Los Angeles’ Switch to LED Street Lights: Promoting Change

Image Source: http://www.sandiegolovesgreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/image14-320x202.jpg

 The so-called “green” revolution has been on full swing as of late, as a lot of cities are finding ways to become energy efficient. One of them is the switch to LED street lights, which has been a project by large and small California cities. Last year, it was the City of Los Angeles’ turn, and it successfully completed its four-year project of installing light-emitting diode (LED) street light fixtures to replace the yellow-hued high-density discharge (HID) street lights. The said endeavor was considered the largest in the world, with more than 140,000 street lights currently now fixed with LED lights.

Before the project was started, street lighting in Los Angeles accounted for nearly 40 percent of the whole city’s bill on electricity. With the LED fixtures installed, it is estimated that at least $7 million is saved on electricity, with another $2.5 million saved in avoiding the cost of maintenance every year. In addition, the LED fixtures only consume around 63 percent less electricity than the replaced HIDs, making them last longer.

While the move to switch to LEDs is met with positive response among the citizens of Los Angeles and proponents of energy efficiency, it is believed that this would change the city’s image as seen in the movies. Apparently, Dave Kendricken argued in his piece for No Film School that the visual representation of Los Angeles at night will drastically change how the city is seen in movies. He added that “Hollywood will never look the same,” referring to the yellow-hued imagery of the city at night prior to the switch to LEDs. Click here for the Kendricken article.

Meanwhile, it is also worth mentioning how LED streetlights in Los Angeles can greatly affect nighttime driving. According to a Los Angeles car accident attorney, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), driving at night accounts for about a fourth of all traffic in the U.S. However, about one-half of car accidents that result in deaths occur after dark.

Fortunately, LEDs have been seen as an improvement from the HIDs previously installed in streetlights as far as visibility improvement is concerned. Ed Ebrahimian (Read More), the director of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting, was quoted in this Forbes.com article as saying that the white light emitted by the LEDs increases lighting levels, improving the ability of residents to see at night. With LED headlights gaining traction in today’s motoring, it is therefore safe to say that LED streetlights do have a positive effect on how motorists can see the road at night.

Source:

http://gizmodo.com/led-streetlights-will-change-hollywood-and-make-every-c-1514840416

New California Traffic Laws That Have Already Taken Effect This Year

Road rules and regulations in California continue to change, especially every first day of a new year. Existing laws that have been in effect in the state for the longest time are expected to be overlapped with certain amendments, providing a safer, well-constructed traffic environment in California which would benefit all the state’s road users. These laws are passed by Governor Jerry Brown, thanks largely through the efforts of the California legislature, both the state’s Assembly and Senate. The additions to the already-established traffic laws are enforced by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), alongside other entities such as county police departments,

Here are some of the new California traffic rules that have already taken effect since January 1 of this year:

•    Senate Bill (SB) 194. This amends the already existing anti-texting laws in the state, and targets teenage drivers. The bill states that it is illegal for a driver who is under 18 years old to use a wireless telecommunications device to read, send, and create a text-based message while driving a motor vehicle, even if the device has a hands-free device installed.

•    Assembly Bill (AB) 1047. This newly-signed bill allows California DMV to conduct commercial drive tests to individuals with commercial learner’s permits obtained from outside the state. Applicants’ information would then be electronically transferred to their respective DMVs in their home states. Aside from that, requirements on bus operation have been altered. Here, drivers operating buses more than 26,000 pounds are required to hold Class B licenses, while those who operate buses that are 26,000 pounds or less are required to hold Class C licenses.

•    SB 717. This amends an already existing California law on driving under the influence (DUI). Here, a search warrant can be served on a driver who decides not to undergo or fails to complete a blood test. A law enforcement officer may issue a search warrant, authorizing him or her to draw blood from the driver through a manner that is clinically approved.

•    AB 184. This amends the currently existing statutes of limitations on hit-and-run accidents. Here, hit-and-run victims and/or their families can file charges against the negligent party within six years from the date of injury or death.

Meanwhile, another law to look out for this year is the AB 1317, also known as the Three Feet for Safety Act, which will be made effective on September of this year. According to a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, upon implementation, a motor vehicle driver trying to pass a bicycle moving at the same direction as the traffic must maintain a distance of no less than 3 feet between the driver the cyclist. The attorney added that failure to do so may cause the passing driver to face fines, regardless if an accident happened or not.

Buses About to be Buckled Up

Seatbelts are some of the most important safety feature of a vehicle. During crashes, these safety belts are responsible for restraining one’s body, preventing it from hitting anything inside the vehicle, or getting thrown out of it. This very old technology for a lot of people doesn’t seem to make much sense. However, almost all the other passive safety systems like the airbag, the whiplash protecting headrests, among others will not work properly without the help of the seatbelt.

Absence in Motorcoaches
While seatbelts are available in taxis, the same could not be said when it comes to motorcoaches. According to the information compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are 21 motorcoach and large bus passengers that are killed, while 7,934 people gets injured every year because of motor vehicle crashes. The agency added that the absence of seatbelts on these public transport vehicles is one of the major reasons why such things happen.

Buckling up on Motorcoaches
According to US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, “Safety is our highest priority and we are committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our roadways.” And so, the NHTSA has just issued a final rule regarding the use of lap and shoulder seat belts on motorcoaches. According to this rule, a lap and shoulder seat belts should be made available for each of the passenger and the driver of large buses and motorcoaches. This new rule aims to prevent fatalities and serious injuries among passenger in frontal crashes, or the risk of occupant ejection in cases of rollovers by enhancing the safety of these vehicles. According to studies, seat belt use can reduce fatalities by up to 44 percent an can lessen the number of moderate to severe injuries by up to 45 percent.

This new amendment to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 will be applied to new, over-the-road buses as well as new, buses that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) higher than 11,793 kilograms. Exempted are transit buses and school buses. This new rule is in accordance to the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP-21). So buses that will be manufactured beginning November 2016 will be required to equip the driver and all passenger seats with lap and shoulder belts.

Private Sector’s Initiative
With the announcement of such rules, some companies have voluntarily purchased buses that have seat belts; a move that a Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles is lauding. The Transportation Department continues to encourage the industry to adhere to this new ruling before the mandatory deadline comes. This new ruling, the agency said, is just one of the many initiatives that they will be pushing for to help boost safety on motorcoaches. They said that the people can expert more initiatives as the agency continues to implement the Motorcoach Safety Action Plan.