Filed under: Motoring Trvia, Road Safety — Alan @ 5:21 am
The Thai police force has adopted an unusual scheme aimed at lowering the number of drink driving deaths.
They have set up a series of fake car crash scenes, complete with smashed up cars and “dead bodies” intended to highlight the consequences of driving while drunk.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 9:26 am
A £1.3m campaign started today led by Paul Clark the Road Safety Minister that is aimed at educating the public about the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt.
According to the campaign, when a crash occurs without a seat belt on, then the body actually goes through three crashes even at lower speeds such as 30mph.
This is due the fact that without a restraint your body crashes against the interior of the car and even once the body comes to a stop the internal organs inside the body continue to rock, hitting the body walls and sometimes even rupturing.
Clark stated that the campaign is aimed at reminding drivers that regardless of the speed or distance a driver is travelling every time a seat belt is left off they are risking life.
According to statistics you are twice as likely to die if a crash occurs without a seat belt than not. If everyone wore a seat belt while driving in the UK, a life could be saved every day.
The campaign, titled Think!, includes advertisements placed outdoors, on the radio, television, and cinema and addresses the most common times that people neglect to wear seat belts. These include low speed journeys, short distances, and driving on familiar roads.
The advert is so graphic and realistic that it is only allowed to be shown on the airwaves past 9pm. Earlier versions of the ad will be edited and not contain scenes detailing the damage that internal organs suffer in a crash.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 5:57 am
The Sustainable Development Commission issued a report today that requests ministers to initiate the use of average speed cameras so that motorists are forced to adhere to speed limits of 70mph. According to the Commission, if motorists followed the law more closely 1.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide would not be released into the air.
Figures from the Department of Transport show that about 52% of motorists ignore speed limit postings of 70mph. The Commission argues that this could be prevented if speed cameras were used since they are able to measure the speed a car travels on average over a reasonable distance instead of a fixed point camera.
According to the Commission, if these cameras were introduced in urban areas and motorways then people would be encouraged to drive in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Ministers have also stated that the areas that use average speed cameras have seen the number of speeding fines awarded and accidents decline.
Currently average speed cameras are only in use at road works but the government is expected to approve their use in urban residential areas shortly.
Mayer of London, Boris Johnson, also announced just a short time ago that speed cameras will be placed along the east London A13 for a 7.5 mile stretch where speeding is a problem.
Also including in the Commission’s report is a request for all cars to be fitted with automatic speed limiters in order to reduce the amount of carbon emissions that are produced by motorists annually.
Filed under: Driving Advice, Road Safety — admin @ 5:37 pm
Here are some tips for driving in snow and ice from compensation claims website, Nowinnofee.co.uk.
Take it Slowly
When driving in heavy snow the most crucial step is to go slow. Remain in a low gear for optimum control and don’t be tempted to rush, no matter how late you are for work. Even when roads look clear, hidden black ice can be fatal so take your time. It is better to arrive late than not at all.
Brake the Habit
If you start to skid it’s only natural to want to hit the brakes, but this will only make things worse. If your car starts to slide, release your foot from the brake immediately and reapply slowly. Try to regain control by steering into the skid to straighten up your car and change to a lower gear to slow things down and avoid a nasty accident.
In a Spin
Pulling away from standstill in the snow usually results in wheel spin and a “one step forward two steps back” scenario. This is a major cause of minor accidents as cars spin backwards into the vehicle behind. Try to pull away in second gear rather than first as this will limit your wheel spin and if you begin to slide remember the rules on how to control a skid.
Turning a Corner
The cornering ability of a car is almost non-existent in snow. Vehicles often start to slide sideways and without proper control this will result in an accident. Remain focused and avoid any sudden braking. Slow down long before taking the corner and approach the turn in a straight line to avoid loss of control.
Expect the Unexpected
No matter how prepared you are you can’t assume that everyone around you is just as cautious. In fact, you should assume just the opposite. Don’t expect that somebody is going to stop for you – they may be trapped in a skid and unable to control their vehicle. Be aware of what is around you – other traffic and pedestrians – and remain vigilant. Increased concentration will result in better control and a lower chance of accident.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 7:13 am
Council officers in Scotland announced last night that many local authorities are running low on salt supplies, which means that in a few hours the roads may be much icier and dangerous. This is only cemented by the fact that this is the longest period of cold weather to hit the country in the last twenty years.
The question of salt demand was raised after New Year’s when thousands of drivers found themselves on a gridlock for a few hours both directions near the Forth Road Bridge Saturday, and the severe weather conditions only got worse.
Fife Council’s head of transportation, Bob McLellan, said that suppliers did not have enough salt in stock reserves this year, and that sometime this morning the county could possibly run out.
McLellan also stated that many councils across Scotland are facing the same problem.
The supplier contract with the Fife SNP administration states that salt levels cannot reach under 3,500 tonnes, which normally would last around three weeks, however the current weather conditions that have struck the county has forced the road authorities to use about 1,500 tonnes per day.
The Finance Secretary of Scotland, John Swinney, insisted that supplies will be replenished immediately and that the Government is working hard to make sure that the roadways across the country stay open.
Swinney stated that salt levels are sufficient at the moment and that stocks are consistently being replenished. He also stated that the Government is working with the UK in a coordinated effort to keep roads open in the current extreme weather conditions.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 8:46 am
New plans by the Government could result in residential streets losing their speed bumps according to new road safety plans. Under the new measures, councils will not need to have traffic calming measures, which also accounts for narrowed junctions and chicanes in a 20mph zone.
In the place of these measures, town halls simply need to erect signs that warn motorists of the upcoming reduced speed limits. Initially the trial zones will be self-enforced, although in the future trials will include speed cameras that can catch motorists who are speeding between zones.
The move comes after a Portsmouth trial in which it introduced a new 20mph limit on all of its streets without using any chicanes or humps to decrease the traffic speeds.
Transport ministers believe that on quiet streets and near schools should have speed limits of 20mph, due to the fact there are pedestrians and cyclists. However, this statement can also apply to major town routes and roads.
According to road safety minister Paul Clark, the amount of people that are injured or killed on the roads of Britain has decreased by about 40%, leaving Britain with the safest roads globally. However, he continued to say that there are too many people still being hurt or killed on roads that are near schools and homes.
At the same time, a spokesman for the RAC said that it is right that limits are set on local roads where there are high accident rates, schools, and hospitals but that most motorists will resent blanket reductions, which means the transition should be taken carefully.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 4:32 am
Campaigners that advocate better driving habits are calling on the government to increase fines for talking with a handheld mobile up to one thousand pounds.
The lobbyists have asked ministers to increase the fine after a new study found that that more people are using their mobiles now than before a penalty was introduced, proving that a £60 penalty may not be a heavy enough offence.
Member of the Road Safety Campaign Brake, Sarah Fatica, stated that in order to make people more fearful of being caught the fine should be increased to somewhere around five hundred or a thousand pounds.
The study conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory showed that of the thousands included in the survey 2.8% are still using their mobile handsets as compared to 2.6% before fines were added as a deterrent.
The analysts in charge of the study which took place in London said that if the results would likely be the same in any other area in the UK.
Outside of the £60 fine for using a mobile set while driving, motorists that are caught receive three points against their license, which is up from a previous penalty of just £30 pounds before February of 2007.
After the new penalties were first introduced the amount of people who used mobile handsets while driving decreased by about half but jumped back up to the current rate over the course of 2009.
The most likely groups to use the sets while driving according to the study were men between the ages of 30 and 59 and women between the ages of 17 and 29.
On the other hand, at least progress has been made when it comes to hands free mobiles with figures that jumped from 1.2% in 2006 up to almost 5% in 2009.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 9:05 am
A new group of CCTVs will help reduce the 20mph zones in residential areas after the New Year passes, thanks to a bill that was approved by the government.
The cameras are all aligned in a wireless network and by working together can track the speeds of vehicles for over 15 miles.
Country traffic managers see the videos as a way to calm down the traffic in Britain’s neighbourhoods, without having to use intrusive methods such as chicanes and road bumps.
The devices are designed to get around motorists who break for a camera and then speed up quickly to make up for the lost time.
Many motorways already use them and although they have caught fewer speeders, the number of casualties on the roads has been reduced.
Installation of the cameras in 20mph zones will begin next month.
Department of Transport research shows that cutting the speed down to 20mph in residential areas has made the roads more enjoyable for pedestrian and cyclist use.
One out of every 40 pedestrians that is hit by a vehicle at 20mph will die according to the research compared to the one in five that will die at the speed of 30mph.
Portsmouth was the first British city to begin using the 20mph limit with Norwich, York, and eight boroughs in London announcing that they would adopt the lower speeds as well.
Additionally, Newcastle upon Tyne, Hull, and Edinburgh also already use the 20mph zones making there currently 2,000 low mile zones throughout the UK.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 7:22 am
A speed camera from the M11 in Essex has been blamed for a large amount of accidents, but the debate over the camera reaches farther than meets the eye since it also generates about half a million pounds per year.
Since the Essex camera was installed in 2000 causalities on the road have doubled and crashes have increased by about a quarter. While accidents are more common, the device is able to catch about 9,000 speeders per year which is enough to generate £500,000 annually.
Campaigners feel that the government refuses to take the camera down despite the high incident rate due to its earning potential.
The Information Commissioner forced the police to disclose the earnings for the camera from 2003 which shows that about 9,000 motorists a year are caught on tape.
By the year 2007 the number had dropped down to about 3,300 but it is expected that in 2009 the numbers increased again with the count up to May of this year reaching almost 6,500.
Five years before the camera was put in place on the M11 there were 14 casualties and 13 accidents along the stretch of the highway. Five years after its installation the figures increased to 16 accidents and 24 casualties.
The spot where the camera is placed is when the lanes narrow down to two from three and the speed limit decreases from 70mph to a low 50mph which the Highways Agency claims may account for the pattern of accidents in the area.
Filed under: Road Safety — Alan @ 7:54 am
Britain introduced its first scramble crossing on Tuesday at Oxford Circus that is to be known in London as the safer sounding X crossing.
Regardless of what the new crossing is titled, its design is from Japan.
For those who have never seen a scramble crossing, at such an intersection all cars must come to a stop at one time, so that walkers can cross an intersection in any manner they want including diagonal crosses.
This is the first step in Britain of giving pedestrians dominance over traffic, which is displayed at the Oxford Circus, where the steel barriers have been removed and pedestrian pavements have been expanded.
Although critics think that the intersection will confuse those who come to the crossing initially, city planners assume that once the idea of a scramble crossing becomes more familiar it will be natural.
After all, this is not the first unique crossing in London with the Hyde Park Corner outfitted with raised buttons for those who are riding on horse. This particular crossing type is known as a Pegasus crossing.
Another popular crossing is the zebra crossing which is now starting to decline in use after a sixty year history.