Monthly Archives: June 2016

Global regulations underpin vehicle safety advances

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety,

While vehicle manufacturer and supplier networks globally will design, develop and implement greater levels of safety content than ever before, governmental and other interested stakeholder groups will continue to exert influence in bringing these technologies to marketing – in particular, where evidence shows that an advanced safety product can make a difference in reducing accidents, injuries and vehicle occupant and other road user fatalities.

Global regulations underpin vehicle safety advances  September 10, 2013

Can we help to bring about greater advancement in underride protection through global collaborative efforts? That’s what I would like to find out.

If only

INSTEAD OF LIKE THIS:

IMG_4465

Road safety: global health issue too-long ignored & 2 primary challenges to reducing road fatalities

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

So, this is an interesting read about road safety as a global health issue that has been ignored for too long. Please note the statement about the “two primary challenges to reducing road fatalities”:

Globally, road injuries are the top cause of death among people ages 15 to 29 – claiming upwards of a million lives a year. What’s more, 90% (pdf) of the world’s road deaths and serious injuries take place in low and middle-income countries, according to the United Nations (UN).

This global health emergency is finally starting to get the attention it deserves. We’re in the midst of the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety, which lasts until 2020; and in April, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to improve road safety.

But Dr Kelly Henning, leader of the Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, says there are two primary challenges to reducing road fatalities. First, despite recent efforts to raise the profile of road safety, the issue isn’t broadly appreciated. Second, progress requires several sections of government to work together. As she notes: “It is about health, but also involves [action from] traffic police and road engineers, so it requires a lot of political attention.”  Road safety: the global health issue that’s been ignored for too long by Sue George, June 9, 2016

President Obama

More information on Underride & the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations

AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

That’s exciting. I woke up to a comment on our website related to my post about the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.

Here’s the comment:

The United States has been involved with WP.29 since its inception; however, the Forum originally focused on developing standards for Europe. It has only been a truly global effort since the late 1990’s. The US (NHTSA and the EPA) has been a major contributor to international research and development efforts, but when it comes to specific regulations, the US legal system operates under different principles from Europe.

The US was the first nation to set up a regulatory system for vehicle safety. Ralph Nader and others saw the issue as one of consumer protection and product liability while Europe later addressed safety more as an engineering and product certification issue. As a result, we have two main approaches (self-certification and type approval) and there are two international agreements (1958 and 1998) to allow for uniform regulations. Under the 1998 Agreement, WP.29 establishes Global Technical Regulations (GTR) that can be used under any system. (UN Regulations can only be used under a type approval system.) So at the international level, a state-of-the-art standard for rear underrun protection would involve looking at the current regulations in use around the world to see if the harmonization of requirements through a GTR would be practicable and beneficial. John Creamer, globalautoregs.com

John Creamer is the founder of GlobalAutoRegs.com and a partner in The Potomac Alliance, a Washington-based international regulatory affairs consultancy. In his client advisory role, Mr. Creamer is regularly involved with meetings of the UN World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). Previously, he has held positions with the US International Trade Commission and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (representing the US automotive supplier industry), as the representative of the US auto parts industry in Japan, and with TRW Inc. (a leading global automotive safety systems supplier).

I just emailed John to see what else I can find out from him about this possibility for world-wide collaboration on improving protection against deadly underride. Stay tuned.

(Just so long as it does not get in the way of forward progress meanwhile!)

Negotiated Rulemaking

In memory of AnnaLeah and Mary (and so many others). . .

Never forgotten

A Mother’s Journey Through Grief Brings Hope For Preventing Underride Truck Crashes-Andy Young

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , ,

Energy absorbing bumpers, crumple zones, and seatbelts could not save the lives of backseat passengers, 13 year-old Mary and 17 year-old AnnaLeah. They were traveling in a four-door sedan driven by their mother, Marianne Karth.

Highway traffic slowed to a stop as the Karth sedan was hit from behind by a semi-truck. The first impact spun their blue, four-door sedan 180 degrees. The same semi-truck’s momentum caused a second impact which shoved the Karth sedan backwards underneath yet another truck’s trailer. The rear bar on the second truck’s trailer was not strong enough to prevent the Karth vehicle from going underneath. The rigid structure of the trailer’s steel frame effortlessly shattered the back window, which failed to protect the back of the Karth girls’ heads and bodies. AnnaLeah died instantly. Four days later, Mary died as a result of her catastrophic injuries.

None of the car’s manufactured, safety engineering made a difference to save the lives of Marianne’s daughters. Why? Because the dynamics of the crash resulted in a truck underride.

Little did Marianne Karth know at that moment, on May 4, 2013, that she would become one of the nation’s leading truck safety advocates working toward meaningful prevention of underride truck crashes.

Read more here: Broken Glass And Shattered Lives – A Mother’s Journey Through Grief Brings Hope For Preventing Underride Truck Crashes  by Andrew Young

We were privileged to have Andy serve as the awesome panel moderator at the Underride Roundtable on May 5, 2016, at IIHS.

Andy Young and Marianne Karth

 

Millions of good reasons to adopt a National Vision Zero Goal & Appoint a Traffic Safety Ombudsman

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety,

There are millions of good reasons for the United States to adopt a National Vision Zero Goal and to appoint a Traffic Safety Ombudsman to oversee the pursuit of that goal. Millions of potential saved lives that is–over the coming years here in the U.S. and in the countries who might well follow in our footsteps (if they don’t get there before us).

There are so many examples of why we should do this thing of vital importance and here are just a few which I found this morning as I briefly checked my email and Twitter:

Why on earth don’t we take a unified approach to going about the business of saving lives?!?!?!!?!?!

Why on earth don’t we establish National Traffic Safety Standards & require them to be adopted by States?

What would I do if I were the National Traffic Safety Ombudsman? I dare you to read it and find out. In fact, I hope you do and that it inspires you to come up with some ideas of your own.

Who should we blame if we continue to plod along and pretend that we are doing everything possible to reduce preventable and  unimaginable tragedies? Well?!

President Obama Crash Deaths

Stoughton Trailers values safety & provides improved rear underride protection at no additional cost.

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety

ccjdigital reports on Stoughton Trailers upgraded rear underride guard.

The article discusses Stoughton’s new rear underride guard, which was tested at IIHS on May 5, 2016, as part of the Underride Roundtable and performed well in the 30% offset crash at 35 mph. I would like to see them tested at higher speeds to see how they perform under more severe conditions.

An excerpt from the article:

“After thorough testing, we are confident that this design will set the new standard for rear underride safety in our industry,” said Stoughton Trailers President and CEO Bob Wahlin. “We place such a high value on the safety of both our customers and the driving public that we have chosen to provide this improved level of safety and performance as a standard feature — and at no additional cost.”

The company also said the underride guard design complies with all U.S. and Canadian regulations. In December, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a rule that would require underride guards on the back of all trailers. Most trailers sold in the U.S. – 93 percent according to NHTSA – already comply with the proposed rulemaking.

I appreciate Stoughton’s stated commitment to safety and their ability to provide greater protection at “no additional cost.” I hope that that serves as a powerful precedent.

But can they meet the conditions of the Australian proposed underride rule which we will be discussing at the follow-up meeting on June 24 at IIHS in Arlington from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.? That’s what I would like to know.
Raphael Grzebieta from Australia will be making a presentation so that we can determine whether Australian proposed standards would make sense for the U.S. Gary Fenton, from Stoughton, will be participating in that meeting. Should be interesting. . .
Additionally there will be other underride issues to consider as well, including side and front underride/override, conspicuity (adequate marking for visibility), parking of tractor-trailers (leading to greater likelihood of crashes), maintenance, and enforcement. Resolution of each of these issues could lead to additional saved lives.
Underride Roundtable May 5, 2016 148Underride Roundtable May 5, 2016 168
Jerry’s letter to Stoughton’s CEO, Bob Wahlin, in January 2014, in which he asked for improved guards:  Stoughton trailer manufacturer letter

What would I do if I were the National Traffic Safety Ombudsman?

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety,

I have proposed that the President establish an independent Office of National Traffic Safety Ombudsman–untainted by political pressures–to be an advocate for all things related to moving our country toward zero crash deaths & serious injuries.

This morning, I was thinking about one of the many traffic safety issues and all of a sudden thought, “Okay, so what could a Traffic Safety Ombudsman do to address this problem?” That made me want to write down ideas for what I would do if I were the National Traffic Safety Ombudsman.

I would (not necessarily in this order as this will be a stream of consciousness listing of random thoughts):

  1. Set up a hotline for traffic safety concerns.
  2. Set up a procedure for responding to the concerns reported to the Traffic Safety Hotline–including a means of communicating with the person reporting the problem (if desired).
  3. Set up a system for keeping track of reported problems and how they were handled.
  4. Set up regular communication with safety advocacy groups.
  5. Set up regular communication with other stakeholders.
  6. Prioritize the traffic safety concerns.
  7. Group the traffic safety concerns into categories.
  8. Organize periodic Roundtables for various categories of traffic safety concerns–involving all relevant stakeholders.
  9. Research globally for information on the traffic safety problems and resolutions.
  10. Set a National Vision Zero Goal (if not already done).
  11. Establish a National Vision Zero Task Force (if not already done).
  12. Coordinate the Vision Zero Task Force.
  13. Identify how the three branches of the U.S. government can and need to be involved in advancing traffic safety and helping to move us toward zero crash deaths and serious injuries.
  14. Develop strategies for tapping into government involvement as a means of carrying out the role of protecting its citizens.
  15. Organize a national network of Vision Zero Community Action Groups. Start with a pilot group and develop the model.
  16. Work with the appropriate departments to develop the details of Vision Zero Rulemaking policies.
  17. Develop strategies to raise awareness of traffic safety issues.
  18. Develop strategies to solicit public participation in identifying creative solutions to traffic safety problems.
  19. Develop strategies to get the public appropriately involved in the rulemaking process related to traffic safety issues.
  20. Develop creative ways to honor the memories of traffic victims.
  21. Develop strategies for utilizing available technology for tapping into traffic safety resources, individuals, and organizations.
  22. Develop strategies for collaborating nationally and globally to advance cutting-edge use of technology.
  23. Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration on traffic safety issues.
  24. Foster pro-active preventive thinking related to traffic safety issues.
  25. Handle auto safety defects more effectively to prevent tragic unnecessary deaths.
  26. Hold manufacturers liable for their decisions and actions.
  27. I’m sure that I’ll think of more ideas later.
  28. I’m also sure that someone will jump to the conclusion that my ideas are unrealistic and unworkable. I’d like to see that put to the test!
  29. Always remembering the goal: preventing people from having their lives unncessarily cut short!Ombudsman for Traffic Safety

More on Traffic Safety Ombudsman

SIGN  & SHARE the TRAFFIC SAFETY OMBUDSMAN Petition:  End Preventable Crash Fatalities: Appoint a National Traffic Safety Ombudsman

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FMCSA ANPRM re: Eval. of Truck Drivers for Sleep Apnea; Public Comment Period ends 7/8/16

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

Take advantage of the opportunity to comment on FMCSA’s rulemaking — extended through July 8, 2016, on this Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:

Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea A Proposed Rule by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration on 03/10/2016

Tired Trucker Roundtable

Make a comment here: Federal Register: regulations.gov on sleep apnea & truck drivers

World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety,

Detlef Alwes, an engineer from Germany, suggested to me that the U.S. should discuss underride protection with the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. I had never heard of it before. Apparently, the U.S. has not had much involvement with it in the past–at least not as far as underride protection.

But doesn’t it make sense to collaborate with other countries and come up with the safest possible vehicle regulations?

Most countries, even if not formally participating in the 1958 agreement, recognise the UN Regulations and either mirror the UN Regulations’ content in their own national requirements, or permit the import, registration, and use of UN type-approved vehicles, or both. The United States and Canada are the two significant exceptions; their UN regulations are generally not recognised and UN-compliant vehicles and equipment are not authorised for import, sale, or use in the US, unless they are tested to be compliant with US car safety laws, or for limited non driving use (e.g. car show displays).[4]

“The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party (WP.29)[1] of the Inland Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). It is tasked with creating a uniform system of regulations, called UN Regulations, for vehicle design to facilitate international trade.

WP.29 was established on June 1952 as “Working party of experts on technical requirement of vehicles”; the current name was adopted in 2000.

The forum works on regulations covering vehicle safety, environmental protection, energy efficiency and theft-resistance.”  World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations

Other links:

Negotiated Rulemaking

As Ralph Nader is inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, are cars “still unsafe at any speed”?

Safety Advocacy, ,
Lou Lombardo reports on Ralph Nader’s upcoming induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit. He raises important questions about whether more needs to be done to reduce the ongoing traffic safety problems. . .

Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:

 

Achievements

Last year, Clarence Ditlow reported the achievements since publication of Unsafe at Any Speed to include the saving of an estimated 3.5 million lives (many millions more Americans were saved from suffering serious injuries).  See
http://www.thenation.com/article/on-50th-anniversary-of-ralph-naders-unsafe-at-any-speed-safety-group-reports-auto-safety-regulation-has-saved-3-5-million-lives/

Honor


Today according to Corporate Crime Reporter:

“Auto safety advocate Ralph Nader will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame next month at the Cobo Center in Detroit Michigan.”

More Needed

Currently every average day nearly 100 people in America die from vehicle violence.

Every average day nearly 400 people in America suffer serious injuries from vehicle violence.

Every average day nearly $2 Billion in losses result from vehicle violence in America.


See http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf


One need addressed by Law Professor Rena Steinzor is in an article last year in the Harvard Law & Policy Review titled

(Still) “Unsafe at Any Speed”:
Why Not Jail for Auto Executives?
Lou
National Vision Zero Goal
Crash Deaths