On July 9th the CPSC held an ATV Safety meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

I was fortunate enough to attend and testify (with other ATV Supporters) in front of our Lt. Governor (Leman) and the CPSC chairman Hal Stratton. What became clear from the very start of this is that it isn't a banning type attack on ATV's at this point. What however should concern ATV'ers is that CPSC is being used by special interest groups (ANTI - ATV's) to conduct inquiries that in all honesty are NOT supported by statistical data for the most part and are nothing more than ungrounded attacks on ATV's. Here is why I believe this to be true. First during some of the presentations from the health organizations Stratton hinted to the statistics showing behavior problems more so than actual machinery type failures creating the accidents. Stratton went so far to say that the CPSC doesn't have the ability to regulate behavior, but that is exactly what needs to be done and the statistics prove this exact point. Not that I want this or you, but with the obvious lack of sense being used by parents and riders in general it may be the best way to get our sport out of the dog house by allowing States to regulate helmet use and other safety regulations? I have contacted the CPSC and they are sending me either minutes or taped sessions of the Anchorage meeting for me to post and or share with everyone as soon as it is available. Some of the interesting facts from this was that at a state and national level statistics showed that in approx. 19% of accidents involved alcohol and another 34% involved children under 16. Add in this a rate of NON-helmet wearing accidents accounted for another 30% and you can see where this is aiming. Again these are rough statistics and I will be able to confirm these once I get my tran from the CPSC. But it would be interesting to see the actual total amount of accidents caused by under age riders, alcohol, no helmet use and riding double compared to actual ATV mechanical failure! CPSC I would assume would be more interested in machinery failure and this is why it is clear they are being pressured by Antis to march on something that isnt statistically relevant or possibly even in the CPSCs scope of work, normally. It even became clear in this meeting that the ACTUAL machine (quads) are not the problem (go figure). The entire meeting went from why is there a spike in ATV accidents to what needs to be done to help create a safer environment for ATV riders. Most of this revolved around creating legislation for helmet laws, registering ATV's and allowing some of the registration money going into maintaining trials, requiring a drivers license or holding PARENTS accountable for putting their under aged children in harms way on machines NOT designed for them. Many of the other points went beyond the scope of the CPSC and showed the real lack of guidelines that States provide ATV riders. As we all know this can be good and bad when states get involved and it also showed that the CPSC is really turning this entire issue over to the States to fix first before they would push for federal legislation (from what it appeared here). Does this mean that is what will happen? Who knows, but it does show the importance of getting ATV Clubs organized and giving our sport a voice in this entire process. Some of the other surprising issues were the lack of participants in the ATV safety riders courses offered through dealers. Many of the dealers here complained that there were many people wanting lessons but were unable to get them due to no classes offered. I understand this first hand due to being hired by the ATV Safety Institute at one point to go to California to train to give these classes in Alaska. This eventually fell through due to College, but I know first hand how hard it was going to be to first of all find land, get the State or Feds to help in the process and last but not least......for me to find time to dedicate to something that most likely wouldn't have been a full time job. So most of the issues brought forth were of machine abuse causing more than 75% of all related ATV accidents and I suspect thats even higher, but not all the data was available at this time nor can I accurately recall of it. Another suggestion I believe that needs to be taken into account is that SPORT and UTILITY quad statistics need to be separated and in general statistics need to be kept in an unbiased manner instead of conveniently allowing the deck to be stacked against ATVs using 3 wheeler statistics or counting accidents involving alcohol and other known actions that would cause accidents with any machinery to be counted towards CPSCs inquiry data. In other words it was clear there is an EXTREME lack of common sense being used by PARENTS, RIDERS, and participants of our sport in general thus giving Antis the ammo they need imo. Last but not least there was also an extreme lack of knowledge on this entire subject (ATV SAFETY) at this meeting in my opinion. We had people that had no business talking about safety in any form getting floor time to tell Stratton why all ATVs need to be IRSs instead of SRA for safety reasons? The other part of the meeting that was discouraging was that Snow machines were allowed to be used in some of the examples of how un-safe ATVs are and how much danger they pose to other people and so on along with 3 wheelers. Yes there was some real far-fetched folks allowed to speak their mind and a lot of irrelevant information allowed to be recorded. I guess this is why during one of our intermissions I talked to the ATV manufacturers lawyer and he said that this type stuff is all to common in these meetings. As soon as I get more information and the videos from the CPSC of the Anchorage meeting I'll let everyone know. Take care, Scott Monroe www.atvfrontier.com

Posted by Weasel on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 (20:28:54) (883 reads) [ Administration ]

NEW DELHI: In a dubious distinction for the country, the World Health Organization has revealed in its first ever Global Status Report on Road Safety that more people die in road accidents in India than anywhere else in the world, including the more populous China. Calling road fatalities an "epidemic" that will become the world's fifth biggest killer by 2030, the report said while rich nations had been able to lower their death rates, these were sharply on the rise in the third world. It said 90% of deaths on the world's roads occur in low and middle-income countries (21.5 and 19.5 per lakh of population, respectively) though they have just 48% of all registered vehicles. The statistics for India are chilling. At least 13 people die every hour in road accidents in the country, the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau reveals. In 2007, 1.14 lakh people in India lost their lives in road mishaps that's significantly higher than the 2006 road death figures in China, 89,455. Road deaths in India registered a sharp 6.1% rise between 2006 and 2007. However, road safety experts say the real numbers could be higher since many of these accident cases are not even reported. "There is no estimate of how many injured in road accidents die a few hours or days after the accident," points out Rohit Baluja, member of the UN Road Safety Collaboration and Commission of Global Road Safety representing Asia. The report, based on 2006 and 2007 statistics collected from 178 participating countries, said globally over 1.2 million people die in road accidents every year and 20-25 million people suffer non-fatal injuries. Baluja said both central and state governments, while pushing for construction of more highways and roads, were doing precious little to make them safe. "We don't have scientific traffic engineering which forms the basis of road safety improvement practised in US and UK since 1930s. This still remains a matter of consultancy in India as we are yet to have our own traffic engineering wings," Baluja adds.

In fact, the report shows while only 3,298 people died in road accidents in UK in 2006, the figure, at 42,642, was much higher in the US. The report pointed to speeding, drinking-driving and low use of helmets, seat belts and child restraints in vehicles as the main contributing factors. In 2004, road accidents was the top ninth cause of death in 2004. "Speed is the main reason behind accidents. An increase in average speed is directly related to both the likelihood of a crash occurring and to the severity of crash consequences. A 5% increase in average speed leads to an approximately 10% increase in crashes that cause injuries and a 20% increase in fatal crashes. Zones of 30 kmph can reduce crash risk and injury severity and are recommended in areas where vulnerable road users are particularly at risk," the report said. Only 29% countries had managed to reduce traffic speed in urban areas and 10% have been effective in managing it. The report stated traffic calming measures were lacking in areas with no traffic segregation. A brief analysis of the NCRB report points to Andhra Pradesh having the highest share of deaths due to road accidents (12%) followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh (11% each). Interestingly, contrary to the popular view of trucks being a major killer on roads, the report shows these to be the biggest victims of mishaps - 23,991 occupants of trucks and lorries lost their lives in 2007. This was followed by occupants of twowheelers.

What is the solution to Indias high accident rate?

OCTOBER 20, 2008

tags: cars, road accidents, Transport

Traffic problems arent something to take lightly anymore, not when we have been proclaimed as the nation with the most traffic accidents. Sample the statistics: Here are some horrifying statistics about India: (Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] and [6] Road accidents last year more than 130,000 dead, set to increase to to jump to 150,000 (per annum) by 2015.

10 percent of the (million-plus) fatal accidents in the world happen in India India has just 1 percent of the worlds vehicles, but accounts for 10 percent of the worlds road accidents We lose 3 percent of our GDP per annum due to road accidents 70 percent of road accidents take away the main wage earner Mortality rate per 10,000 vehicles is 14 (less than two for developed countries) According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB, 2006 figures), Tamil Nadu (14 per cent of all accidents) and Maharashtra (12.4 per cent) have the maximum accidents in the country These stats could frighten anyone wanting to visit Indiabut rest assured, fancy tourist buses and motor cars are least likely to be involved in accidents.

Who are the real victims? Where cities are concerned, let us take the example of a metro like Chennai. The accident break-up (period of six months) goes like this: 44 per cent of the total number of deaths Twowheeler riders and pillion riders, including cyclists 34 percent of road deaths- Pedestrians These are the victims and the killers are usually heavy vehicles, and although cars are involved, they are not the main culprits. Buses are serial killers, whether in the cities or on highways. But it is is not the fancy tourist buses which are guilty as they are manned by trained and responsible drivers.

If we take highway deaths across India, again the vehicles involved are trucks, dumpers andbuses, although here it is those traveling in them who die. Overloaded buses are the worst affected, and kill dozens of people at a time. Like the bus crash in Assam a few days ago which killed 23 people and injured 40. In Assam, about 1600 people were killed in about 5,000 road accidents in 2007!

Courts and the police unable to act India has one of the highest accident rates but one of the lowest conviction rates of errant drivers, which can sink lower than 10 percent. This happens because of court delays (giving witnesses/accused a chance to disappear and in high profile cases, turn hostile) and light punishment for those held guilty. For example, drunk drivers get a six month prison sentence or a fine of Rs 2000/- but hardly anyone ever goes to prison. Also, as we do not rely on forensic or scientific investigation to prove guilt, the offender walks free. A comparison with the West A traffic offense in developed countries could mean your license being impounded for life. Insurance companies also act tough. Insurance premiums triple for those who have been involved in a serious traffic offense. The more accidents you are involved in, the more your premium increases. In India we do not even have a national database to record all accidents so we cannot know a persons accident history. Rash drivers in the US can be charged with misdemeanor (one year jail term), felony charges, vehicular manslaughter and vehicular homicide. These crimes carry severe punishment and it gets progressively more severe with each offense. If a driver kills, the license is taken away and the driver can be banned from driving in that country. How is our government tackling the road accident problem? The government is planning to make safety features on cars and speed governors compulsory on heavy vehicles (besides other measures), but how will this work? Safety features on cars will bring down car deaths but what about people travelling in buses? And it is very easy to fix speed governers, specially as they drivers know they arent going to be checked. The root of the problem is the rot in the the RTOs (Road Transport Organisations). Lets crack down on them first.

To cut fatalities drastically, start with the highway drivers Disciplining city drivers is wonderful, but there needs to be an equal emphasis on the highway drivers. Monitoring them is tough however, because of a shortage of traffic cops. Why, even the high profile mumbai-pune expressway doesnt have any! But if we cannot have the cops, the only answer is trained drivers. An obvious solution to anyone living in a developed country, but in India it isnt that obvious! Its criminal that truck and bus drivers are not properly trained (licenses are given out without proper tests) and often drive under the influence of liquor.

Attitude problems This needs fixing too. Better roads and better trained drivers are fine, but its time to fix the attitude problem of our populace. Safe drivers are supposedly not cool enough and are considered timid. Breaking traffic rules is considered daring, particularly going beyond the legal speed limit. Education is certainly not the solution as educated drivers seem to be bolder! This attitude that obeying traffic rules is for sissies has to go The uneasy feeling one gets is that these road accident figures do not reflect the reality. You and me know that there are moreaccidents than those reported.

But now that India that India has been officially stamped as a country with the most road accidents, one hopes that drastic measures are taken to fix the problem. Whether it is improving the roads, getting rid of badly maintained vehicles, penalizing inept and drunken drivers, attacking corruption and developing a civilized traffic culture we need to get there fast. Corruption is the main issue. Considering that by 2020 road deaths will become the number three killer, behind heart disease, suicide, and perhaps even Aids, its time to do

Youth carry helmets, but wear them not

TNN Dec 5, 2012, 10.32PM IST

Tags:

World Health Organization| Women| traffic police

ALLAHABAD: The traffic police department reports that 43% two-wheeler riders carry a helmet with them but do not wear it. It is mostly the younger lot that avoids wearing helmet while riders from 35-65 years of age generally put it on. In view of this trend, traffic police have been planning to encourage riders especially youths to wear helmets by highlighting cases in which absence riders got fatally injured for either not wearing a helmet or putting one that was of poor quality. Commuters are being encouraged to wear helmet in all circumstances.
Ads by Google

Age.www.saffolalife.com/HeartAgeFinder Online GroceryGreat Discounts in Bangalore's Largest Online Hypermarketwww.ZopNow.com The report points out that offenders are always ready with excuse for not wearing helmets. Citing reasons like it obstructs vision, or causes backache or doesn't suit or makes one uncomfortable the offenders of a basic traffic rule ease their way out of getting fined.
Traffic police claims that since the time strict measures were taken two wheeler riders have started wearing helmets, but those challaned, especially

SaffolalifeYou Know Your Age! Find Out Your Hearts

the women two-wheeler riders, always argue. Every day, up to 45 commuters are being challaned as police implement the traffic rules on city streets. "We have been presenting cases of offenders who died for not wearing helmets or for wearing cheap ones," said a traffic police personnel.Traffic police has come up with the slogan "helmet saves precious life "and have been appealing to riders to wear it in all circumstances. Cops also appeal to wear quality helmet. A substandard helmet is a compromise on safety and one-fourth of all road accident deaths in the country involve two-wheelers. There are over 7 lakh two-wheelers in the city and on an average 50-60% are on the city streets daily. The latest World Health Organization report too indicated that not wearing of the helmet was one of the major reason behind accidental deaths and it includes cases in which a rider wore poor quality helmet. Referring to recent incidents in which cheap helmets caused death with pieces of helmet piercing into the head of the driver at the time of collision, traffic officials said wearing of helmet can save the life of a rider up to 85 %. The criteria to adjudge the quality of a helmet include resistance of penetration, impact absorption and retention or strapping quality. ISI-approved caps score highest on these scales and are the only ones recommended in the country. "Quality helmets come with several benefits, besides saving life, in reducing cost of medical care," advises the traffic police. The degree of injury sustained by the head is reduced significantly by the helmet which is designed to cushion and protect the head from the impact of the crash. Standard helmets typically weigh about 1.2 kg and have strong chinstraps firmly riveted to the helmet.

20% road fatalities involve youngsters! Puneites speak up

Published: Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012, 17:16 IST Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

Statistics revealed that 20% of road fatalities in the city involve two-wheeler riders in the age group of 24-35 years. The prime cause for such deaths is head injuries in absence of adequate safety measures such as helmets. Besides, rash and drunk driving also contribute to the rising deaths among young two-wheeler riders. Puneites Speak Up on the issue Traffic rules are for safety, not just to fine violators More than half of the total number of road accidents in the city last year involved two-wheeler riders. Twenty per cent of the fatalities were in the age group of 24-35. Head injury is the prime cause for fatalities in accidents involving two-wheelers. Riding without a helmet, together with rash and drunk driving, is the main reason behind the high death rate of youth in road accidents. Puneites are not serious

about wearing helmets as a safety precaution, and they come up with excuses like not being able to talk on cellphone and limited visibility. We are trying to reach the youth through awareness campaigns in schools, colleges and firms in the city. People must understand that traffic rules are for safety and not just to fine violators. If we suddenly make helmets compulsory, people will oppose it. So, the best option is to make them aware of its importance. Vishwas Pandhare, DCP, Traffic Department I strongly favour making helmets compulsory Citizens must know that if they are riding a two-wheeler, wearing a helmet is a life-saving precaution. I am strongly in favour of making helmets compulsory. Recently, a close relative of ours lost his life in a road accident due to head injuries because he was not wearing a helmet. Head injuries are of various types; one can even lose his / her life, if it is severe. In some cases, bad head injuries lead to permanent disability, memory loss and impaired motor responses. Everything that you have learnt is lost, if you are disabled due to a head injury. Prasad Rajhans, chief intensivist, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital Punes traffic, roads and motorists are the worst as compared to other cities I just witnessed a road accident, wherein a senior citizen lost his life after a two-wheeler hit him. I also ride a two-wheeler to work every day, and I find myself very unsafe riding around the city. The citys traffic, roads and motorists are the worst as compared to the other cities I have lived in. Especially, two-wheeler riders in the city follow no rules and drive dangerously. I feel the city does not have a proper traffic flow plan. The city has the highest number of two-wheelers because the public transport system is very bad. I would prefer to keep my motorbike at home and use the public bus service provided we have an efficient public transport system in place. The traffic police should make it compulsory to wear helmets while riding two-wheelers in the city. Satish Bansode, director, CYDA The citys problem is that people are not afraid to break the traffic rules The traffic on city roads has grown in leaps and bounds and the controlling system is falling short. With no fear of law, reckless and rash driving has become very common. I have a 15-year-old son and he is strictly not allowed to ride a twowheeler. I also have a college-going daughter, who has recently been given a scooter. We, as parents, have taken care that she is aware of all the traffic rules and drives safely. The citys problem is that people are not afraid to break traffic rules, whereas it is not the same in Mumbai. One has to be extra alert, while driving in the city because there is no way to know how the other motorists will behave. Breaking signals, driving on the wrong side and over-speeding are common in the city. Alka Katkar, Parent One must go for ISO9000 certified helmets from a standard manufacturer Once you are eligible to drive a vehicle, it becomes your responsibility to follow the traffic rules. Wearing a helmet and jacket is always safe in case of an accident. It is equally important not to buy a substandard helmet. One must go for ISO9000 certified helmets from a standard manufacturer. Nowadays, there is so much congestion on roads. The city traffic situation has gone beyond the traffic departments capacity. In my opinion, the traffic police must deal strictly with traffic offenders and start imposing hefty fines, so that they never violate the rules again. The traffic department must immediately put some speed limit on heavy vehicles, and restrict them from using congested roads in the city. Ashok Naidu, avid biker & parent

12,000 youth suffered in road accidents last year: report

From the Newspaper | Faiza Ilyas | 11th May, 2012

KARACHI, May 10: While the number of fatal accidents on city roads declined last year, a 10 per cent increase was witnessed in fatalities of young people aged between 16 and 25 years in accidents, show the findings of a road safety study.
Around 4,000 persons below 16 years and nearly 12,000 people aged between 16 and 25 suffered injuries in road crashes in the city last year. Of them 300 died. The figures indicated an upward trend of adventurous or underage riding among youth, according to an official, who is running a key project to monitor different aspects of road accidents and urged measures to remove flaws. Commenting on the underage riding trend, Project Manager of the Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Centre Syed Ameer Hussain said: The trend of underage driving is alarming and there is a dire need to regulate licensing system and, at the same time, provide youth with safe places where they can practise and test their skills. Such an initiative, he said, was the only practical solution to minimise the risks posed by underage riding as parents often had no knowledge of what their children were actually doing on the road and the youth involved in such activities seemed to have a defiant attitude. The Road Casualties Report 2011, prepared by the road traffic injury research and prevention centre, provided a comprehensive comparative analysis of last years road causalities with the previous year data gathered from five major trauma centres of Karachi the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Civil Hospital Karachi, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital and Aga Khan University Hospital. According to the report, the number of motorbike riders travelling without helmets increased by 10 per cent. About 20,000 rider or pillion riders were reported to have been injured in accidents. Their severity jumped by 13pc and fatalities by 15pc, it said. The report highlighted an upward trend in underage, non-professional and unlicensed rickshaw driving. It stated that three-wheelers involvement in fatal and non-fatal accidents had seen an increase of 33pc and 15pc, respectively. About 32,300 road casualties were reported at the five tertiary care hospitals being run under the road trauma surveillance system, according to the report.

Mr Hussain said: In developed countries, the licensing system is strong and the right
to drive/ ride a vehicle is gradually awarded when the individual is found to have been successfully following all the given restrictions and guidelines. For instance, parents are

required to accompany the individual and there is a restriction on night driving/ riding in initial stages.

Five per cent drop in fatal accidents

Overall there was a five per cent drop in fatal accidents last year as compared to the previous year. Road accidents claimed a total of 1,161 lives in 2011, the report said. Last year pedestrian casualties and fatalities declined by 12pc and 20pc, respectively. Road accidents claimed the life of 60 pedestrians below 15 years, it stated. Similarly, the report added, the fatalities involving public transport and goods vehicles dropped by 11pc and 18pc, respectively. While over 3,000 passenger casualties were reported last year, the fatalities in this category fell by 15pc. As for a drop in fatalities involving public transport and goods vehicles is concerned, the project manager of the Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Centre told Dawn that credit should be given to the relevant authorities for taking measures in that regard.

Vulnerable roads
The study found that the National Highway (urban section), Korangi Industrial Area Road, Chaudhary Fazal Ellahi Road, Manghopir Road and Sher Shah Suri Road were the arteries where fatal accidents increased tremendously. About 75pc road fatalities occurred due to head, face and neck injuries, according to the report. On ambulance services, the study showed that more than 5,000 road casualties were brought by Edhi Ambulance Service, followed by Aman Foundation (2,200) and Chippa Ambulance (2,300) to the reporting tertiary care hospitals.

Youth Injury Prevention

Road safety issues are complex and involve education, engineering and environmental change as well as enforcement. The main behavioural causes of road crashes are speeding, drink driving, fatigue and non use of seatbelts and restraints. Youth road safety Young drivers aged 17 to 25 years are at a higher risk of crashing than older drivers because of inexperience and a greater tendency to engage in risk-taking behaviour. RTA data show that in 2007, young people in NSW represented 15 per cent of all licensed drivers and riders but accounted for 25 per cent of all road traffic casualties

(Road traffic crashes in New South Wales Statistical Statement: year ended 31 December 2007, RTA). Since the NSW compulsory third party insurance scheme began in July 1989, young claimants have accounted for one fifth of the total cost of claims to the scheme. Research shows that young people are a vulnerable group of road users because of cognitive, attitudinal, behavioural, cultural and social factors. It is human rather than physical factors (i.e. vehicle control skills) that influence road use behaviour and outcomes for young people. It is also significant that a young driver's crash risk is higher within the first 12 to 24 months of getting a licence, when their driving skills are not yet fully developed. Inappropriate driving behaviour is also more characteristic of young drivers and they are more likely to have:

single vehicle and 'at fault' crashes poorer driving behaviour when passengers are present (especially peers) weaker motivation to drive safely and more tolerance of driving violations overconfidence about their own abilities as a driver

Between 2002 and 2009, the MAA was active in promoting road safety to young drivers aged 17 to 25 and their passengers under the Arrive Alive program, with a strong focus on sports based sponsorships. This focus has shifted since the establishment of the NSW Centre for Road Safety, the lead agency for road safety in NSW, in the Roads and Maritime Authority. The MAA continues to provide funding for road safety education and initiatives aimed to minimise and prevent injury in collaboration with the NSW Centre for Road Safety. This approach ensures that road safety efforts are coordinated, effective and responsive to the needs of road users in NSW. The current MAA priorities for youth road safety include:

New drivers Motorcyclists and pillion passengers Pedestrians Cyclists

These priorities will be reflected in the initiatives funded by the MAA through the NSW Centre for Road Safety. For more information on youth road safety initiatives you can visit the NSW Centre for Road Safety, the youth road safety website Geared, or Youthsafe