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Safety on the Roads, by Dave Werner

E-bike safety course available online

I have many sources for safety information, not just for vehicles, but also for bicyclists and pedestrians. I recently received notification of an e-bike online training course to help master new skills, learn safety procedures and level up your riding technique. The Franklin County Traffic ...

DMV overhauls point system — penalties increased

Drivers in New York state should be familiar with how points are assigned against their driver’s license for traffic violations. The number of points for many violations has either increased or is about to in 2026. Key updates include extending the point accumulation period from 18 to 24 ...

Which is safer, urban or rural driving?

In upstate New York, especially northern New York, much of our driving is on rural two-lane roads with maximum speed limits of 55 mph. With much less traffic than in urban driving, you might think rural driving would be safer, with fewer collisions. A Google search on this question finds ...

Snow and ice control — part II

Last week’s column described what highway departments must consider where snowstorms are an annual event. In this article, we deal with the pluses and minuses of using sand versus salt to treat roads covered with snow and ice. A large number of chemicals and other treatments are used for ...

Snow and ice control — Part I

With winter conditions rapidly approaching, snow and ice control on our streets and highways becomes a priority for highway crews. Decades ago, roads were seldom plowed until morning and almost never sanded or salted. Today, however, with our very mobile society, we expect bare roads throughout ...

Alcohol, speeding account for over half of fatalities

In 2023, the latest year for available statistics, 40,901 people died on highways in the U.S. A shocking 59% of these fatalities had alcohol and/or speeding as contributing to the cause of the deaths, according to a study by the law firm of John Foy and Associates of Atlanta, Georgia. When you ...