By Guest Author: Paul Colley

Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death of people between the ages of 15 to 20 years in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car accidents cause 36 percent of “all deaths in this age group

A study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance in April 2011 analyzed over 800 crashes that involved teen drivers. It found that 75 percent of accidents were caused by teen driver error.

Teens & Car Accidents: Causes & Consequences

The following three common errors account for almost half of these crashes:

• Teens failed to survey the road ahead to detect and/or respond to hazards
• Driving too fast
• They were distracted by items inside and outside of the car

It is no surprise that parents often hesitate to hand over the car keys to their teenagers. If you are letting your teenager drive, make sure they are aware of and follow safe driving techniques to keep themselves safe on the road. Every teen driver can be subject to legal proceedings for driving or speeding carelessly. The situation gets worse if it is a case of driving under the influence

U.S. laws related to driving under the influence are strict and many state laws have zero tolerance for minors and alcohol. For example, driving under the influence in Texas will delay your teen’s driving privileges for 180 days (minor offense) and up to 2 years in the case of second or subsequent offenses. In addition to the suspended driving privileges, there are significant fines and classes that must be taken in order to get back your driving privileges.

The punishment is more severe with second or subsequent offenses and would likely include additional fines, court costs, and legal fees. That would be the best case, because more often than not, if a third party is involved and has sustained an injury on the account of an inebriated teen’s reckless driving behavior, there will be the added headache of fighting a skilled Austin personal injury attorney who will be fighting hard to secure the rights and privileges of the victim in the case.

Safety Measures: Let Technology Save the Day

The good news is parents can now monitor how their teen is driving thanks to technological developments. You can prevent your teens from speeding, encourage them to ignore the distractions on the road, and better protect them from a car crash. There are many safety gadgets available today that can provide a safer experience for your teens behind the wheel, helping them avoid car crashes.

Here are a few gadgets worth considering.

Hyundai’s Blue Link System

The 2012 Hyundai Sonata, Veloster and Sonata Hybrid come with the Blue Link telematic system. It automatically calls for help if there is a crash. Better yet, Hyundai’s Blue Link System alerts parents if their teens engage in unsafe behavior when driving. It also allows parents to better control the movement of their teens. For example, the Geo-Fence feature allows you to set boundaries beyond which your teen driver cannot go with the car. You can also set exclusionary boundaries for areas you do want your teen driver to go.

Another feature highly touted by parents is the curfew alerts feature. You can set the alert if you don’t want your teenaged son/daughter to drive the car after 11 P.M or even midnight. If they do, you will be immediately notified by text message, a phone call or email. Last but not least, the Blue Link system allows you to set speed alerts. If your teen driver crosses a particular speed limit, the system will contact you.

This system reduces the chances of your teens engaging in risky behavior behind the wheel.

Ford’s MyKey System

Ford’s MyKey system is standard on most Lincoln and Ford models. Using a programmable key, this system allows parents to control the way their teenage son or daughter drives. You can use this key to set a speed limit as well as limit the stereo volume. Better yet, there is an option that allows you to keep the sound system from turning on unless everyone inside the car has fastened their seatbelts. A sound also chimes as soon as the car speed reaches 45, 55 and 65 mph.

In addition, the MyKey system comes with optional hands-free control for cell phones. It can even read text messages automatically to the driver or block them altogether.

SafeCell

This is a very useful Android and iPhone app that helps you keep your teen driver safe behind the wheel. Using the GPS of the driver’s phone, this app determines the prevailing local text message and hands-free laws, and also alerts your teen drivers so they can comply. The best part of this app is that it not only reminds your teen drivers not to text, but also rewards them for following safe driving techniques.

Your teen driver can start earning rewards after 500 miles of safe driving. Rewards are given in forms of points, which can be translated into $5 worth of gift cards at various leading retailers such as Macy’s and Amazon.

Mercedes-Benz mbrace2

This system from Mercedes-Benz is available in all 2013 model-year cars. Common features include speeding alerts and geo-fencing to give parents better control of the way their teens drive. It also comes with a “breadcrumbs” feature known as a Driving Journal. It tracks the records of where and how your car has been driven.

Mercedes-Benz mbrace2 allows you to generate a travel history that appears on an online map. Using the geo-fencing feature, parents can set up 15 geographical locations where their teens are not allowed to take the car.

Conclusion

These safety gadgets come in handy in the time of need. Teen drivers are prone to accidents and gifting your son or daughter a safety device can help him or her stay safe. Installing a safety device or an app is not enough; you also need to set rules and work collaboratively with your teens. Working with your teen and using the necessary safety gadgets will go a long way in helping him or her become a safer driver.

Author Bio:

Paul Colley is an attorney at Colley & Colley, LLP based in Austin, Texas. With his expertise in handling personal injury cases, Paul has recovered more than $50 million for clients and helped personal injury victims fight for their rights.

We’re constantly reminded of the dangers we face every time we get in the car. We pass accidents on the way to work, we hear about fatal collisions on the news at night and, from time to time, we read articles on the Internet that link to scary articles telling us that auto accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States. We don’t need to be told the importance of safe driving.

We do need to know what being safe actually means. There’s more to safe driving than just knowing the universal language of lights and signs. Knowing what to do in potentially dangerous situations is vital, but it’s also hard to practice. Keep the following things in mind when you’re on the road and they might just help keep you in one piece.

Don’t Overreact When I Tell You This, But…

Overcorrection often turns relatively minor situations into seriously bad accidents. Even the best of us lose focus from time to time. Rumble strips exist for a reason. It’s not always easy to stay calm when dangerous situations arise, but doing so could save your life.

In an analysis of 478 real-life rollover accidents, the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine found that overcorrection contributed to 22% of the cases. This means that more than one in five may have been prevented by a controlled response as opposed to a panicked reaction.

If your vehicle is leaning over the edge, just ease your foot off the gas and gently nudge it back into the lane. If you’re presented with a sudden obstacle, be it a stalled car or a frightened moose, a quick lane change is generally better than jerking the wheel in a random direction.

Having an awareness of the traffic around you is important for this very reason – you’ll know if changing lanes is an option. If it’s not, you can always just…

Hit the Brakes!

While it’s far better to underestimate the stopping power of your vehicle, many people don’t know its true potential, either. That may sound odd, but when was the last time you slammed the brake through the floor? If you’re headed straight for an obstacle and there are cars on either side of you – an inadvisable position in the first place – the ABS system is your best bet.

The ABS system won’t just help you stop as quickly as possible without skidding; it’s made to let you turn the wheel as you brake. As the vehicles next to you pass by, holding a slight turn can maneuver you around the obstacle. Keep the above advice in mind, though – overreaction has consequences in these situations as well.

This is all assuming that your tyres are in good condition. We all know that having a good set will improve the handling of your car – especially in adverse conditions – but research conducted by Goodyear Tire and the NHTSA found that tread depth also has a significant effect on stopping distance.

And speaking of tyres…

Know Your Way through Snow and Rain

Having high-quality tyres and wheels is of the utmost importance when driving through adverse road conditions. That’s not all there is to safe driving in these conditions, though, and even if you live in the driest of deserts, chances are good you’ll face them at some point in your life.

The very best way to handle skidding on a slippery road is to avoid skidding entirely. The speed limit goes out the window when there’s a chance the roads aren’t dry. Go as slow as you need to maintain control. Even just a little rain can bring oil to the surface, and the effects of snow and ice on even the best of tyres is always detrimental.

While having electronic stability control and all-wheel drive on board does wonders in inclement weather, everyone should know how to catch a skid. It takes practice, but practice can be as fun as finding your local go-kart facility featuring a “slick track”. It may just be a go-kart, but the skills translate directly to the real thing.

While careful driving and acute attention to the road – and the laws of said road – are vital to the safe operation of an automobile, situations like the ones described above are sometimes simply unavoidable. Keeping a clear head and following the advice you’ve just read can mean the difference between a day at the beach and a trip to the hospital.

Make the right choices at the right times and you’ll hit the beach every time.

By Guest Author: Matt Milstead

The credit source link back to Daniel R Rosen

Biography of the author:

Written by Social Monsters

When you hop into the driver’s seat and prepare to start up the engine, chances are you buckle up before departure. You adjust your mirrors to make sure you can see what’s behind you and generally make sure everything is safe. While these precautions can save lives on the roadway, there are a host of other safety features worth considering if you’re in the market for a new-to-you car.

Automatic Braking

You’re cruising down the highway, and the cars in front of you come to a screeching halt. The forward sensors in your vehicle sound off immediately, but you’re unable to pump the brakes. That’s when an automatic braking system helps you avoid a collision. This system works by using lasers, radar or video data to determine whether there is an object present in front of the vehicle and how fast that object moves relative to the speed you’re driving. If you are going to hit the object, then the system automatically activates the brakes to try to avoid the accident.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

In the event you’re forced to over or under steer due to extreme road conditions, ESC attempts to stabilize the vehicle. It works by applying the brakes to just one wheel to keep the vehicle steady and avoid collisions with curbs, soft shoulders and guard rails. However, if you’re traveling at a high rate of speed or limited traction is available, the likelihood of being involved in a collision is much greater.

Air Bags

Air bags have become a must-have in new vehicles because they prevent you from colliding with your steering wheel and dashboard or from being ejected through the glass. But, it’s imperative you buckle up so as not to be injured by the air bag.

Sensors

Thanks to forward-looking, backup and side-view sensors, your vehicle now can alert you when you are in close proximity to an object or structure in your blind spot.

Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)

Have you ever slammed on the brakes, only to have your wheels lock up? With ABS, you can avoid this problem and maintain greater control of the vehicle. But, it is less effective if you’re traveling at a high rate of speed or steering with extreme movements.

Backup Camera

If you’re tired of stretching your neck to reverse your vehicle, you can use a backup camera and sensors to inform you of your surroundings. This also cuts down on accidents with any blind spots behind you.

Parking Assist

This futuristic feature guides you in the right direction when attempting to parallel park and even takes the wheel to finish up the job. This means you are less likely to scrape the cars next to you when parking.

Car Size

Crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveal that smaller cars don’t fare as well in collisions. Because sedans and compact cars are smaller and lighter, they usually do not do as well against larger and heavier cars in an accident. So, buying a larger vehicle might be one of the greatest safety factors.

Dealers like DriveTime provide detailed reports on car safety features and tests, so be sure to thoroughly analyze the contents and request clarification on any unfamiliar items.

Safest Models

Some of the vehicles that made the IIHS’s Top Safety picks for 2015 include:

• 2015 Mazda 3
• 2015 Toyota Prius
• 2015 Chrysler 200
• 2015 Nissan Altima
• 2015 Toyota Camry
• 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander
• 2015 Toyota Highlander

These vehicles are judged based on how well they protect occupants in a crash.

Driver behaviour Impaired driving

• Each year the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” impaired driving campaign is conducted in September and December with the involvement of thousands of law-enforcement agencies across the country. These enforcement crackdown periods are supported by national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” advertisement campaigns that run for about two weeks. The ads are designed to raise awareness and draw public attention to law-enforcement activities in every state. The advertisements convey the message that law-enforcement officers are vigilant in deterring drunk drivers. This law enforcement campaign is coupled with state programmes that address the underlying alcohol dependency problems. Special drunk driving courts that provide intensive interventions, as well as the use of ignition interlocks on the vehicles of offenders, are two examples. NHTSA provides a variety of technical resources to help States develop and expand the use of these special courts and ignition interlock programmes.

• Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS). This technology could prevent a vehicle from being driven by a drunk driver. NHTSA and the automotive industry have partnered to advance the long-term research in this advanced technology and will now begin working on the legal, public policy and consumer acceptance issues to ensure that when the technology is ready for commercialisation, manufacturers that choose to offer the system as an option will find a marketplace with few or no impediments to consumer adoption. The goal is to develop a system that can accurately and reliably detect when a driver is above the legal alcohol limit. The automatic system would be enabled every time the car is started, but unobtrusive so it would not pose an inconvenience to the non-intoxicated driver.

Older driver

• NHTSA released a new strategic plan that will serve as a roadmap to ensure the safety of the nation’s growing population of older drivers and passengers. Data show a 3 percent increase in the number of people age 65 and older who died in motor vehicle crashes and a 16 percent increase in the number of people age 65 and older injured from the previous year. The data also show that older adults are at greater risk of dying or sustaining serious injuries, even in low-severity crashes. To address these concerns, NHTSA is focusing on vehicle safety, improved data collection and driver behaviour.

Pedestrian

• The Department of Transportation released a set of tools to help communities combat the rising number of pedestrian deaths that have occurred over the last two years. As part of the campaign, NHTSA is making USD 2 million in pedestrian safety grants available to cities with the highest rate of pedestrian deaths and, along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is launching a one-stop shop website www.nhtsa.gov/everyoneisapedestrian with safety tips and resources for local leaders, city planners, parents and others involved in improving pedestrian safety.

Distracted driving

• The Department and NHTSA continue to focus on distracted driving and its deadly consequences. There are several resources available to the public, communities, States and safety organisations, including a redesigned www.distraction.gov. In April 2014, the DOT announced the Department’s first-ever, national advertising campaign and law enforcement crackdown to combat distracted driving. The effort includes television, radio and digital advertisements using the phrase U Drive. U Text. U Pay. and coincides with a nationwide law enforcement crackdown in states with distracted driving bans. In addition, a social norming component, One Text or Call Could Wreck It All, was launched in late 2011 with a television ad and other supporting materials. All of the PSAs direct audiences to StopTextsStopWrecks.org, a new campaign website where teens and young adults can find facts about the impact of texting while driving, and tips for how to curb the behaviour. The website also has an area where individuals can post on Facebook and share their solutions to stop texting and driving.

Vehicles Passenger cars

• NHTSA announced the Significant and Seamless Initiative in November 2013 which included a top priority of forward collision avoidance and mitigation. The agency is reviewing dynamic brake systems and crash-imminent brake systems that coexist with forward collision warning systems. Forward collision systems utilise vehicle technologies to detect a crash threat and warn the driver to take action. These braking systems add automatic braking, dependent upon the driver’s reaction to the warning, and either apply additional braking or full braking as necessary to avoid or lessen the severity of a crash. NHTSA is developing objective test procedures and surrogate test vehicles for this effort, as well as analysing the effectiveness of the systems and the impact on crashes.

• NHTSA has been conducting research through cooperative agreements with automotive manufacturers in order to assess the feasibility of developing effective crash avoidance systems that utilise V2V communications. This research is funded by the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) programme, which is administered by the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA). FHWA, FTA and FMCSA also participate in the programme. A key aspect of the V2V programme is the Safety Pilot model Deployment, designed to support estimation of the effectiveness of V2V safety applications at reducing crashes and to show how real-world drivers will respond to these safety applications in their vehicles.

• NHTSA issued a final rule in April 2014, requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10 000 pounds by May 2018. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents.

Coaches

• NHTSA issued a final rule requiring lap and shoulder seatbelts for each passenger and driver seat on new motor coaches and other large buses. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries in frontal crashes and the risk of occupant ejection in rollovers.

Collision avoidance

• Pedestrians – As part of NHTSA’s Significant and Seamless Initiative, one of the agency’s top priorities is forward collision avoidance and mitigation. This effort includes research into pedestrian collision avoidance and mitigation (PCAM) to include identification of pedestrian crash scenarios, assessment of technologies and development of objective test procedures for avoidance technologies. Additionally, NHTSA proposed that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound standards in order to help make all pedestrians more aware of the approaching vehicles.

Infrastructure

• In January 2012, FHWA issued a “Guidance Memorandum on Promoting the Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures”. This guidance takes into consideration the latest safety research to advance a group of countermeasures that have shown great effectiveness in improving safety. Safety practitioners are encouraged to consider this set of countermeasures that are research-proven, but not widely applied on a national basis. Countermeasures are discussed in detail and fact sheets are provided for each to furnish detailed descriptions, related research studies, and evaluations of each countermeasure. Countermeasures include: roundabouts, corridor access management, backplates with retroreflective borders, longitudinal rumble strips and stripes on two-lane roads, enhanced delineation and friction for horizontal curves, safety edges, medians and pedestrian crossing islands in urban and suburban areas, pedestrian hybrid beacons, and road diet.

• The Highway Safety Improvement Plan (HSIP) includes a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety and encourages the States to establish or improve their roadway safety data programme. Another major programme feature is a state-wide, coordinated strategic highway safety plan in each State that provides a comprehensive framework for establishing state-wide goals, objectives, and performance targets; and that integrates the four “E’s” – engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services. The States will be guided by the plan and their data systems in using the HSIP and other funds to produce a program of projects and strategies to solve relevant safety challenges.

• The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) is a funding and authorisation bill to govern United States federal surface transportation spending. MAP-21 doubled the funds for FHWA safety programmes, provided a concentrated effort to maintain a data-driven decision making process to target available resources on the most pressing concerns, and improved collaboration and integration on multiple fronts – engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services – to reduce highway fatalities and serious injuries. MAP-21 indicates a multi-billion dollar funding level for HSIP to strengthen the programme and provide states with better opportunity to focus and ultimately improve the highway safety programmes in their states.

Recent and on-going research

• Through the Significant and Seamless Initiative, NHTSA is actively involved in the development of safety systems for forward collision avoidance monitoring and mitigation, the improvement of seatbelt use through interlock systems, and ways to stop drunk driving through alcohol interlock systems.

• Additional vehicle research efforts are focusing on vehicle communications technologies to address a number of common crash scenarios. Current testing and pilot programs are currently underway.

• NHTSA continues to conduct research activities to understand driver behaviour through surveys, observation studies, simulation work in order to affect driver behaviour through vehicle changes and human behaviour changes. Such activities include but are not limited to distracted driving, speeding, belt usage, child safety seat usage, and helmet usage. The agency also conducts evaluations of campaigns and high visibility law enforcement activities to determine the effectiveness of such efforts.

Source: Road Safety Annual Report 2014

Organisation of road safety
The United States uses a “federalism” approach that divides the powers of government between the national (federal) government and state and local governments. Under federalism, each level of
government has sovereignty in some areas and shares powers in others. At the national level, Congress passes the laws and assigns the funding that provides the overall structure for USDOT to
carry out its safety mission.

However, most traffic safety laws and policies are enacted and developed at the State level. For example, each of the 50 States in the U.S. has the authority to set its own speed limit, distracted driving, or seatbelt use law.
Congress can influence the States by providing incentive grants if they enact certain laws that have been proven effective or penalties if they do not. It can also use performance results as eligibility
criteria for grants in some cases.

USDOT implements the grant programmes and provides guidance to the States on developing effective strategies that address their particular traffic safety challenges.
Within USDOT, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has the lead role in reducing traffic crashes and fatalities.
In FY 2010, the Department of Transportation designated reducing roadway fatalities as one of its high-priority performance goals. Three agencies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), are working together to address multiple dimensions of roadway safety.
Road safety strategy for 2011-2020
The number one priority of the Department of Transportation (USDOT) remains safety.
To align the programme and policy actions needed to meet key challenges most effectively, USDOT has established four fatality sub measures – on passenger vehicles, non-occupants, motorcycle riders,
and large-truck- bus-related fatalities – which represent the breadth of all highway users. The purposes of this approach are to more closely examine the fatality rates of the different segments of
highway users, focus the energy and resources involved and develop new strategies to combat sub measure trends.
Target setting
While the USDOT has developed sub measures for programmatic effectiveness, the overall fatality rate goal continues to be primary measure. This was modified in 2009 to take into account the recent
declines in the frequency of fatal motor vehicle crashes and to set more ambitious targets. The overall fatality rate goal for 2012 had a target of 1.05.

With respect to measurement of the performance of the Department’s Safety Priority, the targets for the USDOT include, in addition to an overall fatality rate measure, four sub measures to better identify trends within each group. Each measure is a rate that combines the number of fatalities and an exposure measure for that group:
• non-occupant fatality rates
• passenger vehicle fatality rate (fatalities / veh-miles traveled)
• large truck fatality rate (fatalities / veh-miles traveled)
• motorcycle fatality rate (fatalities / number of registered vehicles)
The fatality rates are forecasted through statistical methods for a number of years into the future in order to guide a plan of action for safety countermeasures. These forecasted rates use historical data
combined with an evaluation of the existing countermeasures, trend in data, and other societal factors that may affect the fatality rates in the future.
Each year, the USDOT calculates the actual fatality rates for the overall target and each sub measure.
This is compared to the target set in previous years to determine whether the Department met its goal.

USDOT programmes are then reviewed in concert with the economic conditions, the environment, and other factors to better understand the rates and the status of road safety.
The DOT currently has performance targets set through 2014 for the overall fatality rate and NHTSA and FMCSA have performance targets for each of the four sub measures. For year 2014, DOT’s
overall motor vehicle crash fatality rate target is 1.02 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled.
The sub measure targets for 2014 are 0.16 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled for the non-occupant fatality rate, 63 fatalities per 100 000 registrations for the motorcyclist fatality rate,
0.82 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled for the passenger vehicle fatality rate, and the large truck and bus fatality rate for 2014 is 0.114 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled.
Monitoring With the recent increase in the number of motor vehicle crash fatalities, the fatality rate for 2012 was 1.14 and the target was not reached.

Source: http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/

Here is a story we just received from our friends of United Hatzalah:

“Your partner Yossi just sent me this photo of a road accident. He responded to on your ambucycle #353 and we wanted to share the story with you.

A young driver confused the gas and brake pedals. She completely lost control of the vehicle; it skidded violently and overturned. Thankfully, Yossi was actually on your ambucycle nearby, saw the accident and immediately swerved over to help. The woman was trapped in the car and your resourceful partner used a specialized resqme tool designed specifically for shattering windshields and slitting seatbelts to extricate the woman. Your caring partner reassured her as he gently checked her for injuries and took her vital signs – thankfully, she had escaped with only minor injuries. The traffic had built up behind the crash and it took over 15 minutes for an ambulance to get to the scene to transport her to the hospital.

Thanks for the United Hatzalah’s support , this woman received the care she needed in the minutes she needed it!”

By The Update Team

Version french: http://www.resqme.com/FR/blog/?p=711