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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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In the brochure titled: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-makers and Practitioners published Aug. 29, WHO experts said wearing a helmet is the single most effective way of reducing head injuries and fatalities resulting from motorcycle and bicycle crashes. About 3 million people in Taiwan ride motorcycles to work every morning and the first thing that these motorcyclists do before riding off is to put on their helmets, an action that was extremely uncommon prior to 2000, when the authorities made wearing a helmet mandatory for motorcyclists and scooter riders. Full story, from CNA [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from All Africa [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from All Africa [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from Yahoo! Finance Australia [SSC] __________________________
Two Clackmannanshire school buses have been taken off the road after failing police safety checks. One of the vehicles was found with faulty brakes and the other failed a check on its emergency exit. Police said they were disappointed to come across un-roadworthy school buses during the first week of the new term. Checks carried out on lorries and buses across Clackmannanshire resulted in a further seven vehicles being found with mechanical defects. Full story, from BBC News [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from RTE News [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from News-Medical [SSC] __________________________
Everyone who wore a seat belt, and had a driver's license, parking permit and proof of insurance got a reward. "We think this is a more positive way, or approach, to the idea of safe driving," said Sgt. Fowler. Full story, from WLOX ABC 13 [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from Bloomberg [SSC] __________________________
Following pressure
raised by social groups and members of parliament expressing doubts over
the effectiveness of speed governors in reducing accidents, the
government has ultimately admitted that the devices have failed to
resolve the problem. Full story, from IPP Media [SSC] __________________________
Seventeen people were killed and 26 others wounded, in a road accident that took place in Stat, Morocco, on Wednesday morning. Of the wounded people, 12 were reported to be in critical condition, the Moroccan News Agency said, adding that the accident took place when a bus carrying 50 passengers overturned while on its way to Casablanca due to over-speeding and the driver's carelessness. [Source: Bahrain News Agency] [SMc] __________________________
Yesterday morning at a press conference, Rescue Director Dan Durham and Taylor Regional Hospital Trauma Coordinator Carol Wright launched the start of an effort to help Taylor County drivers "Arrive Alive" at their destinations. In the coming months, residents in the community will hear more about "Arrive Alive Taylor County," the community traffic safety team begun in January. The team includes representatives from the hospital, rescue, law enforcement, media, the state Transportation Cabinet, alcohol and drug awareness agencies and more.
Several
issues are factors - driver inattention, speed, alcohol and drug use,
seat belt usage and more. But it all boils down to one thing - educating
ourselves about safety on the roadway. Full story, from Central Kentucky News-Journal [SSC] __________________________
Ford's new sporty S-MAX has achieved a class-leading five star rating under the Euro NCAP crash test protocol. Together with Focus, Ford now offers two vehicles that achieved a maximum rating in Euro NCAP. With two stars and 13 points, Ford S-MAX also achieved a competitive result for pedestrian protection. "Through our comprehensive safety approach we are continually improving the active and passive safety of our vehicles," said Gisbert Gaeb, manager vehicle safety, Ford of Europe. "With the new S-MAX, we have further enhanced our Intelligent Protection System (IPS) by introducing a driver's knee airbag in combination with a sophisticated collapsible steering column and an ultra stiff body structure. This five-star performance in the Euro NCAP tests clearly underlines our no-compromise strategy to safety." Full story, from Car Pages [SSC] __________________________
Police chiefs are discussing plans for a new super force of traffic officers to patrol the district's motorways and major routes. The new Yorkshire-wide traffic team - which would cover routes such as the M62 and M606 - would represent the biggest shake-up of road policing in decades. The move, which could cut carnage on the district's roads, comes just days after the T&A launched a major campaign urging drivers to take more care and cut the high number of road deaths. Our Be Safe Not Sorry campaign is urging road users to do their bit to contribute to road safety and it has won widespread backing from the police, fire service, ambulance service and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.... Full story, from This is Bradford [SMc] __________________________
After a summer off with no school buses to look out for, drivers may be unaware they are back on the roads and oblivious to the danger drivers can put children in. A lot of responsibility lies on the bus driver to make sure children get to and from school safely, but the extent to which they can protect a child only goes so far. Two veteran bus drivers and the Drivers Training Safety Director spoke to The Macomb Eagle on what students, parents and teachers can do to stay safe while riding the bus, and what drivers can do to help keep children safe. The first person to see a child after he or she is sent off in the morning and the last person to see a child after school is the bus driver. Do you know who’s taking care of your children? Full story, from Eagle Publications [SSC] __________________________
Secretary of State Jesse White announced Tuesday that a task force will consider new restrictions on teen drivers, beyond recent state laws aimed at reducing the number of fatal traffic accidents involving young people. White said the 27-member panel of legislators, educators, law officials and safety experts will hold hearings in Chicago, Carbondale and Springfield in the next 45 days and come up with recommendations that may be taken up by state lawmakers during the November veto session. "The longer we wait, the more lives that can be lost," White said at a Chicago news conference. "Perish the thought as to how you would feel if it was your child or my child because we delayed this process." Full story, from State Journal-Register Online [SSC] __________________________
Ford's car sales in Russia will double to an estimated 120,000 units in 2006, half of them produced locally, the head of the Russian unit Henrik Nenzen said on Wednesday. Foreign car sales in Russia have been booming over the past five years as incomes rise amid record world prices for Russia's main export commodities of oil, gas and metals. Ford is the market leader in Russia. It became the first foreign company to open a large plant in the country near the Western city of St Petersburg. But as demand for its cars rises it has to import vehicles from abroad for domestic sale. Full story, from Yahoo! News [SSC] __________________________
More than 20 local
authorities have been given a month to remove dangerous flaws in their
"inadequate" safety plans for temporary road surfaces or face legal
action. The move follows a nationwide HSA investigation into the management by county councils of speed limits and signage at temporary surfaces. The investigation started shortly after the Kentstown school bus crash in Co Meath last year in which five schoolgirls died. HSA inspectors visited 104 sites across each of the 29 main local authorities last September amid increasing concerns over traffic safety measurers at temporary road surfaces. Sites directly under the council's control and those where a contractor was at work were visited. Full story, from The Irish Times [SSC] __________________________
Full story, from The Australian [SSC] __________________________
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration vindicated Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm last week. Ditto Republican state Reps. Roger Kahn of Saginaw Township and John Moolenaar of Midland, both of whom were on the losing side of a senseless vote this year to repeal the state's motorcycle helmet law.... ...Overall highway deaths rose 1.4 percent last year, the agency said, for the first time in 20 years. The 43,443 people who died on U.S. roadways in 2005 was the highest number killed since 1990. Leading the list of culprits for the increased highway carnage: Motorcyclists not wearing helmets.... Full story, from The Saginaw News [SMc] __________________________
DSA Comment:
I suspect that it
is fact the Swedes at Volvo whom we may truly have to thank for the
potential benefits of the four-point seatbelt system. When I was
fortunate enough to be invited to Manhattan in 2003 to drive the Volvo
safety concept car it was fitted with four-point belts. In terms of
obtaining a huge boost in safety standards Ford's purchase of Volvo in
2000 was a brilliant move. __________________________
Papier-mache elks are being used to remind Swedish drivers of the dangers lurking along the side of the road.
Police say about
35,000 elk are hit on Swedish roads each year. Some 9,000 car travelers were stopped during last year's campaign. [Source: UPI] [SSC] __________________________
He may not be as well
known as Tiger Woods or Lance Armstrong, but in his field, specific as
it is, he is just as celebrated. Full story, from The Vancouver Sun [SSC] __________________________
The newly
established United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)
kicked off its work this weekend with an initiative by UN police to
raise awareness in the small nation about traffic rules and regulations.
Full story, from UN News Centre [SSC] __________________________
The bill
was filed by State Senator Tom Torlakson. It creates a "double-fine
zone" on Vasco Road between interstate 580 in Alameda County, and Walnut
Boulevard in Contra Costa County. In all, 16 people have died on that stretch of road over the past six years. [Source: ABC 7 News] [SSC] __________________________
It's known as "Blood Alley," but one of
the deadliest two-lane stretches of State Route 18 is about to become
one of the safest. Full story, from King County Journal [SSC] __________________________
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and DaimlerChrysler have teamed up to produce After the Crash, a national, traveling photo exhibition that provides a glimpse into the lives of 10 families changed forever by underage drinking and driving. Launched today in Detroit, the exhibition aims to educate teens and their parents about a tragic consequence of underage drinking -- devastating motor vehicle crashes -- as well as the ongoing and critical need for victim support. "The powerful images of these 10 victims convey the enormous effects that underage drinking and driving can have on people and families. Teenagers drinking alcohol is not only illegal but often times a lethal combination with tragic results and consequences," said Glynn Birch, MADD national president. "When tragedy does occur, the public should know where to turn -- to MADD. We have free resources available including grief counseling, and legal and financial guidance." Full story, from The Auto Channel [SSC] __________________________
But,
unlike terrible toupees and cosmetic surgery, these words aren't a
last-ditch denial of the signs of ageing. Recent research has found that
modern cars have a blind spot at the front of the vehicle, obscuring up
to 4.5m of the driver's view.
DSA Comment:
This claim that the A-pillar (America: "A-Post'') is somehow a new blind
spot is a totally fallacy. The metalwork that supports the
windscreen/windshield has existed since cars were invented. Indeed, the
driver's side A-Pillar has been responsible for the deaths of countless
thousands of motorcyclists around the world due to them being hidden
from a driver's sight at a junction/intersection. This is, therefore,
not a new problem but greater roof strength does require stronger
supports and A-Pillars have undoubtedly become broader, reducing a
driver's view still further. It is, of course, any driver's vital
responsibility to check A-Post blind spots by simply moving his/her head
to look around the metalwork. __________________________
Instructors of driving schools are to mainly blame for the high rate of failure in driving tests, says an official of the Department of Traffic and Patrol Police. Instructors look for short-cut and to make their work easy, they convince trainees after a while that they have learnt perfect driving and so should take the driving test, Second Lieutenant Abdullah Al Haddad, from the test panel at the department, told an in-house magazine in an interview. The rate of failure in the driving tests is high but it is not because the department has a policy to fail people or have a fixed quota for those to be passed. "It is because the tests are of a high standard as road safety is a major concern of the department," he pointed out. Full story, from The Peninsula Online [SSC] __________________________
One of the
grimmest facts about traffic accidents is that children are often the
victims, and often the cause as well. Many accidents are caused by
children running across a road, drivers swerving to avoid them, children
distracting drivers within a car, or by a child who steps off a kerb
without watching for oncoming cars. Full story, from Dubai City Guide [SSC] __________________________
Victoria Police will begin testing and charging motorists for use of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, from Friday 1 September 2006. Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Noel Ashby said police were giving drivers advanced warning about the new legislation.
“Police currently
test drivers for cannabis and methamphetamine and from Friday, we will
begin randomly testing for ecstasy,” he said. Full story, from Victoria Police [SSC] __________________________
Over the last year, the Heart of Illinois has seen an epidemic of teen driving deaths, and now a statewide effort is underway to prevent more tragedy. The Secretary of State has created a task force to examine the current graduated driver license laws and see what more can be done to keep young drivers safe. Tuesday was the first meeting of the Graduated Driver License Task Force. The group combines state agencies with local leaders to help keep Illinois' teen drivers safe behind the wheel. Local driver's education teachers say it's a step in the right direction.... Full story, from WHOI [SMc] __________________________
BEIJING - You can't teach an old dog new tricks. A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday…. The woman, identified only be her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua. "She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car."… Full story here, from Xinhuanet and AP, via MSNBC [SW]
DSA Comment: The Chinese have already stolen Rover! (British joke!) Perhaps the lady and her pooch were just looking for a good place to bark? On a serious note, however, it is astonishing how often one sees people driving with a dog in their lap, here in Western New York state (USA). What is it that such people do not understand about the word ‘insanity’? Eddie Wren, Executive Director, Drive and Stay Alive; also Director of Policy and Training, Advanced Drivers of America. __________________________
Thanh Nien newspaper will cooperate with Ho Chi Minh City traffic police next month towards a September free of road accidents by running photos and articles on traffic wardens ‘in action’. Thanh Nien Sunday had a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City road traffic police to discuss the “traffic safety month” in September in the city. At the meeting, Thanh Nien has agreed to continuously post photos of traffic policemen and wardens while regulating traffic especially at rush hour, thus helping the city police commend or discipline those fulfilling or failing their duties. The city traffic police also said they would assign a team to film traffic officials at duty next month. Full story, from Thanhnien News [SSC] __________________________
There have
been a recent spate of traffic collisions. Full story, from Wetaskiwin Times Online [SSC] __________________________
__________________________
Cumbrian firefighters are revamping their road safety training for secondary school pupils in preparation for the new academic year. The programme promises to be more hard-hitting with the introduction of a graphic half-hour DVD film, featuring vivid images of previous road accidents. Its screening in secondary schools across Cumbria will run alongside the current road safety training given by firefighters. It is hoped the new-look programme will further help cut the number of deaths involving young people on the county’s roads. Full story, from News & Star [SSC] __________________________
The company's program culminates in a package of protection systems as standard equipment on 99% of its passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. John Mendel was chief operating officer at Mazda North America three years ago when he heard that American Honda was promising an industry-leading package of safety equipment on its mainstream models by 2006. Mendel vividly recalls going to his boss at the time and saying, "The oven just got hotter." Now it is Mendel stoking the safety fires as senior vice president of Honda Motor Co.'s Torrance-based U.S. automotive operations. Full story, from The Los Angeles Times [SSC] __________________________
Officers from fourteen agencies are joining forces to conduct saturation patrols in northern and eastern Kern County. Funded by a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration, officers will identify and arrest drunk drivers before they are involved in drunk driving crashes. “Avoid” programs in California are named for the number of police agencies in each county participating in the project. The Avoid program in Kern County has grown from 11 to 14 agencies in the past six months. The Shafter Police Department was awarded an Avoid grant in 2005. Now fourteen of the premiere law enforcement agencies in Kern County are working together to improve the safety on our roadways. The agencies are the Arvin, Bakersfield, Bear Valley, California City, California State University Bakersfield, Delano, Ridgecrest, Shafter, Stallion Springs and Taft Police Departments, California Highway Patrol, Kern County Sheriff and Probation Departments and Alcohol Beverage Control.
Full story, from One Bakersfied Online [SSC] __________________________
A sharp fall in the number of fatalities in Melbourne's south-eastern corridor, anti-speed measures and a new strategy for catching drink-drivers are propelling Victoria to its lowest ever recorded road toll, despite the deaths of two people at the weekend. Record high petrol prices are also lending a hand. The toll stood at 201 yesterday, 31 fewer than last year and 23 fewer than at the same time in 2003, the year the state recorded a low of 330 deaths. In fact, road fatalities for the past year to midnight Saturday were 314, compared with a previous five-year average of 378 to the same time of year. The biggest gains were in the 18 to 25 age group, which has long been disproportionately represented in road trauma statistics. Full story, from The Age [SSC] __________________________
Less traffic snarls and generally a decongested area is what one would imagine the vicinity of schools to be. Forget traffic snarls, most schools in the city do not even have speedbreakers on the roads in front of them. An aspect that is worrying school authorities even as traffic policemen on the beat agree that absence of speedbreakers makes the areas near schools more accident-prone. Full story, from Ahemedabad Newsline [SSC] __________________________
Courtesy on the Road, which started in spring 2005 as an idea between two friends walking in The Mall in Columbia, now has support from schools and law enforcement officials and even has its own music video. The program, created by Lisa Morrow and Steffi Rubin, started with the simple concept of rewarding kids for good driving habits. "It was kind of out of fear and concern," said Morrow, whose daughter, Stephanie, was about to start driving. But Courtesy on the Road also was based on the insight that new drivers receive so many frightening and negative messages that a positive message, complete with rewards, would be welcome. Being "against" drunk and irresponsible driving is important, Morrow said, but so is being "for" courteous driving. Full story, from The Baltimore Sun [SSC] __________________________
The Western Australian Premier says he is shocked at the high number of fatal crashes on the state's roads. Five people, including a 14-year-old girl, have died in the past 48 hours. In the latest incident, a man died after leaping out of a car while it was travelling at 100 kilometres an hour on the Mitchell Freeway this morning. Police believe he had had an argument with the driver. Mr Carpenter says the State Government is drafting legislation that will place strict obligations on young drivers, but at the end of the day there is only so much authorities can do. "My message to people, especially young people who are out there, don't kill yourselves, you've got incredible life ahead of you, don't kill yourselves being stupid in a car." [Source: ABC Online] [SMc] __________________________
The death of three people in separate road accidents at the weekend has sparked renewed calls for a review of licence eligibility in the Northern Territory.... Peter Poole from the Road Safety Council says new measures may be needed, such as linking car registration to the driving record of the vehicle's owner. "A way of trying to put pressure on people to do the right thing is, why should we automatically re-register a vehicle that features in a disproportionate number of speeding tickets?" Mr Poole said.... Full story, from ABC Online [SMc] __________________________
Drivers be aware — the rules of the road have changed. A trio of state driving laws take effect Monday, bringing new restrictions on teen drivers, requiring booster seats for young children and increasing the penalties for anyone who strikes a highway worker. The booster seat requirement, signed into law June 28, requires that children ages 4 through 7 use an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat unless they weigh at least 80 pounds or are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall.... The new law imposes a fine of up to $10,000 for killing or injuring a highway worker, as well as up to a one-year suspension of the driver's license. It also creates two new crimes — endangerment of a highway worker and aggravated endangerment of a highway worker — and expands the definition of a highway worker to include suppliers and delivery personnel. [Sgt. Dan] Bracker said recent efforts to increase drivers' awareness appear to be working. Crashes are down, as are injuries and fatalities. Full story, from News-Leader.com [SMc] __________________________
Starting Monday, it will be illegal for a teen with an intermediate license to have more than one passenger under the age of 19 in the car who is not an immediate family member. The trouble is, most teens don’t seem to know about the new law.... According to a 2005 Allstate Insurance study on teen driving fatalities, between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers ages 15 to 17 were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2005. The presen |
