Goodbye 2009, Hello Happy New Year!

As 2009 rolls to a close, we will leave you with a laugh.

Be safe during the holidays, stay warm and keep your fingers out of the snowblower!

Transport Accident Commission- Australia Christmas 2009 Montage

The following video is a montage of images taken from 20 years of advertising by the Transport Accident Commission in Victoria, Australia. Similar to the United States, Australia has enjoyed a reduction in motor vehicle fatalities since 1989. It is frequently argued that graphic images such as those seen here (WARNING TO VIEWER) do not change driver behavior and data seems to prove that premise.

So perhaps this could instead be seen as a tribute to the work you as traffic safety professionals do every day to make our roads safer. This IS the reality of traffic crashes- lives are lost senselessly and families lose loved ones... The heartbreak is enormous.  YOU make a difference.  



(Thanks to Sgt. John Bruno, Traffic Accident Reconstructionist from MSP 8th District HQ for passing this on)

MADD STATE LIFE SAVER NOMINATIONS SOUGHT

MADD Michigan is taking nominations for the annual State Life Saver Award. According to their office, "Madd understands the essential role law enforcement has in the ongoing effort to remove alcohol impaired drivers from the roadways of Michigan. These awards are to honor the law enforcement officers who have demonstrated a dedication to combating drunk driving and have contributed to these life-saving efforts."

The six Life Saver Award recipients will be honored at a luncheon in Lansing on February 26, 2010. Each nominee will receive a certificate of recognition from MADD Michigan. Applications for this award are available through the U.P. OHSP office.  Please contact Jamie at 906-225-7036 to have one sent to your agency.  The completed nomination form must be received by the MADD state office no later than Friday, January 15, 2010.

Typically, Upper Peninsula law enforcement officers have not submitted nominations for the State Life Saver Award, yet it is clear that they should.  Their diligent efforts have reduced the number of deaths and serious injuries in the region that are attributed to impaired driving. If you have a peer or someone under your command who has made a significant number of arrests for impaired driving, please consider them for a nomination. The form is short and simple to complete.

SPEED ENFORCEMENT MATERIALS AVAILABLE!

Facts About Speed-Related Crashes in Michigan:

Speeding greatly reduces the driver’s ability to slow a vehicle when necessary or to steer safely around an unexpected curve, another vehicle, or an object in the roadway.

In 2008 in Michigan, there were 232 speed-related fatalities.

In Michigan, 57 percent of all speed-related traffic fatalities occur on roads where the posted speed limits were 55 miles per hour or under.

In bad weather (heavy rain, snow, icy roads, or heavy fog) motorists may need to reduce speeds to below the posted speed limit to safely travel the roadway.

Excessive speed was a factor in 20 percent of all fatal crashes on dry roads, and in 18 percent of those occurring on wet roads.

Speed was a factor in 43 percent of the fatal crashes when there was snow or slush on the road, and in 84 percent of the fatal crashes that occurred on icy roads.

Conducting Speed Enforcement? The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning has colorful, full size banners (see above) available at no charge for law enforcement agencies in Michigan. We also have Speed Tips and a news release to let the media (and of course the general public) know about your enforcement efforts. 

 

Give us a call at 906-225-7036 for more information.   

Child Safety Seat Technician Class Coming Soon!

It's not too early to mark your calendars for the 32 hour Child Safety Seat Technician Class being held in Marquette on June 15-18, 2010. The national CPS curriculum was developed for law enforcement officers and child passenger safety advocates interested in becoming certified child passenger safety technicians.


The course involves lecture, indoor hands-on training, outdoor hands-on training, and a public car seat inspection. A variety of vehicles, child safety seats, safety belts, and other teaching tools are used in order to give students as much direct experience possible.


Further details will be provided as the date draws near, but for more information now, please contact Diane Curry, CPS Course Instructor at 906-315-2612 or DCurry@mqtcty.org.

Youth Reckless Driving Videos

A really neat series of messages for teens about peer pressure and driving.


Here's a couple of them:

Statistics For Dummies

Numbers make my head hurt. Seriously. I prefer my data to be disseminated in descriptive narrative form, in small doses, with enough time for a beverage or a walk break in-between each new piece of information. Yet I know that data is important, especially with regard to highway safety.

“Statistics regarding street and highway accidents are so vital to any comprehensive understanding and treatment of the safety problem that their collection and analysis in every State and community are essential.”

National Safety Conference – 1924 Washington D.C.

In the U.P., gathering and analyzing data is critical to obtaining resources to fix traffic safety problems. Because our region has low population numbers, it is difficult to justify spending large amounts of money to fix a non-specific crash problem when a metro area may show a better "bang for the buck."

When we can identify a particular crash problem occuring in a specific area to a population group over time, we can begin to evaluate ways to make a difference. For instance, if it can be shown statistically that 18-34 year old males driving pick-up trucks after drinking alcohol in Delta County tend to crash more often, we can allocate resources, like overtime law enforcement, to impact the problem. (Delta County DID have this problem. Several years of effort by the law enforcement agencies in Delta County lowered the crash rate significantly. Targeting problem areas with proven countermeasures works wonders.)

The Michigan Traffic Crash Facts website is a simply brilliant tool designed to show exactly what the crash problem in Michigan is, where it is located, and who is involved. There is a special tab with data specific to the Upper Peninsula, where data going back to 1999 is listed. For instance, it is easy to find out how many crashes happened in 2006 in Marquette County that involved bicyclists and alcohol use. (If that happens to interest you.) To check out this amazing resource, click on http://www.michigantrafficcrashfacts.org/.

If, like me, you feel a headache coming on when you have to research crash statistics, this is one resource that will not leave you in pain!

Pace and Partners produced this montage of traffic safety messages for the Office of Highway Safety Planning. Enjoy!

WELCOME!

Welcome to the "Above The Bridge" blog, a place to share your thoughts and ideas about all things traffic safety. Post a comment, share a link. If you are serious about making the roads in the U.P. safer for the motoring public, you've come to the right place!