#DriverSafety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said today that it might create a “silver” rating system to examine how well vehicles protect older occupants.

After a press release and a strongly-worded blog response by Gualberto Ranieri, Chrysler’s senior vice president of communications, it seemed as thought the battle between the automaker and with Swedish publication Teknikens Varld was all but over — until the magazine published new claims that prompted the brand to issue another response.

Without batting an eye, Swedish magazine Teknikens Varld published a rebuttal to Chrysler’s swift rebuke slapped on the once again infamous “moose test.”

Shortly after our orignal story about Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld’s “moose test,” and how the Jeep Grand Cherokee failed it, we spoke with the company about the reported danger.

This isn’t supposed to be a problem anymore, but a Swedish publication found during its “moose test” that even at moderate speeds the Jeep Grand Cherokee is at serious risk for a potentially fatal rollover.

Nothing is certain but death and taxes. The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study which consisted of researcher Dr. Donald Redelmeier and colleague Christopher Yanell of the University of Toronto comparing the number of fatalities during each tax deadline day to the number of fatalities occurring on regular days. The statistics show that the number of fatal crashes taking place during tax deadline day was 6 percent higher than the control days.

Dr. Redelmeier says, “Tax Day is one of the few opportunities to study societal stress on a widespread basis because it’s synchronized and it’s recurrent throughout an enormously large community.”

A total of 19,541 individuals were killed in crashes during the 30 tax days and 60 control days. Sorting the numbers, Redelmeier’s study revealed that the 30 tax days accounted for 6,783 deaths, or an average of 226 fatalities per day. In comparison, the 60 control days accounted for 12,758 deaths, averaging 213 fatalities a day. Spread over 3 decades, fatalities on tax deadline day account for an additional 404 fatalities.

Here are some sobering study results that may shock parents – teen drivers are most likely to cause a car accident within their first month of unsupervised driving.

Here’s one more reason why grandparents rock – according to a new study, it’s safer for kids to ride with grandparents than it is with their own parents.

Feel free to let out a huge sigh of relief – a panel of experts investigating the causes of sudden acceleration heard on Monday that the risks of driving a recalled Toyota are minimal.

A new study says that parents are even more important then ever when it comes to teaching their teens to drive. The report goes on to state that parents are not giving their teenagers enough experience behind the wheel before they get their license, especially in challenging situations – this includes driving in bad weather, at night, on highways or in heavy traffic.

It’s a little thing that does so much. By buckling up in the car, you increase your chances of surviving a serious car accident. And now, seat belt use in the U.S. has risen to 85 percent – its highest level yet.

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.

School is back in session, and the District of Vancouver, Canada wants to make sure drivers slow down. They’ve joined forces with safety organizations in order to raise awareness, and thanks to the BCAA Traffic Safety Association, drivers motoring down 22nd Street in West Vancouver will be greeted with a 3D image of a little girl chasing a ball across the street.

How bizarre does this sound? A single pedal that can be used for braking and accelerating could change the way we drive – but are we up for it?

It’s a sign of the times – texting while behind the wheel isn’t cool to do anymore. In fact, it’s pretty stupid, now that we know the dangers associated while trying to do the two acts simultaneously. But for all those drivers who still don’t get it, don’t worry – TxtStopper will stop you from being your own worst enemy.