Posts Tagged ‘Auto Safety’

Finding street parking can be a massive headache. Drivers circle the block repeatedly; slowing to a near crawl whenever a space looks like it might be available, all while a logjam of irritated drivers slowly collects behind them. The most impatient drivers might try to sneak around the would-be street parker, and still others face [...]

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According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, states that have adopted Graduated Drivers Licensing programs (GDL) have seen accident rates drop anywhere from 10 to 30 percent among teenage drivers. The GDL restrictions vary from state to state, but typically include passenger limits for new drivers as well as curfew hours in which the [...]

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Late last week, one of Google’s robot-driven cars caused a minor car accident near the web mega-company’s campus in Mountain View, California. The accident involved five other vehicles, including another Google robot-powered car, but the company was quick to absolve their technology from any responsibility for the futuristic crash, saying that a human was driving the at-fault vehicle at the time. The accident indicates that Google’s vehicular experiment is setting the stage for a brave new world of potential street problems that that could make the question of legal liability following an accident much more complicated.

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Whether you drive a car or ride a bike, there’s no question that street safety must improve here in California. In 2009, for example, nearly 1,300 people were killed in car accidents and 100 were killed in bicycle accidents here in California alone. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, California mourns more than 3,000 traffic deaths each year if you add pedestrians and motorcycles to the mix. Fortunately, reports the San Jose Mercury News, that could all change thanks to a series of street makeovers throughout the Bay Area.

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The short answer to the question above is a definitive “no.” With the rise of technology, distracted driving has become a serious problem on US roadways, contributing to nearly 6,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries each year, according to the NHTSA. To solve this problem, many have turned to dangerous distracted driving technologies that make it easier, not harder, to text and talk behind the wheel. Safety advocates and government officials have opposed this tactic, noting that it’s the conversation, not the device, which causes distractions. The best way to avoid distractions is to simply put down the phone while behind the wheel. But a new article by Keith Barry for Wired’s Autopia blog states that distractions might not be the worst thing.

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How great would it be to drive to work without having to think about accidental low-speed car accidents? For years now, car companies have been researching collision avoidance systems, which use technology to alert the driver when a collision is possible. Volvo’s XC60 SUV forward collision warning system has received the most attention, and a recent report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicated that the warning system could lead to a significant reduction in car accidents. But is this a new example of dangerous distracted driving technology?

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Automaker Ford has rightfully been praised in recent weeks for supporting New York legislation to ban distracted driving. This week, the auto giant became the first of it’s industry to endorse a ban against texting and talking behind the wheel, but as Streetsblog points out, their endorsement allows a major loophole that could stand in the way of the campaign to eliminate distracted driving car accidents. Although the bill prohibits the use of handheld devices behind the wheel, it permits the use of auto technology to facilitate hands-free conversations, which can still be distracting and potentially dangerous.

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Acting on accident reports showing that talking and texting while driving is dangerous, nine states nationwide have banned all hand held cell phone use, and 34 have banned texting while driving. Of course, these new laws have ignited the debate about distracted driving, leaving stalwarts of the insurance industry questioning whether distracted driving truly does make roads more dangerous. The newest report denying the link between distracted driving and car accidents, sponsored by the Governors Highway Safety Association and State Farm Insurance, says there’s no evidence to prove that cell phone bans reduce accidents, and adds some confusing details.

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This week is the National Safety Council’s Teen Driver Safety Week, and it comes right in time for summer, the most dangerous set of months for teens behind the wheel. Last week, we published the California Teen Driver Summer Safety Resource, which included daunting statistics about summer driving for teenagers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, for example, that there are nearly twice as many car accidents between Memorial Day and Labor Day than the rest of the year combined. So to prevent car accidents this summer, pay attention to Teen Driver Safety Week and remember to drive safe.

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Summer is great. The weather is warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, the water is (in some places) warm enough for swimming, and teens get a whole three months off of school. But it turns out summer is incredibly dangerous for teen drivers and motorcyclists. This week, AAA released a new report showing that seven of the 10 most fatal teen driving days occur the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day. So in addition to enjoying to their summer, teen drivers can take the summer to improve their knowledge of driver safety and even study to take their California drivers license test.

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