Road safety budgets slashed across England.

Local councils in England slashed their road safety budgets by 15 per cent (£23 million) last year compared to average spending cuts of just six per cent for other council services, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

This includes cuts to services such as rehabilitation courses for motoring offenders, training and information for young drivers, safe routes to schools schemes and school crossing patrols.

The research also shows that over half of English councils cut their spending on road safety and traffic management by more than ten per cent. Of the 152 councils contacted, 81 replied.

Spending on road safety saw huge variations. For example, London’s Camden Council cut road safety spending by more than 70 per cent (£4million), despite the fact that road casualties have increased by 10.6 per cent there since 2006. More than 100 people were killed or seriously injured on Camden’s roads in 2010. At the same time, neighbouring Islington Council increased funding for road safety and traffic management by £134,000.

Mobile phones and driving case study.

Since introducing a ban on the use of mobile phones whilst driving, 3M has monitored employees’ attitudes on an annual basis.

The company has a fleet of some 800 company cars used by a team of 400 sales people plus cars for the majority of their managersA survey conducted three months after the ban was introduced indicated a swing in employees’ attitude. When the ban was first introduced, 56 per cent of staff did not welcome it. Just three months later, less than half (41 per cent) said they did not like it. By June 2011 negative sentiment stood at 35 per cent.

The most recent survey (which was anonymous) showed 49 per cent of employees complying with the policy fully; 46 per cent ‘most of the time’ and 5 per cent ignoring it. The results showed real signs that the safety message was getting through. When asked their reasons for complying with the new rules, 6 per cent said it was because they thought using a mobile phone while driving was a dangerous distraction and could lead to an accident.

The survey also indicated that the ban had tracked through to 3M employees’ personal lives. 43 per cent said that they already avoided using their personal phone while driving – but since the work ban a further 48 per cent had either stopped or reduced the practice.

Delhi to be no longer helmet free for woman.

Being a woman will no longer allow you a helmet-free ride in Delhi , writes The Daily Mail

After more than a decade of debate and dissent over the issue, the state government and the Delhi High Court made it clear that all women riding on two-wheelers will have to adhere to road safety laws – meaning they will have to wear helmets.

A bench of acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw on Wednesday gave the Delhi government two months to make changes to the law governing road safety, after its counsel said the state was planning to amend the rules.

It wasn’t compulsory till now under the law for women riding twowheelers in Delhi to wear helmets.

Despite a central government law making it mandatory for all two-wheeler riders to wear helmets, women in Delhi have been exempt from the rule since 1999.

Zubeda Begum, counsel for the government, told the court that they are now willing to take another look at that exemption.

‘Although the Motor Vehicles Act hasn’t made it optional for women to wear a helmet while riding pillion, the Delhi government had made it optional in its Motor Vehicle Rules of 1993,’ she told the court.

Which? produce ‘in-car technology charter.

Using in-car technology such as touch screens, integrated phones and satnavs can be distracting if used on the move, an investigation by Which? has found.

They tested the systems of eight of the UK’s bestselling carmakers and found many features difficult to use while driving. Although some car companies performed very well, other carmakers need to follow their lead and ensure their systems pose as little distraction as possible to motorists.

The publication has now created an ‘in-car technology charter’ with a 10-point checklist to make in-car technology systems less distracting which we will be discussing with the government, road safety bodies and carmakers in the coming months.

Which? Car editor, Richard Headland, says:
“We found that the sheer number of ways to carry out simple tasks in the cars was baffling, and crying out to be simplified.
We know people want systems in their car that integrate audio, phone, satnav and other functions, but it’s time for the Government to step in and provide some strong guidance to focus carmakers on creating less distracting systems.”

Repeal of motorcycle helmet law in Michigan.

The American Automobile Association Michigan says it is extremely disappointed that legislation which allows some motorcyclists to ride without a helmet on the state’s roadways has been signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder. 

 

Public Act 98, which has now come into effect, is poor public policy and will increase motorcycle fatalities and injuries, AAA Michigan reports.

The repeal erases more than three decades of Michigan’s mandatory helmet law. The new law allows motorcyclists to ride without a helmet if they have a $20,000 medical policy, have had the cycle endorsement for at least two years, or completed a motorcycle safety course.

The repeal of the motorcycle helmet law will result in at least 30 additional motorcycle fatalities each year, along with 127 more incapacitating injuries and $129 million in added economic costs to Michigan residents. This analysis by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning is based on the experience of other states where similar measures have been enacted. As evidenced by increased medical costs passed on to taxpayers, motorcycle deaths and long-term catastrophic injuries are on the rise.

Crashes Down – Down Under

In 2011, Australia recorded the lowest number of road deaths since 1946, down to about a third of the deaths recorded at the peak in 1970. Over the past 10 years annual fatalities on Australian roads have fallen by almost 26 per cent.

New official figures for December 2011 show 1,292 lives were lost on the nation‘s roads during 2011—a 4.4 per cent reduction on 2010. This fall continues the downward trend over the last five years.

Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King, said the Government is working to reduce the national road toll even further through the implementation of the new National Road Safety Strategy.

“Even more encouraging is the 22 per cent drop in the number of young driver fatalities compared with 2010. The 2011 figures for driver fatalities in the 17 to 25 age bracket are also 34 per cent lower than those recorded in 2007.

“These figures reflect the proactive road safety initiatives pursued by Federal and State governments over recent years; the efforts of police and the greater care being taken by motorists when behind the wheel.

“The Gillard Government will continue to look at initiatives for younger drivers with a focus on saving lives through education with programs such as keys2drive offering free lessons to learners.

Warnings replace prosecutions for speeding drivers.

The number of speeding drivers escaping with warnings is soaring due to savage police cuts. This follows a Freedom of Information request from the Daily Mirror.

And road safety campaigners have accused the ­Government of putting lives at risk by hiring an army of ­volunteers to use speed guns in place of officers.

Drivers going too fast can only be ­prosecuted if caught by police.

Last year, 50,000 warning letters were sent to those drivers who were recorded speeding by police officers, up from just 10,000 in 2009.

And police chiefs fear more drivers will be let off with a slap on the wrist as officer numbers are slashed, speed cameras are switched off and road safety spending is axed under George Osborne’s austerity cuts.

Ellen Booth of campaign group Brake said: “These shocking figures show the Government is not taking road safety seriously.”

Police Federation spokesman Inspector Steve White added: “We have seen an increase in crime in the last 12 months because of cuts in police numbers. We don’t want to see an increase in road ­casualties.”

Shadow policing minister David Hanson said: “If this is one of the first signs of the impact of cuts to the front line then it is a warning to the Government to stop, rethink and look again at what it is doing to our police.

“We know the ­consequence of more drivers speeding is more accidents, ­injuries or worse on our roads.”

Police chiefs need to axe 16,000 officers as the ­Chancellor slashes 20% from force budgets. Home Secretary Theresa May has also proposed sending civilians out on the beat with cops.

And town hall chiefs have given volunteers speed guns to monitor streets under schemes such as Community Speedwatch.

They were issued with at least 157 radar kits over the last three years, according to the 18 forces who replied to Mirror freedom of information requests.

Ms Booth said: “People looking to make their community safer is fantastic but it shouldn’t be left to volunteers.

“At the end of the day, these are criminal offences and ought to be taken seriously.”

Taxing time for drivers in the US!

The stress of tax time may be more than an annual discomfort. According to The Wall Street Journal following newly published research, it could be deadly.

A new study indicates drivers in the U.S. are more prone to fatal crashes on the day of the income-tax deadline than on other days.

The study, conducted by Donald Redelmeier of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and Christopher Yarnell of the University of Toronto, was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Its findings are based on deadline data from the Internal Revenue Service and fatal accident statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1980 through 2009.

Researchers looked at the number of fatal crashes on each tax deadline day over the 30-year study period and compared those figures with statistics from the same weekday one week earlier and one week later as a control.

Their findings: A total of 19,541 people were involved in fatal crashes during the 30 tax-deadline days and 60 control days. The 30 tax days accounted for 6,783 fatalities, or 226 per day. The control days accounted for 12,758 road deaths, or 213 per day. So the risk of a traffic fatality is 6% higher on tax day.

Possible reasons for the increase include the stress of deadlines increasing the risk of driver distraction and errors. Drivers may also tend to be more sleep-deprived and less patient and courteous in their driving.

Women safer drivers Down Under!

Women could be far ahead of men when it comes to driving skills as males are more likely to speed, crash and, tragically, die behind the wheel, according to a new study.From comparatively simple tasks like parallel parking to more challenging behaviour on busy highways, women have emerged as safer and more skilful motorists all round.

 

A recent research study by the University of New South Wales Transport and Road Safety research unit found that whether men were drivers, passengers, motorcyclists or pedestrians, they were 1.6 to 1.7 times more likely to be killed on the road.“Males are certainly at higher risk than females, whether it”s per car, per head of population or per the kilometres travelled,”  Professor Grzebieta of the research unit.

New safety helmet ratings published ahead of Easter Bank Holiday

An extra 14 motorcycle helmet ratings from the Department for Transport’s Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) have been published today by Road Safety Minister Mike Penning ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Today’s ratings take the total number of helmets rated by SHARP – the Safety Helmet Assessment and Ratings Programme – to 261.

Mike Penning said:

“Many of us will be getting our bikes out and – with luck – take advantage of some sunshine over the bank holiday weekend.

“I would urge anyone thinking about buying a new helmet ahead of the start of the summer season to check out the SHARP website before making their decision. A properly fitted helmet with a high SHARP rating will provide you with the best possible protection in the event of an accident so it’s well worth checking the advice on the site before you buy.”

All helmets must meet minimum legal safety standards to be sold in the UK but the SHARP scheme uses a wider range of tests to provide riders with more information on how much protection a helmet can provide in a crash. The objective advice, which includes important guidance on how to select a good-fitting helmet, will help riders to choose the safest helmet suitable for them.

The SHARP tests – which award ratings of between one and five stars – show that the safety performance of helmets can vary by as much as 70%. With helmets across a wide price range scoring highly all riders should be able to find a high performing helmet in a size and style that fits them and at a price they want to pay.

Full details of the SHARP Scheme can be found at http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/