A Global Epidemic -- Risky Driving Beyond Our Shores
Risky driving is not just a U.S. concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road traffic crashes kill 1.2 million people a year – or an average of 3,242 people each and every day. That’s more than are killed by major scourges such as malaria or diabetes¹.
In addition, road traffic crashes injure or disable between 20 million and 50 million people a year. And, road traffic crashes rank as the 11th leading cause of death and account for 2.1 percent of all deaths globally. The annual cost of road injuries and fatalities is $518 billion.² The numbers are staggering and the physical, financial and emotional toll on victims and their families are incalculable.
In light of this, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill came into effect on April 6, 2008, throughout the United Kingdom. So, why should you care? Because it applies to all companies and other corporate bodies operating in the U.K., whether incorporated in the U.K. or abroad. And, it may come to the U.S. in the future.
The scope of the new Bill builds on the responsibilities that employers and organizations already have to their employees. For it to apply, the organization has to take reasonable steps to protect a person’s safety and manage its activities accordingly. In other words, courts will look at management systems and practices across the organization to see whether an adequate standard of care was applied to the fatal activity.
This is exactly why Hibernian General Insurance wanted to be sure its clients were aware of their obligations. As Hibernian states in its Roadsense Guide, "In a court of law, ignorance does not mean innocence." The Guide continues, "To raise your company’s safety standard successfully, you must also change your company’s behavior and attitude towards risk. In other words, you must promote and develop a ‘culture’ of road safety." As a result, Hibernian introduced DriveCam to both Maguire International and Iggy Madden – major U.K. trucking and hauling companies.
Raising the awareness of risky driving even further is the United Nations, which held its Second U.N. Stakeholders Forum on Global Road Safety in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 25, 2007. The Forum met to focus attention on the fact that despite progress, there is a growing gap between the developed countries and the developing and transitional countries where the road traffic injury problem is getting worse.
Following on this, the U.N. General Assembly recently approved the first ever Conference on Road Safety, to be held in Russia in 2009. It’s high time the issue of traffic fatalities got the attention it deserves, advocates said, especially since experts expect vehicle ownership in populous nations such as China and India to double in the next 20 years. "We have an epidemic in the making, one that we can stop," said Mark Rosenberg, the U.S. member of the Commission for Global Road Safety. "We have solutions at hand – what we don’t have is the attention of the world to this problem."
It’s time the world takes note of this daily epidemic. We just wish it had happened sooner.
In fact, DriveCam is committed to improving driving behavior and saving lives. So much so, that our President and CEO, Bruce Moeller, has written a book, Driving Me Crazy, (now available on Amazon) about the issue and we’ve recently launched DrivingMeCrazyStories.com to generate discussion on this important topic. Even the media is now picking up on the importance of this topic, as evidenced by recent stories in the Wall Street Journal and on ABC World News Tonight.
¹E.J. Mundell, HealthDay, April 1, 2008
²WHO/World Bank, Wolrd Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, 2004
May is National Youth Traffic Safety Month
Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the U.S. and summer is a particularly deadly time of year for teen drivers. In fact, 6,000 youths die every year in car crashes in the U.S. That is an average of 16 a day. Crashes take more lives of our youth than alcohol, drugs, violence and suicide. Youth traffic safety is no accident and steps can be taken to help protect youth and encourage them to stay safe on the roads.
This spring, in honor of National Youth Traffic Safety Month (NYTSM) in May, teens across the country will Act Out Loud and raise their voices about this important issue. Ten teams were selected to execute projects in their schools and communities and document their experiences on team blogs through photos, videos and stories. People across the country will have the opportunity to vote on their teams’ activism projects. Their votes will determine which teams and their respective schools will win the $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 prizes.
The National spokesperson for Act Out Loud is Lucas Grabeel, best known for his role as Ryan Evans in the Disney Channel hits "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2."
NYTSM is the perfect time to remind parents and teenagers about the Teen Safe Driver Program. Thousands of teens are already enrolled in the program and lives are being saved daily because of it. Results are dramatic and immediate. On average, teens reduce the frequency and severity of high risk driving events by more than 70 percent in the first six weeks. Driver seatbelt use improves from less than 40 percent to an unprecedented 100 percent – and passenger seatbelt rates increase dramatically too.
Every month should be National Youth Traffic Safety Month. But, since it’s not, please do your part to help ensure teen lives are saved throughout the year.
Industry Profile: Solid Waste Management
In this feature:
- Insights on the solid waste industry
- Interview with David Biderman, general counsel of NSWMA and WASTEC
- Preview of WasteExpo
- New DriveCam customer Waste Connections
This month, the editors of In The Driver’s Seat are taking a closer look at the waste management industry, and in particular, solid waste, in light of WasteExpo, North America’s largest solid waste and recycling trade show serving both the private and public sectors. We’re also pleased to announce our newest customer in this industry, Waste Connections.
Full Story »
Mark Your Calendar: DriveCam 2008 Academy Schedule
June 18, 2008 Chicago, Ill.
Aug. 7, 2008, Dallas, Texas
Sept. 25, 2008 Boston, Mass.
Nov. 13, 2008 Las Vegas, Nev.
Presented by DriveCam’s leading safety expert, Del Lisk, the DriveCam Academy is a one-day session dedicated to presenting and sharing advanced techniques for optimizing your use of the DriveCam program. The course is ideal for clients currently using the program but looking for ideas on how to maximize results. This is also an excellent environment for those considering a DriveCam deployment but seeking guidance on how to put it all together. The fee for attendance is $285 per individual.
Come to this session to learn:
- The essential steps for success with the DriveCam program
- How to monitor program effectiveness
- How to analyze complex videos
- Surefire tips to maximize effective driver coaching
- Key functionality that may not have been available when you deployed your DriveCam program
- And much, much more
Space is limited. For information, or to enroll in one of the sessions, please call 866-419-5861 and ask for Del Lisk or e-mail your request to dlisk@drivecam.com.
DriveCam at Industry Events
Because of our leadership in the Driver Risk Management community, DriveCam has been invited to participate in a number of prestigious events. DriveCam will be speaking at industry-leading events discussing the benefits of a Driver Risk Management Program. Look for DriveCam at the following industry events:
APTA 2008 Bus & Paratransit Conference
May 3-7, 2008
Hilton Austin
Austin, Texas
Bruce Moeller, DriveCam CEO, Presenting
Waste Expo 2008
May 6-8, 2008
Visit our booth #3116
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois
Safety 2008
June 9-12, 2008
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
Del List, DriveCam VP, Safety Services, Presenting
FedFleet 2008
June 24-26, 2008
Visit our booth #842
Hilton Anatole Hotel
Dallas, Texas
DriveCam in the News
"World News with Charles Gibson" (ABC) DriveCam was highlighted as a tool that is helping to reduce road fatalities in America by capturing pictures of car accidents and analyzing what went wrong.
"Good Morning America" (ABC) "Good Morning America" featured DriveCam as a new gadget aimed at helping teenagers drive safely. The story, titled "Candid Car Camera," features Bruce Moeller delivering road safety tips that can help motorists prevent accidents.
Wall Street Journal
DriveCam was highlighted in an article, titled "Mom Called and Said, ‘Slow Down’," that tells the story of a teenager who uses the solution and attributes it to saving her life. The teenager and her passenger were wearing seat belts when she rolled her car. Her parents saw her driving without a seat belt in previously recorded DriveCam clips and mandated that she wear one at all times.
Fleet Owner
DriveCam and Risk InfoCenterTM are featured in an article titled "Data Driver Safety." The article discusses how companies should use DriveCam to identify risky driving behavior as it occurs and predict who should receive coaching.
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