News On The Web

DRUNK or DROWSY?	Posted: Dec 29, 2004
AAA-Study finds many police officers mistake tired drivers for drunk drivers.

Nation's highways to be a doozy over holiday weekends, experts warn	Posted: Dec 27, 2004
GHSA-"These two long weekends will mean more concentrated travel. So, expect crowded roads, increased delays and risky driving behavior," AAA President Robert Darbelnet said.

Serving notice for serving minors	Posted: Dec 8, 2004
Bismarck Tribune-A dozen students from local high schools and colleges proved to local law enforcement Friday that it's easy for minors to buy alcohol in the area.

Gov't Targets Drugged Driving Among Teens	Posted: Dec 6, 2004
AAA-Many teen drivers believe it's less dangerous to drive after smoking marijuana than after drinking alcohol, a perception the government wants to change.

New Data Show Rising Safety Belt Use Rates in Most States	Posted: Dec 2, 2004
NHTSA-"It’s no coincidence that as safety belt use reaches record levels that we are seeing record low fatality rates," Secretary Mineta said. "We will keep up the pressure because we still have too many Americans dying on our roads and too many Americans not wearing their safety belts."

Nearly 1 in 3 Recall Vehicles Not Repaired	Posted: Dec 1, 2004
National News Wire-Timothy Michaud died last May after falling from the tailgate of a Chevrolet pickup and suffering severe head injuries. The 19-year-old from Maine never knew that General Motors Corp. had recalled the pickup two months earlier because the tailgate cables could corrode and snap.

Safety Experts Doubt Benefits Of Driver's Ed	Posted: Nov 22, 2004
AAA-"Driver's education programs don't lead to crash reduction," said Allan Williams. "As it's currently configured, driver's education might make a difference in the first six months of driving," said Jeffrey W. Runge, administrator of NHTSA. "But after that, it doesn't matter much."

U.S. agrees to global standard to improve auto safety	Posted: Nov 17, 2004
detnews.com-The United States and 21 other countries have agreed to adopt a tougher standard for vehicle door latches, a first step toward what American officials hope will be global auto safety standards.

Seat Tests Find Poor Whiplash Prevention	Posted: Nov 15, 2004
Yahoo News-More than half of car seats do a poor job of preventing whiplash injury because of the way they are built, according to tests by the insurance industry.

Osha/NHTSA Unveil Seatbelt Campaign Initiative for Federal Employees	Posted: Nov 12, 2004
AAA-"Every Belt-Every Ride" emphasizes the importance of wearing a seatbelt no matter which seat is occupied during travel on public business in government vehicles, private automobiles, taxis or other moving motor vehicles.

Safety Advocates Warn of Collapsing Front Car Seats	Posted: Nov 11, 2004
ABC-Stephanie Collins' 7-year-old daughter, Chrystal, was killed when the front seat of her Ford Escort collapsed backward in a rear-impact crash. Chrystal is one of a number of people killed each year by faulty front car seats that give way in car accidents.

Safety group seeks tire expiration date	Posted: Nov 8, 2004
detnews.com-A consumer safety group is petitioning the federal government to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for car and truck tires, citing 50 crashes resulting in 37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear and tear.

Stability Control Systems Can Save Lives	Posted: Nov 3, 2004
AAA-Stability control systems could save up to 7,000 lives each year if they were standard equipment on all vehicles, according to a study by the insurance industry.

Speeding becomes too acceptable	Posted: Nov 1, 2004
GHSA-Last year alone speed was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes nationwide.

Waking Up To Drowsy-Driving Danger	Posted: Oct 20, 2004
CBS-The Sleep Foundation's 2002 Sleep in America poll also showed that 20 percent of drivers, or about 32 million people, admit to having actually fallen asleep while driving in 2002. Many of them must live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

NHTSA ILLEGAL LIGHTING CRACKDOWN CONTINUES	Posted: Oct 19, 2004
NHTSA-Companies that sell, import or manufacture non-compliant equipment could face substantial civil penalties, NHTSA said.

Chrysler recalling 955,000 minivans	Posted: Oct 19, 2004
AAA-Chrysler Group is recalling 955,000 minivans because an electrical problem could cause the driver's side air bag to fail.

Distracted driver fixes don't work	Posted: Oct 19, 2004
GHSA-A growing body of research suggests that using a cell phone while driving is a serious safety problem — even if a driver’s hands are on the steering wheel.

Car crash prompts reminder	Posted: Oct 8, 2004
AAA-The serious injury of two young St. Paul girls over the weekend when the driver of a stolen van hit their father's car prompted safety experts on Monday to remind parents to use child restraints every time children travel in a car.

3 Million Traffic Deaths and Growing	Posted: Oct 7, 2004
saferoads.org-At the current level of reported annual fatalities, the U.S. will suffer 4 million traffic deaths in this century. Increasing seat belt use, designing safer vehicles to prevent rollovers and roof crush, reducing impaired driving and improving truck safety would all reap tremendous lifesaving benefits.

U.S. keeping crash data secret	Posted: Oct 4, 2004
AAA-NHTSA says it will hold off indefinitely on releasing the information while the lawsuit by the country's largest tire makers is argued and decided, which could take months, if not years. Consumer advocates have been clamoring for the public release of such data since the 2000 Ford-Firestone rollover debacle.

Fargo to begin sobriety checkpoints	Posted: Oct 1, 2004
In-Forum-Starting this month, Fargo will become the first in the state to begin conducting regular sobriety checkpoints as part of an ongoing, stepped-up DUI enforcement plan.

'Crash Course' in Collision Prevention and Preparation, Now Available	Posted: Sep 28, 2004
AAA-Traffic collisions are at an all time high with around 20 million each year. At the same time, however, drivers are grossly uneducated regarding collision procedures. This program is available free-of-charge in every public library that responded to this free offer. Check out this article!!

Booster Seat Use Low Among Young Children	Posted: Sep 24, 2004
NHTSA-"This survey supports what our crash statistics imply, that children are at unnecessary risk of being injured in crashes because they are either in the wrong restraint for their size, or worse, totally unrestrained," Dr. Runge said.

These are fast times	Posted: Sep 22, 2004
GHSA-Speeding, a common crime on the nations highways committed by people who consider themselves safe drivers, is a rising cause of death in the United States. Although it receives less attention than drunken driving, it kills more people.

Minnesota trooper writes 205 mph speeding ticket	Posted: Sep 22, 2004
USATODAY-The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license — and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.

U.S. seat belt usage continues to climb	Posted: Sep 21, 2004
GHSA-Seat belt usage among American motorists continues to rise, with a record number of people buckling up in 2004, federal officials said Thursday.

CONGRESS COULD INCREASE SEAT BELT USE MORE RAPIDLY BY PASSING A NATIONAL SEAT BELT LAW	Posted: Sep 17, 2004
Saferoads.org-While we welcome today's news about an increase to 80% in national seat belt use, much more needs to be and can be done to push seat belt use over the 90 percentile mark. The sad fact is that 29 states still do not allow primary enforcement of their seat belt laws, and states that do have the stronger law demonstrate higher average belt use.

NHTSA Announces New Measure To Enhance the Safety of Power Window Switches For the Protection of Children in Passenger Vehicles	Posted: Sep 16, 2004
NHTSA-The regulation will prohibit non-recessed "rocker" or "toggle" switches that can be unintentionally activated by a small child playing in a car. Most manufacturers are expected to comply with the new rule through the use of recessed switches, or "pull up-push down" switches that must be lifted to close the window.

Smarter Cars Are Safer Cars	Posted: Sep 15, 2004
Business Week Online-A wide range of different technologies are heading to market with one aim: To make driving a lot less death-defying or even dangerous

Alcohol arrests high over weekend	Posted: Sep 13, 2004
In-Forum-Fargo police had a busy weekend in their crackdown against drinking and driving and other alcohol-related offenses.

Not everyone's a safe driver	Posted: Sep 10, 2004
Memphis Business Journal-Police have 24 different ways to identify an impaired driver, but the chance of a drunk driver being pulled over is still only 1-in-720.

Driving out death	Posted: Sep 2, 2004
americancityandcounty-Local governments are struggling to find ways to curb the fatality rates on rural roads. It may be surprising that more people die in rural road accidents than on urban highways, but what may be more unsettling is how little money is directed at addressing the problem.

A Deadly Year, Another Plan for Teen Drivers

Posted: Sep 1, 2004

AAA-Two Douglas County officials who have witnessed too many teen traffic deaths on their roads convinced Colorado lawmakers Thursday that tougher laws are needed. Members of the Transportation Legislation Review Committee gave preliminary approval to drafting a bill for the 2005 session that would bar a minor from driving with other minors in a vehicle for six months after he or she gets a driver's license.

Drunken Driving Deaths Drop	Posted: Aug 26, 2004
CBS-Drunken driving deaths fell in all but one of 13 states targeted by a campaign that includes money for ads and enforcement efforts to get drinkers off the road, the government said Wednesday.

Alcohol-related fatalities declined significantly in 2003	Posted: Aug 26, 2004
NHTSA-"Tougher impaired driving laws, and the enforcement of those laws by tens of thousands of dedicated police officers across the country, are saving hundreds of lives nationwide, said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D.

An SUV's design matters in determining safety	Posted: Aug 16, 2004
AAA-If you're thinking of buying a sport-utility vehicle in hopes of keeping you or your family safer, you'd better make your selection very carefully.

Seat belts, sobriety laws send road death rate to record low	Posted: Aug 11, 2004
USA TODAY-The number of people killed in car crashes in 2003 was 1.48 for every 100 million miles traveled. But while the ratio of deaths to miles traveled is low, the number of people killed in traffic accidents in 2003 — 42,643 — was higher than it has been in almost every year since 1990.

DOT Announces Historic Low Highway Fatality Rate in 2003	Posted: Aug 11, 2004
NHTSA-The fatality rate on the nation’s highways in 2003 was the lowest since record keeping began 29 years ago. The number of crash-related injuries also dropped to a historic low in 2003.

NHTSA Completes 2004 Model Year Rollover Testing	Posted: Aug 9, 2004
NHTSA-The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced rollover ratings for the remainder of its 2004 test series. The agency also unveiled an enhanced scoring system that will provide consumers with valuable new rollover information.

DVD: Don't View while you Drive	Posted: Aug 9, 2004
GHSA-An Alaska carpenter is on trial this week on second-degree murder charges, accused of killing a couple in a head-on collision because he was watching a movie on his DVD player instead of keeping his eyes on the road.

NHTSA Reminds Parents Not to Leave Children Unattended in Vehicles	Posted: Aug 2, 2004
NHTSA-Young children trapped in a hot, closed vehicle are at particularly great risk on a day that is sunny or humid. Even when the temperature is as mild as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, a closed vehicle can heat to levels that are dangerous for children within a short span of time.

MMUCC: Improving Crash Data for Safer Roadways	Posted: Jul 29, 2004
MMUCC-The consistent crash data provided by the MMUCC guidelines plays a vital role in the work of professionals in highway safety, law enforcement, traffic records, injury prevention, traffic engineering and planning, emergency medicine, and others who share a stake in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities.

MMUCC Web Site Launch Completes Update of Voluntary Crash Data Guidelines	Posted: Jul 29, 2004
GHSA-A newly redesigned web site for the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC) voluntary crash data guidelines goes online on Monday, July 26. The site gives visitors instant access to the MMUCC data elements, web-based training and background information.

Driving becomes more treacherous after dark	Posted: Jul 23, 2004
AAA-The National Safety Council has come up with the following list of recommended steps to make driving in the dark more safe.

Child Deaths Spike from Vehicle Backovers and Power Windows	Posted: Jul 22, 2004
Consumers Union-Child safety advocates KIDS AND CARS today released new statistics that show a sharp increase in the number of children killed and injured in backover and power window incidents and CONSUMERS UNION released a poll showing 8 in 10 Americans want more car-safety regulations to protect children.

Woman injured in Fargo crash	Posted: Jul 21, 2004
In-Forum- A woman was severely injured Tuesday afternoon when her car collided with a gravel truck and started on fire in south Fargo. Howard Euneau ran from his home on the corner with his fire extinguisher to help put out the flames. Euneau said he keeps a fire extinguisher in his garage because there have been a number of accidents at that corner.

NHTSA Publishes List of May 2004 Recalls	Posted: Jul 20, 2004
NHTSA-NHTSA said it is publicizing the recalls to alert consumers about safety problems and encourages them to take action.

Poll Shows Near Unanimous Public Support For U.S. Government Action to Improve Vehicle Safety Standards	Posted: Jul 16, 2004
saferoads.org-The Harris Poll found that 84 percent of the American public, including 8 of 10 SUV owners, favor the U.S. government requiring manufacturers to make all motor vehicles, including SUVs, more stable and less likely to rollover in crashes.

Road Debris Can Be Fatal	Posted: Jul 15, 2004
CBS-Last month, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a study on vehicle-related road debris. The study revealed that it caused 25,000 accidents - and nearly 100 deaths - each year.

Traffic Deaths Hit 13-Year High	Posted: Jul 13, 2004
AAA-With highway fatalities hitting a 13-year high and rollover crashes on the rise in 2003, nine of ten Americans say they support the federal government setting stronger uniform auto safety standards, according to a new Lou Harris Poll released today.

Motorcycle Deaths Rise	Posted: Jul 8, 2004
AAA-The increase has sparked new debate about helmet laws, and enthusiasts are urging a new study about accidents.

Troopers have a busy July Fourth weekend	Posted: Jul 7, 2004
In-Forum-North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers handed out 1,408 tickets over the July Fourth holiday period, up 375 from last year.

All U.S. States Now Have .08 BAC Laws	Posted: Jul 6, 2004
NHTSA-"We now have a law of the land. The message is clear: nationwide, there is no room on our roads for drinking and driving," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.

More States Are Prohibiting Use of Handheld Cell Phones on the Road	Posted: Jul 5, 2004
ABCNEWS-"Handheld cell phone bans actually make the situation worse," said Barbara Harsha of the Governors Highway Safety Association. "People are going to think that they're safer than they are. They're going to engage in more conversations and perhaps get in more crashes."

Lake country DWI patrols cracking down	Posted: Jun 30, 2004
In-Forum-If you drink and drive in Minnesota lake country during the Fourth of July weekend, chances are good we'll catch you, police say.

$47.8 Million In Incentive Grants to 47 States for .08 BAC Laws	Posted: Jun 28, 2004
NHTSA-U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced incentive grants totaling $47.8 million to 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for improving highway safety by lowering the legal threshold for impaired driving to .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Study: Most road-debris accidents can be prevented	Posted: Jun 24, 2004
AAA-Panic shoots through the stomach of a driver who suddenly encounters something in the road that shouldn't be there. Smack! Road debris causes up to 25,000 crashes and 90 deaths per year nationwide, according to a study released last week by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

NHTSA Proposes Requirements For Voluntarily Installed Event Data Recorders	Posted: Jun 23, 2004
NHTSA- NHTSA today proposed standard requirements for Event Data Recorders (EDR) that manufacturers choose to install in light vehicles. EDRs are in most new vehicles and are already providing valuable safety information for our crash investigators and researchers.

Study: Cameras don't curb wrecks	Posted: Jun 16, 2004
www.news-record.com-"At a minimum, we can say that there is no evidence that the (red-light camera) program is decreasing accidents," the researchers, Mark Burkey and Kofi Obeng of A&T's Transportation Institute, concluded earlier this month in an addendum to a study delivered to the city in November.

Most vehicles get average grade on rollover tests	Posted: Jun 10, 2004
AAA-The Mazda RX-8 sports car was the only vehicle to earn five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which means the risk is less than 10 percent the car will roll over in a single-car crash.

NHTSA Repeats Rollover Warning to Users of 15-Passenger Vans	Posted: Jun 8, 2004
NHTSA-The newly released NHTSA research reinforces the fact that 15-passenger vans have a rollover risk that increases dramatically as the number of occupants increases to full capacity.

Parents getting the message on booster seats	Posted: Jun 7, 2004
AAA-The increase in the use of booster seats - which help position seat belts at the proper place - coincides with public safety campaigns encouraging their use, and laws in 26 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, that require their use up to a certain age or weight.

Troopers hands out fewer tickets over holiday weekend than last year	Posted: Jun 4, 2004
Grand Forks Herald-The North Dakota Highway Patrol issued fewer citations than last year to drivers over the Memorial Day weekend, but drunken driving arrests were up.

States Planning Intensive Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign	Posted: Jun 2, 2004
GHSA-GHSA members are planning an intensive "Click it or Ticket" seat belt enforcement campaign May 24-June 6.

Zero tolerance for drivers with unbuckled children will be enforced	Posted: Jun 1, 2004
Valley City Times-The Valley City Police Department and Barnes County Sheriff Department are joining more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide in making sure that adults and teenagers wear their safety belts, and that young children are properly restrained.

Federal Traffic Agency to Rate Head Protection in Tougher Side Crash Test	Posted: May 12, 2004
AAA-The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will unveil tougher side-impact standards Wednesday that could mean fewer vehicles will receive the government's highest ratings.

New safety devices embrace drivers before crashes	Posted: May 10, 2004
freep.com-Smart seat belts tighten almost a full second before a crash, instead of reacting once an accident occurs.

U.S. Road Deaths Rise 0.9% in 2003, Most Since 1990	Posted: May 2, 2004
GHSA-U.S. traffic deaths rose for the second year in a row to the most since 1990, as more people died in accidents involving motorcycles and sport-utility vehicles, a federal agency said.

DOT Releases Preliminary Estimates Of 2003 Highway Fatalities	Posted: Apr 29, 2004
NHTSA-Injuries from motor vehicle crashes declined slightly in 2003, to the lowest levels since such data have been kept, according to preliminary estimates. The report on fatalities is mixed, however, with 43,220 deaths overall on the nation’s highways in 2003, up slightly from 42,815 in 2002.

Crash-test results give bad news to drivers	Posted: Apr 27, 2004
AAA-In a car crash, what you don't know can kill you. On the other hand, a careful choice of vehicles and equipment just might save your life.

Seat Belts Called Faulty in Rollovers	Posted: Apr 26, 2004
AAA-Safety belts are inadequate to protect motorists during rollover crashes, the auto safety group Public Citizen said yesterday, calling for Congress to require new standards for driver and passenger restraints.

Are you a distracted driver?	Posted: Apr 22, 2004
postherald.com-In addition to cell phones, drivers now have a range of high-tech diversions called telematics, including satellite radio, television and navigation systems, electronic datebooks and on-board computers. All this on top of classic distractions such as grooming, eating, drinking and dealing with squabbling kids in the back seat.

12 of 15 Midsize Cars Fail New Side-impact Test	Posted: Apr 21, 2004
AAA-Twelve of fifteen sedans failed the new test, which involves a barrier shaped like the front end of an SUV ''T-boning'' the side of the vehicle at a 90-degree angle going 31 miles per hour.

$33 Million in Federal Grants to States	Posted: Apr 20, 2004
NHTSA-"These grants will be used by states to address our key concerns of safety belt usage and impaired driving, which are key to improving safety on America’s highways," said Secretary Mineta.

Watch Your Side	Posted: Apr 19, 2004
ABC-Twelve midsize sedans earned the lowest safety rating from the insurance industry in crash tests designed to show what happens when pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles hit cars in the side.

Road construction is underway in North Dakota; work zone speed limits to be strictly enforced	Posted: Apr 15, 2004
NDDOT-A new state law went into affect last August that doubles the minimum fine for speeding through a work zone from $40 to $80. To assist in keeping construction and maintenance workers safe on the job, the North Dakota Highway Patrol will once again keep an eye out for motorists who choose to speed through construction zones.

Many Parents Flunk Car Safety When It Comes to Kids	Posted: Apr 12, 2004
AAA-Why are parents so apparently indifferent when it comes to simple devices that can protect their children from injury and death in cars?

Work zones safety target	Posted: Apr 9, 2004
Fargo Forum-The North Dakota Department of Transportation will spend about 50 percent more this year on overtime pay for state troopers to crack down on drivers speeding in work zones, officials said Thursday in Fargo.

Tech Help For Drowsy Drivers	Posted: Apr 8, 2004
CBS-Employing a small camera, speed sensor and warning buzzer, the system is designed to alert drivers of unintentional movement out of a designated traffic lane.

Special license plate for DUI convicts?	Posted: Apr 8, 2004
GHSA-Born of frustration stemming from a nationwide failure to substantially reduce DUI-related fatalities, Arizona has joined a national trend toward considering innovative but unproven strategies to combat highway carnage.

Traffic Safety Focus of Global Campaign	Posted: Apr 5, 2004
ABC-Officials Hope Focus on Traffic Safety Will Reduce the 1.2 Million Deaths Worldwide.

Online Screening for Your Alcohol Awareness Month Activities	Posted: Apr 1, 2004
jointogether.org-April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and many communities employ screening for alcohol problems as an effective strategy for raising public awareness about risky and dependent drinking.

NHTSA Presents Awards for Safety Accomplishments	Posted: Mar 30, 2004
NHTSA-NHTSA presents awards for Public Service to 13 individuals and organizations exemplifying high standards of achievement in the field of traffic safety.

Lawmakers should finish the job they started after the Ford/Firestone tragedy	Posted: Mar 26, 2004
saferoads.org-Safety advocates today highlighted 10 top safety provisions in pending legislation and called for Congress to pass them.

'Ambitious goal' set on reducing road deaths	Posted: Mar 24, 2004
usatoday-Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is pushing an ambitious plan to cut the rate of traffic deaths by a third over the next four years.

Crash puts focus on distracted driving	Posted: Mar 23, 2004
GHSA-Drivers, eager to wring as much productivity out of their time on the road as possible, distract themselves with phone calls, eating and other chores that steal their concentration from where it belongs -- on the road.

Risk Reduced If All Car Occupants Buckle Up	Posted: Mar 22, 2004
AAA-The risk of dying in a car crash is lowest when all occupants of a vehicle use seat belts or child safety seats, according to a study in the Jan. 21 Journal of the American Medical Association.

Congress May Tackle 'Drugged Driving'	Posted: Mar 18, 2004
GHSA-Citing estimates that 11 million people sometimes drive under the influence of illegal drugs, a growing chorus in Congress wants the government to do something about it.

We can make roads safer for seniors	Posted: Mar 11, 2004
GHSA-One option would be to allow seniors to take specially designed driving courses, and, as an award, many states offer insurance discounts to those seniors who take the courses.

High-Tech Brake System Helps Drivers	Posted: Mar 8, 2004
yahoo news-Drivers in cars with high-tech systems that apply the brakes to individual wheels maintained much better control of their vehicles in difficult driving situations, according a study conducted at a government lab.

Toddlers Face Injury Risk in Shield-Type Car Seats	Posted: Mar 8, 2004
AAA-Small children placed in booster seats with padded pop-down restraint bars risk being ejected from the seats or suffering a serious chest injury in a crash.

Speeding can be a quick way to find trouble	Posted: Mar 3, 2004
GHSA-Speeding was considered a contributing factor in 30 percent of fatal crashes in 2001, when 12,850 lives were lost nationwide in speed-related accidents, which cost the economy .4 billion per year.

Authorities blame slick roads for fatal crash near Air Force base	Posted: Feb 27, 2004
Bismarck Tribune-An icy, slushy highway contributed to a two-car collision near the Grand Forks Air Force Base that killed one woman and injured four others, the Highway Patrol said.

Ignition breathalyzers latest trend in the fight against drunk driving	Posted: Feb 26, 2004
AAA- A recent trend in the fight against drunk driving in the United States has been the installation of ignition interlock devices in the cars of repeat offenders.

Debris Slices Car, Critically Injures Passenger	Posted: Feb 24, 2004
AAA-While it often damages cars, debris can become dangerous if it hits a windshield or if drivers try to avoid it by swerving.

National Alcohol Screening Day announced	Posted: Feb 21, 2004
nationalalcoholscreeningday.org-National Alcohol Screening Day will be held April 8, 2004, during Alcohol Awareness Month. Register to get your kit by March 29, 2004.

DRIVING: Precaution urged for SUVs	Posted: Feb 19, 2004
AAA-Sporty, powerful and, in some cases intimidating, SUVs have a much greater chance of rolling over in an accident than a typical four-door sedan.

Seniors Said More Likely to Be in Crashes	Posted: Feb 18, 2004
ABC-Drivers in their late 50s and early 60s are among the safest on the roads, but motorists who reach retirement age are much more apt to get into an accident, a AAA study finds.

NHTSA Launches New Campaign to Promote Booster Seat Use	Posted: Feb 17, 2004
NHTSA-Child restraint use is up, but improper use of these safety devices continues to be high, and that's why NHTSA is launching a new campaign to get parents to use the seats and use them correctly.

Getting a move on speed enforcement	Posted: Feb 16, 2004
GHSA-Kill a person while you are driving drunk and you probably will get a stiff prison sentence. But if you're a habitual speeder who jokes about breaking traffic laws, you probably will walk away from a fatal crash with a light sentence.

CALL FOR PASSAGE OF NATIONAL SEAT BELT LEGISLATION	Posted: Feb 13, 2004
saferoads.org-The measure, sponsored by Senators Warner and Clinton, urges each state to enact a primary enforcement seat belt law or raise its seat belt use rate to 90 percent.

Speeding not getting attention it once did	Posted: Feb 12, 2004
GHSA-State and city police have recently had ticket blitzes to nail motorists not wearing their seat belts. While the primary killer on our highways -- speeding -- has become the neglected stepchild.

Feds: No Wee Ones In Front Seat!	Posted: Feb 11, 2004
CBS-Adults regularly put millions of young children at risk by letting them ride in the front seats of vehicles or not using car seats properly, according to two new safety studies.

Safe and Sound	Posted: Feb 10, 2004
AAA-Since she became an inspector in 1991, Ann Athey has seen well-meaning parents make the same mistakes when installing child-safety seats.

Child Safety Seats Can Be Reused after Minor Crash	Posted: Feb 9, 2004
NHTSA-Following a review of research on child safety seat performance,NHTSA revised its advice to parents and caregivers to allow reuse of the seats following a minor crash.

Speeding excessively should be a felony	Posted: Feb 6, 2004
GHSA-The Issue: The state Legislature is considering a bill that would make it a felony to drive 30 mph or more above the posted speed limit.

Value of crash test questioned	Posted: Feb 5, 2004
USATODAY-Occupants in vehicles rated good are three times less likely to die if they hit a vehicle that is rated poor in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash test. But occupants of vehicles rated anything other than poor have about the same survival chances.

Proper use of restraints can reduce toll of vehicle crashes	Posted: Feb 5, 2004
AAA-Car crashes are the number one cause of death and injury for children from ages 4 to 14 years. Making a bad situation worse is the fact that more than half of the children who die in car crashes are completely unrestrained.

Survey Finds Widespread Misuse Of Air Bag On-Off Switches in Pickups	Posted: Feb 4, 2004
NHTSA-Air bag switches are often misused, needlessly endangering children and depriving adults of life-saving protection, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey has found.

Authorities say speeding serious, but manageable	Posted: Feb 2, 2004
GHSA-A national highway safety group is calling for speeding to get the same federal treatment "belts and booze" have gotten, but local police generally aren't seeing it as a burning issue.

States driving to strengthen teen road rules	Posted: Jan 29, 2004
GHSA-Berger is one of dozens of state lawmakers across the country who thinks the answer to reducing thousands of teen traffic deaths each year is to strengthen restrictions on inexperienced, novice drivers.

Ford tests ways to keep drivers from dozing off	Posted: Jan 28, 2004
USATODAY-Ford (F) and its Volvo subsidiary are using the simulator to study how sleepy drivers react and to try out technology that one day could help keep them from going off the road or slamming into another vehicle.

Deadly Projectiles	Posted: Jan 26, 2004
ABC-With more than 6 million car accidents a year, you may be surprised to learn that one of the biggest dangers you face in an accident doesn't come from outside your car.

Boosting Awareness Of Booster Seat Safety	Posted: Jan 23, 2004
AAA-An all-out effort has been launched to save lives by getting more children ages 4 to 8 into booster seats.

'Back Seat Bullet'	Posted: Jan 22, 2004
CBS-An occupant of a motor vehicle is killed every 13 minutes and injured every nine seconds in collisions, according to the latest research on seat belt use in America.

Seat belts key for every passenger's safety	Posted: Jan 21, 2004
MSNBC-"A car occupant could be killed if struck by another occupant who was catapulted forward, backward, or sideways in a crash," wrote study authors Peter Cummings and Frederick Rivara in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Groups, States Target Distracted Drivers	Posted: Jan 20, 2004
GHSA-The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that driver distraction is a contributing cause of 20 to 30 percent of all motor vehicle crashes, amounting to 1.2 million accidents a year.

Saturation Patrols And Sobriety Checkpoints	Posted: Jan 19, 2004
AAA-Alcohol-related crashes continue to increase. Government figures show that in 2002, U.S. alcohol-related traffic deaths reached their highest level in 12 years and represent 42% of all traffic fatalities.

Judge: Drunk driver must carry victim's photo	Posted: Jan 14, 2004
CNN-A woman who was drunk when she killed a man in a head-on collision must carry a photograph of the teacher in his coffin as part of her five years of probation, a judge ruled.

New DOT Data Show Rising Safety Belt Use Rates in Most States	Posted: Jan 12, 2004
NHTSA-Forty states plus the District of Columbia achieved higher safety belt use rates in 2003 than the year before, according to a new statistical analysis released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Study Shows Deadly Gaps in State Road Safety Laws	Posted: Jan 12, 2004
AAA-Advocates Urge States to Enact 16 Laws to Curb Rise in US Traffic Deaths

Survey shows lawmakers unlikely to ban cell phone use by drivers	Posted: Jan 12, 2004
GHSA-South Dakota lawmakers have little interest in banning the use of cell phones by drivers in moving vehicles, according to a survey by The Associated Press.

Sudden impact: Drunk driving	Posted: Jan 5, 2004
MSNBC-Revealing look at how far-reaching and devastating these crashes are for everyone involved

News On The Web 2003:

Data show little change in DUI rates	Posted: Dec 22, 2003
GHSA-Alcohol-related traffic death rates increased or held steady in 19 states between 1998 and 2002, according to new federal data suggesting that efforts to curb drunken driving have reached a plateau.

New 'smart' highways could warn drivers of trouble	Posted: Dec 18, 2003
CNN-Federal regulators approved a step Wednesday toward developing smart highways, where warning signals automatically transmitted to drivers can prevent traffic accidents.

Distracted driver bill revamped	Posted: Dec 17, 2003
GHSA-Get off the cell phone, drop that doughnut and put your hands back on the steering wheel.

If eyelids get heavy or head nods, it's time to pull over	Posted: Dec 16, 2003
AAA-You're entering the third hour of a five-hour trip driving along the interstate. Your head suddenly dips and jerks back. Your mind begins to drift. Your eyelids feel heavy. All of these are sure signs that the sandman is calling, and it's time to get off the road -- fast.

Driver Rehab Keeps Seniors Safe	Posted: Dec 15, 2003
CBS-In six decades of driving fire engines and other vehicles, Richard Blanchard never had an accident. But his spotless record didn't stop his wife from telling him, at age 74, that he should consider giving up his keys.

There's a reason bikers are decked out in leather	Posted: Dec 12, 2003
AAA-Because bikers aren't in the protective cocoon of an automobile, they require clothing that offers greater protection from sun, wind, rain, cold, heat and, in the worst case, an accident. Here's some advice on what a motorcyclist should wear, from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and Ron Shepard, chairman of the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators...

DOT's Call to Enact National Primary Seat Belt Laws	Posted: Dec 11, 2003
saferoads.org-Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) hails U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Secretary Norman Mineta's call to state legislators to pass primary seat belt laws in every state.

Smart assistant will cut driver distraction	Posted: Dec 10, 2003
New Scientist- smart assistant is being developed to help drivers cope with the increasing number of electronic devices in cars. When complete, the assistant will decide when it is too dangerous for a driver to be disturbed, and will divert phone calls to voicemail, hide arriving emails and lock the controls of the satellite navigation system and CD player.

Detroit steering a model safe-driving plan	Posted: Dec 9, 2003
GHSA-The results are getting national attention: In the year since completion, injury crashes at 30 corners on busy Woodward Avenue, for example, dropped 4 percent for drivers ages 25 to 64 and 35 percent for drivers 65 and older.

States strengthen efforts to curb dangerous drivers	Posted: Dec 8, 2003
AAA-States and activist groups across the country are intensifying their efforts to get dangerous drivers off the road and help older motorists drive more safely.

State will be scrutinized for poor safety-belt use	Posted: Dec 8, 2003
AAA-The Bush administration's top highway official on Thursday told more than 600 transportation professionals Maine's low ranking in use of car safety belts will bring the state under increased federal scrutiny.

More Needed To Brake Drunk Drivers	Posted: Dec 3, 2003
CBS-Efforts to curb drunken driving, which have stalled in recent years, need to be jump-started, the government's top highway safety official says.

Scranton teen-ager shares advice from difficult lesson	Posted: Dec 2, 2003
Dickinson Press-Hillary Caron’s story begins where it could have ended.

Police to toughen stance on seat belts	Posted: Nov 25, 2003
AAA-Police nationwide will be cracking down through the Thanksgiving holiday on people who break the law by not fastening their seat belts, a coalition of auto safety groups announced Monday.

Report: More Bleed From Speed	Posted: Nov 25, 2003
CBS-High speed limits are to blame for nearly 1,900 extra highway deaths over a three-year period, according to a report released Monday.

New Jersey cracks down on drowsy driving	Posted: Nov 21, 2003
GHSA-New Jersey lawmakers and highway safety advocates hope the state’s new “drowsy driving” law – the first in the nation -- will be a wake-up call to drivers who hit the road when they’re tired and cause more than 100,000 accidents per year nationwide.

South Dakotans examine cell phone use	Posted: Nov 21, 2003
GHSA-Ask South Dakotans who use cell phones while driving and many will sheepishly tell you about close calls in traffic. Ask if they'd like a law that bans cell phone use by motorists and many will adamantly tell you no.

In a teen's trauma a lesson for others	Posted: Nov 19, 2003
AAA-Parents have a natural tendency to want to shield young children from the evening news. Coverage of the arraignment of 19-year-old Michelle Sullivan in Ipswich District Court should have been required viewing for every teenager.

Every Move You Make	Posted: Nov 18, 2003
TheFeature.com-There's no one on the road and you're free to put the pedal to the metal. After all, no one is looking, right? Wrong.

Weak Seat Belt Laws Cost Lives	Posted: Nov 17, 2003
CBS-A private safety group estimates that more than 12,000 people died from 1995 through 2002 because their states lacked laws that allow police to ticket motorists solely for failing to buckle up.

DWI laws hit language barrier	Posted: Nov 14, 2003
newsobserver.com-Officer Mike Inguanta had Pineda perform the usual battery of sobriety tests, which the 27-year-old Chapel Hill man failed miserably. On Oct. 31, a judge found Pineda not guilty of all charges.

Fighting Fatigue	Posted: Nov 13, 2003
TFHRC-To improve the safety of the transportation system, multimodal partnerships within USDOT are addressing problems caused by sleep deprivation.

Rumbling Toward Safety	Posted: Nov 13, 2003
TFHRC-Michigan study finds that the most severe run-off crash is the drift-off and that rumble strip design and placement significantly reduce these crashes.

US Dot: Proposed New Rail Car Reflector Rule Will Enhance Safety	Posted: Nov 11, 2003
AAA-A proposed rule to enhance safety by establishing specific requirements for the placement of reflective material on freight railcars was announced today by Federal Railroad Administrator Allan Rutter.

SLOW YIELD ON RED	Posted: Nov 10, 2003
Governing.com-Surveillance cameras at traffic lights are saving lives, but opponents are finding new issues to raise against them.

High-tech pedestrian protection	Posted: Nov 6, 2003
AAA-Motorists on Butterfield Road just north of Route 45 in Mundelein can no longer say they didn't see pedestrians crossing.

Aging drivers can reassess their changing abilities	Posted: Nov 4, 2003
GHSA-The Driver Safety course, usually held in two four-hour sessions, includes a lot of self-assessment, Swope says. Age-related changes can lead to changes in driving abilities. Vision, hearing, perception, the ability to concentrate and motor skills can decline with age. Medications and interactions with alcohol or even over-the-counter medications can affect abilities.

AAA Texas Offers Tips for a Safe Halloween	Posted: Oct 31, 2003
AAA-Children are four times more likely to be hit and killed by an automobile on Halloween than any other night of the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Building a Safer Driver	Posted: Oct 23, 2003
AAA-Technologies that watch for veering, tailgating, and dozing are nearing showrooms. A prototype dashboard camera watches for the heavy blinks of drowsy drivers. Air bags notwithstanding, auto safety is stuck in neutral.

NHTSA Announces New Rollover Test	Posted: Oct 22, 2003
NHTSA-Beginning with the 2004 model year, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will enhance its current rollover ratings system with the addition of a dynamic track test, the agency said today.

U.S. Study Calls SUV Safety Into Question	Posted: Oct 21, 2003
AAA-Mid-size sport utility vehicles are nine times as likely as passenger cars to be involved in fatal rollover crashes and twice as likely to kill the occupants of other vehicles in crashes, a government study says.

Government Should Rethink Seat Belt Regs	Posted: Oct 20, 2003
AAA-The government should scrap regulations that limit how long seat belt warning systems can chime to warn motorists to buckle up, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences released Tuesday.

Bismarck man dies in Century Avenue car crash	Posted: Oct 16, 2003
Bismarck Tribune-A 78-year-old Bismarck man died Wednesday night when the minivan he was driving was struck by another vehicle in a north Bismarck intersection, police said.

Preliminary findings point to alcohol poisoning in U-Mary death	Posted: Oct 15, 2003
Bismarck Tribune-U-Mary freshman Dusten Gailey, of Green River, Wyo., died early Sunday morning after being discovered unconscious on the floor of his dormitory room on campus. Separately, another U-Mary football player remains in critical condition in a Minot hospital after a car crash near Leeds that occurred at about the same time Gailey was pronounced dead.

Why experienced drivers make mistakes on the road	Posted: Oct 9, 2003
AAA-Motorists who spend a lot of time driving might gather a lot of experience, but they also make a lot of mistakes.

Drunk-Driving Reforms Stir Safety Debates	Posted: Oct 7, 2003
GHSA-After a radical transformation of the nation's drunk-driving laws in recent years, a new battle is shaping up over just how the federal government can reduce some of the roughly 17,000 highway deaths every year that involve alcohol.

Feds Teach Hispanics on Seat Belt Safety	Posted: Oct 6, 2003
ABC-While child safety-seat use in general is at an all-time high, the message to keep kids buckled up has not taken hold in Hispanic communities, where cultural differences and lack of understanding about seat belt laws are leading to higher death rates.

Driving game promotes vehicle official considers unsafe for teens	Posted: Oct 6, 2003
AAA-A video game that promotes better driving skills for teens also promotes a vehicle that a top federal safety official considers unsafe for younger drivers.

Driving Game Instructs Teens, Refreshes Parents	Posted: Oct 3, 2003
AAA-An interactive video game designed to give teenagers some driving lessons debuted Tuesday on the Internet. Roadreadyteens.org reinforces some key lessons that parents not accustomed to being driving instructors might be missing.

AAA Encourages Motorists To Prepare Now for Safe Winter Driving	Posted: Oct 2, 2003
AAA-Motorists who prepare now for the onset of colder weather will increase their safety during the winter-driving season.

One arrested during checkpoint	Posted: Oct 2, 2003
Dickinson Press-One arrest was made and eight citations were issued this weekend as a result of the sobriety checkpoint conducted for vehicles on Dickinson’s East Business Loop.

Older Kids More at Risk in Car Crashes	Posted: Oct 1, 2003
AAA-Children who have outgrown car safety seats are more likely than infants to die in automobile accidents because adults let them ride without seat belts in the front seat, according to a report released Monday.

Some Kids Still Don't Buckle Up	Posted: Sep 30, 2003
CBS-Children who have outgrown car safety seats are more likely than infants to die in automobile accidents because adults let them ride without seat belts in the front seat, according to a report released Monday.

'How am I driving?' Not well enough	Posted: Sep 29, 2003
GHSA-Manslaughter case against congressman is unusual, but running stop signs isn't.

Red-light cameras draw AAA criticism	Posted: Sep 26, 2003
GHSA-Cameras designed to catch drivers running red lights are unfair money-making tools for local governments, AAA Mid-Atlantic has charged.

Cars' whiplash protection improves	Posted: Sep 25, 2003
CNN-Head restraints in new cars are far more effective than they used to be, according to an insurance group studying highway safety, but it warns more improvement is needed to protect against neck injury to drivers and passengers.

Offenders tagged with DUI stickers	Posted: Sep 25, 2003
PensacolaNewsJournal-An Escambia County judge is using a dose of public shame to help keep drunken drivers off the roads.

Driver's Ed Gets an 'F'	Posted: Sep 24, 2003
ABC-After examining data from more than 20 studies on driver education, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found driver's education for experienced motorists offers little benefit. The lone exception: courses for those just learning to drive who are being taught the basics.

States trying to shift the decline in driver's education	Posted: Sep 23, 2003
GHSA-The long decline of driver's ed may be ending. Some states, prodded by a growing coalition of public school instructors and safety groups, are rethinking the way teens learn the rules of the road.

Effective Teen Driving Laws Worth Keeping	Posted: Sep 22, 2003
AAA-Georgia's teen driving laws have been stunningly effective since the passage of the initial legislation in 1997. The number of teen driving deaths immediately dropped and remains well below pre-law levels.

The Snoop in Your Coupe	Posted: Sep 18, 2003
AAA-On a freeway north of Los Angeles, as Ryan Evans's sleek 1998 Honda Accord coupe speeds above 70 mph, the black box tucked under his front passenger seat grumbles a grating noise, warning the 18-year-old that he's going too fast.

Some say bad drivers simply don't know regulations	Posted: Sep 17, 2003
AAA-"There are too many people that simply do not have a clue as to what the rules of the road are," says Macon's Don Johstono who, at 76, has been dealing with bad drivers for about 62 years.

Millions Have Driven on Drugs, U.S. Says	Posted: Sep 17, 2003
ABC-An estimated 11 million Americans, including nearly one in five 21-year-olds, have driven while under the influence of illegal drugs, the government says.

Rain after dry spell leads to crashes	Posted: Sep 16, 2003
AccuWeather.com-Driving on a rainy day isn’t necessarily more deadly than dry days — unless that rainy day comes after a prolonged dry spell, according to a new analysis of traffic fatalities and precipitation records for 25 years.

Alcohol advertisers to help keep messages from kids	Posted: Sep 13, 2003
GHSA-Beer and distilled spirits industries responded to two government reports on alcohol marketing released Tuesday by announcing tighter standards on how and where they advertise.

DOT starts building crash center	Posted: Sep 13, 2003
FCW.com-The Transportation Department broke ground today for a crash-test facility that will feature advanced computer programs used to simulate traffic accidents.

Culbertson teen dies from Aug. 31 accident	Posted: Sep 11, 2003
Williston Herald-Landon A. Park, 17, of Culbertson, Mont. died Saturday in a Billings, Mont. hospital as a result of a one-vehicle rollover east of Culbertson, early Aug. 31.

Teens Driving Teens To School Sporting Events Unsafe

Posted: Sep 10, 2003

AAA-On the afternoon of April 15, about 17 miles from school, a 1998 Ford Explorer carrying Daniel and three other high school golfers swerved off the shoulder on a country road, cut back across the lanes into an embankment and tumbled the length of a football field. It came to rest on all four tires in the middle of a cow pasture. A police report estimated the SUV was traveling 75 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Survey: Millions of drug users, but few get help	Posted: Sep 6, 2003
CNN-About 22 million people in the United States abused or were dependent on alcohol, drugs or both last year, but only a fraction received treatment, the government said Friday.

Is There A "Distracted-Driver" Personality Type?	Posted: Sep 6, 2003
AAA-Attention all safety professionals who have employees out on the roads: People who use cell phones when driving are more likely to be distracted from the road even when they are not talking on a phone.

Real World Driver Program Promotes Top 4 Safe Driving Skills	Posted: Sep 4, 2003
GHSA-As millions of teenagers head back to school this month, the Ford Motor Company and the Governors Highway Safety Association are focusing on the issue of safe teen driving by promoting their Real World Driver: Driving Skills for Life program to principals of every public high school in the country (20,000).

'In Your Face' Ads Make Roads Safer	Posted: Sep 3, 2003
GHSA-High-profile paid advertising campaigns earlier this year are credited with a dramatic increase in seat belt use and a decrease in drunken driving arrests in Arizona.

Crashes Revive 'Too Old' Debate	Posted: Sep 2, 2003
CBS-A pair of unrelated car crashes involving drivers in their 80s has killed a couple in Minnesota and injured four pedestrians in California, one critically.

New DUI Law Takes Effect Right Away	Posted: Aug 31, 2003
Bismarck Tribune-North Dakota's newly lowered 0.08 percent blood-alcohol limit for driving took effect immediately after a referendum campaign against the measure failed, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said Thursday.

Lunchtime cocktails, lack of sleep seem to increase chance of car accident	Posted: Aug 29, 2003
AAA-People driving automobiles should be advised to skip the cocktails at lunch, especially if they are sleep deprived, a new study published in the August issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Effort to block new drunken-driving law fails	Posted: Aug 28, 2003
Bismarck Tribune-An effort to stop North Dakota's new drunken driving law has fallen 65 names short of making it onto the statewide ballot, Secretary of State Al Jaeger says.

Alcohol-related traffic deaths down in N.D.	Posted: Aug 28, 2003
Bismarck Tribune-Fatal car crashes in the state caused by drunken drivers are substantially down from past years.

Safety Advocates Say Advanced Air Bags Cannot Fully Protect Children	Posted: Aug 27, 2003
ABC-Safety advocates are praising smart air bags, which turn themselves off or deploy softly if they sense a driver or passenger is too small. But they say it's still a lot smarter for drivers to put small passengers in the back seat.

Study: Driver gawking worse than talking	Posted: Aug 27, 2003
GHSA-While a growing number of states crack down on motorists talking on cell phones, a panel of safety experts at the Governors Highway Safety Association's annual meeting in New Orleans said other distractions may be more of a problem.

Petitions Turned In On New DUI Law	Posted: Aug 27, 2003
Bismarck Tribune-Opponents of changing North Dakota's drunken driving law turned in referendum petitions late Tuesday in a final attempt to block the state's legal blood-alcohol threshold from dropping to 0.08 percent.

Seat Belts More Popular Than Ever	Posted: Aug 25, 2003
CBS-The clicking of seat belt buckles is an increasingly common sound as American motorists take to the road, the federal government reported Monday.

States Try to Battle Aggressive Driving	Posted: Aug 23, 2003
Tuscaloosa News-With traffic deaths at their highest level in 12 years, states nationwide are cracking down on all types of aggressive drivers, from illegal street racers to tailgating commuters.