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Apr 13, 2016

TRUCKS EVALUATION * USA: New Pickup Trucks may not keep you safe

* Virginia - IIHS evaluated two body styles of each 2016 model-­year pickup — crew cab and extended cab

(Video from IIHS - April 12, 2016: Three out of seven large pickup trucks evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in a new round of crash tests earn an acceptable or higher rating for occupant protection in a small overlap front crash) 

-- Three out of seven large pickup trucks IIHS evaluated in a new round of crash tests earn an acceptable or higher rating for occupant protection in a small overlap front crash... IIHS evaluated two body styles of each 2016 model-year pickup — crew cab and extended cab. Crew cabs have four full doors and two full rows of seating. Extended cabs have two full front doors, two smaller rear doors and compact second-row seats... Ford improved the 2016 model F-150 SuperCab to clinch a good rating in the small overlap crash test, up from the 2015 model's marginal rating... The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Double Cab and the Toyota Tundra Double Cab both earn an acceptable rating for occupant protection in a small overlap crash... The story was different for the larger crew cabs. The Silverado 1500 Crew Cab and the Tundra CrewMax earn a marginal rating in the small overlap front test... The worst-performing pickups in the small overlap test are the Ram 1500 Crew Cab and the Ram 1500 Quad Cab. Both earn a marginal rating overall and a poor rating for structure... Besides the F-150, the Silverados and their GMC Sierra twins are the only other pickups available with an optional forward collision warning system that earns a basic rating for front crash prevention... IIHS plans to test the redesigned 2016 Nissan Titan and Honda Ridgeline later this year... 
Ruckersville, VA, USA — Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (PR), by Russ Rader - 13 April 2016

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May 24, 2015

DRIVER SAFETY * USA: Lytx's in truck video camera

* California - HMD Trucking employs Lytx Inc.’s DC Protect Program for fleet

-- San Diego-based Lytx Inc., a global leader in video-based driver safety, today announced that HMD Trucking Inc. has deployed the Lytx DriveCam Program in all of its company-owned vehicles. Presently, HMD Trucking utilizes more than 200 tractors and 400 trailers... HMD Trucking of Chicago, ILL,  was midway through a trial of the DriveCam program when it experienced significant cost-savings and improvements in safety, prompting the company to deploy the program in nearly all its vehicles... To date, the program has enabled HMD Trucking to achieve marked driver-behavior improvement in both safe driving and seatbelt usage. The Lytx DC Protect program has also enabled the company to prove its drivers’ innocence in a variety of incidents, including several near-miss collisions and instances of flat tires caused by rough road patches... 
San Diego, CAL, USA - Trucking News - May 19, 2015

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Mar 6, 2015

TRUCKERS' SAFETY * USA: Buckling up could have saved up to 40 percent of the unbelted truck drivers

* Georgia - CDC report highlights dangers of CMV drivers not buckling up 

 -- About 700 truck drivers or their passengers died in crashes in 2012. Buckling up could have saved up to 40 percent of the unbelted truck drivers, says a CDC report... Another government agency is pointing out the dangers of commercial vehicle drivers not buckling up... This time it’s from a rather unexpected source — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, better known to most as the CDC. The CDC in a report issued this week notes that:
 • There were an estimated 317,000 motor vehicle crashes involving a large truck reported to the police in the U.S. in 2012.
 • 26,000 truck drivers or their passengers were injured in crashes that year.
 • About 700 truck drivers or their passengers died in crashes in 2012. Buckling up could have saved up to 40 percent of the unbelted truck drivers.
 • More than 1 in 3 truck drivers who died in crashes in 2012 were not wearing seat belts.
 • For each large-truck driver who died, 35 were injured.
 • About 41 percent of truck drivers who lost work days from a crash in 2012 missed 31 days or more.  • For each driver or passenger in a large truck who died, about six other people (in other vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists) died as a result of large-truck crashes in 2012.
 • Fatal crashes of large trucks and buses cost the U.S. economy about $40 billion in 2012, and
 • The total cost — $99 billion — is much higher when crashes with injuries or property damage are also included...  Atlanta, Georgia, USA - The Trucker News Services - 4 March 2015


* DC - Crashes cause majority of deaths for truck drivers

-- Crashes cause 65 percent of on-the-job deaths of truck drivers in the United States, making it the top cause of work-related deaths in that occupation, a federal government report shows... There are about 2.6 million people in the United States who drive trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds. The number of crash deaths among these drivers and their passengers fell to a 35-year low in 2009, but rose between then and 2012... In 2012, about 317,000 crashes involving large trucks were reported to police. Seven hundred drivers of large trucks or their passengers died in crashes, and about 26,000 were injured... More than a third of the truck drivers who died were not wearing a seat belt, according to the Vital Signs report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... About 14 percent of long-haul truckers said they did not use a seat belt on every trip. Those who said they didn't wear a seat belt also tended to have other unsafe habits, such as speeding, and to work for an employer without a written workplace safety program... Trucking companies should create and enforce company safety policies, including seat belt requirements for drivers and passengers, and bans on text messaging and the use of handheld phones, the report suggested... Increased enforcement of seat belt laws by state troopers could also encourage truckers to buckle up. Changes in truck engineering and design that provide truckers with improved comfort, range of motion and adjustments for different body types might also help increase seat belt use... Washington, DC, USA -HealthDay News, by Robert Preidt - March 3, 2015

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May 15, 2013

RENTING RECALLED CARS * USA

* DC - Beware: Rental Companies Can Still Rent Recalled Cars -- For Now

Washington,DC,USA -The Car Connection, by Richard Read -May 10, 2013: -- Nearly ten years ago, Raechel and Jacqueline Houck were killed in a horrific accident when the Chrysler PT Cruiser they'd rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car caught fire, causing the sisters to lose control of the vehicle and collide with an 18-wheeler... The Houcks' mother, Cally, lobbied for legislation to help prevent such tragedies from happening again. Dubbed the "Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2011", it had a number of legislative sponsors and was included in the massive surface transportation bill that Congress approved last summer... When that bill passed, though, we couldn't find any mention of the Safe Rental Car act, and now we know why: because it had been removed... A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has now teamed up to present the Safe Rental Car Act again... The new bill requires that rental car companies ground any recalled vehicles within 24 hours of receiving a recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The time limit is extended to 48 hours if a rental company has more than 5,000 of the affected vehicles in its fleet... Sometimes, recalls provide a list of temporary measures that can be taken until a complete fix is available. Should that occur, the bill allows rental companies to roll out those measures and continue renting the vehicles until replacement parts for the problem are distributed... Also, the bill gives NHTSA the authority to investigate rental car companies' compliance with the law...


* Cars made in Brazil are deadly

(AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano: Firefighters rescue a man from a car crash in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2012. Three men were injured when they lost control of their Ford Ka car on one of Sao Paulo main avenues during a rainy morning)
Sao Paulo,SP,Brazil -The Detroit News/Associated Press, by Bradley Brooks -May 12, 2013: -- The cars roll endlessly off the local assembly lines of the industry's biggest automakers, more than 10,000 a day, into the eager hands of Brazil's new middle class. The shiny new Fords, Fiats, and Chevrolets tell the tale of an economy in full bloom that now boasts the fourth largest auto market in the world. What happens once those vehicles hit the streets, however, is shaping up as a national tragedy, experts say, with thousands of Brazilians dying every year in auto accidents that in many cases shouldn't have proven fatal. The culprits are the cars themselves, produced with weaker welds, scant safety features and inferior materials compared to similar models manufactured for U.S. and European consumers, say experts and engineers inside the industry. Four of Brazil's five bestselling cars failed their independent crash tests. Unsafe cars, coupled with the South American nation's often dangerous driving conditions, have resulted in a Brazilian death rate from passenger car accidents that is nearly four times that of the United States, according to an Associated Press analysis of Brazilian Health Ministry data on deaths compared to the size of each country's car fleet...  In fact, the two countries are moving in opposite directions on survival rates — the U.S. recorded 40 percent fewer fatalities from car wrecks in 2010 compared with a decade before. In Brazil, the number killed rose 72 percent, according to the latest available data. Dr. Dirceu Alves, of Abramet, a Brazilian association of doctors that specializes in treating traffic accident victims, said poorly built cars take an unnecessary toll...

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Apr 12, 2013

DRIVERS' SAFETY * USA

* NHTSA cites widespread use of electronic devices by drivers 


Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -11 April 2013:   -- At any given daylight moment, about 660,000 drivers are using a cellphone or manipulating an electronic device, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... The figure has held steady since 2010 despite the fact that more than 3,300 people were killed and 387,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2011, according to NHTSA... In 2011, 103 million of the 212 million licensed drivers in the country were answering calls, and 50 million were making calls, said NHTSA, which released the data as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month...

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Dec 4, 2012

ROAD SAFETY * UK & Australia

* Tough new measures to tackle drink drivers 

London,EN,UK -HGV UK -November 26, 2012: -- A package of tough measures to crack down on drink drivers has been unveiled by Road Safety Minister, Stephen Hammond... Included in the proposals are plans to remove the statutory right to a replacement blood or urine test where a breath test reading is above and close to the legal limit, closing the loophole which allows those testing positive in breath to sober up while they wait for a blood or urine sample to be taken... The government also intends to legislate to allow police the option not to perform a preliminary breath test where roadside evidential breath tests are carried out following the rollout of roadside evidential breath testing devices and give registered health care professionals greater roles in testing drink drivers – both of which options would speed up the enforcement process and deal with more drink drivers...


* Australia - Union seeks safeguards, feedback on black boxes

(Photo)
Sydney,NSW,Australia -ATN, by Brad Gardner -November 29, 2012: -- The Transport Workers Union (TWU) will gauge member support for black boxes in trucks, but has already declared the devices must not be used to target drivers... Speaking in the wake of Lindsay Fox announcing his campaign to have black boxes installed in all trucks, TWU National Secretary, Tony Sheldon, says they can potentially play an important part in road safety if used to hold clients accountable... He says the technology should be employed when conducting a safety assessment, with legal restrictions imposed to only allow for the use of black boxes in the event of an emergency...

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Aug 22, 2012

DRIVERS' SAFETY * USA

* DC - 3% of Fatal Crashes Involved Alcohol-Impaired Truck Drivers in 2010 

Washington,DC,USA -Bloomberg/Transport Topics -15 Aug 2012: -- Drivers of large trucks made up the smallest percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2010, according to recently released data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... According to the report, 3% of fatal crashes involved drivers in large trucks with a blood-alcohol content above zero, and 2% were caused by drivers with BACs above the U.S. legal limit of .08... In 2010, 10,228 people died in the U.S. in alcohol-related accidents, meaning there was one such death every 51 minutes, according to NHTSA... The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has estimated about 7,000 lives could be saved annually in the U.S. if no one drove with a blood-alcohol content higher than .08...


* UK - Aviva Seeks Drivers to Test New Telematics Car Insurance 
London,EN,UK -Property Casualty -August 14, 2012: -- UK motorists are invited to help develop a new driving app which could earn them a discount of up to 20 percent on their personal auto motor insurance. Aviva is using smartphone technology to create individual driver profiles, which will be used to calculate tailored pay-how-you-drive premiums. The driver behavioural app, Aviva RateMyDrive, will monitor motorists taking part in the test for 200 miles, including acceleration, braking and cornering. The data is then turned into an individual "score" which helps determine the motorist’s premium—with safer drivers earning up to 20 percent off their Aviva premium...  While safer drivers could receive a discount up to 20 percent, Treloar explains the insurer won’t penalise other drivers if their driving doesn’t come up to the standard set by the app...

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Oct 6, 2011

* Sweden - Driverless future, Are we ready ?

Technological advances have now made it possible for a vehicle to run without a driver, but is a driverless future actually desirable ?...

(Photo: Platooning may be the new way of travelling on motorways in as little as ten years time)

Kells,Co. Meath,Ireland -Irish Trucker News -5 October 2011:  ...  Volvo Trucks says that making vehicles more autonomous is perhaps not a question of excluding drivers, but rather of emphasising their importance...  The history of autonomous vehicles dates back to 1970s Japan and now various projects are currently underway at universities, research institutes and high-tech companies around the world. Hundreds of thousands of driverless kilometres have been clocked up and proponents of the technology believe that such vehicles will increase road capacity, reduce congestion, and most importantly improve road safety by eliminating driver error. The ‘tech liberals' argue that if 90 per cent of accidents are due to the human factor - as statistics indicate - why not completely take the driver out of the equation? Opponents, meanwhile, raise concerns about the fallibility of the computerised systems. And who, for example, is legally responsible if one of these unmanned vehicles causes an accident ? ...  Automated systems like sensors, cameras and radar for monitoring the traffic and vehicle's situation are regarded by many as having some advantages over humans, but Carl Johan Almqvist, Traffic & Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks believes the safest approach is to combine the automated system's 360-degree awareness with the professional driver's knowledge and experience...

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Mar 25, 2011

TRUCKERS' COMPLAIN * Canada - Trucking firms, drivers debate flying rock dangers

Trucking companies:  Rocks flying off the backs of trucks and striking car windshields don't add up


Ottawa,CAN -CBC News -Mar 24, 2011: ...   Nearly a week after an Ottawa woman's terrifying near-miss on a west-end road, in which a rock smashed her windshield and showered her with shards of glass, truckers are saying their loads can rarely be faulted in such incidents...  The more likely scenario, companies said, is that a chunk of asphalt or roadside rubble can get lodged between a truck's dual tires and later get flung backwards...  But dozens of motorists who have had their windows struck by rocks beg to differ...  Kyla Helpin was driving north on Carp Road near McGee Side Road last Friday when she said a "baseball-sized" rock fell from a passing dump truck and shattered the windshield in front of her face...  Jason Birch, a father of two, was killed in an eerily similar incident last October...  Tracy Braun was unequivocal about what happened to her when she was working as a first-aid attendant for a construction company...   "It literally came straight at me," she said. "Definitely, it came off the truck. There was no doubt about it. I saw it coming right at me" ...    (Photo by Kyla Helpin - A rock shattered the top of the windshield of Kyla Helpin's car last Friday)

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Mar 19, 2011

CELL PHONES BAN * Canada & USA - All Canadian provinces now ban hand-held phones while driving

Each of Canada’s 10 provinces has enacted bans on the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving

Fredericton,New Brunswick,Canada -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -18 March 2011: -- New Brunswick will be the last province to begin enforcing a ban on the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving once enforcement begins April 1...  The ban applies to the handling or manipulation of hand-held cell phones, texting devices and portable entertainment devices while driving. It also prohibits the manual programming of GPS units while driving...  TVs, monitors, DVD players and computer screens will not be permitted in New Brunswick “within the visual range of the operator or driver of a motor vehicle,” according to information released by the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety. Violators will be subject to fines of $172.50 plus three penalty points on a driver’s license...


* USA - Technology solving cell-phone truck use dilemma


Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Wendy Leavitt -Mar 18, 2011: -- Last December, Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood, proposed banning interstate bus and truck drivers from using handheld cell phones while operating a vehicle. Meanwhile, the number of productivity apps that can be loaded onto cell phones just keeps mushrooming—leaving fleets to seriously wonder how viable an IT platform cell phones will be for trucking business solutions down the road...  However, it may not be time to hang up on cell phones in trucks. Thanks to some enterprising new solution providers, it may be possible to take advantage of the benefits of mobile communication devices without risking a fleet’s safety rating in the process...  The availability of various technologies to restrict and track in-vehicle use of mobile devices is likely to continue to expand right along with the growth in the functionality and use of mobile devices themselves...  Think about how the number of active and passive onboard safety systems has grown in an effort to make the business of hauling freight by truck safer and more efficient. Cell phone usage control and tracking systems are the data corollary—tools to make the task of sharing information safer for those moving goods and people down the highway...

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Oct 16, 2010

SAFETY TRUCKS * USA - Takata's SafeTraK Lane Departure Warning System Improves Safety Performance and Accident Avoidance

Study Shows: Road Safety Benefits and Driver Acceptance of Technology a "Win-Win" for Commercial Trucking Industry

Pontiac,MICH,USA -PRNewswire -13 Oct 2010: -- The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Takata Corporation have announced the results of a year-long field test of an integrated system of crash warning technologies designed to enhance the safety of the commercial trucking industry...   A few significant results from the integrated vehicle-based safety system (IVBSS) study include:


* Thirty-eight percent (38%) of drivers reported that the integrated warning systems prevented them from potentially having a crash
* Eighty-three percent (83%) of drivers would prefer a truck equipped with the integrated warning systems and would recommend their carrier purchase the system
* In terms of satisfaction, drivers rated:
                 o Warnings for lane departures the highest
                 o Overall usefulness of lane departure warning second
* The SafeTraK integrated crash warning system used in the study had a statistically significant effect helping drivers maintain lane positions closer to the center
* Overall, drivers responded the warning systems would increase driver safety, making them more aware of the traffic environment around their vehicle and their position in the lane

The UMTRI-led IVBSS program funding was provided by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)...   The Takata SafeTraK system, currently available to the commercial trucking industry, helps drivers better prepare for their long haul trips and react to their real-time driving performance...   (Photo from safetrak.takata)

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Oct 6, 2010

DRIVERS' SAFETY * UK - Information burden increases pressure on truck drivers

The driver may suffer information overload, which in turn leads to incorrect decisions

Dublin,Ireland -HGV Ireland -October 4, 2010: -- Modern trucks are equipped with increasing numbers of warning and safety systems designed to help the driver handle critical situations on the road. However, there is a risk that these systems might actually have the opposite effect – the driver may suffer information overload, which in turn leads to incorrect decisions. For Swedish vehicle manufacturer Volvo Trucks, this is a high-priority area...   Marjukka Sagesjö is one of about twenty specialists at Volvo Technology working with what is known as HMI (Human Machine Interface), meaning the way in which human beings and various computerised systems interact...   Driving a heavy vehicle in congested traffic while hauling a valuable load, and at the same time keeping a watchful eye on the clock to meet agreed delivery times and adhere to legislated driving and rest times, can be highly stressful – not least when driving in new, unfamiliar areas. Furthermore, in recent years the truck cab has developed into a mobile office where the driver receives transport orders, text messages, phone calls and emails from customers and the traffic office – all while on the move...   In addition, today the GPS navigator, traffic information via radio, the vehicle’s in-cab diagnostic system and the driver’s personal MP3 player are all regular information sources – which may also contribute to information stress and, ultimately, impact traffic safety...   What is more, many modern trucks are equipped with a range of supplementary systems such as lane change assistance, warning for excessive speed when approaching a curve, warning for imminent collision risk, driver alertness monitors and blind spot alerts. And more systems are under development for forthcoming truck generations. Is there a risk of information overload? ...


* Sweden - A reminder of Volvo's on-going safety-first approach for truck drivers!

(Video from YouTube, by VolvoTrucks -9 July 2009: A roll-over test is carried out to see the difference between wearing a safety belt and not. The safety belt turns 50)

Gothenburg,Sweden -BigLorryBlog (UK), by Harry Olsson, Product Specialist at Volvo Trucks -October 5, 2010: "... the Swedish cab impact test was introduced (as mandatory) in 1963 for trucks with a GVW of 7,000 kg or more. Over the years, the requirement has certainly saved a lot of drivers from death or injury, even though it was watered down some years ago after increasing lobby work from other countries (read: manufacturers). It was then possible to pass the test by using three different cabs, or, by changing the sequence" ...

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Aug 18, 2010

Safety * Australia - Tops truckers' election wish-list

"We need to support a strong rail system in Australia and the trucking industry supports a rail system"

Sidney,VIC,Australia -The Sidney Morning Herald, by Lucy Battersby -August 18, 2010: -- Truck drivers are pressing political parties to deliver on more rest stops, better roads, a national trucking regulator and incentives to reduce greenhouse gases... The Australian Trucking Association's chief executive, Stuart St Clair, said the highest priority for the association was driver safety achieved through better and less congested roads. About 75 per cent of domestic freight travels by truck in Australia, he said... "We need to support a strong rail system in Australia and the trucking industry supports a rail system", he said. "Infrastructure that is going to deliver better transport creates a focus on public transport to ensure that we encourage [people to leave] motor cars at home"... (Photo from sobrecamiones -about trucks- by Victor Alfredo: Hi, here I'm sending a photo of my dad's truck in Australia: A Volvo 660 Globetrotter -P.N.: Hola Victor, porque no mencionas en que lugar fué tomada la foto?)

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Jul 24, 2010

Driver Remuneration & Safety * New Zealand - Labour MP launches trucking industry petition

"The current situation, particularly for small business owner drivers, can result in drivers working excessive hours to meet schedules, overloading their trucks and cutting back on vehicle maintenance"


(Video from YouTube, by R580NZ -11 Now 2008: More on board footage with R580 heading north out of Hawkes Bay, NZ)

Wellington,NZ -NZPA/Guide2.co.nz -23 July 2010: -- A petition launched by Labour MP Darien Fenton, calls for an inquiry into whether there is a link between truck driver remuneration and safety in the road transport industry... Ms Fenton, the party's transport safety spokeswoman, said a United States study had found the probability of a truck crash fell by 36 percent for every 10 percent increase in wages... Economic factors were having a direct impact on the death and injury toll in truck-related accidents in New Zealand, she said... She said the Government needed to show more interest in the issue...

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Jun 9, 2010

Low-speed Vehicles and Minitrucks * USA - Shouldn't share busy public roads with regular traffic

Arlington,VA,USA -Insurance Institute for Highway Safety -May 20, 2010: -- More states are allowing a relatively new breed of vehicle on public roads, but crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show why the mix of low-speed vehicles (LSVs) or minitrucks and regular traffic is a deadly combination... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines appropriate performance and safety standards but has no say in where LSVs are driven... NHTSA doesn't require LSVs to have airbags or other safety features beyond belts since they're intended for low-risk driving. Most minitrucks in the United States are used right-hand-drive vehicles imported from Japan, where they can operate on roads as long as they pass inspection every 2 years...

Vehicles that fail often end up exported to North America. Also known as Kei-class vehicles, minitrucks are smaller than conventional pickups and weigh about 1,500 pounds. They must be imported with governors to limit speeds to 25 mph or less to be exempt from Clean Air Act provisions but can go much faster... (Photo Crash tests demonstrate risks: To show that LSVs and minitrucks are no match for even the smallest of regular cars and pickups, Institute researchers tested two GEM e2 electric vehicles and a Changan Tiger Star minitruck... The test dummies in the GEMs and the Tiger recorded indications of seriously debilitating or fatal injury to drivers in real-world crashes)

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Apr 24, 2010

DRIVERS' SAFETY * USA - Lane Departure Warning Systems for the Rest of Us

New York,NY,USA -The NY Times, by JOHN R. QUAIN -April 13, 2010: -- Sophisticated driver assistance safety technologies, like beeping lane departure warning systems and dashboard lights that flash when you follow another car too closely, have generally only been available as a factory-installed option on new cars. Drivers of older vehicles have had to make do without it. But now at least one company hopes to make such systems more readily available to those who aren’t in the market for a new car... Mobileye C2-170 system it includes a camera with built-in software, a speaker, and a small dash-mounted display. The camera is mounted in front of the rear view mirror and can detect lane markings. It also continually calculates the distance between your car and any vehicles in front of you... When a driver drifts out of the lane without signaling, the systems sounds an alarm. Should you follow the car in front too closely, a red light on the display flashes and an alarm sounds. The same alerts occur should the vehicle directly ahead suddenly stop. The company plans to add pedestrian detection warning in three months; that model will be the CS-270... Unfortunately, the technology is still pricey: just under $1,000 to be installed in most cars... (Photo: Mobileye C2-170)


* NHTSA Working on Rules to Make Vehicles Safer

Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News - April 16, 2010: -- Hybrid electric vehicles have significantly higher incidence rate of pedestrian crashes. Less safe when slowing or stopping, backing up, parking space, and making turn... Hybrids are near silent when running on battery w/ gas engine shut off... Federal regulators are moving quickly on driver distraction and backup aids too... NHTSA focus on alerting pedestrians, avoiding backing-up accidents and minimizing driver distraction. NHTSA determining how to require base sound emission at low speed... Also establishing rules freeing driver zone of distractions. Backup aid technology also being considered...

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Mar 24, 2010

DRIVERS' SAFETY * USA - "Zero Fatalities" from Volvo

If Volvo and other auto makers can make a dent in those numbers by 2020, they will have done a huge service to mankind...

Rockleigh,NJ,USA -Ward's AutoWorld, by Drew Winter & Tom Murphy -Mar 1, 2010: -- There were about 35,000 traffic fatalities in the U.S. last year. They are decreasing rapidly, but it is shocking nonetheless that an auto maker has made public its internal plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries in its vehicles just 10 years from now... Many auto makers are implementing similar technologies than Volvo Car Corp., and some are eying a comparable goal internally, but none has been as public as Volvo... But while it may be a great marketing theme, how realistic is the target of totally eliminating vehicle fatalities? Studies show 93% of all accidents involve driver error, whether it is texting, tailgating or simply being inattentive... Compensating for driver deficiencies requires complex vehicle electronics that can take control of the vehicle in an emergency. But the reliability of electronic systems is under fire by the U.S. Congress and plaintiff attorneys in the Toyota unintended sudden-acceleration controversy... And then there are the legal issues, especially in the highly litigious U.S. market. Might well-intentioned safety measures turn into huge lawsuits if a few occupants end up dying as a result of systems failures?... As far as product liability lawsuits go, Lund says auto makers know they likely are to be sued whenever there is a crash involving a death or serious injury... (Photo from kriengsak.com: Drunk driving is one cause for car accidents)


* USA - Cell restriction included in proposed CMV texting ban

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -March 22, 2010: ... The FMCSA added language to its proposed rulemaking, and the proposal was sent to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for review on Thursday, March 18... Here’s the agency’s latest description: “This rulemaking would ban text messaging and restrict the use of cell phones while operating a commercial motor vehicle. This rulemaking is in response to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration-sponsored studies that analyzed safety incidents and distracted drivers. This rulemaking would also address the National Transportation Safety Board’s ‘Most Wanted List’ of safety recommendations”... (Photo from wikimedia.org/wikipedia: Hand held phones)

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Jan 12, 2010

Highway Safety Plan * USA - Driver behaviour should be top priority for

Arlington,VA,USA -Truck News (CAN) -8 Jan 2009: -- The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to make driver behaviour its top safety priority in its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan... ATA outlined the dangers of distracted driving, speeding and aggressive driving, noting in particular the problem that highway congestion presents for these behaviours.To combat driver-related safety risks, ATA called for more consistent and uniform requirements from state to state on driver licensing and graduated driver licensing for non-commercial teen drivers... The ATA also recommended reinstating a national maximum speed limit of 65 mph for all vehicles and electronically governing the speed of all Class 7 and 8 trucks manufactured after 1992 to 65 mph or less. ATA recommended that states should also consider the use of speed limiters on the passenger vehicles of drivers with certain driving convictions...

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Jul 13, 2009

Safety * USA - A priority for trucking industry

2008 was state's safest year since World War II

Ashwaubenon,WIS,USA -The Green Bay Press Gazette, by Nathan Phelps -July 12, 2009: -- For Rick Blaser, a driver with Ashwaubenon-based Schneider National, safety is as much about what he is doing as it is watching other motorists on the road... "You're looking out quite a distance down the road and looking at what cars are doing, how they're moving in the lanes and maintaining a cushion of a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you," the Suamico resident said Wednesday prior to heading out on the road. "You're always monitoring the traffic ahead to know what it's doing so you know what's going to happen before you have to react to it."... Transportation companies and trade organizations have moved safety to the forefront, pointing to both a moral obligation and a financial bottom-line... While a number of factors came into play last year, one of the key organizations in the trucking industry pointed out earlier this month the number of truck-involved traffic fatalities declined 12 percent in 2008, dropping from 4,822 in 2007 to 4,229... (M.P. King/Press-Gazette - Driver Rick Blaser does a brake system test Wednesday on a truck at Schneider National in Ashwaubenon)

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Jun 25, 2009

TRUCKER'S HELP * USA - Securing yourself in the truck from hoodlems

I'm looking for some tips on fortifying myself inside my truck from crackheads/thieves/lot lizards

Milchigan,USA -The Truckers' Report, by hunts2much -25 June 2009 (originally published 9 Aug 2008): -- I deliver to Family Dollar stores and stay over night at the stores 3 nights a week. I'm always staying some where in Chicago on Sunday nights and its never a "safe" area. So far I've only dealt with the late night knocks on the door (which I ignore) but other drivers have had much more serious encounters. Usually starting with hoodlums breaking out a window and trying to get in... I run my seat belts through the arm rest of the doors so they would be pretty hard to get open. I also have the cell phone ready and know the addy to the store in case I have to make a call. But my obvious concern is the windows. I'm specifically looking for ideas that would make it harder for some one to get in the truck threw the windows after breaking one out... (Images from knxv - SEE VIDEO)

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