A new report by Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, argues that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is failing to protect workers from the dangers of unsafe heat. Arguing that the escalating effects of climate change pose an increasingly perilous situation for workers, the report calls for “immediate action.”
Bodily Injury
Large Vehicles Are Especially Dangerous to Children, Study Finds
A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Springfield found that large vehicles like SUVs are dramatically more dangerous than passenger cars to young pedestrians. Using crash and hospital records to examine “the relationship between striking vehicle type and medical outcomes of pedestrian and pedalcyclist cases,” the study ultimately found evidence that […]
Analysis: What’s Behind Pedestrian Highway Deaths?
As recently released data by the Governors Highway Safety Association revealed, almost 20% of pedestrian deaths in 2021 occurred on freeways and interstate highways. Noting that the GHSA speculated that those fatalities were largely among drivers who exited their vehicles, first responders, tow truck drivers, and construction workers, an analysis by Streetsblog proposes that this may not actually be […]
NHTSA Advises Caution When Driving in the Summer
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, has released a set of “Summer Driving Tips” to help motorists stay safe on the roads during the summer months. “A little planning and some safety checks might spare you from dealing with the consequences of a breakdown,” the NHTSA cautions, “or […]
Report: OSHA Faces Challenges Protecting Workers from Covid-19
The Government Accountability Office recently testified to Congress about the measures Occupational Safety and Health Administration has taken to protect workers from the dangers of Covid-19. A report published by the GAO regarding these measures by OSHA, a division of the US Department of Labor, outlines the challenges OSHA faced in implementing standards designed to protect healthcare […]
Study Shows Declining “Hire to Injury” Lag in Workplaces
A new ten-year study by Selective Insurance, “Workplace Injury Trends,” reveals recent declines in the average “hire to injury lag,” or the amount of time between an employee’s hiring and their reporting of a workplace-related injury. The study found that “employees are reporting a workplace-related injury 18% earlier in their tenure compared to 10 years […]
NHTSA Launches Car Heatstroke Prevention Campaign
A new campaign by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, a division of the US Department of Transportation, encourages parents and other caregivers to make sure they don’t leave young children in their cars during the hot spring and summer months. As a press release by the NHTSA explains, the “Look Before You Lock” initiative coincided with […]
NYC Mayor Renews Call For Home Rule over Traffic Enforcement
In a news conference last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called for New York’s state government to pass a suite of legislation designed to mitigate rising traffic violence in the city. Joined by city officials, lawmakers from all levels of government, and transit safety activists, he renewed demands for state legislators to give […]
NHTSA Launches Automated Safety Tech Media Campaign
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a federal agency that writes and enforces motor vehicle safety standards, has announced a new media campaign to educate drivers about “the safety benefits of advanced driver-assistance technologies in newer vehicles.” According to a press release issued by the agency, the yearlong campaign will involve $1.25 million in spending […]
Brooklyn Activists Call for Safer Bike Lane in Williamsburg
Brooklyn residents are pressing New York City authorities to protect a bike lane on Williamsburg’s Grand Street with concrete barriers. According to a recent report by Brooklyn Paper, transit safety advocates have sent an open letter to the mayor and the commissioner of the Department of Transportation, arguing that the bike lane’s current protections—plastic bollards—are not enough, […]
Report: Bigger Cars Are Deadlier Cars
Newly published research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the drivers of large vehicles, like pickup trucks and SUVs, are much more likely to hit pedestrians mid-turn than are the drivers of smaller passenger vehicles. According to an analysis by Streetsblog, the study specifically found that those drivers are “four times more likely” to hit […]
Data: Car Crash Injuries Still Rising in NYC
New York Police Department statistics analyzed by Streetsblog show dramatically increasing traffic violence in New York City in 2022, with “crashes that cause injuries, total injuries and injuries to pedestrians” all rising by double digits. “The violence on New York City streets,” Streetsblog cautions, “is even worse than you think.” According to data concerning traffic […]
As Crashes Rise in NYC, State Retains Control over Enforcement
New York City’s ability to address the deadly crisis in its streets is being held back by state lawmakers, according to a recent report by Transportation Alternatives. Traffic violence in the city is continuing to rise, but city officials do not have the power to implement essential enforcement measures like the operation of speed safety cameras, red light enforcement […]
NHTSA Proposes New Vehicle Safety Updates
A new proposal by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration would establish “significant” updates to the agency’s Five-Star Safety Ratings program for automobiles. According to a press release by the NHTSA, the proposal reflects the Biden Administration’s commitment to improve street safety and reduce traffic violence in the US, including requirements outlined by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The […]
NHTSA Issues Final Rule for Autonomous Vehicles
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has issued a final rule designed to “ensure safety of occupants in automated vehicles.” According to a press release by the agency, the new rule serves as an update to existing standards, accounting for vehicles without the same manual controls. As a report by TechCrunch explains, the rule updates “terminology in the Federal […]
Reports: Traffic Fatalities Rise in 2020, 2021
Traffic crashes killed 38,824 people across the United States in 2020, according to data released by U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As a press release by the NHTSA states, that figure represents “the highest number of fatalities since 2007.” The overall number of traffic crashes and related injuries declined between 2019 […]
Study: Construction Workers May Bring Toxic Metals Home From Worksites
A pilot study published in a forthcoming issue of Environmental Research found that construction workers may “unintentionally pick up” toxic chemicals at their worksites and carry them to their homes. As an analysis by Construction Dive explains, the chemicals in question include not only lead, but also “arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, nickel and tin,” which were found in construction workers’ […]
Regulators Probe Tesla Sudden Braking Issue
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Tesla electric cars, following a slew of complaints about “phantom braking,” in which the vehicles unexpectedly brake for no reason. According to a report by the New York Times, the NHTSA had received 354 complaints about the phenomenon. The regulator will reportedly examine “Tesla Model 3 […]
Pedestrians Suffer as Reckless Driving Rises
The Covid-19 pandemic has “intensified” trends behind an increase in reckless driving-related pedestrian deaths in the United States, according to a recent report by the New York Times. Despite expectations early in the pandemic that a decrease in drivers on the road would lead to a decrease in pedestrian deaths, in reality the relative emptiness of the […]
Speed Limit Bill Advances in New York Senate
New York State Senate Bill S524 was advanced through the chamber’s Transportation Committee last week, according to a report by 1010 Wins. The bill, also known as Sammy’s Law, “Relates to establishing speed limits in cities with populations in excess of one million people,” according to its listing in the Senate’s website. If passed by the Senate and […]
Car Crash Deaths Continued Rising in 2021
Data released by the federal government shows that traffic fatalities continued in their upward trend during the first two-thirds of 2021, apparently due to the spate of reckless driving that came with the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a report by the Associated Press, there were 31,720 car crash-related deaths in the first nine months of last year, […]
NYC Traffic Violence Roundup
Last year was reportedly the deadliest year for traffic violence in New York City since the launch of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature Vision Zero campaign to eliminate car crash-related fatalities in 2014. A review of recent coverage of car crashes in the city shows that they still remain hazardous for drivers, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road […]
NYC’s Next Transportation Commissioner Pledges to Make Streets Safer
After a fatal truck crash on the Upper East Side on Christmas Eve, New York City’s soon-to-be Transportation Commissioner said he would take immediate steps to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety as soon as he takes office. The incoming Commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, described traffic violence in New York as a “pandemic of crashes,” according to Streetsblog. […]
New York Traffic Violence Roundup
Recent reports by the New York Post highlight a raft of deadly car crashes in New York City in the last few weeks, emphasizing the need for safer streets and more vigorous traffic enforcement. A December 12 notice, for instance, describes a car crash in Long Island last weekend in which the driver of a pickup […]
Study Suggests Car-Caused Ammonia Pollution Worse Than Thought
Recent research suggests that safety regulators may have drastically underestimated the severity of the ammonia emissions produced by cars and other vehicles. According to a report by Streetsblog, it turns out that vehicles may release five times more ammonia than previously believed, a level of pollution primarily affecting cities like New York. As the report describes, ammonia […]
