Driver Safety Australia’s Russell White speaks to channel 7 Sunrise host David Koche about the escalation in road violence. The dashcam footage in this story shows how quickly a situation can escalate to a point where vehicles collide. It’s important that we change the public perception about serious incidents like this and call it out for what it is. Serious Road Violence not merely “Road Rage”. Watch the full video here:...
MORE than 78,000 lives (1) have been saved since Euro NCAP’s tough crash safety tests were launched 20 years ago this week. Today, Euro NCAP reveals it has published over 630 safety ratings, crash-tested some 1,800 cars and collectively spent over 160 million Euro (2) to make cars safer. The first tests exposed safety failings in top-selling family cars, forcing a fundamental rethink in the way vehicles were designed to prevent accidents and save lives. Twenty years on, 9 out of 10 cars sold on the European market hold a Euro NCAP rating and the motor industry actively supports the development of new requirements for the top safety ratings. Today, the results of crash tests (4) of two family cars built 20 years apart underline the huge advances in vehicle safety since 1997. Safety technologies that were non-existent or optional at most – such as driver and passenger airbags, side protection airbags, belt reminders and electronic stability control – are now standard on all cars sold in Europe. “We are very proud – as we mark 20 years at the forefront of road safety – that Euro NCAP’s programme of safety tests has achieved major, life-saving improvements in cars and has helped Europe reach the lowest road fatality rate for any region in the world (3).” said Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen. “Euro NCAP has given millions of consumers the knowledge and confidence to choose the safest cars possible. Recent years have shown a slowdown in the progress rate, however, so we mustn’t take our foot off the gas. We want to ensure that Europe’s roads get even safer...
The UN Road Safety Collaboration is pleased to announce that the Fourth UN Global Road Safety Week will be held from 8-14 May 2017. The Week will focus on speed and what can be done to address this key risk factor for road traffic deaths and injuries. Speed contributes to around one-third of all fatal road traffic crashes in high-income countries, and up to half in low- and middle-income countries. Countries successfully reducing road traffic deaths have done so by prioritizing safety when managing speed. Among the proven strategies to address speed include: Setting and enforcing speed limits appropriate to the function of each road, for example: Setting and enforcing a maximum speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour in urban areas; Setting and enforcing a maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour on roads with high concentrations of pedestrians, cyclists and motorized traffic; Enforcing speed limits through the use of automatic speed cameras; Installing intelligent speed adaptation technology in vehicles; Building or modifying roads to include features that limit speed such as traffic lights, roundabouts and speed humps. The Fourth UN Global Road Safety Week seeks to increase understanding of the dangers of speed and generate action on measures to address speed, thereby saving lives on the roads. All stakeholders – national and local governments, international agencies, civil society organizations, private companies, and the public generally – are invited to plan and host events marking the Week. Advocacy materials for the Week will be available on this web page as they are finalized. To read original article please see...
A CARRS-Q evaluation of the changes to car child restraint laws has found almost a quarter of children up to seven years of age weren’t wearing the right type of restraint for their age. The study found that this was especially the case for three to four-year-old children who were being moved into booster seats or adult seat belts too early. In some cases the study even found child passengers weren’t restrained at all. Lead Researcher Dr Alexia Lennon said all this put children at greater risk of injury in a crash. “Restraints give the best protection when they are the right size for the child. The new laws were designed to help parents use their child’s age to tell which restraint is the most suitable,” she said. Dr Lennon said the evaluation endeavoured to determine whether new State government legislation for child restraints had been effective in getting children into restraints appropriate for their ages. “We found that children do appear to be more appropriately restrained than prior to the introduction of the changes to the law in 2010 and this is very encouraging. However, too many children are still wearing seat belts and other restraints that are simply too big for them. “Children should be restrained in forward facing child seats until they can’t fit into them any more and for most children, this doesn’t happen until they are at least four years old. Once the child has outgrown the forward facing seat, then a booster seat can be used,” she said. Dr Lennon said there was a place for retailers, particularly larger department stores, to...
Demonstrating Kia Motors’ ongoing commitment to safety and continuous improvement, the all-new 2017 Kia Sportage has earned the highest designation possible – Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) – from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when equipped with optional front crash prevention. The rating reflects top scores in each of five crashworthiness tests as well as the integration of driver assistance technologies to aid in crash prevention. “The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of the most recognized and respected organizations in the industry when it comes to evaluating vehicle safety, and as such, the Top Safety Pick Plus designation is a significant achievement,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, KMA. “We are especially proud to have our all-new Sportage earn that TSP+ rating in light of IIHS’ new, more challenging standards, validating the efforts of our engineers and the priority we place on safety.” IIHS testing parameters were changed for 2016, requiring each vehicle to earn “good” ratings in five crashworthiness tests – small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength and head restraints – as well as an “advanced” or “superior” rating for front crash prevention in order to qualify for a TSP+. The 2017 Sportage is available with a wide range of driving-assistance systems and safety features including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)1, Blind Spot Detection (BSD)1 with Lane Change Assist (LCA)1, Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)1, and Bi-HID headlights with Dynamic Bending Light (DBL)1 technology, high-beam assist (HBA)1, and front and rear parking assist1. Furthermore, the structure of the all-new Sportage is significantly improved due...
Carnival scores 5-star ANCAP safety rating Kia’s award-winning Carnival people-mover has won an ANCAP safety upgrade from four stars to five following a re-testing of the car earlier this year. Launched just on 12 months ago, the Carnival was rated four-stars in the initial crash test, a result that Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith described at the time as “disappointing”. Mr Meredith committed Kia to lifting the score to the maximum five stars and said the success of that program is a “very satisfying” outcome. “At the time of the original test it is fair to say that we were disappointed, but safety is a non-negotiable for Kia and the determination of all involved to retain Kia Motors Australia’s record of an all five-star model line-up was admirable,” Mr Meredith said. ANCAP Chief Executive Officer James Goodwin said: “After a disappointing four-star result for the Carnival in March last year, Kia has worked to implement a number of safety improvements which saw the vehicle reach the five-star mark. “A number of design changes to the Carnival saw the score in the frontal offset test increase substantially.” The Frontal Offset crash test result increased from 10.48 to 14.29 out of 16 points. The Kia Carnival is the first vehicle to meet ANCAP requirements to be awarded a 2016 date stamped ANCAP safety rating. The five-star rating applies to all variants of the Carnival manufactured on or after December 23, 2015. The Carnival scored a total of 34.62 in the latest test, with substantial improvements in the frontal off-set test to go along with the perfect 16 out...
Chances are you have a deadly habit. You might not even be aware of it. But the fact is, 76% of Queenslanders use their phones when driving. Luckily, you can do something about it. Check out the videos and get the facts. Share them with your friends. Help spread the word. Then, it's time to take action. Youtube...
Lane filtering can be quite difficult to understand. Watch this video from Queensland Transport and Main Roads to find out about lane filtering rules that apply to motorcycle riders in Queensland and how to keep safe while doing...
Innovation has been the key to our road safety success and we have revolutionised several aspects of driver training in Australia. What makes our training content unique from our competitors is our approach to introduce driver biomechanics, ergonomics, safe driving skills, fatigue and distraction reduction, attitude, observation and concentration. The delivery (distribution) of a portion of our training challenged traditional post licence driver education in Australia. DSA pioneered and introduced the first driver safety training delivered via online courses and simulators. Customers and their staff now have driver training delivered more efficiently and effectively at a lower cost. Our driver education and management systems employ a range of training strategies that are supported by current research findings in the areas of bio-mechanics, human movement and driving psychology. Our goal is to create a better, safer and more balanced driver. We focus our driver safety message on saving lives of all driving...
The working week is over. The late afternoon sun is glinting on the ice crystals in the road-side snowbanks and turning the snow-capped peaks ahead pink. The road snakes ahead towards a weekend of fun and action. The journey demands a swift, efficient and refined machine to allow the maximum pleasure to be extracted from the time available. This is exactly the role for which the Kia SPORTSPACE was conceived. Its muscular proportions are ready to deliver a safe, secure but speedy passage to the slopes. Its cosseting and refined interior provides convivial yet individual space for its four passengers. Its sleek and elegant lines – both inside and out – are functional but stylish, allowing its travelling partners both comfort and convenience within a body shape that stands out from the crowd. This is a concept that is extracting the maximum from life at its heart. To be unveiled to the world at the 85th Salon International de l’Automobile in Geneva, the Kia SPORTSPACE is perhaps the ultimate ‘getaway’ car – a thoroughly practical vehicle for everyday business use, yet a stylish and athletic grand tourer in the classic sense – ready to eat up the miles across continents, whether for business or leisure. Conceived and developed at Kia’s European Design Centre in Frankfurt under the leadership of Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Europe, the Kia SPORTSPACE is a car that spurns traditional compromises. It is neither saloon car nor wagon. It is neither hatchback nor shooting brake. It is instead a vehicle that can meet the demands of those who refuse to be categorised when it comes to...
As a large business employing a combination of corporate and field employees who drive for a large portion of their day, we had an increasing challenge to provide relevant and attention-grabbing training. Driver Safety Australia understood our specif…
Patricia PereiraWorkplace Health & Safety ManagerUnisys Australia & New ZealandAustralia & New Zealand
I’d like to thank Driver Safety Australia for the support they have provided UnitingCare Wesley Port Adelaide (UCWPA) with the implementation of our Driver Safety Training.
The training is very practical, no nonsense, concise and delivered in a manne…
We have been delighted with the service provided by Driver Safety Australia, they have been able to take our concept of a Travel Tower Operator DVD for both City & Off-Road driving safety techniques and turn it in to a reality. Russell was very accom…
