Road Safety Talks

Say NO To Mobile Phone While Driving

2012-01-16T11:13:00.005+08:00

Say NO To Mobile Phone While Driving | Study shows people who use mobile phone while driving are four times greater chance involving in a crash. See this road safety poster below and you will know what I mean. A reminder to all of us.

Source: Think Safety

Car Crash Test at 160kmh (Wow!)

2012-01-05T14:30:00.002+08:00

Car Crash Test at 160kmh (Wow!) | Jamie and Adam (from MythBusters) become speechless at the sight of a car crashing into a wall at 100 mph or 160 kmh. Not only them stunning with the result, but also me. It is about the speed most of luxury vehicle travelling on the Malaysian expressways. Pretty scary result I would say. Watch the video and some snapshot of the 160kmh crash test. P/S: Would MIROS dare to do a 180 kmh crash test? It would be the world first and fume your name all over the world. :D

Video of the 160kmh Crash Test

Pictures of the Normal Crash Test

Pictures of the 160kmh Crash Test

Are Double-decker Buses Safe on the Roads?

2011-12-27T15:05:00.004+08:00

Are Double-decker Buses Safe on the Roads? | Bus operators have criticised the authorities for deeming double-decker buses unsafe, saying that they had encouraged the use of these vehicles in the first place. The Pan-Malaysian Bus Operators Association said the now defunct Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board had encouraged the use of double-deckers as a way to reduce operating costs.

“Now, they are saying these buses are unsafe and cannot be used on certain roads, which means the operators will have to bear losses,” association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali said yesterday.

It was reported that a study by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) had found double-deckers to be unsafe and unsuitable for long journeys, especially on winding roads. Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri had said that the build of the buses and their high centre of gravity made them suitable only for use in towns or on highways and not on winding roads and hilly areas.

He asked the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to review the routes for such buses to prevent accidents. “When they introduced double-deckers, they did not impose any restrictions on routes and told us that the buses were safe,” Mohamad Ashfar said, adding that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and inspection body Puspakom had also approved the vehicles as safe.

SPAD chief operating officer Azhar Ahmad said the commission would liaise with JPJ and Miros to resolve the issue. “While considering the interests of bus operators, we have to also look at the safety of passengers,” he said. He added that SPAD would not rush to review the routes for double-deckers as they were already on the road and had been approved by the JPJ.

Miros director-general Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon clarified that the buses found on Malaysian roads were not “double-deckers” but “high-deckers”. “We do not have double-decker buses in the country,” he said, explaining that double-deckers were much higher than high-deckers. “Not all buses are suitable. Certain roads, in hilly areas for example, should not be used by any kind of bus,” Dr Wong said.

He added that Miros would publish the findings of the study on its webshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifite soon. Meanwhile, SPAD will meet agencies such as the JPJ, Miros, the Transport Ministry and bus operators on the issue.

“We will look into the technical and safety aspects such as the Safety Health and Environment Code of Practice (SHE-COP) and international standard practices like the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe's (UNECE) R66 regulations before reaching a decision,” SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said in a statement yesterday.

Now, what you guys think of this double-decker buses issue? Feel free to share.

Source: The Star Online

Opel Crash in Poland - Consequences of Drink and Drive (5 PICS)

2011-12-08T21:04:00.002+08:00

Opel Crash in Poland - Consequences of Drink and Drive (5 PICS) | The accident occurred on 3rd February 2007 in Ustron, Poland. Four youngsters were speeding on highway, when they lost control over their car and hit the nearby sound-absorbing wall. The car was Opel Calibra.

This crash happened while they were getting back home from the pub. The speed-o-meter was found stuck or stopped at speed 160km/h. Three of them died instantly - the fourth one died after arriving to the hospital.

Something to learn. (1) Try to avoid drive with your peers. Study finds people (especially youngsters) tend to drive more aggressive among their peers. (2) Don't drink and drive!!! (3) Don't show off your car abilities to your friends while being drunk and on public roads!!! Remember your loved ones. Below are some more pictures of the crash.

Source: Car Accidents

Mercedes Benz Rollover Crash in Sri Lanka

2011-12-05T11:30:00.002+08:00

Mercedes Benz Rollover Crash in Sri Lanka | This Mercedes Benz crash was happened in late October 2011 in down south area of Sri Lanka. Two people were died on the spot. Below are some of the photos.

For your information, a rollover is a type of vehicle accident in which a vehicle tips over onto its side or roof. The most common cause of a rollover is traveling too fast while turning.

Source: Car Accident

Even Salmon Wait For Cars Before Crossing the Road (Interesting Video)

2011-11-25T09:38:00.004+08:00

In a very strange occurrence of events the salmon in this river have found a shortcut to their spawning stream. I just hope they can hear speeding cars! But well, seems like they know the road rules very well. Better than most of us. Watch this video about the salmon wait for cars before crossing the street. Very interesting!

Minnesota Students Push for Phone Ban

2011-11-21T09:00:00.001+08:00

The four students took on the cell phone topic for their Public Policy and Private Initiative class. They did research on the number of deaths and injuries related to driving while using a wireless device, they drafted language for legislation, and took it to their state senator.

"I wish we didn't have to legislate something like this, but the bottom line is there's a lot of deaths, a lot of injuries and we need to do something about it," said State Senator Chuck Wiger.

Wiger introduced the bill on behalf of the students Monday. If it passes, as is, all drivers would be prohibited from using their phones for any reason in the car, unless it's an emergency. They could also face fines up to $300.

"If this law passes, it will be the first law in the United State to ban hands-free devices, which is actually kind of cool because research we found shows that hands-free is no different than driving hands-held," said senior Katherine Garvey.

Minnesota already bans cell use for bus drivers and young drivers with provisional licenses. They students know pushing it to the rest of the population will be a tough sell.

"Maybe this bill isn't the one that gets passed, but at least it will provoke conversation and thoughts on the issue, and that's really what you want to do is get the issue moving," said Gaughan.

The students' teacher, Maureen Conway, says regardless of the outcome of this particular bill, she hopes the lesson learned is that the path to change has to start somewhere.

"The most important idea I want them to get out of this is that all of this history happened because individual people took a chance. Individual people wanted something done. They approached the government, they created a foundation, they did something because they wanted to see change," said Conway.

Source: Youth Road Safety

Sesame Street Supports Road Safety Decade of Action

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

Sesame Workshop provided Muppets fans with a sneak peak at its new public service announcements (PSAs) for road safety. Grover, the energetic blue Muppet from “Sesame Street,” is the Road Safety Ambassador for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The three short spots, each under a minute long, are entitled “Grover the Pilot,” “Astronaut Grover,” and “Safari Grover.”

In the PSAs, an animated Grover stars in three different scenarios where he imagines himself a savvy traveler during everyday activities, his role-play identified in the above titles. The spots show Grover demonstrating good road safety: using a seatbelt or helmet and practicing safe road-crossing behavior.

After each instance of good road-safey behavior Grover, who does not speak in these spots, gives viewers a thumbs up, the “all systems go” sign. Grover wears the official international road safety symbol, a yellow Road Safety tag, to signify his ambassadorial role.

The PSAs, developed in partnership with the FIA Foundation, were uploaded to the YouTube channel for “Sesame Street.” According to Sesame Workshop, the goal of the PSAs is “to make road safety a family priority and a shared family experience.”

Thanks to ToughPigs, the website for “Muppets fans who grew up,” for linking to the Sesame Workshop’s PSAs on its ToughPigs Facebook page.

In addition to PSAs, Sesame Workshop and the Global Road Safety Partnership are developing a Road Safety Education Framework. The materials will provide educators, parents and practitioners with content and strategies to help children better understand the risks associated with travel on or near the roads, and to learn and adopt safe practices.

"The Decade of Action is a critical opportunity for coordinated action among our global partners to mobilize our media reach to promote road safety awareness among road users, especially families with young children," said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop President and CEO in a press statement.

"The PSA messages, generously funded by the FIA Foundation, and Framework, developed with the Global Road Safety Partnership, promote an early understanding of critical road safety knowledge for increased use of seatbelts, child restraints and helmets, and encourage safe pedestrian behavior."

Sesame Workshop became a member of Global Road Safety Partnership in 2010.

The three PSAs, animated by LA-based Rubicon Studios, will be distributed to broadcasters in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. They will be broadcast starting on May 11, 2011, marking the global launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Source: Examiner.com

"Cars 2" - Disney Commitment Towards Road Safety

2011-11-17T09:00:00.006+08:00

The Department of Transportation (DOT), Disney, and Pixar have teamed up to help fight distracted driving with a new public service announcement with Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, and the colorful characters of “Cars 2.”

In advance of the June 24th release of the movie, the 30-second PSA is called, "Only the bad guys drive distracted." With the help of the Cars characters, it advises viewers that "No calling, no texting. Nothing that can take away your focus."

The ad will be available in more than a dozen countries with various translations and the DOT is working on increasing that coverage by partnering with the Make Roads Safe campaign for globhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifal road safety.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has worked with Disney before on various safety campaigns. The last time was in 2005 for the re-release of the Cinderella movie to help remind parents to fit their children snugly in a booster seat.

Check out the new animated spokes-cars in the video below.

Source: Consumer Reports

Malta Road Safety Campaign Focus On Use of Bicycles

2011-11-16T09:00:00.005+08:00

Motorists will be taught how to drive around cyclists while bicycle riders will learn how to keep themselves safe through a campaign planned by the transport authority.

The campaign would also address other dangerous road habits such as speeding and drink-driving with the aim of making roads safer all round, a spokesman from Transport Malta said. A date for its launch has yet to be established.

Data released by the National Statistics Office, show that 457 people were involved in traffic accidents between April and June. Five pedestrians and a driver – four men and two women – died in the second quarter of the year.

Recently, the wife of cyclist Cliff Micallef, who lost his life in a hit-and-run incident on the Coast Road two years ago, called on the authorities to take action to make roads safer. “We can’t let people die like this... Roads remain unsafe for cyclists and not enough has been done to stop drink-driving,” Shirley Micallef had said.

Her 45-year-old husband died on July 30, 2009 after he was run over by a car in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, about 20 metres from the entrance to the White Rocks Complex, minutes into his morning exercise routine.

He had been training for the LifeCycle Challenge to raise funds for the renal unit at Mater Dei Hospital. Anthony Taljana, 21, was charged with causing the fatality while under the influence of alcohol. His case is still pending.

Bicycle lanes have often been criticised as being unsafe, especially since they start and stop erratically. Transport Malta, which is responsible for roads, explained that bicycle lanes were introduced in 2006 as part of its ongoing work to promote a shift to alternative transport modes.

“The introduction of these cycle lanes, as with most projects, posed challenges to Transport Malta including, among others, educating the public on the use of the cycling infrastructure, promoting a cultural change from the use of the motor vehicle to cycling and identifying stretches of road, the width of which can accommodate a cycle lane, according to standard specifications...

“It is pertinent to note that old roads, such as the Coast Road, were not built with cycle lanes in mind... Due to the road width restrictions along stretches of this road, it was not possible to have a completely continuous cycle lane. Such is standard practice across all countries and, where cycle lanes are not provided, cyclists are urged to proceed with caution until the next stretch resumes,” the spokesman said, adding that new roads constructed over the past years had cycle lanes built-in on the pavement.

Source: Times of Malta

Michelin Sponsors Road Safety in China

2011-11-15T09:00:00.001+08:00

BEIJING - Being a tire maker always committed to improving its products, Michelin says it makes safety a firm focus. The French company has issued its "Michelin China Road Safety Manifesto" in Beijing, along with the launch of the Michelin 2011 Road Safety Campaign themed "Safety, One Step Forward". As part of this, it launched a series of activities aimed at mobilizing concrete action for the improvement of road safety in China.

"Michelin's mission is to make a contribution to the sustainable mobility of humans and goods, and safety is one of the core values of sustainable mobility," said Yves Chapot, president of Michelin (China) Investment Co Ltd.

Michelin (China) has released its first handbook for tire and road safety in three tailor-made versions for passenger car drivers, truck and bus drivers, and elementary school students.

"In addition to innovative tires that ensure people's safe commuting, Michelin has also been actively raising public awareness of road safety through education programs in cooperation with various Chinese authorities and organizations. The Michelin 2011 Safety Campaign is another big step forward in our continuous efforts toward road safety for better mobility."

In recent years, as more people can afford automobiles and other means of transportation in developing countries and emerging economies including China, the potential for danger has increased.

According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization, in May, road traffic accidents kill 1.3 million and injure 50 million people every year around the world, and 90 percent of those killed are in developing countries. Moreover, road accidents have become the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29.

In China, according to the Ministry of Public Security, 238,351 road traffic accidents killed 67,759 and injured 275,125 people in 2009, causing direct property loss of 910 million yuan ($140 million). Illegal driving, excessively fast driving, poor vehicle condition, intoxicated driving, driving while tired and poor safety awareness are the six major causes of accidents.

In light of these statistics, Chapot pledged that Michelin China would appeal to all of its employees, business partners and customers to observe safety principles and take the lead in shouldering responsibility for creating a better and safer road transportation environment.

In the months ahead, Michelin will hold a "China Road Safety Pioneer Talk" every month, "Road Safety in School" programs and "I Will" safety vow program, targeting the major causes of road accidents and vulnerable groups of people in order to educate and train the public about safety.

Meanwhile, Michelin also released China's first handbook for tire and road safety in three tailor-made versions for passenger car drivers, truck and bus drivers, and elementary school students.

Chapot said that Michelin will also play an active role in the "China Road Accident In-depth Research" project hosted by China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) this year, providing exclusive technical support from the tire industry.

This program will undertake deep analysis and research into the major causes of traffic accidents in five big cities in China, providing important information to help road traffic authorities in their decision-making.

"Through Michelin's years of focus and dedicated efforts regarding road safety, we have found we share the same mission and passion. As a technical administration body in the auto industry and the technical support organization for the Chinese government, CATARC fully understands that maintaining road safety requires the common participation and common action of the whole of society," said Zhao Hang, director of CATARC.

For more than 120 years, Michelin said its primary focus has been on providing safe, reliable tires with excellent balance of performance for the sustainable mobility of humans. Michelin has also pledged to raise public awareness of road safety by launching public awareness programs globally. Recently, the Michelin Group signed the Global Road Safety Commitment to support the Decade of Action for Road Safety, 2011-2020, which is actively promoted by the United Nations.

Having operated in China for more than two decades, Michelin has brought advanced global experience in road safety management into the country, while taking full consideration of China's auto industry status quo and Chinese consumers' need for safety, and has introduced a series of products with an excellent balance of performances, together with technology and services, said a company statement.

For example, Michelin has hosted the "Community Tire Security Check" for seven years and expanded it to more than 100 cities, servicing more than 100,000 cars.

Furthermore, Michelin has been working closely with Chinese partners in a series of public education programs focused on drivers and children. In 2007, Michelin joined hands with the Road Traffic Safety Association of China in public safety education in central and western China.

Last year, Michelin held "Grow Up in Safety" childrens' safety classes in four big Chinese cities. Last December, Michelin signed a cooperation agreement with China Traffic Management Research Institute to cooperate on tire safety information and training.

Source: China Daily

How Much Global Road Crashes Cost Us?

2011-11-14T09:13:00.003+08:00

YOURS strives to offer its subsribers and members digestable information to build capacity and increase knowledge of global road safety issues. There are many scholarly reports written on road safety which are often hard to understand for their technical approach. In this article, we focus on the major economic and social costs of global road crahes by pulling information from scholarly texts that is easy to understand.

Everyone killed, injured or disabled by a road traffic crash has a network of others, including family and friends, who are deeply affected. Globally, millions of people are coping with the death or disability of family members from road traffic injury. It would be impossible to attach a value to each case of human sacrifice and suffering, add up the values and produce a figure that captures the global social cost of road crashes and injuries.

The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1.5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries. The global cost is estimated to be US$ 518 billion per year. Low-income and middle-income countries account for US$ 65 billion, more than they receive in development assistance.

Road traffic injuries place a heavy burden, not only on global and national economies but also household finances. Many families are driven deeply into poverty by the loss of breadwinners and the added burden of caring for members disabled by road traffic injuries.

Adapted from: World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention (World Health Organization, 2004:55)

Road traffic crashes have a devastating emotional impact on the families and communities involved: every death represents the loss of a father, wife, son, daughter, brother or sister. And there is an equally devastating economic impact: the sudden violence of a road death often robs a family of its only breadwinner. Road injuries can impose a life long cost of caring for severely disabled family members.

Low and middle income countries are disproportionately affected by road crashes. Despite having lower levels of motorisation than developed countries, developing countries have generally very poor road safety records. While there has been a downward trend in road fatalities in rich countries over the past thirty years, developing nations are experiencing dramatic increases in road traffic injuries.

More than 1.3 million people are killed and between 20 and 50 million are seriously injured each year in road crashes. In total, up to 500 million people may be injured in road crashes annually, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The majority of these, about 90%, occur in those countries classified by the World Bank as being low or middle income.

Adapted from: Counting the Cost of Road Crashes and the Poor (FIA Foundation, 2005:2)

Source: Youth Road Safety

Could Public Campaign Reduce Road Fatalities?

2011-11-11T09:03:00.000+08:00

Sustained public information campaigns on road safety can play a crucial role in reducing road fatalities on GCC roads, according to a UK government marketing professional.

Emma Stranack, deputy director of external communications at the Department for Transport in the UK, said that raising and sustaining public awareness of the key risks of speeding, mobile phone use, and not wearing seatbelts, helps change attitudes about road safety, leading to safer and more considerate road behaviour.

Stranack's public campaigns have helped reduce deaths on British roads by 45 per cent in the last decade.

Stranack has led the development and delivery of the UK Government’s THINK! public awareness campaigns on road safety. The campaigns, which include advertising, partnership marketing and digital engagement, have contributed to a reduction of fatalities from 3,409 in 2000 to 1,850 in 2010.

She will be among an expert line-up of road safety experts at the sixth edition of the Gulf Traffic Conference, taking place on December 12 and 13 at the Dubai International Convention and Centre, a statement from the organizers said.

Stranack will provide an overview of the role of communications in UK road safety at the conference, including case study examples of THINK! campaigns covering priority issues such as speeding and wearing seatbelts.

“Research shows that human behavior, rather than vehicle or environmental factors, accounts for the majority of road casualties,” said Stranack. “In addition to legislation and safety engineering measures in vehicles, our experience illustrates that public information campaigns on road safety have a clear role to play in raising awareness of risk, changing attitudes and in creating consent for legislation and enforcement measures, thus generating social norms.

“The issues we have tackled with THINK! are similar to those faced in the Gulf region and I hope that sharing some of the techniques and approaches that have worked in the UK will help contribute to improving road safety in this area of the world,” he said.

Increasing road safety and reducing traffic are top priorities for regional governments, and are the main topics of discussion at the two-day conference. The event will bring together leading regional and international road traffic and transportation experts.

“It is clear that the GCC region is taking road safety seriously and is making good progress in addressing the main issues,” added Stranack. “Events such as Gulf Traffic 2011 should reinforce this by sharing best practice and insight from across the region and by reviewing international case studies to help inform the design of road safety measures.

“As part of the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety, I am honoured to represent the UK Department for Transport at the conference and share what we have learned about how communications can help contribute to reducing road casualties,” she said.

Organised by Informa Exhibitions, the conference runs alongside the Gulf Traffic Exhibition, which has so far confirmed an exhibitor line-up of 149 contractors, manufacturers and suppliers from 27 countries in the Middle East and overseas.

Gulf Traffic 2011 is supported by Dubai Police and is held under the patronage of Lt. General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, the statement said.

Source: Trader Arabia

Expensive Traffic Tickets Can't Reduce Road Accidents

2011-11-10T09:15:00.001+08:00

DESPITE dramatically increased traffic fines earlier this year and contrary to expectations, road accidents in Namibia have increased by some 20%.

The shocking news came to light during the recent Namibian Road Safety Indaba, held in Windhoek when traffic safety expert and Criminal Justice Lecturer, Eliphas !Owos-oab, from the Polytechnic of Namibia made his presentation on how the increased traffic fines affected road safety.

He said Namibia lacks a road safety strategy and stressed that law enforcement practices have become predictable. “Drivers know where the law enforcement hot spots are and slow down when they get there and accelerate when they have passed them. Furthermore, spots are never at places where Police officers have the most problems.”

He said Namibia’s strategies are diverse and every traffic entity has its own strategy derived from the national vision. “We lack accident data, and whatever data are available, lack integrity. Road safety is in a bad shape, not because bad decisions were made, but rather because good decisions were and are badly implemented.”

He dropped another bomb when he said the national statistics of the Road Safety Council released in 2009 are those of 2006. “For the past five years we don’t have anything.”

He also said the current Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) statistics grant too much weight on injuries and facilities, thus excluding damages to vehicles and property.

!Owos-oab noted that law enforcement is not coordinated and information technology between the courts and the law enforcement agencies and NATIS is not integrated.
According to him, when a driver licence is suspended, the driver can go to a Police Station, swear out an affidavit and obtain a duplicate at NATIS. He recommended that there should be immediacy of traffic violation punishment and sanctions.

“If Namibia is to contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of traffic law enforcement on its roads, it needs to examine policy choices about the role of the Police in road safety and traffic law making.”

He recommended that road safety should be a presidential mandate or there should be a permanent advisory board advising the Ministry of Works and Transport on road safety management issues or a lead agency coordinating road safety issues in Namibia.

Source: New Era

Sarcastic Road Safety

2011-11-09T09:30:00.002+08:00

Dear Driver, forget everything you learned in driving school. They are wimps who work for our age-old enemies, pedestrians!

Only I am good enough driver – gold worth an old observation goes something like this: all who drive slower than you are idiots, and everyone driving faster than you are maniacs who will cause all the others drivers to get killed! Considering there is almost no chance that someone goes through the same speed as you, it is logical to conclude that only you are good driver. You must truly hate all other drivers!

The enemy is observing – You must not use the direction indicator as this gives away your intentions to the enemy drivers behind and in front of you. Protect your privacy and direction of movement of malicious curious ones. Sometimes it is necessary to further confuse them, left-turning indicators and providing tactical turn right!

The red light – Look left and right before you go through a red light. The higher speed riding on a red at the intersection, the less is chance that you hit another car. This maintains an high safety level, which is important!

Safe distance – suggested safe distance between vehicles in a bar in no way should be realized! Always to crawl into the trunk of the driver in front of you because that is the way to stop someone from adjacent lane to get in between you and significantly jeopardize the safety of all!
Time is money – When you’re dying, you are sure to realize that because of slow reflexes of drivers in front of you at traffic lights, you lost a total of 9.4 seconds of life! Those who do not start as soon as the yellow light turns on, deserve to die of cancer. Ready your hand on the buzzer as soon as you stand behind someone at a traffic light and wait.

CAUTION! For those drivers who do not get the sarcasm above, that was sarcasm. Drive safely, follow the rules!

Source: Childhood

Vehicles Pile-Up on a British Motorway Inferno Crash - 16 Dies and 35 Others Injured (Pics and Vid)

2011-11-06T00:36:00.001+08:00

A 27-vehicle pile-up on a British motorway in foggy and wet conditions sparked explosions and an inferno, leaving several people dead and around 35 injured, police and eyewitnesses say.Television pictures show a line of cars and lorries on fire following the massive crash at around 2030 GMT on Friday (0730 AEDT Saturday) on the M5 motorway near Taunton, southwest England.

Blazing lorries flipped onto their side and people desperately tried to prise open the doors of cars to help trapped passengers escape in chaotic scenes after the crash.Eyewitnesses said they heard explosions as the vehicles went up in flames and saw debris and casualties strewn across the road.

Around 50 firefighters battled to free people who were trapped in the wreckage of their vehicles on the northbound carriageway, and police said a long stretch of the major route was closed and would not reopen for 24 hours.Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, of Avon and Somerset Police, said "several people" lost their lives in the crash but did not give a precise figure."The officers and the other emergency services faced a very, very difficult scene when they arrived," he told the BBC."Many vehicles were on fire and the collision itself involved what we believe to be about 27 vehicles, both lorries and cars.

"So they were faced with virtually all of them on fire. Many of them have burnt literally to the ground."Around 35 people were believed to have been injured, he said.Local resident Bev Davis described seeing a wall of flames at the crash site from her home close to the motorway."All we could hear was the sound of a horn and then the flames got so high so quickly and the noise was horrific," she told the BBC."There must have been 200 metres worth of fire - plumes of smoke were going up and everything was red."

Motorist Paul O'Connor described the scene as "horrific.""It was quite horrific and I have never seen anything like that - I could see people lying on the side of the road," he told Sky News television. "It was quite disturbing really."Jon Adair said on Twitter: "Worst traffic accident I've ever seen on the M5 nr Taunton. Burning vehicles & casualties/debris strewn across road."

Jason Sharp, who witnessed the accident from a nearby rugby club, told the BBC that he heard a number of explosions."Petrol tanks I believe were going up - black smoke going up," he said.He said there was heavy fog and the roads were wet at the time of the crash.Paul Slaven, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said the fierce fire was likely caused by the number and type of vehicles and he had no indication they were carrying any toxic or chemical material."At least two of the vehicles on fire were articulated lorries and there would be a lot of fuel on them," he said.

Source: Yahoo News

Study Finds Banning Blackberry Will Reduce Accident Rate

2011-11-01T09:05:00.005+08:00

A dramatic fall in traffic accidents this week has been directly linked to the three-day disruption in BlackBerry services. In Dubai, traffic accidents fell 20 per cent from average rates on the days BlackBerry users were unable to use its messaging service. In Abu Dhabi, the number of accidents this week fell 40 per cent and there were no fatal accidents.

On average there is a traffic accident every three minutes in Dubai, while in Abu Dhabi there is a fatal accident every two days. Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, and Brig Gen Hussein Al Harethi, the director of the Abu Dhabi Police traffic department, linked the drop in accidents to the disruption of BlackBerry services between Tuesday and Thursday.

Email, Messenger and internet functions were unavailable to users in the Middle East, Africa and Europe after a crucial link in the BlackBerry network failed. Gen Tamim said police found "a significant drop in accidents by young drivers and men on those three days". He said young people were the largest user group of the Messenger service.

"The accidents that occur from the use of these devices range between minor and moderate ones, but at times they are deadly," Gen Tamim said. Brig Gen Al Harethi said: "Accidents were reduced by 40 per cent and the fact that BlackBerry services were down definitely contributed to that."

"Absolutely nothing has happened in the past week in terms of killings on the road and we're really glad about that," Brig Gen Al Harethi said. "People are slowly starting to realise the dangers of using their phone while driving. The roads became much safer when BlackBerry stopped working."

The precise statistics for traffic accidents in the two emirates this week were not revealed to The National. The dangers of using mobile phones while driving was tragically highlighted by the death of the UAE international footballer Theyab Amana. He crashed his car two weeks ago into the rear of a road-painting lorry near Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, reportedly while using a BlackBerry. His mourning father urged motorists not to use phones while driving.

"That accident must have really made people think twice before using their BlackBerry while driving," Brig Gen Al Harethi said. Ammar Al Alwan, an Iraqi resident in the emirate, said he believed the Abu Dhabi Police figures were accurate.

"I did use my BlackBerry while driving," said Mr Al Alwan, 25. "But after seeing the effects of doing so and the accidents and lives that have been lost I stopped. I have already quit using my BlackBerry while driving. Texting can wait."

Maha Khoubieh, a Syrian resident in Abu Dhabi, said she tended to look at the twinkling red light of her BlackBerry when on the road. "Sometimes it's just really hard not to," said Ms Khoubieh, 27. The drop in accidents and fatalities surprised her.

"It's quite scary to see how much a phone can affect our lives," she said. "I definitely think that from now on, my BlackBerry will stick to the inside pocket of my handbag and we should all be able to do our part to improve the safety of our roads."

Two weeks ago, Abu Dhabi Police announced a campaign against motorists who use their phones while at the wheel. Gen Tamim likewise warned that Dubai Police will soon be using electronic evidence against drivers who cause accidents while using their smart devices.

"We have the capability to know who sent what when, and if an accident occurs while someone was messaging we will prove it and present the electronic evidence to the Public Prosecutor, and charge the driver with the costs of retrieving that evidence," he said.

More than 36,500 fines have been handed out in the emirate so far this year to drivers using their phones. The fine for anyone caught driving and talking on the phone without a headset is Dh200 and four black points on their license.

Those who drive in a way that poses danger to the public are fined Dh1,000 and issued with 12 black points. Police also confiscate their car for 30 days. Traffic safety experts echoed the calls for drivers to be more vigilant and not use phones while driving.

"Distracted driving is a cause for concerns on the streets and a cause for accidents," said John Hughes, the regional manager of traffic safety consultancy ARRB Group.

"The use of cellphones while driving is a major distraction and we call on all drivers to either use hands-free sets or avoid them on the roads, to raise the safety standards and avoid death and injury."

Source:The National

OPS Sikap Campaign WIll Continue As Always

2011-10-31T18:01:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: The “Ops Sikap” campaign to curtail road accidents during festive periods will continue to be held, the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu Seman Yusop said the campaign is still relevant and helps to ensure that motorists exercise prudence in their driving.

“Ops Sikap” will not be replaced with another mechanism because it remains effective in checking the rate of accidents and deaths during festive periods, he said when replying to a question from Salleh Kalbi (BN-Silam).

“Based on statistics, 60 per cent of fatal accidents occur outside the Ops Sikap areas,” he added.Abu Seman said a study by the Bukit Aman Traffic Branch Research Unit showed that 90 per cent of road users agree that they become more alert to traffic regulations with the enforcement of the “Ops Sikap” campaigns.

“A study by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia indicates that generally factors contributing to accidents are recklessness of the motorists due to driving without sufficient rest, using the handphone while driving, speeding and being insensitive to traffic regulations,” he said.

On the cost of the “Ops Sikap” campaigns, he said many of the operations were sponsored by companies such as Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (PLUS) Berhad and Telekom Malaysia ™ Berhad.

Source: Newsabahtimes

Sunday Joke - Text While Driving If You Want to Meet Jesus Quick

2011-09-18T12:19:00.002+08:00

Source: Reddit.com

Top 7 Why Not Safe Leaving Kids in a Car

2011-09-15T23:22:00.006+08:00

Every year the reports roll in; another child has died after being left unattended in a car. While death from heat is the common cause, there simply is no safe time to leave any child unattended in a car. The statistics are a tragic. Many parents just didn’t realize their child was in the car or believed it was temperate enough to leave the child there for just a little while.

While several states have created laws to protect children, it is important for everyone, not just parents, to realize how these “accidents” happen and what to do if you find an unattended child in a car. Each year we are given up to 40 reasons why we should not leave children unattended in a vehicle (i.e. the deaths caused by this negligence), but here are seven more:

Reason One: The Facts

According to Jan Null, a San Francisco State University professor, each year between 30 and 40 children die as a result of being left unattended in a car. Most of these deaths occur during the hot summer months; however, children do perish in cars during the winter as well.

Many of the deaths are accidental and occur when a child has been “forgotten,” usually by a parent who does not normally drive with the child. There is no greater reason to not leave a child unattended in a car.

Reason Two: Heat Stroke

When a child is left unattended in a vehicle during hot weather, he or she actually suffers from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. These illnesses are treatable if the child receives immediate medical attention; however, because many of the children are not found in time, treatment is not an option.

Symptoms include severe cramping in the feet, calves, or hands; tense muscles; nausea; headache; slowed heartbeat; fainting; and convulsions. Death from any heat related illness is painful and slow.

Reason Three: Hypothermia

Hypothermia and frostbite are illnesses generally associated with spending too much time outside during cold weather. Children and the elderly are especially prone to these problems. In fact, infants can develop hypothermia by sleeping in a cold room.

Children who are left unattended in a cold car can quickly develop hypothermia as their body temperature begins to dip below 95 degrees. Symptoms include extreme fatigue and clumsiness. Hypothermia is fatal unless treated immediately.

Reason Four: Poor Logic

Many parents who make the decision to leave a child in their vehicle do so believing that by parking the car in the shade and cracking the windows, they will ensure that their child is safe. Studies have shown that both of these ideas are far from true.

In fact, in one study comparing a car left in full sun, with its windows closed, to another car in the shade with its windows cracked; the temperature difference was negligible. There is no safe way to leave your child in a car.

Reason Five: No Regulations

As this problem grows, some states have begun to address the issues by passing a variety of laws, making it illegal to leave a child in an unattended vehicle. These states include Florida, Texas, Washington, Michigan, and others.

Several states have enacted laws that go into effect if a child dies as a result of being left unattended. Still, over half of the states have no legislation regarding this growing and tragic problem.

Reason Six: The Underlying Causes

While there are dozens of cases each year in which a child dies after being left unattended, in most cases, the “how” behind the tragedy originates in one of three ways. First, the child is left in the vehicle intentionally. A parent or guardian leaves the child to run errands, have dinner, or even see a movie, not recognizing the danger.

Second, a child climbs in an unlocked vehicle, closes the door behind him or her, and isn’t found until it is too late. Finally, there are cases in which the parent effectively forgot the child was in the vehicle. This typically happens when the parent driving the car does not typically have that responsibility. Whether the child is left intentionally or by accident, the results are often the same—a child dies.

Reason Seven: Don’t Get Involved

As parents and as citizens, there are things we can do to help prevent these tragic deaths. Parents are encouraged to keep their cars locked at all times. Automobile manufactures should be encouraged to add an alarm function to all vehicles that would sound if the ignition is turned off and all safety belts are not released.

Everyone should be aware of their surroundings, especially in parking lots, and should take immediate action if they find a child in a car. Remember, that there is no safe time of the year to leave a child unattended in a vehicle. Every single death of a child left unattended is preventable if only people would get involved.

CONCLUSION:

If you follow any driving safety tips, make it this one: do not leave a child unattended in a car. Children who are left alone in a vehicle will, at the least, become gravely ill. In the worst cases, the child will die. This is the one reason to never leave a child in a car.

Spring, summer, fall, winter—it does not matter. High temperatures or cold, intentionally or by accident, there is no excuse for one more child dying in an unattended vehicle. We simply must take the steps necessary to avoid another senseless tragedy.

Source: Drive Steady

Road Signs for Idiots

2011-09-07T08:50:00.005+08:00

Please don't be an idiot on the road. You pay tax, I pay tax and most of the people on the road pay the tax also. So please be considerate to others. Okay? If you still want to be an idiot, this one is for you.

Source: Reddit.com

A Fact About Teens Driving

2011-08-29T18:02:00.004+08:00

According to many road safety research worldwide, teens tend to drive dangerously with their peers inside the vehicle. Do you agree with this?

Source: Reddit.com

Things That Makes You Worst Driver on the Road

2011-08-28T12:34:00.005+08:00

Are you one of the list? if yes, you better prepare yourself. Know yourself so that you can save you and others on the road.

1. Being a Celebrity: Fame and Fortune Brings Traffic Citations, Accidents, and DUI’s

Everyone dreams of being a celebrity and being famous but being a celebrity can ruin your driving skills. Celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are known for their poor driving skills. Lohan and Hilton both got into trouble with the law for DUI offenses.

When you are a celebrity you have a mindset where you cannot go wrong; throw in the paparazzi chasing you all the time with cameras and this is a recipe for disaster. Many celebrities get into car accidents with photographers all the time because they cannot drive properly around Los Angeles and other parts of California. In some instance, innocent bystanders have been hit or run over by celebrities who were trying to out run paparazzi members when they could have just posed for a picture and moved on with their day. They say be careful what you wish for and wishing to be a celebrity may mean that you have to take a taxi instead of drive a car to get around.

2. Hormones: Making Men & Women Worse Drivers Since the Wheel Was Invented

Now hormones can really mess with your mind and emotions so they can definitely make your driving skills worse. For example, a woman who is dealing with hormones may cry when she hears a song that was special to her and her ex-boyfriend. This could make her have to blot her eyes to prevent her mascara and make up from running which might make her lose her concentration and become involved in an automobile accident. Some studies show the exact opposite: that estrogen actually improves driving skill.

Not having enough hormones can cause problems as well. “Spatial skills such as map reading and parking may be difficult for some women because they had too little testosterone in the womb.” Researchers from the University of Giessen, Germany found that spatial ability was severely diminished when they had lower than normal testosterone.

But testosterone levels don’t affect only women. We all know that statistically speaking, women are lower risk drivers than their male counterparts. Hormones also impact men because they often become involved in fender bender and other minor accidents because they are staring at beautiful girls; and if you count testosterone + aggressive driving, then you might as well say that most male-caused accidents are hormonally based.

Lots of these accidents happen on beaches or college campuses when a girl walks by a man’s vehicle and he is not paying attention and hits the car in front of him. The next time an accident report is filed, you might just see hormone-crazed driver listed as the cause for the accident. The body is a very interesting thing and hormones are hard to control so they cause many accidents each year and make people worse drivers. Perhaps insurance companies should consider giving drivers discounts for taking hormone-suppressing drugs.

3. Video Games: A Joystick Can Mess Up Your Mind and Ruin Your Driving Record

Video games such as “Grand Theft Auto” have become very popular with people especially young men between the ages of 16 and 25. Now as most gamers know, video games are pretty harmless; no more than TV or board games.

There are a few studies that show that gamers make better drivers, or even surgeons. According to a study by the University of Rochester, people who played “Call of Duty 2″ and “Unreal Tournament,” were able to make decisions about 25% faster than those who played the “The Sims 2.”

According to the “Archives of Surgery” laproscopic surgeons improved their skills by up to 42% (as well as speed) by playing games like Top Gun. So all you hard core Halo experts out there really have some great talent when the time comes to consider a career.

Allstate even publish initial results that showed that 10 hours of game play by older patients basically makes the brain function the equivalent of a brain 10 years younger.

So how can it make a potentially worse driver? Most people have not had their brains rot out of their head from playing them for too many hours. However, a small percentage of us do, and the effect has been studied. The games actually make driving skills worse because you are training your mind to deliberately drive erratically, and in short, take bigger risks. Most people mimic what they see each day so playing video games such as this one will negatively impact how you drive in the future.

Games such as GTA, Need for Speed, and Gran Turismo, etc…. are known for having people drive at top speeds, and sometimes even run people down for fun (hey, it’s just a game) and therefore may help believe you are a better driver in the real-world, or perhaps help your mind justify some of these lower perceived risks. This translates into the reality of your life when you are behind the wheel of your vehicle each day when you are going to school, going to work, or running errands. It is important to remember to separate the reality of life with the fiction of video games so that your driving skills are as consistent as possible.

4. Genetics: Blame It on Your DNA

In a recent study of college undergrads, “those with a common genetic variation scored 20% worse in a driving simulator than their counterparts.” Genetics can play a big role in how you drive so the next time that you get into an accident or get a speeding ticket you may want to thank your parents and grandparents for causing you to become a worse driver. Every person is different so they approach driving differently and genetics does play a role in how people look, think, and act.

Driving is a huge responsibility and some people are prone genetically to be better drivers than others. For example, if you have Attention Deficit Disorder then your kids may be more likely to have the medical condition as well. This medical condition causes people to become poor drivers because they have a hard time focusing and concentration on one task at a time so they become hyper which can lead to accidents.

So the next time you get pulled over for a ticket, defend yourself in court with this study, and maybe the judge will let you off easy.

5. Steering Wheel Desk: Having Your Hands on This Desk May Hurt You or Others around You

Yes, there are steering wheel desks and they are actually for your steering wheel in your vehicle. Now most people are probably going to be glued to their computer’s search engine looking for this product because a majority of driver have never heard of it. It is basically like a small folded down desk that attaches to a steering wheel. This ends up distracting drivers more than usual. This and cause their hands to be on the steering wheel while their arms are on the desk. This can make it http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifharder for the hands to quickly stop the vehicle in the event that an object or emergency situation appears in front of the person quickly. The steering wheel desk is a bad idea for people, especially younger drivers who have poor or average driving skills to begin with.

The United States has become a country where DUI’s and traffic accidents are too common. Having excellent driving skills is important to keeping the roads as safe as possible. When you get behind the wheel of your vehicle remember these 5 surprising things so that you do not become a worse driver in the future.

Source: Cheap Insurance

A "Built For The Kill" Bus

2011-07-31T12:06:00.005+08:00

Dare to hop on? Please, come on...

Source: Reddit.com

If You Drive Like This, You Are Stupid!

2011-07-29T09:13:00.003+08:00

Malaysia has quite a big chunk of this kind of drivers...waving left and right, cause an accident and immediately left the scene...

Hazard Light - Park Anywhere Button

2011-07-28T10:26:00.005+08:00

For some reason, I found this picture very funny. Is it true? Have you done anything like this? Park anywhere using the magic of your hazard light button. Not safe at all. So be careful.

Source: Imgur

How to Drive Safely in Tropical Countries?

2011-07-27T15:59:00.004+08:00

Being in tropical country, a feeling of rejoice and regeneration comes with it combined. Besides great warm weather, the rain becomes a hurdle for the car and the drivers. So, not being monsoon- proofed can be troublesome for you and your family.

Here are some of the tips on how to enjoy their rain completely along with the safe car drive:

Checking the Car:

1. Get started with the basics and then check the general condition of your car and keep on checking the condition of your tyre, brakes, and wipers and replace them if you have any doubt.

2. After that make sure that your tyres have enough tread left as the quality of tyres, they should not be over or under inflated so it would be advisable to trust to your carmaker’s judgement.

3. Then check whether your headlight beams are focussed optimally especially the parking lights.

4. After that, come to the foot pedals because most of the times the run covers worn out or they are completely missing so, its mandatory to replace/change them.

5. Most of the cars have their drain hole plug missing which results into water seeping into the passenger compartment even if it is not raining severely.

On the Road

1. Well, it is seen that the first rains make road surfaces more slippery than waterlogged roads and, cement surfaces tend to be more slippery than tar roads which can cause skidding of the vehicle in such a situation, can be treacherous and dangerous.

2. Drive in lower gear than you would normally do so that you can ensure more control and adhesion with the surface.

3. And maintain the distance between you and the car in the front because braking distances are expanded in wet surfaces.

4. If there is fog or mist then, avoid the temptation to select the high beam in the rains as the increasing visibility leads to increase the glare especially the oncoming traffic.

Source: Automobileindia

LITRAK Hold Road Safety Programme for 200 Kids

2011-07-26T14:36:00.002+08:00

ABOUT 200 pupils of SK Bukit Damansara, SK Damansara Jaya 1, SK Sg Penchala and SMK Kelana Jaya attended a road safety programme recently.

The half-day session was organised by Lingkaran Trans Kota Sdn Bhd (Litrak), the highway concessionaire for Lebuhraya Daman-sara–Puchong (LDP) and Sprint, the highway concessionaire for Sprint Highway, in collaboration with Perbadanan Putrajaya.

The objective of the programme was to educate the pupils on how to be a safer pedestrian as well as provide tips on conscious bike handling with respect to traffic rules and road safety.

The pupils were divided into eight groups and were taught the basics of road safety in a fun and entertaining manner through various traffic situations.

It required pupils to familiarise themselves with various agencies such as the Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifMiros) and Road Safety Department before they were taught how to ride their bicycles and walk safely on the road at all times.

Litrak chief executive officer Sazally Saidi said the programme was part of the company’s continuous commitment to provide students with valuable skills on road safety that they could apply in their daily lives, especially those cycling along the highway.

“We want them to be safer pedestrians and apply all positive attitudes on the road.

“In the long run, this will help to ensure that pupils become more attentive and responsible road users and reduce the number of fatalities caused by accidents.

Source: The Star Online

Bike vs Motorcycles and Why Rempit?

2011-07-20T08:52:00.005+08:00

You can dream all you want that your bicycle is a motorcycle, but it will never be one. Children want to live their dream. Same goes to the Rempit. They saw Rempit a lot as a child (in the movie, TV, Internet, newspaper), and want to be "cool" like them. And the cycle goes on and on. So who's at fault?

Source: Motorcycle

MIROS International Research Collaboration Meeting at RIOH Beijing China

2011-07-07T19:38:00.006+08:00

I've just returned to Malaysia after two-day visit to RIOH in Beijing, China. RIOH's staffs were such a warm people and treated us well. Later, after finish our discussion on research collaboration between MIROS and RIOH, Dr Jioa Chengwu take us walking in places around Beijing like the Olympic Stadium of Bird Nest, Water Cube and many more. Below are some of the pictures I took. Will upload more later on.

Zero Tolerance Road Work - Poor Van

2011-06-29T08:51:00.005+08:00

Who cares if there is a parked car on the road? The asphalt must be replaced. Zero tolerance road work. Poor van owner. Somehow I found this really funny. By the way, this happening at Russia. What do you guys think?

Source: FunSpace

Motorcycles Dancing - The Most Unusual Crash Involving Two Motorcycles

2011-06-27T08:12:00.001+08:00

At Magny-Cours, during a round of the promosport Championship: two riders crash and their bikes lock wheel bars and continue to pirouette on the ground: funny dancing bikes! Hahahaha. I love to see the reaction of the two riders.

Vehicle Tailgating is Not Worth It

2011-06-25T14:47:00.004+08:00

Tailgating is the practice of driving on a road too close to the vehicle in front, at a distance which does not guarantee that stopping to avoid collision is possible. Approximately one third of rear-end collisions involve tailgating. So is it worth it?

Source: Baneplanet

Tun Mahathir Said Buy Proton Cars A Charity

2011-06-22T08:48:00.004+08:00

Do I heard it right? Surely, I'm not buying a car as a charity. It is the life of my family I put on the line here. Proper survey on the car, in term of safety, specification, coolness, features and price should be conducted when you want to buy a new car. If the Proton cars are safe and at the same time affordable, why not. But to think is as charity? It is a hell NO. P/S: Is Proton such that low to beg people to buy their cars as a charity? LOL.

Proton Tuah: Amazing car from Proton. For more pictures: Proton Tuah Pictures and Video

KLANG – There is no truth in claims by certain quarters that car prices are expensive in Malaysia because of the existence of the national car, Proton, says former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“This is not true. The government has been imposing high tax for imported cars even from before so that the country does not lose out substantially in the outflow of the ringgit to foreign countries,” he said at the joint launching of the Proton’s Logistics Centres in Sijangkang and Tanjung Malim in Sijangkang here Tuesday.

Dr Mahathir, who is also proton adviser, said Malaysians who bought proton cars were doing a charity because when Proton becomes a success story and prospered, many Malaysians would get jobs and could support their families, some of whom have big families.

“We want to see proton playing a role as a socio machinery, helping to provide for the well-being of all Malaysians,” said Dr Mahathir, who initiated the national car project when he was the prime minister.

Following Proton’s move to set up the logistics centres in Sijangkang and Tanjung Malim to improve the quality of proton cars before delivering the cars to the customers, Dr Mahathir said he was confident that proton might soon capture the domestic automotive market and become the No. 1 car seller in the country.

Through the logistics centres, assembled proton cars at the main manufacturing plant in Shah Alam will be sent to the centres in Sijangkang and Tanjung Malim for testing and post-delivery inspection to ensure its quality conformed to the stipulated standard before delivering the cars to the dealers and for export.

Dr Mahathir said usually proton sales clinched 80 per cent but with the existence of perdoua and other brands of imported cars from South Korea and other countries, proton sales had taken a beating, he said car sales in Malaysia had shot up to 570,000 in one year, the highest sales figure in Southeast Asia, as other countries might be selling more than that but their population was 10 times more than Malaysia’s.

Dr Mahathir said proton must focus attention on quality because in business image was important although some may complain of dissatisfaction.

“It may be only one person complaining but it may portray as though all proton cars are problematic. If we don’t have a good image, everybody will think that this image is not only confined to one car but the whole problem,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said a blogger wrote in his blog claiming that proton car windows cannot be lowered, and the car owner had to open his car door and get down from his car to pay toll.

‘I think this is something overboard. I also drive my car through tolled roads and I’ve yet to see people driving proton cars getting down from their vehicles to pay toll,” he said. (Hmmmmm.....)

“Nevertheless, many believe this is what actually happened because although it is a small complaint but even a giant company must give good treatment,” he added. – BERNAMA

Source: MynewsHub

Road Safety - It is a Crash Not an Accident

2011-06-21T11:42:00.003+08:00

We tend to forget that road rules are set to protect us and not make our lives difficult. Malaysians continue to engage in high risk behaviour on our roads. High risk behavior has been defined as an occurrence of event with probability of harm through, reckless or irresponsible behavior on the road.

The consequences of high risk behaviour on the roads can be damaging for the driver, other road users and their families. So, it is not wrong to say that high risk drivers are insensitive and selfish human beings who do not care for anyone, not even themselves.

Road crashes can be avoided, I use the term crash and not accident because most of the time it is never an ‘accident.’ You never accidentally speed, or accidentally drink and drive or use your hand phone while driving accidentally. We have to first understand that to crash or not to crash is in our own hands.

It is time we woke-up and realise that our ‘tidak apa’ (don’t care) attitude towards road safety can be bloody and even cause death. Understanding the key factors like speeding, driving under the influence, (DUI) distractions, fatigue and not using restraints properly contribute to death on the road, is the first step towards embracing road safety. Think road safety if not for you, at least for your loved ones.

Don’t you think lives taken on roads are lives wasted?

Source: Road Safety Ideas

Saudi Arabia Women Drive Cars to Protest Ban

2011-06-19T23:03:00.006+08:00

The news about Saudi Arabia women drive cars to protest ban, indeed sounds very strange to most of us, Malaysian, since most women in Malaysia can drive......without fear. However, in principal, in my opinion, Saudi Arabia is doing the right thing. Don't you agree with me? Certainly. Don't take into heart. I'm just joking Hehe.

Women in Saudi Arabia have started driving cars in defiance of a ban on female drivers, in a campaign publicized on Facebook and Twitter.

Women in Saudi Arabia have started openly driving cars in defiance of a ban on female drivers in the kingdom.

The campaign has been publicized on social networking sites, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, where women have been posting images of themselves driving.

The Women2Drive Facebook page, which includes messages of support from around the world, said the campaign would continue until a royal decree reversed the ban.

"All that we need is to run our errands without depending on drivers," said one woman in a film posted Friday, the BBC reports.

While there are no traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, the ban is a religious fatwa imposed by conservative Muslim clerics.

“The driving ban is increasingly upsetting Saudi women, who now make up more than half of this country’s university students. Graduating in record numbers, they are looking for jobs and they want to drive themselves to work, to the shopping mall, to the grocery store and to their children’s schools,” wrote GlobalPost’s Caryle Murphy in a story suggested and voted on by GlobalPost readers.

“The new social media tools and recent peaceful street action in other Arab countries like Egypt have given the campaign quite a bit of steam,” Murphy wrote.

Supporters of the ban say it protects women, and prevents them from leaving home unescorted or travelling with an unrelated male.

Last month, a woman was arrested and spent more than a week in jail after driving a car and posting a video of herself online.

Manal Al Sherif, 32, was accused of "besmirching the kingdom's reputation abroad and stirring up public opinion." She was released after being forced to sign a form promising never to drive again.

Source: Global Post

Cameron Highland's Crash Report Submitted to AG's Chambers

2011-06-17T11:26:00.007+08:00

Many people asked, "What has MIROS done for the past years?". I think the best answer is this, CRASH RECONSTRUCTION, the first in the nation, and leading organization in South East Asia (angkat bakul betul kekeke).

KUALA LUMPUR: The report by the independent inquiry board investigating the double-decker bus crash in Cameron Highlands last year has been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha.

He said the report was tabled before the Cabinet in April after the board completed its investigation into the Dec 20 crash, which claimed 28 lives, mostly Thai tourists.

“The Cabinet has referred the matter to the AG’s Chambers for further action. I was informed that the AG's Chambers has looked through the report and passed it to the police and other relevant agencies for further action,” he told Bernama here today.

He said the report gave its findings on what caused the crash and on possible shortcomings on the part of various government agencies and the bus operator. However, he said the report would not be made public or tabled in Parliament.

"This is due to legal implications. So it is now up to the respective agencies to look into the recomendations by the panel and take neccesary action," he said.

In the nation's worst road accident at the 15th kilometre of the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai road on Dec 20 last year, 25 Thai nationals and their Malaysian driver and tour guide were killed when the double-decker bus they were in crashed into a divider, overturned and landed on its roof in a ditch.

The crash claimed the lives of 22 people on the spot while five others died at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh. Following the accident, Universiti Putra Malaysia vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi, who has a PhD in traffic safety engineering and a Masters in transport and traffic engineering, was appointed to head an independent inquiry board to investigate the crash.

The inquiry board looked into all aspects of the accident before making recommendations to the Government. The other committee members were representatives from the Malaysian Institute of Transportation, Institute of Engineering Malaysia, Road Engineering Association of Malaysia, Federation of Malaysia Consumers Association (Fomca) and mechanical engineering consultant Datuk Foong Choy Chye.

Dr Radin said the report took two months to complete as the board had called and recorded statements from witnesses and experts on the accident. Those called to assist the probe included officials from Malaysia Institute Of Road Safety Research (MIROS), Road Transport Department (RTD), Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom), Tourism Ministry as well as local agents.

The probe also involved foreign parties including the bus's chasis maker from Japan.

Source: Mmail

Safety Driving Tips - Car Maintenance Check List

2011-06-15T13:39:00.011+08:00

Considering the disruption bad weather can do to driving conditions during winter, you would think drivers would take extra care on the roads, to ensure they don’t have accidents. However, the results of a recent survey conducted by Sainsbury’s Car Insurance shows quite the opposite. According to the survey, more than one in five drivers does not carry out the necessary checks on their cars each month to ensure the vehicle is in a road-worthy condition.

Which Drivers are Neglecting Their Cars?

The results of the survey are shocking. Twenty-one percent of drivers are failing to make regular checks to their vehicles, which accounts for some 7.2 million cars on the road. Women drivers also come out worse in the survey than men, with 26 percent of them neglecting to maintain their cars compared to 16 percent of men.

Age also seems to play a factor in how likely a driver is to check their car for damage. Eighty-five percent of drivers over the age of 65 stated that they inspect their vehicles once a month, compared to 71 percent of motorists between 18 and 24.

Similarly, the results can vary depending on which region of the country you are looking at. Between 83 and 85 percent of drivers from Scotland and the North of England carry out monthly checks on their cars (possibly because these areas are the most likely to be affected by adverse weather conditions) compared to 73 percent of motorists in London.

Which Checks Are Not Being Carried Out and Why?

A staggering 62% of drivers in the survey admitted they do not regularly check the depth of tread on their tires. The tread needs to be a minimum of 1.6mm in depth, although only 38 percent of motorists make sure their tires are road worthy.

Similarly, over half of drivers questioned (56%) fail to check the levels of water coolant in their engines, even though this is vital to ensuring that the engine does not overheat and cause an accident.

Drivers questioned in the survey gave a number of reasons why they don’t carry out the checks, but the largest factor seems to be that drivers simply didn’t think regular maintenance was necessary. Many motorists also confessed to only checking specific aspects of their cars before they embark on a long journey.

What Needs To Be Checked On A Car?

It is vitally important to inspect the key areas of your car at least once a month to ensure you are safe on the road. The following check-list should help you get a grip on this important task;

Engine Oil - Checking the level of oil in your engine is essential to ensuring the car runs smoothly and is well lubricated. Virtually every engine includes a dipstick to check the oil levels. The level should agree with the “full” mark on the dipstick, and the color should be light brown. Never overfill the oil, and change it according to your owner’s manual or when the color darkens.

Coolant - Another important part of the car is the coolant, which prevents the engine from overheating. Like the oil, there needs to be enough coolant in the tank to prevent accidents from occurring. If you notice that your coolant levels are constantly low, you may have a leak in your engine. Engine leaks require immediate attention by a professional mechanic.

Tires - Not only do tires need to have enough grip on them to be safe, they need to have sufficient pressure to remain buoyant and be able to deal with the tough surface of the roads. If you didn’t receive a tire-pressure gauge when you purchased your car, pick one up at your local auto parts store. Almost every gas station or garage has an air compressor that patrons can use to fill their tires to the proper pressure level. Legally, you must change any balding tires to prevent a dangerous accident, so check your tires regularly.

Windshield Wipers – When checking your wipers, the key is to be sure they make smooth contact with the windshield in order to prevent scratches or other damage. You also need to make sure you have a good amount of windshield-washer fluid at all times, as being robbed of the ability to see through your windscreen at the wrong time could be fatal.

Brake Lights – Making sure these lights work will help keep other drivers around you aware of what you are doing on the road. They should also be washed regularly as they can pick up dirt very easily.

The number of drivers that do not perform even the most basic checks on their cars is shocking. Failure to carry out these checks can mean that your car is a huge risk on the road, both to yourself and others. Maintaining the above key functions of your vehicle at least once a month will ensure that your car lasts longer and is safe to drive.

Source: Drive Steady

Why Emergency Lanes Not for Escaping Jams?

2011-06-10T15:41:00.004+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Klang Valley motorists continue to court danger by recklessly driving along emergency lanes to escape waiting in queues during traffic jams. A Streets check along the 36km stretch of the Federal Highway between Klang and Cheras during rush hour found motorists brazenly using the lane meant for emergency vehicles.

The check was conducted two days after two men were killed on emergency lanes in the city recently. In the first incident on Wesak day, a van travelling on the emergency lane at the Jalan 222 interchange on the Federal Highway crashed into a maintenance worker before dragging him for over 30 metres.

In the second incident, also on the same day, a motorcyclist died after the driver of a car travelling on the middle lane of the North-South Expressway near the Duta Toll Plaza lost control and hit the motorcyclist who was using the emergency lane.

Our checks also found that even during non-congestion periods, cars and other vehicles habitually used the emergency lanes. They were seen driving along the lanes to avoid congestion and weaving in and out of it into adjacent lanes to overtake other vehicles.

During traffic jams, motorists can be seen using the emergency lane from the moment they entered the highway until they reached their respective exits. One motorist was observed driving through the emergency lane from the stretch near Taman Jaya, Petaling Jaya, until after the Batu Tiga toll plaza.

Another motorist driving through the emergency lane almost caused a pile-up at the Sunway-Shah Alam stretch of the highway. The driver stepped on her brake just in time to avoid two four-wheel-drive vehicles which had broken down on the emergency lane. Behind her was a stretch of cars also misusing the lane.

Some motorists, meanwhile, stop their vehicles on emergency lanes to make or answer a phone call, ask for directions or wait for friends and family who were disembarking at bus stops along the highway.

When asked why they are using the emergency lanes, the most common excuses given were that they were not feeling well, they had to fetch a sickly relative and they had to answer the call of nature urgently.

Some had the temerity to blame the authorities for poor road planning. The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety, however, is not buying the excuses. Its director-general Prof Ahmad Farhan Sadullah said emergency lanes were only meant for emergency vehicles such as fire engines, police cars and ambulances or emergency situations.

"There are no exceptions to the rule and the police and Road Transport Department must be strict in enforcing the proper use of the emergency lanes," he said.

"Many motorists are prone to use emergency lanes during peak periods in the morning and evening due to the traffic congestion," he said, adding that hotspots for the abuse of the emergency lanes are near ramps and exits.

He also warned motorcyclists, not to use the emergency lanes as vehicles could lose control and crash into them as a result. He also said that accidents and unnecessary congestion occurred when motorists try to exit the emergency lanes and get into mainstream traffic.

He also urged motorcylists not to seek shelter under flyovers as they could be hit by other vehicles. Bukit Aman Traffic chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusof agreed with Prof Farhan, saying that the only excuse acceptable besides car breakdowns were to attend to a person with a medical emergency.

"When we catch a person without a real emergency stalling and driving through the lane we advise them to drive out of the lane," he said.

He, however, warned that those posing danger to themselves and others could face a maximum fine of RM300. Meanwhile, Aziz advised motorists and passengers to observe safety precautions if they need to park their vehicles in the emergency lane. They should park their vehicles inside the lane and place cones or hazard triangles.

He also called on them to stand behind the guard rails while waiting for highway patrol officers or emergency response teams.

Source: NST Online

What Causes Most Car Accidents?

2011-06-08T13:59:00.004+08:00

Car accidents are a tragic fact in a society that is too busy to look where they’re going. As foolish as someone looks walking into a door, people who unwittingly drive into one another, and even inanimate objects, seem even more ridiculous, as they spike their auto insurance premiums and cause serious (sometimes life-threatening) damage to others. Find out which behaviors to avoid for safer drives, and which ones cause the most accidents per annum.

click the image below to expand

Source: What Causes The Most Car Accidents?

Speeding Comic - Citizen's Rage

2011-06-06T16:24:00.007+08:00

For some reason, I really like this comic! Is it true? So Mr. officer, please educate, not punish. Poor citizen.

Source: Email

Fasten Seatbelt Someone Needs You

2011-06-03T09:12:00.004+08:00

Oh yes. My wife needs me. My little daughter needs me. My siblings need me. My friends need me. Not only just someone. The list will go on and on. Just to have you do a simple thing. Fasten your seatbelt. Could you do that? :)

Multitasking While Driving - And You Thought Texting Was Bad

2011-05-27T18:33:00.001+08:00

A guy is spotted driving on the freeway while reading a paper book, using an e-reader, AND talking on the phone -- AT THE SAME TIME!!! i wouldn't be surprised if this guy is doing something with his feet

Car Accidents Statistics and Infographics

2011-05-26T08:55:00.004+08:00

Car accidents are a serious, expensive business; this has been an issue throughout history, from the first automobile accident in France in 1771, through today. Learn about famous accidents throughout the history of automobiles, and which ones were the most lethal.

Click to Enlarge :O

Source:Car Accidents: The Ultimate Timeline

Dog-Safe Driving - Safety Belt For Your Pet

2011-05-20T09:00:00.005+08:00

Don't ever think that only human need a safety belt in the moving car. Your pet should buckle up too. They could be hazardous for your driving or during a crash. How to buckle them up? Read this article. Really interesting. Compared to other countries, Malaysian still lack on this kind of awareness.

Touching dogs? For leisure - visit here: Melayukini

Sensible drivers buckle in themselves and their children before starting the motor. But what about their dog's safety? Many drivers simply command their pets to jump into the backseat, the pickup's cargo bed or even onto their laps. Lap dogs they should never be. In fact, dogs shouldn't be anywhere near our laps when we're driving, safety experts and pet advocates say. But many drivers ignore the safety risks and allow their dogs to roam freely in cars.

That can be a big mistake, says Dr. Kimberly May, a veterinarian since 1994 and the director of professional and public affairs at the American Veterinary Medical Association in Schaumburg, Illinois.

"Even a low-speed crash can cause injury to unrestrained dogs," she says. "There are all kinds of prominences inside a car, so depending on what structures they hit, dogs can suffer broken ribs, broken legs or eye injuries. They can hit the windshield or be thrown outside of the car.

"A dog riding on a driver's lap can interfere with driving, climbing down into the footwell, or otherwise distracting the driver," May says. "In a crash, the dog could be suffocated or crushed by a deployed airbag or thrown into the windshield."

Harness and Seatbelt Are Best
May says that the best restraint for dogs is a good harness and a seatbelt. A properly secured crate is a close second — but crates can have drawbacks, too.

"If the crate is too big for a dog, the dog can still be hurt slamming against the sides of the crate, even in a low-speed crash," she says. The best choice seems to be an individual restraint, such as a good-quality, properly fitted harness.

"Crates are all right," agrees Dr. Thomas Scherer, a Fountain Valley, California, veterinarian who has been in practice for 40 years. "But are you going to secure the crate well enough? With the forces that happen in car accidents, will the crate hold?"

A harness and seatbelt are a better solution, he says. "Do the same for dogs that you would do for people."

Dangerous for Drivers
Of course, injuries to dogs aren't the only reason to properly restrain four-legged automobile passengers. They can put humans at risk, too.

In an August 2010 survey by AAA and pet-travel products company Kurgo, nearly a third of 1,000 dog-owning drivers admitted they'd been distracted by their dogs and 21 percent allowed their dogs to sit in their lap. Five percent played with their pets as they drove. These and other behaviors can distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that looking away from the road for only 2 seconds doubles crash risk.

The exact number of accidents caused every year by such dogs is unknown, but Paws to Click, which seeks to educate drivers about riding with unrestrained dogs, puts the number at about 30,000 accidents annually. There are very few laws against an animal riding in a driver's lap. Oregon is considering a ban. And in 2008, California legislators vetoed a ban against lap-riding pets.

The danger posed to humans by an unrestrained pet can be big even if the pet isn't. In a USA Today story about drivers distracted by unrestrained dogs, an AAA official said a 10-pound dog would strike at 50 times its weight in a crash at 50 mph. And that's not the only danger to humans, since an unrestrained pet can hamper a rescue, cause another accident or hurt rescue personnel.

Outside Dangers
And don't even think about letting dogs ride with their heads out the window, even if they're restrained. May says that if the restraint allows a dog to hang its head out the window, it's probably an indication that it would not sufficiently protect the dog from injury if a collision occurs.

Also, she says, "Dogs with their heads hanging out of the window are at risk of injury to their eyes, nose, ears, mouth and face from airborne debris."

As dangerous as riding unrestrained inside a vehicle can be for dogs, doing so in the bed of a pickup can be even worse because animals can jump or be thrown at high speed. An AVMA paper puts it this way: "Dogs transported in open truck beds are at risk of severe injury." They can suffer critical, multiple fractures and abrasions.

Several states bar dogs from being transported in the bed of a pickup unsafely or inhumanely, and still others, including Connecticut, New Hampshire and Oregon, require that dogs carried in pickup beds be restrained.

Heat Risks
Riding unrestrained isn't the only danger to pets in cars, however. Being left unattended in vehicles also can be harmful and even deadly, especially when the weather turns warm.

"Heat prostration can be a lot more serious than it looks because some things don't happen right away," says Scherer, the California vet. "It takes maybe three or four days for organ-function problems to become an issue. But there are things that happen right away that are really bad (such as) seizures and serious central nervous system problems."

Owners should never leave pets in a car unattended, even on a temperate day, May says. "People don't realize that on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside the car could reach 110 degrees or higher. On a 60-degree day, it could get up to 100 or higher. Unless you're taking your pet to the vet or traveling with your pet, just leave him at home.

"I'd love to put people in fur coats and leave them in that car for just five minutes," she says. "My bet is they will feel very uncomfortable, very fast. They won't be able to take it, so why do they think their pet can?"

Normal rectal temperature for a dog is 100-102 degrees, Scherer says. "If a dog's temperature rises to 104 degrees, that's significant." He adds that a temperature of 105 or higher would be very bad for a dog. The problems also depend on the kind of dog you have, he says. Dogs that are short-nosed, old, heavy or have heart problems will have more trouble than other dogs.

Scherer says that a pet's temperature is the best gauge as to whether to take action, such as giving a dog a cold-water bath and ushing a fan to cool it. "However, if there's a serious problem, some issues won't be evident right away," he says. "Even if your dog appears normal, you can't always say that it's OK. So when in doubt, call your vet. There is no negative to doing too much."

To determine if your dog is in heat distress, you can look for heavy panting, he says. If the dog is ill enough, he might sweat through the pads of his paws. Disorientation is another symptom.

"But temperature of the dog is key," he says. "The higher it gets, the more you worry." To be safe, he says, "Just don't leave your dog in the car." For both heat illness and the dangers of unrestrained riding, it boils down to common sense, May says. People love their pets, and so it's a matter of reminding them that their actions can put them in jeopardy.

She says: "Is taking them on a short errand worth risking their life?"

Source: Edmunds

Research MoU between MIROS and RIOH

2011-05-19T11:16:00.004+08:00

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and the Research Institute of Highway (RIOH) China today signed an agreement to collaborate on research, and to pursue other advancements in road safety.

Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan and Prof Zhou Wei during the MoU.

A Momenrandum of Understanding (MoU) was today signed between MIROS Director-General Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan and RIOH President Professor Dr Zhou Wei at a simple ceremony in MIROS.

With the agreement in place, MIROS and RIOH will jointly-undertake various research and innovation activities in pursuit of advancements in road safety. This is in line with reducing the number of fatalities, casualties and road accidents in Malaysia.

"The focus of this collaboration will be to identify and put forward recommendations and findings with the aim of introducing intervention programs that will have the greatest impact on saving lives", said Professor Dr. Ahmad Farhan. "While many initiatives are already undertaken by the Government under the integrated Safe System Approach, road safety is a concern that constantly evolves and therefore requires ongoing measures, new strategies and policies to be put in place and implemented to achieve the desired outcomes".

The backbenchers after the event.

Under the MoU, MIROS and RIOH will mutually exchange personnel to participate in selected projects and also perform joint supervisions of postgraduate research candidates.

Pay As You Speed

2011-05-18T09:38:00.004+08:00

European roads are taking more than 40.000 lives every year and one of the main causes of the most of traffic accidents is illegal speeding. The research project "Pay As You Speed" from Aalborg University tries to give a solution to this problem by using unique technology to record and penalize every speeding case via GPS. Very nice!

Pay As You Speed from Steffen K on Vimeo.

Creative Driver Yet Very Funny

2011-05-15T18:28:00.006+08:00

These are a great compilation of things you could do to your car if any of your car components' become malfunction. Creative yet funny. Anyway, it is strictly not recommended due to safety issue."when you gamble with safety, you bet your life". So please don't copy this action. Only for humor. Enjoy!

Source: Gelaksantai

Evil Eyes of AES - Life or Money?

2011-05-11T10:57:00.007+08:00

I found this interesting article about some debate on Automated Enforcement System (AES) which soon will be used in Malaysia. Overseas, the AES is also known as "evil eyes" (I agree!). The system will catch you speeding and send you a ticket. Not many people like it (including me) but anyhow they manage to avoid getting its "wrath". Consequently, people tends to be kind of "chicken" to go beyond the speed limit on the road..which is a good news. Hopefully by this change of attitude, less accident will occur and the number of death on the road will reduce significantly. Hmmmm..

Maybe you've seen them in the vicinity of traffic signals. Those insidious cameras that stand ready to catch your transgressions on film, unbeknownst to you until that fateful day you receive a citation in the mail, accompanied by a photo of you blatantly disregarding the law as you cruise through a red light.

Red light cameras are meant to act as a much needed deterrent from running red lights. Motorists are more likely to be injured in crashes involving red light running than in other types of crashes. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2007, almost 900 were killed and nearly 153,000 were injured in crashes that involved red light running. About half of the deaths are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles who are hit by the red light runners. The IIHS has reported huge decreases in red light running in several cities in which the cameras were used.

As a result, traffic cameras are becoming increasingly common at America's intersections. As of April 2009, 25 states and the District of Columbia have installed them. The cameras are designed to snap photos of vehicles that enter an intersection after the light has turned red. Trained law enforcement officers review the photos before issuing tickets to make sure that a traffic violation did indeed occur. The idea is to catch motorists who intentionally run red lights, not people who get stuck in traffic and are caught in the intersection when the light changes, or people who cross the line while the light is still yellow. In states like New York, where the citation is treated like a parking ticket, the car's registered owner is automatically fined. In California the citation is considered a moving violation, which means you could get a point on your license and your insurance bill could rise for up to three years.

Some red light cameras photograph only a vehicle's rear license plate, while others record the driver's face as well as the front plate. In some states, the driver can dispute the citation if someone else was driving the car at the time of the infraction, in which case the photo itself comes in as handy evidence. The "How Stuff Works" Web site offers an excellent explanation of the technical details of red light cameras.

Drivers often ask about the constitutionality of the cameras — aren't they violating our privacy by taking our picture without our knowledge? Not technically. Driving is a regulated activity on public roads. By obtaining a license, drivers agree to abide by the law, which contains nothing to prevent local governments from observing and documenting violators. However, each locality must authorize the use of red light cameras and allow citations to be sent by mail.

What has created more controversy is the cost of implementing these cameras and the revenue they generate for their city. The approximate cost of a red light camera with installation and sensors is $100,000. For that reason, they have begun appearing primarily in wealthier cities. The cost for a ticket issued for running one of these camera-equipped lights can be as much as $370. If you are photographed running a red light, it is not impossible to argue your way out of it, but many people aren't aware of the ways to fight it. There are books and web sites that can show you how to beat these tickets. But overall, plenty of motorists feel these cameras aren't being installed to protect the public so much as to generate millions of dollars for the city.

Here's an example of why people have this negative perception of the cameras. According to an article appearing in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the city of Lilburn, GA issued about 1,500 citations in January 2008. The citations dropped by 80 percent to around 300 in January 2009, after a new Georgia law mandated a longer yellow light duration. The extra second on the yellow light may have reduced the problem of red light running for the driver, but it almost worked too well for the city. Red light cameras were no longer issuing enough citations to keep them "profitable" and as a result, Lilburn and four other cities in the same county suspended their red light programs.

There are also circumstances in which a traffic camera will generate a ticket for an infraction that a police officer might let slide or not see at all. For example, if traffic comes to a stop while a driver is still in the intersection, the gridlock prevents him from moving and the light will turn red. This might not be cause for a ticket if an officer saw it happen, because the driver wasn't trying to run the red light. A camera, on the other hand, has no reasoning ability. There have also been numerous cases of cameras issuing citations for a red light violation that happened within a fraction of a second. This can be infuriating if you're the one paying $370.

In response to this controversy, states are enacting statutes such as California's Red Light Reform Bill, which became a law in 2004. This law prohibits vendors of red light cameras from being paid based on the number of citations issued. But grandfather clauses, legal loopholes and other problems with this law, work against consumers' interests as well. (See highwayrobbery.net for more.)

Finally, even the safety aspect of red light cameras has come into question. In San Diego, camera vendor Lockheed Martin IMS, placed some of the cameras too close to the intersection and reduced the yellow light time. Red light cameras have also been known to cause some rear-end collisions, as drivers may slam on their brakes well short of the intersection when they notice a camera.

Consumers are also fighting back by using reflective coating sprays on their license plates. While it doesn't prevent a police officer from reading the plate, reflective coatings foil both radar guns and red light cameras. Whether this technique is legal or not depends on your state's laws.

The Automobile Club recommends that cities installing red light cameras (or any photo traffic enforcement) abide by the following guidelines:

Use the cameras to increase effectiveness of on-site police officers, not to replace them.
Ensure that cameras are reliable and accurate.
Install cameras only at high-risk locations to improve safety, not generate revenue.
Focus the technology on preventing the crime, not punishing it. Motorists should receive adequate notice that the red light cameras will be installed.
Time the signal intervals fairly, according to accepted engineering and safety principles.

Despite the ongoing controversy, there is still widespread public support for traffic cameras. No one wants to get caught running a red light, but it is a dangerous traffic violation. Red light cameras may be a little Big-Brotherish, but when used properly, can be a deterrent from potentially fatal driving behavior.

Source: Edmunds

Honda Spare Parts Warehouse now in Shah Alam

2011-05-10T16:18:00.006+08:00

Thanks to Honda for its initiative on building a warehouse for its original spare parts nearer to the people. Hopefully, people can get cheaper original spare parts from Honda with this new Honda plan. Consequently will ensure the safety of Honda customers on the road. Or else, this is just a news. Full stop.

Honda Malaysia today held a groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site of its new RM50 million warehouse, which is expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2012. Sitting on 12.4 acres of land in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, this 28,000 sq ft warehouse will be built over three phases and will store parts for after-sales.

“The Malaysian market has been very supportive of Honda and the opening of this new warehouse is in line with the continuous growth of the market in Malaysia. In the last three years, our sales volume has grown by approximately 12,000 units with a 1.4% increase in market share. Opening a new warehouse at a strategic location is a natural course of action as we constantly seek for ways to reduce cost and increase efficiency,” said Honda Malaysia MD and CEO Yoichiro Ueno.

Ueno added that the location was selected as it met the key criteria of a maximum of 30 minutes distance by truck to all major highways in Klang Valley. With this, Honda Malaysia will be able to shorten the delivery process of spare parts to its dealers. Over 60% of deliveries are to the Klang Valley area.

The warehouse is designed to maximise natural light and keep electricity costs to a minimum. Besides this, a Jack Roof will also be integrated into the design to help release hot air and improve ventilation.

Source: Paultan

Nigeria is Now Launcing its Decade of Action for Road Safety

2011-05-10T16:08:00.005+08:00

I think the meeting of United Nation on Decade of Action on Road Safety was held about a year or two ago, if I'm not mistaken. The meeting took place at Moscow, Russia. Malaysia has reacted on it since then, try its best to reduce the death and casualties on the road. But now, Nigeria just respond to it? Better late than never.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo will tomorrow launch the United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety in Nigeria in Abuja.

In a statement in Abuja, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said this was “part of efforts to effectively align with the United Nations’ goal to stabilise and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities across the globe through increased investment, participation, consciousness and promotion of road safety activities at national, regional and global level”.

The statement noted that the “decade of action on road safety was triggered off by the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, which estimates that out of over 1.3 million annual deaths and 50 million injured persons across the globe, over 80 per cent of this figure occurs in the developing countries with Africa having the highest fatality rate”.

It added: “Furthermore, this report predicts that the tide of death by road traffic crashes would overtake malaria and tuberculosis between 2015-2020 with a 60% increase thus the need for urgent and decisive steps to combat this imminent challenge.

“Specifically, the tone for the decade of action was set in November, 2009 at the first global Ministerial conference in Moscow, Russia with the theme “ Time for Action”. The conference sought the need for new commitments on road safety within global circle with special attention on low and middle income nations including Nigeria by building capacities in the field of road safety and providing financial and technical support from international donor agencies and financial institutions through appropriate legislations, policies and infrastructure to ensure safer road use and reduction of traffic fatalities within the region.

“The formal launch by the Vice President which is slated for 11 May, 2011 at the THIS DAY DOME in Abuja will be preceded with a joint press briefing by the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Road Safety Corps, a road show/motorized rally, choral and drama presentation by school children and youth and performance by select Nollywood actors/actresses who are celebrity special marshal members to further attract increased public consciousness on road safety.

“In Nigeria the FRSC activated its plans for the Decade of Action through the hosting of a stakeholders forum on the 19th April 2010, bringing together all stakeholders, Civil Society, NGOs, Private Sector, Media and the Academia to look at the challenges facing road safety in Nigeria and draw a plan of action which will lead the Country on the ten year journey which should end with the actualisation of the UN mandate of 50% reduction of fatalities through RTCs.”

Source: The Nation

Ford Fiesta NCAP Safety Rating is 5 Stars

2011-04-10T16:27:00.000+08:00

Ford Fiesta is getting 5 stars NCAP? What a surprise. Please read the news closely. Those only for production of Ford Fiesta in China. I think those in Thailand also got equivalent stars from NCAP. But Ford Fiesta in Malaysia? I tell you, not necessarily the same.

Not that it matters an iota to Ford Fiesta fans and owners, but here’s more proof that the car is – besides being fun to drive – one safe bag of tricks. The car has obtained a maximum five-star safety rating from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifwhich recently released its C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) ratings.

The Fiesta 1.5 litre MT scored 12.32, 15.38 and 14.77 in the frontal 100% overlap rigid barrier, side impact and 40% offset impact respectively in the CNCAP crash test, and received an additional three points for having other safety features such as six airbags, in this case driver and co-driver seat airbags, new side-chest airbags and inflatable air curtains for front and rear seat occupants.

While this should make the car an even more convincing proposition for Chinese consumers, the car already doesn’t have a problem winning lots of new friends – introduced in China in 2009, over 75,000 new Fiestas were sold there last year, a 59% increase compared to the year before.

Source: Paultan

What is Crash Test Dummy?

2011-03-08T14:45:00.004+08:00

We heard about the crash test dummy a lot nowadays in the automotive industry but do we really know what is the crash test dummy? Below is the great info-graphic that represents the general information, statistics, history and benefits of crash test dummy to our life. Very useful I would say.

Click to Enlarge :O

Source: Drive Steady

The Car is Moving Under Road?

2011-02-21T09:50:00.009+08:00

This Volkswagen didn’t get underwater, it got under road, as such thing can happen only in post Soviet space, this time in Ukraine. The people had to escape through the baggage door as it was the only part of the car not under the road.

Source: English Russia

World's Best Bus Driver

2011-01-31T14:22:00.004+08:00

Can you guess who is world's best bus driver? First of all, is there any such competition going on anywhere in the world? I don't think so, at least as far as I know. I took the notion from its self-claimed title at the video. The video claims that the guy is the best driver in the world. Anyway, after watching the video below, even though for me it is normal, I think he deserves a bit admiration from you all. What do you think?

What is MyVap Vehicle Star Rating?

2011-01-26T11:34:00.008+08:00

Today MyVap news has been appeared on the front page of Berita Harian. So the question is "What the heck is MyVap?" Is it a new government plan to "torture" and make use of the public?

Taken from Official MIROS website. Pioneered by MIROS, Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme (MyVAP) was established to elevate the degree of vehicle safety in Malaysia. This is done by escalating awareness among local car users together with acquiring roadworthy and crashworthy vehicles via non-destructive techniques. Conclusive consumer information and competitive vehicle upgrading by manufacturers will pave the path towards a new era of vehicle safety in Malaysia.

Petikan Berita Harian. Semua kenderaan baru keluaran syarikat automotif tempatan akan diberi penarafan keselamatan satu hingga lima bintang bagi membolehkan orang ramai menilai ciri-ciri keselamatan model kenderaan yang dipasarkan oleh pengeluar ketika membeli kenderaan.

Did you find this MyVap news awesome? For me, it is an advantage to us, as customers. Do you know how much and how long we have been deceived by vehicle manufacturers, especially those coming from the overseas? I have a friend who just bought a brand new Ma*** 2 car and he was really proud with it. Hell, the price is about RM85k. He claimed that his new car has 6 airbags. I'm shocked. In my opinion, as a guy who has many experience in automotive industry, Malaysia is a "bolehland", a dumping ground nation, how come he can get very decent car specification. So I decided to test-drive his car and checked whether it is true or not. If found to be true, I personally want to buy that car.

Unfortunately the result was quite devastating. The car has only two airbags but in the manual clearly stated the car has 6 airbags (You know, the price is also more expensive compared with the same unit and spec from the original country). My friend got cheated so easily since he has very minimal information on cars. How many people in Malaysia is just like him? I can say more than 80%. I want to ask you how much those people profit from your ignorant and naivety? I tell you, it's million and could be billions.

In conclusion, MyVap is one of the solution. It will help you to decide which car is safe and which car is not. MyVap is merely a stepping stone before going to high end rating system like NCAP. But can you agree that we must have started somewhere? I'm begging you to support MyVap, not only for your own safety, but for you child, and the next future generation. Love Life.

Difference between Crash Scene and Crash Site

2011-01-25T10:07:00.006+08:00

Today I found out the difference between the term "crash scene" and "crash site". For normal people, "heck, why should I know those things". I hope I'm just a normal person. However, during a road crash inquiry report write-up, I cannot easily neglected such important thing. Thanks to Mr. Zulhilmi from MIROS Publication Unit for highlighting this to me. I'm such a forgetful person, so hopefully by putting this new info at my blog, thus can remind me when I need it.

Working at the crash site, not the crash scene. True? But the "smell" was still there...

A crash SITE: a place where an accident had occurred. At a crash SITE, the wrecked vehicles, the dead and the injured have been removed.

A crash SCENE: a place where an accident had occurred whereby the dead, the injured and the wreck have not been removed yet.

Bad Yellow Car Driver Caused A Bus Crash

2011-01-24T14:20:00.003+08:00

I really hate this really bad and unconsidered idiot driver of the yellow car. He took off. The bus driver should had not maneuvered and made a sudden left turn as the road was wet and slippery. Even if he had hit the bad yellow car it would not be his fault. In my opinion he should had hit the yellow car and had saved himself and his passengers. What do you think?

FYI, The bus accident happened on March 2005 at Turkey.

My Road Crash Investigation Performance

2010-12-24T12:21:00.008+08:00

I'm updating my CV at the moment. I never expect that this updating task is so tedious and boring. But what can I do, it is a task that I must complete before the year 2010 ends. Anyway, not try to show off, but I'm thinking to put my road crash investigation and reconstruction experience online. It has been 3 years ehh...

On the side of Malaysian expressway, anytime can get hit and die...

Position: Crash Analyst

Job Responsibility: To investigate and reconstruct high profile road crashes nationwide for national inquiry and research purposes.

Date of Appointment: 2007

Achievement:
Lead Hi Profile: 42 Cases

Assist High Profile: 31 Cases

During Hari Raya Haji 2008, besides we were away from our family, we were soaking badly under a heavy rain...

National Inquiry Cases (Lead: 4; Assist: 4):

1.LEAD Lanchang Crash Investigation – Fatal MPV - Lorry Crash at KM 96.2 East Coast Expressway, Pahang (24 July 2007)
2.ASSIST Baling Crash Investigation – Fatal School Bus Crash at Batu 8 Tanjung Pari, Baling, Kedah (11 September 2007)
3.LEAD Jelapang Toll Plaza Crash Investigation – Fatal Latex Tanker - Bus Crash at Jelapang Toll Plaza North-South Expressway (PLUS), Perak (11 December 2007)
4.LEAD Lahad Datu Crash Investigation – Fatal 4WD – Mini Bus Crash at KM 11 Jalan Kunak – Lahad Datu, Sabah (1 October 2008)
5.ASSIST Tangkak Crash Investigation – Fatal Express Bus Crash at KM 146.5 North-South Expressway (PLUS), Johor (7 December 2008)
6.ASSIST Rawang Crash Investigation – Fatal Express Bus Crash at KM 442.9 North-South Expressway (PLUS), Selangor (13 April 2009)
7.LEAD Ipoh Crash Investigation – Fatal Express Bus Crash at KM 272.8 North-South Expressway (PLUS), Perak (26 December 2009)
8.ASSIST Cameron Highland Crash Investigation – Fatal Express Bus Crash at KM 9 Simpang Pulai – Cameron Highland, Perak (20 December 2010)

Why Do Freeways Come to a Stop?

2010-11-30T10:10:00.005+08:00

It happens to most drivers at least a few times a year. You are sailing along on the highway or expressway or freeway when you are suddenly forced to come to a stop, or at least a crawl. You can't see why things are slowing around the bend. And when you get there, traffic is moving better. Check this out to learn why and what is the term for that occasion.

Click to Enlarge :O

So what do u think of the "shockwave" and the funnel effect? New terms huh? Please don't feel bad because you are not the only one who not know about this :)

Ways to Become A Safer Driver

2010-11-24T10:44:00.002+08:00

Becoming a better driver may not be the highest thing on your priority list, but what if you knew that becoming a better driver would help to decrease yearly car insurance costs? Considering the recession, saving money on car insurance can really help people to be able to pay their bills.

It’s no surprise that people who get into fewer accidents and who avoid getting speeding tickets will get lower insurance rates than those don’t take those precautions. If you want to improve your driving skills in order to get a better car insurance rate, then you should implement some of the methods below:

1) Take a Drivers Education Course

By taking a driver’s education course one time in your life, you can save money on your car insurance rates and quickly improve driving skills. Taking the course is a relatively short term commitment, and is fairly inexpensive. It is sometimes free in local communities.

Surprisingly enough, there are even online driver’s education courses that you can take from the comfort of your own home. You can’t beat the convenience of an online driver’s education program, since most of us are on our computer every day!

2) Play Computer and Video Games

How many times have you been told that playing video games will help to improve a skill? Depending on which games you play, they can exercise your mind and maybe help lower car insurance rates. The most relevant games are the ones that teach driving skills, since they help you to become a better driver. These types of games will improve your hand-eye coordination and reaction times, which will help you to avoid obstacles on the road.

There is an interesting article on Street Directory discussing this phenomenon. The article illustrates that playing specific video games may improve your driving skill.

3) Use Specific Car Gadgets That Monitor Speed and Police Radar Guns

How many times have you been pulled over because you never saw the police officer, or were not presently aware how fast you were driving? According to Traffic Ticket Secrets, over 100,000 people per day receive a speeding ticket in this country, which equals over 36,500,000 tickets issued per year. It is frustrating to everyone on the receiving end of these speeding tickets, because many of them tickets can be prevented with simple gadgets that monitor speeds, and detect police officer radar guns.

When you use these tools to help you stay aware of your current speed and surroundings, the chances of getting tickets will decrease. Having these special tools will enable you to drive safer and to avoid costly speeding tickets (though, buyers should be aware: they are illegal in most states, and sometimes inaccurate).

4) No Pain No Gain

Becoming a better driver may not be exciting to you, but one thing is sure: being a safer driver can get you a lower rate on your car insurance. Without the proper skills to help you become a safer driver, you will continue to pay higher rates on your insurance, due to tickets and fender benders.

Sometimes you must do certain things that you don’t want to do, such as take a drivers education course in order to save money on your car insurance. And in this economy, saving money is definitely a good thing to focus on!

Source: Drive Steady

Car and Bike on the Road - Double Standards?

2010-11-23T13:47:00.006+08:00

How true is this occurrence? I personally experienced this and agreed with the comic. Some other comments and discussions:

MR A
"Solution: the Idaho Stop law. (Bicycles treat Stop signs as Yield; red lights as Stop signs)"

MR B
"I've been commuting to work by bike in Washington DC for nearly 11 years. And I've been hit several times by cars... however, I haven't been hit in the last 5 years.

Why?

Because I follow the Idaho Stop law. Well, in rush hour I just wait for the light like a good citizen. But the point is, cars hate waiting for bicyclists. I was hit several times because of cars who couldn't bear to wait for me ( even though I'm on the right, hugging the right, doing what I should do ) so they pass dangerously close, or do something else stupid and I get injured, and they drive off.

At some point I realized that judiciously running lights got me far enough ahead that I didn't have this problem, and I haven't been hit since. It also has prevented right hooks!

I'm not going to pretend it's moral. I'm not going to high horse. I'm just giving my experience: I haven't been hit by a car in five years.

And yes, no matter what, whenever there's traffic I wait for the red light to change."

MR C
"At some point I realized that judiciously running lights got me far enough ahead that I didn't have this problem

This. The Idaho stop law is the way to go.

Here's the thing: Many, probably most, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians break "minor" traffic laws all the time. Many cars speed or fail to come to a complete stop at stop signs. Many bikes stop-and-go at red lights. Many pedestrians jaywalk or cross against the light.

These are rational and largely well intentioned people who are balancing (sometimes incorrectly) safety, efficiency and respect for the rules of the road. Whether safe, legal or appropriate, these are at least arguably rational decisions since many otherwise rational people seem do it, but the decisions about which laws to obey and which to "bend" are different for different modes of transport. These differences seem to be at the heart of much of the friction expressed in the OP and similar debates.

Motorists pick and choose which laws to obey all the time, typically for their own convenience (speeding, rolling "stops", etc.). The Idaho stop law approach is both convenient and safer for cyclists. But it's more convenient for motorists too: in most urban traffic cars do not have a higher average speed than bikes, but they accelerate and decelerate faster. It's this constant pass-then-get-passed cycle that seems to piss motorists off. The Idaho stop law puts enough distance between bikes and motor vehicles that this is less of a problem."

MR D
"The majority of car drivers are also cyclists, and thus understand how vulnerable a cyclist can feel. "Strict Liability", supported in law in the Netherlands, leads to driver's insurance being deemed to be responsible in a collision between a car and a cyclist. This makes car drivers very wary of bicycles. Finally, towns have been designed with limited access by cars and limited (decreasing over time) car parking. The resulting heavy traffic and very limited car parking makes car use unattractive in towns.

These factors together far outweigh the negative factors of wet and windy weather, strong headwinds due to the flat terrain, and frequent bicycle thefts. Nearly a third of all journeys made in the Netherlands are made by bicycle. Even the over 65 age group make nearly a quarter of their journeys by bicycle. Within some cities, over half of all journeys are made by bicycle."

Source: Reddit.com

100 Reasons Why Women are Bad Drivers

2010-11-16T08:52:00.004+08:00

We all know that it took women a while to be accepted on the roads. In fact, in many male circles, grunting can still be heard when the words “women” and “driving” are brought up in the same sentence. Unfortunately, some women uphold the bad reputation by committing crazy acts while behind the wheel. They help contribute to the 100 reasons why women are horrible drivers. (I don't want to be a gender bias, but please look at the facts. Peace. Source of the article is at the bottom)
1. Putting on makeup in the rear-view mirror is their favorite pastime.
2. They’re too busy yelling at the back seat to drive carefully.
3. A Johns Hopkins study says women crash more than men.
4. While the wind-blown convertible look creates a nonexistent view, it offers great sex appeal.
5. Trying to ignore the hot guy in the next car also results in ignoring the light that just turned red.
6. They know their husbands will fix whatever they break.
7. Women know the “Ohhh! THAT’s drive and THAT’s reverse!” line will work every time.
8. They don’t realize how dangerous (and annoying) talking excessively while driving really is.
9. The gas and brakes are interchangeable.
10. The necessary Starbucks fix and texting-while-driving combo are so necessary.
11. That jagged fingernail seems to always need filing down when behind the wheel.
12. More and more tiny women are getting behind the wheels of monster SUVs.
13. Women freaked out by the mouse in the road will swerve into another car every time.
14. When driving past a mirror-glass building, they’re looking at how good they look in the car–and not the road.
15. They don’t like turning on their brights because it scares the deer.
16. Horrible driving starts early.
17. Women will stop dead in traffic to call the radio station and meet the guy looking for his next love.
18. Dishing out the honey-do list while driving requires their eyes to be fixed on the hubby’s.
19. They think yelling at other cars is better than improving their own skills.
20. Texting Cindy about the dress Amber is wearing this weekend is an immediate requirement.
21. When driving in the rain, they wildly dodge mud to avoid getting the tires dirty.
22. 80% of American women keep right on driving when they reach the age of 66, according to the NHTSA.
23. There’s no ticket they can’t get out of with the right outfit on.
24. Taking a quick traffic school class or two isn’t so bad.
25. Changing wiper blades when they’re dull is too much work.
26. They don’t like that getting gas is no longer a full service affair.
27. Speeding is a secret passion.
28. Women love to drive with their knees and elbows when putting cream in their coffee.
29. They think swerving the wheel left and right makes for great aerobics.
30. Pumping the gas and brake pedals interchangeably makes for great aerobics too.
31. Side and rearview mirrors are for makeup checks only.
32. They know the mechanic will lower their labor charges with the pouty face look.
33. Saying they can drive is better than actually being able to drive.
34. Women just hate using those ice scrapers.
35. The first thing they do after an emotional upset is jump in the car and speed off wildly.
36. They try cool stunts to show they can do it just like guys.
37. Switching radio stations requires their full attention.
38. Squeaky brakes are annoying, but not mechanic worthy.
39. They think it’s okay for Billy’s birthday balloons to block the back windshield.
40. The curb and street appear to be the same height when parking.
41. They love knowing that the auto insurance claim will take care of everything.
42. When someone moves toward their lane, they swerve toward them as an intimidator.
43. They hate guys to think they can’t drive, so they drive faster to prove them wrong.
44. The “Do Not Enter” sign is for everyone but them.
45. Changing for the club in the car is sometimes a necessity.
46. They don’t see the necessity in getting regular oil changes.
47. Keeping “Tyler’s Soccer Team Rocks ’10″ in big letters across the windshield while driving makes them such cool moms.
48. They are just horrible drivers.
49. Little things like changing headlights and turn signals aren’t that big a deal.
50. Sticking their head through the sunroof while driving is a great alternative to the hair dryer.
51. Writing “Screw You” in their ex’s lawns with their cars is the best revenge possible.
52. They think driving the wrong way over a tire spike strip will work if they just do it slowly.
53. Real women don’t slow down for cops.
54. They can’t stop reading juicy chapter just because their behind the wheel.
55. They believe that when something drops on the floor, it’s important to pick it up while en route.
56. Brushing their teeth shouldn’t stop just because their driving.
57. If someone in the car is smelly, the windows must go down, even in a blizzard.
58. They strive to be the next Danica Patrick, even if they lack her impressive skills.
59. They think a clutch is a storage space for their small purse.
60. They found out blowing a tire attracts the hot guy every time.
61. Nothing says “I hate you” like trying to hit someone with a moving vehicle.
62. They can’t hit the turn signals with a fresh manicure.
63. If they’re tired from dealing with the kids, they may need a quick stop-light nap.
64. Sometimes a missed turn requires shooting across 5 lanes to catch the next light.
65. It makes total sense to paint their toes while chugging along in rush hour.
66. A “Check Engine” light means nothing to them. Where in the heck is the engine anyway?
67. Parallel parking isn’t their cup of tea.
68. Women think speed bumps mean speeding up to make the car go bump.
69. If someone else on the road has their super unique car, it’s a must to gently rub it with their car to show who’s boss.
70. Singing their favorite song requires closing their eyes on the good parts.
71. Sometimes it’s pertinent that they change their shoes on the highway.
72. They think parking by a hydrant will make the fireman save their car first.
73. They don’t see a need to stop at a stop sign if no one’s there to stop for.
74. Figuring out all of the car’s gadgets while driving is exciting.
75. Combing Sarah’s hair on the way to school is a necessary multi-tasking effort.
76. After the final “Don’t make me come back there!” threat, they finally do it–while driving.
77. If their husbands think they’re bad drivers, they’re not going to let them down.
78. They’re mortal enemies with parking lots.
79. They think turning on cruise control means it’s time to take a quick snoozer.
80. Occasionally, they like to see if “E” really means empty.
81. Swooping their hair over their left eye is just too cute to move when driving.
82. They like to prop themselves up on telephone books to see over the dash.
83. If wearing earplugs to tune out the kids also tunes out traffic, so be it.
84. As guys put it, they don’t learn from their mistakes.
85. They want to watch the DVDs the kids are watching on the way to Disneyland.
86. Pulling out of parking spaces is too difficult.
87. Women think blind spots are spots where blind people stand.
88. Finding Mr. Right sometimes means cutting him off in traffic to get his attention.
89. There’s only room for one woman in the car so that aggravating GPS lady has to go.
90. They found out that bad driving makes them good and helpless to their future suitor.
91. Women love to decorate the dashboard with accessories.
92. There’s nothing wrong with telling the kid brother to stir the wheel while they apply their lipstick.
93. They don’t know how to judge the awning height at the ATM drive through (guys make this mistake too).
94. It’s not uncommon to tailgate the car in front to check out the cool new hairdo the driver has.
95. They read that women aren’t assertive enough behind the wheel, so now they lay on the horn constantly.
96. In order to be on time, they must go at least 20-30 mph over the speed limit.
97. They think the speed limit max is actually the minimum.
98. Hopping buildings isn’t just for criminals on foot anymore.
99. The blinding glare of the sun is such a great tanner that they don’t want to block it.
100. Their moms teach them how to drive.

Source: Car Insurance Comparison

World's Longest Truck in Australia

2010-11-04T15:35:00.005+08:00

According to Mr. Wikipedia, on February 18, 2006, an Australian built Mack truck with 112 semi-trailers, 1,300 tonnes (2,865,980 pounds) and 1,474.3 meters (4,836 ft 11 in) long, pulled the load 100 meters (328 feet) to recapture the record for the longest road train (multiple loaded trailers) ever pulled with a single prime mover.

It was on the main road of Clifton, Queensland, that 70-year-old John Atkinson claimed a new record, pulled by a tri-drive.

Dear Malaysia, are you interested to break this record? Come on, Malaysia Boleh! Before that, please check other long trucks around the world.

Twin Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo Flip Crash at Texas Mile (VID)

2010-10-26T10:52:00.007+08:00

It is like news said, twin turbo Lamborghini Gallardo was crashed in a flip accident at Underground Racing's in Texas Mile under heavy crosswinds. The video below just misses the crash but other photos supposedly may have better shots.

The driver was still alive but the car, as you can see, is totaled. I doubt there's any amount of buffing that'll get those bumps, bruises and breaks out. Here's video that just barely misses the crash, but does manage to pick up the final run:

How could a driver inside a 295-mph-machine could survive that kind of accident? Of course, safety comes with a price. One more thing, be careful with the crosswinds. It is dangerous to drive fast on that condition.

Source: Jalopnik

Road Traffic Madness - i-Gun? (Really Funny)

2010-10-14T15:18:00.004+08:00

I never knew traffic could change a person in United States. I-gun does wonders for stress!!! Special thanks to Vanilla breeze for such an awesome iphone app. (Maybe this could be helpful to some people in Malaysia too). WARNING: Harsh Words in the video.

More than 5 millions views on Youtube

Bizarre Truck-Snake Fatal Accident

2010-10-06T10:28:00.007+08:00

Near Seremban, a southern city of Kuala Lumpur, a 66-year-old man was killed in a bizarre accident along the North-South Expressway near the Rasah exit after a python landed onto the windscreen of a trailer. The driver of the trailer then braked in shock and swerved onto the road divider along the expressway before crashing into the guardrail during the 4.15am incident.

A car travelling behind the trailer then collided into the vehicle, killing one of the passengers inside, known only as Subramaniam. The victim, who was travelling with three others, died on the spot.

The others in the car escaped with light injuries and were sent to Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here for treatment. The python was also killed in the accident. Huh?

Source: The Star Online

A Million of Deaths Road

2010-10-05T00:37:00.007+08:00

If you think these photos show just a regular road, think again. Your eyes could be wrong. I give you a hint already, "a million of deaths road". What creature or thing can be a million in number in a blink of an eye? Gah, just look closely at following photos and you will know what it is. Yes, this is one way to show that actually many people were dead on the road without we realize it.

Source: Funzug

World's Safest School Bus

2010-09-24T18:51:00.006+08:00

This school bus photo looks funny yet interesting. I think it is worth to award the school bus with "World's safest school bus" title. The school bus also can grab the title of the best rollover protection in the road crash accident. Can you agree with these?

Source: Human4Planet

Funny Winter Car Crash

2010-09-21T22:07:00.004+08:00

This crash happened at America during winter time in the year 2007. I'm quite amazed to learn that actually there was somebody who can drive crazily like this. While we laugh at it, do not forget about the lesson of the story. If you never drive in snow, don't try unless there is someone experience besides you, together with proper tyres and chains.

The almost-17-million-viewers Youtube video is a very true event as I have experienced this craziness before, but not as bad as the shown video la.

New Road Safety Program - Love Life

2010-09-20T07:55:00.008+08:00

PLUS Expressway Bhd and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) launched the Love Life campaign to create awareness of road safety through music. PLUS and Miros distributed 5,000 music CDs entitled Love Life to motorists at the Subang Jaya NKVE toll plaza here recently. (but MIROS staff didn't get one. So sad...)

Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan on the scene during Love Life

A total of 5000 CDs were distributed to motorists at 10 major toll plazas in the country over three days before Hari Raya. Fourteen popular Malaysian artistes performed theme song entitled Love Life and nine other songs in the first local album dedicated o road safety.

Sponsored by PLUS and produced for Miros by award winning composer Johan Nawawi, the album's 10 songs were performed by Nora, Zainal Abidin, Datuk Khatijah Ibrahim, Jacklyn Victor, Dayang Nur Faizah, Noh Hujan, Nabil Mentor, Dina, Sheila OIAM, Tomok, Desiree, Hunny Madu, Remy Ishak and Cakra Sonic. It also features motorcycle racing champion Wazi Abdul Hamid.

The crowds during Road Safety Love Life event

Miros director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said: "Music is a very powerful means of persuasion and we hope it will give us the much-needed breakthrough in communicating the importance of good road safety practice to the masses and in the process become an effective platform in reducing road accidents and fatalities."

He said despite the campaigns which have been initiated throughout the year through activities, enforcement, new laws, and the use of print, broadcast and social media, the number of accidents and fatalities in the country remained alarmingly high.

Last year, there were 397,330 road accidents with 6,745 deaths. Sixty per cent of the fatalities were motorcyclists and pillion riders. Dr Ahmad said worldwide studies have long determined that music has a profound physical and psychological effect in communicating social ideas, values and influencing the lives of a much larger audience. He said Love Life is about road safety, and has proven to have a positive impact on the subconscious minds of the motorists, influencing their behaviour, action and attitude.

Professional motorcyclist (Eh belakang tu Atiqah dan Suffian)

Plus Expressway Bhd chief executive officer Nik Airina Jaffar said the campaign is in line with their road safety programme called Malaysians Unite for Road Safety or Mufors for short.

"Mufors started last September and 24,000 Malaysians took an oath to drive safely. This year, the motorists were urged to make road safety a priority in their lives. With the launch of the Love Life campaign and album, we hope to work together to reduce road accidents and fatalities," she said.

News source: NST Online

Multiple Articulated Vehicles - Are They Safe?

2010-09-17T00:03:00.003+08:00

Before we venture into the safety of multiple articulated vehicles or super-long goods vehicles, it is important that we understand the term of road train and its concept. As found in wikipedia, A road train is a trucking concept used vastly in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move bulky loads efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "Turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain doubles" are commonly used for longer combination vehicles (LCV). A road train consists of a relatively conventional tractor unit, but instead of pulling one trailer or semi-trailer, the road train pulls two or more of them. These should not be confused with land trains, which are relatively lightweight vehicles used for moving passengers.

So we back to the question whether is it safe or not? Wait a second, safe to whom? The truck operators or other road users? I believe many people only concerns of their lives and majority of this kind is in fact not the truck operators! Such a pity clarification but well...Thus, let's focus on the safety of road train to other road users who are your family, your friends, your neighbors, yourself and me. It is a very long vehicle and as such, it is very dangerous to overtake. However, road train is only be used in rural areas i.e. less likely found too often on the road. As long as we don't overtake it, our lives will be spared. Not believing me? Try overtake it! Below are some example of the road train photos from compilation work done by cars world blog. Take a look and beware of the road train.

Source: One CRU

Best Tip - How to Avoid a Speeding Ticket?

2010-08-06T08:01:00.005+08:00

Source: Barnorama

The Fastest Bus Recorded - 367 mph!

2010-08-05T20:38:00.008+08:00

This is just too insane! How many people in this earth can actually imagine that actually a mere school bus speed can reach 367 mph (590 kmh)? I don't until now...

The yellow American-style school bus has been fitted with a jet engine from a Phantom fighter plane, allowing it to reach up to 367mph. Paul Stender and his team from Indy Boys Inc, based in Indianapolis, USA adapted the bus which uses a full tank of 150 gallons of fuel in just one quarter-mile run.

Mr Stender's creation, which he has dubbed 'The School Time Jet-Powered School Bus', also fires out 80 foot flames from the back creating massive clouds of smoke. Mr Stender, 43, said: "I built the bus for two reasons. The first is to entertain people because, come on, it's a jet bus.

The second, is to keep kids off drugs. Jets are hot, drugs are not. The entire vehicle was custom built by myself. There's no way the original bus could have withstood the speeds that I take it to. We do a lot of displays at schools and we are trying to show them there's more to life than sitting in front of computers.

Mr Stender, whose mechanical skills are entirely self taught, said he has a passion for making things go fast.

He said: "I bought it just as an old school bus, but I have to say only about five percent are original parts. Actually a lot of it is hand-crafted and the types of metals used would be more at home on an aircraft. There's still some bus left on it, a little bit on the front. And of course the door handle and the door are all original. I grew up on a farm and to tell you the truth I always wanted to learn things myself and didn't like school much. I guess this is my revenge for all those days riding on the slow journey to school, now it goes at my kind of pace."

News Resource: Telegraph Co UK

Will Honda Car Failure Jeopardy Your Life?

2010-07-27T18:37:00.004+08:00

PETALING JAYA: How far will you go to get your car fixed? In these day of light-speed emails, instant messages and cellphones, an irate car-owner decided to adopt an old-school method of seeking redress — by placing stickers all over his problematic car.

And the message on the stickers read: "My Honda Tak Guna" (My Useless Honda).

To make sure he got the full attention of the car manufacturer, this sticker-adorned vehicle was parked outside the Honda Malaysia sales and service office here in Section 13 — much to the amusement of many pedestrians and motorists.

As to why he had resorted to such measures, events executive Jess Ross said his car brakes kept failing despite several repairs.

"Three months after buying the car, the rear brakes started giving way.After having these replaced by Honda, the same problem occurred three months later with the brakes giving way in the middle of the road.

"Luckily, I wasn't hit by another car when it happened."

After sending the 15-month old car to the Honda authorised service centre, Sumber Auto, Ross claimed to have been told the car had its front brake callipers fitted wrongly during the original assembly.

Even after the brake calipers were rectified, Jess' woes continued with the calamitous Honda Accord he bought for about RM140,000.

Three months later, after getting his disc brake pads replaced for the second time, his Honda Accord started juddering again.

This time Honda mentioned the brake discs needed to be skimmed.

"On June 20 , there was a screeching sound from my front wheels and the car started juddering again. This time, I decided enough was enough. The car was towed to the Honda service centre for a fourth check on this particular screeching issue."

Claiming manufacturing defects, Ross said: "My demands are simple, firstly I want Honda to fully rectify the problems on my car and include a manufacturer's guarantee that such defects will not recur.

"Secondly, Honda could replace my car with another guaranteed problem-free unit. If all else fails, I want Honda to buy back the car at the purchase price.

"Honestly, I am still open to negotiations and a win-win situation I feel, is the best for both parties," he said, stressing he has no plans to remove the eye-catching stickers from his car.

A Honda Malaysia representative said the company remained committed to inspecting, servicing and repairing the problematic vehicle.

"The company would like to assure Ross the affected vehicle will be serviced and repaired to his satisfaction." Still unhappy with this response, Ross asked: "Why is it Honda Malaysia can't guarantee their parts, which serve a basic function of braking, to function properly?

"Is it too much to ask for a guarantee for their supposedly original parts which they recommended we use?"

Story Resource: MIROS CRU

MIROS Roscon - Malaysia Road Safety Conference 2010 - Call for Research Paper

2010-06-29T15:12:00.006+08:00

1. ROSCON 2010 is the first road safety conference organized by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). As stated in the poster below, the ROSCON conference is a must for policy makers, researchers, practitioners, law enforcers, students and a wide range of public and private organizations from the region, with an interest in the future road safety.

2. As you know, each year nearly 1.3 MILLION people die as a result of a road traffic collision - more than 3000 deaths each day - and more than half of these people are not traveling in a car. According to World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020, road traffic accident will be no.1 for "Global Killer title".

3. Thus, for our children, and for our next generation, please support road safety campaigns and educate ourselves with better understanding on road safety. Time is never waiting for us. We are the one who chasing the time and make a change!

4. Big thanks and hugs to Chairman of ROSCON 2010, Ir Mohd Rasid Osman or well-known in MIROS as MRO, for organizing and willing to be the first chairman of ROSCON organizing committee. Lastly.....see you there! InsyaAllah...

Click to Enlarge :O

For more details: Visit ROSCON 2010

Underrun Don't Work - Speed Do Kill!

2010-05-29T17:55:00.005+08:00

1. Frequently there will be a sticker at trailer bumper stickers that reads "If you can read this, you're too close." Unfortunately, once the guy in the Corvette got "to close," it was "too late."

2. I am still trying to figure out how this happened along the shoulder of the road. Couldn't he find himself a better spot to park his car? I have seen some bad parking jobs before, but never this bad. Let's just hope that the driver was able to escape this mess in one piece, because his car clearly didn't.

3. Is it the fault of underrun that not working? Underrun is designed to stop or lessen the severity of the crash for only some speed (usually max at 60kmh). But this event speed is truly beyond the designated speed.

Source: Total Sport

How Far Can You Drive While Holding Your Breath?

2010-05-27T09:23:00.007+08:00

1. This is a question for you: How far can you drive while holding your breath? I know it is crazy and you will think who the heck will do this anyway. But trust me that there are idiots out there who love to do stupid things like that. So no wonder the road accidents are increasing because the road has been used by all kinds of people ranging from students, youngsters, elders to professionals like engineers, laywers and doctors.

2. I have a story to tell about doctors. They drive like a drunk person. Why? They have on-calls job and not slept for more than 36 hours. Many of them are involving in road accidents. They could be the causation of the accidents. Sigh - who knows right?

3. One more thing, have you met a car which is not moving at the green traffic light during the broad day? I have and the driver is sleeping like a baby! Still thinking I'm just rambling? Read this story...

FOUR teenagers who tried to hold their breath for the time it took their car to travel about half a kilometre were hurt when the driver fainted. Police say three 19-year-olds and a 16-year-old were driving together through a rural Rochester late at night when they decided to try to hold their breath while riding through a rural Rochester-area hamlet.

The driver, 19-year-old Bryan Parslow, fainted and the car hit a boulder. He was ticketed for failing to stay in his lane. Mr Parslow is a paraplegic for whom the car was specially equipped to drive. All four teens were treated at a hospital and released.

Source: Daily Telegraph AU

Do Not Talk While He Drives [Indian Ads]

2010-05-10T09:33:00.005+08:00

Please do not talk while he drives. Love him by not forcing him do something that will jeopardy his life. Thanks honey, mother, sister and friends... :)

Source: Informasi Malaysia Kini

Volvo Auto-Brake System Demo...Failed

2010-05-09T09:45:00.005+08:00

This remembered me to MIROS 1st crash crash few months ago. The expectations were simple. Hold a press conference to demonstrate how the “Collision Warning with Auto Brake” feature on the Swedish model of the Volvo S60 worked, send it towards a stationary truck at 35k/hr, and use the tremendous new technology to stop the car without human interaction.

The truck was placed. Cameras rolled. The S60 achieved its speed. It just forgot to stop.

Volvo, their tested S60, and their reputation for building safe vehicles took a dent when, to the amused surprise of the onlooking press, the vehicle slammed into the back of the truck it was intended to avoid. The official word from Volvo was that there was human error involved in the preparation of the demonstration.

Amidst chuckles from the crowd, the Volvo MC could only say, “So ladies and gentlemen, we’ve had some kind of mishap in the testing here. I apologize for that. This car actually contains collision avoidance technology obviously not demonstrated in this crash.”

Source: Volvo News

How is Your Driving Awareness? Test it Here

2010-05-07T16:42:00.002+08:00

How many passes does the team in white make? Test your awareness and Do the Test! This is one of TFL cycling safetly advert! Count the number of passes the White team makes.

What are the Causes of Road Accidents?

2010-05-04T09:59:00.007+08:00

1. Some people might wondering, "what are the causes of road accidents?". To answer this, we must distinguish the definition between high profile accidents (involving death (s)), and just regular road accident (slight injury or none at all). Based on statistics, almost 80% accidents reported are not involving any death. This number could be thousands cases in a year, depending size of countries and the population.

2. Why people reporting regular road accident even they do not get any injuries? Yes, the answer is insurance claiming. While I'm not trying to scare you, but there are "trolls" out there who really want to create accidents case (they don't care whether you will be alive or not) so that they can make income from other misfortune (towing truck, etc...). How they do it? See infographic below and then you will get some ideas. I personally know that this is happening at Jalan Kuching. So be careful.

Click to Enlarge :O

Source: Auto Insurance

Truckers Says Texting while Driving is Safe

2010-04-09T11:30:00.003+08:00

1. Texting while halting is safe. Not while driving. Everything is dangerous while driving, even seducing your spouse. Especially truckers, in many cases, they are not the ones who died horribly in the occurace of road traffic accident. For example, in the head-on collision event between truck and car, most casualties are coming from the smaller vehicle.

2. Texting while driving? I just hate that regardless you are truckers or regular drivers. Period.

Research shows that a driver can be as much as 23 times more likely to get into an accident if he or she is texting while driving. New legislation in Washington aims to ban texting while driving by forcing states to adopt the federal mandate or risk losing federal highway greenbacks. One group is fighting the legislation, and it's not teen drivers or multimedia addicts, it's our nation's truck drivers. Truckers, the guys who drive around in 18 wheelers which take 2-3 times as much road to stop when compared to the typical car, often have touch screen computers on the dashboard and keyboards on their laps. They use the multimedia tech to map routes and converse with dispatch, saving minutes (and money) in the hyper-competitive shipping business.

Drivers told The New York Times that they're all but forced to communicate with such computers, as pulling off the road to send a message can cost their companies $1.50 per minute, and the driver risks having his or her pay docked. Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, called the bill "overkill," going so far as to say that banning such devices "won't improve safety." But safety advocates counter that the measure would effectively be underkill, and they have some stats to back up their argument: Heavy trucking deaths in the U.S. have steadily climbed over the past decade, as big rigs now account for 12% of all highway fatalities (4,808 deaths in 2007) versus 11% (4,777) in 1997 – in spite of the fact that passenger cars and trucks are now far safer than they have ever been.

Americans like low prices, and fast, efficient shipping helps keep costs in check. And at the same time, we like to be safe and sound as well, and truckers looking down at a keyboard while driving a 40-ton truck 60 mph just a few feet from strikes us as hazardous to our nation's health. Should truckers be able to text and use computers while driving? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section after the jump.

Source: Autoblog

Do Speed Really Kill?

2010-04-07T08:36:00.006+08:00

1. I have been thinking for quite some time now whether does speed really can kill? From what I have learned so far at Birmingham Automotive Safety Centre (BASC), even it is a bit sensitive, SPEED DON'T KILL in the road accident. The real killer is THE SUDDEN STOP. Human cannot tolerate such huge negative G-force during the accident and thus, be a cause of injury and death for many cases.

2. Below is the infographic that show how with increasing speed, the number of accident is decreasing...for now only in the United States...

Click to Enlarge :O

Source: Auto Insurance

How to Solve Road Traffic Problem?

2010-03-31T22:27:00.006+08:00

1. Have you ever wondered on how to solve road traffic problem in the city? I think the problem is not only occurred at Malaysia, but also the rest of the world. Following is the creative photo that showed us literally on how to make our city more spacious.

2. Are you agree or not on this type of method? Bus is the best answer I guess. Bicycle could be the answer but definitely not a horde of cars. :)

Source: Natasha Llyod Flickr

Who’s Scarier on The Road? Teen or Oldies?

2010-03-30T11:18:00.005+08:00

Can you guess who are the winner? Think again...

Click to Enlarge :O

Credit: Auto Insureance

Sunday Special: 4 Funny Road Signs

2010-03-21T14:33:00.005+08:00

1. Sunday special is coming again with additional two photos that will break your laugh. Hope these photos can enlighten your day before going through 5 tough working days starting Monday...

Emergency Phone - 174 KM Ahead! Oh...

Drive Slow See Our Village...Drive Fast See Our Judge...Speed Limits Strictly Enforced...Great Notification!

Do Not Gossip, Let Him Drive...I cannot Agree More with this statement..hehehe...

Accidents Are Prohibited on This Road. What?

Images Credit: Elistmania

Women Getting Nastier on the Road

2010-03-19T08:59:00.007+08:00

1. Women oh women..not only when driving, but also when sitting at the front passenger seat..hehehehe...

GEORGE TOWN: Women drivers are getting more aggressive than their male counterparts, according to an analyst. Based on the number of traffic summonses issued and court cases against women, a trend of aggressive driving has emerged among the fairer sex, said Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim.

“Based on what we can see, the attitude of male drivers has improved but women are getting more aggressive. Hence, the number of women involved in accidents is on the rise,” he said.

He, however, did not state statistics. Noting that the attitude of drivers was the main cause of road accidents, Kamal said it was crucial for road users to practise defensive driving.

“Drivers who are aggressive, emotional and distracted while driving are dangerous. Most people will, at one time or another, feel like strangling their fellow drivers but it becomes a criminal act when you follow up on that intention with an aggressive act (such as chasing after a vehicle),” he said at the Rakan Trafik@USM road safety campaign at Universiti Sains Malaysia here yesterday.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said Malaysians generally felt that they were “Superman” and would never end up as an accident casualty.

“It’s their attitudes that cause accidents. The think they are invincible, not even wanting to wear safety belts. Perhaps it’s ego. They just want to be faster and better than the next driver,” said Dr Ahmad.

He said it was easier for people to change their attitudes than for enforcement bodies to step in. He added that Miros was working with several insurance companies to reward “good drivers” but the plan would have to get the approval of Bank Negara.

Source: Thestar Online

How to Solve Road Safety Challenges?

2010-03-17T16:02:00.005+08:00

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, Please Help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind.

The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

1. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

2. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

3. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

4. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling… And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

5. Let's strive together to solve road safety issues creatively by thinking out of the box.

Source: Funmunch Positive Thinking

Creative Air Cones For Road Safety

2010-03-15T13:16:00.013+08:00

1. Road Cones can be a pain sometimes, for the driver a safety hazard and for the guy who has to place them on the road, a back breaking job. Not many must have thought of redesigning this thing, but innovation is really called for. Interim let’s look at the Air Cone Concept; it’s this flattened balloon strip that you lay on the road. Inflating it causes Air Cones to pop up, but care has been taken to ensure a sturdy design. Only hope that crazy kids with pins in hand don’t got popping it just for fun. :)

2. In my opinion, beside being helpful on the traffic management on the highways, these creative air cones are also suitable to be used in the city. For example, special lane that only opened during morning peak hours from Grand Saga Cheras to Kuala Lumpur. Those who are frequently using that stretch will know what I mean.

Designers: Hoyoung Lee, Youngwoo Park & Junkyo Lee

Credit: Yanko Design

Sunday Special - Funny Road Signs

2010-03-14T09:35:00.005+08:00

I know a lot of people have experienced tough weekdays not only at the office, but also during daily transportation to-and-from the workplace on the roads. Well, today is Sunday and it is time for some rests and leisures. I hope these photos will burst you a smile. Enjoy!

Images Credit: Elistmania

Global Killer No.1 - Road Accident

2010-03-10T16:45:00.009+08:00

The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 was announced this week by the UN General Assembly and supported by WHO. The WHO global status report on road safety makes for shocking reading. Over 3000 people die on the world's roads every day. Tens of millions of people are injured or disabled every year. Nearly 1.3 million people are killed each year. If trends continue unabated deaths will rise to an estimated 2.4 million a year by 2030.

Click to enlarge

Around the world, approximately 1.3 million people die each year on the roads and between 20 and 30 million sustain non-fatal injuries according to the Global status report on road safety. The report is the first broad assessment of the road safety situation in 178 countries, using data drawn from a standardized survey. Over 90 percent of the deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have only 48 percent of the world's registered vehicles.

It's predicted that by 2030, the amount of people who are killed in road traffic accidents will rise to fifth in the leading causes of death around the world. Currently it is in ninth place. Through the Decade, Member States with the support of the international community, commit to actions such as developing and enforcing legislation on key risk factors including limiting speed, reducing drink-driving and increasing the use of seatbelts, child restraints and motorcycle helmets.

Efforts will also be undertaken to improve emergency trauma care, upgrade road and vehicle safety standards, promote road safety education and enhance road safety management in general. The Global status report on road safety results clearly show that significantly more action is needed to make the world's roads safer and hopefully this decade of action will go a long way help change things.

Resource: WHO via NGHealthCare Europe

Wear Your Seat Belt - New Ads by Embrace Life

2010-02-23T13:11:00.005+08:00

1. The video started with a happy guy playing like a kid with steering wheel with his family. Then, all of sudden, the face of the man changed and this encourage the family members come and secure him. This is really great analogy and creative video on seatbelt wearing made by Embrace Life.

2. This also the quality of advertisement that we need in Malaysia. 1.5 millions views on Youtube is not something ordinary. The most important thing is please wear your seatbelt!

Don't Drink, Drive, Kill Someone, Drink, Post on Facebook

2010-02-21T18:11:00.004+08:00

1. I am wondering why people nowadays have being so stupid ah? Somewhat I found this news is very funny. This is one of the reasons why we shall go away from Facebook haha. Addicted, and convicted...

As we continue our collective foray into the brave new world of social networking, we keep learning the same lesson over and over again: don't post photos of yourself doing stupid things. This is doubly true if said stupid thing is illegal, as yet another intellectually challenged Facebook user has discovered.

17-year-old Ashley Sullivan had been driving with her boyfriend in Tonawanda when she crashed into a brick pillar at 56 mph in a golf course. Her boyfriend did not survive the accident, and in November of 2009, Sullivan pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated.

That didn't stop Sullivan from posting a photo a month later to her Facebook page with the caption of "Drunk in Florida." It just so happens that she had just gone to Florida on a trip, and the judge in her case took notice. Judge Matthew J. Murphy III denied Sullivan youthful offender status, noting that she hasn't "earned it," and sentenced her to six months in jail with five years probation. "I'm troubled by your conduct since the crash, and that's the reason for the jail sentence," Judge Murphy III told her, according to The Buffalo News (via SAI).

This is just one of (what's now becoming) a pattern of stories about people making poor Facebook decisions, especially when it comes to posting pictures. Employers don't like to see you partying at the club, insurance companies don't like to see you dancing at your birthday party when you're missing work due to depression, and judges most certainly don't like to see you posting pics of you drinking after you killed someone in a drunk driving accident.

News Resourcs: Arstechnica

MIROS 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test [Pictures and Videos]

2010-02-18T09:41:00.029+08:00

1. On 13 January 2010, with vision to appear as a world leader in road safety research, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has started doing its own outdoor crash test at its headquarters compound. Even without proper laboratories or equipment, MIROS, an agency under the Transport Ministry has done its first crash test at a slip road next to its office.

2. Motorcyclists constitute 49% of the road user population and the biggest contribution towards road users’ death (about 50%) annually in Malaysia. Thus, it is a common sense that MIROS started its 1st crash test with motorcycle. It is a year of action for MIROS.

NEXT: Perodua Alza vs. Trailer Rear-end (Febuary 25th 2010)

MIROS Official 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test Video

MIROS 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.1 Video

MIROS 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.2 Video

During and After Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.1
The 1st test objective is to test efficiency of Hit Air motorcyclist airbag during side impact collision between motorcycle and car (commonly occurred at the junction). The helmet used by the dummy was properly secured. The speed of motorcycle was clocked at 29 km/h.

The dummy passed Mr. Khairil, who is the project manager for this 1st motorcycle crash test.

Two crash analysts from CRU unit; Mr. Zarir and Mr. Rahmat were collecting the data.

Prof Farhan, Director General of MIROS, Prof Wong, Director of VSB, and Dato Suret, Director General of JKJR watched the dummy after the collision.

The airbag jacket was being taken out from the dummy.

Preparation and Before Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.1
2 hours before the crash, the staffs were busy trying out the motorcycle track with real human body.

Mr. Syazwan and Mr. Ridzuan were discussing menu for launch haha...

Prof Wong and project leader, Puan Farah, one minute before the launching.

Post-grad students from UPM were discussing about their software.

Mr. Aqbal and Mr. Yahaya, two MIROS engineers aka research officers were analyzing the high speed camera software.

Mr. Khairil was giving the photographer a sexy pose 5-minutes before the crash test.

During and After Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.2
The 2nd test objective is to test efficiency of another motorcyclist airbag during side impact collision between motorcycle and car (commonly occurred at the junction). At this time, the helmet used by the dummy was improperly secured. The speed of motorcycle was clocked at 27 km/h.

Preparation and Before Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.2

Please use following links to download the video:
Official MIROS 1st Motorcycle Crash Test
MIROS 1st Motorcycle Crash Test No. 1
MIROS 1st Motorcycle Crash Test No. 2

Some more photos and news: CBT News

Chinese Man Throws Bicycle at Thieves

2010-01-31T11:51:00.002+08:00

1. Snatching or ‘ragut’ is a unforgiving crime, which most of the time, the occurrence involves severe casualties to the victims. Since the incident occur on the road, I think this is part of road safety too. Am I right?

2. The videos, which entitled, "Chinese Man Throws Bicycle at Thieves on Scooter", show how a heroic China man arrested the snatchers by only using his bike. In my opinion, this noble action is commendable and worth emulating.

Resource: Melayu Kini

Killer Water Ponding on the Road

2010-01-19T08:36:00.013+08:00

1. Malaysia is located a few degrees north of the Equator and is one of the South East Asia nations. The climate is of equatorial type in which the temperature is quite uniform throughout the year with frequent downpour occurrence. However, during the heavy downpour season, the roads are wet and water pounding can be found everywhere ranging from the expressway to the state road.

2. It is recommended to be more careful during the rainy season which usually occurs from June to December. While many of Malaysians are being careful with the roads during the season, a bizarre incident was happening somewhere far from the country. Pretty funny occurrence but laughing to other misfortune is not what has been taught in Islam. Let us take the lesson and be careful driving on such road.

Images Resource: Putihtih

Toronto Woman Dies Saving Her Baby

2010-01-14T07:51:00.006+08:00

1. The news sounds like a scene in the movie. But it is not. This is the real incident that happened in the country of Canada. This is something we need to think over, over and over again. The question is who to be saved first, we or others? Of cource, the one who sacrifices is the best of all.

2. As far as I learned, we have to save ourselves first, and then when our safety are secure, we can save others. I still remembered news about three children wanted to save their drowning brother and in the end, all four died.

In what was likely a final heroic act, a Toronto-area mother may have saved the life of her 12-week-old son at the cost of her own when she pushed the child's stroller out of the path of a car that ran a red light Tuesday afternoon.

"I think what happened, is she pushed the stroller (out of the way) and was hit by the car," said Const. Isabelle Cotton, a Toronto police spokeswoman. "I am not sure exactly if the stroller was hit by the car also."

Miraculously, the baby boy was uninjured, but was taken to Sick Kids Hospital for observation. The boy's 28-year-old mother was pronounced dead by EMS paramedics after being dragged nine metres into the intersection and pinned under the car for 15 minutes.

The accident occurred at about 12:40 p.m. Police say the mother and her baby were crossing from the southwest to the southeast corner of an intersection on a green light, when a northbound green Toyota Camry driven by an 83-year-old woman failed to stop at the red light and collided with the mother. Chris Stanfield was sitting in his SUV waiting to make a left turn when the accident happened.

"I just heard the impact and saw the stroller and that was the first thing that caught my eye," he said, adding that the woman and her baby had just passed in front of his vehicle before being struck.

"I ... saw the stroller on its side with the baby partly out of it. Then somebody handed me the baby and then I noticed the mother underneath the car."

Const. Hugh Smith of Toronto Police Traffic Services said a bystander crossing the street in front of the mother and her baby helped save the child's life.

"She heard the collision and turned around just to see the baby fall out of the stroller," Smith said. "She picked up the child immediately and then approached the gentleman in the SUV, telling him to keep it warm.

"A hero here is the woman who stopped to pick up the baby."

Police say the victim's name won't be released, pending notification of next of kin. The 83-year-old driver of the Camry was also taken to hospital to be treated for shock.

The driver likely faces charges of either dangerous driving causing death or careless driving.

In Ontario, drivers aged 80 years or older must renew their licences every two years. The renewal process involves completing a vision test, a written test on the rules of the road and signs, and taking part in a group education session.

News Resource: Ottawa Citizen

Slow Down, Wear Your Seatbelt..Or Else...

2010-01-09T11:04:00.008+08:00

1. Or else...your daughter will come out from the car and hit your car...and maybe you too.

2. So please remember to (1) wear your seatbelt, (2) ask the occupants of the car to wear the seatbelt, (3) do not speeding, (4) give signals, (5) follow the road laws, and lastly (5) focus and focus...

Image Credit: Imgur

The Most Expensive Speeding Ticket - $290000

2010-01-08T15:18:00.006+08:00

1. Cough cough cough...$290,000? Are you kidding me? If the money converted to Malaysia Ringgit, I think the value is expected to be equal to about RM1 million. With that amount of money, I can buy a large mansion (with two or three maids) and a sport car (Mitsubishi Evo 10? maybe hehe).

2. Regardless what I would do with the money, do you know how such expensive speeding ticket is possibly issued? Check this news out.

Speeding ticket fine record was broken for Switzerland after a St. Gallen court handed down a decision demanding a millionaire who was caught driving at 85 mph to pay $290,000, the Swiss media reported Thursday.

The speed is 35 mph faster than the limit which is at 50 mph. The unidentified millionaire was using a red Ferrari Testarossa when he was caught. The millionaire has a string of previous offenses.

“The accused ignored elementary traffic rules with a powerful vehicle out of a pure desire for speed,” the court said in its judgment. The court based the fine on how rich the man is. He has assets of up to $22.7 million which includes a villa with a garage for his five luxury cars.

The previous record was $107,000–handed to a driver using a Porsche in Zurich in 2008.

Sometime in October 2009, another driver was pulled for speeding. He committed 15 traffic offenses in 10 minutes.

News Resource: Daily Contributor