Road Safety
Holiday periods always increase the volume of families travelling to popular areas at the same time, and therefore it is no surprise that we often see an increase in road accidents at this time of year.
Top tips:
Avoid being in a hurry, but don’t unnecessarily hold others up.
Be patient and courteous, even when other road users are not.
Be well-rested for long trips and take regular breaks.
Safety Tech Halves Risk & Saves Lives
A landmark study of more than 12 million car crashes by the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety in the US, shows modern vehicle safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning, reduces the chances of motorists being injured by more than 50 percent.
Whilst emergency braking and warning systems are intended a last resort, the study found they also halved the likelihood (and severity) of being involved in less serious type crashes such as “nose-to-tail” collisions.
Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is scheduled to be compulsory on all new Australian vehicles from March next year.
Driver Killed After Ignoring 100 Warnings
A motorist in the US has been killed by a faulty (Takata) airbag when his 2006 Ford Ranger utility (not same model as Australia) deployed in an accident, showering him in metal shards.
The amazing thing about this case is the driver ignored more than 100 reminders from the vehicle manufacturer.
Apparently, Ford sent more than 100 notices to the owner’s home, along with multiple text messages, and even had a messenger visit the home to try and schedule the repair.
Takata airbags have been subject to a world-wide recall since 2013. To date nearly 400 people have been injured by them, including 34 deaths.
Too Fast or Too Slow is Dangerous
We all know speeding increases the risk of road accidents, particularly when significantly over the limit, and even more so when combined with drugs, alcohol, or other illegal activities such as stolen or highjacked cars.
However, I found it interesting to read a US study that reported driving too slow is more likely to cause an accident than speeding by a similar amount.
Whilst not encouraging speeding, they explained that driving 5 mph (8 kph) slower than surrounding traffic appeared to cause more emergency braking and swerving incidents and increased accidents. If you have ever come across a very slow vehicle (e.g., tractor) on a bend on a highway you will understand what the study is alluding to.
