It’s been a rough winter for everyone in Saskatchewan, and snowplow operators are no exception. There has been so much snow and cold, and conditions have been so bad, they’re setting records. And not the good records, either.

On March 1, at around 6: 45 a.m., a snowplow was clearing the Trans-Canada Highway between the Kalium Road intersection and the Belle Plaine overpass east of Moose Jaw. It slowed down a bit as it approached another car in a ditch, and as it did so, it was hit from behind by a woman driving a Grand Am. The driver of the car suffered minor injuries. She was taken by police to a local hospital, and was released later the same day. The snowplow operator was unhurt.

What’s notable about that crash is that brought the total number of collisions involving snowplows this winter to eight, which is double the normal number. In the 13 winters between 1998 and 2010, there were 52 such collisions, which breaks down to an average of four per year.

Officials seem uncertain as to why there have been so many collisions, but they do note that crews have been logging  a lot of overtime this winter.

Because of the higher numbers, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure is making the rounds and running advertisements reminding drivers to be on the lookout for snowplows and keep their distance.  They also note that it is illegal to pass highway equipment at a speed greater than 60 km/h if the equipment’s lights are flashing, and that snowplow operators will pull over every 10 km or so to let traffic pass.

Last summer, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) began testing a fully mobile work zone barrier system during a concrete repair project on Highway 115, southwest of Peterborough.

The new system is fully mobile, consisting of a wheeled unit, which is pulled by a standard truck tractor. The unit can be deployed relatively quickly and, because of its reversible axles, it can easily be reconfigured for either right or left applications in about half an hour.

These new mobile units, which are bright orange to alert drivers that road work is taking place, reduce the need for road crews to set up a Temporary Concrete Barrier (TCB), which means they can finish road work and reopen a lane in less time.  By adding panels, the size of the work zone can be expanded to as much as 31 metres, and the systems are also customizable, including such options as portable message signs, auxiliary lighting and a privacy barrier. The unit meets U.S. National Cooperative Highway Research Program 350 TL-3 crash test requirements, as well.

The mobile work zone barriers increase the safety of maintenance and construction crews, according to a number of test projects, and past use by others. The state of California has been deploying such mobile barriers since 2004, for example, and they have proven to be very time effective and safe. California refers to its mobile barriers as “Balsi Beams,” because they were developed after worker Mark Balsi was killed by a motorist while picking up trash along the highway. California’s Balsi Beam was among those demonstrated to MTO officials at a conference several years ago, which led to last summer’s trial.

Construction crews have so far found it easy to adapt to the devices, and feel very confident working behind them.  The Highway 115 trial project proved the units to be so effective that the contractor’s schedule was advanced, and work was completed ahead of time, because they were able to eliminate the work necessary in placing and removing the TCB.

Due to the success of the initial mobile barrier trial, MTO expects to expand their use for projects such as pothole filling, pavement testing, crack sealing, bridge and guide rail repairs, and even accident scene investigations.

Photos of the mobile work zone barrier system in action can be found here.

WebSafety, Inc. has announced the release of a mobile application they call CellSafety, which should go a long way toward making the roadways safer for everyone.  You see, this particular application actually disables texting and emailing from a moving vehicle.

The company recently increased the application’s compatibility to more than 60 smart phones in the United States and has now expanded CellSafety so that it works on the Bell Mobility and Telus networks in Canada.

CellSafety uses proprietary technology to detect when a vehicle is moving at speeds of more than 10 mph and then prohibits the driver from sending or reading text and email messages, or even using the phone’s web browser.

Texting and emailing while driving is considered one of the most dangerous distractions facing drivers today, and new laws have been passed all over as a response to this hazard. More than 30 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces now have laws to prevent distracted driving, and President Obama signed an Executive Order banning federal employees from texting while operating government vehicles. WebSafety developed CellSafety as a solution to the problem.

The CellSafety mobile application is available starting at $9.99 per month, with substantial discounts available for commercial and governmental accounts, and can be purchased by visiting www.mywebsafety.com.

Ontario inspected a bunch of trucks on their busiest highways between 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 18 and 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 19, 2010 and, in the process, they caught a lot of potentially dangerous drivers.

Operation Corridor is an annual highway safety initiative that focuses on high police visibility, enforcement and education opportunities on all major provincial highways. It targets aggressive commercial vehicle drivers and/or unsafe commercial vehicles.

The operation is conducted by Ontario Provincial Police, as well as inspectors from the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of the Environment. During the operation, they stopped and checked 1,431 commercial vehicles and laid 355 commercial motor vehicle-related charges.  In addition, 31 commercial vehicles were taken out of service due to various equipment issues or hours of service violations.

The charges laid during Operation Corridor included 131 charges for speeding; 10 charges for following too closely; 17 charges for not wearing a seatbelt; 43 charges for “other” hazardous moving violations; 82 equipment-related violations; and three charges for being impaired behind the wheel.

During last year’s blitz, they stopped 1,532 vehicles and laid 285 charges.

The final results for Roadcheck 2010, the annual North American roadside safety inspection blitz, were roughly the same as those of Roadcheck 2009, showing that 80% of commercial vehicles inspected successfully passed.

The annual event, which was conducted by enforcement agencies in Canada, the US and Mexico from June 8-10, is coordinated each year by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) in partnership with CCMTA member-jurisdictions.

While the average vehicle out-of-service rate of 20.0% is slightly higher than the 17.8% recorded last year, event organizers say this year’s figure continues an overall downward trend in the national OOS rate over the past several years. The average Canadian vehicle out-of-service rate in 2010 was just slightly higher than the North American average at 20.3%.

Inspections were conducted at 158 sites across Canada, covering all jurisdictions. Those vehicles without a valid inspection decal  were subjected to the most rigorous CVSA on-road inspection procedures. Overall, over three days, 7,311 vehicles and drivers underwent full inspections for mechanical and driver fitness, with 5,848 vehicles and 7,112 drivers passing. In all, 1,434 trucks, 29 passenger-carrying vehicles and 199 drivers were put out of service for various safety defects and violations, ranging from simple infractions such as a rear signal light not working to dangerous infractions, such as steering or brake problems. Other defects cited included wheels, tires, frame and load security. Often, drivers were able to make the necessary adjustments on site, and be re-inspected, passed and sent on their way.  In addition, 2.7% of drivers were placed out of service for logbook, driver qualification or paperwork problems, which actually represented a slight improvement over past figures.

Inspectors issued 6,911 new decals to individual trucks, trailers and passenger-carrying vehicles across Canada. The decals signify CVSA’s highest degree of safety and mechanical fitness.

Since brake-related defects continue to account for close to half of all out-of-service violations, CVSA Region V officials are encouraging governments, industry associations and individual carriers and drivers to take an active part in the upcoming 2010 Brake Safety Week Sept. 12-18.

Taryn Crawford, a 25-year-old driver who slammed into the back of a work truck and  pinned 19-year-old worker Sefatullah Khanzadeh between two vehicles and killing him, pleaded guilty to careless driving in Edmonton provincial court last week.

According to a stipulated statement of facts read into the court record, Khanzadeh was working as a contract landscaper for Land Tec on July 24, 2009, when the accident occurred. At around 10:30 that morning, he and his work crew were weeding the median of 97th Street near 144th Avenue. One work truck had been parked in the inside lane of 97th Street, and traffic cones had been placed near the site to direct traffic away from the work crew. After completing the weeding work, Khanzadeh began to pick up the cones and throw them into the back of the truck. As he did so, Crawford’s car slammed into the back of the truck, pinning Khanzadeh between the two vehicles. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In February, a Workplace Health and Safety report, which was not presented in court, stated that Crawford was “distracted from driving responsibilities” and was seen texting on her wireless phone immediately after the crash. According to the report, “(t)he driver …  did not even know that she had crushed a landscape worker. There were no visible skid marks from her vehicle,” indicating she had not tried to stop before the crash.

The careless driving charges, which fall under the Traffic and Safety Act, carry a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine and six months in jail.

Most would agree that one of the most annoying sounds in the world is the ear-piercing sound of the alarm most heavy equipment deploy when backing up. Obviously, a back-up alarm is necessary; it’s become a standard for reducing accidents. But the day of the high-pitched, piercing sound that causes neighbors to complain and induces some operators to find a way to disable it may be coming to an end.

Enter the WhiteSound back-up alarm, by bbs-tek.

Instead of the high-pitched, non-directional scream used in most back-up alarms, the WhiteSound back-up alarm uses a far more pleasant “broadband sound,” or “white sound,” the source of which is instantly locatable and identifiable.  The sound is localized in the danger zone and dissipates rapidly, which reduces complaints of noise pollution and reduces the likelihood that irritated drivers will disconnect the alarm. Because of the directional nature of the sound, those hearing it will immediately turn n the direction of the sound, and less-irritating noise will cause less panic and confusion.

White sound is sound that is composed of all frequencies in the audio spectrum, and its characteristics instantly identifies it with the vehicle emitting the alarm. White sound does not have to rely on a high decibel level  to be heard because, being multi-frequency, competing single frequencies cannot mask it. As a result, a WhiteSound alarm is at least equally as effective at lower decibels than outmoded single-frequency ear-piercing alarms.

Following is a video of the alarm in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMRCSwbkTb4&feature=player_embedded

To find out more about these White Sound alarms, go here…

Be prepared for some changes in road safety enforcement on Newfoundland and Labrador roads, as the government is making some changes.

As the law currently stands, if the police stop a driver, he or she will be charged with impaired driving if a breathalyzer test reveals a blood alcohol level greater than 0.08. But if the government gets its way and new changes are adopted, such drivers found to have a blood alcohol level between 0.05 and 0.08 will lose their driving privileges for seven days instead of the current 24 hour suspension. In addition, the  penalty for repeat offenders will also increase up to a maximum of six months.

The aim of the government is to protect public safety. They note that other provinces have made similar changes, to positive effect. And they’re not just targeting those who might have had an extra beer before heading out on the road. The new law would also outlaw the practice of texting while driving, as well.

And it’s not just impaired driving that has officials concerned. In Labrador, highway construction crews have been complaining that drivers are blowing through the eight construction zones on the almost 250-km drive between Wabush and Churchill Falls much too fast. In addition, there have been numerous complaints of vehicles passing in no-passing zones, and not obeying the flag persons.

Because of this, police stepped up enforcement in the area and they are aggressively ticketing motorists along the dangerous stretch of road. The province recently doubled fines for speeding in a construction zone, too, so such tickets can set you back as much as $1,500.

Put simply, if you’re not being careful out there, it’s going to cost you.

Police in Ontario are planning an enforcement blitz of the new distracted driver law that went into effect February 1, so if you’re one of those who can’t go five minutes without checking your cell phone, Blackberry or hand-held GPS, or you can’t get enough of the Facebook app on your iPhone, be warned; it could cost you.

Police will be targeting drivers who are too distracted to be considered safe on the roadway, as part of their  “Don’t Hold the Phone,’ campaign. Their emphasis for the first week will be on young drivers, but don’t think you can escape detection because you’re older. The second week of enforcement will target everyone, regardless of age.

Lawmakers and Police consider texting to be more dangerous than even talking on a phone while driving, because the device is usually in the lap below the steering wheel and they have to look away from the road to type a message. According to Transport Canada statistics, drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a traffic accident while using hand-held devices.

Since February 1, when the legislation came into full effect, Police have handed out hundreds of tickets worth an average of $155. And that’s before the current crackdown.

One more thing; if you think you’re in the clear while using your device while sitting at a red light, Police would like to clarify that you’re still on the road and the law applies, so don’t.

Transport Canada and the tire industry will meet to establish guidelines to ensure that safety standards are met on snow tires. Currently, there are no legislated standards regarding the mountain snowflake symbol found on the sidewalls of snow tires, which leads groups like the Automobile Protection Association (APA) to believe consumers are at risk.

Some liken the potential hazards with what Canadians confronted several years ago with pet food contamination, and they are concerned that Canadian testing of snow tires imported from China and other countries may be inadequate, which leaves manufacturers and importers with too much opportunity to counterfeit products, or to simply slap a mountain snowflake on a tire that hasn’t been thoroughly tested.

The APA suggests that even tires that carry the logo legitimately often only meet the minimum standards and may not be adequate for winter driving conditions in various parts of Canada. Their tests of brand-name tires have found a wide variation in performance.

Both Transport Canada and tire industry organizations are concerned about the current situation, and they are hoping their meetings will create a specific set of standards that all consumers can rely on when buying tires. The certification should indicate that tires carrying the logo are safest for the winter conditions they face, and that such standards take into account traction on snow and ice.

Once the stricter standards are set, which will hopefully happen by this spring, Transport Canada hopes to conduct random testing on the tires and issue national recalls when tires fail.