News tagged with 'Auto Accidents'

37,000 traffic fatalities a year may represent an improvement over the statistics of the past, but various authorities opine on how we can make roads safer in this New York Times Opinion page.

As the summer months approach and teens take to the road, a parent-child driver contract sets out the rules in a clear, concise way, complete with consequences.

A new law that went into effect to reduce the number of teen driving deaths, has sparked a public protest with promises to repeal Kyleigh's Law.

STAND UP Act would bring in tiered system for licensing teen drivers raising the learner's permit to age 16 and making teens wait until the age of 18 to get their driver's license.

Looking at collision data in three states and the District of Columbia after hand-held phone bans were put into place, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds no difference in the crash rate. The results are perplexing in that other studies have shown distracted driving presents a four-fold increase in the risk of collision and injuries.

How long should a truck driver be allowed to stay behind the wheel. That controversy is the focus of several hearings before the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Expect new models of autos to increasinigly allow drivers and passengers to connect to the Internet for commerce and pleasure, but at what cost to safety?

Insurance scams target female drivers, usually in a newer-type car, or distracted drivers, and create an accident that appears to be her fault. The scammers then claim they are the "victims" of injury and are costing insurance companies, and ultimately us all, billions in fraudulent claims.

The Distracted Driving Summit has resulted in President Obama signing an executive order that bans 4.5 million federal employees and the military from texting and driving. Truckers are not included at this time.

Major automakers expressed support Wednesday for banning drivers from text messaging and using hand-held mobile phones while operating a vehicle.

The New Chrysler has agreed to accept product liability claims for consumers injured by defective automobiles, but only after it emerged from bankruptcy June 10. GM and Chrysler together had about 2,000 product liability claims pending before bankruptcy that can now only proceed against bankrupt companies.

Consumer groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to require that a skull and crossbones sticker be put on used Chrysler automobiles to warn prospective customers that the manufacturer will not assume liability for any injuries or death from any defects among 30 million Chrysler vehicles still on the road.

Women are involved in about 2,000 alcohol-related deaths each year. The statistics were released in connection with the National Labor Day Enforcement Crackdown, which targets drivers leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend.

While the family of Diane Schuler denies she had a drinking problem, federal statistics show that the number of women arrested for DUI is up, although still fewer then men arrested for DUI.

Comcast, the largest cable-television corporation, has pulled ads critical of General Motors bankruptcy plan that leaves injured consumers or their survivors uncompensated.  The media giant says it wants to check them for accuracy, even though the New Chrysler required it be "free and clear of all liens and claims” as a condition of bankruptcy.