Month: August 2013

Via AAA Newsroom
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 22, 2013) – Americans are less likely to perceive a serious threat from dangerous driving behaviors such as drunk, aggressive or drowsy driving, according to an analysis of four years of public surveys conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The decreased concern is accompanied by an estimated 5.3 percent increase in annual traffic fatalities, totaling more than 34,000 in 2012. This is the first annual increase in seven years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Motorists may be growing more complacent about potential safety risks behind the wheel,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “A ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude remains common with many motorists consistently admitting to engaging in the same dangerous behaviors for which they would condemn other drivers.”
Survey results during the previous four years show decreasing concern for dangerous driving behaviors:
…
https://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/08/americans-growing-less-concerned-about-dangerous-driving-behaviors/

[B’ Spokes: I know it’s the Onion but still. Our failure to provide a (perceivable) safe place for our kids to walk, bike and play accessible from where they live is having a huge detrimental effect on our kids. As cul-de-sacs once were touted to be safe places to live for families but eventually we found out that the scope of possible activities was too small so few ever left their homes under their own power. Likewise I fear what Maryland is planning with sustainable, smart growth Transit Oriented Development will be too small in scope. Or more precisely planning will be (electric) car first and biking and walking will be after thoughts with no real viable use.]
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Via the Onion:
WASHINGTON, PA—With the 2012-2013 academic year beginning this week, longtime James G. Blaine Elementary School teacher Suzanne Pomponio, 39, expressed her astonishment Wednesday at how much fatter her second-graders keep getting.
"I honestly didn’t think it was possible for this year’s kids to be any fatter than last year’s, but boy, was I wrong," Pomponio told reporters, explaining that her students have grown noticeably chunkier in each of her 15 years as an educator. "When they all came in on Monday morning, I really couldn’t believe how huge they were. The first thing I thought was, wow, each student must be 8 to 10 pounds heavier than anyone in my 2011 class. And everyone in that class was pretty fat, too."
"The short ones are fat, the tall ones are fat—they’re all just so fat," she added. "I didn’t even know 7-year-olds could get that big."
Though she’s only been back in her classroom for a few days, Pomponio said she has already witnessed nearly all of her young pupils struggle to hoist their overweight frames out of their desks when called upon to approach the blackboard. She also stated that this year’s students wear sweatpants and oversized T-shirts almost exclusively, and seem to prefer sitting on benches or playing in the dirt at recess instead of running and climbing.
…
"I’d really like to address the value of eating healthy during parent-teacher conferences next month, but I’m afraid the message won’t even get through to these families," Pomponio said. "The truth is, the parents keep getting fatter every year, too."
https://www.theonion.com/articles/2ndgrade-teacher-cant-believe-how-much-fatter-they,29253/

by Ted Rogers, LA Streets Blog
…
Make no mistake. He [the cyclist] deserved to be charged for his actions, just as a driver who ran a red light and injured a pedestrian should be. If we expect motorists to be held responsible for their actions behind the wheel, we have to assume the same responsibility.
But in most cases, the driver would only face charges for running the light, or maybe distracted driving.
Instead, Martin was charged with a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon. And pleaded guilty on May 31st of this year, sentenced to three years felony probation and 30 days community service.
…
https://la.streetsblog.org/2013/06/21/a-reckless-rider-pleads-guilty-to-assault-with-a-deadly-weapon-but-does-that-say-more-about-the-city-that-charged-him-than-the-cyclists-that-ride-there/

Bike Delaware has asked the Delaware Department of Transportation to discontinue its use of the “Share The Road” sign. Here’s why.

If you have any comments of your own on the “Share The Road” sign, either positive or negative, please make them in the comments section below. After a week, Bike Delaware will collect any and all comments and forward them to DelDOT.

… As a marketing campaign, the phrase’s ambiguity also invites conflicting interpretations. …

https://www.bikede.org/2013/08/19/end-share-the-road/

And related: “SHARE THE ROAD” [STILL] Stinks…

From the Washcycle Is it time to retire “Share the Road”?

From NHTSA NHTSA says “Share The Road Sign” sends mixed messages

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[B’ Spokes: I noticed on my return that Baltimore has put in a lot more “Bikes Share the Road” signs, as it it is cyclists and only cyclists have the responsibility to share the road. Our Director of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access thinks I’m just being silly as nowhere else are two signs always mounted together that are meant to be read together. To that I raise my glass and toast the sign that is meant to be read on it’s own “To Traffic in Circle.” ]