DriveSmartBC

"Globally road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for young people, like myself. We have the right, responsibility, and capability to change this situation. This Youth and Road Safety Action Kit is an essential addition to our road safety toolbox.” Sheila Atieno, 25 years, Kenya.

"Any loss of life in traffic is unacceptable." This is the philosophy of traffic safety in Sweden. The Vision Zero Initiative sets an ultimate target of no deaths or serious injuries on Sweden’s roads, and is not merely content to reduce accidents to an economically manageable level. The focus is on the system, not only the driver and has been incorporated into national law.

Mark your calendar for April 14, 2012 if you are going to be in Kelowna, B.C. to attend the Hergott Law, One Crash is Too Many, Dinner Gala & Poker Tournament in support of BrainTrust Canada.  Join personal injury lawyer Paul Hergott, local VIPS and other concerned residents to help raise awareness of the preventability of motor vehicle related injuries and brain injury.

We reach the mid-point of Canada's Road Safety Vision 2015 in only a few more months. I'm not going to ask if you are doing something to meet the goals of the program, I'm going to ask you if you have ever heard of the program.

This is the City of Vancouver's People Are Fragile web site. The site is part of a road safety program raises awareness of common behaviours that can cause serious injuries and potentially fatal consequences for all road users. The program focuses on three behaviours that the city has idenfied as the most common and risky: jaywalking, cyclists running stop signs and drivers failing to yield to pedestrians.

Another great video from Austalia's TAC Victoria that is part of their anti-impaired driving campaign for Christmas 2011. Well known for not pulling any punches, these videos graphically illustrate the perils of impaired driving.

The BCAA Road Safety Foundation has a new web site and a new URL: www.bcaaroadsafety.com. The new site provides information in five areas; Drivers, Child Passenger Safety, School Safety, Professionals and Resources. Of particular interest is the Drivers section with information aimed specifically at teen drivers, parents of teen drivers, older drivers and medically at risk drivers.

Why doesn't this site do more to promote the use of a designated driver? This single sentence was all that was sent to me in an e-mail from a visitor to my DriveSmartBC web site. With the Christmas season upon us, it's probably a great time to revisit the subject.

A short video introducing the five pillars of the Global Plan for Road Safety. These pillars are Road Safety Management, Safer Roads and Mobility, Safer Vehicles, Safer Road Users and Post Crash Response.

The Canadian Road Safety News Digest is a compilation of traffic safety information from around Canada. The Digest is a publication of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals and is published semi-monthly.