Poetic Justice – What Do Motorcycle Safety, The New York Times and Vehicle Accident Research Geeks Have in Common?
Well as it turns out, plenty.
Curbing a Trend
Here at the Florida Injury Lawyer Blog we are committed to informing our community across Florida on all types of motor vehicle safety. So when we learned recently that a New York Times writer and his staff were awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for their “incisive work, in print and online, on the hazardous use of cell phones, computers and other devices while operating cars and trucks” we thought our readers should know. The Pulitzer win also noted the impact this safety reporting has had on the driving public, "stimulating widespread efforts to curb distracted driving."
Data Counts
And where did the NYT reporters get some of their research data for this award-winning journalism? In part, from the researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) whom we suspect would be proud to be named "research geeks" -- not only because VTTI is responsible for gathering much of the data for a front-page story that was central to the Pulitzer Prize win, but because they too are largely responsible for providing the facts that have supported a growing national movement.
In a groundbreaking study last year, the VTTI gave the public a very big safety gift. They told us, using data with which we could not argue, that texting while driving can kill.
From DC to Hollywood
And as the Florida Injury Lawyer Blog has previously posted, this issue is front and center for so many Americans from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood who heads our Department of Transportation, to Oprah Winfrey who heads up a vast media empire. Ms. Winfrey has teamed-up with the DOT on this issue and has created a major "No Phone Zone" campaign getting celebrities to sign the pledge publicly on camera. Together they fight distracted driving with the rest of us.
Motorcycle Safety, Naturally
So what does all of this have to do with motorcycle safety? Now the VTTI has taken on a new study, considered to be the first of its kind in the world, on motorcycle safety. In this new study, VTTI will apply the same research techniques they applied to the Pulitzer Prize-related research on trucker distraction while driving. It’s called “naturalistic” and it is very important to vehicle manufacturers and the driving public. It is also apparently important to journalists who win Pulitzer Prizes.
In our next post, we will tell you more about what the VTTI motorcycle safety study intends to do and who is partnering with them to get it done. Please stay tuned for more on motorcycle safety research.
Related Web Resources
For more information on motor cycle safety and related information, please visit flbikers.com.
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