Category Archives: Safety

Sleepy Drivers

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Ophadell Williams, right, the driver of a bus that crashed last year, killing 15 passengers, sat with his lawyer Patrick L. Bruno at the start of his trial in September (NY Times).

In a study published this week in the British Journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers in Australia and New Zealand report that sleep deprivation can have some of the same hazardous effects as being drunk.  Getting less than 6 hours a night can affect coordination, reaction time and judgment, they said, posing “a very serious risk.”  The study also said 16 to 60 percent of road accidents involve sleep deprivation.  Currently, a Bronx prosecutor is trying to convict Ophadell Williams of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for falling asleep at the wheel of a bus that crashed and killed 15 passengers.

No state has laws regarding how much sleep one must get before they can drive making this a tough case for the prosecutor.  However, if there were laws on this subject, how many hours of sleep is insufficient to drive; 4 hours of sleep, 6 hours of sleep, or how about 18 hours in a 3 day period.  It is grey area in respect to making a law for it.

Hypothetically speaking, if a law was present there would be a problem with determining if one is actually sleep deprived or not.  There are no conclusive tests in the field that a police officer can use that determines whether an individual is sleep deprived similar to doing a BAC test for a suspected drunk driver.

In retrospect, this is becoming an increasing problem for the safety of motorists.  About one in five adults according to the American Academy of Sleep Deprivation do not get enough sleep.  This presents an extreme danger on the road.  However, how are we to get around this?  Americans are always in a hurry and tend to put sleep on the bottom of their priority list.  I know I do as a college student.   Coffee seems to be the solution to temporarily solve this quagmire, but does not do the job all the time.

I think we should consider such laws on our books only if we can reasonably assess what amounts to sleep deprivation; it must not be ambiguous.  This will stop catastrophic accidents that Mr. Williams is supposedly responsible for and like in this video of a bus driver that fell asleep and hit many cars in front.

Source 1: http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-20/health/sleep.deprivation_1_sleep-deprivation-impairment-researchers?_s=PM:HEALTH

Source 2: http://www.aasmnet.org/resources/factsheets/sleepdeprivation.pdf

 

My New York Drivers Test

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I have been a strong advocate in the classroom to create stricter driver license examinations.  Getting a licence in New York required taking a multiple choice test with 20 questions, a five hour class on driving (it was actually 3 hours) and a five minute driving test.  That may sound like a lot to study for, but the most difficult thing to do is to have the time during your busy day to do it all.  As a college student, I am more concerned about the content of the classes and the exams, but for obtaining a driver license that was not an issue.

I over-studied for the testing components to obtain my license.  The multiple choice was relatively straightforward; I only had to get 16 questions right.  On the other hand, I was more worried about the driving component; making turns properly, stopping at a stop sign, and especially parallel parking. When the test began, I put my left turn blinker on and pulled out of the parking spot I was in.  I drove down the road, made a left turn and pulled up next to the only parked car on the street.  I parallel parked behind the car and then drove on.  I made a three point turn and returned to the lot where we started.  I was yelled at for making the right turn turn too fast.  My instructor had a short temper, that’s for sure.

I passed on my first try!  However, after the test, I thought to myself that was easier than I had previously thought.  I didn’t even drive on a main road with other traffic, I didn’t merge on to an expressway and I did not parallel park in a spot where there are two cars.  How is the state suppose to know whether you can do the aforementioned maneuvers and many others? My father helped me out with the rest, but I can say from experience, many people don’t know what they are doing on the road and that contributes to less safe conditions.

One study pointed out that many Americans who are licensed don’t really know what it means when there is a solid yellow line on one side of the center line or what type of lights to use when driving in the fog. (No passing and use your low beams.)  These were multiple choice questions for the New York exam.

Testing should be done every so often to make sure that drivers are competent.  I would even consider raising the driving age or make driver exams more arduous.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/states-worst-best-drivers-test/story?id=10790148#.ULL7V4dX0Uw

New Laws On the Books for NYC’s Commercial Cyclists

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New York City has many great restaurants and hot spots for people to get the best cuisine or get it delivered.  The next time you see a person on a bike delivering you food they must have completed a training course for safe cycling in the city.  This is an unprecedented move to regulate cyclists in the city who at most times do unsafe things such as running red lights, and going the wrong way on a street.

Starting in January, 2013, commercial delivery cyclists will have to where helmets, safety vests, and abide all moving and safety rules.   They would also have to carry an ID stating the business they work for.  The business they work for would fit the bill for any safety violation while the cyclist would fit the bill for any moving violation. New York City is cracking down on bicycle law breakers as it poses a safety risk to pedestrians, motorists and to the cyclists themselves.

The New York City Department of Transportation has hired six inspectors to inform local businesses of the new rules and to make sure they are prepared for them this coming January.

 

Source: http://transportationnation.org/2012/09/27/bike-inspectors-go-door-to-door-in-nyc-telling-delivery-cyclists-to-toe-the-line/

Source: http://transportationnation.org/2012/10/25/commercial-cyclist-legislation-now-law-in-new-york/

“Smart Highways” will glow in the dark, plus a lot more

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Glow-in-the-Dark Pavement Markings which would improve vision and safety at night.

What if a highway had luminescent markings that absorbed sunlight during the day and can shine during the night.  What if a highway had little pinwheels on the side of the road that generated electricity due to drafts by passing cars.  What if a highway had a lane that charged electric vehicles that drive in a designated lane.  These are only some the futuristic concepts made by Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure, a Dutch design firm.

Electric Vehicle Charging Lane which will encourage people to leave the combustion engine automobiles.

They say that this is the future of roads instead of just sitting their doing nothing.  However,  I cannot help, but think that the cost alone will be a huge disadvantage as well as the extreme maintenance needed.  I would love to see these concepts implemented one day.  Check out this linkfor more future plans for roads.

 

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/smart-highways/24836/

Electricity Generating Pinwheels will generate electricity and light the road in front of the vehicle at night.

 

Coordinated Traffic Signals

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Green lights at consecutive intersections. The next red light in the distance will soon change green to permit vehicles to go.

Cities all over the world, no matter how different, have one problem that they have in common.  That is congestion.  A very easy and cost effective way to decrease congestion and keep traffic moving in the most efficient way is to coordinate signals.  This means that every signal as a motorist drives down a stretch of road will turn green depending on the amount of time it takes to reach the next signal or by the amount of congestion that is detected by the signal.

The time corresponds to whatever the speed limit is on the street which increases safety.  If a motorist drives faster than the speed limit he will hit a red light and stop.  This deters motorists from driving faster than the speed limit.  Manhattan has excellent examples of coordinated traffic signals on its one way north/south avenues.  You can go as much as two miles (roughly 40 streets) without stopping in the best conditions which is excellent for congested Manhattan.

However, I feel that this concept should be applied everywhere including outside of the the center city.  Why not Queens and Brooklyn or Northampton Street in Easton, PA?  I feel like this is a concept that is ideal for the motorist and the pedestrian.  One may argue that the traffic on these roads do not warrant coordinated signaling which is expensive.  However, if you look at an environmental standpoint, the amount of pollution that would be reduced is incredible.  If you look at an efficiency standpoint, people arrive at their destinations faster.  And when people arrive to their destinations faster, there are less vehicles on the streets contributing to a decrease in congestion.

Pittsburgh has implemented successfully a highly intelligent traffic signal system that is shortening commuter times while reducing emissions on congested city streets.  It resulted in a 40 percent reduction in vehicle wait time, 26 percent reduction in car travel time and a 21 percent cut in vehicle emissions.  That is awesome!  Why not do this in every city or on every major corridor?  Perhaps one day.

Source: http://www.popcitymedia.com/innovationnews/smartsignals09262012.aspx?utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Finally%2C+a+traffic+light+that+reduces+po

Transportation State of Emergency

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Flooded entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

The New York governor declared an unprecedented transportation state of emergency forthe downstate New York City area.  This is a result of Hurricane Sandy flooding many automobile and train tunnels.  The hurricane caused a large portion of the NYC subway to close.  This resulted in a colossal amount of people driving to work causing massive gridlock in the center city which created a very dangerous situation.  The governor waived fees for rail, subways, and buses to encourage more people to take public transport.  The following link leads to a video describing the state of New York City and its transportation system.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/49632950#49632950

Inflatable Plug in a test tunnel.

It is sad to see that New York’s transportation system is crippled by weather.  I understand that it was an unprecedented storm, but I feel that the system should be designed to withstand storms of this magnitude.  What ever happened to the flood gates or other alternatives that were supposed to be installed?  That could have stopped flooding in tunnels as the following link to an article suggests.  This article explains the use of a inflatable plug for tunnels and how could have prevented the disaster in New York City.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/31/us/new-york-subway-plugs/index.html

Increasing Speed Limits in Texas

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A new toll road is slated to open this November in Texas to relieve the congestion on the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio.  The speed limit on that road will be 85mph which is now the highest in the country.  It was formally 80mph until Governor Rick Perry of Texas signed a bill to raise the speed limit.  Many drivers like this development because they can now reach their destination faster.

However, are we thinking more about drivers’ convenience rather than safety?  There is clear research that states as speeds increase, fatalities increase.  A 2009 report in the American Journal of Public Health studied traffic fatalities in the U.S. from 1995 to 2005 and found that more than 12,500 deaths were attributable to increases in speed limits on all kinds of roads.

So what is the ideal speed limit then? If we decrease it, there are less fatalities and more driver frustration.  If we increase it, it is the opposite.  I am fine with the speed limit increase.  As a driver I feel that speed limits are lower than what they should be.  If a road is designed to do 85mph, then why not let drivers drive at that speed?

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120906/us-texas-speed-limit/)

How Old is Too Old to Drive?

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There is a silent debate going on about whether there should be an age limit on driving.  This is stemmed from an overwhelming amount of accidents caused by senior drivers.  A recent report by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found the rate of deaths involving drivers 75 to 84 is about three per million miles driven – on par with teen drivers. Once they pass age 85, vehicular fatality rates jump to nearly four times that of teens.

Crash scene of the incident where the age 101 driver hit 11 people.

Every now and then there will be a report on the news about a senior driver being responsible for a car crash.  Last month, A driver who will turn 101 in September backed out of a parking lot near an elementary school in Los Angeles, plowing into 11 people, including nine children.

Should there be age limits on driving?  I would say yes and no.  I think that as we age we should be tested every now then.  I don’t know what the time period should be between tests, but I feel that we need to be more proactive about these kinds of things.  Currently, once you get a license, you will forever have one (unless you broken laws).  That means one can go for 50 years or more without taking another test to make sure they can drive.  That’s crazy!

But does this infringe on the privilege that people have to drive?  What do you think?

(http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/08/30/how-old-is-too-old-to-drive/)

(http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/100-year-old-driver-hits-children-17113689)