#road-safety

#road-safety

Ireland is in mourning after a road crash killed five people in their early 20s and left three other people injured. The two-vehicle collision happened at around 9pm on Saturday on a road near Dundalk in County Louth. Police said the five people who died three men and two women were on their way to Dundalk when their Volkswagen Golf collided with a Toyota Land Cruiser on the Ardee road at Gibstown.

A new law setting a 6km/h speed limit for cyclists, skaters, scooter and e-scooter riders on pavements in Slovakia has prompted mockery, criticism and a rash of online memes. The Slovakian parliament approved the measures to improve safety, agreeing that pavement users who exceed the limit could be fined up to 100 euros ($116). It is not yet clear how police will implement the law when it comes into effect on 1 January next year.

Fraser Bohm, 24, is charged with four counts of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from the Oct. 17, 2023, crash on a stretch of PCH in Malibu known as "Dead Man's Curve," where he plowed into parked cars, killing the women. He is charged with murder based on the concept of implied malice, suggesting a conscious disregard for human life, after allegedly reaching 104 mph before the crash.

Also known as hydroplaning, aquaplaning happens when a layer of water builds up between a vehicle's tyres and the road surface, causing the tyres to lose grip. This can lead to a complete loss of steering and braking control, leaving drivers unable to manoeuvre safely until the tyres regain contact with the road. Even a small amount of water can cause aquaplaning if tyres are worn or under-inflated.

Lots of common Halloween costumes aren't suitable for driving, particularly if they include capes, masks or unusual footwear. If you're caught driving in a costume that limits your ability to drive safely, it can be classed as careless or dangerous driving, which comes with weighty penalties. If you need to be somewhere in costume this Halloween, I'd suggest travelling in your normal clothes and putting on your outfit once you arrive at your destination.

Currently, around 20,000 people lose their lives on EU roads every year. The EU seeks to reach zero road deaths by 2050. These include imposing EU-wide bans on drivers who lose their licence - but also ends the practice of countries issuing 'licences for life'. Instead a driving licence issued in an EU country will be valid for 15 years - and then drivers will have to get it renewed.

As the smoke started spreading, the driver stopped the bus and tried to put the fire out by using a fire extinguisher, but the fire was so intense he couldn't control it,

Cycling has grown more popular in France recently, particularly in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic. In Paris, a 2023 study found that cycling accounted for 11.2 percent of people's daily trips, representing a significant increase from just three percent in 2010. Meanwhile, at a national level, cycling use went up by 39 percent between 2019 and 2022. In urban areas, the increase was 42 percent for this period, while suburban and rural areas saw an increase of 27 percent. according to French government statistics.

Motorists are being warned they could be fined up to £1,000 for driving with foggy windscreens this autumn and winter. The motoring experts at LeaseLoco.com are urging drivers to wait until their windscreens and windows have fully cleared before setting off on their journeys. As the temperatures drop, car windows can become foggy from condensation, particularly in the early mornings.

That death was horrible. And it will take greater enforcement and education by the city to make sure something like that never happens again. We're no friends to such devices - indeed, we think all vehicles on city streets should be capped at 20 miles per hour. But Lebowitz's deep dive on the threat of illegal motorbikes is a reminder that for all the fears that fast-moving two-wheeled vehicles stoke, the real menace remains cars.

It should have been a slam dunk for the governor to sign Senate Bill 720, Automated traffic enforcement system programs, but supporters were worried that the perceived unpopularity of red light cameras would sink the legislation. Once word trickled out that it was signed, the celebration began. "What started as an idea three years ago - why don't we reform CA's failed red light camera law so it can be used only for safety - is now official!"

One person was seriously injured and a moose was euthanized after two cars struck the animal Wednesday night on a New Hampshire highway. New Hampshire State Police responded to a report of the crash on Route 101 in Candia at about 8:10 p.m. "When Troopers arrived, they determined that the driver of a Mazda 3 was traveling eastbound when the car struck a moose," police said. "The moose then crossed the median and entered the westbound lanes, where it was struck by a Kia Sportage."

I was driving on Main Street in Dallastown, PA, and the route was about to take me left onto Pleasant Avenue. It is a tight and usually very congested intersection; Main Street is a popular route for many construction vehicles and even some tractor-trailers. It is a pretty tight intersection for full-size trucks and larger passenger vehicles. It is not super tight for my Model Y, but it gets to feel congested at times, including with what happened yesterday.

We're now learning that the victim of this past weekend's late-night Bernal Heights hit-and-run was 30-year-old father Binod Budhathoki, and neighbors want something done after Cortland Avenue's ninth dangerous crash in three years. We noted on Monday that there were two SF hit-and-runs within a five-hour span this past Friday night and Saturday morning, and that one of them in Bernal Heights killed a man.

I've learned firsthand why cities like Lubbock need better cycling infrastructure now, not later. As cyclists, we all know the uneasy balance of sharing the road with vehicles that outweigh us by thousands of pounds. A bike lane isn't just a strip of paint - it's often the only physical space between us and potential tragedy. And after decades on two wheels, I can say this with certainty: bike lanes save lives.

"absolutely supported"

Your car already knows more about the road than you do. It can feel the pothole before your wheel does. It knows when you slam on the brakes at an obscured stop sign. It senses when traffic patterns don't match the posted speed limit. The question is: what if this knowledge could be shared to make driving safer for everyone?

After a study of federal data recently found that Memphis had the highest per-capita car crash death rate in the entire country - and the highest per-capita death rate for pedestrians of any metropolitan area - advocates there have launched a fundraising campaign for a new initiative called Street Fair, which will be dedicated to "advocating for a better transportation system for everyone - no matter how you choose to get around."

Velazquez rode his tricycle every day, joking it was his secret to a long life, according to a GoFundMe set up to cover funeral expenses. The fundraiser described him as a father, grandfather and friend who attended mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Windsor, where he was known for his smiles, handshakes, prayers and encouragement. "He believed deeply in helping others, often putting the needs of family, neighbors and even strangers above his own," the fundraiser said.

"Right now, San Jose 311 really relies on our residents to report issues in San Jose and that shouldn't be their job," San Jose Information Technology Dept. Public Information Manager Chelsea Palacio said. "That should be on the city to find those issues and resolve them. So, with AI technology, we're hoping that we can be a more proactive city."

Starting October 24, 2025, a new rule caps e-bikes, e-scooters and pedal-assist commercial bicycles at 15 miles per hour across the five boroughs. The change was published this week in the City Record and comes after months of debate about how to rein in the city's fastest growing (and sometimes most controversial) mode of transport. Mayor Eric Adams previewed the move in June, framing it as a way to set "clear, consistent rules" after a surge in complaints about speeding riders in crowded streets.

Toronto police say they issued 179 tickets to micromobility vehicle riders during a nearly three-week long enforcement that ended earlier this month. The police service describes these vehicles as "small, compact, low-speed vehicles," including bicycles, electric bikes, e-mopeds and e-scooters. "It makes no difference what kind of operator you are, whether operating a motor vehicle or a micromobility vehicle, the laws of the road apply to all," police said in a news release Thursday.