On the Road with ASIRT . ------------------------------------------------Spring 2022
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A recent photo taken in Turkey of the tree and the plaque bearing Aron Sobel's name.
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Dear ASIRT Friends,
A tree stands tall and beautiful in front of one of the buildings of the United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. It was planted as a young sapling in the Embassy courtyard 27 years ago by then Ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman. Cradled beneath the tree is a small plaque. Both tree and plaque commemorate the life and death of my son Aron. The faded letters on the plaque read “Aron Maron Sobel. Dedicated physician, intense lover of family, friends, and life itself, killed along with 21 other passengers, May 3rd, 1995, in a bus crash on the roads of Turkey.”
It is heartbreaking to realize that although some progress has been made, road crashes remain a devastating scourge worldwide, killing and injuring millions of people annually, a death every 24 seconds. Its victims like Aron, often young and filled with hopes and dreams never to be achieved, their tragic deaths senseless and preventable.
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Next week, ASIRT, along with road safety NGOs throughout the world, will spearhead a vigorous Week of Action, demanding that national and local political leaders take meaningful action to reduce road deaths and injuries. ASIRT also will sponsor a Commit to Act Road Safety Challenge during the weekend of May 20– 22. Please join us in our efforts by walking, biking, running, scootering and donating to support ASIRT's local and global road safety initiatives on those days. For details, please visit asirt.org/safety.
As that tall and beautiful tree continues to thrive, so may the hopes and dreams of our young people safely flourish.
Warmly,
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Rochelle
Founder and President
ASIRT
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Commit to Act for Road Safety
Support ASIRT's efforts to make roads safer for all road users.
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ASIRT Liaisons with Montgomery County, MD to Make Roads Safer
Encouraged by past successes, ASIRT continues to work on several local road safety issues and is currently engaged in efforts to secure the installation of sidewalks and lighting on specific streets in Montgomery County. Sidewalks and good visibility are two critical factors in road safety. Roads without sidewalks are more than twice as likely to have pedestrian crashes as sites with sidewalks on both sides of the street, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Street lighting reduces nighttime motorist/motorist and motorist/pedestrian collisions.
ASIRT is in discussion with officials at the Division of Transportation Engineering Annual Sidewalk Program on the installation of sidewalk segments that are not part of the larger multi-year Montgomery County DOT (MCDOT) sidewalk project plan, but rather were requested by respondents to the ASIRT Road Safety Questionnaire. ASIRT is also in contact with the senior engineer technologist in the Streetlighting and Design department for the MCDOT to request streetlights on existing poles. As required by MCDOT, individual petitions have been prepared for each pole, and residents who reside near the designated poles are being asked to indicate their approval by signing these petitions. Currently signatures are being collected for dark areas along Gainsborough Road in Potomac. Once signatures are collected, ASIRT will submit the petitions to MCDOT for next steps. Thank you to those who have already signed the petition. If you reside in an area of Montgomery County that lacks streetlights and would like ASIRT’s assistance, email asirt@asirt.org.
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Rochelle Sobel Delivers Address at Global Meeting of the
NGO Alliance for Road Safety
The Seventh Global Meeting of the Global Alliance of NGOs Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims was held virtually and in person in Budapest, on March 23–24. Rochelle Sobel, founder and president of ASIRT and outgoing president of the Alliance Board of Directors, delivered poignant remarks prior to a moment of silence which was observed to honor the memory of victims of road crashes the world over. Sobel, a founding member of the Alliance will now join the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Alliance. Opening messages were presented by László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology of Hungary; Abdulla Shahid, President of the UN General Assembly; Jean Todt, UN General Secretary Special Envoy for Road Safety; Etienne Krug, Director, Social Determinants of Health, WHO and Lotte Brondum, Executive Director of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety. Highlights of the meeting included the launching of the Budapest NGO Declaration, a discussion on achieving the goals of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 and a presentation of the Commit to Act Campaign. Read More.
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** Save the Date for the 2022 ASIRT Gala **
Racing Toward Zero: A Road Safe World
Tuesday, November 15
Keynote Speaker and Honoree
David Strickland
Vice President
Global Regulatory Affairs and
Transportation Technology Policy
General Motors
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Work Zone Safety
by Michael Dreznes, ASIRT Board Member,
Retired Executive Vice President of International Road Safety Federation (IRF)
If you ask anyone who has worked in a road work zone to define the most dangerous job location in the world, they most likely will point to the work zone, and say, “it is right there!” They have seen their friends injured or killed by errant motorists, and they have seen motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists taken away by ambulances after horrendous crashes in the work zone.
The contractors are very concerned for the safety of their workers, and they take the appropriate measures to ensure they are able to go home to their families after their work shifts. However, approximately 80% to 85% of the fatalities in work zones are motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Who is responsible for their safety? Read more.
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May is Bicycle Safety Month
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University of Notre Dame Wins Free ASIRT RSR Subscription
In honor of Study Abroad Day on February 28, 2022, ASIRT held a drawing to celebrate the return to travel and the schools and programs sending students abroad.
ASIRT offered a free one-year subscription to access its more than 90 country-specific Road Safety Reviews, which is a valuable planning resource for the study abroad community. Congratulations to the winner, University of Notre Dame, and thank you to all of the schools that responded and that make road safety a priority.
Recently added to the library of country reports are Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mexico and Zimbabwe. Contact asirt@asirt.org to learn how you can access ASIRT Road Safety Reviews (RSR). |
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Focus On: ASIRT Board Member Dr. Stephen Hargarten
Dr. Stephen Hargarten received his MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1975 and his MPH from Johns Hopkins in 1984. He is Professor of Emergency Medicine, Associate Dean for Global Health and the past founding Director of the Comprehensive Injury Center (CIC) at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Steve’s research interests reflect an intersection of injury and violence prevention and health policy to address the burden of this complex biopsychosocial disease. His work in linking data systems for understanding violent deaths informed the development of CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System. He was one of the first researchers to document how US Citizens die while travelling abroad, analyzing State Department data. His analysis of Peace Corps Volunteer deaths led to the policy of volunteers being required to wear motorcycle helmets. Read more about Steve.
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Thank you to ASIRT's Spring Semester Intern
Next week, Jamie Pincus will earn her bachelor’s degree in Community Health from University of Maryland. She joined ASIRT as an intern during her final semester and has been an integral part of many of ASIRT’s projects.
While working at ASIRT, Jamie conducted important background research on study abroad programs at a variety of universities across the country in an effort to increase subscribers to ASIRT’s Road Safety Reviews.
Also, she assisted with the Local Pedestrian Safety Initiative project by canvassing around the Montgomery County, MD area. Along with this, she collaborated with ASIRT Board members David Feinman and Mariana Maguire by conducting background research that will ultimately help recruit members of Congress to join the Global Road Safety Caucus. She is very excited that her work at ASIRT is making a difference in road safety and will lead to a safer future for all road users.
ASIRT sincerely appreciates having Jamie on its team during these past months. Very best wishes, Jamie, as you embark on your community health career!
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Road Safety in the News
The US government finally realizes that cars kill people outside the vehicle, too.
High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Global Road Safety 30 June–1 July 2022.
This will be the most significant political gathering held on global road safety to date. Details.
How “race neutral” traffic cameras disproportionately ticket people of color.
“To err is human, but traffic deaths are not inevitable if regulators and automakers protect people from the worst consequences of their mistakes.” The Atlantic acknowledges vehicle operators will never be perfect: The effort to save lives.
Some worried about impaired driving as recreational marijuana becomes legal in New Jersey.
New Jersey is one of 18 states, along with the District of Columbia, that have legalized recreational marijuana. ABC 6 Action News reveals states' concerns. |
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