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The Associated General Contractors of Vermont
PO Box 750, 1 Graves Street
Montpelier, VT 05601
Tel: (802) 223-2374
FAX: (802) 223-1809
E-mail: info@agcvt.org
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Vermont Highway
Fatalities
2015 Year-to-Date: 17
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Project RoadSafe is funded by a grant from
Governor’s Highway Safety
Program
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Drowsy Driver Demographics
Results of a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might help fleet managers identify drivers who are
at a higher risk for drowsy driving. For example, the research project found that binge drinkers are more likely to drive while drowsy.
So are drivers who shun seat belts. Smokers, on the other hand, are no more prone to drowsy driving than anyone else. Gender also is a
factor. The study reported that the prevalence of drowsy driving for men aged 18-34 years was 6.9%, compared with 3.5% for women in the same age group.
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A Pledge to End
Distracted Driving
I pledge to:
* Protect lives by never texting or talking on the phone while driving.
* Be a good passenger and speak out if the driver in my car is
distracted.
* Encourage my friends and family to drive phone-free.
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Add A Name To Our Mail List
Contact:
Norman James, Manager
Project RoadSafe
njames@agcvt.org
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.05 Is The New .08 In Scotland
Lawmakers in Scotland have approved a reduction in the Universal BAC level from .08 to .05, and there is discussion to reduce the BAC
even further, down to .02.
Road safety officials in Scotland have welcomed the new lower limit as “a positive stepping stone towards zero-tolerance.
This action leaves Great Britain, Ireland, and Luxembourg as the only European countries with a .08 BAC level. All other European nations
have a blood alcohol content of .05 level or lower.
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Calls kill
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of workplace death. With one in four crashes estimated to involve cell phone use, we need to be concerned.
Join the National Safety Council in educating your workers on the risks of driver cell phone use.
It doesn’t matter if a driver is talking on a handheld or hands-free device. More than 30 studies show hands-free doesn’t make a driver any
safer – the brain remains distracted by the conversation.
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Comments
from
Executive
Vice President
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Cathy
Voyer
Lamberton
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Summer is Fun Time in Vermont . . . If You Are Safe
Summertime in Vermont features many events and activities happening around the Green Mountain State. From farmer’s markets to sidewalk
shopping to fishing and hiking, Vermont has virtually something for every person’s enjoyment, if they are safe.
For instance, anglers and picnickers who want to try that river’s shady spot next to the road need pull completely off the traveled way.
Shoppers in towns and cities need to pull through parking spaces to reduce the chances of backing into traffic.
A couple of the exciting events scheduled for this summer include the AGC/VT Clambake on August 11. Registration is available at our website:
www.agcvt.org. In addition to the clambake is the Annual Vermont Independent Electrical Contractors Association (VIECA) Golf Tournament schedule for September 11 at the Country Club of Barre. Registration is also available
on our website.
Not only will AGC/VT have events that will draw hundreds of people this summer, but virtually every other major business and community
will take advantage of summer weather to attract visitors to their locations.
One exciting specter will be greeting our summertime guests who will not only be visiting us from other states across the country, but
who also will be vacationers from abroad.
One important fact, however, in the construction industry, it won’t be all play and no work this summer in Vermont. There are and will
continue to be highway construction and paving projects as well as building construction sites which will demand close attention from the motoring public.
All drivers need to be aware of the hazards and dangers that work zones bring to people on both sides of those orange traffic cones.
It is very easy to be caught up in appreciating the surrounding beauty here in the Green Mountains, but, strangely, that is the last thing
that drivers need to do. Leave that to the passengers in your motor vehicle.
Your hands on the wheel; your eyes on the road; and your mind on the task of driving… Follow those three safety tips and you and your
passengers will be safer on our highways. And you will enjoy your vacation a lot more.
And, looking ahead to October, AGC/VT will host more than 400 juniors and seniors from selected Technical Career Centers in Vermont for
a day of understanding and learning safety in the workplace wherever it may be: the building site, the mine site, the work zone, or the highway.
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Attitude Drives Behavior
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Many Drivers At Risk: Fatigued
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than 6,000 drowsy-driving crashes a year result in at least one fatality. These
crashes cut across all business sectors, from large corporations down to the Mom & Pop business operations.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health says the drowsy-driving crashes affects many non-professional drivers in oil and
gas, home health care, sales, shift work and many other areas of work. NIOSH says it is not necessarily a matter of being sleep deprived for several years because a person can be drowsy if they haven’t had sufficient sleep in the past 24 hours.
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Tools To Combat Distracted Driving
There are many tools on the market to help employers mitigate the hazardous issue of cell phone use while employees are driving for work.
The following are examples.
Drive First works by simply shutting down many of the most dangerous features of a mobile device when a car reaches a significant speed,
using GPS data to figure out when the vehicle is in motion.
DriveSafe.ly reads emails and texts out loud, eliminating that urge to check a screen, so the users can get information without putting
others at risk by looking at their devices.
ZoomSafer does a number of things, starting with a warning message to drivers. The app incorporates voice-activated functionality for
incoming texts, emails, and social messages, while also selectively notifying your contacts automatically when and where you’re driving. The app also offers enhanced controls for parents, like safety logs that can help hold younger drivers accountable for
their actions when they’re driving alone.
The Textecution app is a “locking” app that disables text and email functionality when you’re moving beyond a certain speed. It even comes
with controls to help avoid disabling the locking if a user removes Textecution from the phone, there is an option for another user, likely a parent, to be notified by text.
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Attitude Drives Behavior
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Alcohol Detector Prevents Ignition
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a consortium of motor vehicle manufacturers have created prototype car with a new
technology that includes a steering wheel-mounted breathalyzer and an engine start button that detects blood level through an infrared light.
It’s called the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) and will prevent a motor vehicle from starting if the system detects
a blood alcohol level in excess of .08 as the driver breathes normally, presses a button or holds the steering wheel.
Officials say they are not pressing for this system to be mandatory, but they do expect the system to be an option for news cars in the
next five years.
Ford, GM, and Volkswagen are working in concert with NHTSA to develop the new system.
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Workplace Solutions
The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has developed a series of workplace solutions. These tips deal with workplace
communication:
Develop, implement and test the method(s) of communication that will be used during operations. At the start of each shift, review communications
signals between spotters, machine operators, truck drivers, and workers on foot.
Prohibit the use of personal cell phones and head phones or similar devices that could pose a distraction.
Provide two-way radios to personnel who coordinate vehicular and equipment activity within the worksite.
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 Alive at 25
This is a special program produced by the National Safety Council and presented, free of charge as a service by the Associated General Contractors of Vermont,
at Technical Career Centers in Vermont by certified instructors. For more information, visit the AGC/VT website:
www.agcvt.org.
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Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatal occupational injuries. RoadSafe, produced by The Associated Contractors of Vermont, is an electronic newsletter concerning
workplace driver safety. The purpose of RoadSafe is to distribute data, facts, and other materials to help employers create, maintain, and/or improve their workplace driver safety policies and programs.
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Community Impact 
Reblogged this on Tim's Way.
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