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Police in Paris are now using popular Internet social networks to locate witnesses to traffic accidents. However this development has been criticised by some as a move towards underhand spying. The police in Paris now offer Twitter and Facebook reporting capabilities that are being used to help solve hit-and-run cases in the city and its surrounding suburbs. Users can access a website and find details of an incident, with location, date, time and circumstances. Critics of the scheme say that it will result

Tourists in a South African game reserve got something of a fright when a lion tried to hitchhike in their vehicle. The animal grabbed a door handle of the Toyota using its teeth and succeeded in opening a rear door. The driver, unwilling to share his vehicle with a 136kg lioness, hit the accelerator and sped away. The lion pursued until it reached the gates of the enclosure and was finally discouraged from making another attempt to open the door when a warden launched a volley of stones at the animal. Visi

Oliver Carsten, Professor of Transport Safety at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds, UK, discusses Intelligent Speed Adaptation, looking at its safety potential

A US driver has lodged a contender for the world's most feeble excuse for an accident following an incident near to his home in Oklahoma. The 68-year-old was on his way home from church when he drove his pick-up truck into a 2tonne elephant, and then claimed that he had not initially seen it.

A UK council has built a new underpass that boosts safety by allowing cyclists to avoid having to cross a busy road. However, health and safety concerns within the council have resulted in signs also being posted requesting cyclists to dismount due to low headroom

A supermarket delivery driver in the UK abandoned common sense when he opted to follow the instructions of his GPS device, turning what appeared to a short cut into a long delay. As customers waited anxiously for their delivery, the van man listened with intent to the words of authority from his GPS system and following its directions, his 1.82m wide delivery van soon became stuck in a 0.9m wide footpath. Bemused cyclists and pedestrians watched in amazement as the driver took no notice of the diminutive si

A Swiss man has managed to achieve a national record by committing 15 major traffic violations in a space of 10 minutes. Police were alerted when the man raced past an unmarked patrol vehicle at a highly illegal 160km/h, oblivious to the fact that it was raining heavily at the time.

Pupils attending schools in an area of southern China now have another key rule to follow, thanks to zealous local officials. The children have been told to raise a salute to every passing car on their journey to and from school. The rule has been introduced in an attempt to cut traffic accidents by making pupils more aware of passing vehicles as well as to alert the drivers to the children. This has come in for some criticism however, with many locals commenting that more conventional road safety measures

ARussian has turned road rage into revenge by ramming other road users. The minibus driver grew so upset with the behaviour of other road users he decided to take matters into his own hands by deliberately failing to brake or swerve to avoid a collision. The impacts were comparatively minor and did not result in any injuries to any vehicle occupants. Police however were able to identify the driver as being the cause of the problem when video clips were posted on the Internet. The man had fitted a video came

Police did not have to travel far when catching one drink driver who crashed his vehicle in the UK.

A survey asking Europeans about their driving ability has revealed some curious results. According to the survey, up to 34% of German people score the nation's drivers well for their ability behind the wheel, compared with 29% in the UK. In Poland some 17% of people think the country's drivers score well for driving, compared with a mere 11% in France. The statistics say otherwise however, with Germany's annual road crash and risk levels noticeably higher than those of the UK, and Poland's road accident rat

A Polish truck driving instructor has lost his job after he was recorded giving questionable advice to trainees. During one lesson the instructor suggested to the learner that should the truck's progress be impeded by a car, the easiest option would be to ram the offending vehicle out of the way. The instructor was filmed in secret by one of his trainees who felt reason to doubt the quality of the training being given.

Engineering Company Atkins is now handling design work on a major highway and bridge project in Denmark.

Cleaning the crushed and screened products can boost quality and revenue. Aggregate Processing Solutions has developed a novel washing system aimed at the quarrying sector. The APS-100AT has been developed after almost five years of research and development and is said to be an innovative multi-component material washing system, featuring a highly efficient, heavy duty linear multi-deck screen.

In South Africa a baboon has paid the ultimate price for its thieving habits. The animal was caught by trappers and given a lethal injection. The animal's crime, or repeated crime, was to open the doors of cars at the game park where it lived, and steal items from unwary tourists. The baboon was caught on camera in the act of breaking into one vehicle during last year by British tourists and became an unlikely Robin Hood figure, stealing from the rich (tourists) to give to the poor (itself and its troop). T

A British man arrested by police for drunk driving recently displayed an incredible lack of awareness. Police said that they spotted that the man's vehicle was missing a front wheel as it drove past a patrol car. Pursuing the man was not difficult as officers followed the trail of sparks and they then managed to persuade the errant driver to bring his wounded vehicle to a halt. Tests showed him to be three times over the limit for alcohol and he was banned from driving for three years. He had driven a dista

A new way of working has been launched for the UK highways maintenance and management industry.

The bridge over Auckland Harbour celebrates its half century this year, and it has been given a major upgrade to ensure that safety is maintained in New Zealand's largest city. Mary Searle reports. Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, home to nearly a third of the entire country's population. It's a sprawling metropolis, and its 1.3 million people are spread over 637km² of city, suburbs and islands. The Auckland Harbour Bridge, which celebrates its 50th birthday in May, is a vital link in the city's road

A new Power Curbers 5700-C-MAX machine is being used on a slipforming project in Tampa, Florida in the USA. The project involves major upgrades to the road link, which is being widened from two lanes to four, with two lanes in either direction. The C-MAX package from Power Curbers allows the 5700 machine to pave wider and higher forms than before. This operation involves the construction of new concrete kerbs and

Tougher legislation on tunnel safety means that Norway will have to invest heavily in upgrading underground road links.