Tag Archives: accidents

Killer Storm brings freezing rain and snow to U.S. Northeast

(Reuters) – A winter storm packing freezing rain and heavy snow was expected to sweep across much of the U.S. Northeast on Wednesday, snarling transportation, closing dozens of schools and threatening power outages.

The same storm system has killed several people in accidents in the Midwest since Monday, including six in Iowa, two in Missouri and one in Montana, local media in those states reported.

Much of the region from southern Indiana northeast through Maine was under either a winter storm watch or warning. Some 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of snow and a 1/4 inch (.5 cm) of ice accumulation were in the forecast, the National Weather Service said.

“Travel will be dangerous and nearly impossible,” the service said, warning that ice may cause widespread power outages.

Dozens of school districts in the East Coast, including in Pittsburgh and Albany, New York canceled classes on Wednesday while Baltimore schools delayed the start of school for two hours. Federal agencies in Washington D.C. were also opening two hours later than normal.

About 800 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled on Wednesday nationwide, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Frances Kerry)

U.S. proposes requiring vehicles to ‘talk’ to each other to avoid crashes

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday proposed requiring all new cars and trucks to be able to “talk” to one another using short-range wireless technology to potentially avoid tens of thousands of crashes annually.

Regulators, which first announced plans to pursue requiring the technology in early 2014, are proposing to give automakers at least four years to comply from the time it is finalized and would require automakers to ensure all vehicles “speak the same language through a standard technology.”

The administration of President-elect Donald Trump will decide whether to finalize the proposal, which does not apply to larger vehicles like buses and tractor trailers.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that talking vehicles could eliminate or reduce the severity of up to 80 percent of crashes where alcohol is not a factor, especially crashes at intersections or while changing lanes.

Last year, there were 6.3 million U.S. vehicle crashes. In October, NHTSA said U.S. traffic deaths jumped 10.4 percent in the first six months of 2016. The jump follows a spike in 2015, when road deaths rose 7.2 percent to 35,092, the highest full-year increase since 1966.

Talking cars and trucks would use dedicated short range communications to transmit data up to 300 meters, such as location, direction and speed, to nearby vehicles. That data would be updated and broadcast up to 10 times per second to nearby vehicles, which can identify risks and provide warnings to drivers to avoid imminent crashes.

“From a safety perspective, this is a no brainer,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said vehicles would protect privacy by only exchanging safety information and would ensure hackers can’t intercept signals.

The rule would not require vehicles currently on U.S. roads to be retrofitted with the technology. Foxx said owners couldn’t turn off the technology but could turn off warnings.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group representing General Motors Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG  and other major automakers, noted the system is already being tested. The group said it would study the proposal. Automakers are pushing to ensure that a portion of the spectrum reserved for connected vehicles is not used by other companies for other wireless device use. The U.S. Federal Communication Commission has begun testing potential sharing options.

Separately, the Federal Highway Administration plans to issue guidance for vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, which will help planners allow vehicles to “talk” to roadway infrastructure such as traffic lights.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)

Weekend weather, freezing, dangerous Conditions in Ohio cause deadly pileups

weather map from Noaa weather service 12-9-16

By Kami K

Cold weather is in store for almost the entire nation this weekend as frigid temperatures dive in from Canada. Highs will be reaching in the low 40’s for Texas and frigid low temps of -22 degrees in the Dakotas.  According to the National Weather Service, a system moving into the Pacific Northwest will spread heavy rain and snow over the region today.  Snow levels will start off very low with snow accumulations likely even in Portland and Seattle with the probability of at least 4” of snow through Saturday evening.   

Twelve to fourteen inches of accumulation will be seen in some areas in the north from lake effect snowfall along areas close to the Great Lakes. These lake effect snows have caused dangerous conditions on roads and highways. In a report from The Weather Channel, heavy lake-effect snowfall made travel dangerous along Interstate 90 near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border Thursday, causing a pair of pileups 50 miles apart that left more than a dozen injured.

Shortly before 3 p.m. EST, the Lake County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office said that a pileup involving more than 50 vehicles occurred along I-90 southeast of Painesville. As a result, authorities closed both directions of the interstate. The road was closed for more than 14 hours and about 20 people were injured, according to the Associated Press.

Another pile-up occurred earlier Thursday along the same interstate, but this one was on the other side of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The Weather Channel reported that at least 15 people were injured in a pileup that involved at least a dozen vehicles between Exits 9 and 16 near Girard Township, Pennsylvania.

A more deadly chain reaction crash in Michigan resulted in the deaths of 3 people when slick road conditions caused a 30 to 40 car pileup on Interstate 96 Thursday morning.

“Bands of lake-effect snow are streaming through the Great Lakes region as arctic air flows over the relatively warmer lake waters,” said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. “Those snow squalls can lead to visibility that deteriorates quickly, along with slick roads.”

Police and weather specialists are cautioning all drivers about respecting the weather conditions and being cautious.  

Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw told CBS Detroit, “We’re just trying to tell people I know it’s the first snowstorm, I know it’s the first time we’ve seen snow in a long time, but you gotta slow down and you gotta take a look at those closing distances between the cars in front of you.”

Spanish police issue safety tips for Pokemon Go Gamers

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police issued guidelines on Monday on how to safely use augmented-reality video games after the release of the application Pokemon Go. The police advice included reminders that users are they are in "the real world" and must aware of real-world obstacles such as traffic lights and cars. Players of the game from Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd <7974.T> walk around real-life neighborhoods to hunt down virtual cartoon characters on their smartphone screens. The police issued their guidelines after two Japanese tourists were rescued from a motorway tunnel in Barcelona on Saturday, where they had wandered in search of Pokemon characters, according to Spanish media. The mobile game has become an instant hit just one week after launch. Police warned players that the use of GPS technology for the game means users’ location is visible to others, potentially making them vulnerable to muggings or theft, as well as signaling when they are not at home. Across the United States, players have been drawn down dark alleys and into dangerous neighborhoods in search of the imaginary creatures, only to be targeted by criminals. The police manual warns players not be distracted by the excitement of catching rare Pokémon characters and to remember their safety is paramount. Pokemon Go became available in Spain on July 15, following its release in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom the previous week. The game has been a runaway success, boosting Nintendo’s market share by $17 billion in just over a week. (Reporting by Catherine Bennett; Edited by Amanda Cooper)

MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish police issued guidelines on Monday on how to safely use augmented-reality video games after the release of the application Pokemon Go.

The police advice included reminders that users are they are in “the real world” and must aware of real-world obstacles such as traffic lights and cars.

Players of the game from Japan’s Nintendo Co Ltd &lt;7974.T&gt; walk around real-life neighborhoods to hunt down virtual cartoon characters on their smartphone screens.

The police issued their guidelines after two Japanese tourists were rescued from a motorway tunnel in Barcelona on Saturday, where they had wandered in search of Pokemon characters, according to Spanish media.

The mobile game has become an instant hit just one week after launch.

Police warned players that the use of GPS technology for the game means users’ location is visible to others, potentially making them vulnerable to muggings or theft, as well as signaling when they are not at home.

Across the United States, players have been drawn down dark alleys and into dangerous neighborhoods in search of the imaginary creatures, only to be targeted by criminals.

The police manual warns players not be distracted by the excitement of catching rare Pokémon characters and to remember their safety is paramount.

Pokemon Go became available in Spain on July 15, following its release in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom the previous week. The game has been a runaway success, boosting Nintendo’s market share by $17 billion in just over a week.

(Reporting by Catherine Bennett; Edited by Amanda Cooper)