News & Blog Archives - Page 156 of 188

Seatbelts – Saving thousands of lives around the world everyday…

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that since 1975 to 2008, figures have shown that the use of seatbelts in the United States alone has saved an estimated 255,000 lives! Although primary seatbelt law does not exist in every state in the US, it is clear, from the evidence presented by CDC that seatbelt laws and the use of seatbelts in vehicles save lives.

The Surreal Poster Series places one of its focuses on the importance of seatbelts.

A seat belt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduces the likelihood and severity of injury in a traffic collision by stopping the vehicle occupant from hitting hard against interior elements of the vehicle or other passengers (the so-called second impact), by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum benefit from the airbag, if the vehicle is so equipped, and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle. The seat belt is designed to stretch at a controlled rate to absorb crash energy and reduce the severity of the occupant’s deceleration.

CDC states:

Seat belts protect people from needless death and injury. But whether it is because they are in a hurry, distracted, or they simply forget, many people don’t wear their seat belts, and thousands die as a result. CDC recommends effective, well-enforced seat belt laws to ensure that every person in every seat buckles up on every trip.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 15,000 lives are saved each year in the United States because drivers and their passengers were wearing seat belts when they were in a road traffic crash.

Seat Belt Safety: 5-Way Protection
“Seat belts prevent occupants of the vehicle from serious injury in five ways,” says Angela Osterhuber, director of the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project in Media, Pa. A seat belt:

Keeps the occupants of the vehicle inside. “It’s clearly a myth that people are better off being thrown clear from the crash,” Osterhuber says. “People thrown from a vehicle are four times more likely to be killed than those who remain inside.”
Restrains the strongest parts of the body. “Restraints are designed to contact your body at its strongest parts. For an older child and adult, these parts are the hips and shoulders, which is where the seat belt should be strapped,” Osterhuber says.
Spreads out any force from the collision. “Lap-and-shoulder belts spread the force of the crash over a wide area of the body. By putting less stress on any one area, they can help you avoid serious injury,” Osterhuber says. A shoulder strap also helps keep your head and upper body away from the dashboard, steering wheel, and other hard interior parts of the automobile should you stop suddenly or be hit by another vehicle.
Helps the body to slow down. “What is it that causes injury? A quick change in speed,” Osterhuber says. “Seat belts help extend the time it takes for you to slow down in a crash.”
Protects your brain and spinal cord. A seat belt is designed to protect these two critical areas. “Head injuries may be hard to see immediately, but they can be deadly,” Osterhuber says. Likewise, spinal cord injuries can have serious consequences.

CDC report that in the United States alone, in their study of seatbelt use from 1975-2008 an estimated 255,000 lives have been

Seatbelts have saved an estimated over 250,000 lives since 1975

The use of seat-belts and child restraints is one of the most important actions that can be taken to prevent injury in a motor vehicle crash. While seat-belts and child restraints do not prevent crashes from taking place, they play a major role in reducing the severity of injury to vehicle occupants involved in a collision. An occupant’s chance of survival increases dramatically when appropriately restrained.

Facts about seatbelts

75 % of passengers thrown from a car die. Unbelted occupants are 30 times more likely to be thrown from a car
In a crash at 30mph, if unrestrained, you will be thrown forward with a force up to 60 times your own bodyweight
The latest surveys show 93 per cent of adult front seat passengers and 94 per cent of drivers wear seatbelts. For back seat passengers, 93% of children (under 14) and 70% of adults are secured
All the safety features you paid for in your car were tested with the assumption you would be wearing a belt. Without a seatbelt, those safety features are not designed to work
If you are not wearing a seatbelt and you have a crash, there may be implications for how much your insurer might pay in respect of injuries
Once one person puts their seatbelt on, everyone else in the car is more likely to do so.

Check out the Surreal Poster Series

USA Today: Deaths rise among youngest drivers – a worrying trend

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

With global focuses shifting towards the growing crisis of road deaths of young people, USA Today; the American national media outlet features a headline on the issue. A report from the USA’s National Road Safety Group highlights a growing problem: an increase in fatalities of 16 and 17 year old drivers after a declining trend in the past decade.

This is a particularly worrying trend as road traffic crashes in most Western developed countries have stabilized or declined while low and middle-income countries have seen a dramatic rise in road crashes; especially amongst young people. While statistics illustrate that in the West, road traffic crashes have decreased, road crashes are still the biggest killer of young people aged 11-30 worldwide.

USA Today Reports:

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) examined deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers through the first six months of 2011 and found an 11% increase over the same period in 2010. Deaths of 16-year-olds rose 16% and 17-year-olds 7%, for an overall jump of 11%. Twenty-three states saw increases, 19 had decreases, and there was no change in eight states and the District of Columbia.

The study by the GHSA, which represents states on highway safety issues, covers only the first half of last year. Traffic deaths usually rise during the second half of the year, which includes summer and vacation driving. If data for the second half of 2011 continue the trend, it would be the first time in eight years that deaths have risen for this age group of drivers.

The rise is believed to be caused mainly by two things, says Allan Williams, a highway safety consultant who conducted the study:

The improving economy means more teens on the roads. The recession probably helped reduced travel among teen drivers in 2008 and 2009; those drivers are returning to the highways.
The impact of phased-in driving privileges for teens — graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs — is leveling off. These initiatives, implemented or strengthened in the mid-1990s, are in place in every state. “Once you get that initial impact, you’re not going to get another 20% drop the next year, unless you can improve compliance,” Williams says.

The states that saw increases in deaths among young drivers “don’t stand out as weak” GDL states, Williams says. He says there is room for further strengthening of state GDL laws and for more consistent enforcement of some provisions, such as restrictions on teen passengers and nighttime driving.

Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, cautions that “if you’re looking at six months’ worth of data, you’ve got to be careful about trying to draw global conclusions.” GDL programs are proven effective, and parental involvement is crucial, he says.

“Regardless of state laws, parents can just institute and enforce restrictions consistent with the best GDLs,” Kissinger says. “The best GDL programs are only as good as what is enforced. And parents are in a much better position than local police to enforce those provisions.”

Floor Lieshout, Director at YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, in response to this article stated, ´This is a disturbing sign in the US and needs immediate action. More than half of the states saw increases the first half year and with the forecast that during the second half of the year traffic deaths usually rise, it does not look good at all. We urge all stakeholders to take action and not wait till this trend continues’.

Additionally, the promotion of federal-laws such as those of Secretary of Transportation, Mr Ray LaHood; the ban of texting while driving could help to save thousands of young lives. When Mr LaHood met a YOURS delegation to the First Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow, Russia in late 2009, his immediate response to the Moscow Youth Declaration for Road Safety was to encourage young people to pledge to never text-and drive. YOURS believes that laws, with multi-sectoral support; enforcement, education, infrastructure and so forth can save thousands of young lives.

Youth delegates with US Transportation Secretary Mr Ray LaHood

Read the Orignial Story at USA Today, by Larry Copeland, 16/02/12.

Where are they now? Pt.5 The YOURS CORE Group journey from WYA

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

After almost half a decade since the United Nations World Youth Assembly for Road Safety, the youth movement for road safety has grown and is stronger than ever. In our last feature, we saw that the YOURS Staff team were all delegates to the WYA and have since dedicated their efforts to the youth and road safety cause. In part 5 of our WYA special feature, we take a look at the members of the CORE Group who attended the assembly.

Over 400 young people came together on the foot of the Swiss Alps in April 2007 to discuss global road safety in a changing world. With over 100 countries represented at the United Nations HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, the youth empowering United Nations World Youth Assembly for Road Safety Changed many young lives. Youth delegates left the assembly as United Nations World Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety, we look at where they are now…

As a special feature celebrating 5 years since the first United Nations World Youth Assembly for Road Safety that took place in April 2007 at the United Nations HQ in Geneva, Switzerland, YOURS is putting special spotlights on the the United Nations World Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety! You can read all about the feature and the World Youth Assembly here.

More than 400 young people left the assembly as youth ambassadors having undergone pledges to make young people in their nations safer on the roads through campaigning and road safety work. YOURS will be featuring two ambassadors at a time and today our feature is on the CORE Group. While not all of our CORE Group representatives served as delegates to the World Youth Assembly, many of them did and after five years, their passion for road safety still burns strong as they join the YOURS team to maximize our road safety impact globally.

Stay tuned to see what other United Nations World Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety are up to!

Keep your loved one safe this Valentine’s Day – for their sake…

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

The charity Brake, which supports people whose loved ones have been killed in a road crash, is appealing to men to acknowledge the greater risks they face on roads and make a ‘Pledge to Drive Safely’ this Valentine’s Day for the sake of those close to them – as a survey by Brake finds that nine in 10 women (89%) worry about people they love being killed on roads.

Brake is also calling on women to speak up if the men in their lives take risks behind the wheel, remind them of the appalling consequences, and the basic steps all drivers can take to safeguard themselves and others.

The survey of 800 drivers published today, found that a loved one being killed on our roads is one of the biggest fears for a third of all drivers (33%). However, women are more likely to have this on their minds regularly. One in eight women (13%) said they worry about their loved ones dying in a road crash ‘all the time’, compared to one in 13 men (8%).

The ‘For My Girlfriend Campaign’ shares a road safety message through care for our loved ones.

The survey suggests women are more likely to be clued up on the dangers on our roads, and this may be a factor in the way men and women drive and the higher risks men face. Research shows that:

nearly three times as many males are killed on the road as females [1]
men are twice as likely to be high risk takers on the road as women [2]
93% of driving convictions for causing death or bodily harm are against men, showing men are far more likely to take extreme risks that often lead to tragedy [3].

For young couples, fear of your partner being killed on injured on the roads is usually more justified than many other fears to do with the safety of loved ones. At the age when couples are forming, settling down and starting families, three times as many are killed in a road crash than die from drowning, fires and assault put together [4].

Brake’s care services for families bereaved and injured in road crashes are accessed by thousands of people each year experiencing terrible heartbreak, including many who have lost a partner suddenly and violently. As well as emotional trauma, these bereavements often have a devastating effect on family life, with those left behind often having to cope with financial hardships, complicated legal procedures, and a raft of other practical issues.

Julie Townsend, campaigns director of Brake, said: “It’s hard to imagine the pain of a partner dying from any cause, but the additional tragedy of death on the road is that it is sudden, violent, and preventable. There are ways to help protect yourself and your loved ones from road death and injury: by making Brake’s Pledge to Drive Safely you are taking vital steps to ensuring you don’t hurt yourself or others. Giving your partner peace of mind that you won’t drive dangerously is a great gift this Valentine’s Day.”

Valentine’s Day can serve as a timely reminder to keep our loved ones safe.

Case study: The Story of Alexia’s Fiance James
Alexia Tetchner, 27, from Liverpool, got engaged to James Roberts, her partner of five years, after he proposed on holiday in October 2008. They planned to get married in August 2010 and have children the following year. Alexia’s dreams were shattered when on 1 March 2009, James was suddenly and violently killed in a car crash.

James was a passenger in a car driven by his best friend, Peter Alan Evans. It was early afternoon; the driver had been drinking the night before. After the crash he was found to be more than twice the drink drive limit and had excessive amounts of co-codamol in his system. The car was a two-seater sports car but there were two passengers in the vehicle with the driver. James was in the passenger seat with another friend on his lap and neither was wearing seat-belts.

Evans tried to overtake shortly before a sharp bend. As he pulled out the passengers shouted for to him to pull back in as a motorbike was coming the other way. As he pulled in he was too close to the car in front and clipped it, which sent their car into a spin. James and the other passenger were thrown from the car.

James was alive and conscious for a short time after the crash. He lost consciousness and a nurse who happened to be at the scene tried to resuscitate him. He later died from his injuries, which included a brain haemorrhage and a fractured skull.

Evans was convicted of death by dangerous driving and sentenced to four years in jail.

Alexia was in shock from the moment that she heard the news. Her worst fears had been realised. Later that day she had to suffer the ordeal of identifying James’ body. Their plans in tatters, Alexia has since had to build a new life for herself without the man she deeply loved.

Alexia said: “James was stupid that day and, believe me, if he had survived I would have made it plain to him how stupid it was. He shouldn’t have been in that car; he never normally took those kinds of risks. This Valentine’s Day I will remember my love for James and mourn the life we never got to have together. Please, when you drive or when you are a passenger in a vehicle, think of your loved ones and don’t take risks.”

Alexia now volunteers for Brake to raise funds to support victims and campaign for safer roads.
For interviews with Alexia or a Brake spokesperson, call Ellen Booth on 01484 550067 or email ebooth@brake.org.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Avoid being another statistic and follow our 10 Road Safety Commitments

End notes
[1] Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2009, Department for Transport, 2010
[2] Sex differences in driving and insurance risk, An analysis of the social and psychological differences between men and women that are relevant to their driving behaviour, The Social Issues Research Centre, 2004
[3] Criminal Statistics Annual Report 2008, Ministry of Justice, 2010
[4] Death registrations in England and Wales: Table 2 Deaths by age, sex and underlying cause, 2009 registrations, ONS, 2010; (Ages 15 – 44)

The art of creative road safety campaigns: making it cool!

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

In the past few years, we have visited many events targeting young people with safe messaging and campaigns. ‘Road safety is not attractive or appealing’, has been an expression bandied around working groups who map the challenges facing their road safety efforts. It is this ‘stereotype’ given to traditional road safety activities that organizations, especially YOURS is working to change. How can something that can potentially safe your life so you can continue to enjoy it be ‘uncool’?

We know that young people take risks, that risky behavior is often the thrill of activity but sometimes, risky behavior can be life threatening, especially when it comes to young people on the road. The reasons for risky behavior amongst young people has been a subject of psychology study for many years, some of the reasons have been explored by TAC Australia;

Passengers are central to risky driving, especially for young men:

Young male passengers rarely discourage their male peers from engaging in risky driving behaviours and often actively encourage it.
As a driver, many young males say they drive in a risky way to show off to young male passengers, even if the passengers haven’t asked them to.
Young male drivers are less likely to engage in risky actions with female passengers because they want to protect them, don’t feel as much need to impress them, female passengers are more willing to speak out and because they listen to their girlfriends.

With this in mind, a range of road safety campaigns have been developed to work on these pointers and engage young people in a road safety message that inspires action rather than being instructive.

From YOURS’ perspective, last year, the Embrace Life Campaign encouraged young people to show us how they ’embrace life’ and therefore commit to road safety. This action of reflecting on what is important in our lives and to acknowledge our precious lives was a powerful way of engaging young people in a personalized effort for road safety. You can read more about this here. Last year, YOURS also released the Surreal Poster Series, a fresh and dynamic approach to road safety with ‘surreal’ imagery of a thought provoking nature.

The conception that road safety has been traditionally ‘dry’, something that is ‘boring and for small children’ is a view which is becoming just that, something ‘that used to be’.

We have seen, through the meeting of young people engaged in road safety around the world and the registration of engaging project to our MINE Section that road safety is no longer boring. ‘Road safety can be sexy’, is a phrase that has emerged in the last two European Youth Forums for Road Safety and this is trend is certainly something that youth and road safety campaigners are actively undertaking.

Take for example; Team Alert who, through their creative campaigns and videos have become on of the biggest road safety organizations reaching thousands of young people in the Netherlands. Their website is youth oriented and geared towards young people in a lively and engaging manner. Or take Vaah! Theory Room who work directly with young people in driving schools to promote road safety and market themselves in a stylish manner on Facebook to attract young drivers in Botswana.

Many of us will have seen advertisements on television promoting road safety and although some of these can be rather unsavory in approach, many have are creative and transmit a powerful message to their audience. With the use of the internet, shooting and sharing a video has created the concept of viral marketing with road safety videos ‘going viral’. A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email. Glassboy by Roni Kleiner is an incredibly example of visionary creation with high-level production and imagination to transmit a powerful road safety message about speeding. More examples of powerful road safety videos can be found in the right column!

Steve: An animation for road safety, showing a creative approach to road safety messaging.

We live in an age of sharing information at a click of a button but often messages can go unseen in the commercial noise of the internet. Therefore, creative campaigns should be well thought-out and well planned with a clear strategy plan.

Top 10 tips for creative campaigning have been listed below:

KNOW YOUR STUFF – Make sure you research your road safety topic area thoroughly. Every argument must be supported by robust evidence if it is to be convincing.
BUILD A TEAM – A great campaigner is someone who can take people with them on their journey. Build a team of people who have the right mix of skills you will need to achieve your goal.
MAKE A PLAN – A campaigner should always know, and be able to articulate, precisely what they want their outcomes to be.
SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER– You will need a campaign target. Who directly has the power to make the change you are campaigning for?
MAP YOUR ISSUE – It is helpful to map the forces that will influence your campaign target e.g. who and what will be supportive or resistant to your objectives?
BUILD ALLIANCES – Check out whether other organisations are pursuing similar objectives. Making alliances can be an effective way to strengthen your message and broaden your reach.
USE THE RIGHT TACTICS FOR YOU – Think carefully whether your proposed tactics will help you achieve your objectives. Tactics that worked for one campaign might not be right for you – there is no one recipe for success.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING – Timing your tactics to coincide with activities taking place by either supportive or opposing forces can increase your impact or exposure. Always be aware of the environment in which you are operating.
SWOT – Analyse your Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats to help strengthen your objectives and mitigate potential problems.
EVALUATION – Setting clear targets at the beginning of your campaign will allow you to monitor your progress and assess whether you are making not just an impact but the right impact.

Adapted from: SMK.

YOURS is set to publish Youth and Road Safety Action Kit which will become the definitive tool for budding road safety campaigners! Stay tuned for it and stay creative!

YOURS CORE Group will meet for the first time to develop action plans

by Youth For Road Safety | Nov 21, 2023 | News & Blog

After YOURS’ rigorous process of recruiting and selecting our Coordinators of the Regions (CORE Group) late last year, the group is being brought together for the first time at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to plan for the years ahead in their two year term as coordinators!

The YOURS CORE Group have already made their mark with their support of the Embrace Life Campaign, our 2011 global road safety awareness campaign that saw organizational record breaking participation from around the world! The CORE Group were recruited late last year after a decision by the staff team in conjunction with the YOURS Youth Taskforce for Road Safety to develop our international reach and expand our global network. The group will meet at the end of the month 27-30th February 2012 which is being hosted by the World Health Organization in Geneva, Swizterland.

The CORE Group which currently represents 4 regions of the world are set to undergo training from the YOURS team on the organization’s strategy and actions plans as well as establish an international CORE Group Action Plan for the years ahead. Training also includes a workshop from Communications Officer at the World Health Organization, Elena Altieri on communication for the network. Additionally, the coordinators will undergo training on YOURS’ new publication, the Youth and Road Safety Action Kit which is set for publiation imminently.

The CORE Group is made up of the following individuals:

Mr. Aliou Oumarou – Coordinator of African Region (Francophone)

Mr. Axl Druat – Cooridnator of the European Region

Ms. Jennifer Heatley – Coordinator of the North American Region

Mr. Joel Tucker – Coordinator of the Western Pacific Region

Ms. Sheila Atieno – Coordinator of the African Region (Anglophone)

The CORE Group become an integral part of the YOURS team and outreach structure and have the potential to collectively reach hundreds and thousands of young people around the world with YOURS’ road safety message. This meeting is an exciting period for us as we expand our work with the support of these exceptional young leaders in road safety.

Manpreet Darroch, Coordinator of the Global Youth Network for Road Safety said, ‘This will be a fantastic opportunity for the YOURS wider network to develop their action plans for the regions they represent. This first meeting will unite representatives from 4 regions of the world and we are honoured that the World Health Organization will host our meeting’.

YOURS will be reporting from the CORE Group with personal testimonials from the group to be featured on the YOURS website subsequently.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »