[Note: Some of the following sections include details about the U.S.A., but most of the article is about the situation in Britain.] Classical Times: Romans had one-way streets, parking laws, crossing places (stepping stones), pavements, and possible roundabouts. There are occasional references to accidents. The 1800s Although road safety as we know it started with the…
Please note that American terminology can vary from state to state, and this glossary is incomplete. Please Contact Us if you can help us add to it. U.S.A. The U.K. An “All-Way Stop” (sometimes a.k.a. a 4-Way Stop) A crossroads or multiple junctions at which traffic from all directions must stop at a ‘Stop’ sign…
Advanced Drivers of America, Inc is the best information source on this topic. Regrettably, almost all of the so-called ‘advanced driving’ courses and even ‘defensive driving’ courses available in the USA have more to do with adapted racetrack techniques than with enhanced road driving skills, and this is potentially very dangerous. The comment above does…
As vehicles become ever safer for their occupants, more interest is being taken in pedestrian safety. But how much can technology achieve, and how much depends upon changing attitudes? As many as 8,000 pedestrians and cyclists are killed and 300,000 injured in the European Community yearly in road accidents. A significant proportion of casualties are…
In the UK, the country with the safest roads in the world (IRTAD), there are currently five types of formal pedestrian crossings: Zebra, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan, and Toucan Pegasus crossings. The most basic form of intersection is a pedestrian refuge, usually in the form of an island in the center of the road, where pedestrians…
(And Pedestrians Should do the Same for Drivers!) Pedestrian crossing facilities in the USA — a.k.a. “crosswalks” — often leave a great deal to be desired regarding safety. And, whether near a crosswalk or not, drivers need to be continually alert that the unexpected is quite likely to happen. Despite using a marked crossing, these…
Drivers Rate Danger Level of Common Driver Distractions in a PEMCO Insurance Poll May 10, 2023 They may not think it’s safe, but most Washington drivers admit to keeping one eye and one hand on a meal while driving, according to a PEMCO Insurance poll on driver distraction released today. Eating a meal turned out…
Distracted driving, perhaps surprisingly, leaves experts in various fields debating precisely what it is! Indeed, at the first International Conference on Distracted Driving (Toronto, October 2005), a significant proportion of the three-day event was devoted to this question. For example, researchers had one viewpoint, police officers another, and presumably legislators or educators might lean towards…
