Get There Archive: Safety
Resourceful drivers save a life in Prince George's
Prince George's Fire and Emergency Services are giving kudos to two good Samaritans who helped save a woman from a burning car Thursday evening. After a collision near Wilson Bridge Drive and Indian Head Highway, the woman's car veered off the road and flames spread across the bottom of her vehicle. A FedEx driver, David Ramadhani of Bowie, ran to her rescue, using a fire extinguisher from his delivery truck to clear flames from her door. As the blaze continued, he and Michael Harry of Oxon Hill reached in the car, cut her seat belt using a utility knife and dragged her to safety. Units responding to the scene said the fire would have killed the woman before they could get to the car if she had not been removed....
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washingtonpost.com editors
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November 6, 2009; 1:12 PM ET |
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Today's read: Prince George's approves cameras
Program to start in January: The county will begin placing cameras in 50 school zones over the following 18 months, and after a 30-day grace period, drivers will be mailed a $40 fine if caught by the devices, officials said. The county is taking advantage of the new Maryland law that allows local jurisdictions to install enforcement cameras in school zones. (Jonathan Mummolo) Meanwhile, the state has extended the grace period for the other part of the new enforcement program, the speed cameras in highway work zones....
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Robert Thomson
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November 4, 2009; 7:00 AM ET |
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| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Today's Read
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Speed camera grace period extended
Maryland is being more generous than I would be: The State Highway Administration announced today that it is extending its warnings-only period for speeders in the highway work zones by at least two weeks. "We are extending the warning phase because our goal isn't to 'catch' speeders, but to give citizens an opportunity to change dangerous driving behaviors before [state police and Maryland Transportation authority police] begin issuing citations," SHA Administrator Neil J. Pedersen said in the statement announcing the extension. Pedersen is a nationally know safety advocate and supporter of the automated enforcement program for work zone safety. But I say, start sending out those $40 tickets. Lately, I've driven many times through one of the camera zones, the one on I-95 where the junction with the Intercounty Connector is under construction. There, the lanes narrow and the highway gets a little bit bendy. The lane markings aren't completely...
By
Robert Thomson
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November 2, 2009; 2:04 PM ET |
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| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Maryland State Highway Administration, work zones
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See and be seen on Halloween
Here's a list of Halloween safety tips for everybody from the Maryland State Highway Administration. Drivers -- Stop for pedestrians. -- Obey the speed limit. Speeding only makes it more difficult to stop unexpectedly. -- Be especially cautious during peak trick-or-treating hours between 4 and 9 p.m. -- Enter and exit driveways slowly. -- Be alert for children darting across the street. -- Watch for children crossing between parked cars. -- When driving children to and from different activities, make sure all seat belts are fastened and let children out of the car on the curbside. -- Never drink and drive. Designate a sober driver. Pedestrians -- Look left, right, and left again before crossing the street. -- Cross at crosswalks or intersections. -- Be sure to see and be seen. Avoid dark clothing, wear bright colors and use reflective devices such as vests and blinking lights. -- Avoid costumes...
By
Robert Thomson
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October 30, 2009; 5:16 PM ET |
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| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, Halloween, pedestrian safety
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The plight of pedestrians in parking lots
Parking lot outside Leisure World was backdrop for consciousness-raising. (Thomson) As Montgomery County looked over its accident stats, County Executive Isiah Leggett said this morning, it discovered that more than a fifth of pedestrian accidents are happening in parking lots. The county knows the numbers for the past three and a half years (324 pedestrian collisions in parking lots), and it knows that seniors and young adults are disproportionately involved, but it doesn't yet know why parking lots are so dangerous. Leggett thinks drivers have a different mind-set when they come off the street and enter a parking lot. Pedestrians, too, are presuming a level of personal safety that is not realistic, he said. Residents of Leisure World who were out doing their shopping said they understand the risks. Helenlouise C. Pettis, 77, said she was hit by backing up in a parking lot, and she wound up spending...
By
Robert Thomson
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October 29, 2009; 1:20 PM ET |
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| Tags: Dr. Gridlock, pedestrian safety
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Student struck outside high school in Potomac
A student pedestrian outside Winston Churchill High School in Potomac was struck by a vehicle and taken to a local hospital Thursday morning, but the injuries are not considered life threatening, according to a dispatch supervisor in Montgomery County. The accident occurred about 7 a.m., and the driver who hit the student stayed at the scene, she said. -- Dan Morse...
By
Mike McPhate
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October 29, 2009; 8:09 AM ET |
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