November 2021

Summaries of timely road safety news, events, and alerts
Message from NETS' Executive Director, Susan Gillies
Holidays are traditionally a time of travel for families across the United States. Many choose car travel, which has the highest fatality rate of any major form of transportation based on fatalities per passenger mile. Holidays are also often cause for celebrations involving alcohol consumption, a major contributing factor to motor-vehicle crashes.
National Safety Council, Holiday Fatality Estimate
I have a 17-year-old who is a new and inexperienced driver. For Thanksgiving, we drove five hours to see family and he managed the majority of the driving. It's the longest he's driven at one time, and is also the most highway driving he's done.

Initially as we started out, I was vigilant in watching the road with him, checking his speed, looking for trucks or other vehicles before he changed lanes, helping him make decisions. But as time went on, I became more comfortable with his driving ability. I picked up my phone and ordered Christmas presents; I checked out the latest on social media; I chatted with my other child in the backseat.

As the miles stretched on, I thought about what happens when we let our guard down while driving. When we take our eyes off the road for just a second or let our mind wander from the task at hand, that's when the other car pulls in front of us, or the deer darts out from a field, or our eyes begin to close as we get fatigued watching mile after mile of road pass by.

The same is true for fleet safety programs if employees aren't reminded about safe driving, or if the focus shifts to other priorities, or if drivers get too comfortable in their driving role this is when the worst can happen.

During the holiday season when there is generally an increase in road fatalities, it is more important than ever to not let our guard down and get back to the basics by reminding drivers of driving fundamentals:
  • Plan the route ahead of time to avoid the need for speeding;
  • Always wear a seat belt, even for short trips;
  • Take breaks and get a good night's rest to reduce fatigue;
  • Eliminate distractions by turning off cell phones and not eating while driving;
  • Don't drive while impaired designate a sober driver or plan another way home;
  • Ensure vehicle maintenance is up to date to prevent break-downs or even crashes while driving.

NETS Campaigns and Toolkits such as our Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW) Campaigns; Driven to Wellness Campaign; 2Seconds2Click Campaign; and Drug-Impaired Driving Campaign are a great way to share reminders about driving fundamentals. These materials are not dated and can be used any time, and are available to download at no charge.

NETS is dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees, their families, and members of the communities in which they live and work by preventing traffic crashes that occur both on- and off-the-job and that mission is more important than ever during the holiday season.

Let's get back to the basics and not let our guard down.

I wish everyone a happy holiday season, and safe driving!
Susan Gillies
Executive Director, NETS
NETS ANNOUNCEMENTS
NETS 2021 Sector Meetings Successfully Held in October

NETS highly acclaimed sector meetings for Agriculture, Heavy Goods Vehicles, Insurance and Utility took place the week following NETS Annual Conference. Sector meetings are an opportunity to learn about sector-specific road safety perspectives...

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trafficsafety.org
NETS Featured in RIMS Podcast

NETS discusses Fleet Safety with RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. Tune in for weekly discussions about risk management hot topics, interviews with leaders in the profession, and updates on RIMS events and education.

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rimscast.libsyn.com
NETS SPONSORS
NETS is proud to partner with the following PLATINUM Fleet Safety Sponsors:

eDriving, a Solera company, helps organizations around the world to reduce incidents, collisions, injuries, license violations, carbon emissions, and total cost of fleet ownership through its patented digital driver risk management programs.

At its heart is the Mentor by eDrivingSM smartphone app that identifies risky driving behaviors for intervention and safe driving habits for recognition. In-app features include micro-training and coaching, gamification, collision reporting, vehicle inspections, and an individual FICO® Safe Driving Score validated to predict the likelihood of being involved in a collision. Mentor’s integrated automatic crash detection and Personal SOS features powered by Sfara and Bosch trigger a voice call and emergency support, as needed, from one of Bosch’s Global Call Centers supporting >50 countries. Through its five-stage, patented Crash-Free Culture® risk reduction methodology, eDriving helps organizations embrace safety and reduce risk for Sales, Service, Delivery and Warehouse drivers, all within a privacy-first, data-secure environment.

eDriving is the digital driver risk management partner of choice for many of the world’s largest organizations, supporting over 1.2 million drivers in 125 countries. Over the past 25 years, eDriving’s research-validated programs have been recognized with over 100 awards around the world.

Mobile device distractions put employees in danger and companies at risk. So why would anyone settle for safety measures that simply report what went wrong, or only work when people remember to turn them on? TRUCE Software automatically suspends distracting mobile apps and functions depending on what your employee is doing, where they are working or even the workgroup they are part of. You define the policy and TRUCE ensures compliance when and where it’s needed. Supporting more than 100,000 subscribers and some of the largest brands worldwide, our patented technology is making workplaces everywhere safer.
eDriving Awarded Prestigious Prince Michael Award

eDrivingSM, a Solera company, and leading global provider of digital driver risk management solutions, has been awarded a 2021 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. In a letter addressed from ...

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www.edriving.com
LATEST ROAD SAFETY NEWS
Holiday Safety from the National Safety Council

Holiday safety is an issue that burns brightest from late November to mid-January, when families gather, parties are scheduled and travel spikes. The holidays looked a lot different last year due to the pandemic. Do we still need to be concerned?

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www.nsc.org
AAA Winter Driving Tips

Severe weather can be both frightening and dangerous for travelers. Winter storms, bad weather and sloppy road conditions are a factor in nearly half a million crashes and more than 2,000 road deaths every winter, according to research by the AAA ...

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exchange.aaa.com
WORKPLACE / HOME ROAD SAFETY
Work-related Pressures Increase Distracted Driving

After surveying over 1,000 employees who drive in the U.S., Travelers gained valuable insight into common driving habits and the work-related distractions that affect them. Understanding these trends can help businesses encourage safer driving...

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interactive.travelers.com
Better Behavior Behind the Wheel but Room for Improvement

A new report finds unsafe driving behaviors, including red-light running, drowsy driving, and driving impaired on cannabis or alcohol, have declined in the past three years. Some dangerous driving behaviors...

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newsroom.aaa.com
How Does the Clock Change Impact Our Roadways?

In most of the United States, Daylight Saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. When you "spring forward" in March, clocks are set ahead by one hour at 2 am. When you "fall back" in November,...

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www.thensf.org
FMCSA Final Rule Adds Rear Impact Guards to Truck Inspection

Rear impact guards on large commercial trucks must be inspected annually, under a recently issued final rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Rear impact guards are designed to prevent "underrides," which occur...

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www.safetyandhealthmagazine...
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
The Future of Electric Cars - A Full Guide from Auto Trader

The next decade of electric cars: The world changes and evolves every day. And with more focus being placed on the need to conserve the environment than ever before, it's only natural that new rules are being introduced to reduce the number of...

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www.autotrader.co.uk
The Screens in Cars Are Becoming a Problem

You're driving and you're bored. Tired of staring at the road, your eyes drift toward the polished touchscreen to the right of your steering wheel-what the auto industry calls your "infotainment" system. First you scroll through its menus to...

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slate.com
Good IIHS Headlight Ratings Linked to Lower Crash Rates

Headlight improvements encouraged by the Institute's ratings program are reducing crashes in the real world, a new study shows. The headlight ratings program developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is reducing...

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www.iihs.org
The Best (and Worst) US States for EV Charging

The electric vehicle is here to stay. As EV sales grow year-over-year in the US and the rest of the world, charging infrastructure is growing with it. In the US specifically, certain states are far better equipped than others to support the...

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electrek.co
GOVERNMENT AND NON-PROFIT
AGENCY NEWS
NIOSH: Behind the Wheel at Work Newsletter

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Center for Motor Vehicle Safety publishes this newsletter on a quarterly basis to inform members of the occupational safety...

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www.cdc.gov
INTERNATIONAL ROAD SAFETY
EV Car Chargers Will Be Required by Law in England

New homes and buildings in England will be required by law to install electric vehicle charging points from next year, the prime minister has announced. The government said the move will see up to...

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www.bbc.com
Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety Celebrates 10 Years

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) celebrates its 10th anniversary. The Alliance was founded in 2011 to mobilize and empower NGOs during the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. Since then, the Alliance and its 288...

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www.roadsafetyngos.org
#Streetsforlife Campaign Receives Prince Michael Award

The #StreetsforLife #Love30 campaign for the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week has been presented with a 2021 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. The prestigious award is presented each year to examples of outstanding international road...

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www.roadsafetyawards.com
India: 40% Fatal Crashes Due to Rear-end Collisions

Rear-end collisions account for around 40 per cent of fatal accidents on highway stretches, with driver "sleepiness and fatigue" behind many of these crashes, according to an audit initiated by the government to bring down fatalities on national...

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indianexpress.com
Mahindra XUV700 Achieves 5 Stars for Adult Protection

The protection offered to the driver and passenger's head, neck and chest was good. Driver and passenger's knees showed good protection. Driver tibias showed adequate protection and passenger tibias showed adequate and...

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www.globalncap.org
HVT's Research Knowledge Exchange Event

The High Volume Transport Applied Research (HVT) will host on Wednesday 1st December at 14.00 - 17.00 CET, a Research Knowledge Exchange event to explore the evidence base for how transport in low- and middle-income countries responded to the...

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irfnet.ch
UPCOMING TRANSPORTATION SAFETY EVENTS
AND CAMPAIGNS
Holiday Season | Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving Campaign

The holiday season is known for being merry and bright, but it is also known for being the deadliest season when it comes to drunk driving. Unfortunately, every holiday season, lives are lost due to impaired drivers.

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www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov
Super Bowl Drunk Driving Campaign

Super Bowl LVI is Sunday, February 13, 2022. Each year, the Super Bowl garners millions of viewers, with many taking the opportunity to cheer on their favored team with a night out or by attending a party.

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www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov
Do you have a particularly successful road safety example to share? NETS Members are encouraged to share best practices, ask questions or contribute their expertise to the NETS Road Safety Leaders Forum, an online discussion forum exclusively for NETS Members and Sponsors. Not yet a member? Check out the benefits at www.trafficsafety.org/Membership.
Note from the editor:
All links to stories have been tested and are active 24 hours prior to distribution; however, links may become inactive over time at the discretion of the publication source.
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