Ride Smart- 2010 Motorcyclist Safety Conference

Ride Smart–2010 Motorcyclist Safety Conference


 The first-ever statewide motorcyclist-safety conference for Michigan motorcyclists will be held Saturday, September 11, 2010, at the Comfort Inn and Suites Conference Center in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

The Skilled Motorcyclist Association–Responsible, Trained & Educated Riders, Inc., (SMARTER at http://www.smarter-usa.org/) and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (www.michigan.gov/ohsp) are teaming up to cosponsor the Ride Smart–2010 Motorcyclist Safety Conference.

This one-day event will feature nationally known motorcyclist-safety experts, multiple
workshops with information and riding techniques that participants can immediately implement,
door prizes, a collector patch for those who register early, lunch, refreshments, and opportunities to network with and learn from other riders.

Mark your calendar now to attend this exciting event on September 11, 2010, in Mt. Pleasant. Be a part of the solution. Join us at the Ride Smart–2010 Motorcyclist Safety Conference.


- To register using a credit card or PayPal, go to http://smartermotorcyclesafety.eventbrite.com.
- To pay by check or money order, select the applicable rate, complete the following, and mail it along with your payment to:


SMARTER
P.O. Box 121
Scottville, MI 49454-0121


□ SMARTER member early-bird registration before August 31 – $30
□ SMARTER member after August 31 – $35
□ Nonmember early-bird registration before August 31 – $40
□ Nonmember after August 31 – $45


Full Name:
Address:
Street, City, State, Zip Code:

Telephone-

  -Home including area code:
  -Work including area code:
  -Cell including area code:

E-mail address:
Please print clearly and be sure to include entire address.

For more information, e-mail: info@smarter-usa.org

Marquette Roundabout Traffic Change Thursday

July 27, 2010 -- With the majority of construction complete, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) plans to open much of the new US-41/Front Street roundabout in Marquette to traffic this Thursday, July 29. All lanes of the roundabout are expected to be open in mid-August.

"Motorists on US-41 have had a chance the last few weeks to drive through a portion of the roundabout, but this will be the first time most of the new intersection will be open," said Andy Sikkema, manager of MDOT's Ishpeming Transportation Service Center (TSC). "As with any change to an intersection, motorists will need some time to adjust, and we urge them to be cautious as they become accustomed to it."


Until the bypass lanes from downtown Marquette to US-41 West and from US-41 to south Marquette are completed, traffic from downtown Marquette will still need to access US-41 at Grove Street.


To prepare motorists in advance on how to drive the roundabout MDOT has posted an animated video of it on MDOT's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/MichiganDOT.


"The animation is a good way for motorists to familiarize themselves with how they'll get to their destination using the roundabout ahead of time, and reduces some of the anxiety of trying something new," Sikkema said.


A camera view of the roundabout  is available at the MDOT traffic information Web site, MI Drive. A still image of the roundabout is available.  The view looks east at the intersection toward Lake Superior, and shows the current state of the roundabout construction. Click US-41 @ Front Street Roundabout on the drop-down menu to check it out.

Construction of this modern roundabout began in early May, and is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Designed to reduce congestion and improve safety at the intersection, the entire project is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.
 
For more information, please contact James Lake, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-786-1830, ext. 323, lakejames@michigan.gov

AARP Driver Safety Program Offered in Newberry

The AARP Driver Safety Program is being held in Newberry, MI at Helen Newberry Joy Hospital on July 13 and 14th, from 5:30- 9:30 p.m. each day.



The AARP Driver Safety Program is designed to help you accomplish the following:

-Update your driving knowledge

-Learn defensive-driving skills

-Compensate for normal age-related physical changes

-Reduce your traffic violations, crashes, and chances for injuries

-Drive more safely


To register, or to ask questions about the Driver Safety Program, please call Jack Olson at 906-293-8467

We're Still Here! Really!

Thanks to all who commented that they haven't seen a post in a while. The Above The Bridge Blog was sidelined for a bit because of a governmental firewall issue. It hasn't quite been resolved yet, but we're going to sneak a few informational tidbits in here every once in a while until it is. See you soon!

MDOT Has a Pothole Hotline!

It is said that only two things in life are certain- death and taxes. For those of us who live in  Michigan, the emergence of potholes in the Spring can be added to the list as well.  

The Michigan Department of Transportation has created a pothole hotline for state roadways. To report a pothole, you can call 888-296-4546 at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, or use the "Report Potholes" link. When you report a pothole, you will need to know the location, the county, the closest community and the cross street or interchange nearby.  

Potholes on non-state roads should be reported to local road commissions since MDOT does not have jurisdiction over roads that are not part of the state system.

For a handy pictorial showing the Birth of a Pothole, click here.

OPRAH WINFREY, HARPO STUDIOS ANNOUNCE NATIONAL “NO PHONE ZONE DAY” FRIDAY, APRIL 30

OPRAH WINFREY,  HARPO STUDIOS ANNOUNCE NATIONAL “NO PHONE ZONE DAY” FRIDAY, APRIL 30

--U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), FocusDriven, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and RADD, the Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety, join Winfrey for national day of awareness to end distracted driving--

CHICAGO—On Friday April 30, 2010, Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios are taking a stand against distracted driving, launching a new public service announcement campaign and joining forces with some of the country’s preeminent transportation safety organizations to declare Friday, April 30th the first national “No Phone Zone Day.” A large-scale effort to honor victims of distracted driving, “No Phone Zone Day” will also educate and activate Americans to end the deadly driving habits that kill nearly 6,000 Americans a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The announcement was made today on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”


“A call or text isn’t worth taking a life,” said Winfrey. “We must not allow more mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers to die before we take action against distracted driving. Let’s put a stop to it now, by joining together on April 30 th for national ‘No Phone Zone Day’, and by making our cars a ‘No Phone Zone.’”


“I’ve made it my mission at the DOT to end distracted driving. We know that if we can get people to put away cell phones and other electronic devices when they are behind the wheel, we can save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries every year” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “That’s why I’m proud to support and participate in Oprah’s 'No Phone Zone Day.'”


On Friday April 30th, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will present a special live episode devoted to ending distracted driving. In conjunction with the episode, Harpo Studios is mobilizing communities to take action at "No Phone Zone Day" viewing rallies to be held in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. “Oprah” show partner stations WSB-TV Channel 2 in Atlanta, WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston, WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit, KABC ABC7 in Los Angeles and WJLA ABC7 in Washington, D.C. will support the rallies in their respective markets. The planned rallies will bring together victims’ families, elected officials, advocacy organizations, parents, youth, and law enforcement to discuss best practices and steps to limit distracted driving in their own communities. In addition, a new "No Phone Zone" public service announcement campaign will be showcased on the April 30th “Oprah” show.


A working coalition of transportation safety organizations will come together as part of “No Phone Zone Day” activities and viewing rallies across the country, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), FocusDriven, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), RADD, the Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety, and more.

In addition, "No Phone Zone" corporate partners Sprint, General Motors/Chevrolet and Liberty Mutual will lend their support, both for national “No Phone Zone Day" and in the coming months to spread the "No Phone Zone" message.

As a national call to action, all viewers and town hall participants will be asked to take the "No Phone Zone" pledge. By pledging, drivers agree to make their car a "No Phone Zone" and refrain from using their phone while driving, eliminating distractions from incoming calls, texts or emails. More than 160,000 people to date have signed Oprah’s "No Phone Zone" pledge at Oprah.com. Many celebrities have already joined the cause, including Oscar® winners Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges and Mo’Nique, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, actress and icon Raquel Welch, Olympic superstar Shaun White, country music’s Lady Antebellum, entertainer and entrepreneur Tyler Perry, the cast of TV’s “Glee” and many more.

A 2008 NHTSA study indicated that at any given moment during the daylight hours, more than 800,000 vehicles are being driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone. According to a 2005 study for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers are four times less likely to get into accidents serious enough to cause injury when they turn off their cell phones while behind the wheel. For more information on “No Phone Zone Day,” and to take the No Phone Zone pledge, please visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone. For additional information on distracted driving, visit www.distraction.gov.

MADD Accepting Nominations for Prosecutor Life Saver Award

MADD Michigan is currently accepting nominations for the Prosecutor Life Saver Award(s).

The award is given to one or two prosecutors a year for their contributions to stop drunk driving and to support victims of this violent crime.

The Criteria for Awards is as follows:

• New or significant issue regarding impaired driving. This may involve a novel legal issue.

• Year long demonstration of "daily extraordinary work."

• High profile case or complicated issue. This criterion would demonstrate the prosecutor having gone "above and beyond" the normal bounds of duty.

• Impact on victim services. This criterion would demonstrate how the prosecutor directly provided services to a victim that demonstrates effort "above and beyond" the normal bounds of duty.

The Period of Adjudication for this award is : May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010

The winner of the award will receive a plaque that will be presented at the prosecutor's Annual Conference in July. Winners will also receive one night's lodging at the conference

Access the nomination form and help to recognize a worthy prosecutor today!

For more information, please contact me at 906-225-7036, or Homer Smith, Executive Director for MADD Michigan at 517-487-6233.

MSP Iron River trooper honored for dedication to ensuring children ride safely in cars

Sgt. Christine Grabowski nominated Trooper Eric Farnsworth for the GTSAC award

LANSING – An 11-year veteran of the Michigan Department of State Police (MSP) was honored at the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC) annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 31 at the Kellogg Conference Center in East Lansing for his efforts to ensure children ride safely in passenger vehicles.


Each year the commission honors organizations, programs and individuals for outstanding contributions to traffic safety. The awards luncheon is part of the 15th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit. Seven traffic safety and three long-term awards are being presented.


In 2002, Trooper Eric Farnsworth started a car seat program at the MSP Iron River Post by obtaining donations from local businesses and community organizations to purchase car seats. He discovered that many of the seats he checked were purchased at yard sales or thrift shops, or were hand-me-downs. Further, most of the car seats were incorrectly installed and some were even on recall lists. Farnsworth soon began a campaign to promote proper car seat use to parents in the western Upper Peninsula.


Farnsworth annually installs 40 car seats at the Iron River Post and assists other technicians at numerous car seat clinics throughout the year. He also makes presentations at local schools about seat belts, car seats and booster seats and promotes car seat use at local events. His dedication to ensuring children ride in vehicles safely is well known and local law enforcement regularly direct families in need of car seats to contact Farnsworth.


In 2009, he installed a new seat for a 14-month-old girl who was involved in a serious head-on crash with her mother the following day. Deputies attributed her survival to the proper installation of her car seat.


The GTSAC was formed in 2002 to serve as the state’s forum for identifying key traffic safety challenges and developing and implementing plans to address those issues. The GTSAC is comprised of representatives from: Community Health, Education, State, State Police, Transportation, Office of Services to the Aging, Office of Highway Safety Planning and the Office of the Governor. There are also three representatives from local government appointed by the Governor.

MICHIGAN TRAFFIC DEATHS FALL TO 871 IN 2009

MICHIGAN TRAFFIC DEATHS FALL TO 871 IN 2009


Michigan’s traffic deaths reached a milestone of 871 in 2009, the lowest number the state has recorded since 1924 when there were 863 traffic fatalities. Today, there are nearly 10 times more vehicles on the road than in the 1920s. The 2009 fatality figure is down 11 percent from 2008 when 980 people died on Michigan roads.


Just a decade earlier in 1999, 1,386 people died on state roadways.


“Michigan is part of a national trend where states are seeing significant declines in traffic deaths,” said Office of Highway Safety Planning Director Michael L. Prince. “A variety of factors contributed to the decline, including fewer miles driven, the state’s high seat belt use, strict enforcement of traffic laws, roadway engineering improvements and vehicle safety features.”


Overall, the number of traffic crashes dropped 8 percent, fatal crashes fell 12 percent and injury crashes declined 6 percent.


Declines were noted in several areas, including alcohol and/or drug-involved fatalities. These dropped from 379 in 2008 to 351 in 2009. Specifically, alcohol-involved fatalities dropped 6 percent, from 317 in 2008 to 299 in 2009. Drug-involved fatalities fell 15 percent, from 140 in 2008 to 119 in 2009. (In some cases, both alcohol and drugs were involved.)


The crash data also shows:

-Motorcycle-involved fatalities fell from 127 in 2008 to 105 in 2009, a drop of 17 percent.

-Commercial motor vehicle-involved fatalities dropped 28 percent, from 106 in 2008 to 76 in 2009.


-The state recorded zero school bus-related traffic deaths in 2009, down from four in 2008. There has not been a child killed on a school bus in Michigan since 1989.


-Cell phone-involved crashes fell from 919 in 2008 to 866 in 2009. (Michigan cannot track crashes involving texting specifically.)


-The number of car-deer crashes remained fairly steady, up 1 percent from 2008. There were 61,486 deer-involved crashes in 2009.


-Pedestrian fatalities increased 10 percent, up from 114 in 2008 to 125 in 2009.


NOTE: Additional 2009 crash information will be posted to michigantrafficcrashfacts.org in the coming months. Check frequently for updates.

MDOT Open House Planned in Menominee

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), city of Menominee, and contractors will present schedules and detour routes for the upcoming reconstruction project on US-41 in Menominee. An open house will be held on April 1, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. (CDT) at the  Menominee High School Auditorium, 1800 18th Ave. in Menominee, MI.


MDOT will be reconstructing US-41 from 20th Avenue to 38th Avenue in Menominee this construction season, widening the highway to accommodate a center left-turn lane. The city will be replacing underground utilities as part of the project. Construction this year is scheduled to begin in April and continue through December. Construction will resume in 2011, continuing the project north through 48th Avenue.

MDOT's Road Weather Information System

MDOT's Road Weather Information System

Just what are those funny looking towers alongside state highways in the U.P? They're part of the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) new Road Weather Information System, or RWIS.


Using federal grant funding, MDOT began installing a new system to monitor atmospheric and road surface conditions in an effort to better manage winter maintenance activities and to provide more travel information to motorists. The concept isn't new (several other Midwestern states have similar systems), but it's new to Michigan.


The system is made up of a network of Environmental Sensor Stations, or ESSs. These stations (the towers you're seeing) combine several types of sensors to measure air and road surface temperatures, barometric pressure, wind, salt concentrations on the road surface, frost depth and dewpoint, as well as cameras to verify conditions at the site. Using the data collected from the 14 existing stations, MDOT and the contract county road commissions providing maintenance services can better predict when ice will begin to form on the roadway or bridge deck, or see when snow is blowing and drifting across the road.


MDOT is working to provide motorists with an online view of the ESS cameras, which they could use to help make travel plans or decide when not to venture out. For now, the ESS data from Michigan and other states can be viewed at www.clarus-system.com.


For more information on the RWIS, contact Dawn Gustafson, MDOT Superior Region traffic and safety engineer, at 906-786-1800 or by e-mail at gustafsond@michigan.gov

Embrace Life

Sussex Safer Roads (click on words to link to site) has come up with an amazing new PSA about safety belts. It's a beautiful clip. Check it out for yourself! 

Distracted Driving: How Does It Impact You?

Earlier this week, Oprah Winfrey tackled the problem of distracted driving on her television show. If you were at work and missed the broadcast, please take a few moments not only to view part of the show, but to visit her website Americas New Deadly Obsession where a plethora of information has been posted about texting and talking on cell phones while driving.

What Is Distracted Driving?

According to the DOT there are three main types of distraction:
 
Visual — taking your eyes off the road
Manual — taking your hands of the wheel
Cognitive — taking your mind off what you’re doing

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing.

Click here  to see an interesting video about why your brain can't multitask that way you'd like and here to see why Oprah's campaign might be one of the best ways to get this important message out.

In the new few posts, we'll be talking more about distracted driving.

Have thoughts or suggestions about this topic? Post them in the Comments section.

Child Passenger Safety Law Enforcement Course Announced

Child Passenger Safety Law Enforcement Awareness

Pilot Course

Gaylord, Michigan

The Marquette County Health Department in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Office of Highway Safety Planning is pleased to offer a special pilot class for Michigan law enforcement officers.


Class Details: Child Passenger Safety Law Enforcement Awareness Pilot Course
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010
Time: 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Place: Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) North Region Office, 1088 M-32, Gaylord, MI 49735
Cost: FREE


Please note that lunch will not be provided for this class. Participants should plan accordingly.

It is important to realize that children are passengers in motor vehicles every day. Many of these children are improperly restrained. Law enforcement personnel can help save the lives of these children in several ways:

1) By issuing citations or written warnings;
2) By providing CPS education and
3) By providing families with CPS resources.

Upon completion of this 4-hour training course, attendees will have a basic awareness of child passenger safety (CPS) and an understanding of their role in CPS. We expect attendees will have be better prepared to answer CPS questions and be able to identify basic car seat misuse. This course is not intended to make students “experts” or certified CPS technicians.

If your application is accepted, you will receive more detailed class information.

This pilot course is being held in Gaylord to facilitate enrollment by both Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Peninsula law enforcement officers. Enrollment is limited to 25 people. Please obtain an application by contacting:


Diane Curry, Upper Peninsula CPS Coordinator
Email: dcurry@mqtcty.org
Fax: 906-475-9312

National Road Safety Laws Report Released Today

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety will release the "2010 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws" today, which grades each state on passage of model traffic safety laws addressing teen driving, distracted driving, drunk driving, safety belts, booster seats and motorcycle helmets. The 2010 report will feature the best and worst performing states, states making the most and least progress over the past year, dangerous loopholes in each state that contribute to preventable death and injury, and state-specific data on traffic deaths, injuries and related economic losses.

This event will occur today, January 11 at 11:30 a.m. EST in Washington D.C.

A live WEBCAST of the news conference and an ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT will be available at: http://www.saferoads.org/

 Here is a link to the 2009 report:
http://www.saferoads.org/files/file/RoadmapReport20090303.pdf

And here is a link to Michigan's 2009 report:
http://www.saferoads.org/michigan

NMU Regional Police Academy Accepting Applications For Recruits

NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Public Safety Institute

The following information does not supercede the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) required by the State. The Public Safety Institute has set procedures and requirements to be met in order to be considered for entry into the Regional Police Academy.


Northern Michigan University’s Public Safety Institute holds a 16 week, 900 hour, Regional Police Academy once a year beginning in May with graduation in August. It is designed to provide basic law enforcement training to in-service and pre-service recruits.The next Academy is slated to begin May 2, 2010 with a graduation date of August 18, 2010. Deadline for registration completion is February 15, 2010.


A minimum of an Associates Degree or higher is required upon completion of the Academy, or: a minimum of one year training and experience in the Military Police (contact MCOLES to obtain education waiver), or: the candidate is sponsored by a law enforcement agency – this means being hired and on the payroll, and pass a drug test. Pay stubs will be required throughout the Academy. There are 12 NMU credits in Associate of Applied Science in Law Enforcement granted upon completion of the academy. Additionally there are 12 NMU credits offered to complete a Bachelor’s degree in any major.

Requirements for Admission are as follows: You must be 18 years of age or older; U.S. citizen; High school diploma or GED; No felony convictions; Good moral character; Possess valid Michigan operator’s or chauffeur’s license; Pass a physical examination, which also includes a vision and hearing test; Normal color vision; Weight proportionate to height; Free from mental or emotional disorders; Physical integrity; Pass limited background check; Pass an oral interview.All potential candidates must successfully pass the MCOLES physical fitness test, as well as the MCOLES reading/writing test. NMU is a regional test site for the aforementioned tests.


Selected candidates will be advised of informational meetings held at the Public Safety Institute to give the candidates some information about the Academy and fill out pre-applications of intent.


After receipt of your application of intent, the candidates will be contacted for an orientation meeting (usually held in December) to continue the process. At this time the candidate will be issued a packet of forms to be completed prior to the formal oral interview held in March. These forms include a physical examination signed by an occupational physician stating you are medically able to perform physical training while attending the academy (exceptions are given to, but not limited to, medical conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy). Explanations are given in more detail at the orientation meeting.


The physical examination will also include a statement of vision test results, both corrected and uncorrected which must be correctable to 20/20 and statement indication you have normal color vision, as well as normal hearing.


Additionally an MCOLES Personal History Statement that must be filled out to completion, as well as a completed fingerprint applicant card.


The current curriculum includes: Physical Fitness Training; Firearms; Precision Driving; First Aid and CPR; Police Tactics; Defensive Tactics; Criminal Investigations; Domestic Violence; Traffic Enforcement and Patrol Techniques; Criminal Law and Procedure; Michigan Vehicle Code, and other law enforcement areas.


Academy costs: Academy fee is $4900.00; NMU application fee, if applicable, Uniforms and boots are approximately $300.00. Financial Aid is available through NMU for qualified applicants. A $75.00 dollar scholarship fee is awarded for the MCOLES certification exam.


Additional costs: Housing and food; Physical examination; Hearing examination; Vision examination; Physical fitness test; MCOLES reading/writing test.


After a recruit has met all academy requirements he/she will be administered the MCOLES State Certification Examination. Once the certification exam has been completed and passed by the recruit he/she will be certifiable in Michigan to become a police officer. Certification is granted upon employment by a law enforcement agency.

For more information, contact Lt. Len Dawson, Phone: (906) 227-1408 or e-mail: ldawson@nmu.edu


Web sites to visit: http://www.mcoles.org/ or http://www.nmu.edu/

A Traffic Safety History Lesson

For those of us working in the field of traffic safety, features on vehicles like safety belts, anti-lock brakes, air bags and traction control systems have become so second nature that we don't even think about it.

Yet as recently as 1965, Attorney Ralph Nader wrote a book titled "Unsafe At Any Speed" which gave detailed information about the reluctance of auto manufacturers to spend money on mechanisms that would enhance safety. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed . This groundbreaking book gave rise to a new awareness about the important of consumer protection and advocacy in the automobile industry.

In 1966, Congress passed the Highway Safety Act. This created a highway safety office in each state that was charged with reducing deaths,  injuries and property damage caused by crashes.  In addition, this act estabished nationally what we know today as our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System. In 1967, the Department of Transportation was formed under then-President Lyndon B. Johnson. At that time, over 50,000 persons a year were dying on our roadways. At the signing of the bill, he said,

"...we have tolerated a raging epidemic of highway death … which has killed more of our youth than all other diseases combined. Through the Highway Safety Act, we are going to find out more about highway disease—and we aim to cure it.”

The MI Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) was established in 1969 under Governor William Millikan as part of the Michigan State Police. The 1970 Highway Safety Act formed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), formerly known as the National Highway Safety Bureau.  NHTSA is charged with a variety of roles, including setting and enforcing safety standards, providing grants to state highway safety offices,  investigating safety defects in motor vehicles, setting and enforcing fuel economy standards, investigating odometer fraud, establishing and enforcing vehicle anti-theft regulations and providing consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics. NHTSA also conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety to develop the most efficient and effective means of bringing about safety improvements.

http://www.usrecallnews.com/2008/06/history-of-the-u-s-national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-nhtsa.html

So there you have it- a short lesson in why we are where we are today. Keeping our highway safe is an important job because of the human toll. It took our country many years to come to that conclusion, but we seem to be doing a pretty good job.

Perhaps Sgt. Joe Friday says it best:

Driver Escapes Fiery Crash

http://www.dailypress.com/

MANISTIQUE - Seat belts and air bags contributed to two college students not being seriously injured in a head-on collision that resulted in a vehicle explosion in Schoolcraft County Monday.

Escanaba resident Sean Sapino, 23, was driving east on U.S. 2, near Kelly Road in Doyle Township. His vehicle crashed head-on with a vehicle driven by Kyle Fiebernitz, 19, of Bancroft, Mich., according to a press release issued by Michigan State Police from the Manistique Post.

Road conditions were described as icy and slippery when the accident occurred at around 9:15 a.m., backing up traffic for more than a hour, said Trooper George Kanyuh.

After the collision, Sapino's car careened into the snow-filled ditch on the south side of the road, the trooper said. The driver was able to free himself from the car.

Fiebernitz's SUV came to rest in the center of the road where a fire broke out underneath the vehicle.

Fiebernitz was able to get himself out of the SUV shortly before the vehicle exploded and burst into flames.

"Upon the arrival of emergency personnel, the vehicle was completely consumed by flames with black, billowing smoke visible in the sky for some distance from the crash scene," Kanyuh stated.

Both drivers were transported by Manistique Ambulance to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique. They were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, he said.

"Seat belt use and air bag deployment appear to have contributed to the drivers not being seriously injured," Kanyuh commented. No tickets have been issued as the post continues to investigate the accident, he added.

Prior to the accident, Sapino was driving to Ferris State University in Big Rapids where he is a student. Fiebernitz was on his way to Michigan Technological University in Houghton where he attends college.

Following Monday's collision, traffic was backed up for miles.

"All eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. 2 were shut down for approximately one and a half hours as first responders worked at tending to the injured, putting out the fire, and clearing the scene of vehicles and debris," Kanyuh said.

"Salt trucks were then called in to treat the roadway from the fire hose water that was freezing on the highway," he explained.

State police were assisted at the scene by Doyle Township Fire Department, Schoolcraft County Sheriff Department, Manistique Public Safety and Ambulance crew, Schoolcraft County Road Commission, and Don's Towing Service from Gulliver.

Child Safety Seat Check Event Scheduled in Houghton

Trooper Mark Ealy at Classic Auto Collision in Marquette

A Child Passenger Safety Seat Check Event will be conducted on Saturday, February 13, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Houghton City Fire Hall in Houghton, Michigan. The event features certified child safety seat technicians who will inspect seats for recall, proper fit, seating position and other factors. In Michigan, the usage rate for child passenger safety seats is over 90%, yet the mis-use rate is at 77.8%, according to a 2009 Wayne State university study.

Sponsors for the check event include: Houghton City PD, Portage Health, the Office of Highway Safety Planning and the UP Child Passenger Safety Coalition.

Contact Ms. Judy Pruner at JAPruner@sbcglobal.net for more information.