Accidents

If you clicked on the headline above thinking you were in for a tongue-in-cheek, fake news story, we're sorry to disappoint you, but it's all too real and all too tragic. This is #notTheOnion. This is how the story goes: on December 24, 2014, Bethany and James Modisette were driving near Dallas in...Read More»

During economic downturns like the recent Great Recession, auto fatality rates fall. The common-sense explanation for that phenomenon is that in tough times, companies cut jobs (reducing the number of commuters), and consumers buy fewer goods (reducing the number of big-rigs and other cargo...Read More»

When it comes to auto safety, advocates Down Under really know how to drive a point home. A couple of years ago, the New Zealand Transport Agency (which is roughly equivalent to America's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), created an emotionally powerful video about the dangers of...Read More»

This summer, many of us will take road trips, hitting the open highways, rolling down the windows, and letting the wind blow through our hair. That'll be a welcome change of pace from the bumper-to-bumper traffic and crowded parking lots we endure the rest of the year. No doubt about it, city...Read More»

India is a dangerous place for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. The latest stats from the World Heath Organization report more than 137,000 traffic fatalities per year, though a study from the Pulitzer Center pegs the actual number above 200,000. Why is the situation so bad? For starters...Read More»

Despite all the empty rhetoric you might hear on the campaign trail, words still mean things. Some auto safety activists want people to start using the words "collision" and "crash" rather than "accident" to ensure that everyone understands the nature of those events. The distinction might seem...Read More»

We've spilled a lot of ink discussing the most congested cities for drivers. But what about the most dangerous states for auto-related deaths? Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute asked themselves the same question -- and unlike us...Read More»

When you're shopping for a new ride, you always take a test drive, right? But what happens if you're in an accident during those 15 or 30 minutes? Who can be sued? That question was recently posed in a Colorado court of law, and as Auto News reports, the dealership was found to be just as liable --...Read More»

Millions of Americans are planning road trips for the upcoming holiday weekend. If history is any guide, though, hundreds of those travelers won't return home alive -- and the situation could be especially tragic this year. The National Safety Council projects that the U.S. will see more traffic...Read More»

It's no secret that teenagers are more prone to auto accidents than older drivers. That's largely why teen motorists are so expensive to insure. We usually attribute younger drivers' high collision rates to their lack of experience, or perhaps their text-friendly lifestyles. But the New York Times...Read More»

In the early hours of July 4, Joshua Michael Flot stole a Tesla Model S from the automaker's service center in west Los Angeles, California. According to Bloomberg, he then led authorities on a high-speed chase and was doing a good job of outrunning them. Then, Flot reached La Brea Avenue in West...Read More»

For years, U.S. traffic fatalities have been on the decline, thanks in no small part to car safety features like seatbelts, crumple zones, airbags, and braking assistance. That's great news, but it overshadows the fact that even tiny fender-benders can have massive financial implications. A new...Read More»

When we learned to drive, we were taught that in the event of an accident, we should leave our vehicles just as they were at the time of the collision. Whether we were involved in a wee fender-bender or a major pile-up, we weren't to move our cars, even if they were still driveable. As we got...Read More»

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration won't release official numbers on 2013 U.S. traffic fatalities until the end of the year, but early estimates from the National Safety Council show a three percent drop from 2012's stats. Unfortunately, that news isn't as great as it might seem...Read More»

Automakers spend lots of time and energy developing safety features to prevent their cars from colliding with pedestrians and other vehicles. But in many areas of the world, wildlife can pose a safety threat, too. Here in the U.S., deer are particularly troublesome. Unlike squirrels and armadillos...Read More»

Drivers see warning signs all the time, but we don't always heed their advice: "Slow Curve". "Watch for Falling Rock". "Yield". However, a very simple message posted to an electronic sign in Arlington, Virginia is having a much bigger impact. It reads, "Don't hit the car in front of you", and...Read More»

If you've just returned from a Labor Day road trip, you may think you've seen some of the worst drivers in the country. But only Allstate's "America's Best Drivers Report" can say for sure whether you're correct. This is the ninth annual report from Allstate, and it's based on the company's...Read More»

New York City is a tough nut to crack. Over 8,000,000 people inhabit its five boroughs, which means that living there is expensive, doing business there is risky, and staying sane amid all the hubbub is nothing less than miraculous. New York is also dangerous -- physically dangerous. True, the...Read More»