Crashes

It doesn't take much rainfall to increase the risk of a deadly car crash. A study published in the April issue of the American Meteorological Society Bulletin revealed that rain, snow, and ice increase the risk of a deadly crash by 34 percent on average. It's the light rain that drivers should...Read More»

If you feel like news stories of traffic-related deaths have been everywhere recently, it’s not all in your head. In 2016, 37,461 people were killed in crashes on U.S. roads, an increase of 5.6 percent over 2015, which had seen its own increase of 10.5 percent from the year before. A lengthy...Read More»

Three large sedans are among the safest new cars you can buy, according to the IIHS. Three others, including two Detroit mainstays and the Tesla Model S? Not quite as impressive. The insurance industry-funded crash-testing organization bestowed its top award upon certain versions of the 2017...Read More»

On May 7, 2016, Joshua Brown was killed when his Tesla Model S collided with an 18-wheeler in Williston, Florida. News of the fatal accident was accompanied by plenty of speculation about what Brown had been doing at the time of the crash. A newly published, 538-page report from the National...Read More»

Independent testers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV a Top Safety Pick award on Tuesday, a result that included the highest score of "Good" on all crash tests and a "Superior" score for front crash prevention. The agency noted that the Bolt EV was the...Read More»

In January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued some preliminary data on traffic fatalities for the first nine months of 2016. Now, the National Safety Council has released estimates of its own, providing more strong hints that the number of roadway deaths in America rose...Read More»

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»

The past several months have been a roller coaster for Tesla, full of ups (e.g. the debut of the upcoming Model 3) and downs (e.g. ho-hum responses to CEO Elon Musk's "Master Plan Part Deux"). Unfortunately for Tesla fans, it's time for another down moment: the automaker has confirmed another crash...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»

It's a question that's been on our mind for years: when autonomous cars collide, who's at fault? Sadly, the question is no longer hypothetical, but very, very real following the death of a driver using Tesla's Autopilot self-driving system in his 2015 Model S. Less than a year ago, several...Read More»

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation of Tesla and its self-driving Autopilot software in the wake of a driver's death. The fatal collision took place in Williston, Florida on May 7 when a tractor-trailer crossed the path of a 2015 Tesla Model S. Accounts...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»

Yes, we’re getting safer, and road deaths are falling (slightly), both in the U.S. and over a broad group of countries that are working together to improve safety. Yet there’s no resting on laurels here. The projected reduction in U.S. road fatalities is less than a tenth of a percent...Read More»

If you ever seriously wreck a car, you never forget the experience. And it may be the most effective way yet devised to burn into your brain how important seatbelts are to keeping you alive and reducing the injuries you sustain. In 1985, I wrecked my 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit while driving a twisty...Read More»

Today at High Gear Media, we review the 2012 Mazda CX-9 and Mercedes-Benz sells its two millionth SUV. The IIHS announces its findings regarding the Chevy Volt battery pack and there were fewer recalls in 2011. All this and more in today's car news, right here on The Car Connection. General Motors...Read More»