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.

Teen girl driver danger.

Teen girls are twice as likely as boys to use cellphones and other electronic devices while driving, according to researchers who analyzed in-car video clips of American teen drivers’ behavior.

Electronic devices were the most common type of distracted driving behavior for both genders, but there were a number of other types of distractions, found the study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The video clips were from unsupervised teen drivers in 50 North Carolina families.

“Cellphones, texting, personal grooming, and reaching for things in the car were among the most common distracting activities found when cameras were put in new teen drivers’ cars,” President and CEO Peter Kissinger said in a foundation news release.

“This new study provides the best view we’ve had about how and when teens engage in distracted driving behaviors believed to contribute to making car crashes the leading cause of death for teenagers,” he added.

The use of electronic devices was the leading cause of distracted driving behaviors in 7 percent of all the video clips analyzed by the researchers. Other types of distractions were noted in 15 percent of the video clips. The most common were adjusting controls, personal grooming and eating or drinking.

Older teens were more likely to engage in distracting behaviors while driving, which suggests that these behaviors increase as teens get more comfortable behind the wheel, the researchers said.

Dual-carriageway speed limit to be raised?

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

dbda re-brands BMW Education to become BMW Group Education

The Education Programme, which has a long-established commitment to supporting education across the UK, was launched over 17 years ago as part of BMW’s corporate responsibility commitment providing schools with free, curricular-linked and award-winning educational resources covering the themes of Science and Technology (Young Academy), Energy and the Environment (Energised and Clean Energy) and road safety (Safe on the Street).

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dbda encourages parents to keep their children safe during the summer holidays

With the summer holidays upon us, dbda is encouraging parents to remind their children about the dangers on the road and in the home.

According to a June 2010 survey on behalf of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, while almost three-quarters of parents worry about their child having a bad accident nearly half believe there is nothing they can do to stop accidents from happening.

Deaths on the roads of Great Britain fall to the lowest ever in 2010

Great Britain goes below 2,000 road deaths for the first time.

The number of people killed in road crashes in 2010 fell by 16% year on year to 1,857 – the lowest figure since records began in 1926. The figures are contained in Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain which was published on 30th June 2011. The annual Department for Transport report reveals that the number of people killed in road crashes fell from 2,222 in 2009 to 1,857 in 2010.

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Cycling on the pavement.

A new Bill which received its first reading in parliament last month will not be enough to reduce the number of cycle accident claims according to The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety

 

Robert Gifford, executive director at PACTS, said that the Dangerous and Reckless Cycling (Offences) Bill 2010-11 is a “very large sledgehammer to deal with a very small nut”.

“I’m not saying it is not a problem; the problem is their behaviour and we need to explain to them why what they are doing is not a good idea, rather than immediately resort to a legal punishment,” he added.

Mr Gifford went on to say that there are only one or two deaths each year caused by a cyclist hitting a pedestrian, which is why the new law is only being brought in now.

If caught cycling on the pavement, police can issue a £30 Fixed Penalty Notice, while the maximum fine from the courts is £500.

Where the cuts will hit the UK

The Guardian have published a page of ‘cuts’ that are set to be implemented around the country from the beginning of April onwards. They target Charities, Civil Service, Education, Local Government, NHS and other sectors.  School Crossing Patrols in Suffolk will be cut.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/interactive/2011/mar/25/public-sector-cuts-map

Gemma, Account Manager, dbda

Drink Driving – an opportunity missed to save 168 lives?

A package of measures to tackle drink and drug driving was announced today by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond following the long awaited North Review.

The prescribed alcohol limit for driving will not be changed, with the focus instead on improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk.

This leaves the UK with one of the highest alcohol limits in the EU at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood as opposed to changing it to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood that is common in many european states. A cut from 80mg to 50mg would have according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents  have saved 168 lives in the first year of the law coming into place. However Government have decided to keep the existing limits in place. Many other organisations including PACTS have also published research along similar lines.

In A Flash: Meet the Ansteys (Intro)

This hard-hitting and unique, multimedia resource developed by dbda on behalf of London Safety Camera Partnership (LSCP) aims to address key issues faced by young people in their pre driving and early driving years. It is based around an emotive storyline where the lives of five young people are changed forever, in one night. Take a look at the first of nine parts.