Do Crosswalk Countdown Timers Make Intersections More Dangerous?

A recent study by University of Calgary economists Arvind Magesan and Sacha Kapoor investigated the effects of the city of Toronto installing crosswalk-count-down timer lights at 1,800 intersections.  The timers did lower the number of accidents involving pedestrians; however, the study indicates that the timers actually increased collisions between cars.  The increase in car accidents was due to the fact that the timers are visible to both pedestrians and automobiles approaching the intersections and there were more rear-end accidents caused by the approaching motorist speeding up to get through the intersections.  Intersections that had been previously considered "safe intersections" became more dangerous for motorists.  The study found that at busy congested intersections the traffic is moving too slowly for motorist to accelerate through the intersection based on the count-down-timer; however, at less busy intersections when there is only one or two cars ahead of the motorist viewing the count-down clock, that trailing motorist would speed up during the last few seconds making rear-end collisions more prevalent.

    

In their conclusion, the study’s authors suggest that the cross-walk timers should be redesigned to give only an audio countdown so that approaching automobiles cannot see or hear how much time is left to get through the intersection but pedestrians can continue to benefit from the increased safety of knowing how much time there is to get across the street safely.

 

The cities of Ann Arbor, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek,and Brighton, Michigan have installed these types of countdown timers to increase pedestrian safety.  Perhaps these Michigan cities should rethink and redesign their count-down cross-walk timers to keep all users of city intersections safe.   

Should Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities Be A Warning That Requires Fixing the Design of Intersections?

For the past 20 years, Sweden has been building intersections and transportation systems that try to achieve an annual goal of reaching zero pedestrian deaths throughout the country.  They named this 1997 Legislative initiative “Vision Zero.”  The Swedes have narrowed city streets, lowered speed limits, and built intersections that prioritize pedestrian safety.  Additionally, Swedes have changed their mind-set and they view collisions between pedestrians and vehicles as not a punishable event for the driver but as a warning that a fix is required and an investigation must be launched to find safer designs (a differently timed light, a better lit intersection… ect.).

New York and San Francisco have recently adopted the “Vision Zero” concept and they are prioritizing pedestrian safety.  Studies have shown that speed isthe biggest difference between life and death when a pedestrian is hit by acar.  A ten percent increase in the speed a car hits a pedestrian increases the likelihood of death by 45%.  So if a driver is going 20 m.p.h. upon impact, the pedestrian has an 85% chance of survival.  If that same car is going 40 m.p.h., the survival chance drops to 5%.  New York , San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and many other U.S. cities have  been attempting to slow down city traffic by giving 4 lanes roads a “road diet” and making it a three lane road with  a middle turn lane.  Additionally, cities have been using speed bumps before intersections, pedestrian bridges, raised cross-walks to make pedestrians more visible, and extending curbs so drivers approaching the intersection perceive a narrower street and slow down.  Bump outs mid-block are also used to slow down traffic.  These bump outs are called “chicanes.”  Cities have also use flashing lights at cross-walks and large pavement paintings to warn drivers to share the road.

 

Opponents to “Vision Zero” road and intersection designs insist that city roads need to be efficient traffic arteries in and around the city and all these pedestrian safety devices will just create bottlenecks making commutes longer.  Further opponents to road narrowing say that pedestrians and bicyclist should be shunted off to side roads rather than main business routes.

  

It will be interesting to see what kind of balance Michigan cities achieve between motor vehicles and pedestrian safety and whether any Michigan cities will try to achieve zero pedestrian deaths by adopting Sweden’s “Vision Zero.”  

Wrong-Way Drunk Driver Kills Motorist in Kalamazoo on U.S. 131

Toxicology tests confirmed that drunk driver Jeremy Smeltzer who drove the wrong way in the southbound lane of U.S. 131 near Kalamazoo on April 15, 2014 and killed a driver driving the correct direction on the express-way had an blood alcohol content that was more than 2 1/2 times the legal limit for driving of 0.08 (it measured 0.214 percent).  The Michigan State Police laboratory test was released Friday, May 16th, 2014 to the Kalamazoo Gazette after they filed a request under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.  The Michigan State Police also released the trooper's car video that captured an image of the drunk driver speeding past the trooper's squad car seconds before causing the deadly crash.  This video is very disturbing because it vividly captures the senseless moment before two people were violently killed due to the utter stupidity of  a drunk driver.  The video also reminds us of the extremely dangerous situation that our Michigan State Troopers must face in the moments after such a fiery crash.  

Go to this link to see the Michigan State Police dash-cam video of this crash.  Hopefully, the release of this disturbing dash-cam video will further discourage drunk driving by forcefully bring the reality of the potential tragic results to the fore-front of people's minds.

"I Was Just Reaching to Pick Up My Phone!"

Why do so many negligent drivers give the excuse that they "were just reaching over to pick up their cell phone" after they have caused a tragic accident?  Do negligent drivers feel this is a more acceptable or less blame-worthy response to give the Police than I was sending a text message or trying to make a call?  Is this the way a guilty conscience forms the words so as to allow the person to feel they are at least taking partial responsibility for their bad behavior?  This week 21 year-old Chelsey Northrup was tragically killed when a negligent driver crossed the center-line while allegedly "reaching for his phone" on Parker Road near the intersection with Scio Church Road in Washtenaw County.  Additionally, this week a negligent driver allegedly "reaching for his phone" crossed the center-line on the dangerous M-14 and Barton Road exit in Ann Arbor and broadsided a car driven by a woman who was 33 weeks pregnant causing her to go into contractions.  These unnecessary tragedies should remind us all to put away our phones and seriously re-affirm the promises we make to ourselves and others to END distracted driving.    

Dramatic Increase in Women Being Arrested for Drunk Driving

Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) statistics show a twenty-one percent (21%) increase in Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrests among women during the nine year period between 2003 and 2012.  Annual arrests among women increased from 174,000 to 650,000 nationwide.  Interestingly, annual arrest among men decreased by nearly 17 percent during this same time period (780,000 down to 650,000 nationwide).  Social science experts speculate that the increase in arrests of women may be due to more women being in the workforce so more miles are being driven by women and more driving occurs at night when they are more likely to be arrested for drunken driving.  Additionally, experts believe that it has become more socially acceptable than it used to be for women to drink in public, especially among young women.  Finally, many states have eliminated first offender diversion programs, so more women are being pushed into the criminal justice system without an ability to by-pass it.

The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning reports that in Michigan the number of drunk driving crashes have decreased for both men and women.  From 2003 to 2012 the number of drunk driving crashes for men decreased from 11,400 to 7,250.  During this same time period, drunk driving crashes for women decreased from 3,203 to 2,563 for women.  In 2012, 35 drunk driving crashes in Michigan were fatal for women and of these 68% involved young women between the ages of 21 to 34.  Substance abuse scientists report that women metabolize alcohol differently than men do and they do it in such a way that they're going to get more intoxicated at a faster rate.  If a 150 pound man and a 150 pound women have the same amount of alcohol, the women will be at a higher blood-alcohol content quicker.  With the legal driving limit for blood alcohol content dropping from 2003 to 2011 in many states, police are arresting more women for DUI's and as explained above there are many causative factors.  Perhaps more public service t.v., radio, and social media advertisements need to target young women warning them of their increased risks and encouraging them to use designated drivers.    

Closing Michigan's Motorcycle Temporary Permit Loophole To Increase Motorcycle Safety

Last Tuesday both houses of the Michigan Legislature passed a law that limits the number of times motorcycle operators can obtain a Temporary Instruction Permit without completing the skills test required for the full motorcycle endorsement on their Michigan Drivers License.  The permit was designed to allow new motorcycle riders to take practice runs and gain the experience necessary to drive a motorcycle before taking the skills test.  The Temporary Instruction Permit requires the new operators to wear a helmet, ride only during the day, and ride with a fully endorsed adult motorcycle operator; however, many people would only obtain the Temporary Permit and keep renewing it to avoid having to take the skills test.  It has been difficult for Police to enforce the riding restrictions on the Temporary Permits and this has encouraged many people to repeatedly acquire the Temporary Permit rather than the full endorsement.  This new law is headed for the Governor's desk for his signature and will limit persons to 2 Temporary Permits over 10 years time. 

Legislators were moved to limit the number of Temporary Permits because crash data in Michigan has revealed that more than half of all motorcycle crashes in 2012 involved a motorcycle operator with a Temporary Permit or no permit / license at all.  Additionally, 44 percent of all crashes involved operators that did not have a full endorsement on their drivers license and were not wearing helmets.   Finally, more than half of the Michigan motorcycle riders killed in traffic accidents did not have the full license endorsements.  These shocking numbers reveal that the least experienced motorcycle operators are causing the largest share of the serious motorcycle accidents in Michigan. Hopefully, the closing of the endless Temporary Permits will reduce the injuries and deaths that have been occurring too frequently amongst these Temporary Permit operators.   

Increased use of Party Buses - does the trend increase or decrease safety on Michigan Roads?

The start of N.H.L. playoffs, upcoming graduation parties, prom season, and the increased use of "party buses" across the nation reminds one of the tragic accident involving Red Wings' Vladimir Konstantinov in 1997.  Almost seventeen years ago, Konstantinov's limo driver blacked out, crossed three lanes of traffic, jumped a curb, and hit a tree at a high rate of speed.  Unbuckled in the back of the limo, Konstantinov, Sergei Mnatsakanov (Red Wings therapist), and Slava Fetisov (Red Wing Player) were all severely injured when they slammed into the interior of the limo as it was abruptly stopped by the stout tree.  The Red Wings were celebrating their Stanley Cup Championship and unfortunately got into a limousine driven by Richard Gnida whose license had been suspended at the time for drunk driving.  Konstantinov's promising career as an all-star defense-man abruptly ended and he is still severely debilitated with a traumatic brain injury.  Sergei Mnatsakonov is permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Across the nation young people are choosing to use party buses rather than standard limousines to transport large groups to proms, bachelor / bachelorette parties, and bar-hopping events.  These party buses come equipped with wooden dance floors, neon lights, large screen televisions, leather couches, drink holders, killer sound systems and brass dance poles.  Fatalities and injuries have occurred when party bus passengers have gotten out of control and either fell out of the moving bus, stuck their heads out of an emergency roof hatches, or been slammed against the interior when an accident occurs.  The real debate is whether or not these party buses are increasing safety because the party bus keeps otherwise intoxicated drivers from driving themselves to these events or are these party buses discouraging use of seat belts with their enticing moving dance-party environments?

Unfortunately Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Michigan Laws have not kept pace with this new "party bus craze."  Michigan Law does not require a back seat passenger over the age of 16 to wear a seat-belt and there are no federal regulations or Michigan laws that require bus passengers to wear seat belts.  Hopefully, it will not take another tragic accident involving a beloved public figure like Vladi Konstantinov to motivate the Michigan Legislature to take a more active role in regulating the "party bus craze."