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Allstate to expand Drivewise to help parents keep tabs on teens
Chicago Tribune
With vehicles becoming increasingly connected to other electronics, Allstate Corp. said that later this year it will launch products aimed at parents who want to monitor the driving of their teenagers, a demographic that is traditionally expensive to ...
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GEICO encourages parents to talk safe driving with teens before summer break
Fort Mills Times
Proms, graduations and backyard parties are now underway and more and more teens will be on the road as summer heats up. GEICO recommends that now is the time for parents to talk to their teens about safe driving as summer vacation gets into full swing ...
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Traffic fatalities fall to lowest level since 1949
CNN.com
April 1, 2011 - by Mike M. Ahlers and Jeanne Meserve
The number of traffic fatalities continued its welcomed downward trajectory last year, falling 3% to its lowest levels since 1949, and a 25 percent drop from 2005, according to U.S. Department of Transportation estimates released Friday.
Preliminary figures show that 32,788 people died in traffic accidents last year, down from the 33,808 killed the previous year and significantly below the 43,510 people killed only six years ago, according to the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Experts attribute the change to a variety of reasons, including changes to cars -- such as vehicle rollover protection -- and programs to change driver behavior -- such as campaigns addressing drunk driving, distracted driving and seat belt use. Laws aimed at young people also likely have had an impact, notably older minimum drinking ages and graduated drivers' licenses.
"I think I'm going to take a little bit of credit here on our two years of really hammering on distracted driving," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We're not where we want to be, but we know with good laws and good enforcement, people will put their cell phones down and their Blackberries."
He also gave credit to stricter enforcement of driving laws and drivers taking personal responsibility for their safety.
Traffic fatalities in the United States peaked in 1972, with 54,589 killed, according to the DOT. But the rise and decline of the grim number has numerous peaks and dips, influenced by direct changes such as the national speed limit and indirect causes such as recessions.
In recent history, the most notable change was a 9.7 percent plummet in deaths in 2008. In a report examining that drop, DOT officials gave credit to DOT safety programs, but also noted that the drop coincided with a recession in the economy. The recession, and high unemployment rates among the young workforce, probably had a big impact on travel among young drivers, and it probably accounts for a steep decline in fatalities involving younger people, the DOT said.
The 2010 drop is notable because the decline comes despite an increase in the number of miles driven.
But figures also suggest the downward trend may be at its end. DOT figures show that fatalities declined in the first quarter of the year (down 11.4 percent) and second quarter (down 5 percent) compared for the same quarters the previous year, but increased in the third and fourth quarters, up 1.6 percent and 1.8 percent respectively.
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