With whisper-quiet electric cars set to proliferate, the motor industry is under pressure to give them an artificial noise for safety purposes, but should they sound like traditional petrol vehicles?
Electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles are inherently quiet. The sound of the tyres on the road is noisier than the engine and this could prove lethal at slow speeds for pedestrians and cyclists.
Motor manufacturers acknowledge there is a problem. Some, like Nissan, are already fitting speakers under the bonnets of these vehicles to emit sounds for the safety of other road users. Others are planning on doing the same.
With the UK government predicting 8,600 electric cars will be sold by the end of this year, sound engineers say there is a pressing need to come up with some ground rules as to what sounds to pick. So why not just stick with the current sound of a conventional combustion engine?
"That would be losing a huge opportunity," says Prof Paul Jennings from Warwick University who leads a project looking into alternative vehicle noises. "We all know traffic noise can be annoying and the levels are significantly high. We do not want to lose the benefit we could get from using new reduced sounds." He says: "The challenge is to create sounds that are as safe as possible but also ones that are much more pleasing for the urban environment."
As part of the engineering project, an electric vehicle called Elvin (Electric Vehicle with Interactive Noise), is being driven around the university campus demonstrating a small sample of made-up sounds. There are certain noises that people associate with transport and they alert us that a vehicle is heading in our direction.
Whatever car manufacturers choose will only be effective if it does the same. But balancing the needs for safety and improving the environment are not the only requirements. Clearly the manufacturers will have a big say in what happens.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Electic Cars, Road Safety
The government has rejected lowering the legal drink-drive limit by nearly half, as recommended in a Whitehall-commissioned report. Sir Peter North said the limit should be reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, saying this would save hundreds of lives each year. The transport secretary Philip Hammond says improving enforcement rather than lowering the limit was likely to have more impact . But he has approved several measures recommended to deal with drug-driving. This includes improved detection equipment and changes to streamline enforcement of both drink and drug driving. The government will also consider whether a new specific drug-driving offence - alongside the existing one - is needed, to stop police from having to prove impairment on a case-by-case basis where a specified drug has been detected. Sir Peter, a leading academic and legal expert, had made a total of 51 recommendations in his report. These included making it easier for police to identify and prosecute drug-drivers by allowing nurses, as well as doctors, to authorise blood tests of suspects. Based on new research by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Sir Peter said that as many as 168 lives - about 7% of UK road deaths - could be saved by a reduced drink-drive limit in the first year. This could rise to as many as 303 lives by the sixth year, he said.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Road Safety, THINK Campaign
England tops the UK road safety league table with the lowest rate for deaths on the roads, ahead of Scotland and Wales, with Northern Ireland firmly at the bottom, according to a report published today by the IAM. The report ‘Comparisons -- England’s regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’ shows substantial differences in the safety of roads and levels of car ownership around the UK. England’s north - south divide is also a significant factor. In England the north east and the north west are the safest places to drive, while the east Midlands is the most dangerous. IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “While the UK is now top of the European road safety league, the risk of being killed on UK roads varies considerably around the country. Road deaths in Northern Ireland are twice that of north east England. Bringing the worst areas in the UK up to the same level of the best would save many more lives and reduce serious injuries. This should be a prime focus for central, devolved and local government road safety plans.” While England’s northern regions are the safest, they are at the bottom of the car ownership league table -- more than a quarter of households don’t own a car. Over 80 per cent of households in the south east and the south west own one or more. Overall in England car ownership fell in 2009, in Wales there was no change, and in Scotland there was a modest increase on 2008. Greig said: “Car ownership is a good measure of prosperity. Regional declines in ownership and the fact that ownership is much higher in the south of England reflects the UK’s economic and employment trends.” source: IAM Labels: IAM, Road Safety
A small town in the Australian Outback has decided to change its name for a month in an attempt to increase road safety. The town of Speed - a blink-and-you'd-miss-it town in the countryside of Victoria - will be known as SpeedKills. Speed-dwellers are hoping it will persuade drivers to slow down on country roads. Speed is hoping to become something of a global, internet sensation with the launch of this novel safety campaign. The idea was the brainchild of the Victoria Transport Accident Commission, which soon won over Speed's 45 residents. For the full story from the BBC click here... source: BBC Labels: BBC, Road Safety
Drivers and pedestrians who put their lives at risk and ignore safety signals at level crossings have a greater chance of being prosecuted thanks to a new high-tech spy camera. Network Rail say the number of people risking their lives has risen over the last five years. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Road Safety, Technology
The freezing weather shows no sign of letting up with more snow forecast for the rest of the week. Hundreds of schools are closed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north-east of England. The Local Government Association says councils have increased stockpiles of salt and grit but hundreds of motorists are trapped in their cars in Scotland. Gritting lorries servicing icy roads were attacked by youths in Londonderry on Sunday. The window of one vehicle was smashed and a number of roads in the Creggan and Gobnascale areas of the city went untreated as a result. There were further heavy snowfalls in Scotland overnight and traffic is backed up for several miles on the A9 between Dunblane and Perth after several lorries jack-knifed. The M62 between junction 34 and junction 38 in West Yorkshire was described as "hazardous" while one of the main routes into the centre of Sheffield, the Parkway, was said to be "treacherous". A Highways Agency spokesman said one lane of the eastbound M4 at the Severn Crossing had been closed as a precaution after ice started to form on the bridge.He said the road had now been reopened but added: "It is Monday morning and the advice that we issued last week still stands - be aware and be sensible. If the weather is bad, make sure you have got an emergency kit in the car and think about whether the journey is absolutely necessary." BBC broadcast meteorologist Philip Avery warned plummeting temperatures overnight on Monday were likely to lead to icy roads in many places, while the strengthening winds will make it feel even colder. The UK has been experiencing the earliest widespread snowfall since 1993. Met Office severe weather warnings for icy roads - and snow in places - are effective across central and eastern Scotland and eastern parts of Northern Ireland. Warnings of heavy snow are also in place along the entire east coast of England, as well as in Cornwall, with more expected throughout Monday and Tuesday. Mr Avery said the worst weather would be in central and eastern Scotland and north eastern England but added: "There is a likelihood of wind in the northern half of the British Isles picking up in strength leading to more significant drifting." For some regions Monday's forecast is for a nicer day, he said, but he warned the biting winds would have an impact and make it feel colder. The Greater London area and Kent are at risk of snowfall from Tuesday, with the Met Office warning drifting snow could cause disruption to road and rail networks towards the end of the week. source: BBC
Labels: BBC, Highways Agency, Road Safety, Travel
Children across the UK are protesting that drivers go too fast in their community, putting young lives in danger. A national survey of 15,000 9-13 year-olds launched for Road Safety Week by the charity Brake and business insurance specialist QBE finds that almost nine in 10 children (86%) think drivers go too fast around their homes and schools. Shockingly, one in 10 children (10%) say they have been knocked down while walking or cycling; a further 56% have had a near miss, and a further 16% have had a frightening experience. source: Brake Labels: Brake, Road Safety
Newly published Department for Transport (DfT) figures show that compared to previous figures, driving is becoming far safer. According to the DfT, in 2009 there were 222,146 reported casualties of all severities, 4% lower than in 2008. Of these, 2,222 people were killed, 12% lower than in 2008. The number of fatalities fell for almost all types of road user, most notably with a drop of 16% for car occupants. Figures on the number of people killed and injured on the roads in 2009 were published in June, but this report provides more detailed information about accident circumstances, vehicle involvement and casualties, as well as trends in accidents and casualties. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, DFT, Road Safety
An AA survey for the BBC suggests that some drivers feel unsafe driving because of their choice of footwear. The survey for BBC Breakfast, which questioned over 18,000 people, found that more than one in four drivers have at some point not felt fully in control of their vehicle - because of their footwear. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, Road Safety
Doctors say the law should be changed to force people who use road legal quad bikes to wear helmets. Accident and emergency medics say lives are put at risk because riders do not have to wear protective gear - despite the fact the bikes can reach 90mph. Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said there are no plans to make helmets compulsory but added that he will keep the matter under review. However the government says it does strongly advise riders to wear helmets. The DVLA does not keep specific figures on the number of road legal quads but the main UK suppliers say that since 2005 they have gone from selling a few hundred each year to thousands.
source: BBC
RIVAL does not provide cover for quad bikes or motorcycles. To see what we do have to offer please visit our main site by clicking here...Labels: BBC, News, Road Safety
The European Commission has announced a target of halving road deaths in the European Union by 2020. A total of 35,000 people died in 2009 as a result of accidents on European roads. The UK has the lowest annual road fatality rate in the EU – 38 per million inhabitants. Towards a European Road Safety Area: policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020, sets out seven strategic objectives: improved safety measures for trucks and cars; building safer roads; developing intelligent vehicles; strengthening licensing and training; better enforcement; targeting injuries; and a new focus on motorcyclists. The Commission has concerns over the 'vehicles of tomorrow', including electric vehicles, as some of these are radically different from traditional vehicles in ways that might affect safety. It has said that, amongst other things, it will encourage progress on the active and passive safety features of motorcycles and electric vehicles. The Commission previously set out an action plan to halve annual EU road deaths from 50,000 to 25,000 between 2001 and 2010. The Commission's latest figures show that although substantial progress has been made this goal is unlikely to be achieved. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, News, Road Safety
Half of all fatal road crashes occur on one-tenth of Britain's roads, according to charity the Road Safety Foundation. Its report, covering 28,000 miles of A-roads and motorways, says Scotland has the highest-risk highways, followed by parts of northern England. It identified the A537 between Macclesfield, Cheshire, and Buxton, Derbyshire, as the most dangerous road. The charity wants government spending to be targeted at improving safety on the most dangerous roads. Its report, entitled Saving Lives for Less, suggests the high cost of emergency services and hospitals could be avoided by spending small sums in accident blackspots. The foundation is the British arm of the European Road Assessment Programme, the sister organisation of EuroNCAP, which measures car safety. It examined accident data relating to roads across Britain. Among its conclusions were: A third of all fatal and serious crashes happen at junctions Single roads carry six times the risk of motorways and twice that of dual carriageways One-in-four fatal or serious crashes on A-roads or motorways involves a motorcyclist There was a 5% reduction in the number of fatal crashes on such roads in the past three years West Midlands is the safest region
For the full story from the BBC click here... source: BBC Labels: BBC, Road Safety, Travel
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