Labels: click it or ticket, seat belt law, seat belt safety, seat belts, vehicle crash

• 44% said they had sent a text message, and 62% said they had read a message while they were driving
• 1 in 6 male drivers under 25 have crashed due to cell phone usage at the wheel
• One third of under 25s who use Facebook on their phone admitted to using it while driving
• 18% of under 25s who have Draw Something on their phone have played the game while driving – 17% for Angry Birds
• Hands-free cell phones encourage 53% more young drivers to make longer calls at the wheel (longer than 5 minutes)

Labels: android apps, dangers of distracted driving, distracted driving, driving skills, iphone apps, texting and driving

A deputy sheriff in St. Johns County, Florida was acting as a motor cycle escort for a group of motorcyclists riding in support of the charity Rides for Smiles, an organization that provides medical treatment for children. He had just stopped a motorist who failed to heed the directions of another deputy escort and, with lights and siren activated was attempting to catch up to the main group of motorcyclists; he never made it. Before he could catch up to the other group he was struck and severely injured by a motorist entering the roadway.

Motorcyclists face a lot of safety issues on the road. While collisions with other vehicles are a major issue, motorcyclists contribute to their own problems as well. Let's look at how bad the problems are.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 2009 Motorcycle Traffic Safety Facts:

• 4,462 motorcyclists were killed in 2009
• Per registered vehicle, the fatality rate for motorcyclists in 2009 was 6 times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants.
• Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 25 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash.

The states with the highest death rate for motorcyclists are:

• Texas – 393 fatalities
• Florida – 386 fatalities
• California – 385 fatalities

Florida comes in second despite the fact that it is the fourth largest state in population. Texas, which leads the nation in motorcycle deaths is the second most populous state.

Problems with other motorists:

• 48% of all motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with another type of motor vehicle.
• In two-vehicle crashes, 78 percent of the motorcycles involved were struck in the front. Only 7 percent were struck in the rear.
• In 40 percent of these crashes the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was going straight passing, or overtaking another vehicle.

Motorcycles are sometimes hard to see. In most collisions involving a motorcycle and another vehicle, the driver of the other vehicle often said "I never saw the motorcycle." Often it's not the fact that the driver of the car didn't see the motorcycle but rather the fact that they didn't anticipate a motorcycle's presence and failed to look for it. As the bumper sticker says, drivers need to "look twice for motorcycles." When turning left or crossing an intersection, drivers should look to the left for oncoming traffic, then to the right, then once again to the left just in case a small, hard to see motorcycle is approaching. Remember that their small size may make them appear to be farther away than they actually are.

Drivers should also remember that a motorcycle should be given the same respect and space that would be given to another car or truck. Never try to pass a motorcycle in the same lane. Motorcycles are light and can stop much more quickly than a car can so, when following a motorcycle, allow a greater following distance of four seconds behind the motorcycle.

Problems caused by motorcyclists:

• In 2009, 35 percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared to 23 percent for passenger car drivers.
• From 2000 to 2009, motorcyclist fatalities increased by 54 percent
• The fatality rate for the age 40 and older group increased from 41% of motorcyclists killed in 2000, to 54% of motorcyclists killed in 2009. Within this motorcyclist age group fatalities increased by 106 percent over a 10-year period.
• In 2009, a higher percentage of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher than any other type of driver.
• Forty-two percent of motorcycle riders who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2009 had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher.
• Reported helmet use rates for fatally injured motorcyclists in 2009 were 57 percent for riders and 43 percent for passengers, compared with 59 percent and 49 percent, respectively, in 2008.
• NHTSA estimates that helmets saved the lives of 1,483 motorcyclists in 2009. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 732 lives could have been saved.
• For every 100 motorcycle riders killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.

Motorcyclists can't blame all of their troubles on other drivers. Speeding, not wearing a helmet, and alcohol use are all the fault of the motorcyclist. The problem among riders over the age of 40 can be attributed to the fact that a lot of baby boomers, who can now afford that dream bike they always wanted as a youngster, are hitting the road without taking the time to get the proper training. Before hitting the road, motorcyclists should take the time to attend a training course sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The lessons learned could save your life.

Labels: motorcycle, motorcycle rider safety, motorcyclists, vehicle crash, vehicle safety

The Prom!

Imagine prom night. Everyone is dressed to the max; there is great music in the air and the feeling of putting on that corsage on your date’s arm. It has all the makings for a great and memorable evening. Something everyone is bound to remember for years and years to come. Everybody is ready to celebrate! While everyone is making plans for the night, parents and prom-goers should make up back-up plans too.


Parents: Be Proactive

Prom season is fast-approaching and many parents are busy helping their teens gear up for one of the most exciting time in their teen's life. Often overlooked is the need for these preparations to include frank, specific, and honest discussions with teens about how to avoid alcohol or drugs and stay safe on prom night.

• Encourage your teen to get a limo. This will reduce the chances of a teen driving drowsy and/or driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or over-the-counter medication. The fewer teens actually drive on prom night, the safer they will be. Having a professional take over the task? Better.


• Talk about the risks and consequences of sex, drug and alcohol use. If you already have, why not another one? Studies show that it is important to talk about it often. It is important for parents to inform their teens about the possible regret of partaking in these activities. It is also important to help them understand the school's policy on alcohol and drug association and use.


• Contact the parents of your teen's date. Make sure that they are comfortable with the planned arrangements for the night. Make plans to meet each other to take pictures of the couple or group. Discuss after-prom plans and make sure all parties involved are okay with it. (Avoid sleepovers or hotel room rentals.)


• Communicate with the other parents of your teen's friends. Discuss the plans for the night, the hot spots and the need for locking up and inventorying all alcohol and prescription medication in advance. It reduces the chance of theft and takes the pressure off your teen from their friends. If a parent is hosting an after-prom party, parents have the right and responsibility to ask if they allow underage drinking. Underage drinking is illegal in any state. Another alternative is hosting an after-prom get-together or late night breakfast for your teen and their friends.
  
• Have an escape plan for a bad situation. Discuss with your teen that unplanned and unexpected situations where they feel uncomfortable will eventually come up on prom night. Come up with a code word or text message they can send to alert you to help them get out of the scene. Make sure that you reinforce with them that it is alright to call in at any time for advice or permission, and that you will be discrete.


• Set up times that they are to call and check in. These times could be when the prom is over, when arriving at an after-prom destination, or before heading home. Make sure to remind them to keep you notified of any changes in the plan.

Teens: Keep yourself safe and remind your friends to have a safe prom.

First of all, teens must understand that underage drinking is never acceptable. The fact is, during prom season, some parents choose to "look the other way," or say things such as “they’ll only be kids once.” It may be so, but the truth is that underage drinking is very dangerous. Many teens will be driving that night, which makes the combination of alcohol and lack of long-term defensive driving experience even more dangerous and may create consequences that turn a fun, memorable night a tragic one.

• Limit the passengers to one. The risk of teens getting into a crash increases as the number of passengers increase.


• Have the number of trustworthy cabs programmed on your phone. Have emergency cash to pay for these rides.


• Make sure you have plenty of rest the night before. The thought of the prom may get a wee bit exciting, but make sure you have plenty of rest to be energized for it.


• Think through and talk with your friends about pressure situations. Have a plan to handle them ahead of time.


• Consider going for breakfast, bowling or seeing a midnight movie after your prom. These activities are fun, no doubt about it, and none of them involve alcohol or illegal substances.

Post-Prom Plan

Almost as exciting as the prom is the post-prom plan. Kids from school might be throwing a party, or they might plan on hanging out after the prom is done. These are prime chances and opportunities for teens to have exposure and access to alcohol. In the rush of things, teens may feel pressured into trying to "fit in."

• Have your cell phone charged and with you at all times.


• Eat a good breakfast and lunch on the day of the prom, to keep your energy up.


• Never leave a drink unattended or accept a drink from someone else. If you have to leave your drink for even a moment, grab a new one.


• Drive on well-lit roads and make sure that the vehicle is properly maintained. This means making sure there’s enough gas, and that there are tools that are available, should you experience a flat. Take an extra second before moving into intersections. Over 1,000 people are killed each year by red light runners.


• Do not ride with someone who is fatigued or impaired in anyway. Make sure none of your friends do either. And should you encounter one, find out if they have friends or family who can drive home for them, or pick them up.


• Wear your seat belt. 70% of teens killed on prom weekends are not wearing seat belts. (NHTSA, SADD)


• At all times, know where you are, and know where you’re going. Make sure you also account for where your friends are, and that they and your parents know where you are.


• If someone passes out, call 911. The fear of getting into trouble isn’t worth the risk of them dying.


• Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable over any situation on prom night, something might not be right. Leave immediately.


• Drive defensively on the road. Also, ask your passenger to be alert too.

Plan ahead, communicate, make good decisions and have a safe prom night!

Labels: parent responsibility, post-prom plan, prom safety, safe teen drivers, teen safety, underage alcohol use

Whether as drivers or as pedestrians, people need to learn the rules of railroad crossings and bridges.

A train's large size tends to make it seem to be going slower than it actually is. Freight trains can travel up to 60 mph while passenger trains can reach speeds of up to 80 mph. All that speed and weight make it impossible for a train to stop quickly. A fully loaded freight train can take up to a mile and a half before it can be brought to a full stop. Trains can’t stop fast nor can they swerve out of the way. All the railroad engineer can do is brace for the blow and, once he has brought the train to a full stop more than a mile down the track, report the crash and start filling out his incident report.

Regarding trains and railroad crossings, it is important to keep the following in mind:

• Assume that there is a train on every track at all times, even tracks that are rarely used. If there is a stop sign at the crossing, stop! If there is a yield sign or electronic signals, slow and make sure that no trains are approaching.
• If there are two or more tracks, make sure there a train isn't coming in the other direction. The crossbuck railroad sign will indicate how many tracks there are at the crossing.
• When stopping at a railroad crossing make sure you stop no less than 15 feet from the tracks.
• Never cross a railroad track unless you are sure there is room on the other side for your vehicle to completely clear the tracks. Many collisions occur when a vehicle's rear end is still hanging out over the tracks.
• Don't shift gears while crossing a railroad track; it could cause your vehicle to stall.
• If your car stalls on a railroad track, get out of the car immediately, clear the tracks and call 911 for help. If a train is coming, run away from the tracks in the direction of the approaching train. If you run away from the approaching train, you may be injured or killed by flying debris when the train smashes into your car.
• Never try to beat a train at a crossing or snake around the lowered crossing gates. Once the lights start to flash and the crossing gate arms go down, the train will appear in about 20 seconds.

Labels: railroad, railroad crossing safety, rules of rail road crossing

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a partnership among federal, state and local governments to address the problem of unsafe highways, recently released a survey on the problem of speeding and aggressive driving on the nation’s roads and highways. The survey reveals that, while traffic deaths have gone down overall, the number of traffic fatalities directly related to speeding is rising.

State laws requiring the use of seat belts and stronger limits on teen drivers have led to a drastic reduction in highway fatalities over the last several years but, according to the GHSA, the proportional number of speed related traffic fatalities has remained unchanged for the past 25 years. Figures from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that speeding is directly responsible for one-third of all highway deaths.

Speeding is a major problem on US roads because higher speeds reduce the time a driver has to react to an unexpected driving situation and it increases the crash forces that result from a collision.

The GHSA report lists several factors that have kept the death rate by speeders at a higher level and they have recommended actions that both the federal and state governments need to take to reduce the level of speeding on the roads. Some of the factors leading to the rate of speeding on America’s roads are:

• Public perception of speed - Driver attitude plays a major role in the perception of speed related to the dangers involved. A Purdue University survey of drivers in 2009 found that "21 percent thought it was safe to drive up to 5 mph over the speed limit, 43 percent thought it was safe to drive up to 10 mph over and 36 percent thought it was safe to drive up to 20 mph over the speed limit." The survey’s authors felt that this attitude might be due to the fact that some changes in speed limits seem to have more to do with political (for example: the repeal of the maximum federal speed limit in 1995) rather than safety concerns. A study by the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health showed that, in the ten years after the 1995 repeal of the federal maximum speed limit, there were approximately 12,500 more deaths that could be attributed to the increased speeds.


• Conflicted role of technology – Red light cameras and laser speed detectors are showing up more and more on America’s roads however, many states are reluctant to pass state-wide laws regarding their use and leave the regulation of such devices up to local cities and towns. Additionally, many states still allow drivers to use technology such as radar detectors to circumvent the devices and avoid detection.


• Other factors – "Over-involvement in speeding crashes is likely to involve the same type of driver—young, male and a resident of a rural area." This type of driver also engages in many other dangerous driving behav¬iors. At the same time, representatives of state highway safety offices report a reduction in law enforcement officers that are available to conduct speed enforcement activities.

The GHSA recommends the following actions:

• States should explore addressing speed concerns through aggres¬sive driving enforcement since the driving public believes that aggressive driving is a serious threat to their safety.


• Speed concerns can also be addressed through targeted enforce¬ment in school and work zones which are additional enforcement strategies supported by the public.


• NHTSA should sponsor a national high visibility enforcement campaign and support public awareness efforts to address the issues of speed and aggres¬sive driving.


• NHTSA should promote best practices in automated enforcement strategies.


• NHTSA should sponsor a National Forum on Speeding and Aggressive Driving, similar to efforts undertaken in 2005, to bring together experts to review and update effective tools and strategies states can employ to reduce speed and aggressive driving.

Labels: aggressive driving, dangers of speeding, driver safety, traffic deaths

During the month of February, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) joined forces with the Alabama and Georgia Highway Patrols in an awareness and enforcement campaign for the Move Over Law. The campaign was conducted over a 29 day period and a lot of drivers found out about the Move Over Law the hard way.

Many Americans are unaware that the Move Over Law even exists. Forty nine states have some form of the law and, in Florida's case, the law will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The law was created to protect law enforcement and emergency personnel who are assisting other motorists by the side of the road. The law requires motorists, when they see an emergency vehicle, with its emergency lights flashing, to move over into the lane farthest from the emergency vehicle or, if they can't move over, to slow down to 20 mph under the posted speed limit until they are safely past the emergency vehicle. Emergency vehicles include police, fire/rescue and tow trucks.

The law was passed in response to the high number of emergency personnel who are struck and killed each year while working alongside the roadway. On average, at least one emergency worker a month is struck and killed while working on the side of the road. More than 170 police officers have been killed since 1999. In January, a veteran Atlanta police officer was killed as she was getting out of her patrol car at the scene of an interstate collision in downtown Atlanta.

During the February campaign, the FHP issued 1,266 citations for violation of the Move Over Law. In addition, they issued more than 69,000 traffic citations, with almost 24,000 for speeding and made 620 arrests for DUI.

Don’t wait to get a citation to learn about the Move Over Law. You can find out more information on your state’s Move Over Law by visiting http://www.moveoveramerica.com.

Labels: Highway Safety, Law Enforcement, move over law, Mover Over America