NHTSA Releases Updated Information on Motor Vehicle Crashes Occurring in 2010

Benjamin Smith
Principal Technical Analyst

MSC of MS

On December 8, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released updated fatality and injury data concerning motor vehicle crashes that occurred during 2010 (DOT HS 811 552). The most noteworthy finding was that the number of traffic fatalities fell to the lowest level since 1949. And with respect to NHTSA's findings from the previous year, the number of fatalities in 2010 dropped 2.9%. However, NHTSA found that fatalities in motor vehicle crashes involving large trucks during 2010 actually increased by 8.7% when compared to the prior year.

Viewing the updated NHTSA data from a regional perspective, and comparing data from 2010 to data from 2009, Mississippi saw an 8.4% decrease in motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2010. In Mississippi, 641 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2010, whereas 700 people were killed in traffic accidents during 2009. Louisiana saw an impressive decrease in motor vehicle traffic crash fatalities, with a 14% drop in 2010. However, Alabama saw a 1.7% increase in traffic crash fatalities, going from 848 fatalities in 2009, up to 862 fatalities in 2010.

To learn more, visit the NHTSA website.

New Alabama Office Location for MSC

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

MSC completed a local move last month to the Indian Hills Business Park, located in Pelham, Alabama. Our new office is approximately 2,000 square feet and has a 500-square-foot warehouse area in the back, with a drive-in door, making it easier and quicker for consultants to load and unload equipment and tools. In addition to our enjoying this larger, newer space, attractive landscaping, and numerous windows in every office, we are especially pleased to be located in the Pelham Police Department's jurisdiction.

MSC's phone numbers, fax, email addresses, and websites all remain the same. However, because we have a secure, keyed mailbox unit at our new location, we ask that you please mail all correspondence to our new physical address.

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants
2148 Pelham Parkway, Building 100-B
Pelham, AL 35124

It has been business as usual for us since we completed our office move on September 15th. Please visit our website for driving directions from your location to MSC's Alabama or Mississippi office.

Gov. Robert Bentley Awards $914,700 in Grants for Traffic Safety

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded grants totaling $914,700 to help increase roadway safety through educational and awareness campaigns focused on the importance of using safety belts and properly restraining children riding in motor vehicles, as well as on the dangers of drunk driving. Read the press release issued by the State of Alabama on 30 August 2011.

The following briefly describes how the grant funds will be put to use:

• A $200,000 grant to the Alabama Department of Public Health is funding the production of educational materials on seat belts and child restraint usage; funds are also being used for observational surveys that will measure compliance with safety restraint laws.
  
  
• A $214,700 grant to the North Alabama Highway Safety office, located at Northwest Shoals Community College, will fund the training of child passenger safety technicians in the state's nine Community Traffic Safety Program regions. Technicians are trained to teach parents and caregivers how to protect children in vehicles through the proper use of child restraint systems and safety belts.
  
  
• A $500,000 grant to the Alabama Development Office is funding a multimedia campaign against drunk driving. This campaign is occurring at the same time as the national Over the Limit, Under Arrest law enforcement campaign, which runs through Labor Day weekend.

The funding was made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the state Traffic Safety Trust Fund and is being administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

MSC of MS Hires New Forensic Science Intern

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

MSC of Mississippi is pleased to announce the hiring of Jarrod Smith as a new forensic science intern. Jarrod is a senior at The University of Southern Mississippi studying forensic science and physics. During his internship with MSC, Jarrod will earn college credit while serving as a technical assistant. Jarrod’s training in forensic science, physics, and mathematics will allow him to be an asset to MSC throughout his internship.

MSC of MS brought Jarrod on board by way of an existing partnership with the forensic science department at The University of Southern Mississippi. The Forensic Science Program at Southern Miss, led by Dr. Dean Bertram, is one of the top programs in the country. Once part of the Polymer Science Program at Southern Miss, the Forensic Science Program has quickly expanded over the last decade to become a prominent part of the university’s College of Science and Technology. In addition to hosting the International Forensic Science Academy, Southern Miss’ forensics department is constantly engaged in cutting-edge research and development.

Prior to his joining MSC of Mississippi as a forensic science intern, Jarrod had just returned from a class trip to Washington, D.C., where he visited the Central Intelligence Agency, the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Capitol Police.

Volunteer Drivers Needed for World's Largest Field Study of Driver Behavior

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) is currently seeking volunteer drivers to participate in the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving study (NDS), the world's largest field study of driver behavior. Participants' vehicles will be outfitted with small video cameras and sensors that record the driver's face, forward and rear views, and a view of the driver's interaction with the dashboard and other systems. Participants' identifying data is protected and kept confidential, as described in the study's Informed Consent. To check if you may be eligible to participate, visit the SHRP 2 NDS website.

The objective of the SHRP 2 NDS is to collect real-world driving behavior data in order "to develop an understanding of how the driver interacts with and adapts to the vehicle, traffic environment, roadway characteristics, traffic control devices, and the environment."

The data resulting from the study will support activities aimed at reducing traffic-related fatalities, and it will aid public policy, rule-making, and more. It is anticipated that the data from the SHRP 2 NDS will be relevant to transportation safety researchers and others beyond the next 20 years.

Learn more about the SHRP 2 NDS.

Toyota, Lexus, and Scion Included in Latest Release of Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Software

Benjamin Smith
Principal Technical Analyst
MSC of MS

Late last month, Bosch released the latest (and a highly anticipated) version of its Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Tool software. The release of CDR Tool Version 4.0 was also accompanied by several pieces of new hardware. In addition to expanded coverage for the latest Ford and Chrysler vehicles, this release also includes all new coverage for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion.

The new coverage for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion includes more than 75 vehicle models dating back to 2006 that had not been covered with previous versions of the Crash Data Retrieval Tool software. Depending on the specific vehicle model, the data from these vehicles can include pre-crash parameters such as vehicle speed, braking status, engine speed, accelerator rate, and seat belt status.

While the specific types and amounts of data vary by vehicle model, downloads retrieved by vehicles via the Crash Data Retrieval system can be of great value to an accident reconstruction or accident investigation.

If you have questions about CDR downloads or specific vehicle model coverage, please contact us. MSC's staff in Alabama and Mississippi is trained and certified in the retrieval, preservation, and analysis of CDR data.

View a complete listing of vehicles covered by CDR Tool Version 4.0.

"Green" Drivers: Proceed with Caution

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager
Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

Every year, close to 11,000 "green" drivers - teen and young adults ages 15-24 - die in motor vehicle accidents. This is the equivalent of an airplane-full of young people dying each week.

At the "Alive at 25" defensive driving class, put on by the National Safety Council (NSC) and State Farm Insurance, in Birmingham, Alabama, June 14-16, 2011, instructor Janice Leverette told an audience of teen drivers that "the person right next to you is 'the other person.'" And that YOU are the "other person" to everyone else. She explained that you cannot make assumptions about what other people on the road are going to do.... You don't know what they are thinking, or what challenges they are facing behind their own steering wheel. However, while you can't control other drivers, it is your number one responsibility to control yourself and your vehicle. In order to arrive at your destination alive, you need to stay alert, attentive, and understand the hazards and consequences of what you do. Because no one plans to get into an accident.

During the class, the teens shared some of the challenges they've experienced and observed as new drivers. Distractions, lack of experience, "other people" on the road, inattention, arrogance, and feeling like certain rules of the road are "optional" were just some of the challenges this group has witnessed.

"Alive at 25" is an important and valuable class. As an adult sitting in on the class, it was a real eye-opener - and it served as a huge reminder to me that defensive driving is imperative. Something that surprised me (and also took me back down memory lane to my own teen years), was listening to the teens report having seen a number of seriously risky driving behaviors.

Bearing in mind that the oldest teens in today's class were 17, here are some of the things these young adults reported having SEEN other drivers doing: using drugs and/or alcohol, texting and using iPods while driving, dancing in the car, driving "crazy" for "fun," and taking risks for the thrill of it. As Ms. Leverette pointed out to the group, "you are your number one risk on the road." However, you should make the choices that will allow you to survive to grow old.

Strategies that were discussed in the class to help drivers be safer included:

• Keeping a following distance of at least three seconds;
• Slowing down in road construction zones;
• Paying attention while on the road and especially during poor weather conditions;
• Being very careful of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, and also slow-moving vehicles;
• Not participating in distracting activities;
• Watching out for hazards and having a plan;
• Not speeding;
• Taking responsibility for your decisions;
• Buckling up every time you get in a vehicle.

The class participants were very engaged in the class, and they participated actively with each other. I believe the class was very successful in presenting powerful material to teens in a way that was both candid and meaningful.

It's not too late to register for one of tomorrow's sessions of Alive at 25; tomorrow's sessions are geared to new drivers and attendance is free. The sessions will take place at 2125 Data Office Drive, Suite 102, in Hoover, Alabama. There is a session tomorrow at 8am and another one at 1pm. The class is three hours long. Refreshments are provided, and each participant receives a t-shirt and a red thumb ring to serve as a reminder to not text and drive. Call 1-800-457-7233 to sign up or to learn more.

If you can't make it for these new-driver sessions of "Alive at 25," there will be more offered this October during Teen Driver Week. However, the class is also offered to experienced drivers, as well as to people who have received moving violations. To view contact information for signing up or learning more, please visit the National Safety Council’s Alabama Chapter online.