dbda

Three Primary Colours

dbda — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:06:45 +0000

Three Primary Colors is a collaboration between OK Go and Sesame Street explaining the basics of color theory in stop-motion. Made me smile.

MF, studio, dbda

Bondi holder – animation

dbda — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:01:08 +0000

http://www.ibondi.com

Lovely little animation that does a very good job at promoting a gadget that would probably go very unnoticed in a market of other holder silicone things. Personifying Bondi and making him into a series of characters was a very clever idea.

MF, studio, dbda

Road casualties down slightly for 12 month period to September 2011.

dbda — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:38:45 +0000

There were 1,900 people killed and 24,430 killed or seriously injured (KSI), in reported road accidents in the year ending September 2011. This represents a fall of less than 0.5 per cent for fatalities and a fall of 4 per cent for fatal and seriously injured casualties compared to the previous 12 month period.

There were 204,350 total casualties (slight injuries, serious injuries and fatalities), 5 per cent less than the year ending September 2010. Total reported child casualties (ages 0-15) fell by less than 0.5 per cent to 19,890 with those killed or seriously injured down 7 per cent (to 2,400), compared with the year ending September 2010.

The number of injury road accidents reported to the police fell by 5 per cent (to 151,250) however the number of fatal accidents fell by less than 0.5 per cent (to 1,780) compared with the 12-month period ending September 2010.

Motor vehicle traffic levels fell by 0.7 per cent compared to the 12 month period ending September 2010.

However, the total number of reported pedal cycle casualties rose by 4 per cent, and the number killed or seriously injured rose by 8 per cent compared to the 12 month period ending September 2010

British cyclists at risk.

dbda — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:52:23 +0000

Britain risks a third annual rise in the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on the roads according to The Times.

Analysis conducted after a Times reporter, Mary Bowers, was crushed by a lorry on her ride to work shows that twice as many cyclists have been killed in the past decade as the number of British soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the rising toll masks an even more troubling trend for the people turning to cycling as a healthy, cheap and flexible mode of transport and the politicians whose policies are supposed to protect them: the rate of cyclists killed or seriously injured measured as a proportion of distance travelled rose in 2009 and 2010, the most recent years for which data exist. The rate rose to 886 per billion vehicle miles in 2010 from 875 in 2009 and 866 in 2008. This calls into question official assurances that it is getting safer to cycle.

The initial signs are that last year was little better. In the first two quarters of 2011 the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured also rose (by 10 per cent and 8 per cent respectively), while casualties among drivers, pedestrians and motorcyclists fell. Data for the third quarter are due out today.

A cyclist in Britain is three times more likely to be killed than one in the Netherlands and twice as likely as a cyclist in Denmark or Germany.

Road safety professionals, cycling groups and motoring organisations join The Times today in urging the Government to take practical steps to reverse this increase, to protect the lives of vulnerable road users and to build cities that are fit for cycling. The subject will be highlighted this spring as candidates set out their policies for mayoral elections in London.

Data for the capital released last week show that the rate of casualties among cyclists rose in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Questions over the “Cycle Revolution” of Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, have been raised after 16 cyclists were killed last year.

Jenny Jones, the Green Party’s mayoral candidate, said: “The truth is uncomfortable for all of us who want London to be a cycling-friendly city. The mayor has failed to make roads safer for vulnerable road users and he is fast becoming the big barrier to the future expansion of cycling in London.”

Mr Johnson denies the claim and rightly points out that the rate of cyclists killed or seriously injured is falling in London. He agreed to review all main road junctions after a spate of fatalities last year. However, fear may yet thwart plans to encourage cycling. As one Whitehall source put it: “One of the reasons we have had quite good results on cycle safety is because people are too scared to get on their bikes.”

Road safety groups say that ministers must act. “It is time for this Government to sit up and look at the issue,” said Robert Gifford, the executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety. “If the success of people like Mark Cavendish at the Olympics causes people to get on their bikes, it is important that they get ahead of the curve on this.”

He said that two years of rising fatalities among motorcyclists a decade ago spurred the Government into action to reverse the increase.

Chris Peck, policy co-ordinator at the CTC cyclists’ organisation, said: “We do know that this Government has done things that are completely unprogressive on road safety. We are really cutting back on the gold-plating of safety to get the economy moving.”

Critics argue that coalition policies including cuts to road safety budgets, an end to casualty reduction targets, reduced funds for speed cameras and hints of a rise in motorway speed limits have created an environment that is hostile to road safety. The Government abolished Cycling England, the body charged with enticing millions of motorists to take up cycling, along with its £60 million annual funding for cycle schemes. Cuts to police and highways maintenance budgets are putting lives at risk, campaigners say.

Mike Penning, the Road Safety Minister, dismissed those claims as “rubbish”. He added: “We have been more open and more honest about the way that road safety should be done in this country than ever before.”

Lorries pose a particular danger. While they account for just 5 per cent of traffic, they cause almost 20 per cent of cyclist deaths. A poll conducted byBritish Cycling the national governing body, found that 87 per cent of respondents have had an accident or near miss while cycling on the roads, 94 per cent think that lorries should improve their ability to see cyclists, 92 per cent think that cycle awareness should become an integral part of the driving test and 65 per cent believe that reducing urban speed limits from 30mph to 20mph would reduce the severity of injuries.

Signatories to The Times cycle safety campaign are calling for 20mph to become the default speed limit in residential areas which do not have segregated cycle lanes. This newspaper is calling for better training of cyclists and drivers. It urges the Government to back creative funding mechanisms to finance world-class cycle facilities.

Over 4 million working days lost due to injuries at work.

dbda — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:37:47 +0000

Figures have been recently published by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for 2010/11 and read as follows:

1.2 million people who worked during the last year were suffering from an illness (long-standing as well as new cases) they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. 0.5 million of these were new conditions which started during the year.
A further 0.7 million former workers (who last worked over 12 months ago) were suffering from an illness which was caused or made worse by their past work.
2321people died from mesothelioma in 2009 and thousands more from other occupational cancers and diseases such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
Enforcement 551 cases were prosecuted by HSE (including 33) by the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland).
129 cases were prosecuted by Local authorities (including 5 by the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland).
18 290 enforcement notices were issued by all enforcing authorities.
Injuries 171 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.6 fatalities per 100 000 workers.
115 379 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 462.1 per 100 000 employees.
200 000 reportable injuries (defined as over 3 day absence) occurred, according to the Labour Force Survey, a rate of 710 per 100 000 workers.
Working days lost 26.4 million days were lost overall, on average 15 days per case of work-related illness or workplace injury.
22.1 million due to work-related ill health and 4.4 million due to workplace injury.

Calls for action on accidents at work

dbda — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:19:10 +0000

According to The Herald experts have raised concerns about a lack of justice over health and safety failures, as it emerged only 3% of complaints ever lead to a prosecution or enforcement notice in Scotland and one in three deaths at work is not scrutinised by a fatal accident inquiry.

Calls have been made for a shake-up of how health and safety accidents at work are investigated after it was revealed the number of cases recommended for prosecution has fallen by nearly 50% in two years.

New data produced by the major personal injury specialists, Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, has revealed that despite a fatal accident inquiry(FAI) for a death at work being mandatory by law, in 29% of cases no such investigation is carried out.

The firm says of the cases that do result in an FAI, they take an average of 30 months to set up. In one-third of instances, it took three to four years for an FAI to be held. None took under a year.

Thompsons say Scotland should follow the lead of English coroner’s courts, which set up an inquest immediately following a death.

Official figures show the number of cases the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommended for prosecution in Scotland fell from 84 in 2008-09 to 43 in 2009-10 and 44 in 2010-11, when responsibility passed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Of 1229 complaints made to the HSE in Scotland in 2009-10 just 2.9% resulted in a prosecution or enforcement action. In England and Wales the figure is 4.3% of complaints.

Around one in five of the 43 Scottish cases passed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service after being recommended for prosecution by the HSE did not result in charges being pursued, according to a new report to Westminster. There was also a reduction in the percentage of reported major-injury incidents being investigated, down from 11% of cases in 2007-08 to 6% in 2009-10.

Thompsons’ data shows that of its fatal workplace accident and disease cases, 24% resulted in criminal charges, 44% led to no charges while 24% of investigations were ongoing.

The firm has raised concerns about whether health and safety is suffering because of government cuts, and urges an overhaul of the FAI system, which it says “does not work”.

Patrick McGuire, of Thompsons, said: “Breaching health and safety legislation is a crime but is not treated with the seriousness it deserves.

“For as long as the perception remains that this is not a ‘proper crime’ that devastates lives, the effectiveness of health and safety legislation will not be maximised.”

Thompsons, in a memo distributed to Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee, called for an anonymous whistleblower hotline for health and safety breaches.

Mr McGuire added: “Disregarding people’s safety at work or anywhere is a serious offence. It deserves the most serious enforcement measures possible.”

Unlike in England, where the Health and Safety Executive is the prosecuting body, pursuing charges in Scotland has been the responsibility of a new division of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service since July 2009.

“From the perspective of proactive investigation and enforcement, the simple fact is the HSE have limited resources,” Mr McGuire says. “With the economic pressures on central government and likely budget reductions, this situation is likely to only get worse.”

An HSE spokesman said: “We always prioritise and will look to devote the resources available to us to investigate the more serious circumstances.”

Fatal Festive Season

dbda — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:21:44 +0000

To put into perspective the road safety problem worldwide, recently published casualty figures for South Africa since the beginning of this year’s festive season on December 1, indicate that there has been 710 reported fatalities on the countries roads according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). Here in the UK over the same period there will be around 150 road deaths.

Factors that contributed to the crashes were high speed, dangerous driving, fatigue among long distance minibus drivers, overloading and tyre failure.

Between December 12 and 18, more than 1000 motorists were arrested for transgressions including drunken driving, excessive speed, overloading and reckless or negligent driving.

These figures highlight the need for increased vigilance at all times and also the importance of the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety launched earlier this year.

Portugal, Latvia and Spain lead the pack.

dbda — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:09:14 +0000

Young people are among the groups facing the highest risks of dying while on the road: 140,000 young people aged 15 to 30 have lost their lives on European roads since 2001; 9150 of them in 2010.

This age group represents 20% of the population of the EU, but makes up 30% of the total number of road deaths. Mortality of young people – number of deaths divided by population – is 69% higher than the corresponding figure for people of all other ages.

The latest Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Flash also reveals that young males are a particularly problematic group, making up 81% of the number of young people killed on EU roads.

Portugal, Latvia and Spain lead the pack in reducing the number of young people road deaths and they are followed by Estonia, Slovenia and Luxembourg

Good progress was also made in Sweden, The Netherlands and Switzerland, who have become the safest countries in terms of young people killed per young inhabitants Young people in these countries benefitted not only from measures specific to young people but also from general road safety measures, enforcement efforts and improvements in infrastructure.

Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees report published.

dbda — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:52:40 +0000

The European Transport Safety Council PRAISE project has published a new report “Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees”. The report aims at mobilising knowledge needed to create work-related road safety leadership. This report offers employers an insight into tackling speeding amongst employees driving for work.

Speeding can be defined as driving in excess of legally set speed limits and/or driving at speeds which are inappropriate to the prevailing conditions. Speeding is the main cause of road traffic collisions, deaths and serious injury.

Loss of control of the driving task, and thus potentially of the vehicle, arises when the demands of the driving task exceed the available capability of the driver. As speed increases the task demand rises and the driver’s capability is reduced1. Employers have a clear responsibility to reduce incentives to speeding and to raise understanding of the serious consequences it can have. Part one looks at the impact that speeding can have and presents levels of compliance with speed limits for different road user types.

The second part focuses on management issues covering topics from journey planning to payment schemes with advice on how such practices can help to manage speeding in the work context.

The third part of the Thematic Report looks at what employers can do from risk assessment of potential speeders and identification of training – including also eco driving synergies – to the promotion of safer and more economic driving. It also looks at what can be done to rehabilitate speeding offenders.

The final part looks specifically at different speed management technologies which can also be a useful additional tool in managing speed. A policy mix is needed to effectively tackle speeding and this report aims to present recommendations to reduce speeding across the board amongst those who are driving for work.

Copies of the report can downloaded at http://www.etsc.eu/home.php

Dual-carriageway speed limit to be raised?

dbda — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:53:53 +0000

According to the Daily Telegraph Government ministers are considering extending the proposed higher limit to a far wider range or roads than had previously been thought.

A formal consultation on allowing motorists to drive at 80mph on motorways is due to be launched early in the New Year.

Proposals to increase the national 70mph limit on limit on other trunk roads emerged in the Department for Transport’s proposals to cut red tape.

“We have announced our intention to consult about changing the national speed limit on motorways from 70mph to 80mph,” the DfT said in the document.

“We are also examining whether an 80mph should be extended on a case by case basis to some other dual carriageways.”

The original proposal to push up the speed limit was put forward by Philip Hammond, the former Transport Secretary.

Supporters of raising the limit believe that it would aid the economy and also reflect advances in car safety technology in recent decades.

But the plans are understood to have divided ministers, with Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, opposing the plans because it would lead to an increase in carbon emissions.

Road safety groups have also voiced concern especially with existing police guidelines allowing motorists a measure of leeway under the “10 per cent plus 2mph” formula.

If applied to an 80mph limit, this would mean drivers would be unlikely to face prosecution at speeds lower than 90mph