[sustran] Re: [LotsLessCars] Children and traffic safety

Stephen Plowden stephenplowden at blueyonder.co.uk
Wed May 6 17:01:55 JST 2009


Some comments on the highlights from the Campaign for Global Road Safety quoted by Tod. 

1. An important approach not mentioned by CGRS is to reduce  the amount of road traffic as well as crash and casualty rates. There are many other reasons, in addition to safety, for wanting to reduce traffic. 

2. Although reducing speed is mentioned, it should be given much more prominence. It is a very important way of reducing both crash and casualty rates and rates of fuel consumption, emissions of CO2 and other gases and  noise.  It also helps to reduce traffic.  

3. Making vehicles safer is important, provided it is interpreted widely enough -  more widely, I suspect, than the CGRS intends. Vehicles should be made safer for the other road users with whom they may collide, not only for their own occupants. This means in particular reducing weight and power and fitting vehicles with variable speed limiters . There is good evidence that features such as  ABS intended to improve safety can be counter-productive by encouraging riskier behaviour.   


  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory 
  To: LotsLessCars at yahoogroups.com ; Sustran Resource Centre 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 5:49 PM
  Subject: Re: [LotsLessCars] Children and traffic safety





  Make roads (safe).

  (Does anyone remember when the HIV AIDS campaigns, at least in the UK - to their credit - started saying "safer" instead of "safe"? This campaign seems completely oblivious....)

  Some highlights from the Campaign for Global Road Safety, which I hopes makes it clear that it is a pro-driving campaign (or just saying that roads are fine and good, but just make them "safer", or simply a lot of distracting nonsense) What is really sad is how much support it is getting, which could otherwise be promoting real alternatives...

  Just listen for the rhetoric, e.g. "technical fixes" etc....
  <http://www.makeroadssafe.org/media/Pages/film.aspx>

  ***

  ‘Vaccines’ for Roads
  http://www.makeroadssafe.org/about/Pages/Issues.aspx

  The ‘vaccines’ for the road injury epidemic are available. We know how to reduce road deaths, and in most industrialised countries road deaths have been cut by at least half over the past 30 years, even as the number of vehicles has increased dramatically. Improved road design and a focus on pedestrian safety, safer vehicles, motorcycle helmets, seat belts, action on drink driving, driver training and licensing and tackling speed – this is how road deaths can be reduced. The missing ingredient is political commitment to take action.

  ***

  Check this list to see who is missing:
  <http://www.makeroadssafe.org/about/Pages/Coalition.aspx>

  ***
  And if things are not clear yet, look at the absolute junk they allow on their site....
  <http://www.roadierunner.com/>

  - T



  Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory wrote: 

    Hi,

    (The following is a response to a message sent to the New Mobility and Sustran lists... )

    Saving one life is a good thing. Saving many is great.

    But I am quite dismayed that the sponsors (Besides FIA, also Michelin, BP and the Danish govt. among others) seem to be primarily interested in creating and preserving current and future motorists and motorization, rather than creating mobility options. 

    Is Michael Schumacher going to promote BRT, cycling.... going slow? Of course not. He is going to say that if you were only like him, skilled and helmeted, the future is bright.

    We shouldn't fall for it not should we accept the growing private motorisation of the developing world. Our friends in many fine organisations are promoting alternatives which save lives AND the environment and do lots of other positive things. I don't think that New Mobility or doing mobility differently is a luxury for anyone.

    See related links:

    <http://www.wear-a-helmet.com/?cat=45>
    <http://www.wear-a-helmet.com/>
    <http://www.asiainjury.org/index.php?m=pro>
    <http://www.fiafoundation.org/news/archive/2008/Pages/PartnershipwithAIPFoundationcombatsSEAsiaroaddeaths.aspx>

    - T

    Faizan Jawed wrote: 

      http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/ProgrammeFeature.aspx?id=43&FeatureId=1110

      Dying to go to School


           
                       
                 
                    
                             Dying to go to School
                              Film star Michelle Yeoh travels the world to meet young victims, bereaved mothers and surgeons, to ask why there must be increasing young deaths from traffic. 
                              Michelle Yeoh...
                              “I think if you look around, this is a community where their homes and their schools are over the other side. 

                              A high speed road, cars not stopping, not slowing down. Nothing to tell them and to stop them. And these kids, if you look at them they are going to cross this heavy junction, looking from right, left, behind, with nothing to help them. 

                              And they do this every morning. Somewhere around the world at this moment sadly there is a child hurt or killed – just because they are going to school. For God’s sake, we have to stop this.” 


--------------------------------------------------


                              Dying to go to School

                              In recent years Michelle Yeoh has emerged as one of the most highly regarded film actresses in the world. Her international recognition has come from films like, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, the multi award winning ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and the James Bond film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’.

                              Better known for her action roles, motorcycle stunts and speeding car chases, it's a dramatic turn around to accept the role of road safety global ambassador. 

                              Featuring Michael Palin and Michael Schumacher, 'Dying to go to School' travels from Cape Town to Costa Rica, via India, in an effort to understand how more than 11 million lives have been lost on the roads since the year 2000, and why numbers are dramatically climbing.  
                       
                 
           



      -- 
      2008 RIBA Norman Foster Traveling Scholar
      Berkeley Prize 2008 Finalist
      +91-9820981298
      phaizan at gmail.com





-- 
--------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory

Urbanstr. 45
D-10967 Berlin
Germany

Skype: toddedelman
Mobile: ++49 0162 814 4081
Home/Office: ++49 030 7554 0001

edelman at greenidea.eu
www.greenidea.eu
www.flickr.com/photos/edelman

CAR is over. If you want it.

"Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" 
- B. Brecht (with slight modification)


-- 
--------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory

Urbanstr. 45
D-10967 Berlin
Germany

Skype: toddedelman
Mobile: ++49 0162 814 4081
Home/Office: ++49 030 7554 0001

edelman at greenidea.eu
www.greenidea.eu
www.flickr.com/photos/edelman

CAR is over. If you want it.

"Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" 
- B. Brecht (with slight modification)
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