Given the high number of road deaths around the world (~1.2million fatalities/year globally and ~34K in the US alone), we can definitely use something like this to get the kids ready for the road .. It is quite funny with all the innuendos and not-so-subtle references to sex-ed. (BTW, looking at the number of hits the video has garnered on YouTube, I couldn’t help but wish the safety videos from Govt and other non.profit organizations enjoy this level of attention).
This is vintage gold. The Chevy sponsored short film below helps show road safety from 1930s. Chevrolet also tries to convince us the new safety features of their latest cars make them the safest place to be, showing dramatic accidents to prove their point! Interestingly, the traffic fatalities statistics shows that cars were not actually the safest places to be in that era. There were 34,494 fatalities recorded in 1935 in the United States, which had a population of 127 million at that time. With 228 billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and adjusted fatalities per 100,000 population 27.1, was not an ideally safe environment for travel by car. In comparison, today we have about 34,000 deaths for a population of 314 million, with an VMT of 2,954 billion and adjusted fatalities per 100,000 at 10.833. Thankfully the technology has come a long way to make the cars safer and we have a few more options than a Chevy to look to for a safer ride. Nonetheless it is pretty cool to see how things were back in the day.
How bad is the road safety problem across the planet? Pretty bad. The global road death toll has already reached 1.24 million per year and is on course to triple to 3.6 million per year by 2030. In “Roads Kill,” The Washington Post joins with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to bring stories from around the world about this neglected but easily curable public health crisis.
I’d like to take a leaf from the AdCouncil’s buzzed driving campaign and reiterate a key safety message, just in time as the holiday season is kicking up into a higher notch. The holidays are a time to celebrate with friends and family. But it’s also a time to make sure you are keeping safe the ones you love. Whether you’re at a family holiday gathering, a New Year’s Eve bash, or driving around with your little ones, many of our social plans will involve driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the winter holiday season (December 26th to New Year’s Eve) has one of the highest incidences of drunk driving fatalities.
A few alarming stats:
During last year’s holiday season alone, 830 lives were lost in drunk driving crashes.
Last year, deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers increased 4.6 percent, taking 10,322 lives compared to 9,865 in 2011.
Buzzed driving can cost around $10,000 in fines, legal fees and increased insurance rates.
Ring in the New Year safely and plan ahead and designating a sober driver before they go out this year.
Be safe out on the roads. Encourage your friends and family to avoid driving buzzed.
In a country with nearly 300 million vehicles and an equal number (or more?) of mobile devices distracted is fast becoming a big issue. this infographic by IFA Auto Insurance, designed to raise public awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, shows you how the extent of the problem, the consequences, etc. Worth sharing with your peers.
Image Courtesy: IFA Auto Insurance via Business2Community.com
Not sure what happened to this motorcyclist to create such a ruckus on the street. But one thing is damn clear – he/she is not fit to operate a motor vehicle, EVER. Ridiculous!
Here is a neat infographic that shows the benefits of moving towards autonomous vehicles.. Though some of the statistics seen in the graphic are old and needs revision (esp. fatality numbers, which continues to see a steady decline every year), it still reminds you of the sheer size and scope of the problems we encounter in the current scenario of human-piloted vehicles. Oh, Google Cars is not the only game in town when it comes to autonomous vehicles. Not anymore. Most auto OEMs are ramping up their research to make sure they remain relevant when Google’s project materializes. That said, the transportation systems that are currently developed for the coming decade looks quite promising!
Every year, the United States spends billions in medical, road-repair and vehicle costs due collisions between vehicles and animals, not to mention the trauma of all of the human and animal lives that are lost. But is anything being done about this problem? The professionals use their expertise to help shrink the number of animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) and the resulting horrific consequences. This infographic gives some background on the problem of AVCs and presents some of the solutions currently deployed to mitigate this growing problem.
How do you teach a disrespectful driver about road safety? Rotary Club from the city of Blumenau, Brazil, started a campaign aimed at drivers who don’t respect crosswalks. And here is the outcome:
