WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) — Many new luxury cars include high-tech devices that warn drivers heading for a collision. Now that technology can be installed in any vehicle aftermarket.
In the Metro Washington area last year, 83 people died and another 2,700 were injured in pedestrian or bike accidents involving vehicles, according to AAA.
The CEO of Mobileye, Skip Kinford, said the device costs $930.
…
Continue reading “Aftermarket Device Helps Distracted Drivers”
Transverse markings for crosswalks – not the best engineering practice
[B’ Spokes have you ever noticed that SHA uses a lot of skimpy crosswalk markings on high speed roads and wounder if they are effective?]
excepts from: Evaluation of Pedestrian and Bicycle
Engineering Countermeasures:
Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons,
HAWKs, Sharrows, Crosswalk Markings,
and the Development of an Evaluation
Methods Report – FHWA
CONCLUSIONS
The conclusions from this study were as follows:
• The detection distances to continental and bar pairs are statistically similar and are
statistically longer than those for transverse markings.
• For the existing midblock locations, continental markings were detected at about twice
the distance upstream as transverse markings during daytime conditions. This increase in
distance reflects 8 s of increased awareness of the crossing for a 30-mi/h operating speed.
• The results of the appearance ratings of the markings on a scale of A to F mirrored the
findings from the detection distance evaluation. Participants preferred the continental and
bar pair markings over the transverse markings.
• Participants gave the continental and bar pair markings similar ratings during both the
daytime and nighttime. However, the transverse marking ratings differed based on the
light level. The participants gave slightly better ratings (although still worse than
continental or bar pair markings) for transverse markings during the nighttime as
compared to the daytime. The lower ratings during daylight conditions might be
due to sun glare or shadow issues mentioned by the participants.
Continue reading “Transverse markings for crosswalks – not the best engineering practice”
With Skulls and Bones, Signs That Say ‘Speed Kills’
To promote pedestrian safety, New York City plans to introduce LED warning signs that feature a skeletal figure and warn drivers of the speed limit and how fast they are going.
“The idea is to get people to realize that what they’re doing can kill them or kill somebody else,” the mayor said at a news conference on Thursday. “Unless you make it graphic, people don’t get the message.”Skeletons are already a trope of the Transportation Department’s “That’s Why It’s 30” publicity campaign, which reminds drivers through bus shelter posters and television announcements that cars traveling at 40 m.p.h. are far more dangerous to pedestrians than vehicles that follow the speed limit.
[B’ Spokes: Has any one else notice that our “speed” cameras allow for near 40mph in school zones? (25+12=37mph)]
Continue reading “With Skulls and Bones, Signs That Say ‘Speed Kills’”
The leading cause of death for kids caused by their parents
Summer Sounds Concerts Kick Off in Belvedere Square
Something to bike to:
May 20 – The Rovers, Irish rock
May 27 – Junkyard Saints, roots party music
June 3 – Mambo Combo, soca and samba sounds
June 10 – Moonshine Society, Blues
June 17 – Nelly’s Echo, soul, reggae and blues
June 24 – Donegal Xpress, celtic rook
July 1 – The Jenny Leigh Freeman Band, country
July 8 – Swingin’ Swamis, jazz and latin
July 15 – The Apple Scruffs, Beatles tribute band
Continue reading “Summer Sounds Concerts Kick Off in Belvedere Square”
Man, 91, dies after Brooklyn mobility scooter crash
Man crossing lawfully in crosswalk and gets hit and killed by a Toyota Tundra truck "The investigation is continuing but police say they do not believe speed is a factor. No charges have been filed against the driver, according to police."
Seriously, police need to work on their safety PR, you don’t need to be speeding or drunk to be charged for "failing to stop for pedestrian in a crosswalk."
"Baltimore and the surrounding area seems to have no regard for crosswalks. Maybe the color needs to be changed from white to bright red." – Maryland Car Accident Blog
Continue reading “Man, 91, dies after Brooklyn mobility scooter crash”
C&O Bicycle shop and Hostel, Hancock Maryland on the C&O Canal [video]
Man builds full sized Lego bicycle
What? Me distracted? Nah, just driving.
Porsche’s new steering wheel:
Continue reading “What? Me distracted? Nah, just driving.”
Are Doorings Really an Accident?
By Bob Mionske
…
Police quickly absolved the driver of any blame, noting that the car was “legally parked,” and the cyclist was not wearing a helmet.
Oh. I see.
But what about Section 430 of the Highway Safety Code, which prohibits the driver from opening his car door “without ascertaining that he can perform this maneuver safely”? Why are Montreal Police commenting on the legality of the driver’s parking job, when the only relevant legal issue is whether the driver observed his duty to safely open his car door?
For that matter, why did Montreal Police point out the cyclist’s lack of a helmet? Are they suggesting that a helmet would have prevented the collision?
Well, probably not. But they are probably implying that a helmet would have prevented the cyclist’s injuries—and that is an implication that is not supported by any evidence in this collision.
…
It was because the dooring was “an accident.”
Get it? If the driver had intentionally attacked the cyclist with his car door, that might be a different matter. But this was no brutal assault. It was just an accident.
You still don’t get it? Neither do I.
No, actually, it’s the Montreal Police who don’t get it. There’s nothing in the Highway Safety Code requiring drivers to “intentionally” break the law before they can be charged with a violation. If you’re speeding, you can be charged with speeding, whether you knew you were speeding or not. If you fail to stop at a stop sign, you can be charged with failure to stop, whether you saw the sign or not.
And if you open your car door and hit a cyclist, it doesn’t matter whether you intended to hit the cyclist, or just accidentally did it. Either way, you broke the law.
…
So it appears that the driver will be cited now, and will be required to pay a fine. A $30 fine.
I guess that’s something. But the cyclist, who was initially reported to be dead, is still in critical condition, still fighting for his life. Somehow, $30 just doesn’t seem to reflect that fact. I know it’s an improvement over the “it was just an accident” shrug of the shoulders we originally had from the police, but is that the best we can do when somebody is killed, or nearly so? $30?
Shouldn’t $30 be the kind of fine you get when you almost door somebody? When you kill, or almost kill somebody through your own carelessness, shouldn’t the penalty reflect that fact?
The confusion here about “accidents” isn’t just within the ranks of law enforcement. The legislatures themselves shoulder most of the blame for this confusion, because ultimately, they are the ones sending the message to drivers that “accidents” will not be taken seriously, no matter how serious the injuries the careless driver inflicts.
…
…
Continue reading “Are Doorings Really an Accident?”