World's Best Bus Driver

Can you guess who is world's best bus driver? First of all, is there any such competition going on anywhere in the world? I don't think so, at least as far as I know. I took the notion from its self-claimed title at the video. The video claims that the guy is the best driver in the world. Anyway, after watching the video below, even though for me it is normal, I think he deserves a bit admiration from you all. What do you think?

The Fastest Bus Recorded - 367 mph!

This is just too insane! How many people in this earth can actually imagine that actually a mere school bus speed can reach 367 mph (590 kmh)? I don't until now...

The yellow American-style school bus has been fitted with a jet engine from a Phantom fighter plane, allowing it to reach up to 367mph. Paul Stender and his team from Indy Boys Inc, based in Indianapolis, USA adapted the bus which uses a full tank of 150 gallons of fuel in just one quarter-mile run.

Mr Stender's creation, which he has dubbed 'The School Time Jet-Powered School Bus', also fires out 80 foot flames from the back creating massive clouds of smoke. Mr Stender, 43, said: "I built the bus for two reasons. The first is to entertain people because, come on, it's a jet bus.

The second, is to keep kids off drugs. Jets are hot, drugs are not. The entire vehicle was custom built by myself. There's no way the original bus could have withstood the speeds that I take it to. We do a lot of displays at schools and we are trying to show them there's more to life than sitting in front of computers.

Mr Stender, whose mechanical skills are entirely self taught, said he has a passion for making things go fast.

He said: "I bought it just as an old school bus, but I have to say only about five percent are original parts. Actually a lot of it is hand-crafted and the types of metals used would be more at home on an aircraft. There's still some bus left on it, a little bit on the front. And of course the door handle and the door are all original. I grew up on a farm and to tell you the truth I always wanted to learn things myself and didn't like school much. I guess this is my revenge for all those days riding on the slow journey to school, now it goes at my kind of pace."

News Resource: Telegraph Co UK

Truckers Says Texting while Driving is Safe

1. Texting while halting is safe. Not while driving. Everything is dangerous while driving, even seducing your spouse. Especially truckers, in many cases, they are not the ones who died horribly in the occurace of road traffic accident. For example, in the head-on collision event between truck and car, most casualties are coming from the smaller vehicle.

2. Texting while driving? I just hate that regardless you are truckers or regular drivers. Period.

Research shows that a driver can be as much as 23 times more likely to get into an accident if he or she is texting while driving. New legislation in Washington aims to ban texting while driving by forcing states to adopt the federal mandate or risk losing federal highway greenbacks. One group is fighting the legislation, and it's not teen drivers or multimedia addicts, it's our nation's truck drivers. Truckers, the guys who drive around in 18 wheelers which take 2-3 times as much road to stop when compared to the typical car, often have touch screen computers on the dashboard and keyboards on their laps. They use the multimedia tech to map routes and converse with dispatch, saving minutes (and money) in the hyper-competitive shipping business.

Drivers told The New York Times that they're all but forced to communicate with such computers, as pulling off the road to send a message can cost their companies $1.50 per minute, and the driver risks having his or her pay docked. Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, called the bill "overkill," going so far as to say that banning such devices "won't improve safety." But safety advocates counter that the measure would effectively be underkill, and they have some stats to back up their argument: Heavy trucking deaths in the U.S. have steadily climbed over the past decade, as big rigs now account for 12% of all highway fatalities (4,808 deaths in 2007) versus 11% (4,777) in 1997 – in spite of the fact that passenger cars and trucks are now far safer than they have ever been.

Americans like low prices, and fast, efficient shipping helps keep costs in check. And at the same time, we like to be safe and sound as well, and truckers looking down at a keyboard while driving a 40-ton truck 60 mph just a few feet from strikes us as hazardous to our nation's health. Should truckers be able to text and use computers while driving? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section after the jump.

Source: Autoblog

Global Killer No.1 - Road Accident

The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 was announced this week by the UN General Assembly and supported by WHO. The WHO global status report on road safety makes for shocking reading. Over 3000 people die on the world's roads every day. Tens of millions of people are injured or disabled every year. Nearly 1.3 million people are killed each year. If trends continue unabated deaths will rise to an estimated 2.4 million a year by 2030.

Click to enlarge

Around the world, approximately 1.3 million people die each year on the roads and between 20 and 30 million sustain non-fatal injuries according to the Global status report on road safety. The report is the first broad assessment of the road safety situation in 178 countries, using data drawn from a standardized survey. Over 90 percent of the deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have only 48 percent of the world's registered vehicles.

It's predicted that by 2030, the amount of people who are killed in road traffic accidents will rise to fifth in the leading causes of death around the world. Currently it is in ninth place. Through the Decade, Member States with the support of the international community, commit to actions such as developing and enforcing legislation on key risk factors including limiting speed, reducing drink-driving and increasing the use of seatbelts, child restraints and motorcycle helmets.

Efforts will also be undertaken to improve emergency trauma care, upgrade road and vehicle safety standards, promote road safety education and enhance road safety management in general. The Global status report on road safety results clearly show that significantly more action is needed to make the world's roads safer and hopefully this decade of action will go a long way help change things.

Resource: WHO via NGHealthCare Europe

Don't Drink, Drive, Kill Someone, Drink, Post on Facebook

1. I am wondering why people nowadays have being so stupid ah? Somewhat I found this news is very funny. This is one of the reasons why we shall go away from Facebook haha. Addicted, and convicted...

As we continue our collective foray into the brave new world of social networking, we keep learning the same lesson over and over again: don't post photos of yourself doing stupid things. This is doubly true if said stupid thing is illegal, as yet another intellectually challenged Facebook user has discovered.

17-year-old Ashley Sullivan had been driving with her boyfriend in Tonawanda when she crashed into a brick pillar at 56 mph in a golf course. Her boyfriend did not survive the accident, and in November of 2009, Sullivan pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated.

That didn't stop Sullivan from posting a photo a month later to her Facebook page with the caption of "Drunk in Florida." It just so happens that she had just gone to Florida on a trip, and the judge in her case took notice. Judge Matthew J. Murphy III denied Sullivan youthful offender status, noting that she hasn't "earned it," and sentenced her to six months in jail with five years probation. "I'm troubled by your conduct since the crash, and that's the reason for the jail sentence," Judge Murphy III told her, according to The Buffalo News (via SAI).

This is just one of (what's now becoming) a pattern of stories about people making poor Facebook decisions, especially when it comes to posting pictures. Employers don't like to see you partying at the club, insurance companies don't like to see you dancing at your birthday party when you're missing work due to depression, and judges most certainly don't like to see you posting pics of you drinking after you killed someone in a drunk driving accident.

News Resourcs: Arstechnica

MIROS 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test [Pictures and Videos]

1. On 13 January 2010, with vision to appear as a world leader in road safety research, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has started doing its own outdoor crash test at its headquarters compound. Even without proper laboratories or equipment, MIROS, an agency under the Transport Ministry has done its first crash test at a slip road next to its office.

2. Motorcyclists constitute 49% of the road user population and the biggest contribution towards road users’ death (about 50%) annually in Malaysia. Thus, it is a common sense that MIROS started its 1st crash test with motorcycle. It is a year of action for MIROS.

NEXT: Perodua Alza vs. Trailer Rear-end (Febuary 25th 2010)

MIROS Official 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test Video


MIROS 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.1 Video


MIROS 1st Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.2 Video


During and After Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.1
The 1st test objective is to test efficiency of Hit Air motorcyclist airbag during side impact collision between motorcycle and car (commonly occurred at the junction). The helmet used by the dummy was properly secured. The speed of motorcycle was clocked at 29 km/h.

The dummy passed Mr. Khairil, who is the project manager for this 1st motorcycle crash test.

Two crash analysts from CRU unit; Mr. Zarir and Mr. Rahmat were collecting the data.

Prof Farhan, Director General of MIROS, Prof Wong, Director of VSB, and Dato Suret, Director General of JKJR watched the dummy after the collision.


The airbag jacket was being taken out from the dummy.




Preparation and Before Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.1
2 hours before the crash, the staffs were busy trying out the motorcycle track with real human body.


Mr. Syazwan and Mr. Ridzuan were discussing menu for launch haha...

Prof Wong and project leader, Puan Farah, one minute before the launching.

Post-grad students from UPM were discussing about their software.





Mr. Aqbal and Mr. Yahaya, two MIROS engineers aka research officers were analyzing the high speed camera software.

Mr. Khairil was giving the photographer a sexy pose 5-minutes before the crash test.



During and After Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.2
The 2nd test objective is to test efficiency of another motorcyclist airbag during side impact collision between motorcycle and car (commonly occurred at the junction). At this time, the helmet used by the dummy was improperly secured. The speed of motorcycle was clocked at 27 km/h.







Preparation and Before Motorcycle Outdoor Crash Test No.2




Please use following links to download the video:
Official MIROS 1st Motorcycle Crash Test
MIROS 1st Motorcycle Crash Test No. 1
MIROS 1st Motorcycle Crash Test No. 2

Some more photos and news: CBT News

Datuk Hazam JSJK Died in Road Accident

1. From the pictures shown by Ondscene (pictures below), I think the main cause of the accident could be speeding. Then, for some reason the car lost control and spun (could be because of wet road surface, however this fact must be further verified).

2. During the car's spinning, the deceased victim could be thrown out onto the road and that could be the cause of his death (if seated at the back). If seated at the front, he could be trapped by the crumpled zone of the car (see photo 1). In the meantime, the car hit the trailer on lateral side but not underride. The driver of the car was severely injured by the impact (because of deformation on front car area - left side is more severe).

3. This is only my rough idea on how the accident occurred. Could be wrong though. Further information are needed for perfect reconstruction of the crash.

4. I have seen many severe crashes happened due to collision with trailers parked on the emergency lane. Authorities and PLUS must take some counter measure to solve the problem or else.....more casualties will happen in the future. Anyway, takziah to the family. Innalillah.

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department principal assistant director (Investigation II) Datuk Mohd Hazam Abdul Halim, died in a road accident at KM 419.7 of the North-South Expressway near Bukit Tagar Interchange at 12.45am yesterday.

Mohd Hazam, 50, was in a chauffeur-driven Bukit Aman Proton Perdana V6 travelling on from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur when the vehicle hit the back of a stalled lorry parked at the emergency lane.

Mohd Hazam died on the spot and his body was taken to the Kuala Kubu Baru Hospital, while the lans corporal driving the vehicle was seriously injured and warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital.

He had earlier attended a Commercial Crime Investigation Department conference in Ipoh. Mohd Hazam body will be taken to his home in Taman Tuanku Jaafar in Seremban and buried at nearby Muslim cemetery there after dzuhur prayers. He is survived by wife Datin Siti Norziah Abdullah, 41 and six children.

News Resource: NST Online
Pictures Resource: Ondscene Blogspot

Toronto Woman Dies Saving Her Baby

1. The news sounds like a scene in the movie. But it is not. This is the real incident that happened in the country of Canada. This is something we need to think over, over and over again. The question is who to be saved first, we or others? Of cource, the one who sacrifices is the best of all.

2. As far as I learned, we have to save ourselves first, and then when our safety are secure, we can save others. I still remembered news about three children wanted to save their drowning brother and in the end, all four died.

In what was likely a final heroic act, a Toronto-area mother may have saved the life of her 12-week-old son at the cost of her own when she pushed the child's stroller out of the path of a car that ran a red light Tuesday afternoon.

"I think what happened, is she pushed the stroller (out of the way) and was hit by the car," said Const. Isabelle Cotton, a Toronto police spokeswoman. "I am not sure exactly if the stroller was hit by the car also."

Miraculously, the baby boy was uninjured, but was taken to Sick Kids Hospital for observation. The boy's 28-year-old mother was pronounced dead by EMS paramedics after being dragged nine metres into the intersection and pinned under the car for 15 minutes.

The accident occurred at about 12:40 p.m. Police say the mother and her baby were crossing from the southwest to the southeast corner of an intersection on a green light, when a northbound green Toyota Camry driven by an 83-year-old woman failed to stop at the red light and collided with the mother. Chris Stanfield was sitting in his SUV waiting to make a left turn when the accident happened.

"I just heard the impact and saw the stroller and that was the first thing that caught my eye," he said, adding that the woman and her baby had just passed in front of his vehicle before being struck.

"I ... saw the stroller on its side with the baby partly out of it. Then somebody handed me the baby and then I noticed the mother underneath the car."

Const. Hugh Smith of Toronto Police Traffic Services said a bystander crossing the street in front of the mother and her baby helped save the child's life.

"She heard the collision and turned around just to see the baby fall out of the stroller," Smith said. "She picked up the child immediately and then approached the gentleman in the SUV, telling him to keep it warm.

"A hero here is the woman who stopped to pick up the baby."

Police say the victim's name won't be released, pending notification of next of kin. The 83-year-old driver of the Camry was also taken to hospital to be treated for shock.

The driver likely faces charges of either dangerous driving causing death or careless driving.

In Ontario, drivers aged 80 years or older must renew their licences every two years. The renewal process involves completing a vision test, a written test on the rules of the road and signs, and taking part in a group education session.

News Resource: Ottawa Citizen

Is Airbags Safe for Pregnant Women?

1. I know a lot of people, including me are wondering the safety of pregnant women when using safety belts in the vehicle. At the moment I have a pregnant wife with me and she always said that she was not comfortable with the safety belt. She said the safety belts will jeopardy her and the baby.

2. So what is the truth then? Here is the answer based on the study which was published in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. I hope this information will help you and certainly give some ideas what to tell to your spouse or to yourself (the readers might be the pregnant women too).

LOS ANGELES: Airbags appear safe for pregnant women and the babies they're carrying, a new study shows. Although it has been established that air bags save lives in car crashes, there has been a lingering question whether the devices might also protect pregnant women and unborn children.

In the new study, reported in China's Xinhua news agency, researchers at the University of Washington found that "pregnant occupants of motor vehicles with air bags were not at increased risk for pregnancy complications" such as Ceasarean delivery, foetal distress and low birth weight.

The researchers collected data on 2,207 pregnant women involved in car accidents, comparing the outcome of accidents in cars with and without air bags. They found no increased risk for injury to the mother or foetus related to whether the car had air bags or didn't, Xinhua said, citing the study.

They did find a 70% increase in pre-term labour and a threefold increase in foetal death among those in accidents in which air bags were deployed, compared with cars without air bags. However, the lead researcher Dr. Melissa A. Schiff, a professor of epidemiology, said the findings were not statistically significant.

"These findings were inconclusive because we really had too small a sample size," she said.

More study will be needed to see if there really is a connection between air bag deployment and pre-term labor or foetal death, she added.

"Air bags are safe for most outcomes, but the best protection for pregnant women comes from wearing a seat belt," Schiff said.

News Resource: Thestar Online

Are Brakes the Real Killers?

KUALA LUMPUR: After years of searching for reasons for the high accident and fatality rate in the country, the authorities said yesterday it could be due to low quality brake pads found in almost all older vehicles.

Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh said yesterday replacement brake pads installed by smaller workshops were "of the worst quality in the world".

He said the department was now appealing to Malaysians to change worn-out brake pads only at authorised dealers for car parts.

"Motorists can go to the normal workshops to service their car or for oil change but do not go to these shops to change brake pads.

"The prices may be half the price of original brake pads but we have discovered they are of the worst quality, especially when braking on wet roads," he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

To stop motorists from buying cheap brake pads manufactured locally, he said the authorised dealers had agreed to lower their prices from July next year.


This was because a "massive clean up" of lower quality brake pads would start in eight months' time to stop workshop operators from buying and selling such brake pads, he said, citing the example of motorcycle brake pads sold by local manufacturers to vendors at RM2 each.

"These brake pads are sold to bike owners at RM15 each. These brake pads are truly lethal for them."

Suret said that with the rainy season in full swing, he hoped those driving with cheap brake pads would follow two simple tips to protect their lives and the lives of family members.

First, they should drive with a gap of at least six car-lengths.

Second, they should drive at speeds 20 per cent lower than usual.

"The problem of bad driving in bad weather is compounded by poor brakes, and this could be one of the main reasons we see more accidents during the rainy season."

News Resourse: NST Online

Popular Road Kill Calendar 2010

1. Fed up with the usual calendars featuring semi-naked models, cute puppies or rural scenes? Well how about this idea - a 'roadkill' calendar featuring a run-down of your favourite animals and this kind of calendar proves surprisingly popular.

2. The year starts with a squashed squirrel, followed by a dead badger lying on the verge in February. The shots get a little more strange by the end of the year - November is a fish stranded on the roadside while December features a festive photo of an unidentifiable carcass.

3. It might seem in bad taste but it has proved a hit, with creator Kevin Beresford selling hundreds of copies already.

'The pictures are quite shocking but I've tried to take them in an artistic way and make each one into a portrait of a silent, tiny tragedy,' he insisted. The 57-year-old said his day job gave him the idea.

'I'm a courier and travel around so I see a lot of roadkill and it inspired me,' he said. 'Damien Hirst has made a fortune with dead animals so I thought I'd give it a try.'

Some shops have refused to stock it but it was proving popular with students and 'would make a good Secret Santa office present', Mr Beresford said.

News Resource: Metro UK

Most Driving Distractions for Men and Women

1. In the recent survey done by American Automobile Association (AAA) to 2501 people aged 16 and older, the study showed that 95% of samples said texting while driving is completely or somewhat unacceptable. That is 5% more than people who rated people driving after drinking alcohol as a serious threat to their safety. In my opinion, the result is shocking since for many years, drinking alcohol is the top hazard to the drivers in United States.

2. Meanwhile, in the other survey done by LeaseTrader.com to 3000 drivers, men and women, to see the top most driving distraction, 18.3% of men agreed that road rage frustration is the major distraction while for women, kids in their car is the most distracted ones.

3. While this survey has been conducted in US, it is not necessarily represents people in Malaysia since we have very different in culture, society and religions believe. However, for us, it is good thing to know and a value-added to our current driving and road issues which I think worse than them. Hehe.

Resource: Chicago Now

Road Safety Tips

1. Here the road safety tips, done by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). Take a look and learn. Thank you!

Ankara Lucky Kid!

1. The photos show how a kid survived from being hit by a lost-control car. This accident happened at Ankara, Turkey and we are lucky that the event had been recorded by local CCTV. This is a very interesting accident ever.


Resource: Email

Malaysia International Road Safety Exhibition (MIREX)

1. Malaysia Internation Road Safety Exhibition (MIREX)is the first and the only road safety exhibition of its kind in the region. MIREX is held at MIECC, The Mines Resort City, Serdang from 13-16 August 2009.

2. They are roughly over 200 booth to showcase road safety equipments and many more. The exhibition also has lots of fun games for kids. Here are some of the photos.