MSC’s Ben Smith Attends National Crash Analysis Convention at The George Washington University

Washington, D.C. – MSC's Ben Smith is currently at the National Crash Analysis Convention, at the National Crash Analysis Center at the Virginia campus of The George Washington University. The conference lineup has included lectures and presentations on cutting-edge research being conducted at George Washington University and at the Federal Highway Administration research facility. The following list is a small sample of the presentations.

• “Opportunities for Occupant Protection in Far Side Impacts,” by Dr. Kennerly H. Digges, Mr. Vinay Nagabushana
• “Addressing Narrow Overlap Collisions: FLEE and FREE,” by Mr. Paul Scullion & Mr. Richard Morgan
• “Review of High Speed Rear-End Vehicle-to-Vehicle Crash Test Data from previous tests conducted for the conference,” by Dr. Kennerly H. Digges, Mr. Shaun Kildare, Lawrence Wilson, & Wade Bartlett
• “Guardrail Induced Rollover of Passenger Vehicles,” by Dr. Ken Opiela, Dr. Kennerly H. Digges, & Ms. Ana Eigen
• “Roof Crush and Roof Strength Characteristics from JRS Rollover Testing,” by Dr. Kennerly H. Digges & Dr. Carl Nash

In addition to hearing excellent presentations, Ben had the opportunity to tour the Federal Highway Administration research facilities in Langley, Virginia, tour the research facilities at George Washington University, and take part in live crash testing at the Federal Outdoor Impact Facility. Ben, along with other conference attendees, was able to observe a full-scale crash test involving a vehicle rear-end crash and a concrete barrier crash.

Ben took the images below, which show the crash sequence in one of the test crashes.

Educational Fund Established for the Son of Fallen US Soldier

On 18 August 2010, US Army Sergeant Brandon E. Maggart was killed in action in Basrah, Iraq. Read the report in Military Times.

Sgt. Maggart leaves behind his wife and their three-year-old son, Blake. Sgt. Maggart was killed in action on his son’s third birthday, which was just two weeks before he was due to be rotated home to Kirksville, Missouri. He served the United States in the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

Sgt. Maggart was the cousin of our friend and colleague, Ron Baade of Commonwealth Transportation Consultants. Ron co-teaches with Bill Messerschmidt at the University of Tulsa’s Continuing Engineering and Science Education department.

An educational fund has been established at Bank of America for Blake Maggartt. Those wishing to donate to should do the following.

Make checks payable to the: Blake Maggart Educational Fund

Mail to:
Travis Noe Funeral Home
PO Box 306
Kirksville, MO 63501

We hope you will continue to support the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, as well as their families, as they work to ensure our freedom.

New Anti-Distracted Driving Rules Announced at the 2010 Distracted Driving Summit

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced at yesterday’s second national Distracted Driving Summit that the federal government is initiating a new rulemaking to limit commercial truck drivers’ use of all electronic devices while hauling hazardous materials, as well as seeking to ban text messaging by all drivers hauling hazardous materials.

These announcements came on the heels of last week’s proposed rulemaking submitted to the White House for final review, which would prohibit all truck drivers from texting while driving. It is likely that this rule will be published in the Federal Register as early as next week, in which case the rule would take effect in late October.

Read more about LaHood's announcements during yesterday's Distracted Driving Summit.

Learn about distracted driving and the summit at DOT's site.

National Two-Second Turnoff Day: Sept. 17, 2010

A lot can happen in two seconds. For example, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, taking your eyes off the road for two seconds doubles your chances of being in a car crash. However, it only takes two seconds to turn off your cell phone before you get behind the wheel.

National Two-Second Turnoff Day takes place tomorrow. The campaign, sponsored by AAA, Seventeen Magazine, and the US Department of Transportation (DOT), urges teens to pay special attention to the risks of distracted driving. Research conducted by AAA and Seventeen found that 86% of male and female teens have driven while distracted, even though 84% admitted they know it's dangerous.

Seventeen Magazine's "Viral Video Challenge,” part of National Two-Second Turnoff Day, is actively helping teens spread the news of the dangers of distracted driving. Winner Emily Langston's anti-distracted driving video, "It Can Wait," will be featured at DOT's 2010 Distracted Driving Summit, in Washington, D.C., on September 21, 2010.

Congratulations to Ms. Langston, AAA, Seventeen Magazine, and DOT for working hard to promote safe driving.

Visit the official US Government website for distracted driving.

The 2010 IIHS Booster Evaluation: Check the Fit of Your Child's Booster Seat

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a good booster routes the lap belt across the child’s upper thighs and positions the shoulder belt at mid-shoulder. Proper safety belt positioning is shown in the IIHS photo above, in which the crash test dummy represents a six-year-old of average size.

Of 72 boosters recently evaluated by IIHS researchers, 21 of them (29%) earned the “BEST BET” rating (as opposed to only 15% earning the same rating last year). Seven boosters earned a “GOOD BET” rating, and eight boosters did a poor job of fitting belts and were not recommended by the Institute at all.

The remaining 36 boosters that were evaluated fell into the “in-between” group, based on their inconsistently fitting belts well on most children in most cars, minivans, and SUVs.

In a Sept. 8 IIHS press release, Institute senior vice president for research Anne McCartt said, "Unlike the top performers, consumers can't assume boosters in the in-between group will work in every family vehicle. Some may be fine, but parents still need to try them out to see if the lap and shoulder belts fit their kids correctly." The lap belt should not ride up on the child’s tummy, and the shoulder belt should not fall off the shoulder or rub against the child’s neck. Scroll down to the end of the press release to view the 2010 IIHS Booster Evaluation Results.

Do you have concerns about your child’s booster seat? September 25, 2010 is NHTSA’s National Seat Check Saturday, and certified child passenger safety technicians will be providing advice and offering hands-on seat inspections of child seats nationwide, free of charge. Find a Child Safety Seat Inspection location in your area.

NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Week: Sept. 19-25, 2010

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 8,959 lives have been saved by the use of child restraints during the last 30 years. Even so, crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3-14. Furthermore, NHTSA estimates that nearly 3 out of 4 parents use child restraints improperly.

Next week, September 19-25, 2010, is Child Passenger Safety Week. The week culminates with National Seat Check Saturday, which takes place on September 25 in numerous locations around the US.

On National Seat Check Saturday, certified child passenger safety technicians will provide advice and offer hands-on seat inspections nationwide, free of charge. Find a Child Safety Seat Inspection location in your area.

Learn more about child passenger safety.

Visit NHTSA's website to learn more about driving safety, vehicle safety, research, data, laws and regulations, and other important transportation-related topics.

MDATAI Annual Combined Conference

On October 6 -8, the Maryland Association of Technical Accident Investigators (MDATAI) will co-host the nation’s largest crash investigation conference at The Grand Hotel in Ocean City, Maryland.  Co-sponsoring organizations include:  the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists (NAPARS), the New York Statewide Accident Reconstruction Society (NYSTARS), the New Jersey Association of Accident Reconstructionists (NJAARS), the National Association of Traffic Accident Reconstructionists and Investigators (NATARI), and the Professional Society for Forensic Mapping (PSFM).

Bill Messerschmidt is an invited guest speaker (for the second consecutive year) at this conference.  Last year, Bill provided the closing session, entitled “The Past, Present, and Future of HVEDR Technology.”  This year, Bill will be presenting on the topic of investigative techniques for documenting conspicuity treatments and commercial vehicle lighting.

Other speakers at the Combined Conference include:  Jeffery Muttart, Jim Sobek, Kevin Johnson, Dr. Angela Trego, Andy Rich, Chuck Veppert, Joe Cofone, Edward Weber, and Jeremy Onyan with Arnold Wheat.

Last year, Dr. Andrew Ridnour from MSC attended along with Bill.  This year Dr. Ridnour and MSC Analyst Kevin Jones will both be attending the conference.  We are looking forward to another great conference, and are grateful to Bob Squire (MDATAI) and the other organizers for the chance to visit Ocean City!

Learn more about the conference here.