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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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Two more people ended up dying en route to Kilamba-Kiaxi Municipal Hospital, increasing the number to seven people who perished after a crash between a van and a truck carrying sand, which occurred Tuesday afternoon along Camama road, in Luanda. The death of two more people was confirmed by ANGOP through a source of the referred Hospital who said that the institution received 33 injured people from the same accident, of which 22 have been immediately transferred to Josina Machel Hospital due to their serious state. ANGOP learnt that the van from coming from a funeral. [Source: Angola Press] [SMc] __________________________
Twenty-three people were killed and more than 30 injured when a speeding bus collided with an oil tanker on a country road in central Pakistan Sunday, reports said. The crowded bus veered off its lane and rammed the oil truck which was coming from the opposite direction near Alipur, a town west of Multan, Geo television channel quoted a police official as saying. More than 15 of the injured people were shifted to hospitals in Multan, Alipur and Muzaffargarh in serious conditions. [Source: India eNews.com] [SMc] __________________________
Over the past five years, Texas counties that are completely dry have had more than three times the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths per capita than counties that are completely wet. For the years 2001 to 2005, Texas' 46 dry counties — where alcohol is not available for off-premise consumption — had an average of 6.8 alcohol-related traffic fatalities per 10,000 people. (The counties had a combined population of 841,197 people and 574 alcohol-related traffic deaths, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)... Full story, from Lufkin Daily News [SMc] __________________________
That's all Illinois requires for driver's ed as simulators, ranges take the place of street time to save costs. At a time when teen-driving experts maintain that young drivers need more supervised practice behind the wheel, schools across Illinois and the country have been slashing valuable street driving with instructors to save money, a three-month Tribune investigation has found. Though six hours of instructor-supervised driving is the benchmark for driver's education across the U.S., in practice, Illinois public schools give tens of thousands of teens as little as 1 hour and 40 minutes to 3 hours of street driving, the Tribune analysis found. Instead, students are earning street driving credit through less-expensive practice on indoor simulators and converted parking lots. Even an hour of practice on a street satisfies Illinois' driver's education requirements. Of the 10 states with the largest school populations, only Florida has a weaker standard, the Tribune found.... Full story, from Chicago Tribune [SMc] __________________________
At least 42 people have been killed after a packed bus plunged into a ravine in western Nepal. Another 43 people were injured when the bus came off the road at Luham in Salyan district, some 400km (250 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu. Many of the injured are in a critical condition, police said. They said the number of dead could rise. The bus was carrying more than 100 people when it skidded off the mountain road on the road to Tulsipur.... Full story, from BBC News [SMc] __________________________
At least 13 people died and 18 others were injured Saturday when a 10-wheeler truck crashed into revelers gathered for a festival in the southern Philippines, police and local officials said. The truck also crashed into several vehicles parked along the side of a major highway near Makilala town in North Cotabato province when one of its tires burst and the driver lost control, police Chief Inspector Renaldo Donor said. "There were many people along the highway because it's the village fiesta," said Senior Superintendent Federico Dulay, the provincial police director. Makilala Mayor Honofre Respicio said a tally of the victims showed 13 dead and 18 hurt, with the bodies brought to funeral parlors and the injured rushed to three nearby hospitals. [Source: International Herald Tribune] [SMc] __________________________
Foreign lorry drivers are flouting the rules of Cambridgeshire's roads - leaving a trail of unpaid speeding fines and near- misses behind them. And the expansion of the European Union is making the problem worse, with truckers from overseas putting lives at risk by working illegal hours and using vehicles with serious faults. Official statistics show there were 264 crashes involving heavy goods vehicles in Cambridgeshire between August 2005 and September 2006, with foreign trucks accounting for 14.7 per cent of those accidents. A recent 12-hour traffic study on the A14 at Swavesey clocked a total of 11,551 lorries using the major artery linking the busy east coast ports with the industrial heartlands of the Midlands - a 21 per cent increase on a similar study 10 years ago.... Full story, from Cambridge Evening News [SMc] __________________________
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today pleaded with young people to rise to the challenge of halting the unnecessary carnage on the country’s roads. Ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, Mr Ahern appealed to drivers to be cautious on the busy roads. Mr Ahern said: “Today I ask you to join with me in preventing deaths and serious injuries on our roads. I particularly urge young people to rise to this challenge, and to make sure that their families do not get that dreaded call from the Gardai delivering terrible news. We can prevent deaths.”... Full story, from Ireland Online [SMc] __________________________
Speakers at an international symposium here on Thursday expressed concern over the spiralling road deaths in India, calling for accident victim treatment protocols to be followed stringently. Doctors from hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts, said traffic accidents would increase given the growing number of vehicles. Under the circumstances, India had to adopt greater technology to combat it. The observations came at the conference held at SRM Medical College Hospital, Kattankulathur on Thursday.... Full story, from The Hindu [SMc] __________________________
Ghosts and goblins aren't the only ones haunting the streets around Halloween, drunk drivers are on the rise. Trooper Jeff Nigbur, Utah Highway Patrol: "Halloween is indeed becoming an adult holiday."... Halloween has become a heavier drinking celebration over the years, up there with New Year's and St. Patrick's Day. Troopers and community advocates want all of us to get home alive. Cute kids in costume will prowl the neighborhoods Tuesday for tricks and treats and many adults will haunt the town for parties this weekend. Mothers Against Drunk Driving says the message is critical and the message works. Art Brown, MADD President: "Studies show that when you publicize a DUI blitz, it automatically drops the death and injury rate 20-25 percent. People are aware that if they drink, they better find a safe way home."... Full story, from KSL-TV [SMc] __________________________
Victorian premier Steve Bracks today launched a $43 million road safety package, funded though the Transport Accident Commission, designed to save lives on Victoria’s roads and make sure young drivers are better prepared when they get behind the wheel. Bracks says the new road safety initiatives would build on the measures already introduced for young drivers and help reduce the road toll. "These road safety initiatives will go from the classroom to the kerbside. As part of the new measures all government schools will be given resource kits to teach Year 10 students about road safety," Bracks says.... Full story, from Australasian Transport News [SMc] __________________________
At least 13 persons including 8 women were killed and 46 others injured in road accident near Rohri By-Pass Wednesday evening. The passenger bus No. JA-8924 turned turtle from the height after which it fell into a road-side ravine, police sources said.... The police and Edhi volunteers shifted the injured passengers to Taluka Hospital Rohri and Civil Hospital Sukkur, where all the medical staff and the doctors were called in emergency by the Zila Nazim. The police were making arrangements to transport the bodies to their homes. Full story, from Pakistan Times [SMc] __________________________
The Road Accident Fund (RAF), which is funded out of a dedicated fuel levy, can’t keep pace with claims, said Treasury in its Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday. Claims outstanding increased by 28% to 443 399 during 2005/6 compared with the previous year. “As a result the contingent liability relating to the claims backlog has grown from about R15,4bn in 2002/3 to an estimated R18,4bn in 2005/6.” The RAF is currently in a deficit.... Full story, from Moneyweb [SMc] __________________________
Parents are right to worry about their teenagers being on the road on Friday and Saturday nights, but a new AAA study released Wednesday morning shows another time of the week, the after school hours, are just as deadly for teen drivers. The President and CEO of AAA, Robert L. Darbelnet, said, "There are things that make it more risky, the presence of other teens in the car, the teens are driving at a time during the week when there is a lot of traffic." This is another culprit that can increase the risk of a fatal crash.... Full story, from WIS [SMc] __________________________
Twelve people were killed and one was seriouly wounded on Tuesday when the passenger van they were travelling in collided with a trailer in western Kenya, police and witnesses said. Police said the van heading to the lakeside city of Kisumu, about 350km north-west of Nairobi, collided with a trailer, killing 11 passengers on the spot. "The 12th passenger died in the nearby St Florence Nursing Home where he was undergoing treatment," Kisumu police chief Hassan Barua told reporters. Barua explained that the van was pushed from the rear by a speeding lorry before slamming into the oncoming trailer at Ochola trading post, about 20km from Kisumu. [Source: Independent Online] [SMc] __________________________
The announcement that police were targeting motorcyclists for random drug tests saw a sharp drop in road fatalities on Sunday. Of the 997 accidents recorded on the sixth day of Ops Sikap XI, there were only 11 fatalities – the lowest number of deaths and mishaps since the operation was launched on Oct 17. The total body count now stands at 102 from 6,749 accidents.... Full story, from Malaysia Star [SMc] __________________________
Romania A bus smashed into a tractor on a road in western Romania, leaving eight people dead and three injured, police said Tuesday. The small passenger bus was traveling late Monday from the capital, Bucharest, to the city of Arad when it attempted to pass another vehicle illegally and smashed into the tractor, which was traveling in the opposite direction, police said in a statement. The bus and tractor then crashed into a house, partially demolishing it, near Odvos, a village near the Hungarian border. Among the dead were the drivers of the bus and the tractor and six bus passengers, state news agency Rompres reported. Police spokeswoman Camelia Tuduce told Rompres that the bus driver did not have a driving license allowing him to drive passengers on long trips. [Source: International Herald Tribune] [SMc] __________________________
Eight area teens have died on South Plains roadways so far this school year. Now, the Lubbock District Attorney's office is sending a message to students, one they hope kids will remember each time they get behind the wheel. "We want folks to know that the vehicle they are driving is a deadly weapon, and they need to be careful when they drive," said Assistant District Attorney, George Leal. " They need to treat it with respect and be aware of their surroundings." The Lubbock County District Attorney teamed up with Lubbock ISD for Red Ribbon week. All week long, representatives from the D.A.'s office will visit schools to talk to students about reckless driving and safety. They are emphasizing the importance of education, saying no to drugs and alcohol, and staying alert. [Source: KCBD-TV] [SMc] __________________________
People in the Smithfield area are mourning the loss of two 17-year old boys who died in a car crash. It serves as a reminder to parents and teen drivers that just a small distraction or loss of attention can be deadly. Here in Utah, teenagers make up less than 8% of the drivers on the road, but are responsible for a quarter of all the accidents. It's one reason Utah has changed its requirements for getting a drivers' license.... Full story, from KSL-TV [SMc] __________________________
A third of pedestrians and one in four cyclists who get killed in traffic accidents are under the influence, if the limit of intoxication is set at 0.5 ppm of blood alcohol. This was one of the sobering findings of a master's degree dissertation by Pia Nieminen that has been published by the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre. In her study, Nieminen included 524 fatal accidents investigated by various road accident boards of inquiry between 1997 and 2002, in which 281 pedestrians and 243 cyclists died. Cycling men were drunk ten times as often as cycling women. Among pedestrians, the corresponding factor was close to three. Over half of the male pedestrians and nearly 40 per cent of male cyclists were under the influence of alcohol when the fatal accident occurred..... Full story, from Helsingin Sanomat [SMc] __________________________
Following today's announcement of new road safety proposals by the Road Safety Authority to the Minister of Transport, Green Party Spokesperson on Transport, Eamon Ryan TD said today: "We welcome any measures that help reduce the number of tragic accidents on our roads. "However, it is also important to remember that one of the crucial elements in road accidents in this country is the amount of driving done on country roads, particularly at night time. People today have no choice but to leave remote housing belts and travel long distances by car just to access normal social and family amenities."... Full story, from Ireland OnLine [SMc] __________________________
Thirteen thousand people die on South Africa's roads every year and the number was increasing annually, said Jeff Radebe, the transport minister, today. "This translates to a R43 billion cost to the economy each year," the minister said in his opening remarks at a two-day transport indaba in Soweto. "It is our families, friends and dear ones that suffer the most." Several transport MEC's and people active in the transport industry are attending the event which ends tomorrow. [Source: SABC News] [SMc] __________________________
Automakers want the U.S. government to substantially change a proposal to make vehicle roofs stronger to reduce deaths and injuries in rollover crashes, industry correspondence and other documents show. Ford Motor Co. (F.N), General Motors Corp. (GM.N), DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group (DCXGn.DE) and foreign manufacturers face nearly $100 million in higher annual costs for vehicle redesign under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) August 2005 roof crush proposal. The auto industry raised some questions a year ago but more robust opposition to the government's update of the 30-year-old standard has crystallized over several months, according to documents filed with the Transportation Department.... Full story, from Washington Post [SMc] __________________________
Another teenage road death provoked fresh demands yesterday for the driving age limit to be raised and tougher penalties for dangerous motorists. In the latest tragedy, a 16-year-old girl was killed when a car mounted a pavement and struck a group of youngsters standing outside a shop in Norwich. Police were last night questioning a 17-year-old on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving over the incident early yesterday.... Full story, from The Observer [SMc] __________________________
Nine people were killed and 12 wounded Sunday morning when a passenger van collided with a truck at Indus Highway near Shikarpur, 350 km north of Pakistan's largest port city Karachi, local private Geo TV reported. A passenger van was collided with a truck while overtaking a vehicle at Khanpur, 40 km south of Shikarpur, police said. Nine people in the van were killed on the spot, while 12 others were wounded and admitted in local hospital, according to the report. Four wounded persons were in a precarious state, hospital sources said. The identities of the dead were yet to be established. [Source: People's Daily Online] [SMc] __________________________
Just what a parent wants to hear: U.S. teens behind the wheel of a vehicle say they are most distracted by exchanging text messages, a survey reports. In the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety study, 37 percent of teens said text messaging was extremely or very distracting, the Detroit News said Sunday. Another 20 percent said they were distracted because of their emotional state, while 19 percent chose friends in the car. While teens texting and driving may raise goose bumps, they aren't doing anything illegal, the News said.... Full story, from United Press International [SMc] __________________________
The sting of grief to hear that a Missouri Department of Transportation worker was killed Tuesday — as he was putting up a memorial sign honoring a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper killed at the same place just over a year before — is a sucker punch that should bring an altar call to the state: Highway deaths of public servants and pedestrians aren't something we can put on the back burner anymore.... Full story, from News-Leader.com [SMc] __________________________
It would appear from Kim Smith Dedam's detailed report earlier this month about passenger restraints for commercial-bus passengers that none of the federal transportation agencies dealing with such matters is ready or willing to address the issue. The horrific Greyhound bus crash on Interstate 87 just south of Westport in August, in which five people were killed and dozens others injured, is just one of many bus accidents nationwide over the years where passenger restraints could have saved lives and reduced the number of casualties. In the local mishap, the commercial coach rolled over a number of times in the median of the four-lane highway, casting many of its occupants through broken windows. Could passenger restraints have lessened the carnage? Probably.... Full story, from Plattsburgh Press Republican [SMc] __________________________
Police across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley are focusing on seatbelt and intersection safety this month. “As active members of the community, we feel a responsibility to raise awareness of the importance of being cautious at intersections, said Sgt. Rhonda Leigh. “A focus on seatbelts will help spread the message that unbuckled occupants are at far greater risk of death and injury. The best way to prevent these needless tragedies is to support stronger enforcement of B.C.’s traffic laws, and ultimately, help protect motorists.” According to Leigh, motorists are more likely to be injured in a crash involving a vehicle running a red light than in any other type of crash. Seatbelts are still the single most effective way to save lives and prevent injuries on the road, said Leigh.... Full story, from Mission City Record [SMc] __________________________
Eighteen people were killed in road accidents on the first day Malaysia launched a road safety campaign nationwide during the festival period, police said Wednesday. In the 16 fatal road accidents reported Tuesday, nine of the dead were motorcyclists and two were pillion riders, said Federal Traffic Police Chief Nooryah Md Anvar. Others include a car driver, a lorry driver and two passengers, a driver of another vehicle and two pedestrians, Nooryah said in a statement released here. Altogether, 1,042 accidents were reported and 8,508 summonses were issued Tuesday throughout the country, she added. To reduce the number of road accidents during the festival period, including the Hari Raya (End of Ramadan) and the Hindu Festival of Lights, Malaysia launched its 11th road safety awareness enhancing campaign, which will last until Oct. 31 [Source: People's Daily Online] [SMc] __________________________
A new traffic plan will be implemented in two weeks that will curb deaths and ease congestion, a senior police official said. Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department, was speaking at a Ramadan majlis organised by the Dubai Press Club on Monday. According to the new plan, violations will be curbed as directed by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. Brigadier Al Zafein, who did not give further details on the new plan, said "the situation will completely change. For example, a truck driver who jumps a red signal will be deported."... Full story, from Gulf News [SMc] __________________________
Road accidents in Iran are all too common. The real scale of the cataclysmic carnage is evident in a new report released by the country’s Medical-Law Organisation which analysed road deaths in Iran over the past five months of the Iranian calendar year. From mid April until August of this year, 12,509 people have been killed on Iranian highways and roads, the report said.... Full story, from Iran Focus [SMc] __________________________
The number of pedestrians killed by hit-and-run drivers in the United States has jumped 20 percent since 2000 and is at its highest level in a decade, a news report said Tuesday. Of the 4,4881 pedestrians killed last year, 974 died in hit-and- runs, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records showed, according to the USA Today report. The total number of pedestrians killed nationwide increased by 2 percent since 2000, but hit-and-run deaths rose at almost 10 times that pace, the report said.... Full story, from People's Daily Online [SMc] __________________________
Statistics from 2005 -- the first full year for Louisiana's reinstated motorcycle helmet law -- make it clear that the law is saving lives. Even though the number of motorcycle wrecks in 2005 remained about the same, the number of deaths from highway motorcycle wrecks went down 7.4 percent, from 80 to 74. This news comes amid steadily rising rates of motorcycle registrations counterbalanced by a loss of overall population caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Like everything else in Louisiana, highway safety statistics will be flagged for years to come with Katrina-Rita asterisks.... Full story, from Shreveport Times [SMc] __________________________
Two passenger buses and a truck collided on Sunday in central Turkey, leaving 13 people dead and more than 20 others injured, the state-owned Anatolia news agency reported. The crash occurred near the town of Kangal in central Anatolian province of Sivas, it said. Each year, thousands of people are killed in traffic accidents on Turkey's roads, many of which consist of just two lanes, are badly lit and poorly patrolled. [Source: International Herald Tribune] [SMc] __________________________
The number of deaths from highway motorcycle wrecks went down last year even though the number of such wrecks remained about the same _ a sign that the state's helmet law is working, says the head of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. "It's clear that the motorcycle helmet law is saving lives," Col. James E. Champagne said. "With the increasing popularity of motorcycle ownership, I hate to even think about how many more deaths we'd have had if the Legislature had not passed the helmet law."... Full story, from KATC [SMc] __________________________
The current level of lawlessness on South African roads was unacceptably high, with 95% of accidents taking place as a direct result of one or more traffic offences, according to the new national road safety strategy, released yesterday by the national transport department. The study found there were more than 14000 road deaths a year in SA while an additional 40000 people were seriously injured and 7000 were permanently disabled. Deaths and injuries related to road accidents cost the economy R43bn annually. “In terms of unnatural deaths, traffic-related fatalities fall into seventh place after HIV/AIDS, heart and lung disease, homicide, violence and strokes,” says the report.... Full story, from Business Day [SMc] __________________________
Twelve persons, including two women, were killed on the spot and four others injured, including two critically, on Saturday when a tempo returning from Dewa mela in Barabanki district collided with a truck, police said. The incident occured in the morning when the driver of an overloaded tempo carrying 14 persons lost control and collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction, they said. The injured were rushed to hospital for treatment. The police have registered a case under relevant sections and no arrests had been made so far in this case. [Source: Daily News & Analysis] [SMc] __________________________
AUSTRALIA is at risk of not meeting its target of a 40 per cent reduction in the road toll by 2010, with prosperity, four-wheel-drives and a high motorcycle death rate partly to blame, a government report has found. The National Road Safety Action Plan for 2007, released yesterday at the Australian Transport Council meeting, made a plea for safer roads and vehicles and called for action on speeding. The report is the fourth in a series of two-yearly plans supporting the National Road Safety Strategy 2001-2010, which aims to reduce the road death rate by 40 per cent over the decade.... [Source: Sydney Morning Herald] [SMc] __________________________
The Australian Transport Council says it remains committed to a project to reduce the national road toll by 40 per cent over the next decade. The organisation, which includes federal state and territory roads ministers, has released the next phase of the project. The Federal Roads Minister, Jim Lloyd, says the National Road Safety Action Plan for 2007 and 2008 includes a united approach to improving roads, making cars safer and encouraging safe driving.... Full story, from ABC Online [SMc] __________________________
A terrible accident occurred at 2.45 am on October 13 in Suoi Hiep commune, Dien Khanh district, Khanh Hoa province when a van collided with a bus, killing 12 aid workers and injuring three others. The victims are officials and staff of ward 13, Phu Nhuan district, Ho Chi Minh City, who are on their way to help victims of a typhoon that hit Vietnam's central coastal provinces earlier this month. The cause of the accident is that when turning into a curved road, due to high speed, the van hit into a bus running in the opposite direction. Twelve people on the van, including its driver died, only one narrowly escaped and was injured. Two passengers of the bus were injured. After the accident, local forces quickly came to the site to deal with the consequences of the accident. *Pham The Duyet, president of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, sent a message of condolences to the families of victims and to the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City. The Fatherland Front also sent VND 2 million to each family of a victim and VND 1 million to an injured person. [Source: Nhan Dan] [SMc] __________________________
Two men were caught racing side-by-side at 176kmh in Tauranga last night - an act police say left the drivers "begging to be the next fatality" in the Bay. They were caught at 8.30pm near Baypark Stadium on State Highway 29. Police described their actions as stupid after seven deaths on Bay roads in 10 weeks. Both were charged under boy racer legislation and are due to appear in Tauranga District Court on November 8. Senior Sergeant Ian Campion today told the Bay of Plenty Times: "In light of the seven deaths that we've had in the past 10 weeks, I just wonder how do you get the message through to these people?"... Full story, from MyTown Bay of Plenty [SMc] __________________________
A vehicle accident killed seven people, injured nine others, at least five seriously, in the northeastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, a local newspaper reported Thursday. A passenger van overturned when it was on its way from Shaghnan district to Baharak district in the province on Wednesday morning, Outlook reported. Seven of the 16 occupants in the vehicle were killed on the spot, while the remaining suffered injuries, it said. Colonel Abdul Halim, a traffic police officer in the provincial capital Faizabad, said the victims included men, women and children. A local health official Momin Jalali said as he knew, hospitals had received six persons wounded in the accident and five of them were in critical condition. Due to poor roads and reckless driving manners, Afghanistan has suffered from lots of traffic accidents every year. [Source: People's Daily Online] [SMc] __________________________
When the body count goes to 10 from two, the first thing you do is check the weather. Thanksgiving weekend 2005 ran Oct. 8-10, with temperatures that hovered about 10.5 degrees C and only three millimetres of rain falling on Saturday, Oct. 8. This year, our feast of appreciation unfolded beneath sunny skies and temperatures just this side of August. So maybe the reason's in there. Some people - cops and professional drivers and, unfortunately, ambulance technicians - will tell you that despite the police roadblocks set up around the Christmas holidays and the state of our roads in winter, it's actually summer that's a real killer in Quebec. It's hot, people drink, people speed and people die. And perhaps the fact we could wear T-shirts as we went for seconds of turkey and stuffing this weekend might account for a fivefold increase in Quebec's latest holiday death toll.... Full story, from Montreal Gazette [SMc] __________________________
Fourteen dead and 19 injured is the result of a road accident that occurred in the past eight hours on the Porto-Amboim/Sumbe route, ANGOP learnt from a source of the Provincial Police Command in the coastal Kwanza-Sul region. According to the superior officer of the information and analysis department of the police command, Superintendent Edgar Arnaldo, the accident occurred when an inter-provincial bus of "Keve" brand, coming from Benguela province, collided with a parked "Volvo GM" vehicle. Excess of speed and poor lighting of the bus` head-lights were caused the accident. Edgar Arnaldo said that the injured, some in a serious state, are already receiving medical assistance at hospitals of the cities of Sumbe and Porto-Amboim. This is the second accident caused by an inter-provincial transport bus on the same road. The first happened in 2004, with a Toyota Hiace that was working as a taxi, and also killed 14 passengers. [Source: Angola Press] [SMc] __________________________
C.J. Allen has seen a bicyclist fall and break her shoulder after being crowded by traffic. She has seen a bicyclist break his hand after getting into a fight with a truck driver during a road rage incident. Members of the Daytona Beach Bicycle Club carry cell phones for good reason. "It's like we don't belong on the road," said Allen, a member of the Daytona Beach Bicycle Club. "It's like we're not even human." New recognition for bicyclist safety, however, went into effect Oct. 1. Motorists are required to give 3 feet when passing bicyclists on the road. Otherwise, they could be fined $60, court costs and get three points added to their driving record.... Full story, from Daytona Beach News-Journal [SMc] __________________________
What happens when a young driver has to pay - or have paid for them - lots of money for driving lessons and insurance? The almost inevitable answer is that the budget is nearly exhausted and they end up with a cheap car which may not have either the active or passive safety features of a new one. Young Marmalade aims to get round this with its Starter Scheme. For one initial payment, followed by a series of monthly payments, drivers get 25 driving lessons, Pass Plus course fees, comprehensive insurance in their own name and a new or nearly new car from a range which includes Citroens, Fiats, Nissans and Renaults. The Scheme is open to drivers aged between 17 and 25. For more details, visit Young Marmalade. [Source: CarKeys] |
