoor attempt by states to encroach on federal authority to set mileage standards, and should be preempted,” according to the paper.... In many cases the relationship between the executive boardrooms and the Bush administration verges on the incestuous, as the Times highlights in relation to the auto industry. The Times states, “Industry executives, lobbyists and lawyers have shuttled through jobs in the highway safety agency and other departments over the years, but in the Bush administration, auto industry ties have grown more conspicuous. [Examples are given, including] ...Acting head of the highway safety agency, Jacqueline Glassman, who was a senior attorney for DaimlerChrysler Corp. before joining the agency as chief counsel in 2002.... Full story, from the World Socialist Website __________________________
The
death
toll in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck in
South Africa on Saturday morning has increased to 24, plus six
critically injured, according to the South African media.
The
accident occurred on the N2 freeway outside Port Elizabeth, a southern
port of South Africa, at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) when the bus
and
the truck carrying dairy products crashed into each other, leaving the
bus driver and his passengers killed instantly, the SAPA news agency
reported....
South
Africa's road-vehicle collision and fatality rates compare poorly with
those of most other countries, according to the country's road safety
awareness advocator Arrive Alive Campaign.
Every
year, about 10,000 people are killed and 150,000 injured in
approximately 500,000 accidents, said the organization. Full story, from China View __________________________
At least 20 people were killed in a traffic accident in Cusco,
around 1,200 km southeast of the Peruvian capital, Lima, Peruvian
police said on Friday.
The accident occurred Friday in the Llacta Praire area when the
truck carrying over 30 people and agricultural produce crashed into a
rocky outcrop on its way from Ollantaytambo to Quillabamba. [Source: China View] __________________________
Drink driving is endangering lives every day but the message
just isn’t getting through.
Almost a third of the 329 fatalities on Queensland’s roads
last year involved alcohol-related crashes.
At this week’s Road Safety Summit aimed at cutting down the
state’s appalling road toll, the government flagged a “three
strikes” approach to impound the cars of repeat drink drivers.
It also suggested fitting alcohol ignition locks to cars of
drink drivers with a BAC of more than 0.15% after their second
offence.
Yet on the eve of the summit, the ninth Queensland police
officer to be caught drink driving in just over a year was preparing
to face court.... Full story, from Sunshine Coast Daily __________________________
Euro NCAP Awards a Two Star Strike-Through for the new Chevrolet Aveo In recent years, the increasing number of cars obtaining top marks for adult occupant protection in Euro NCAP's tests has led some to demand the introduction of a new benchmark and a sixth star. However, results announced today by Euro NCAP prove that whilst some manufacturers are forging ahead in their safety development, others still have a long way to go. Of the six cars tested by Euro NCAP in this recent phase, only two achieved the top five star accolade for occupant protection in Europe's leading independent crash tests. "I am pleased to see that two of the six cars have achieved a maximum five-star rating for adult occupant protection. It is reassuring that more and more car companies are now placing an emphasis on safety and we are happy to recognise their achievements. However, we want to encourage the highest levels of safety in all cars and, in that regard, there is still work to be done. Euro NCAP will continue to provide consumers with the best information available regarding the safety of new cars. The Chevrolet Aveo was singled out by Euro NCAP for the unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury to the drivers chest, which was highlighted by the frontal test. As a result, the cars final star was struck through. Although the Aveo scored enough points overall to qualify for three stars, Euro NCAP insists on a minimum level of performance in each of the frontal and side impacts." While the Aveo's performance in side impact was good, it did not score enough points in the frontal test to be given a three-star rating. Yet, the Chevrolet was not the only car to come under Euro NCAP's scrutiny. The Kia Cerato obtained poor results in the side impact tests with a high risk of injury to the drivers chest. In contrast, the Peugeot 207 joins the growing list of super-minis to be awarded the five-star Euro NCAP rating in adult occupant protection, proving that even the smallest of cars can be safe on European roads. The Alfa Romeo 159 also received impressive results for its adult occupant protection with a five-star Euro NCAP rating. This is the first Alfa Romeo to have received five stars in Euro NCAP's adult occupant protection test. More worrying were the Alfa Romeos pedestrian protection results: only a one-star rating. [Euro NCAP's front impact test is conducted at 64km/h (40mph) into an offset deformable barrier, the side impact test 50km/h (30mph), the pole test at 29km/h (18mph) and the pedestrian tests at 40km/h (25mph).] Further information: www.euroncap.com __________________________
Maintenance shops that are bases for the crews that clear snow in winter and fix potholes in summer could be closing. The Saskatchewan Highways Department has slated seven of the shops to close, saying some are old and decrepit while others are too small for plows and trucks. Furthermore, the budget for upgrades is limited, it says. However, the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union warns the closures could make the roads more dangerous.... Full story, from CBC __________________________
Westchester County’s Department of Probation and its Stop/DWI program have been chosen to receive the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Public Service Award for 2005. Westchester is one of only 15 programs nationwide to receive the award for helping to prevent DWI incidents on roadways Westchester was singled out for the excellent performance of the Probation Department’s DWI Enforcement Unit, which works to keep probationers convicted of DWI from repeating offenses. The unit, which has 14 officers who oversee about 1,300 cases, uses a number of innovative approaches to make sure that probationers remain alcohol and drug free. Probationers must participate in treatment programs and may be required to have their cars fitted with interlock devices. The devices require the driver to blow into a sensor that checks alcohol levels and prevents intoxicated drivers from starting the vehicle. The department’s “Operation Night Watch” program conducts surprise night time visits to probationers to make sure that they are staying sober and staying off the roads. The probation department also conducts Victim Impact Panels with Mothers Against Drunk Driving during which offenders hear from victims about the impact drinking and driving has had on their lives and the lives of their family members.... Full story, from Westchester.com __________________________
Dearborn police will educate students in the program about risks of careless driving.
Attention, teen drivers: The place you're speeding from may
land you a spot in the area you hate the most -- a classroom.
Dearborn District Judge Richard Wygonik has helped to create
the 19th District Court Juvenile Division Traffic School for young
people who commit driving-related civil infractions and misdemeanors
in the city. The class is expected to start within two months, Wygonik
said. Wygonik, along with 19th District Chief Judge Mark Somers and Court Administrator Sharon Langen, created the program to address youth traffic safety issues. The program, which will start about every six weeks, is funded through a $25 fee paid by participants; no tax money will be used. "This is an opportunity to alert them to the rules of the road and to focus on things young drivers need," Wygonik said. "A lot of their problems are different than adults'. We don't know the quality of driver's education they have gotten. This is something to increase our role in making the community a safer place and to improve our roads.".. "If we can get to them young, we can move a long way to improving our roads and making sure the kids get through their young lives without hurting themselves or someone else," Wygonik said. Full story, from The Detroit News __________________________
Crash rates for young
beginning drivers are much higher than for older drivers. This
videotape listens to 16 year-olds tell why they want their driver's
licenses and what driving means to them. Parents of teenagers who died
in crashes tell how the tragedies happened and how their families have
been affected.
The focus is on ways to reduce the crashes by limiting higher
risk driving by beginning 16 year-olds. Graduated licensing laws on
the books in most states are helping to do this, but parents should
introduce their own restrictions — limit the hours teenagers are
allowed to drive unsupervised and limit passengers (especially other
teens) in the car with a teenage driver. Parents also have to make
sure the beginning drivers in their families get plenty of supervision
behind the wheel. These measures can save lives while teenagers learn
to drive and become more mature. [Source: Autochannel]
__________________________
The Sikeston Department of Public Safety will again participate
in Operation Safe Teen, a statewide enforcement and educational
program to reduce injuries and deaths among young drivers on Missouri
roadways.
This is the second year DPS has participated, according to
Sikeston D.A.R.E. officer Keith Hente. “Last year we did two
checkpoints,” he recalled.
The program will begin Monday and will run through March 17
during which time checkpoints will again be part of the program.
While some tickets are likely to be issued at checkpoints,
writing citations is not the program’s goal.
“We’re just trying to promote seat belt usage,” Hente
said. “The main reason for the checkpoint is to stress the
importance of seat belts.”
While seat belts are the focus, officers at checkpoints will
also make sure drivers have a valid driver’s license and current
insurance on their vehicles, he said.
As the program is geared toward promoting seat belt usage among
teen drivers, the provisions of the law that make safety belt usage a
requirement of the intermediate license will be enforced....
Authorities advise the best way to ensure you “arrive
alive” is to buckle up every time you get into a car. Full story, from Skieston Standard Democrat [SMc]
__________________________
Driving alone can be very scary for some, especially
inexperienced young drivers. Car insurance can compensate us for many
road accident eventualities but being attacked when out in the car
alone can be a terrifying, life changing ordeal that many do not fully
recover from.
If you’ve ever had that feeling that another car is following
you through a long, dark country lane or been nervous about venturing
across a multi storey car park unaccompanied at night then read on for
some advice of how to deal with these unpleasant situations.
A road trip action plan for young drivers
Plan your journey – go online and plan your journey or sit
down with a map and road atlas to work out your route. GPS satellite
navigation systems are also very useful, although a bit pricey, but
you may be lucky enough to already have one installed in your car.
Get breakdown cover - many motor insurance companies will offer
this service for a small fee. It provides peace of mind that in the
event that you breakdown all alone in the middle of nowhere on a cold,
dark blustery night someone will be along very soon to help.
Rest breaks – it is advisable to take breaks from driving
when travelling long distances. If travelling alone make sure that you
stop at respectable looking service stations and ensure that there are
plenty of other people around. If you feel uneasy about entering an
unfamiliar public toilet alone then alert a member of staff that you
are going into the toilet so that they can send for assistance if you
are a long time returning. Full
story, from Daily India
[SMc] __________________________
More people than ever are
turning their cars into personal phone booths, with a million and a
half drivers gabbing on cell phones at any given time. Women and young
people are the most common yakkers.
About 10 percent of the people on the road during the day
are using cell phones, up from 8 percent in 2004, the government
reported on Thursday.
Six percent of drivers were holding the phones to their ears,
up from 5 percent last year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which
issued the report, recommends that motorists use cell phones while
driving only during an emergency.
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia
prohibit talking on hand-held cell phones while driving. The new data
could add fuel to the debate over whether drivers should be limited in
their use of cell phones on the nation's highways.... Full story, from Montreal Gazette __________________________
€100 million have been made available from the Sixth Framework Programme for Research that will advance the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians. This background note provides information about a few key projects, many of which feed into European and international working groups on vehicle safety and supports European transport and industrial policies. The APROSYS project is looking to make a specific contribution to reducing road deaths among 4 specific groups: car occupants, motorcyclists, truck occupants, and pedestrians and cyclists. Results will include new mathematical models of the human body to help with car design; a worldwide, harmonised female crash test dummy for side impact testing; new tools for design, implementation and evaluation of intelligent safety systems; test methods and protection systems for injury reduction. Other key areas are:
Full article here, from Europa
DSA Comments All research to help reduce road deaths must always be welcome, but if one reads -- for example -- the section in the full article about 'Improved safety through car-to-car communication', it states: "A vehicle sends a warning message when it detects a breakdown, high traffic density, congestion, or dangerous road surfaces. This allows early warnings to be sent to other vehicles on the same road, and makes it possible to brake early when a car hidden by the one in front is already braking." We would strongly suggest that unless such projects are paralleled by major educational and enforcement campaigns, such a boost in engineering will see only modest gains in casualty reduction. It is a well known fact that many drivers, when given safer vehicles, simply drive with less care because they feel cocooned in safety. And in this example it is highly likely that drivers would recklessly drive even closer to the vehicle ahead, in the belief that the early warning 'gadget' would protect them. Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc. __________________________
The European Commission today published figures showing the efforts made in the European Union since 2001 on road safety. Considerable progress has been made, especially in some Member States. In 2005, there were 8000 fewer road deaths than in 2001. But not enough progress has been made and more effort will be needed, at national and European level, to achieve the objective of halving the number of road deaths by 2010. “The progress we have seen must be an incentive for everyone to do more still”, said Jacques Barrot, the European Commission Vice-President responsible for transport. Since 2001 and with the European Road Safety Action Programme adopted in 2003, the European Union has helped to put road safety at the top of the agenda of the Member States' political concerns. Several Member States which had not yet done so have now adopted national road safety plans, often taking over the common target of halving the number of road accident victims. In 2001, 50,000 people were killed on the roads in the countries which today make up the European Union. The joint target proposed in 2001 and updated after enlargement in 2004 is that by 2010 there should be no more than 25,000 fatalities a year. The figures for 2005 show there were about 41,600 road deaths, a fall (albeit too small) of 17.5% over 4 years. At the present rate, there are likely to be 32,500 road deaths in the European Union in 2010, not [the target] maximum of 25,000....
The Commission currently has plans to launch new initiatives once the
revised Transport White Paper has been adopted, this being expected at
the end of April. The informal Council of Transport Ministers will
discuss road safety in Bregenz (Austria) on 2 and 3 March. __________________________
The Police Traffic Division is reporting an increase in the number of fatal traffic accidents for the first 46 days of 2006, when compared with the co |
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