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75 Martine Avenue, Fanwood, NJ 07023 - 908/322-7773 FAX - 908-322-2200 or 908-889-6359 Safety Wings | Tony Parenti , Editor MEETING NOTICES: Next Regular Business Meeting: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2007, 10:00 AM, at the Somerville Elks Club, Route 28 (Union Avenue) Bridgewater, NJ. This is our annual meeting for special presentations and is hosted by the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety. Board Of Directors: The next meeting is at the call of the President.  PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Thanks to you the body count on NJ roadways, as of week 37, stood at 473 or 17 fewer deaths than the same period last year. This clearly indicates you are doing your job much more efficiently and the reward is fewer deaths. Keep it up! Please make an extra effort to attend our next meeting. Sharon Harrington, Chief Administrator of the MVC and Pam Fisher, Director of the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety are invited guests. We also will be presenting awards and honoring some of our members. The A.B.C. Commissioner will explain and distribute the "last drink report." The Division of Highway Traffic Safety is planning to conduct "Train the Trainer" courses on pedestrian knockdowns at intersections. As soon as we get the schedule we will pass it on to you. The NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police is distributing the new Adult School Guard Training Kit. If your Chief or Department has not received a training kit contact me at wtpolice@carroll.com and I'll arrange to have one sent to you. STAY SAFE - Bill TRUCKERS WANT TO DRIVE 11 HOURS: A federal appeals court rejected a decision to permit long-haul truckers to drive up to 11 consecutive hours. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration changed its rules so truck drivers could drive a maximum of 11 straight hours, one more hour than had been permitted. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the FMCSA failed to adequately justify adding the extra hour. The FMCSA first decided to raise the number of hours truckers can drive in 2003, but the District of Columbia appeals court struck down that decision and Congress reinstated the rule in 2004. 
PROPOSE TO REMOVE FRONT PLATE: Currently there are 20 US states requiring a rear plate only. New Jersey could become #21 if Assemblyman John Wisniewski, Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, has his way. He believes front plates on motor vehicles is "superfluous" and intends to introduce legislation to do away with them. He also said eliminating the front plate could save money in manufacturing costs and eliminate the demand for specialty plates devoted to various causes. "If we eliminate the front plate, that would be the perfect place for individuals to display whatever their cause may be," Wisniewski said. But people in law enforcement disagree. The NJPTOA and other law enforcement associations have vigorously opposed this type of legislation in the past, citing officer safety as their prime concern. Front plates eliminate the need for police officers having to make dangerous "U" turns whenever they see a "wanted" vehicle pass in the opposite direction. Our President has been quoted as saying "police oppose such a change. Front plates enhance public safety at traffic stops and vehicle checks." Wisniewski countered by saying it seems clear most traffic stops involve the back license plate. New Jersey has required front and back license plates since 1936. MVC REQUESTS INFORMATION ON BOGUS INSPECTION STICKERS: MVC requests information/help in reference to fake inspection decals. Please respond with any information you have to Richard.Green@dot.state.nj.us. Place "Fake inspection Stickers" in the subject line. The Commission wants to find out where these stickers are coming from, and if you have a list of plates they can look to attempt to determine a common site/location. They also would appreciate knowing if you suspect someone who may be involved. 
As of Week 37 37 there were 473 fatalities recorded on NJ roads compared to 490 during the same period in 2006, A DECREASE OF 17 DEATHS.
There were 265 Driver deaths, 92 Passengers, 75 Pedestrians, 35Motorcycle Drivers, 01 Motorcycle Passengers, and 05 Pedacyclists. There were 473 fatalities in 440 crashes. BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW: ASSEMBLY, No. 415 signed 08/21/07 Establishes penalties for pointing laser at operator of vehicle. ASSEMBLY, No. 420 signed 08/21/07 Directs State Police to establish standards for handling missing persons cases involving persons with Alzheimer's disease and juveniles. ASSEMBLY, No. 1162 signed 08/21/07 Makes unauthorized use of military medals or insignias a crime of the fourth degree. SENATE No. 1810 was approved on 9/10/2007 (P.L.2007, c.164) and took effect immediately. The pertinent text is "It shall not be a defense to the unauthorized use of a parking space reserved for the handicapped pursuant to R.S.39:4-138 that the penalties set forth in paragraph c. of subsection (3) of R.S.39:4-197 were not posted or were improperly posted." 
SPEEDERS LOSE THEIR CARS: The Ontario Provincial Police commissioner is calling for the seizure of cars belonging to speeders going over 50 Km/hr (30 mph) on Ontario roads. Two serious crashes and a rash of road racing offenses in recent weeks prompted his action. In one crash, a 15-year-old driving a stolen car crashed into a taxicab, killing two teenage girls. A week or so later racing drivers caused a truck to jackknife and overturn killing the driver. Despite public disturbance over the two tragedies, hardly another week passed when two US drivers were caught driving their Corvettes more than 200 km/hr (125 mph) on the same highway. The Commissioner is pushing for aircraft surveillance and support of the tough seizure rule. He says it won't be hard to convince the Ontario public of the value of the measure in saving lives. FIELD GUIDE FOR INSPECTING SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS: The FHWA recently published a "Field Guide for Inspecting Signalized Intersections to Reduce Red-Light Running." This report provides information on how to conduct the investigation of a specific intersection that has been identified as a red-light running problem site. The investigation of the site could identify possible engineering deficiencies that could contribute to violations and crashes, and to form initial opinions for possible countermeasures. The field inspection guide is prepared in connection with the Intersection Field Inspection Form and can be downloaded at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersections/fieldinspectionform.pdf ALCOHOL RELATED DEATHS: The 2006 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries shows, in the U.S. in 2005, there were 43,510 Motor Vehicle Deaths with 17,590 (40%) alcohol related. In 2006, 42,642 deaths, 17,602 (41%) were alcohol related. In NJ, 747 were killed in 2005 with 284 (38%) alcohol related, compared to 772 killed in 2006 with 341 (41%) alcohol related. There were more deaths in New Jersey in 2006 than in 2005 (772 vs. 747) with alcohol related deaths climbing as well (341 (41%) vs. 284 (38%). 
You Drink You Drive You Lose - So Get Off The Booze! ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SAFETY BELT AND BULLETPROOF VEST SALUTE OUR WAR HEROES - NEVER FORGET THE DEPARTED Next Meeting - Wednesday, October 3, 2007, at the Somerville Elks Club |