DRIVE
SAFELY
The National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration has recently
released two studies focusing on traffic safety
issues in St. Louis and Missouri in general. Both
evaluate the potential safety benefits of the
requirement and enforcement of seat belt use. In the
first study, NHTSA
estimates that a primary seat belt law should
save Missouri, at minimum, tens of millions of
dollars of health care expenses every year. In the
other study, NHTSA
documented the results of a high visibility
enforcement campaign on public awareness of seat
belt safety and seat belt laws.
You can find the
studies at the following web addresses:
http://nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811292.pdf
http://nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic%20Injury%20Control/Studies%20&%20Reports/
Associated%20Files/810745MO.pdf
ROLL-OVERs -
GOOD NEWS!
Even with
the recent troubles in the automotive industry,
especially the massive ongoing recalls of highly
popular vehicles, the news may not be all bad. The
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) began
testing vehicles for rollover survivability last
year, and although the tests have not yet been
perfected, the initial results are more promising
than expected. None of the vehicles tested failed to
support less than 2.5 times their curb weight on
each roof corner, and several cars and SUVs even
managed to hold up under pressure equal to four
times their curb weight. This test continues to be
more and more important to the IIHS's list of Top
Safety Picks. The current federal standard mandates
that a car be able to support 1.5 times its weight,
less than the IIHS's "Marginal" category
minimal criteria, but will be increasing in 2012.
Highway Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, one of
the most prominent and respected automotive industry
watchdog groups, has just released a disturbing
report concerning certain 'neighborhood electric
vehicles', considered by many to be an
environmentally friendly alternative for very short
trips. These vehicles are currently permitted on
public roads, and bear a marked resemblance to
popular 'Smart cars', but are not at all the same.
The Insurance Institute first became suspicious of
these vehicles when a test showed that if a NEV was
struck by a SUV at 31 mph, the occupants would
almost certainly be killed. In a similar test, the
Insurance Institute simulated a hit by a 'Smart car'
traveling at the same speed. David Zuby, the
Institute's chief research officer, revealed that
the results would be "very bad" for the
occupants of the NEV, while those in the 'Smart car'
would "easily survive".
Those who own NEVs
should be aware that they are not cars, according to
the Institute. They lack many of the safety features
incorporated into standard vehicles, such as
reinforced steel. NEVs were designed by their
manufacturers for use in "retirement
communities or…golf courses" and not on
public roads.
Forty-six states
currently allow NEV on public roads.
Buddy the Buckle
Up Dragon
This is a good program at the pre-school through 3rd
grade level another district in Missouri has
implemented and is sharing with all of us. Reaching
children at a young age is vital in setting the
foundation for good roadway safety habits and some
of it even rubs off on their families! Click on the
following link - Buckle
Buddy Resource Kit - it has all of the resource information you need to
get started in your community, school, or home!
Texting While
Driving
At the end of August, a new law went into effect
making it illegal for drivers 21 and under to send,
read or write text messages while driving on
Missouri roads.
This law also should serve as a reminder that all
drivers, not just teens, should focus on the road
and not on distractions that can cause accidents.
The law classifies a violation as an infraction,
punishable by a fine of up to $200; and as a moving
violation, punishable by an assessment of points on
the driver's license.
DRIVER
SAFETY LINKS
Alive
at 25
Buckle
Up America
Cameron
Gulbransen KT Safety Act of 2007
Edmunds
Car Safety
Kids
Car Seats
Motorist
Vehicle Safety Info
National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Partnership
for Safe Driving
Road
Rage Information
Road
Ready Teens
Road
Safety Audits
Safe
Driving Tips - from National Safety Council
Safe
Teens
Tire
Safety Tips
ROAD
SAFETY VIDEOS
General
Safety
Weather
Related Driver Safety Messages
When
you attend programs through the Safety Council, a
portion of your fees help fund our Community Safety
Programs - Thank you!
Without
your support, the Safety Council could not fulfill
its mission of making the community a safer place
for all - THANK YOU!
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