distracted driving
Turn Signal Neglect Causes 2 Million Crashes Annually: Study
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With all the attention surrounding distracted driving these days, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) wanted to remind the world that one of the most basic driving rules is being neglected, causing twice as many crashes as distracted driving.
California OTS Employs Zombies in Distracted Driving Ads – Video
April has been designated as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and it’s no surprise with all the news surrounding distracting elements in our vehicles. German automaker Mercedes-Benz has already jumped on board with its driving academy offering free safety seminars in the state of California. Now the California Office of Traffic Safety is creating seven anti-distracted…
Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy Offers Free Safety Seminar
Potential customers are no good to an automaker if they’re dead so Mercedes-Benz is taking steps to help improve the chances that teens practice safe driving in the spirit of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. “Teens are now faced with more distractions behind the wheel, compared to previous generations of new drivers,” said Marc Hemsworth, senior driving…
Teen Girls Twice as Likely to be Distracted by Cell Phones Behind the Wheel
A comprehensive new study by AAA has revealed insight into exactly what teenagers are being distracted by behind the wheel, with teenage girls 50 percent more likely than their male counterparts to be on the phone, texting or using another electronic device. The new study, Distracted Driving Among Newly Licensed Teen Drivers, is the first…
Distracted Driving Gets a Caffeine Jolt
The witch hunt is already in motion for anything that distracts drivers: cell phones, iPods, even GPS with moving maps. Given that, it might seem short-sighted and illogical to market an in-car espresso machine. Toss logic out the window because the future is now and such a thing exists. That’s right, for a paltry €150, roughly…
Ray LaHood Further Distracts Distracted Drivers
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood doesn’t like seeing people using cell phones behind the wheel, but who does? It poses danger to everyone in the immediate vicinity, including the reckless chatterbox in question. What, then, should be done if you happen upon one of these miscreants during your morning commute? LaHood has the answer: pull up…
DOT Proposes Distracting Driving Guidelines for Automakers
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the first-ever federally proposed guidelines for in-vehicle electronic devices to automakers, hoping to limit how distracted drivers can get by these new devices. The proposed voluntary guidelines affects communications, entertainment, information gathering, and navigation devices or functions that are not required to safety operate a vehicle. The National Highway…
Peer Pressure a Major Cause of Accidents by Teen Drivers: Study
Peer pressure has a huge affect on teens. Smoking, drinking… even getting into a car accident. According to two studies by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm, peer pressure from passengers can result in a car accident when a teen is behind the wheel. We know, it seems like a “duh, of course”…
OMG PSA Warns Teens About The Dangers Of Texting And Driving
This distracted driving PSA isn’t meant to make you LOL, but it will have you saying OMG. The Department of Transportation will be releasing its new public service announcement, titled OMG, in theaters and at gas stations nationwide, in the next month. This PSA is targeted to teens to remind them to put down the…
Ford’s Do Not Disturb Feature Helps Parents Prevent Distracted Driving
Ford has just released the Do Not Disturb feature, a new technology that lets parents limit distracted driving habits teens are tempted with. The new Ford MyKey Do Not Disturb feature allows parents to block their teens from receiving phone calls and text messages while driving. This means that young drivers can keep their eyes…
Study Finds Parents Teach Teens Bad Driving Habits
Parents, if you want to set a good example for your teens while you’re teaching them how to drive, put down your cell phone. A new study out says that parents are prone to check their phones while teaching driving skills. This study, which was conducted by State Farm, surveyed 517 teens and their parents…
ALPS Wheel Trackpad Concept Could Drastically Cut Down On Distracted Driving
Distracted driving isn’t just limited to texting and talking on your cell phone. Now, more than ever, there are so many things that can shift our attention from the road like GPS units and MP3 players. To cut down on all the potential distractions that surround you in your car, a company called ALPS has…
Blackberry Outage Leads To Fewer Accidents On The Roads
Sometimes a negative can really be a positive. Take the Blackberry outage that had users scrambling for a way to communicate earlier this week. It turns out that traffic accidents and fatalities fell drastically during that time period. The three-day Blackberry service interruption and its effect on driving were especially evident in the Middle East….
Sprint Fights Distracted Driving With Drive First App
Good news for parents – taking a stand against distracted driving, Sprint has just launched a new app that disables smart phone functions while driving. The Sprint Drive First app locks your cell phone when the car is moving over 10 mph and sends calls automatically to voice mail. It won’t distract you with an…
How To Cut Out Distracted Driving Habits
It’s surprising to learn that with all the information out there about the dangers of distracted driving, according to a recent Virginia Tech study, it is still responsible for 80 percent of all car crashes. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted driving is the main factor for about 5,500 automotive fatalities…
Cars 2 PSA Reminds Helps Fight Distracted Driving
The Cars franchise is about more that just marketing and merchandising. In fact, the characters of Cars 2 (in theaters June 24) has teamed up with the Department of Transportation (DOT), to help fight distracted driving with a new public service ad. Staring Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater, the 30-second PSA is called, “Only the…
MIT Studies Age And Distracted Driving: What Do Young and Old People Notice?
A new study from MIT has revealed that while distracted driving is a problem for all drivers—and will always be, whenever there’s a bikini car wash or van fire nearby—young people are distracted by different things than the elderly, and as we get older we’re more easily distracted. Young people tend to stray their attention…
NHTSA Launches Faces of Distracted Driving Series
Sometimes, statistics don’t tell the whole story. That rings especially true when it comes to talking about distracted driving. And even though we all know the dangers associated with distracted driving, it takes the stories of people who have been impacted to really drive the point home. And that’s the why the National Highway Traffic…
Andy Pilgrim’s ‘The Driving Zone 2’ Educates Teens About Distracted Driving
Sometimes, it takes a racing pro to get through to teens about safe driving practices. And that’s what Andy Pilgrim is doing in his quest to educate new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. Partnering with Volvo, the Andy Pilgrim Foundation is fighting distracted driving with a newly released educational DVD, “The Driving Zone…
19 Percent of Drivers Surf the Internet While Driving
If you’ve ever wondered as to the mental capacity of your fellow commuters, here’s a statistic that will confirm your deepest suspicions: 19 percent of drivers admit to browsing the Internet from their cell phones, while on the road. That’s one in five drivers, according to a survey conducted in November by insurance company State…
Study Finds Well-Educated, Affluent Drivers Most Likely to Drive Distracted
More info out recently says that those most likely to be distracted behind the wheel are well-educated, well-off drivers, according to a poll commissioned by InsuranceQuotes.com. The poll, which was for InsuranceQuotes.com by GfK Roper, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, found that these drivers are the most distracted ones on the road….
Survey: Most Drivers Know Texting and Driving is Illegal, But Do it Anyway
Multi-tasking is an essential part of your day, we get that. But that doesn’t mean you should carry it over to every aspect of your life. Like driving, for example. When you’re behind the wheel, you should be paying attention to the road and nothing else. And while we all know that’s what we should…
Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers Now Banned From Texting While Driving
The 2010 national Distracted Driving Summit was designed to shine a light on the dangers of distracted driving, and it’s not just us regular drivers that are getting a stern warning in the form of a law. It’s also commercial truck and bus drivers who are banned from texting while driving. This new ban covers…
Toyota Offers Free Safe Driving Program to Teens
As part of their commitment to help reduced teen driving fatalities, Toyota is offering a free advanced teen driving skills program called “Toyota Driving Expectations.” To be held at Bass Pro Shops in October, a Toyota Driving Expectations event will be held in the following cities: Foxborough, Mass., October 2 – 3 Clarksville, Ind., October…
