A NUMBER of laboratories have shown that in a car crash, air bags can
sometimes permanently damage passengers鈥� hearing
(快猫短视频, 4 December 1999, p 7).
Lord Whitty, the roads minister, admits that safety
scientists cannot yet explain why. But an international vehicle standards group
has suggested it would help if you could control the noise of the air bag
inflating. Agreement on a reliable assessment method could lead to air bags, or
vehicles, being tailored to reduce any risk to the occupants鈥� hearing. The
introduction of 鈥渟mart鈥� air bags鈥攐nes that can control the rate of
inflation and even detect the position, size and weight of occupants鈥攚ould
greatly help. It would mean that in an accident fewer passengers would be
exposed to air bag inflation at maximum strength, says Whitty.
I am impressed with Whitty鈥檚 ability to get to grips with the minutiae of his
responsibilities. I鈥檓 sure it was one of the reasons why he was left in place in
this important job after the last ministerial reshuffle.
THE Protection of Wrecks Act of 1973 authorises the Culture Secretary to
designate restricted areas around sites of vessels on or in the seabed in
British waters if the site needs to be protected because of the historical,
archaeological or artistic importance of the vessel or its contents. However,
after 27 years of the Act, only 48 sites have been designated in British waters.
Many marine archaeologists are complaining that Britain鈥檚 underwater cultural
heritage still lacks effective management.
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The present Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, assures me that the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is doing its best to preserve our watery
heritage. He says that the DCMS has an ongoing programme to provide signs and
buoys marking out protected wreck sites. And his department is actively forging
links with police forces around the country to help them enforce the 1973 act.
It is reminding the police of their duty to protect any designated sites in
their area. The department is also cooperating with the Maritime and Coastguard
Agency, whose job it is to report any unauthorised activities on protected wreck
sites to the DCMS. A worry are sites such as the Goodwin Sands, where the ocean
environment is hostile and sand movements savage. Smith says that he is pressing
for Parliamentary time for its agreement to broaden English Heritage鈥檚 remit in
nautical archaeology.
With an estimated 80 000 sunken ships around our shores, the DCMS needs a
firmly rooted policy to see that all sites that deserve to be are protected.
Without strong parliamentary support it could soon get out of its depth.
WE need a better type of road hump鈥攐ne that will put off the dangerous
hooligan element but doesn鈥檛 strike terror into the heart of the good,
law-abiding driver. I was interested to read, therefore, that Israeli defence
researchers have designed a new kind of hump made of rubber with a vented air
chamber
(快猫短视频, 8 January, p 7).
Road safety is another of Lord Whitty鈥檚 responsibilities. He tells me that
the Israeli hump could be used in Britain provided its dimensions conform to our
current Highways Regulations and proved better and safer than our static humps.
And all humps must be tested in off-road trials before they are tested on public
roads. A British company, Texas Transcalm, is presently developing a similar
device to the Israelis鈥�. It has been through off-road trials but has yet to
reach the stage where it can be tested on public roads, said the minister.
