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Thursday, May 10, 2007

American Society of Safety Engineers Observes North American Occupational Safety and Health Week

New Jersey Safety Organization Concentrates on Transportation and Teen Safety Issues During National Observance

The number one reason of on-the-job and off-the-job deaths continues to be all modes of transportation incidents. So to celebrate North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) which runs from May 6-12 2007, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (NJASSE), a state affiliate of the oldest and largest safety society, along with thousands of other organizations, will be raising awareness of the importance of preventing on-the-job and off-the-job accidents by distributing good transportation practices information and urging all drivers to observe traffic rules and regulations.

There were 6,159,000 million vehicle crashes in 2005, resulting in 43,443 deaths and 2.7 million injuries. In the U.S. alone, car crashes cost all of us $230.6 billion each year. Making up 75.7 percent of those who died in transportation accidents in 2005 were males, while 24 percent were female.

A distressing statistic is that a great deal of drivers involved in these crashes had prior records. The U.S. Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) reports that 6,483 motor vehicle operators involved in fatal crashes had earlier recorded crashes; 3,904 had previous recorded suspensions or revocations; 889 had prior DUI convictions; 9,829 had previous speeding convictions; and 7,974 had prior other harmful moving convictions.

Concerning weather conditions, the majority of crashes occur during normal weather during daylight hours in the U.S. Factors causing fatal crashes are 1) inability to stay in proper lanes or running off road; 2) driving too fast for conditions or greater than the posted speed limit; 3) DUI; 4) failure to yield right of way; 5) distractive driving/inattentive (talking, eating, etc.); 6) driving in an erratic, reckless, careless, or negligent manner; and, 7) disobeying traffic signs, signals or officers.

In the State of New Jersey, in 2005 there were 315,435 motor vehicle crashes, including 748 motor vehicle related deaths, which represents a 3.4% increase over the prior year. Males made up 69% of those that died in 2005 whereas females made up 31% of the total.

As millions of teenagers begin to enter the workforce this year, ASSE will be focusing them on becoming more aware of the many hazards that they may face in the workplace, by providing educational materials to the local high schools.

To learn more about NAOSH Week and to see what their partners are doing, please visit www.njasse.org.

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