Have you seen this video? It’s an extremely close call encounter with a deer by professional driver Ken Gushi as he’s shooting a Scion commercial in Northern California.
Category Archives: Safe Driving Tips
PA Bicycle Rules Change
On February 2, 2012, Governor Corbett signed House Bill 170 into law, making a few changes to the rules of the road concerning bicycles. PA’s new “Safe Passing” law is intended to protect bicyclists on the roads, and takes effect in 60 days. Here’s what you need to know about the new law.
- If you’re passing a bicyclist, you MUST leave at least 4 feet between your car and the bicycle, and you MUST pass at a reasonably reduced speed. In other words, slow down and leave plenty of room when passing a bike.
- As a car driver, you CANNOT interfere with the path of a bicyclist. This means you CANNOT pass a bicyclist and then immediately turn right in front of them. If you need to turn right, slow down and do so after the bike clears the intersection.
- As a bicyclist, you MUST keep your bike as close to the right edge of the road as possible to allow faster traffic to safely move around you.
Super Bowl Safe
This Sunday, February 5, the Giants take on the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. The game starts at 6:30PM and will air live on NBC. For those of you planning to have a few drinks during the game, or know someone who will, please make sure you’ve got a designated driver you can trust before the game starts.
In 2010, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 31 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities.
If football fans plan to drink during the Super Bowl, designating a sober driver can help increase the chance of avoiding an alcohol-impaired-driving crash.
Let’s be clear – drunk or buzzed driving is not an accident, and it certainly isn’t a victimless crime. 10,228 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 in which a driver had a B.A.C. over the legal limit.
There are just too many drivers out there who believe that having just a few drinks and getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is harmless. But numbers don’t lie. Drinking and driving can result in loss of life or serious injury. These not only affect the lives of the impaired driver but can affect other families as well.
When you choose to drink, drink responsibly, and pass your keys to a sober driver. Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is not worth the risk. If you know of someone who has been drinking and is planning to drive, please remember Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
Watch Those Snowplows
We’ve had our first snowstorm of 2012, but winter is far from over. Each year, many drivers and passengers are injured in collisions with snowplows. To reduce your risks, follow these basic tips:
- Use caution when approaching, following or passing a snowplow. They sometimes need to take evasive action to avoid stranded cars or roadside obstacles.
- When traveling behind a snowplow, allow a longer follow distance. Snowplows travel below the posted speed limit and may stop suddenly.
- Don’t brake suddenly in front of a snowplow. Like other trucks, they have a long stopping distance, and road conditions warranting a plow truck only make that worse.
- Don’t crowd a snowplow. Besides erratic manuevers and sudden stops, plows are also usually spreading anti-ice materials out the back. Keep your car a safe distance away – 200 feet should be plenty.
- Don’t travel next to a snowplow. Remember, they may need to shift left suddenly to avoid roadside obstacles.
- Check carefully before passing a snowplow. Figure out to which side it’s discharging the snow to avoid getting coated in debris and losing visibility. Remember, plows are generally larger than your car, and you may not be able to see all parts of the truck clearly.
Texting Kills PSA
Here’s a new video PSA about the dangers of texting while driving from the U.S. government:
What do you think?
Female Drunk Drivers On The Rise
According to a new study by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the number of female drivers arrested for drunk driving has more than doubled in the last twenty years.
In 1980, females accounted for just 9 percent of alcohol-related arrests. By 2004, that number increased to 20 percent.
The report recommends ways to make it easier for females to participate in treatment programs, including providing child care and single-gender programs.
From the report: “Since the increase in female drunk driving behavior first garnered
attention in the late 1980s6, there have been three main hypotheses regarding factors associated with this phenomenon. These explanations center on changes in female roles in society, changes in social norms, and changes in social control mechanisms.” You can read the full report here.
What do you think? Why is drunk driving among females on the rise?
Dangers of Distracted Driving: Jacy Good
Here’s a new video just released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in their “Faces of Distracted Driving” series. In this video, PA resident Jacy Good talks about how her parents were killed – and she was critically injured – on their way home from her graduation ceremony at Muhlenberg College when another driver collided with them while using his cell phone.
Australia’s DUI Campaign Pulls No Punches
In 1989, Australia’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) began airing television commercials featuring brutal collision footage in an effort to battle their DUI problem. The effort has clearly helped – the annual death toll is now half what it was when the ads began. Check out this compelling video, a haunting montage of 20 years of their ads, set to REM’s “Everybody Hurts”.
Faces Of Distracted Driving: Eric Okerblom
Here’s a reminder about the dangers of distracted driving…
Eric Okerblom, 19, was killed when he was struck head-on by a car doing 60 miles per hour. The driver of the oncoming car, a 16-year-old girl, was texting and didn’t realize her car had left its lane. She walked away, Eric didn’t. Video courtesy U.S. Department of Transportation.
Fatal Intersection Crashes Declining
A new study issued by the National Safety Council reports that fatal crashes at intersections with traffic lights decreased by 17% and fatal crashes at intersections involving red-light running decreased by 27% from 2005 to 2009.
The study analyzed fatal crash data in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, using statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“This report shows that we are making large strides as a nation in reducing crashes at intersections,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “However, despite the improvement there were still 12,396 fatal crashes at intersections with traffic lights, including 4,394 fatal intersection crashes involving red-light running during that five year period. While we are making progress, the 13,266 fatalities from these crashes remind us that we have much more to do. Each of us should consider these statistics and the measures we can take to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.”