DRIVER SAFETY

AAA: 100 Deadliest Days of Teen Driving Begins

May 27, 2015 by admin 1 Comment

Longer and warmer days have more teenagers taking to the road than at any other season. With the increased driving comes an elevated risk of accidents involving teen drivers.

Young drivers are more likely to be involved in a crash than people of any other age group. Moreover, two-thirds of the people injured or killed in an automobile accident involving a teenage driver are individuals other than the teen behind the wheel of a car. These are the findings of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the automobile club’s non-profit charitable educational and research organization.

This week, AAA distributed a news release whereby it calls the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day the “100 Deadliest Days” when teen crash fatalities historically climb. AAA noted that teen drivers are on the road more during the summer than at any other time of the year and that everyone, including other drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, should be aware of their presence.

AAA: Summer of Vigilance

AAA teen driving “Teen crash rates are higher than any other age group, and this data confirm that the impact of their crashes extend well beyond the teen who is behind the wheel,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Since teens drive more during the summer than any other season, this insight is a timely reminder to everyone—drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists— to be mindful when sharing the roads with young drivers.”

The AAA Foundation examined teen driving data from 1994 to 2013, concentrating on drivers aged 15 to 19. Notably, the foundation found that the overall number of teen crashes has fallen, but the percentages of injuries (67 percent) and deaths (66 percent) involved people other than the teen.

Drilling down, the foundation found that approximately 50 percent of all such injuries was for people in another vehicle to just 17 percent of the people in the teen’s car. Furthermore, another 2 percent of the injuries were attributed to pedestrians or bicyclists.

When it comes to deaths, 30 percent of the people killed were in another car while 27 percent were riding in the teen’s vehicle. Nearly 10 percent were either pedestrians or bicyclists.

The foundation noted that in 2013, the last year that complete statistics are available, 220 teen drivers and passengers died in crashes during the summer months, representing a 43 percent spike over the rest of the year. AAA culls its information from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a federal government statistical database.

Reducing the Risk

AAA announced its findings to serve as a reminder to everyone of the inherent risk associated with teen driving in a bid to inform parents as well as to influence policymakers to back legislation to help alleviate the problem.

Indeed, AAA has long been behind the push to have the states enact graduated driver licensing laws and improve driver education programs. The foundation believes that the overall reduction in teen crashes can be attributed to such laws and programs.

Leading Cause of Mortality

The good news here is that injuries and fatalities for crashes involving teenage drivers had fallen dramatically, over the past 20 years. Specifically, injuries fell by 51 percent and deaths by 56 percent across that timespan. That’s part of an overall trend where injuries and deaths involving all motorists fell by 25 percent and 17 percent respectively.

Although the trend is certainly a good one, teens are still more likely to die in a crash than for homicide, suicide, cancer and heart disease. Approximately one-third of teenage deaths are a result of motor vehicle accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coaching Teen Drivers

To help parents coach their children in safe driving practices, AAA has established a parent-teen driving agreement as part of its overall teen learning-to-drive initiative. The AAA’s StartSmart program is also useful in educating parents on how best to coach young drivers.

See Also — Higher Education: Winter Driving School

Yawn! What Drivers Do to Fight Sleepiness.

June 26, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Most methods for combatting sleepiness do not work.

Mile after mile of interstate driving can takes its toll on any driver. Including at night and especially during the early hours of the morning.

A feeling of sleepiness begins to creep in and before you know it your head is moving forward and your arms are relaxing. At this point you are in danger of losing control of your car with deadly results just moments away. Fortunately, your head snaps back just as your car begins to shift lanes, enabling you to regain control of the vehicle and of your senses.

“Yawn” by Phil Campbell is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Drowsy Driving Survey

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that between 2.2 and 2.6 percent of all fatal accidents from 2005 through 2009 were the result of drowsy driving. In 2009 alone, approximately 30,000 people were injured in accidents involving drowsy driving. Another 730 people lost their lives.

The likelihood of such accidents increases over the summer as more people take to the roads. A recent survey conducted by DMEautomotive (DMEa) of 2,000 car owners found that 53 percent of respondents expect to take a road trip this summer with many planning to drive at least seven hours each day. DMEa is an automotive marketing company that serves automobile dealerships and aftermarket companies.

Methods for Combatting Sleepiness

The DMEa survey asked respondents about the methods they used to tackle drowsy driving and found that combatting those feelings with caffeinated beverages, including coffee, is the top method for battling sleepiness while driving. Indeed, some 53 percent of respondents said that they drink a caffeinated beverage to ward off sleepiness.

Tired drivers often choose multiple responses when overtaken by sleepiness. Some 42 percent open a window or a sunroof when tired with nearly just as many choosing to switch drivers. Just over one-third battle fatigue by pulling over and exercising or stretching; a similar number of people inclined to turn up the audio system to help keep them awake.

Only 23 percent pursue an effective response as in pulling off the road to take a nap. Other methods for combating fatigue include eating, singing, listening to talk radio, talking to themselves, slapping their faces, exercising or stretching while driving, smoking or splashing water on their faces.

Ineffective Responses to Sleepiness

Most of the methods, however, do not work. At least not for the long term. Each of the leading methods may provide a temporary solution, but apart from switching drivers or pulling over and taking a nap, those feelings of sleepiness may return.

Mary Sheridan, Director of Research and Analytics for DMEautomotive noted, “This survey reveals a big problem: when people get sleepy on the road, too many take measures that simply don’t work. Most of us do ineffective things like stopping for that third triple-shot cappuccino or slapping water on our face just to keep going. As drivers, we need to heed our drowsiness: and stop and sleep, or let a rested person drive.”

Pull Over and Take a Nap

The DMEa survey also looked at the driving behavior of drivers under 35 years old. They are more likely to be involved in drowsy driving crashes than older drivers and tend to combat their drowsiness with ineffective methods in greater numbers.

Those methods have been disproven through medical and authoritative evidence aggregated by DMEa. For instance, drinking caffeine does not help immediately. Indeed, it takes caffeine 30 minutes to enter the bloodstream after it has been consumed. Instead of drinking coffee, drivers would realize a beneficial energy boost simply by pulling over and napping for 30 minutes.

Opening windows or the sun roof, turning up the air conditioner, or listening to loud music provides no real benefit. Switching drivers is an effective response, but only if the new driver is rested.

Driving no more than two hours before taking a break, napping, and hitting the road with at least seven hours sleep can help combat sleepiness. Even so, driving between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. should be avoided, the time when sleepiness is most likely to overtake you.

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“Yawn” by Phil Campbell is licensed under CC BY 2.0

How is Tech Changing the Lives of Disabled Drivers?

March 3, 2013 by Andrew Tipp 1 Comment

If you have a disability that affects your ability to drive, there are car adaptations available that may make it possible for you to drive safely and with full control over the vehicle.

If you have a notifiable disability you must tell the Department of Motor Vehicles so they can determine whether its safe for you to drive. You may be instructed to have modifications made to your vehicle, in which case an adaptation assessment will be carried out to figure out your needs.

DMV Once given the go-ahead, you may also wish to seek out specialised motability insurance that caters specifically to your needs, although insurers may not be allowed to charge you a higher premium without justifying evidence.

Let’s take a look at the equipment available that enables disabled drivers to take to the road:

Primary Control Adaptations

Primary controls are those that are directly related to driving: steering, accelerating, braking and changing gear.

Steering

Spinners are steering wheel attachments that make it easier for people who can’t grip properly or have weak wrists. They range from mushroom-shaped knobs to frames you can place your hand in. Mini-steering wheels are also available for those with a smaller range of motion.

Joysticks and tillers are steering wheel replacements, both of which require little movement and can be fitted with extra controls for braking and accelerating.

Foot steerers come in the form of turntables or treadles and are for people who are unable to steer using their hands.

Accelerating and Braking

Hand controls for brakes and accelerators can be fitted to the steering wheel, steering wheel column, or on the floor beside the driver, for those who are unable to operate pedals with their feet.

Pedal extensions are useful for those who can’t reach the regular foot pedals, and left-foot accelerators are for those who can’t use their right leg. There are several types of left-foot accelerators available, some of which are removable to allow other drivers to use the vehicle safely.

Honda mobility

Shifting Gears

For those drivers that are unable to change gears using the clutch, a couple of options are available: automatic and semi-automatic transmissions.

Automatic transmissions are something everyone is familiar with as they don’t require you to change gear at all — you just put the car in the mode you need (drive, reverse, park or neutral) and the car will change gears automatically.

Semi-automatic transmissions give greater control over the vehicle. Some allow you to change gear using the gear stick as normal — but without touching the clutch — while others are operated at the push of a button.

Parking Brake

Electronic parking brakes are designed to release automatically as you pull away, while other modifications simply make it easier to operate the brake by hand.

Secondary Control Adaptations

Secondary controls are functions that do not directly drive the vehicle, such as the lights, indicators, horn, windshield wipers, heating and air conditioning.

Simple controls are attachments fitted to the vehicle that allow you to use the current secondary controls. For example, a lever can be fitted that allows you to operate the indicators from the opposite side of the steering wheel.

Buick Enclave

Complex controls are electronic controls designed to be used at the push of a button. They are usually built-in to steering equipment or a separate panel in a convenient location, such as the dashboard or door.

Voice-activated controls are an option if you are not very dexterous or have a limited range of motion.

Other Considerations

Rotating and electronically moveable chairs can be fitted, as can special cushions and harnesses — all of which help disabled people get into a comfortable position more easily.

Many vehicles can be made wheelchair accessible with things such as ramps and hoists, and some even allow disabled people to drive while seated in their wheelchairs.

Satellite navigation, cruise control and parking sensors and cameras are all gadgets designed for the regular driver, but which can be particularly useful to disabled drivers.

Be sure to test any adaptations out before you commit to them — you will need to make sure that they are easy to reach and operate, and that they meet all your needs. You should also take into account whether anyone else will need to drive the vehicle, as you may wish to have removable modifications fitted in this case.

Once you are happy with your choices, have your modifications fitted by a specialist and you will be back on the road — driving safely — in no time.

Photos courtesy the Braun Corporation.