TRUCKS SAFETY * Canada & USA - Ontario boasts N.A.'s safest roads

* Canada - "Truck-related fatalities down 24%

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Truck News -May 24, 2011:  --   The most recent road safety statistics indicate Ontario has the safest highways in North America...  Ontario recorded a fatality rate of 0.70 per 10,000 licensed drivers in 2008, reaching its lowest level since 1945 and the lowest in all North America...  The province says its roads have ranked first or second in North America for 10 years in a row...  Transport Minister, Kathleen Wynne, credits Ontario's distracted driving legislation and tough impaired driving rules for making the province's roads safer...  The province saw drinking and driving-related fatalities decline 29%, speed-related fatalities drop 17% and fatalities involving large trucks drop 24% in 2008...  There were 130 people killed in accidents involving large trucks on Ontario roads in 2008, down from 170 in 2007. Of the 130 fatal accidents, the truck driver was "not driving properly" in 47 (or 36.2%) of them. A vehicle defect was detected in just 2% of trucks involved in fatal accidents...  Of 135 large trucks involved in fatal collisions in 2008, 52 were straight trucks and 41 were tractor-trailer units. Twenty-nine involved only a tractor while only two involved tractors pulling A-, B- or C-trains...  In 2008, there were 184,961 tractor-trailer combinations registered in Ontario... (Image from truckaccidents360: MI semi-truck accident. Dec 14. 2010)

Truck Safety * USA - Push unites police, labor and crash survivors

Washington,DC,USA -Star Telegram, by Maria Recio -May. 22, 2011:  ...  A somewhat unlikely ally joined longtime consumer activist, Joan Claybrook, one of the coalition's leaders: Teamsters President, James Hoffa, who represents truck drivers. Hoffa called on the Obama administration to issue tougher regulations on driving hours and for Congress to pass a bill, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Protection Act, that would outlaw larger, heavier trucks... The bill was introduced last month in the House by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and in the Senate this month by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J... Hoffa said his efforts were prompted by his members -- more than 600,000 of the 1.4 million Teamsters are drivers -- and the need to promote safety... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is in the final stages of two related rules: to limit service to 10 consecutive hours and to require trucks to convert to electronic on-board recorders to keep tabs on hours driven continuously. The Truck Safety Coalition is pushing for quick approval of the rules, while the trucking industry supports the on-board recorders but not changing the driving limits...

TRUCKS SAFETY * USA - ATA Reaffirms Commitment to Safety During U.N. Decade of Action

Arlington,VA,USA -PRNewswire-USNewswire -May 11, 2011: -- Officials from American Trucking Associations highlighted the trucking industry's commitment to improving safety on our nation's highways as part of the United Nations' Decade of Action for Road Safety... The Decade of Action program, which launched around the world today, aims to reduce the nearly 1.3 million highway-related fatalities and 50 million serious injuries suffered around the world... As part of its Decade of Action, the U.N. has highlighted a five-pillar approach to safety: building management capacity, encouraging safer user behavior, building safer roads, building safer vehicles and improving post-crash care...


* Sweden - Blind-side accidents tackled by Volvo. A truck has more blind spots than a car

Gothenburg,Sweden -Transport Engineer, by John Challen -9 May 2011: -- Volvo Trucks has announced measures to tackle the problem of blind spots at every level, using new technology and public traffic education...  As a truck has more blind spots than a car does it is particularly difficult – despite the fitting of four rear-view mirrors – to get a good rear view along the vehicle's right side. Statistics show that 20 per cent of all accidents between road users and trucks occur when the truck turns at a junction...  Malte Ahrholdt, project manager at Volvo Technology, works with Intersafe-2, an EU-financed project that focuses on making crossroads less dangerous. Volvo Trucks' contribution to the project is a system that aims at solving the problem of the truck driver's blind spot on the passenger side. In a test truck, he and his colleagues have fitted laser scanners and ultrasonic sensors that monitor the area on the right of the vehicle. When a cyclist or pedestrian gets too close, the truck driver is alerted by flashing lights and audible warning signals... 

* USA - Simple ideas improve transportation safety

(istockphoto)

Washington,DC,USA -Stateline, by Daniel C. Vock -May 11, 2011:  --   When Washington State transportation officials looked at highway crash data seven years ago, they were struck by how many accidents could be prevented with a relatively cheap improvement to their roads. Adding center-line rumble strips — which warn drifting drivers that they are crossing over into the opposite lane — turned out to be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce crashes...  Washington’s experience with rumble strips is just one instance of how states are using data to make decisions about ways to spend money on transportation. But a study released Wednesday shows that they do this much better in some categories than in others... The accidents are the results of many causes. In bad weather, drivers cannot see lane markers through snow or fog. Other drivers are distracted, drunk or sleepy. After installing center-line rumble strips, Washington saw the numbers of cross-over accidents fall even when drivers were fatigued, distracted, intoxicated or speeding...  A study, released by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Pew Center on the States (Stateline’s parent organization), concluded that when it comes to safety, all states do a solid job of collecting performance data and putting it to use. They consistently take into account information on crashes and fatalities when they design and improve highway facilities...  But in areas such as economic development and environmental stewardship, most states are only beginning to learn how to employ performance measurement to enhance the quality of their transportation programs. Only 16 states received high marks in using transportation data to benefit environmental stewardship; the same small number drew high grades in using it for economic development. All the other states either received middling grades in these categories or trailed behind...  

TRUCKS SAFETY * Australia - Mulder tests technology to prevent truck-train collisions

The radio break-in collision warning system, which notifies drivers of approaching trains at level crossings, is the first of its kind in Australia

Melbourne,VIC,Australia -ATN -April 5, 2011: -- An innovative level crossing warning system to prevent collisions between trains and vehicles was tested in Victoria over the weekend... The test involved the use of a 26-metre, 60-tonne B-double truck and a locomotive at two level crossings at Yendon... The technology works by fitting a radio transmitter to a vehicle or train, or to roadside infrastructure such as a railway level crossing, which broadcasts a local signal... Small receiver units are fitted to vehicles and a warning message is played over the vehicles’ sound system. The technology also enables a warning message to be delivered to a driver even if a vehicles’ sound system is switched off... Victorian Transport Minister, Terry Mulder, says the system can also be used to warn of approaching emergency vehicles...    (Photo from ABC TV News: Witnesses say the driver of the southbound Sunlander passenger service blew the train's whistle moments before the train hit the garbage truck)

TRUCKS SAFETY * USA - Big Rig Guards Often Fail, Wants Tougher Standards

IIHS Wants Tougher Standards

Arlington,VA,USA -IIHS News Release -March 1, 2011: -- In 2009, 70% of 3,163 people dying in crashes involving big rigs were in cars. NHTSA estimates 423 people in cars die when vehicle strikes back of large trucks...  IIHS calls on government to toughen standards for big rig underride guards. Says guards can fail on relatively low-speed crashes...   Crash tests demonstrated serious threat of decapitation. Also showed some current guards on trailers break when hit...  Additional tests included offset crash of 50% and 30% overlaps. Offset tests stress guard's unsupported outboard ends...   IIHS says death or injury more likely if vehicle goes under tractor...  Study shows only 22% of crashes to rear of trailer didn't involve underride...  Regulatory gaps allow some trucks to go w/o guards. If present on exempt trucks, guards may not meet 1996 rules for strength... (Photo: NO UNDERRIDE resulted when the car struck the back of the Wabash trailer in the same overlap test at 35 mph)

Safety Strategy * Australia - Should emphasise chain of responsibility

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ATA Friday Facts -25 Feb 2011: -- The final version of the 2011-2020 National Road Safety Strategy should give the planned National Heavy Vehicle Regulator the resources, expertise and authority to take direct carriage of major chain of responsibility investigations, according to the ATA’s submission on the draft... The ATA submission says the strategy should include measures to support the increased use of high productivity vehicles, and calls on governments to provide regulatory incentives for trucking companies to join the TruckSafe safety accreditation program... Independent statistics show that TruckSafe accredited companies are twice as safe as non-accredited companies... The submission also argues that speed compliance measures such as point-to-point speed cameras should target all road users, not just truck drivers. This week, it was revealed that 94,271 speeding motorists in New South Wales have escaped without penalty because the state’s point-to-point speed cameras are only used on trucks... (Image from cairnsunlimited: Australian roadtrain)

* ATA welcomes draft freight strategy that will increase safety

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ATA Friday Facts -25 Feb 2011: -- The ATA has welcomed the Government’s draft National Land Freight Strategy, released this week... The Chairman of the Australian Trucking Association, David Simon, said improving the efficiency of the freight system would have immense benefits for consumers and Australia’s competitiveness... "Under the Government’s plan, operators will be able to carry the same amount of freight with fewer trucks. Reducing the growth in the number of trucks and other vehicles on the road will result in fewer accidents" ... "When B-doubles were first introduced in Australia, some people claimed they would be much more dangerous than existing semi-trailers. Those claims were wrong" ... "Over the years, the use of B-doubles has reduced the national road toll by at least 350 deaths, because it has enabled the trucking industry to move Australia’s freight with 15,000 to 20,000 fewer large trucks" ...  (Image from cairnsunlimited)


* Living Lab fuels new technology for transport and logistics industry

Alexandria,NSW,Australia -Transport & Logistic News -23 Feb 2011: -- Australia’s ICT Research Centre of Excellence NICTA, enterprise software company SAP and Europe’s largest application-oriented research organisation Fraunhofer have established the Future Logistics Living Lab...   The Lab was established to create groundbreaking information technology for the transport and logistics sector. Based in the Australian Technology Park in Sydney, the Living Lab will provide a physical platform for industry and research to work together, to investigate and overcome real-world logistics issues, and to demonstrate and test innovative technology that will provide transport and logistics solutions for the future...  The NSW Government has committed $400,000 to the Fraunhofer Project Group, as part of its recently-launched $36 million Digital Economy Strategy...  The participants joining the founding members are Linfox, Hamburg Süd, Casella Wines, Ericsson, GS1 Australia, Gamma Solutions, Google, Tradegate, XAct Solutions, Victoria University and the University of New South Wales...