Newsletter of The New Zealand Roadmarkers Federation Inc.
Roadmarking News www.nzrf.co.nz Edition 122 December 2016
Damar celebrate 30 Years
who have helped and continue to mould and support the company through the years.
Damar's owners, Scott and Bev Thomson hosted a 30th Anniversary celebration function in Rotorua on the 5th November 2016 for staff, suppliers and customers.
Some roadmarking industry highlights include: 1989 Bay Of Plenty Industrial Paints obtains Transit New Zealand approval to supply paint to the Roadmarking Industry 1993 Achieved ISO9002 accreditation, the fourth New Zealand Paint Manufacturer to do this 1996 The first application of waterborne roadmarking paint in New Zealand. It was applied on Prestons Rd Otara by Ross Roadmarkers and organised by Andrew Hunter the then Engineer for Manukau City Council 1997 Paint supplied in pallecons for the first time 1997 Principal sponsor of the Australasian Roadmarking Conference in Christchurch and for all subsequent bi-annual conferences 2003 Introduced Beadlock to the New Zealand Market 2003 Official opening of the new facility at the East Gate Industrial Park by Prime Minister Helen Clark
In three decades, Damar Industries has gone from being a small, family-run business in Rotorua to a medium-sized company operating across all of New Zealand and into Australia, Asia, the UK and USA. Damar started in 1986 when Scott and Bev Thomson bought a paint manufacturing company with one factory and three retail stores. Over time, they acquired other businesses, such as Aerosol Products, Ecomist, Linaro Paints, Andrew Chemicals and Clark Products, which have expanded their manufacturing capability to coatings, chemicals, and aerosols. Damar services three main markets, including retail (mainly hardware), roadmarking, and commercial contract manufacturing with mainly dangerous goods-type products. The latest expansion is into Warehouse Logistics – storage and distribution of dangerous goods products. Scott and Bev still own the company. As they grew the business, they went from having only four employees in 1986 to just under 200 in 2016. When asked what makes Damar a successful business, Scott says that besides a good facility and good staff, it’s the long-term relationship with customers and suppliers. Damar has been blessed with some 25- to 30-year relationships with people
2004 Appointed as the Australian manufacturing agent for Basler Lacke’s range of Cold Applied Plastic roadmarking systems 2004 Purchased Linaro Paints based in Christchurch 2005 First applications of CAP in New Zealand with Structured on the Desert Rd and ATP’s on State Highway 2 between Kati Kati and Bethlehem, in the Bay of Plenty 2011 $15m upgrade underway with a four year objective to be the first fully compliant manufacturing facility in NZ to the latest EPA/Worksafe standards 2013 Damar acquires a paint manufacturing plant in Wetherill Park, Sydney to supply product to the roadmarking industry in Australia
Published by: The New Zealand Roadmarkers Federation Inc. P O Box 13 605 Onehunga Auckland 1643 New Zealand Executive Director: Alister Harlow Phone: +64 9 625 7470 Email: alister@nzrf.co.nz Roadmarking News in published by The NZ Roadmarkers Federation Inc. Opinions expressed in Roadmarking News do not necessarily reflect the views of the NZRF
2013 Business Alliance with Potters Industries Pty Ltd for the supply of glass beads and binder systems in Australasia
Safety work on key upper North Island route to start $8.1 million is to be spent on improving safety on State Highway 1 between Cambridge and Piarere, with work getting underway early next year.
The safety project which runs between the end of the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway and Piarere the State Highway 1/State Highway 29 intersection, is part of the government’s Safer Roads and Roadsides Programme targeting 90 high risk sites on rural state highways nationally.
Further information on the project.
PPP contract awarded for Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway project Construction will begin shortly on the new Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway following today’s announcement by the NZ Transport Agency that a contract has been signed for the project to be delivered as New Zealand’s second Public Private Partnership (PPP) for a state highway, after the Transmission Gully motorway project in Wellington. NZ Transport Agency Chief Executive Fergus Gammie said the signing of the PPP contract between the Transport Agency and the Northern Express Group for the 18.5km motorway marks a major milestone for Auckland and Northland. “State Highway 1 between Pūhoi and Warkworth is a key transport link connecting Northland to the upper North Island freight triangle of Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga. “The Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway forms the first section of the Government’s Pūhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance, aimed at enabling economic growth by providing a safer and more reliable transport link for the region.
The NZ Transport Agency’s Waikato Highways Manager Niclas Johansson says the work will provide immediate safety improvements ahead of a detailed investigation to identify long-term solutions for this 17km section of State Highway 1, which has seen 13 deaths and 45 serious injuries from crashes over the past 10 years. The project includes creating a wide centre line to reduce head on crashes, installing side barriers in high-risk areas, to reduce the impact of run-off road crashes, and upgrading signs to make high risk areas more visible. “This section of State Highway 1 is a critical link for tourism and freight, connecting Auckland to the Waikato and Bay of Plenty and further afield to the central North Island. These improvements will make this key route safer for everyone who uses it.” Mr Johansson says in parallel with the immediate safety improvement work being undertaken, the Transport Agency will be considering longer term solutions for this key route through the upper North Island.
“The new motorway will extend the Northern Motorway (SH1) from the Johnstone's Hill tunnels just south of Pūhoi to a point north of Warkworth,” Mr Gammie said. Under the PPP contract, the Northern Express Group will finance, design, construct, manage and maintain the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway for the 25 years that will follow the expected five year period to build the motorway. Full ownership of the highway will remain with the public sector. It is aimed to have the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway open for traffic by 2022. The Northern Express Group is made up of firms with considerable experience in the design, construction, finance, maintenance and
management of key infrastructure projects. The equity partners in the consortium are: Accident Compensation Corporation Public Infrastructure Partners II LP (managed by Morrison & Co PIP Ltd) Acciona Concesiones S.L. Fletcher Building Ltd Mr Gammie said the ‘net present’ contract price for delivering the Pūhoi and Warkworth motorway through a PPP is $709.5 million. “This is the ‘whole of life’ cost for the Northern Express Group to build the motorway over the next five years and then operate the road for 25 years. Because the costs are spread over time, they are expressed in today’s dollars.” Mr Gammie said PPPs have a proven track record internationally for delivering great results for large-scale infrastructure, and using a PPP made good sense for the project. “The size and complexity of the project means it will benefit from the innovation the private sector will bring to the task. “The 'availability’ PPP model adopted for the project also means that payments are not linked to the volume of traffic using the road. The PPP contractor will be paid for making a safe road open and available to traffic, and after achieving specified performance levels such as safety, customer satisfaction, reliability and journey times.
Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss has released a new "speed management guide" that will allow speed limits to be raised under some circumstances. "Changes made under the guide may include altering road design, lowering speed limits, or in certain circumstances, raising them. "To be eligible for a 110 km/h limit, a road will have to meet very strict conditions, including having a median barrier, at least two lanes in each direction and no direct access to neighbouring properties." Foss said the guide would help councils, the New Zealand Transport Agency and other road controlling authorities decide where and when to make safety improvements or change speed limits. Labour's police spokesman Stuart Nash said the research he had seen suggested raising the speed limit would lead to more road fatalities. "I'd be interested in what the experts have to say...my gut feel is we have it about right at the moment. "I think if you make it 110km/h, then 110km/h becomes the absolute new norm. But what happens in people's minds is they think, 110km/h is the limit, I can drive at 115km/h and get away with it," Nash said. "They go onto a road where the speed limit is 100km/h and they are still travelling at 110km/h, because they are doing that for the past hour. I just think we are playing with fire, and we are playing with the lives of Kiwis."
“A PPP procurement also means that the motorway is being delivered quicker than if funding was obtained through conventional channels. “The Transport Agency will also continue to consider PPPs for other large-scale and complex infrastructure projects which could potentially benefit from the innovation and value-formoney that can be achieved through a PPP approach,” he said. More information about the Pūhoi to Warkworth Road of National Significance is available here.
Speed limit goes up to 110km/h on selected roads The speed limit can go up to 110km/h on some roads, the Government has announced - a change Labour fears could cost lives.
However, Police Minister Judith Collins had no problem with the change. "It is only on a few roads that are specifically engineered for this." Foss said the higher speed limit would only be possible on about 150km of current roading, mostly state highways. "Such as parts of the Waikato Expressway, the Tauranga Link, parts of
the Northern Expressway in Christchurch, parts of Transmission Gully and the new Kapiti extension. "Those types of highly-engineered, median barrier, double lanes roads, it is possible that they could do 110km on them."
The Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) submitted evidence to the inquiry, emphasising the changes to the physical infrastructure in the UK that will be required for the successful deployment of autonomous vehicles.
The speed management guide will replace the speed setting guidance in the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2003. Consultation on the changes will begin early next year.
It said its main concern is that current standards of road safety markings are not being maintained and that ‘where assistive or autonomous technology relies in part on road markings and signs, any failure of maintenance presents a real safety hazard’.
A 110km/h limit has been considered for some time for motorways built as part of the Government's roads of national significance programme. "Speed limit reviews ... currently do not give sufficient weight to road classification, design, geometric characteristics, network efficiency or the safe system approach," the new speed management guide states. "The result is that on some routes, travel speeds are not appropriate to road use and function."
The RSMA highlighted its most recently-published survey of lines on 7,000km of motorways, dual and single carriageways in England, Scotland and Wales, which showed that, despite a recognised Highways Agency (now Highways England) standard, and contractual obligations on behalf of main contractors, approximately half of road markings were inadequate.
The guide was released after consultation with the Automobile Association (AA), which has for a number of years advocated for a 110km/h limit on the safest roads. AA spokesman Mike Noon said he believed the change would be safe. "They are roads that if you were in another country like Australia, they would have an operating limit of 110km/h. It's a small proportion of roads, but they are roads that carry a lot of traffic." Noon said a previous survey of AA members showed nearly 70 per cent supported such a change. "Some people say, 'I wouldn't want to drive 110km/h'. Well, they wouldn't have to. They can just keep in the left lane. But those drivers that were confident could take the faster lane to the right. There is no compulsion here."
Road markings vital for autonomous vehicles, Lords told A parliamentary committee has begun an inquiry into autonomous vehicles, with one industry submission highlighting the ‘real safety hazard’ of inadequate or poorly maintained road markings. The UK House of Lords Science and Technology Committee held the first evidence session on its inquiry on Tuesday (1 November) and heard evidence from government officials and academic experts.
It also pointed to a recent media report, which stated that Volvo’s semi-autonomous vehicle sporadically refused to drive itself – during a press event – because of poor quality road markings. The RSMA’s submission to the inquiry also included recommendations to establish a working group in the UK in order to: work with industry in order understand the requirements of autonomous vehicle manufacturers, their trade bodies (e.g. SMMT), insurers identify and plan for future changes to Sector Scheme 7 and legislative requirements provide road marking industry input into road trials act as a focal point for knowledge transfer between different parts of industry, infrastructure designers, Central and Local Government and Government Agencies. The committee’s first witnesses included Ian Yarnold, of the Department for Transport’s International Vehicle Standards Division, Iain Forbes, head of the Government's Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Professor David Lane, professor of autonomous systems engineering, and director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics at Heriot-Watt University.
Where's the lane? Self-driving cars confused by shabby U.S. roadways
Pavement markings use paint with different degrees of reflectivity - or don't exist at all.
Volvo's North American CEO, Lex Kerssemakers, lost his cool as the automaker's semi-autonomous prototype sporadically refused to drive itself during a press event at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
"If the lane fades, all hell breaks loose," said Christoph Mertz, a research scientist at Carnegie Mellon University. "But cars have to handle these weird circumstances and have three different ways of doing things in case one fails."
"It can't find the lane markings!" Kerssemakers griped to Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was at the wheel. "You need to paint the bloody roads here!"
To make up for roadway aberrations, carmakers and their suppliers are incorporating multiple sensors, maps and data into their cars, all of which adds cost. Mercedes says the "drive pilot" system found in its recently unveiled luxury E Class 2017 sedans works even with no lane markings. The system - which incorporates 23 sensors - takes into account guard rails, barriers, and other cars to keep cars in their lanes up to 84 miles (135km) per hour, under "suitable circumstances."
Shoddy infrastructure has become a roadblock to the development of self-driving cars, vexing engineers and adding time and cost. Poor markings and uneven signage on the 3 million miles of paved roads in the United States are forcing automakers to develop more sophisticated sensors and maps to compensate, industry executives say. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently called the mundane issue of faded lane markings "crazy," complaining they confused his semi-autonomous cars. An estimated 65 percent of U.S. roads are in poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, with the transportation infrastructure system rated 12th in the World Economic Forum's 2014-2015 global competitiveness report. Tesla, Volvo, Mercedes, Audi and others are fielding vehicles that can drive on highways, change lanes and park without human help. But they are easily flummoxed by faded lane markers, damaged or noncompliant signs or lights, and the many quirks of a roadway infrastructure managed by thousands of state and local bureaucracies. In other developed countries, greater standardization of road signs and markings makes it easier for robot cars to navigate. In the U.S., however, traffic lights can be aligned vertically, horizontally or "dog-house" style in two columns.
Boston Consulting Group estimates that initial semi-autonomous features add $4,000 to a car's price. It estimated carmakers will have to spend more than $1 billion over the next decade in research investment for even more sophisticated autonomous features. On a good road in daylight, cameras installed around a car are sufficient to distinguish road lines, traffic lights and signs. But without lane markings, the car needs more technology to judge its position. Enter radar and lidar, which send out radio waves or light pulses to bounce off objects. The data sent back informs the car about objects, their distance and velocity. Triangulating between trees to the right, boulders to the left, and other vehicles ahead, for instance, can give the car its bearings. A host of companies - including Silicon Valley firms Quanergy and Velodyne and international suppliers like Paris-based Valeo - are vying to reduce the cost and size of lidar from the bulky, $75,000 Velodyne version first seen on the roof of Google's self-driving car. In January, Quanergy unveiled a small $250 Lidar with no moving parts. Automakers want the price to drop below $100 for production vehicles, which Quanergy promises to do by 2018. Sub-par roads are fuelling efforts by companies such as Germany's HERE and Dutch company TomTom to create three dimensional maps that
can provide the car's location on the road within centimetres, said Chris Warrington, CEO of mapping technology company GeoDigital. Automakers are looking to pay $50-$60 per car for such maps, which may be well below the actual price, said Warrington. "We know they're coming, but they don't exist yet. That's why lane markings are so important now," said Gary O'Brien, director of advanced engineering for automotive supplier Delphi Automotive Systems PLC.
WJ keeps installers safe UK based Road markings company WJ has developed its Guardian system as a new method of road stud installation designed to prevent vulnerable operatives from having to step onto the carriageway. The design allows for the complete road stud installation process to take place while an operative is protected within an integrated safety cell of an 18-ton truck.
Point-to-point speed camera trial to begin in WA, but police have no power to fine drivers Western Australia's first point-to-point speed camera, which measures average speed over a distance, is being trialled south of Perth from Monday, but police still do not have the power to fine speeding drivers. The camera will be located along a 26-kilometre stretch of Forrest Highway, near Lake Clifton south of Mandurah. Seven people have died on that stretch of road in the past six years and 43 others have been injured, Roads Safety Minister Liza Harvey said. She said the aim was to catch motorists for deliberately speeding over distance, rather than an inadvertent lapse in attention, but conceded police do not have the power to issue fines or lay charges at this stage. The Government is hoping to have legislation passed in Parliament by the end of the year to allow police to take action against those caught on the point-to-point cameras, Mrs Harvey said. She also said she would like to see point to point cameras introduced to several other locations once the trial was completed.
Previous methods of installation involve operatives stalling studs using tools or machinery that required them to be at the edge or centre of the carriageway.
She also announced three fixed speed cameras would be installed on country roads for the first time in a bid to reduce the "horrific" road toll in regional areas.
Wayne Johnston, WJ Group managing director said: ‘Safety is fundamental to our business, that’s why we invest huge sums in research and development, we always strive for continuous improvement and I am totally committed to changing the way we work.’ The patent pending WJ Guardian road stud installation technology was the result of a development project led by WJ’s engineering division in Elland, West Yorkshire. Further information is available here
Two cameras will be located on Great Eastern Highway, one in Wundowie and another in Northam, and the third will be on Indian Ocean Drive in Gabbadah, north of Perth.
Mrs Harvey said the locations were notorious black spots, with 100 crashes along the stretch of Great Eastern Highway between 2011 and 2015, resulting in six deaths and 34 people injuries, while 15 people were injured in 33 crashes along Indian Ocean Road in the same period.
These surveys give us confidence that we are acting as a voice for our 1.5 million Members, and what we are saying represents what AA Members want.
"We are really responding to what has been a horrific road toll out in regional areas and one of the main causes of fatal and serious injury crashes is excess speed," she said. "We know where we install the fixed speed cameras we get 60 per cent of motorists reduce their speed, so that's a significant outcome." The cameras will be operational by December. WA's road toll for the year stands at 154, with 95 of those deaths on country roads.
A voice for motorists One of the ways the Automobile Association works to help its Members is being a voice for motorists to the Government and pushing for changes that will help improve road safety. Jayne Gale from the AA spoke at our 2015 conference about the programme of Member surveys and how it is used to shape road safety policy. The AA recently highlighted the results of another initiative using Member Surveys Members vital contribution is often made through the surveys we conduct. These tell us what AA Members want; our analysis tells us what will make the biggest difference. When we bring those together, change can happen. One of the causes we have fought hard for over recent years is for the highest-risk drinkdrivers to have to be sentenced to have alcohol interlocks in their vehicles. In August, the Government announced it would do this. That is going to be a great change for road safety and can also give an insight into the advocacy work the AA does. Reducing drink-driving remains one of the biggest opportunities to make our roads safer. On average, 87 people are killed and 1700 injured each year by crashes involving alcohol. When the Government was considering lowering the adult drink-driving limit in 2013, we supported the change and conducted three major Member surveys which showed about three quarters were in favour of the limit dropping.
Other research indicated that lowering the limit wasn't likely to make a big difference to drink driving crashes on its own. We concluded that alcohol interlocks would be the most effective tool for reducing drink-driving. Alcohol interlocks were introduced as a sentencing option in 2012, and through our AA Research Foundation we commissioned independent expert Gerald Waters to report on the first year of the interlock programme. This showed that out of about 10,000 drink-drivers who appeared in court and met the criteria for an interlock, only two percent were being sentenced to one. We brought together key players from the Government agencies, the legal fraternity and interlock providers to present the research and highlight the problems holding interlocks back. Building on this, we made mandatory alcohol interlocks for all repeat and high level drink-drivers one of the AA's 2014 Election Calls. Our calls were developed from Member surveys and other research and analysis to detail what the Government needed to do to make transport better and safer. We promoted our Election Calls to the major political parties ahead of the election. Then, in 2015, we got information from the interlock providers showing that the devices had stopped thousands of drink-driving attempts, despite such a small number being in use. We featured this in AA Directions and in other media to show how much more good could be done with interlocks. We also produced a booklet on interlocks that our AA Districts took to their local MPs to keep building awareness that a change was needed The AA, along with other campaigners for interlocks, got the news we wanted this year.
After a review of the sanctions for impaired driving by the Ministry of Transport, interlocks are now set to become a mandatory sentence for many drink-drivers. Associate Minister of Transport Craig Foss announced that repeat drink- drivers, or first-time offenders caught at high levels, will soon find themselves having to have an interlock installed in their cars. More interlocks will mean fewer drink-drivers behind the wheel and less chance of innocent lives being destroyed in a crash. That is a great outcome for our Members and everyone on the roads.
Ageing drivers in the US US drivers are getting older, while there are now more females than males behind the wheel in the country. The latest data shows that nearly 20% of drivers in the US are aged 65 or more, and women drivers now outnumber male drivers. These trends have been identified as a result of data analysis by the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The preliminary data from the FHWA shows that the US now has more drivers than ever before, an estimated 217.9 million. The research shows that 42.8 million, or nearly one in five, are over 65 years old. At 110.4 million, women drivers outnumbered the 107.6 million men drivers recorded for last year, continuing a trend that began in 2005.
These new figures support US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s “Beyond Traffic,” a 30year vision for future transportation, which predicts a 77% increase among drivers over age 65 by 2045. The data collected from all 50 states and Washington, DC, show there were 217.9 million licensed drivers in 2015. Drivers who are 80 or older increased by 1.1% since 2014. FHWA researchers continue to develop and improve safety enhancements for America’s roads to address the challenges facing older drivers, ranging from declining vision to decreased flexibility and psychomotor performance, and changes in perceptual and cognitive performance. Some innovations include longer merge lanes, roundabouts, better lighting, more visible signage and other intersection improvements. Statistically, older drivers do not have a particularly high crash rate, perhaps because they tend to offset their declining physical capabilities by driving more conservatively. Young male drivers remain the highest risk group in terms of road safety, often due to a potentially lethal combination of bravado, lack of experience and a willingness to use cellphones at the wheel. The number of teen drivers increased slightly for the first time in two years, rising to 8.73 million from 8.5 million in 2014, but continuing to remain at a near-record low. By comparison, there were nearly 10 million teen drivers in 2008. The data show 56 million drivers between the ages of 20-34, generally known as “millennials,” which accounted for nearly one in four US drivers last year – up slightly from the 54.9 million reported in 2014.
The final data analysis is expected to be published later this year. Drivers over 65 remain one of the fastest-growing demographic groups among US drivers. With a 2% increase, representing 4.4 million more drivers over 65 than in the previous year, it is the biggest single-year increase on record for that population.
The final data will be published later this year in FHWA's "Highway Statistics," an annual compilation of information about drivers, vehicles and roads. The data reflect the growing demands on the US highway system and inform decisions by transportation policy makers, researchers and academia. Additional information about how the FHWA designs roads for older drivers can be found in "Handbook for Designing Roadways for the Aging Population," available online, which offers substantial information on the methods and
techniques used to accommodate this growing driver demographic.
Average speed cameras reduce injury collisions, says report Research carried out into average speed camera (ASC) effectiveness by the UK’s RAC Foundation concludes that the implementation of ASCs in the locations that have been assessed in its report has had the effect of reducing injury collisions, and especially those of a higher severity. Even taking into account other influencing factors, the report says the reductions are large and statistically significant.
not arise by chance or through random variation. Alan Prosser, of the TTC Group which educates 330,000 motorists each year and manages workplace road safety for fleet operators to cut road casualties, said that the report proved that average speed cameras had successfully reduced speed on longer stretches of busy roads leading to fewer collisions. "Average speed cameras are extremely effective because they slow down traffic to the same speed and drivers tend to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front,” he said. "They also reduce the number of vehicles overtaking and lane-switching at higher speeds which increases risk" He also agreed with the report's conclusion that average speed cameras should be installed by councils, where appropriate, to increase road safety and reduce collisions.
Regular speeders crash more often
Researchers analysed detailed accident data taken from 25 sites where average speed cameras were installed, covering almost 300km of road. They used official Department for Transport collision records to create, on a month by month basis, the collision history for each site. These outputs have been used to review the effectiveness of ASCs in reducing collisions at the combined sites. The measure used throughout the report, Average Speed Camera Effectiveness, in considering the effectiveness of ASCs is the change in injury collisions in the post-installation periods. ASC effectiveness may also be considered in terms of changes in compliance with speed limits or longterm changes in offence rates, but neither of these is considered within the scope of this study. The main result from the analysis shows, after accounting for site selection periods and trend, a 36.4 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval: 2546 per cent) reduction in the mean rate of fatal and serious collisions in the post-installation period. The change in personal injury collisions of all severities was less pronounced, with a 16 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval: 9-22 per cent) reduction. Both results were classified as highly statistically significant according to the analysis, meaning that they almost certainly did
Research from a UK insurance company that provides vehicles with black box, telematics technology throws a light on what causes crashes. According to the firm, Insure The Box, its analysis of around 5 billion km of driving data provides a crucial insight. The telematics pioneer uses black box data to target regular speeding culprits and provides safer driving support. According to the firm’s data analysis, drivers who speed more than 20% of the time increase their risk of having an accident by 87%. Meanwhile those that speed 10% of the time increase the risk by 42%. However, the firm claims that targeted communications can reduce speeding by 15%. Smoothness of driving is also a key factor in the risk of crashes as the analysis from reveals. Drivers who exhibit erratic driving behaviour such as swerving, speeding and habitually slamming on the brakes are far more likely to end up having a crash. The firm also recently identified a 30% increase in evening rush hour accidents immediately after the clock change and implemented a programme of communication to warn customers about the risks. Charlotte Halkett, Insure The Box general manager communications said, “Unlike traditional motor insurers, we can calculate the risk of a customer having an accident based on their individual driving patterns, rather than the usual parameters
such as age and vehicle engine size. And the actual driving data received from the black boxes installed in our customers’ vehicles enables us to directly target feedback and incentives to encourage our policyholders to improve their driving" The firm says that by fitting its telematics technology, drivers are far less likely to speed while the systems can also call for assistance in the event of an impact and help reduce the incidence of fraudulent insurance claims.
Bad drivers run in the family A study carried out in France reveals that bad driving runs in the family. The research was carried out by IPSOS for the French road management group, Vinci. According to the study, parents have a greater influence on the driving behaviour of their offspring than driving instructors. The research was carried out with drivers aged 18-25, with 65% saying that the way their parents drive provides a strong influence on their own driving habits. This extends to speeding, drink driving and road rage incidents. It is not clear from the study if it also includes distracted driving as separate research shows younger drivers to be more likely to use cellphones at the wheel than older drivers.
New Zealand set to host 5th International SaferRoads conference Hundreds of experts and industry practitioners from across the globe will meet in Auckland next May at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre, to share knowledge, ideas and innovations that will make travel on roads across the world safer and more sustainable. Hosting the conference alternates between committee member countries in the northern and southern hemispheres every three years. Next year’s conference is being held at the Viaduct Events Centre on Auckland’s waterfront from May 21-24, 2017. Committee Chair for the 2017 conference, Mark Owen from the New Zealand Transport Agency says the discussions and information shared at the conferences since they first began in 2005 has resulted in marked improvements in road surface safety and sustainability. “There is some really exciting stuff happening in the fields of road surface, cycle and pedestrian safety,” says Mr Owen. “This really is a global think tank that has
made a major impact on road safety since the first forum on skid resistance held in 2005.” The scope of the conference has been expanded to include areas such as delineation, safe pedestrian walkways and cycle paths. Leaders from the fields of pavements, driver behavior, safety and innovation will be speaking at next year’s conference. “With our organizing committee being made up of members from across the globe, we are able to source some really exciting speakers,” says Mr Owen. “We’ll be announcing keynote speakers as planning for the conference progresses.” The extra benefit for those involved in the sector in New Zealand is that next year’s conference is being held here in Auckland. “Whether you are from a local council, a supplier, a contractor, university or research institute or central government, the scope of the conference and its location makes it even more attractive.” Next year’s conference themes include road surface measurement, monitoring and treatment, delineation, innovation and research advancements, motorcycle and cycle safety, shared paces, pedestrian areas, road safety, business sustainability and knowledge transfer, and quality and value for money.
Upcoming Events ATSSA 47th Annual Convention and Exhibition Phoenix Exhibition Centre, Arizona 10th to 14th February 2017 www.atssa.com Traffex International Exhibition National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham 4-6 April 2017 www.traffex.com Safer Roads Conference 21-24 May 2017 Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland www.saferroads.co.nz 2017 NZRF/RIAA Conference and Exhibition Distinction Hotel, Hamilton 23rd and 24th August 2017 www.nzrf.co.nz
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