10 ways to reduce traffic fatalitiesOther than imposing ridiculous speed limits2006.07.07 Culture|News|by Derek JensenLow limits equal high revenues.[Tysto photo]

As part of the big Independence Day celebration, as for pretty much every holiday, state and local police like to do a little fund raising. They put cops on the streets in force to create as big a presence as possible, ostensibly to reduce speeding and drunk driving on one of the busiest travel days of year. Yet, thefatality rate on US highwaysin 2003 was the lowest since record keeping began 32 years ago (1.48 per million miles traveled; 42,643 deaths). Still, driving is thenumber one cause of deathand injury for people between the ages of 5 and 27What would I prefer to be the number one cause of deaths for young people? Lightning strikes.If authorities really wanted to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, studies show there are ways of doing that don't happen to enhance revenues by writing a bunch of citations.I've explained beforehow speeding really isn't a problem. The whole purpose of an interstate highway system is to drive fast. When it was built in the 1950s, people drove 70-75 MPH, and nothing has really changed since then but the cars, which have become vastly safer, thanks mainly to steel-belted radial tires, seat belts, crumple zones, and air bags.We drove 5-10 MPH slower in the mid-70s to mid-80s, when the 55 MPH national speed limit was still new. It didn't really help save lives. And the repeal in 1995didn't cost lives.But if state and local governments really want to reduce road deaths, here is a list of 10sensibleways to reduce them, more or less in order of cost, starting with the least expensive.1. Improve signageEvery motorist is trying to get somewhere, and many of them aren't sure how to get there. While interstate signage is more or less uniformly good in that it is more or less uniform, rural highway and suburban signage is often quite poor.Foot-long street signs were fine for city streets where traffic moved at 25 MPH, but 35-45 MPH suburban roads and 55 MPH country roads need bigger signs and more of them: one to announce the next street, one to mark the street at the corner, and one to mark the street beside the traffic light, if there is one. In areas where big trucks are common, extra signage is doubly necessary; trucks have gotten much bigger in the last 20 years and obscure signs to an equally greater degree. This suggestion isn't likely to reduce accidents by much, but it's so cheap it's worth doing anyway.2. Raise speed limits on safe roadsThis would be cheapandeffective. By and large, major interstates are broad, well-maintained, smooth-flowing, and well-marked. Raising the speed limit on these roads for cars in daytime and good weather, would encourage motorists to leave dangerous back roads where they know they can drive fast because of limited police patrols. Moving traffic from back roads to major highways was a factor in the decrease of traffic accidents since the 1995 repeal of the national 55 MPH speed limit. Altho many states now mandate lower speeds for trucks than for cars, only Texas makes the sensible leap to mandating lower speeds for night driving than for day.3. Get drunk drivers off the roadSimilarly cheap and similarly effective, discouraging people from driving drunk or otherwise impaired is a proven method of reducing traffic accidents (abouthalf of motor vehicle accidents involve intoxicants). I don't support roadblock checks for impaired driversthat's a case of surrendering too many liberties for too little gainbut public awareness and messages targeted at bartenders are effective. Just a campaign to ask people not to drive distractedeating, reading a map, talking on a cell phone, arguing with passengerswould be helpful at little cost. Lower blood-alcohol limits are helping on this front; making more people aware that even a little alcohol impairs their driving.But don't lose sight of the fact that the main thing is to getreally drunkdrivers off the road, notslightly tipsyones.4. Implement better roadway lightingOne major factor in motor accidents is poor visibility (half of all motor vehicle accidents are at night, even tho the great majority of driving is done during the day), especially at intersections, where most accidents occur. If more rural highway intersections were lit, accidents at those intersections would go down. Target intersections with a history of accidents first for best effect and least cost.5. Create more turn-only lanesEvery car that is stopped in the road to make a turn is an accident waiting to happen. An impaired or inattentive driver colliding with a car preparing for a turn is a major percentage of traffic accidents. Turn-only lanes require little extra roadway but can reduce accidents significantly, especially at intersections with poor visibility for oncoming traffic (around a curve or in a depression).6. Improve driving conditionsBad weather always causes a spike in traffic accidents and the cause often gets labeled as "driving too fast for conditions." State transportation departments could greatly reduce accidents by improving crumbling and pot-holed roads and clearing roads of debris, snow, and ice more efficiently (and closing roads or mandating special low speed limits in especially bad conditions). Intersections where gravel has accumulated are especially dangerous, since cars can easily slide into the intersection when trying to stop.7. Eliminate stopsHighways are for driving. Any feature that brings all traffic from 70 MPH to 0 MPH is a 10-car pileup waiting to happen as well as a woefully inefficient use of roadway. Moving toll booths to exits is a good start; eliminating them entirely and paying for roads with ordinary taxes is better (you could still make long-haul trucks pull off to pay, as with weigh stations). Creating frontage roads can reduce or eliminate stop lights; so can funneling traffic from two or three crossroads into a single new overpass. On urban and suburban roads, creating better crosswalks with warning lights that pedestrians can activate can reduce pedestrian traffic accidents significantly.8. Create more divided highwaysAny road in which a median separates oncoming lanes of traffic is far safer than ordinary roads. It creates a barrier or buffer that goes a long way toward keeping inattentive and impaired drivers from drifting across the center line and creating a head-on collision, which is nearly always fatal.They don't have to be four-lane behemoths with clover-leaf junctions; just extra space between lanes with a rumble strip would reduce drifting across lanes and still allow for passing on two-lane rural highways (head-on collisions are almost never the result of passing maneuvers). Altho still a new idea, more than a dozen stateshave begun to use centerline rumble strips, especially Pennsylvania, and report substantial reductions in crossover accidents.9. Redesign bad intersectionsIf a crosswalk or lighting doesn't do the trick, a troublesome intersection may simply be designed badly. Paring back vegetation and signage, changing the angle at which the roads meet, or creating a jug handle or overpass are all options that can change the dynamics of traffic at that intersection and save lives. Just slapping a stoplight in there is not the right way to "fix" it.10. Redesign bad roadsThe US highway system was designed from scratch in the 1950s, and many highways have not changed much since then despite cases of urban sprawl. Traffic engineers have known for decades that left-hand exits create trouble, for example, and should be redesigned whenever there is an opportunity and when traffic snarls and accidents make it urgent. Just designating a highway as a limited-access highway can reduce suburban sprawl around them and avoid the installation of stop lights.Of course, all of these things cost moneyaltho some are very cheapwhile writing speeding citations actually earns money. It's too bad that writing speeding citations doesn't actually save many lives.These aren't the only ideas that could save lives. But the ideas I've presented here are ones that can be implemented by state and local governments. Improvements to vehicle safety, such as side-impact airbags, would also help, but are hard to mandate. Teaching young people to drive earlier using go-karts would also help by enabling them to better understand the limits of traction and the need for attention to the road. And vehicle safety inspections, altho hard to implement, would help to reduce dangerous highway breakdowns.Road Safety - How to Prevent AccidentsIt is better to be safe than to be sorry. Prevent accidents by taking all the precautions you can.

1.As they say speed thrills and also kills.Keep a rein on your speed, so that one is in better control of the vehicle. Find out what causes you to speed up? Is there an urge to speed when you have a driver close behind? Or, is it an effort to keep up with the traffic flow. Or, do you simply enjoy over-taking? It is especially important to lower speed while nearing schools, on narrow roads, hilly areas, rural areas and when visibility is poor. Wet roads and speed is a perfect recipe for an accident.

2.Obey traffic rules. Traffic rules have been designed with safety foremost in mind. It takes into account safety for all, including pedestrians. Follow the lane, and keep the required distance between vehicles. It is important to display appropriate indications/signals especially while changing lanes or before a turn. Respect for other drivers on the road is sacrosanct to road safety.

3.Wear seat belts. Seat belts are life saving. A statistic has revealed that 63% of those who died in accidents had not strapped on their seat belts. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), lap-shoulder belt systems cut the risk of serious injury and fatality by 50 percent. Seat belts help in protecting the internal organs in a crash as it restrains the forward movement of the body to a great extent. It protects against head and neck injuries by minimizing head contacts and keeps the passenger in place.

4.Pedestrians and children come first Preference is to be given to pedestrians and children crossing the road.

5.Read caution signs: Caution signs are very important as they warn about accident prone spots so that the driver can reduce the speed of the vehicle. Signboards on the road are vital clues about road design so that the person behind the wheel can exercise caution.

6.Adopt antiskid break systems in the cars, so that the risk of cars skidding can be reduced.

7.Air bags in vehiclesare a must to cushion the impact in case of accidents.

8.Reflectorsto be used on the rear of the vehicle. Ensure all lamps are in working condition. Hazard lamp should be switched on when the vehicle is parked on a highway,

9.Vehicle must be ingood working condition- there should be no compromise on the quality of brakes and tyres. Further, it is imperative to inflate tyres with the right air pressure to avoid tyre bursts on road.

10.Roads should be in good conditionwith proper sign boards. It is vital to install reflectors on roads so that deviations and medians are clearly visible to drivers.

11.Avoid drugs and alcohol while driving. Drugs and alcohol can slow down reflexes, disrupt accurate judgments, and cause mental alertness to dip. They have been the reason behind many fatal road accidents.

12.Falling asleep behind the wheelhas led to many grave mishaps on the road. Drivers must rest well as the lack of it can have an adverse effect on mental alertness, slow down reflexes, and even cause momentary sleepiness behind the wheel. What follows is a disaster.

The Road Ahead

Road safety is a collective effort of the government and people. While the government administration must leave no stone unturned in ensuring proper condition of the roads and enforcing strict adherence to traffic rules, responsible driving and the right attitude of people with respect to traffic rules is perhaps the first step on the long road to 100% safety on the roads.

Traffic accidents and fatalities increase every year. Can anything be done to reduce them? There are several steps a city can take to reduce the number of traffic accidents, but they all center around one thing--forcing motorists to drive slower, safer and be more attentive.nstructions1. Make the streets narrower, reducing lanes from twelve feet wide to ten. This seems like it would make things wore, but the opposite is true. Having less lane room will force drivers to be more focused.2. Avoid adding wider turn lanes, especially ones that allow drivers to make right turns away from the stoplight. The easier traffic can make turns, the less attentive drivers are, and the more likely they are to cause accidents.3. Allow cars to park at the curb. A row of parked cars along the edge will make people drive city streets as cautiously as neighborhood roads. It will also make sidewalks safer for pedestrians by creating a buffer.4. Design unconventional intersections. The standard four-way crossroads designed by the D.O.T. have the most number of traffic accidents. A three-way intersection or terminated vista will cause drivers to slow down and pay more attention.5. Put speed bumps along intersections. Drivers will be forced to reduce speed rather than speed up to beat a changing stoplight. Speeding through intersections and running red lights are among the biggest cause of traffic accidents.6. Consider removing traffic lights altogether. Many feel the lights cause more accidents my making drivers watch the lights instead of the streets while giving them a feeling of "right of way." Removing the lights would force them to pay attention and yield every time.Causes of collisionsEvery day, drivers die in road collisions.Many die as a consequence of inexperience, speeding intoxication through drink or drugs or just plain recklessness.Causes of collisionsThe majority of road crashes are caused by human error.Research has shown thatdriver error accounts for over 80% of all fatal and injury crashes on Irish roadsThe main causes of death and injury on Irish roads remain speeding, drink driving and non-wearing of seat-belts.Because most traffic accidents are the product of several factors, the probability of accidents can be reduced in a number of different ways. There is no doubt that the following activities have prevented the increase in accidents that would normally result from increases in traffic density. There are three main approaches to preventing accidents:1. Education and training of (a) children in school by road-traffic instructors and school teachers; and of (b) adolescents in the principles of safe driving and in good driving attitudes; by (c) refresher courses for older drivers to bring home safe-driving principles and to refresh their knowledge of traffic law; and by means of (d) newspaper, radio television, and other publicity, to draw the attention of all road users both to dangers and to safe practices on the road.2. Enforcement by (a) adopting reasonable and enforceable traffic laws which, at the same time, are best designed to prevent accidents; (b) concentrating the time and energy of traffic officers on the offences, locations, and times that feature frequently in accidents; and (c) thoroughly testing new drivers to ensure they will not be liable to cause accidents.3. Engineering of vehicles and roads: Vehicle engineering, comprising (a) regular inspection for a warrant of fitness to ensure that the main components of the vehicle are safe; (b) improving the design of the vehicle to give ease of vision and control to the driver and so reduce the likelihood of injury in an accident; (c) fitting safety equipment, such as seat belts.Road or traffic engineering comprises (a) the design of new roads which are inherently safe (separating opposing traffic flows, eliminating cross traffic, and providing wide shoulders and traffic lanes and good visibility); (b) Improving existing roads by realignment, improving vision, and resurfacing slippery surfaces; (c) Regulating traffic movement by installing traffic signals, traffic islands, road markings, and regulatory signs such as stop and give way signs; and (d) assisting the driver with warning and destination signs to avoid danger and confusion.Below you will find more information on one ofthe general causes of accidents on our roads. Tyre SafetyBad driving habits and road safetyThere are number of things that other drivers do that can be extremely irritating and danagerous. Bad Tailgating, poor lane discipline, not indicating and undertaking are just a few of the bad habits that frequently and are very annoying. Aside from the inconvenience to other road users, this kind of inconsiderate driving is also very dangerous.Tailgating This is probably one of the greatest offences . Some drivers are extremely impatient, some people do it without thinking, just following traffic they get a bit close, but then they back off as you accelerate way.Some drivers tailgate deliberately though and these are the ones that are the most dangerous. They sit behind you flashing their headlights in an effort to move you, but of course there is nowhere to go as you are in the process of overtaking and there is no room to pull in on the left. To this kind of driver, the two second rule means that they can just about cope with another vehicle in front of them before they decide to intimidate them by driving inches away.

Undertaking Tailgaters that dont get their way will often resort to undertaking if they can. Yes, there are also those selfish individuals out there that hog the middle and the outside lane. They have no idea that there is a queue of traffic waiting to get past them, probably because they are in their own little world thinking about what to have for dinner. This causes some individuals to loose patience and undertake.Poor lane discipline Some drivers are all over the place and they dont seem to realise that they are supposed to stay in between those white dashed lines.Indicators Some people have no idea what these pretty orange flashing lights are actually for! They move here and there and go wherever they please without any thought of letting the rest ofthe road users knowwhat their intentions are.These are just a few of the things that can be particularly irritating about other drivers and their habits. Below are some other annoyances ;Cutting corners, particularly at junctions .No headlights in conditions that require them .Throwing cigarettes out the window.Leaving main beam on, or dipping only at the last minute.Inappropriate use of the horn.Impatient people Pushing in ahead of a queue of traffic.Light upRadio advertisement

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SpeedSPEEDis the single biggest factor contributing to road deaths in Ireland. Over 40% of fatal collisions are caused by excessive or inappropriate speed.A 5km/h difference in speed could be the difference between life and death for a vulnerable road user like a pedestrian. Hit by a car at 60km/h, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed Hit by a car at 50km/h, 5 out of 10 pedestrians will be killed Hit by a car at 30km/h, 1 out of 10 pedestrians will be killedSpeed has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes.Excess speedis defined as exceeding the speed limit.Inappropriate speedis defined as driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions.Excess and inappropriate speed are responsible for a high proportion of the mortality and morbidity that result from road crashes.Controlling vehicle speed can prevent crashes happening and can reduce the impact when they do occur,lessening the severity of the of injuries sustained by the victims.

Dropping off 3 storeys is equivalentto crashing at 50km/h

Dropping off 12 storeys is equivalentto crashing at 100km/hTHERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SAFE SPEEDING

Think about this:Choose your speed and you choose your consequences.In a 60 km/h zone, travelling at: 65 km/h, you aretwiceas likely to have a serious crash 70 km/h, you arefourtimes as likely to have a serious crash 75 km/h, you are10times as likely to have a serious crash 80 km/h, you are32times as likely to have a serious crash than if you drive at 60 km/h.In rural out of town areas, travelling just 10 km/h faster than the average speed of other traffic, you aretwiceas likely to have a serious crash.Stopping distance in Wet conditions

Stopping Distance in dry conditionsImages provided by Holroyd City Council Austrialia.Driving in FogDriving in FogFog can be thought of as a cloud at ground level. It forms when the temperature drops to the dew point (the temperature at which air is saturated), and invisible water vapor in the air condenses to form suspended water droplets. Fog can reduce visibility to 1/4 mile or less, creating hazardous driving conditions. If you can't postpone your trip until dense fog lifts -- usually by late morning or the afternoon -- follow these tips: Drive with lights on low beam. High beams will only be reflected back off the fog and actually impair visibility even more. Reduce your speed -- and watch your speedometer. Fog creates a visual illusion of slow motion when you may actually be speeding. Listen for traffic you cannot see. Open your window a little, to hear better. Use wipers and defrosters as necessary for maximum visibility. Use theleft edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide. Be patient. Do not pass lines of traffic. Do not stop on a motorway or heavily traveled road.Fog lamps may be used only in dense fog. In clear weather conditions they are liable to cause glare or dazzle and must be turned off.7.