The National Safety Commission Alerts
Safety is No Accident. Visit the National Safety Commission - America's Safety Headquarters for driver safety information, auto recalls and teen safe driver tips.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Do You Obey The Speed Limit
If you asked a group of people what the most disobeyed
traffic sign is most of them would say the stop sign or the yield sign. In
fact, the most disobeyed traffic sign on our roads, streets, and highways is
the maximum "Speed Limit" sign.
Speed limits are most frequently set through statutes. Speed
limits can usually be lowered, or sometimes raised, from the legislated speed
limit through a process called speed zoning. Common factors included in speed
zoning are: 85th percentile speed (the speed at which 85% of the traffic is traveling), design speed,
road features, crash records, administrative judgment, engineering judgment,
and political influence.
State laws usually allow either state or local authorities to
set highway speed limits above or below the statutory ones. Prior to taking
such action on any portion of a highway, the law normally requires that
governmental authorities conduct a study to determine the safe speed limit for
that part of the highway. State laws may also allow such authorities to specify
different speed limits on all or selected highways either
for various times of the day or for various types of vehicles (e.g., trucks). For instance, the Texas
Transportation Commission recently voted in favor of increasing the speed limit
to 85 MPH on a toll road, State Highway 130. The concern with raising the speed limit is most drivers do not see the posted speed limit as the maximum speed limit they should be driving for safety. To manage the safety of motorists will require strict enforcement of the posted limit by the Texas law enforcement.
Each states government and law enforcement is careful in
setting the appropriate “speed limit” for our streets, roads, and highways. Drivers
that are speeding, which could be driving just one mile over the maximum speed
limit, continue to be a prevalent factor adding to vehicle crashes. In 2008,
speeding was a factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes and more than 11,000
lives were lost in speeding-related crashes (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811166.PDF).
Next time you head out on the road ask yourself "Am I a safe
driver"? Be aware of the posted speed limits and check how fast you’re actually
driving. A 55 MPH speed limit on a highway means 55, not 65. The speed limits apply to all lanes- right,
center, and yes, even the left lane. A 30 MPH speed limit sign in a residential
street means 30, not 40, even when there are no other cars are around.
Labels: Law Enforcement, maximum speed limit, Speed Limit, traffic signs
Friday, March 09, 2012
Southern State Patrols Enforce Move Over Law
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
Find us on Facebook