HOW VENEZUALA’S CRISIS IS HITTING ROAD SAFETY

Original de Global Allianse of NGO's For Road Safety 

 http://www.roadsafetyngos.org/sh_events/venezualas-crisis-hitting-road-safety/

In Venezuala in July, inflation reached 83,000% and prices for food and everyday items are doubling approximately every 26 days. Many public services, including bus and train services are shutting down, and citizens are struggling to meet household expenses.

The crisis is having a devastating effect on road conditions and subsequently on injuries and fatalities. Road infrastructure is deteriorating with no money available for checks and improvements meaning that the roads themselves are less safe. Spare vehicle parts, including tires, are difficult to get hold of. This has two effects: one is that unsafe vehicles are being driven, the other is that less people have enough money to run a car and therefore more people are walking or taking public transport.

More people are using public transport but less public transport is available. Bus operators are among those who are unable to obtain spare parts for their vehicles and are unable to pay their drivers enough as living costs increase rampantly. As a consequence, buses are overloaded with people hanging from the sides and bumpers. The elderly and vulnerable are worst affected because they do not pay bus fares, so bus drivers are not motivated to stop for them.

Where public services are failing, some people are seeing an opportunity. Private trucks, known as “kennels” because of their resemblance to animal transporters, have begun to operate as unofficial buses. Not only are the authorities turning a blind eye to this, but some city councils have acquired cage-type trucks themselves, which are being used as public transport. These makeshift vehicles are causing an increased number of crashes, injuries and fatalities.

The lack of public transport has forced more people to walk. While, this could be seen as a favorable step, however, in this formally car-based culture, many streets, especially in the interior of the country, are not set up for pedestrians and lack signs, sidewalks, crossings, and lighting. 

Alliance member NGOs in the country are working hard to address the increasing issues with limited resources. Asotransito are campaigning hard with the government to prioritize safe roads and transport even in the face of multiple issues. They are also taking practical low-cost action. The project #CaminoDeLuz, meaning “path of light”, seeks to distribute fluorescent and reflective bracelets to those forced to walk on badly-lit streets, including the thousands of refugees walking long distances to cross the border into neighboring Colombia. The bracelets can be seen by drivers 250 meters away and alert them to slow down to avoid pedestrians. Asotrotransito is seeking funding from international donors to extend the project.

Toni Donato Bolis - do not drive distracted!

And on Saturday it was the sad 1 yr anniversary of the crash that stole the loves of Toni Donato Bolis and her unborn child Ryan, who was to be born in 2 days because of a distracted driver. We must stop these tragedies from occurring to any more innocent victims...

By: Jennifer Freedman S.

Foto: Toni Donato B and... Ryan

Jessica Uhl (6/4/89-11/23/07)

Yesterday we honored Jessica Uhl (6/4/89-11/23/07) who would shave turned 23. Instead she and her sister lost their lives to a distracted State Trooper who was speeding, talking on his phone, and texting on his computer. Please do only one thing while you are behind the wheel... DRIVE!!


By: Jennifer Freedman S.


Jessica Uhl (6/4/89-11/23/07)

The case of Cornelia Galavan - Bucharest - Romania

My name is Cornelia Galavan and aI am 53 years old, I am from Bucharest - Romania.
Thirteen years ago I was the victim of an accident, which left me disabled.
This tragic accident was amplified by an inequitable act of justice which has been going on for thirteen years, having moral and material effects going far beyond those of the road crash.
In the act of justice I met corruption, abuse and crime, as well as a legislation favouring the authors of road traffic tragedies in Romania.

In between hospitals and courts of law I came to meet tens of victims of road crashes and families of the deceased, who accused the abuses and inequity of the act of justice concerning these tragedies.

Thus, I took the initiative of officially organising the first actions of protest in Romania by the victims of road crashes in front of state institutions as early as 1998, drawing a distrass signal to the way these tragedies are resolved, as well as to the passivity of the state to the high number of serious traffic accidents.

In order to prove the presence of corruption in the act of justice regarding criminal records I managed to bring before the court of law for the first time in Romania a judicial auto technical expert who was condemned for forged expertise.

Following the public involvement and the connections with tens of victims and mourning families, but also that of my personal tragedy and the abuses faced in resolving my tragedy, I took the initiative of starting for the first time an association of the victims of road safety under the name Association of the Victims of Road Traffic – AVAC.

Also as a first, I initiated and organised project ROAD TEARS ( LACRIMA RUTIERA) as early as 2001, establishing the commemoration of road victims yearly, six years before the Romanian Government recognised it. At present, the project which reached its Xth edition this year is running on the World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims, as established by the UN.
The innovative project of a disabled victim in clutches was appreciated by high profile personalities such as President of Romania Traian Basescu, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret, Chief of EU Delegation, Jonathan Scheele (UK), Minister of Administration and Internal Affairs Vasile Blaga and others, while at the Civil Society Gala – 2006 ROAD TEARS was granted the Special Award.

On an international plane, project ROAD TEARS is known and appreciated by the Council of Europe at a high level, and in 2009, UN- WHO invited me at the World Conference of Road Safety NGOs which took place in Brussels on May 7-8, as sole invitee from Romania.
Moreover, the project is currently recognised by several organisations and associations in Europe and in the world, which appreciate the initiative and the efforts of a road traffic victim to continue ROAD TEARS.

About my tragedy, the abuse and corruption in the act of justice, as well as to the civic and public involvement which led to personal initiatives for the first time in Romania are testimony the articles published in the mass-media over the 13 years of nightmare spent in the justice hell machine which ruined my life worse than the accident itself, but also the 13 years of civic and public involvement run with the purpose of reducing road tragedies, as well as for a “real road traffic justice” through which the lives of road traffic victims and the deceased should no longer be despised by the judges in a permissive legislation which favours the “road assassins”.

Best regards,
Cornelia Galavan
Road Tears (2001 - 2011)
ROMANIA.


Admin note: Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Strength and success in your work.

TOGETHER WE CAN SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVES !

DECADE OF ACTION FOR ROAD SAFETY 2011 - 2020.

TOGETHER WE CAN SAVE MILLIONSOF LIVES !

ROAD TEARS FROM GLOBAL REMEMBRANCE TO GLOBAL ACTION !

And how not to get involved in the development of the project initiated by UN and EU when road safety is in jeopardy because of the corruption phenomenon in which drivers' licenses are obtained even by illiterate citizens. How not to get involved in the project in Romania when we do not have a modern road infrastructure leading to road safety and the quality of the existing one in terms of quality puts us 120th rank in the world (!)? How not to get involved when ' road criminals ' are killing innocent people and the magistrates and justice is convicting them to more than symbolical sanctions with suspension, with a negative impact on all endeavours for road traffic education? How not to get involved when from 1800 criminal case files investigated by prosecutor offices in a year when PEOPLE have died, only two thirds get in front of judges and from 330 'road criminals' only 10% are convicted to execute a prison sentence and the victims and successors of the deceased are humiliated for years in the 'huge blender of justice'? How not to get involved when there is NO REAL JUSTICE FOR ROAD ACCIDENTS?

Cornelia Galavan - Road Tears (2001 -2011)

In Memory of Carla Bate say NO to killer's pending Parole

I AM COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF THE FAMILY OR ANYTHING ELSE SURROUNDING THIS CASE. HAVING RECEIVED SOME INFORMATION IN REFERENCE TO THE KILLER OF CARLA BATE I FELT ADAMANT TO SET UP THIS GROUP & GET OUR VOICES, FEELINGS & OPINIONS HEARD BY ALL THE RELEVANT AGENCIES INVOLVED WITH THE FOLLOWING CASE: ONCE YOU HAVE READ THE FOLLOWING NEWS ARTICLE IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED IF YOU WOULD POST ANY COMMENTS ON YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO CARLA & THE DEVASTATION IT CAUSED TO HER FAMILY & MANY AROUND THEM. THE KILLER IN QUESTION HAS APPLIED FOR A 'RELEASE ON TEMPORARY LICENCE', EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT QUITE SERVED 4 YEARS FROM THE DISGUSTING 8 YEAR SENTENCE HE WAS GIVEN.ALL COMMENTS POSTED WILL BE USED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ANY POSSIBILITY OF 'RELEASE ON TEMPORARY LICENCE' OR ANY FUTURE EARLY PAROLE HEARINGS.THANKING YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Rachael Eckersley

Drunk death driver jailed for 8 yearsFrom the Bolton Evening News, first published Saturday 18th Dec 2004.A DRUNKEN driver who killed a teenage girl while "showing off" to young friends in his sports car has started an eight-year jail sentence. Carla Bate, aged 13, was thrown more than 20 yards across a road junction and killed instantly when a car driven by Steven John Lewis ploughed into railings on Longcauseway, Farnworth, where she and a friend were standing. Her friend, Leanne Keegan, also aged 13, was left fighting for her life as a result of her injuries. Bolton Crown Court was told on Friday that club musician Lewis, aged 35, had been speeding round the streets of Farnworth at up to 80mph following a drinking binge.

His car, with two boys aged 13 and 14 travelling in one front passenger seat, was seen overtaking other vehicles at more than twice the speed limit. After the crash, Lewis left the scene and tried to destroy evidence linking him to his Toyota MR2 Coupe car. In what was described as an "astonishing twist of fate", the court heard that Lewis had been drinking at his flat with the two girls not long before Carla, of Primrose Avenue, Farnworth, was killed. Lewis, who worked in nightclubs under the name MC Breeze, had invited youngsters to his flat in Westland Avenue, Farnworth, on August 8 this year. Witnesses say he left to buy vodka from a nearby shop at 8pm before pouring drinks for youngsters including Carla, Leanne and the two boys, as well as himself. Leanne said in a statement read to the court that she had also seen Lewis smoking cannabis. Carla and Leanne, described as "inseparable" friends who attended Harper Green School, left his flat at around 9pm after Carla had told Leanne that it was time to leave. They refused a lift from the drunken Lewis. A friend who called at the flat said Lewis was "unsteady" on his feet. Lewis said he had been drinking since lunchtime. Lewis left his flat at 10.15pm to drive to a nearby petrol station for a drink, taking the two boys with him. Despite their pleas for him to slow down, he sped into a garage before revving his engine repeatedly on the forecourt.

The court was told that witnesses said they saw the car travelling at "motorway speeds" around Farnworth. Lewis drove through a red light before hitting a yellow Audi on Albert Road, close to the junction of Longcauseway, before spinning across the junction at 40mph and hitting the two girls, who were standing in a gap between railings. Carla was thrown across the road into railings on the other side of the road and died immediately.

Lewis and the two boys then fled the scene and returned to his flat where he showered and placed clothes in the washing machine. After police called, he denied he had been in the car and refused to give blood sample at the police station. At an earlier hearing, Lewis pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He also admitted failing to stop after an accident, failing to provide a specimen of breath and driving without insurance. Jailing him, Judge William Morris said: "No sentence can reconcile the fact that you left one girl dead. "In my judgement, you were showing off, that child had a long life ahead of her. All that potential will never be realised." Lewis, once banned from driving for having excess alcohol and jailed for 100 days in 1990 for drug possession, was also given four months for failing to stop at the scene and two months for failing to provide a specimen. Those sentences will run concurrently with the eight-years sentence. Leanne, now aged 14, of Aster Avenue, Farnworth, spent two weeks in intensive care fighting for her life and lost a kidney. She has not yet returned to school. Carla's devastated family said they were anticipating a bleak Christmas without her. "The law doesn't allow a long enough sentence for this man and no matter what happens it won't bring Carla back to us," said Carla's aunt Dawn Coen, aged 26, in a statement read outside court. "As a result of one man's reckless actions, we have lost a fun loving girl who was extremely close to her whole family. "Christmas will be a very difficult time for all the family but we hope the sentencing of Lewis today will bring to an end the suffering imposed on our family." Miss Coen, who had Carla's uncle, Andrew Coen, aged 40 at her side, choked back tears and she paid tribute to niece Carla.

"Carla was a devoted daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter and great-granddaughter who lived life to the full and she is sadly missed every single day. Not a day goes by when her sisters Zena and Celina do not think about her, she said. "We still cannot believe Carla has been tragically taken away from us so soon in her life. She had so much to live for but the reckless driving of one man has taken her away from us. We would just like to take this opportunity in thanking everyone who's taken part in putting together this case and to the firemen, police and ambulance people for their help.Detective Inspector Sara Wallwork, who led the investigation, said: "This was an extremely tragic accident in which a 13-year-old girl lost her life and her friend suffered serious injuries. "

Lewis is believed to have been travelling at excessive speed shortly before the collision and despite the serious injuries suffered by Carla and Leanne, he chose to leave the scene of the accident. "I hope that today's sentence serves as a reminder to others of the tragic consequences which can occur from irresponsible and reckless driving."Archive HomeFrom the Bolton Evening

Newshttp://www.burnleycitizen.co.uk

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=19516834666

Note of press, case of Valeria Sonely Torres Rodriguez

ENTRAL FLORIDA The Area In Brief

Woman dies in crash on Semoran

February 22, 2008

ORLANDO - Orlando police identified Valeria S. Torres-Rodriguez as the victim of a fatal accident on Semoran Boulevard on Thursday.

Police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones said, "Torres-Rodriguez had been drinking prior to the accident."

The crash shut down the roadway at Semoran Boulevard and Yew Drive, just north of the East-West Expressway, for nearly five hours.

Torres-Rodriguez, 20, of Casselberry was driving north on Semoran Boulevard at a high speed sometime before 3:30 a.m. as Tran Q. Thanh, 19, of Orlando was driving south on Semoran, police said.

At some point near Yew Drive in the Azalea Park neighborhood, Torres-Rodriguez's Mitsubishi Eclipse crossed over a median and into the path of Thanh's Hummer H2.

The Hummer flipped and the Eclipse kept going until it hit a building, Jones said.

Rescue crews took Torres-Rodriguez to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she died, Jones said. Thanh suffered a minor injury.

It was the eighth traffic death this year in Orlando, records show.



Banca Prieto, Walter Pacheco, Christine Show, Gabrielle Finley and Rene Stutzman of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press also was used.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-cfbriefs22_208feb22,0,849877.story?track=rss