#safety

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‘Supernatural’ Star Jensen Ackles Partners with the Texas Department of Transportation for Distracte

Jensen Ackles is well-known for his role as Dean Winchester on the hit TV show Supernatural. In the show, Dean cruises across America behind the wheel of a classic 1967 Chevrolet Impala, alongside his brother, Sam. While the two brothers might be daredevils on the show, Jensen Ackles is outspoken about the dangers of distracted driving. This week, Jensen partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation — his home state — to do a PSA for its “Heads up, Texas” campaign. In

Cybercrime regulations over ‘smart’ connected vehicles and its impact on civil liability

Futuristic technology is increasingly permeating into vehicle dashboards, and this allows OEM companies and 3PLs to wire into these systems and gather millions of data points over the course of the vehicle’s lifetime. Though it can be argued that a part of the data can be used for analytics which in turn would help to improve the vehicle’s overall efficiency, some of the data sets could also tiptoe into the privacy of the person behind the wheel - which is a serious concern.

These Smarter Stoplights Could Be Lifesavers

New traffic signals in Detroit are designed to help pedestrians, cyclists and ambulances get through intersections, while helping traffic planners test safety improvements quickly. Five years ago, nobody would have mistaken Detroit’s stoplights for being “smart.” They were so obsolete, in fact, that city transportation officials couldn’t even tell whether most of the lights were working without visiting the intersections in person. But in solving that very basic problem, the

A SINGLE DRONE HELPED MEXICAN POLICE DROP CRIME 10 PERCENT

IN ENSENADA, A Mexican city about two hours south of Tijuana, a new crime fighter has taken to the skies. It’s not a bird, or a plane, or Superman. It’s a drone. And over a few months on patrol, it’s had quite the impact. The city’s police department claims the solitary DJI Inspire 1 Quadcopter led to more than 500 arrests and a 10 percent drop in overall crime rates, with a 30 percent drop in home robberies. It’s the latest example of drones slowly finding their place in civ

Modern roundabouts are safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists

The Mitchell Boulevard roundabout is one of an increasing number of roundabouts in Fort Worth. Roundabouts continue to be added to some local intersections, and more are planned throughout the city, including the newest ones along Park Vista Boulevard in far north Fort Worth. Don’t confuse a roundabout with a traffic circle. A modern roundabout is a one-way circular intersection where traffic flows counterclockwise around a center island. There are no stop signs or traffic si

Arizona testing thermal cameras to combat wrong-way collisions

A new I-17 pilot project is testing a system that would alert police and other drivers to the presence of a wrong-way vehicle The state of Arizona is investing in a potential high-tech solution to instantly alert police and motorists to the presence of a wrong-way driver on a roadway. The state is the first in the nation to test thermal cameras to combat the rate of wrong-way collisions. The number of Americans killed each year in these types of crashes has increased by more

Self-Driving Cars Still Scare a Majority of Americans

A growing number of Americans are hesitant to climb into a self-driving car. And some of the most reticent are millennials. These are some of the new findings by a AAA survey polling passengers’ comfort level with autonomous vehicles, following high-profile accidents involving AVs. The poll, conducted April 5-8 via mobile phones and land lines with 1,014 participants, found that 73 percent of U.S. drivers “would be afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle.” This is up f

Unions urge FRA to prioritize safety in rail automation

Five labor unions this week urged the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to prioritize safety as it weighs the benefits and costs of automation technology in the rail industry. The message came in response to the FRA's call for public comments on the future of rail automation. In a May 7 letter, union leaders said that the FRA's questions about automation reflect a "very positive view of something that has not been proven to be effective in terms of safety or efficienc

Study calls for roadway changes to reduce pedestrian deaths

A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) show that pedestrian deaths have jumped 46% since reaching their lowest point in 2009, as pedestrian crashes have become both deadlier and more frequent. According to the IIHS study, a total of 5,987 pedestrians were killed in crashes in 2016, accounting for 16% of all crash fatalities. The number of pedestrians killed each year has declined 20% since 1975, but the 2016 toll was the highest since 1990. The IIH

Top federal lawmaker urges FAA to study engine safety after fatal Southwest Airlines accident

WASHINGTON — A top federal lawmaker is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to study engine safety in the aftermath of last week's fatal accident on a Southwest Airlines flight. The call came a day before it was revealed that the engine's manufacturer was considering updated inspection guidelines in the weeks ahead of the accident that would have included the engine that failed on Southwest Flight 1380. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House transportation comm

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