[Quietcars] Morristown Accident, December 20, 2009

Thu Dec 31 11:41:48 UTC 2009

Thanks Mike for filling in more details. Just about every day I use Google to search news articles for "prius accident", "prius crash", "pedestrian accident" and "pedestrian crash." Grim reading, it converts abstract accident statistics into reality. 

I tried to find a listing of Morris County vehicles but had to call to get the accident report. Still I found a Morris County policy that requires a four cylinder engine unless a special requirement (aka., police or fire department) is identified.

We can't emphasize too highly the importance of reflective or light clothing. Several times a year I'll be surprised to see pedestrians dressed in dark clothing looking almost like Ninjas crossing this street and using painted lines dividing a road as an 'island'. Add to that an early sun set into the eyes of drivers and winter is a terrible time for pedestrian accidents.

Small comfort for your friend but the 2010 Prius has European style, pedestrian safety features. These are designed to avoid "knee capping" bumpers and use energy absorbing hood and quarter panels to avoid skull crushing impacts. The bumper cover is a large, plastic piece that deforms relatively easily.

This past week, I read this report of a Bosch braking system:

". . . The upcoming Bosch system detects potential obstacles and initially
provides an audible or visual warning, followed by a brief application
of the brakes. If the driver reacts and steps on the brakes, the system
uses the emergency braking assistant to increase braking pressure and
avoid collision. However, if there is no driver response but impact is
imminent, then the system brakes at maximum force. . . ."

". . . According to European studies, as many as 1,100 fatal accidents
involving pedestrians can be prevented each year if all cars are
equipped with braking assistance systems. These systems have become
mandatory for all new car and light commercial vehicle types in the EU
since November 24, 2009 and will be required in new vehicles from
February 24, 2011 as part of new EU regulation aimed at improving
pedestrian safety. . . ."

http://www.ameinfo.com/219997.html

Systems like this are currently limited to top-of-the-line vehicles. Personally, I think they should be the standard because they save both pedestrians and the vehicle owners by accident avoidance. They use video cameras and radars to detect and react faster than a human driver can respond.

Bob Wilson

> Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:19:29 -0500
> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Quietcars] Morristown Accident, December 20, 2009
> 
>   
> 
> I share this note that I wrote to the NFB sponsored quietcars list on the
> below article. 
> 
> Mike T
> 
> Bob, thanks for sharing this article. I offer the following as a personal
> note. 
> 
> I know the person who was hit by the car, and there are several factors
> which are not in the story. Bob, you answered the question that was on my
> mind. Was the car a hybrid? No, because the Avenger does NOT come in such
> trim. It has either a V6 3.5 liter engine or a four cylinder, if it's an
> older one, both of which are extremely quiet at idle or lower speeds. 
> 
> The person who was hit, around five p.m., was wearing darker clothing and
> has a black lab Seeing eye dog. She, as well as other Seeing Eye grads, and
> I would assume most other schools encourage this as well, are encouraged to
> wear light collared clothing when they're out, and also to use some sort of
> light reflective vests, or light emitting bands or clip-ons when working in
> dusk, or darkened conditions. Cane travelers would be equally better seen if
> they would do so as well. Sometimes, we blind think that just because we're
> out there, someone sees us. And, the fact is, whether the assistant
> prosecutor who hit her saw her or not, it is better to error on the side of
> caution than not. I personally have several of the reflective vests and wear
> them when I'm out at night, as they cause no inconvenience to me, they're
> easily put on and taken off and stored in a backpack when not in use, and
> they have saved my life on several occasions. They are easily purchased at
> sporting goods stores or ordered through any guide dog school or perhaps an
> agency who teaches mobility...or at least they should know something about
> where to get such equipment. Check that out for your own safety to keep you
> from being a casualty as we saw in the below article.
> The victim was hit and has a dislocated and fractured knee at present,
> cannot walk on her right leg as that is the one which was injured and is
> rehabbing with her parents. 
> 
> Mike T in NJ. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:quietcars-bounces%40nfbnet.org>
> [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:quietcars-bounces%40nfbnet.org>
> ] On Behalf Of Robert Wilson
> Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 1:11 PM
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org <mailto:quietcars%40nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [Quietcars] Morristown Accident, December 20, 2009
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I've been tracking pedestrian accidents and on December 20, there was a
> report of a blind pedestrian with a seeing eye dog:
> 
> "MORRISTOWN -- A Morris County assistant prosecutor was issued a summons for
> striking a blind woman as he drove his car out of the county administration
> building in Morristown, authorities said.
> 
> The woman suffered a leg injury. Her guide dog was not hurt.
> 
> Assistant Prosecutor Leslie Wade was issued a summons in the mail for the
> Dec. 18 incident, which happened just before 5 p.m., at the intersection of
> Schuyler Place and Ann Street, according to a release from Morris County
> Prosecutor Robert Bianchi.
> 
> The 48-year-old woman was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where she
> was treated and released. Her name was not given.
> 
> She was hit after just stepping off the curb to cross the roadway, according
> to the prosecutor's office.
> 
> Wade, who is a supervising assistant prosecutor, stopped the county vehicle
> and called police to report the accident and request medical attention. The
> Morris County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Section responded at
> the request of the prosecutor's office to photograph and document the
> scene.. . ."
> http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/morris_county_assistant_prosec.html
> <http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/morris_county_assistant_prosec.htm
> l>
> I called the Morristown police department and the clerk read from the
> accident report the vehicle make and model: Dodge, Avenger, black. This is a
> 3,355 pound, sedan that is part of the Morris County car pool. 
> 
> Bob Wilson
> 
> 
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