Road Safety News and Links - Vehicle Safety and Environment

Road Safety Web Links - Australia and the World

Vehicle Design & Research Pty Ltd

Contents

Quick links to current vehicle safety priorities
Road safety news + News links.
Green automotive news. +Greenhouse news
NCAP Crash Tests and other Consumer Sites
VDRs reports on the Web
Government, Motoring Organisations
Vehicle Safety, Conferences, ITS, Magazines, Manufacturers, More Links.
Road Users, Bicycles
Consultants/Universities
Driving Tips
Safety for kids
Index of this web site
I also have an interest in planetary collisions - the ultimate crash test for civilisation! And tsunami.

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Publication Notes
No glitz, hype or ads! This page is designed for easy and quick updating by me and fast loading by you. It uses plain and simple HTML and, unlike most fancy web pages these days, it will be cached in your Browser so don't hestitate to use the Back button. Also you wont see that annoying Javascript banner "Creating Hierarchical Menus..." while waiting for a non-caching page to be created on the fly. When 99% of Internet users are on broadband/cable I might consider fancier pages! Page started 1999.

April 2003: Now using an Apple iMac running Macintosh OS X - brilliant. No more Windows crashes.

Broken links? There are hundreds of links on this page, some dating back to the 1990s. Unfortunately there seem to be hundreds of reasons why IT departments want to change webpage addresses. My apologies if links no longer work.

June 2008: Most links moved to a new page to reduce page sizes.

Quick links to my vehicle safety priorities:

Each of these vehicle-safety initiatives has the potential to markedly reduce casualties in relevant accidents. Graphs are from several conference presentations.

Speed control devices for vehicles. Half of all road fatalities occur at impact speeds under 55km/h. Inappropriate speeds are just as dangerous as high speeds.

Presentation to Staysafe 13 Oct 03 (800K pdf).
Prese ntation on speed control and DRLs at WHO road safety day (7 Apr 04) (700K PDF).
Jul 06: SpeedAlert - PDA or mobile phone displays speed zones and alerts driver to speeding and school zones - Sydney region.
Question: Half of all fatal car accidents occur at or below what impact speed?
I n-vehicle Intelligent Speed Advisory Systems - pre-print of paper for the 20th International Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles. March 2007 (1Mb PDF)
What's hot in road safety -vehicles that obey the speed limits (1Mb PDF) - presentation based on ESV paper
7 May 09 SpeedAlert: Would you like to help us Beta trial one of the most revolutionary Speed Limit Awareness software products in Australia?

Review of the world's first passive ISA sat-nav device with a national speed limit database - the Navig8r M35 with SpeedAlert™ Passive Intelligent Speed Assist. 99% of the time I do NOT need a navigator map. 100% of the time I DO need speed limit information.This little unit displays the speed limit and beeps if you creep over the speed limit by more than 5km/h. It has a SpeedAlert mode where only speed limit information is displayed and no map - reducing distraction. The built-in speed limit database covers most populated areas of Australia. Update: Just tried out an M35 in Canberra, which has confusing speed limits. It worked very well and saved a lot of stress.

Child restraints (comprehensive research reports available online). PROTECTING CHILDREN IN CAR CRASHES: THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE - ESV03. [Australian] National Transport Commission: Stronger laws for the safer restraint of children + Report out for public comment. A Safe Ride Height Line for Child Car Occupants
Daytime running lights (DRL) - the latest designs of dedicated front lights are very promising. The instant you see headlights at night you know that a vehicle is approaching. DRLs work in the same way during the day - separating an approaching vehicle from visual clutter. DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS FOR MOTORCYCLES - ESV05
Driveway safety - the danger to young children from reversing vehicles (not just SUVs). THE DANGER TO YOUNG PEDESTRIANS FROM REVERSING MOTOR VEHICLES - ESV03
Choosing safer vehicles for young drivers - discussion paper, updated Nov 05(PDF) "... about half of the young drivers who died in a vehicle that is in the least safe group would be alive today if they had been driving a vehicle from the safest group" Putting this another way: Of the 3000 young drivers or passengers (17-25) who are expected to die on Australian roads during the next decade, at least 600 would survive if they were in a safer vehicle. In effect, this is the difference between a 2 or 3 star ANCAP rating and a good 4 star or 5 star rating.

RTA brochure: Young Driver Safety - has tips about safer vehicles
"When it comes to the crunch" 6MB Quicktime movie of a presentation to high school students showing how physics can be used to understand car crashes.
Enco uraging the Purchase of Safer Vehicles - series of reports prepared for West Australian Government

ESV05 paper: THREE POINT SEAT BELTS ON COACHES - THE FIRST DECADE IN AUSTRALIA NTC Oct 07: Seatbelt retrofit Code for safer buses - A voluntary guideline will protect bus owners and the public against sub-standard seatbelt retrofit practices. See also this report on retrofitting s eat belts to buses
ESV05 paper: Side Impacts and Improved Occupant Protection (some results of recent ANCAP pole tests). Presentation at Renault Road Safety Seminar in Sydney, March 2005: It's Curtains (and ESC) for Rollovers.(2Mb PDF).
Electronic stability control - review of research and regulations - prepared for NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, 2005. Copy now on ChooseESC website. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries: List of Australian vehicles with Electronic Stability Control (updated URL)
Apr 06: Talk by colleague Michael Griffiths on these topics.

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News

Send news tip offs. Manufacturers - if you have some good news please submit it. The media reports tend to concentrate on negative issues.

Automotive Safety News

Green Automotive News

1 Jul 09 AAP: Caution: A comment on Alena Erke's red light for red-light cameras? A meta-analysis of the effects of red-light cameras on crashes + Cross-cultural differences in drivers’ speed choice + A new method for assessing the risk of accident associated with darkness.
30 Jun 09 ESV: A Safe Ride Height Line for Child Car Occupants
30 Jun 09 IIHS: Sustaining Real World Safety through Innovative Technologies.
23 Jun 09 Drive: Stability control compulsory in 2011 [for Australia] - see also this 2005 review
11 Jun 09 Drive: Motorists sold short on safety + ANCAP media release
10 Jun 09 ESV21 abstracts now online.
10 Jun 09 IIHS: Audi Q5 earns Top Safety Pick award
10 Jun 09 New Scientist: Parasite may increase your odds of an auto accident.
9 Jun 09 CARHS (BAsT): NHTSA: Department of Transportation doubles Roof Strength Standard for Light Vehicles in 2012 - The new regulation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will double the current roof strength requirement for light vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds. It specifies that both the driver and passenger sides of the roof must be capable of withstanding a force equal to three times the weight of the vehicle. The current standard calls for roofs to withstand 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle, applied to one side of the roof, for light vehicles up to 6,000 pounds. Heavier vehicles from 6,000 to 10,000 pounds, which have never been regulated, must now have both sides of the roof capable of withstanding a force equal to 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle. The phase-in schedule, which begins in September 2012, will be completed for all affected vehicles by the 2017 model year. NHTSA Media Release. NHTSA Rulemaking PDF + Rollover page
5 Jun 09 Drive: A smashing sort of career.
28 May 09 Victorian Minister for Roads: NEW NATIONAL SAFETY LAWS TO BETTER PROTECT KIDS IN CARS (background here)
22 May 09 ABC: Passengers injured in bus roll-over in WA's north.
20 May 09 NZ Herald: Crash-test results prompt ACC warning over vans' poor safety
20 May 09 The Age: Motor industry slams speed-curbing trial - but see Speed limiting trials in Australia - "the claim is somewhat hypocritical given that cruise control has been in use on vehicles for many years and forces the vehicle to
travel at a minimum speed unless there is driver intervention. "
19 May 09 Daily Telegraph: NSW plan for speed limiters in all cars.
17 May 09 Herald Sun: Risky ride for 70,000 students (see also SCHOOL BUS SEAT BELTS: THEIR FITMENT, EFFECTIVENESS AND COST)
14 May 09 Transport Briefing: TfL urges sat-nav makers to embrace ISA technology (like the Navig8r M35)
12 May 09 Drive: Holden’s new Cruze scores five stars for safety + Goauto: Holden cruises to five stars.
12 May 09 BBC: Speed limit device tested on bus + Autocar: Speed limiter tests in London
11 May 09 ACRS: Heavy Vehicle Transport Safety and Fatigue Risk Management Workshop - Sydney 20 May 2009. Contact: Dr Teresa Senserrick
Telephone: +61 2 9657 0323
11 May 09 Times: Speed-curbed cars launched in Government trial + Taxis and buses face automatic speed limiting + Telegraph: Speed-restricted car: a review.
7 May 09 SpeedAlert: Would you like to help us Beta trial one of the most revolutionary Speed Limit Awareness software products in Australia? (mobile phone speed limit advisory system)
7 May 09 IIHS: In-Vehicle Monitoring and the Driving Behavior of Teenagers
+ WHEN PARENTS ARE WATCHING (but no mention of non-US ISA trials).
6 May 09 IIHS: IIHS submits comment to NHTSA concerning backover crashes (see Driveways for NSW technical standards, including Technical Specification No 149 Devices to assist in reducing the risk to young pedestrians from reversing motor vehicles (PDF from RTA))
2 May 09 Drive: Big Brother can track younger drivers (see Speed control - the Australian Speedshield product has this capability) + The pros and cons of technology + Digital detective: black boxes in cars.
29 Apr 09 Abstracts for 2009 Road Safety Research, Education and Policing Conference close this Friday!
25 Apr 09 Accident Analysis & Prevention, Volume 41, Issue 3, May 2009 (selection of abstracts $$)

Modeling drivers’ speed selection as a trade-off behavior
Evaluation of the static belt fit provided by belt-positioning booster seats
Pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed - Our results show far lower fatality risks than generally reported in the traffic safety literature. This discrepancy is primarily explained by sample bias towards severe injury accidents in earlier studies. Nevertheless, a strong dependence on impact speed is found, with the fatality risk at 50 km/h being more than twice as high as the risk at 40 km/h and more than five times higher than the risk at 30 km/h.
Seeing pedestrians at night: Visual clutter does not mask biological motion - in the presence of visual clutter pedestrians wearing biological motion configurations are recognized more often and at greater distances than when they wear a reflective vest.
Seat belt misuse among children transported in belt-positioning booster seats
Costs and benefits to Sweden of Swedish road safety research
The effectiveness of audio-tactile lane-marking in reducing various types of crash: A review of evidence, template for evaluation, and preliminary findings from Australia
The effects of perception of risk and importance of answering and initiating a cellular phone call while driving
A longitudinal study of the effectiveness of a multi-media intervention on parents’ knowledge and use of vehicle safety systems for children

21 Apr 09 New engineeering journal: International Journal of Vehicle Structures: Design, Analysis & Optimisation - call for papers.
21 Apr 09 New Scientist: Protecting pedestrians from killer cars (no mention of speed control!)
21 Apr 09 Drive: Bright idea to save lives (electronic tages for school children) + New blind-spot study reveals visibility dangers + Back-seat survivors: new NCAP test devised.
5 Apr 09 SMH: MP's mission to preach the [motorcycle] safety gospel - unique daytime running lights would be a good start!
26 Mar 09 RTA/ACRS: Abstract submissions for the 2009 Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference to be held in Sydney from 11 to 13 November are now open.
24 Mar 09 IIHS: Roof strength is focus of new rating system - 4 of 12 small SUVs evaluated earn top marks.
23 Mar 09 Drive: Holden looks for a safe bet with Cruze - Holden is expecting the new Cruze to be the first small car it sources from Korea to score the maximum five-star Australasian NCAP independent crash-test result.
23 Mar 09 Goauto: Car-makers applaud Victorian P-plate rule change.
19 Mar 09 F;eet News: Fleets will benefit from drop in speed limits (plans to cut the national speed limit from 60mph to 50mph)
14 Mar 09 Transport Canada: Canada proposes to make ESC compulsory on light vehicles starting on 1 September 2011.
10 Mar 09 ATZ Online ($): Development Strategy for Collision Warning Systems in the Low Price Segment + Toyota Adds Front-Side Pre-Crash System and Seatbacks to Safety Technologies + New rating to play starring role in improving car safety + Worldwide First All-LED Headlights for the Audi R8 (with integrated LED Daytime Running Lights).
10 Mar 09 SMH Drive: Driven to distraction - a big advantage of the Navig8r sat-nav is that it can be operated in SpeedAlert mode, with no map displayed to distract the driver.
10 Mar 09 Wikipedia: 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE'
7 Mar 09 IIHS: Status Report 44-2 - Crashes in the real world don't always mirror tests, so new frontal tests merit exploration; Frontal crash case files illustrate 5 important configurations; Having improved compatibility, automakers disband cooperative effort to address this issue; Frontal airbags reportedly failed to inflate, but Institute researchers found errors in the way crash data sometimes are reported
7 Mar 09 Traffic Tecnology Today: TRL consortium unveils Sentience vehicle (thanks Tom Gibson)
5 Mar 09 The Citizen (UK): Lancashire drivers to test new 'road safety sat navs (ISA)
3 Mar 09 Goauto: Commodore wagon, International, Omega LPG join five-star list. ANCAP:
3 Mar 09 SpeedAlert Live! now beta testing - works on a mobile phone to keep you constantly up to date about fixed and variable speed limits.
27 Feb 09 Fleet News: Tougher five-star test regime introduced. Fleet managers who specify that all their new cars must have a five-star crash rating from EuroNCAP have been advised that a new stricter crash regime has been introduced...The power of the new scheme is already evident as two manufacturers who were threatened with a downgraded result decided to make ESC optional on all variants.
27 Feb 09 Euro NCAP: New rating to play starring role in improving car safety
25 Feb 09 Fleet News: Safety drops off fleet managers' radar.
20 Feb 09 New Scientist ($): Why the Survival Car died an early death (or "Over Niagara Falls in a barrel of spikes") - brilliant article about the early days of vehicle safety.
17 Feb 09 Goauto: Three stars for Ford, Suzuki work vans in crash test + ANCAP: Ford Transit, Suzuki APV, Volvo XC60.
15 Feb 09 Traffic Injury Prevention (abstract): The Need for Enhanced Protocols for Assessing the Dynamic Performance of Booster Seats in Frontal Impacts.
14 Feb 09 Drive: Volvo collides with ENCAP over testing.
13 Feb 09 BBC: Airbag jacket 'could save lives'
12 Feb 09 Chalmers Uni: Call for Abstracts - First International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention, 28‐29 September, 2009, Gothenburg, Sweden, Abstracts due 15 April, 2009 (thanks Mike Regan)
9 Feb 09 Canberra Times (reprint): A new attitude to speeding needed.
5 Feb 09 Drive: Volvo drivers get cheaper premiums thanks to safety technology + Germans get cash bonus to crush old cars
31 Jan 09 NHTSA: Notice of postponement of the implementation of enhancements to NCAP (thanks CARHS Training)
29 Jan 09 NHTSA: Not-in-Traffic Surveillance 2007 - Highlights [driveway and parking lot fatalities].
28 Jan 09 Fleet News: Managers must be aware of new [UK Health and Safety (Offences)] act + Analysis: Save lives – and money.
24 Jan 09 New Scientist: Invention: Sleepy driver sensor.
23 Jan 09 Goauto: Toyota luxury brand announces fuel line recall in US - No vehicles are affected in Australia by the recall, which involves Lexus IS250/350, GS300/350 and LS460/460L vehicles built between 2006 and 2008.
23 Jan 09 Consumer Reports: New rules will make [US] school bus rides safer (but see this report on retrofitting s eat belts to Australian buses )
11 Jan 08 Harvey Norman: M35 sat-nav with SpeedAlert passive ISA system now on sale for $148 - in my view, the best road safety investment that has ever been available, particularly when you are actually paying for an Australian navigation system!
9 Jan 09 Fleet Directory (UK): ISA should be the new ‘must have’ fleet safety feature, says Roadsafe.
7 Jan 09 FleetNews: ‘Thinking’ technology makes safety a priority.

Earlier road safety news

10 Jun 09 BBC: Road particles pose 'higher risk'
2 Jun 09 Goauto: Get serious on scrappage, says NZ car industry (see also Cash-for-Clunkers circa 1995!)
21 Apr 09 Drive: 'Fuel saving' products pulled in NSW + Australia could get electric car first.
28 Jan 09 Fleet News: Diesel engines add to Britain's poor air quality.
27 Jan 09 CNN: Obama and emissions: Right vs. smart.
27 Jan 09 Drive: Obama to let 14 states limit emissions.
23 Jan 09 BBC: Cleaner air 'adds months to life'
12 Jan 09 CNN: The new 50 mpg Prius.
2 Dec 08 NewSci ($): Whatever happened to the hydrogen economy?
1 Nov 08 New Scientist ($): Revamped lead-acid battery could slash cost of hybrids + How to get extreme milage from ordinary cars.
1 Oct 08 Aust Govt: Vehicle Fuel Efficiency public discussion paper - examines eight potential measures to encourage the uptake of more fuel efficient, low carbon emission vehicles. Comments close on 7 November 2008.
21 Aug 08 Drive SMH: Expert says car pooling would slash vehicle emissions.
15 Aug 08 The Australian:
Lawn mower and outboards new targets in emissions war (VDR contributed to the project)
14 Aug 08 AutoNews: Subaru factory helps brand's green image - first U.S. auto assembly plant to achieve zero landfill status
14 Aug 08 AI: China raises tax on big cars to cut pollution.
14 Aug 08 CNN: Cars that cut your gas bill in half.
11 Aug 08 Drive: Beware of dodgy fuel savers: NSW govt.
30 Jun 08 Detroit News: Calif. orders 'green' labels for new cars + Drivers paid to retire old cars + When pickup sales dived, automakers changed plans.
24 Jun 08 Consumer Reports: Guide to Driving Green.
23 Jun 08 Fleet News: High environmental cost of speeding drivers + Speed limit adherence saves fuel.
20 Jun 08 Fleet News: Home working takes off as fuel prices hit hard.
17 Jun 08 CNN: Honda hits the hydrogen highway.
15 Jun 08 Drive SMH: New finding links pollution to allergies.
10 Jun 08 Drive: Toyota to build Australia's first hybrid car.
4 Jun 08 SMH: GM slashes truck, SUV production as gasoline prices spike.
26 May 08 CNN: Bad news for Detroit is spelled MPG.
26 May 08 AI: Gasoline not the only rising cost for drivers.
1 May 08 CNN: Lose weight - and save gas!
1 May 08 NewSci: London congestion charge did not improve air quality.
26 Apr 08 CNN: Goodbye SUV, hello small cars.
7 Apr 08 AI: Quiet-running hybrid cars pose safety hazard.
13 Mar 08 CNN: The 8 most fuel-efficient cars
12 Mar 08 BBC: Pollution 'alters brain function' + Call to show car 'lifetime price'
12 Mar 08 CNN: Diesel cars: 7 worries, 7 answers + Six safe fuel savers (but relies on NHTSA NCAP for "safety" - also check IIHS)
4 Mar 08 NewSci: Souped-up battery prepares to slay the gas guzzlers
15 Feb 08 BBC: Five-seat concept car runs on air.
13 Feb 08 NewSci: Could smart traffic lights stop motorists fuming?
5 Feb 08 Fleet Owner: CARB workshops disclose regulatory direction (thanks Automotive Digest)
4 Feb 08 Detroit News: Fuel efficiency trumps auto woes in Calif . + Europe CO2 cuts will roil industry, consumers; but not the climate
4 Feb 08 BBC: EU 'should ban inefficient cars' + UK's first emissions zone begins
1 Feb 08 NewSci ($): Super-efficient car to green up the highway.
31 Jan 08 Amazon (books): Thrillcraft: The Environmental Consequences of Motorized Recreation ("wreckreational" vehicles) + Auto Mania: Cars, Consumers, and the Environment + Scientific American: ZOOM: THE GLOBAL RACE TO FUEL THE CAR OF THE FUTURE
30 Jan 08 New Scientist ($): How traffic pollution damages the heart.
4 Jan 07 New Scientist ($): Traffic fumes are still damaging children's brains. American Journal of Epidemiology: Association of Black Carbon with Cognition among Children in a Prospective Birth Cohort Study
2 Jan 08 BBC: Germans tighten car exhaust rules - Drivers now have to display a coloured sticker on their vehicle to enter the inner city zones. The colour depends on the pollutants the vehicle emits.

Earlier Green News.

Safety News Links

Yahoo Automotive News (mainly business items)
Auto.com.
NHTSA Press Releases Hot Spots and Recall List.
ETSC's CRASH Newsletter.
APBNews.
Fastlane.
UK AA Recall list
Australian recalls.
Scientific American Newsletters - mainly ITS - subscription required.
Choice - Australian recalls.
Press clippings from Pedestrian Council of Australia.
RACV Motoring News.
GoAuto News.
Driveandstayalaive news.
Automotive Digest (AD)
Auto Insider - Detroit Free Press
Consumer Reports - Consumers Union of US
Virtual Fleet Risk Management News- Will Murray.
InterRegs - regulation spotlight.

Green News Links

Greenhouse gases and climate change - news and links
Carlines - USA website with PDF reports
US EPA Mobile Sources.
California Air Resources Board including Buyer's Guide to Cleaner Cars.
STAPPA and ALAPCO - US gov agencies
UK Vehicle Certification Agency ‘New Car Fuel Consumption & Emission Figures’ and Press Release.
Green Guide to Cars and Trucks - US ACEEE
FISITA: Automotive Sustainability - Emissions
Comments about safety and environmental issues with SUVs.
Australian ABC Environmental News.
RACV: Cars and the environment
Environment Daily - transport items.
Natural Resources Canada: Fuel Consumption Guide.
NSW DEC Green Vehicles Guide.
NRMA Greensafe Car Profiler
www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au - Australian Government
Tax breaks for green cars:

Netherlands
Norway?
USA? (proposed)
Australia - NSW
Australia - Federal?

Van (People mover) Pooling cost comparison.
Share your ride - car pooling for backpackers
Wikipedia: Hubbert peak [oil] theory.

Consumer Information

NCAP Crash Test Results

new

For latest releases see news.

Master list of NCAP Offset crash tests from US, Europe, Japan and Australia - with links to more than 600 vehicles (well overdue for an update - please see links below for recent crash test results)
Vehicles that have earned 5 stars under the EuroNCAP protocols
Index of most launches by ANCAP, Euro NCAP, IIHS and JNCAP - when and where (PDF)

Australiasia

Australasian NCAP. Results are available at RACV (new-new URL!), NRMA and

http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/

[New] Archive of all published ANCAP datasheets (ANCAP_DATASHEETS) sorted by make and crash action shots (ANCAP_ACTIONSHOTS). All downloads are zipped automatically.
Also Choice have an ANCAP webpage and database(for subscribers).
NRMA Insurance: Greensafe Car Profiler.
Land Transport New Zealand + RightCar
Consumer.org.nz - New Zealand
ANCAP Assessment Notes. - clarification and variations to Euro NCAP Protocols.