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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: road safety

road safety stories: 12 news summaries

Texting Boosts Driver
Crash Risk 23 Times

Texting while driving found to be
deadliest distraction 

Jul 28, 09 1:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A first-of-its-kind study has found that sending and receiving text messages is the deadliest distraction for drivers by far, the New York Times reports. The study, which involved cameras in the cabs of long-haul trucks, found that texting raised a driver's risk of collision a whopping 23 times, putting it... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cell phones • text message • texting • road safety • drivers • driver distraction

(Newser) - The federal government has mandated that every road project funded by stimulus money proudly tout the association with road signs, and that really steams Tait Trussell. The signs, “designed to meticulous federally dictated standards,” go for about $1,000, Trussell writes on Front Page. “So, publicizing thousands... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Joe Biden • highways • road safety • economic stimulus package • Obama administration • federal funding • road sign • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act • ARRA

Battle Over Big Rigs Pits Efficiency Against Safety

Measure would extended federal limits on big rigs

Jun 6, 09 7:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bigger is not only better—it’s also safer and greener, say trucking-industry advocates who would like to see limits on the size and weight of big rigs on interstate highways lifted. One tells USA Today bigger trucks are more fuel-efficient and minimize pollution. But if truckers are successful, one... More »

MORE ABOUT:
highway safety • trucks • road safety • drivers • 18-wheeler

ANALYSIS

 Death Traps 
 Vs. Gas Guzzlers 
 Split Automakers 

Are there any good choices for consumers in the car size debate?

Apr 21, 09 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - In the push to curb America’s fuel intake, consumers must often make a choice between safety and fuel economy, Joseph White writes in the Wall Street Journal. The real problem, though, may be that small cars have to share the road with SUVs. “A much bigger issue is... More »

MORE ABOUT:
fuel efficiency • Smart Car • SUVs • road safety • Insurance Institute of Highway Safety

 Salt Deficit May 
 Make This Scary 

States order massive amounts of salt, pinching other areas

Nov 16, 08 5:41 PM CST
(Newser) - City officials in the Midwest are struggling to prepare for another season of heavy snowfall as road salt supplies drop and prices surge, the Los Angeles Times reports. High demand and once-high gas charges have boosted salt prices, but the spike from $40 to $140 per ton seems exorbitant to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
price fixing • gas prices • winter • salt • snow • road safety

Webcam on Board, Teen Drivers on Alert

Mom and Dad monitor kids' driving, hoping for more road safety

Oct 24, 08 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - If a pilot program sees good results, teen drivers may soon find themselves under surveillance, reports the Washington Post. Parents in southern Maryland find the new webcam system, which records possible unsafe driving practices, a useful tool. Their offspring, however, aren't thrilled at the prospect of losing one of their... More »

MORE ABOUT:
parenting • car crash • surveillance • road safety • teenage drivers • webcam

OPINION

Speed Limits Aren't Saving Lives, So Make Cars Slower

Government's priorities elsewhere, but cars that can't top 75 would save gas, too

Sep 8, 08 1:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Speeding contributes to 13,000 US road deaths each year, and, at 30% of traffic fatalities, places only slightly behind alcohol, at 39%, Kent A. Sepkowitz writes in the New York Times. While preventing drunk driving is a complex problem requiring cooperation of motorists, police, and educators, speeding can be... More »

MORE ABOUT:
car accident • drunk driving • speeding • fatalities • road safety • speed limit

 Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%

Overall traffic deaths down but motorbike deaths up for 10th year in a row

Aug 15, 08 8:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The number of motorcyclist deaths rose in 2007 for the 10th year in a row, the New York Times reports, jumping 6.6% even as the overall number of vehicle deaths continued to drop. Motorcycle deaths now account for one in eight traffic fatalities, totaling 5,154 last year—a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
highway safety • accident • driving • motorcycle crash • road safety • traffic accident • drivers • traffic fatalities

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars

Study estimates
$4 gas will prevent 1,000 deaths a month

Jul 12, 08 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - The record-breaking gas prices putting the squeeze on American drivers may be a lifesaver for some, reports the AP. Experts crunched 20 years of data and discovered that auto deaths fell 2.3% for every 10% hike in gas prices. When gas went up, people drove slower and bought safer... More »

MORE ABOUT:
motorists • speeding • driving • gas prices • road safety • teenage drivers • oil prices

Trucking Goes High Tech

Tracking improves efficiency, safety—and kept final Harry Potter book from escaping

May 22, 08 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Trucking companies are adopting technologies that track vehicles, monitor trucks’ condition and drivers’ actions, and even act automatically to stop accidents, reports ComputerWorld. The systems help companies meet regulations and contract obligations. Take the company that delivered the final Harry Potter book nationwide within a three-hour window and achieved its... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • GPS • truckers • road safety • transport

Icy Roads?
Beet Juice Just the Right Tonic

New mixture cuts salt, works colder, but side effects still unknown

Mar 14, 08 6:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - Road workers in the Chicago area are shaking up their winter ice-busting cocktail with an odd new mixer: beet juice. Sanitation officials are pleased with the combination, which reduces the necessary rock salt (harmful to plants and water supplies) by up to 30% and is effective at temperatures far lower... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Chicago • roadways • Illinois • ice • winter travel • salt • road safety • winter storms • beet

Cell Talkers Clogging Up Highways

Even those with hands-free devices
slow driving conditions, study says

Jan 2, 08 6:35 PM CST
(Newser) - In addition to being distracted and erratic, drivers using cell phones also slow traffic, a study confirms. Using a simulator with virtual traffic scenes, researchers discovered that drivers using mobile phones—even ones with hands-free devices—go more slowly on highways and pass sluggish drivers less frequently. "That SOB... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cell phones • driving • road safety • cars

12 Stories


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