4 tyre checks for safer motorway driving from IAM

Keeping your tyres in good condition will help you stay safe on the motorways according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Between April and June 2013 there were an average of 1284 tyre related incidents per month. The IAM issues the following advice for motorists for monitoring their tyres:

P – Performance. You can monitor the state of your tyres through observation of the performance of your vehicle; grip, handling and fuel economy will all be improved with correct tyre care.
A – Air pressure. It is essential that you check your tyre pressures on a regular basis for maximum performance. Low tyre pressure can cause increased fuel consumption as well as making them more susceptible to damage.
C – Condition. Inspect tyres for any cuts, bulges, uneven wear or objects embedded in the tread.
T – Tread depth. Monitoring your tyres’ tread is essential for safety, particularly on wet roads. Check that your tread depth is not below the legal minimum of 1.6mm, although it is worth considering getting them replaced if they are below 3mm.

According to research carried out by the Highway's Agency 53% of people carry out regular checks on their tyres.

Affordable Self Driving Cars Within Three Years?

Mobileye technology in use (from Youtube)

An article in popsci magazine based on a report in the New York Times suggests that affordable self-drive cars will be commonplace within three years.   The Google self-drive car is the one that has made all the news but it is expensive. Now another company, Isreal-based Mobileye Vision Technologies is developing a similar car but for less.

Mobileye is responsible for the intelligent autopilot in cars today such as Volvo's bicyclist-avoiding system. The mobileye system uses video cameras instead of the much more expensive Google technology lidar. A system due out  later this year will be able to take control during stop-and-go traffic.

Times reporter John Markoff said that compared to the Google car the prototype self-driving system from Mobileye seemed more limited and less trustworthy but more likely to be the technology taken up by car owners in the next few years.

Are computers going to take over our cars?

An article out today in Scientific American says that "Americans will soon be able to surf the internet, hold a video call and connect with friends on social media all via the dashboard of their car while sitting in the driver's seat. Further down the road, no one may need to be in the driver's seat at all."

Cars are now using a combination of Wi-Fi, GPS, cameras, radar and sensors (what is broadly called intelligent transportation systems, or ITS) to talk to each other, smartphones and intersections and to think for themselves. 

According to the article advances in in-vehicle technology could save lives or create a whole new set of distractions. 

Peter Sweatman, director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute said "It's happening faster than you think"  during an interview at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's annual meeting and exposition last month in Nashville, Tenn.

Technologies that allow vehicles to park, operate in traffic and brake without any input from the driver have already been developed by car makers such as Volvo, Audi, Ford, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.

Google's driver-less cars are already taking employees to work on California's highways and they are legal to operate in Nevada and Florida. Google reckons the cars could increase road safety and reduce wasted commuting time and energy and reduce the number of cars on the road by 90%. Production models of such cars could be on sale by as early as 2020 according to some estimates.

"When we see this convergence of connected and automated vehicles, it's going to be a revolution," Sweatman said. "We're going to be in a situation where we don't just get a small percentage improvement in things like safety, fuel efficiency, emissions, traffic flow and so on, we're going to see order of magnitude changes."

The Department of Transportation in America believes connected vehicles could greatly improve road safety.

"Having vehicles connected to each other and connected to the infrastructure, we believe, is going to make a dramatic improvement on safety," Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said in an interview.

Record Breaking Walking Bus Event

On Wednesday 12 June 2013 thousands of kids will march for road safety from their school gates in the annual Giant Walking Bus. This brilliant event raises awareness of the dangers of traffic and helps raise funds for road safety charity Brake's work to improve road safety and care for road crash victims. Every year they try to beat their own record for the biggest walking bus!

Kids take part in this giant march for a giant reason: to say no to driving fast, and yes to walking! The UK has a poor record for protecting children on foot compared to many of our European neighbours. Half our kids are driven to school, increasing pollution and danger, and affecting health. It doesn't matter if your march has five kids or 500, you can make a difference. All schools taking part get a free resource pack to help them promote road safety.
Register your interest now. Have a look at these great pictures of other schools taking part.
Here are Brake's three giant reasons to march...

 1/ Great summer term project
In the days leading up to your march, kids can research traffic pollution and danger and transport choices, and make their own 'slow down' and 'get walking' placards and other creative materials such as leaflets and posters. It's a great way to meet safety and citizenship goals and promote your travel plan or healthy or eco school status.

2/ Slow down drivers and get kids walking
Your march (in a crocodile of supervised kids, holding hands on safe pavements, or around your grounds) gives kids a voice, helping them tell drivers to slow down and look out for people on foot. We can help you get publicity for your march through local media, and promote the event in your newsletter or website, to get the road safety message out as widely as possible in your area.

3/ Help bereaved families 
Kids can be sponsored to take part, helping fund Brake's campaigns and services for families bereaved and injured by road crashes. We give you sponsorship envelopes and certificates to say thank you.
Register your interest for 2013 online, call us on 01484 559909 or email walkingbus@brake.org.uk.

Bright Days for British Summer Time

Organisations urged to go bright for Brake as British Summer Time begins

Being bright, safe and seen is not just for dark, winter nights. As British Summer Time begins, employers, community groups, and other organisations are being encouraged to run a Bright Day in support of safer roads, as part of an initiative by Brake, the road safety charity, and partner Autoglass®.

Bright Days aim to remind drivers to slow down and watch out for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly around homes and schools. The call comes as Brake and British cycling today (28 March) published a survey of 1,000 cyclists revealing that nine in 10 (88%) think traffic is too fast on roads in their area and an overwhelming 98% said more should be done to make local streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

 The survey also revealed:

• Safer roads would encourage people to cycle more: 46% would cycle more local journeys, 44% would cycle more for leisure or exercise and 40% would cycle more to work, given safer local routes
• Seven in 10 (68%) say widespread 20mph limits are needed in their area to make cycling and walking safer.

When asked in 2012, nearly two thirds (65%) of British Cycling members said reducing residential speed limits to 20mph would reduce injuries to cyclists.

Brake and British Cycling today said that introducing 20mph limits in towns and cities alongside improvements to existing road design would help produce more safe cycling routes to deliver a legacy of healthy, active, green communities where everyone can cycle and walk without being endangered. They are also calling on drivers everywhere to do their bit to make roads safer, by slowing down, giving space to cyclists and looking out for people on bike and foot.

Brake and British Cycling are part of GO 20, a coalition of 11 charities and organisations calling for: more local authorities to implement 20mph limits across towns, cities and villages; the government to work towards 20mph being the norm in all our communities; and drivers to pledge to GO 20 around homes, schools and shops.

Since November 2012 when the GO 20 campaign launched, significant progress has been made for GO 20 across the UK. The UK government and Welsh Assembly both recently moved to encourage more 20mph limits in England and Wales, especially where lots of people do or might walk or cycle. Transport for London also recently announced a raft of safe cycling measures in London. Read Brake's reaction to the Department for Transport, Welsh Assembly, and TfL announcements. On a Bright Day, people wear bright and high-visibility clothing and raise money for Brake. Brake offers guidance on promoting road safety messages as part of the event, and can promote Bright Days to local media to raise awareness about road safety in the wider community. Last year hundreds of organisations, schools and community groups across the UK ran a Bright Day and together raised more than £17,000 for Brake.

What Mattters Most... Seeing the Cyclist

What Matters Most is a new publicity campaign focusing on the needs, concerns and safety of cyclists.

The campaign highlights the many distractions that can lead to drivers failing to concentrate fully on the road ahead and other road users. The aim of the campaign is to enable all road users to gain a greater appreciation of each other’s habits, obligations, and needs on the road.

The campaign website and social media will provide extensive information and advice for drivers and cyclists. See their tips section for 'What cyclists want drivers to know and 'What drivers want cyclists to know'.


Tim Philpot, chair of Road Safety GB Mercia (Midlands, England) the team behind the campaign, said:

“Many modern vehicles have satellite navigation, air conditioning, electronically adjustable settings for everything and an entertainment system as sophisticated as anything at home. Add to this a mobile phone, drinks, snacks and other paraphernalia in the vehicle and it is hardly surprising that drivers allow themselves to be distracted.

Everyone should be concentrating on the road, other traffic, and people around them.
A significant proportion of collisions occur when someone makes a simple error or a poor decision just before impact. How guilty would anyone feel if they caused serious injury or loss of life, only because they glanced at a text, failed to look properly at a junction, or grabbed a sandwich on the move?”

The campaign is endorsed by the national cycling charity, CTC. For more information see the What Matters Most campaign website.

Employers urged to help drivers ‘tune in’ to road safety in national Road Safety Week

Road Safety Week, the UK’s biggest road safety event, will take place 18-24 November 2013 and will appeal to everyone to tune in to road safety and avoid distractions to help save lives. The charity Brake, which coordinates the Week, is encouraging employers to get the date in their diary now and get inspiration from the Road Safety Week website for life-saving ways to get involved.

Road Safety Week – now in its 17^th year – is supported by headline sponsors Specsavers and Romex. Focusing on the main theme of ‘tune in’, this year Brake will be working with partners around the UK to raise awareness of the importance of everyone giving the road their full attention – particularly at the wheel, but also when walking, cycling, skating, running, or anything else – to keep themselves and each other safe. Read more.

Road Safety Week is a great time for organisations to run awareness-raising activities to promote a road safety culture among staff, or launch policies and initiatives aimed at reducing crashes or promoting sustainable travel. It’s also a chance for organisations to engage the community in road safety as part of CSR activities, and publicise their commitment to safer roads. Read about 2012 organisation activities.

Organisations getting involved can focus their activities on any road safety topic, but Brake is particularly calling on employers to get behind the ‘tune in’ message, especially by urging drivers to switch off phones before driving and keep focused on the critical task at hand.

Organisations can access free resources and advice to help them take part by going to www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk, clicking on ‘organisations’ for initial ideas, and registering for a free e-action pack (sent from August). This includes downloadable posters, plus advice and case studies of how other organisations have taken part.

Brake is also urging organisations with staff who drive for work to make use of low-cost guidance from Brake’s Fleet Safety Forum the run up to the Week and year-round to develop effective fleet safety practices. Various Fleet Safety Forum events offer best practice advice between now and the Week. Joining the Forum means big event discounts plus regular guidance briefings, resources and news.

Brake deputy chief executive Julie Townsend says: “Last year hundreds of organisations got involved in Road Safety Week, running a range of activities to promote life-saving awareness among staff, customers and the community. We hope to see even more taking part this year, because organisations can make a big difference in promoting responsible road use and preventing terrible crashes and casualties. Plus organisations can really benefit from getting involved – by getting fleet safety and sustainable travel initiatives off to a flying start, educating employees on keeping safe, and gaining positive publicity.

“This year we’re particularly appealing to employers to help get the vital message out about tuning in to road safety and avoiding distractions at the wheel. The Road Safety Week website is full of ideas: log on to register for an e-action pack and start considering how you’ll get involved to help save lives.”

Paul Carroll, director of professional services at Specsavers, says: ‘Every year Road Safety Week is a great platform to bring attention to how vital it is to stay vigilant and focussed when on the road. For the past decade we’ve worked closely with Brake to raise awareness of the importance of regular sight tests and wearing correct prescription eyewear when driving.’