From 2005 to 2011, motor vehicle accident fatalities steadily dropped. In 2012, that trend came to a halt as car accident deaths rose by roughly 5 percent from 2011. The National Safety Council released a report on Tuesday indicating that 2012 saw an estimated 36,200 deaths caused by vehicle crashes. The information is still being analyzed, but […]
Car Accidents
A Story Of Distracted Driving
According to National Safety Council estimates, there is a cell phone related car accident every 24 seconds. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded that 80 percent of motor vehicle accidents are the result of distraction behind the wheel. Drivers who are not paying attention to the task of safe driving are a hazard. Safety experts […]
Distracted Driving Still A Priority For NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration remains committed to the battle against distracted driving, according to top official David Strickland. The NHTSA Chief suggested that one day the organization would have a national program to deal with distracted driving similar to the programs implemented to address drunk driving and the importance of seat belt use. Some had […]
Obesity Can Increase Car Accident Fatality Risk By 80 Percent
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tracks data on car accidents in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). A recent analysis of fatal accidents between 1996 and 2008 showed a sharp increase in the risk of fatality for obese drivers involved in collisions with other vehicles. The study compared accidents where the vehicles involved were the same […]
Car Crashes And Drowsy Driving Study
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a telephone survey conducted each year in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey of more than 147,000 people from 2009-2010 included questions to determine how many drivers had nodded off or fallen asleep while driving in the previous 30 days. The CDC was attempting […]
Self Driving Cars And An Accident Free Automobile Industry
While many automobile manufacturers are working on self-driving cars, few have been willing to place a timeline on the release of the new technology. Volvo has now announced that it plans to release an initial batch of self-driving cars in 2014. The Swedish company, long considered a leader in safety technology, indicates that it hopes […]
Winter Weather Brings Challenging Driving Conditions
Illinois State Police have issued driving safety tips and the yearly reminder that winter weather means dangerous driving conditions for Illinois motorists. Ice, snow, sleet and high winds can all lead to deadly car accidents, particularly early in the season when drivers have not yet become accustomed to dealing with winter weather. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend […]
Julie’s Law And Other Measures Affecting Illinois Drivers
In 2013, several new measures will govern the conduct of Illinois drivers. The new laws include enhanced efforts to combat distracted driving which has been referred to as a “national epidemic” by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The laws govern a range of behaviors that have been connected to deadly driving incidents. In addition to the distracted […]
Traffic Fatalities Increase In First Half Of 2012
For many years, traffic fatalities have gone down as safety technology has improved. In the first six months of 2012, fatal motor vehicle accidents increased 9 percent when compared to the first half of 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That increase represents the largest such jump since the NHTSA began gathering the data […]
Self-Driving Cars Move Closer To Reality
Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill making self-driving cars legal on the roads of California. Self-driving cars, such as the “Google car” have received increased attention as the tech company has poured significant resources into making the technology viable. According to a Google co-founder, the company believes that the technology could be able to […]
A Link Between Antidepressants And Car Accidents
It is common knowledge that alcohol causes drivers to suffer an elevated risk of accidents. Many studies have likewise connected things like illegal drug abuse and cell phones to dangerous driving. A new study has shown a link between legal antidepressants, including Prozac and Seroxat, and motor vehicle accidents. According to research from the University of […]
Illinois May Have Toughest Older-Driver Laws
Older age requirements for driver’s licenses are now in place in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The fatal auto accident rate begins to rise for drivers when they hit their 70s, jumps when they hit 80, and surpasses the crash rate for teen drivers after age 85. Illinois responds to the issue of aging drivers […]
Driver In Fatal Construction Accident Charged
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois ranks among the top five states total number of roadway work zone fatal occupational injuries. Road construction accidents where motorists strike construction workers are not rare. They accounted for 7.9 percent of all construction deaths from 2003 to 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On […]
School Bus Safety And Safe Driving Practices
September is a time for new drivers to learn to interact with school buses and for all drivers to familiarize themselves with the law concerning school buses and safe driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 19 school-age children die in school transportation-related traffic accidents every year. Most of the victims are between the ages […]
Pickup Collides With School Bus In La Salle County
Thirty-nine students were taken to area hospitals after a pickup truck disobeyed a stop sign and struck a school bus in Marseilles, Illinois. The bus accident happened just after 8 a.m. Monday morning, approximately two miles from Milton Pope School where the children attend. The accident is currently under investigation by La Salle County officials. A Dodge […]
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Technology Gets Safety Test
Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication devices are two methods by which cars may be made safer in the future. The U.S. Transportation Department has begun a new test of so-called “smart car” technology. Some 3,000 cars, trucks and buses equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance technology and vehicle-to-roadway devices will be evaluated to determine the efficacy and […]
Federal Officials Want Stronger Drunk Driving Laws
The administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expressed his support for laws that require first-time offenders of DUI laws to have interlock devices installed in their vehicles. Federal data shows that a drunk driver who is involved in a fatal traffic accident is 400 percent more likely to have a prior DUI on his or […]
In-Car Technology A Concern For Many Drivers
Cell phones, iPods, and other portable electronic devices have been the source of significant scrutiny among traffic safety experts. Recently, the efforts of automakers to make their vehicles more appealing to technophiles have also drawn attention. As car accidents involving distracted driving continue to plague U.S. roadways, many consumers now believe that in-car technologies have become too […]
A Connection Between Road Rage And Texting
The dangers of texting while driving may go beyond the distraction and reduced reaction time that comes with it. In addition to causing car and truck accidents by taking the driver’s attention off the road, texting while driving may also inspire road rage. Road rage is a more common problem than people may realize. According to a […]
