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It would probably be easier for researchers to change tracks and start telling us what doesn't cause cancer or obesity or car accidents. Latest on the list of automotive smash-up causes, according to a study by UK insurer Swiftcover, are drivers leaving their fog lights on in good visibility. The numbers are brazen, with Swiftcover attributing "as many as 300,000" accidents and two million near misses in the last 12 months "caused by drivers leaving fog lights on in the same period."

The UK highway code prohibits driving with one's fog lights on in conditions with visibility greater than 100 meters. Swiftcover's study says the lights dazzle other drivers, especially in London where 50 percent of incidents were registered, and that this applies to both front and rear fog lights.

Follow the jump for a press release on the study and a link to the Highway Code if you need a refresher.

Town Car may be a nameplate still associated with Lincoln, but as any New Yorker will tell you, it's also a class of car and its application: large domestic luxury sedans used as chartered taxi cabs preferred by executives and highly valued professionals to get from one meeting to the next through Manhattan's notorious traffic. It's a market Lincoln itself is keen to retain, but with the demise of the Town Car as a model, it's pitching the MKT crossover for the application. Cadillac, however, is going with the XTS.

The top-end GM marque's new flagship sedan will be presented on February 13 at the upcoming International LCT (Limousine, Charter and Tour) Show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There, Cadillac will showcase the XTS W20 Livery Sedan Package, paving the way for extended-wheelbase and even sedan chassis to be made available sometime later this year.

So will Cadillac finally be able to leapfrog past longtime rival Lincoln in this vital market? Will the XTS prove the ultimate successor to the Town Car? Follow the jump for the full press release and cast your vote in the poll below.

This year Mopar is celebrating 75 years since its name – a combination of MOtor and PARts – was first trademarked. During that time, Mopar has evolved to become synonymous with performance parts for Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, as well as amp'd-up specialty package vehicles, vehicle service and maintenance, and add Fiat to the long list of Chrysler Group brands it supports since the Italian automaker took part ownership in the smallest of Detroit's Big 3.

Anniversaries usually come with presents, and Mopar is bring four to show and share at the Chicago Auto Show next month. The first, and only one that will be sold turn-key, is the '12 Mopar 300, which becomes the brand's third factory-built model for modern times following the '10 Mopar Challenger and '11 Mopar Charger. While offering no more power than a standard 5.7-liter V8-equipped 300, the '12 Mopar does benefit from a new final-drive ratio of 3.91:1 that drops its 0-60 time in the low five-second range, as well as a significantly stiffer suspension, grippier tires and brake system upgrades.

Then there's the exterior. If the plague's preferred method of transmission were by car, this would be its ride. It is the Black Death on wheels, which themselves are 20-inch, 8-spoke forged aluminum rollers painted Gloss Black with Mopar center caps. We especially like the tasteful blue striping that appears across the '12 Mopar's sides and around its rims. While we've yet to see it, Mopar says the interior is equally void of light save for accents of Mopar Blue.

Only 500 of these '12 Mopar 300 models will be built and sold this summer for the price of $49,700, which includes destination charges. Each one will also come with a special box of goodies that includes Mopar-branded key fobs and merch; proof of the vehicle's exact manufacture date and number built; and a sketch of the car signed by its designer.

Follow the jump for three more anniversary models from Mopar.

Last year was a good one for Harley-Davidson. According to Asphalt and Rubber, the American bike manufacturer saw its sales increase by 5.9 percent globally compared to 2010. Sales in the U.S., meanwhile, were up 5.8 percent. All told, Harley-Davidson managed to move 235,188 units last year, with 151,683 of those heading to owners in the States. Those figures mean the manufacturer managed to post a net income of $105.6 million last year. By contrast, during the fourth quarter of 2010 the company saw a net loss of $46.7 million.

The global recession hadn't been kind to the company. With a model line designed to cater to the wealthy and their lust for toys, Harley-Davidson suddenly saw itself posting yearly losses. Those at the helm sold off MV Agusta and pulled the plug on Buell all together in an effort to keep Harley-Davidson up right.

Those moves seem to have helped. The company posted $4.6 billion in revenue last year, which marks an increase of 11.6 percent over 2010.

For 15 years, McLaren was the F1 team of choice for Mercedes-Benz, enjoying a near-works level of support and collaboration from the German automaker. But as you may recall, Daimler bought its own team three seasons ago: the outfit that started out as British American Racing, then became Honda before branching out as Brawn GP, was rebranded Mercedes GP under its latest management and now rechristened Mercedes AMG Petronas. And ever since, McLaren has had to deflect speculation that it was looking for a new engine supplier.

Back in November, those rumors, somewhat ironically, centered around Honda, the company that once owned the team now owned by Mercedes-Benz and which was once McLaren's most victorious engine supplier. The Woking-based outfit scuttled those rumors at the time, and has now had to deny another set, this time involving PURE.

The new engine supplier established by former Jacques Villeneuve manager and BAR-Honda team principal Craig Pollock (with considerable technical know-how from former Peugeot, Renault and Ferrari engineers) is hard at work designing a new engine to be used from 2014 when the new turbocharged V6 engine regulations come into effect. There's no telling which teams PURE will power at that point, but one thing McLaren is adamant about is that it won't be theirs.

Instead, the brass at Woking is insistent that it is perfectly happy in its relationship with Mercedes-Benz, whose racing engine operations are linked to its eponymous racing team by little more than name and common ownership. McLaren, then, is expected to stick with Silver Star power at least through the end of 2015, if not longer.

Early last year, Chrysler announced that it would be bringing the Viper back into production, with the brand's performance flagship once again taking its place at the front of the SRT lineup. The next generation Viper won't be unveiled until April at the New York Auto Show, and it looks like Dodge will be doing its best to tease us mercilessly until then with vague sketches of the car. The first has just been posted on the official SRT Facebook page, providing the very first look at the front end of the 2013 Viper. From the silhouette it's hard to really tell what the design will look like, but the overall shape and the hood scoop distinctly remind us of the Viper GTS coupe built from 1996 to 2002.

So, what do we know about the 2013 Viper as of right now? For starters, traction control will be used for the first time in the model's history as mandated by federal law. The powertrain is still unconfirmed, although there are rumors that the V10 could get a bump in displacement to an incredible 8.7 liters.

All of these rumors will be laid to rest come April, but until then we'll just have to settle for the teasers that SRT gives us. We'll be sure to bring you more news on the 2013 Viper as soon as its released, and let us know what you're hoping to see from the new Viper in the Comments.

We've finally come to accept the fact that we'll never be Vaughn Gittin Jr. There can be only one one pure-bred drift hooligan of his caliber on this planet and truth be told, our sideways skills are paltry at best. That doesn't mean we can't pretend, though. Gittin Jr. has teamed up with a smattering of companies to give away five very limited-edition RC cars made up in the image of his sinister Ford Mustang GT drift machine. Only 5,000 of the HPI RC Ford Mustang cars will be produced in total, and Gittin Jr. is giving five of them away to Facebook fans.

To get the word out, Gittin Jr., K&N, Monster Energy and Falken Tire crafted a video demonstrating just what happens when the drifter can't get his hands on the scale Mustang. An epic chase ensues, with the RC car taking a little "How it's Made" tour of the K&N factory. The clip also features a few outtakes worth watching, as well. We won't spoil it for you, but we will say more than one RC car gave its life in the making of the film. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself. If you want to enter the sweepstakes, head over to the K&N Facebook page for more information.

The world would be considerably less entertaining if we could all predict the future. Even so, the classic car gurus at Hagerty Insurance have cast a few chicken bones in an attempt to figure out which vehicles produced today might eventually turn collectible.

The company restricted entrants to hardware with a price tag of less than $100,000, so the list isn't populated with too many wild exotics. While vehicles like the Nissan GT-R Black Edition, Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porsche 911 are low-hanging fruit, the list also featured a few surprises.

For starters, it begins with none other than the mighty Buick Regal GS. Hagerty says the vehicle is a win because it's the first Buick with a manual transmission since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. The Fiat 500 Abarth also makes an appearance alongside an even hotter hatch, the Volkswagen Golf R. Of course, we're simply thrilled to see the sinister Audi TT RS make a showing. Hit the jump for the full list or view each vehicle in our gallery above.

We've driven the new 991-series Porsche 911, and now the next chapter of the new 911 story – the 2013 Turbo – has been caught proving itself in the wintertide climate. Its most important details – the front and rear bumpers and side intakes – remain behind camo, but we now get a look at how the tail sits across the wider rump, and we think it looks quite good.

When it's finally revealed, the new 911 Turbo is expected to put out more than 500 horsepower – numbers from 520 hp to 550 hp have been mentioned – from it's tri-turboed (yes, three turbos) 3.6-liter flat six. Both the seven-speed PDK and seven-speed manual transmissions should be on offer, and the lighter-than-the-last-Turbo package should be screamingly fast. Have a look at the high-res gallery to see it from just about every angle.

How good will the upcoming return of the Acura NSX be? So good, apparently, that despite still being three years out, the supercar has converted well-known Porsche fan Jerry Seinfeld to worship at the altar of the NSX Concept.

Though we wouldn't think the creator and namesake of the hit TV show Seinfeld would need any more money (syndication ftw!), here he is shilling for Acura, obsessed with being first in line for a product that the Japanese automaker isn't expected to begin selling until 2015. Turns out, however, he's not the only comedian with more money than sense who wants an NSX.

Watch the commercial yourself, and help us posit why Acura would spend millions of dollars producing a Super Bowl commercial that doesn't promote any of its currently available products. Couple this commercial with parent company Honda's ad that features Matthew Broderick reprising his role as Ferris Bueller, and we think Honda and company have earned this year's award for spending the most on celebrity talent.

Fear not, Lamborghini fans. According to Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of the brand, the company's vehicles will remain naturally aspirated "for now." Winkelmann recently spoke with Autocar, and said that the Raging Bull will remain turbo-free for at least the remainder of the decade. That means we won't see a forced-induction Lamborghini until 2020 at the earliest. That means that it's crystal-clear that the next-generation Gallardo, set to debut in two years or so, will not show up with a turbocharged engine as its heart.

That's interesting news for a number of reasons. Whispers kicking around the web have suggested that the next Audi R8 will receive a smaller-displacement, forced-induction powerplant in the near future and that Lamborghini would share that lump. According to Winkelman, that's not the case. However, with fuel and emissions standards tightening by the moment, Lamborghini may be forced to abandon massive naturally aspirated engines whether it wants to or not.

Our spy photographers have snagged a few fresh images of the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover as engineers put the SUV through its paces during a little winter testing. The prototype looks identical to the bruiser we say playing around on the Nürburgring last year. Details were scarce then and they remain so now, though this batch of photos show the big Rover's interior for the first time. From the looks of things, the cabin doesn't seem to have received much in the way of an update, though there's no way to tell if this particular tester is fitted with a full production-spec interior.

The next-generation Range Rover is expected to bow with a gently sloping roofline and a more aggressively raked rear window. Word has it that the vehicle will ride on the same underpinnings as the Jaguar XJ, though the luxury utility will likely undergo a serious diet before it debuts. Land Rover has made it clear that reduced mass is a top priority as governments around the world continue to push more aggressive fuel economy and emissions targets.

In September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began a probe of 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty models. Owners were reporting that airbags were deploying when there hadn't been an accident. At the time, there were 39 complaints filed: seven to NHTSA and 32 field reports from Chrysler. Ten of those complaints resulted in injuries.

A report by The Detroit News says the probe has been upgraded – there have now been 87 complaints, with 50 of them resulting in injury. Chrysler hasn't been able to nail down a single cause of, or even a single protocol for the problem; the airbags have deployed on startup and when the car is running – sometimes it's just the driver's side unit and sometimes it's both driver and passenger bags.

There are 386,873 Liberty vehicles included in the probe from those two model years. Chrysler says it is cooperating fully with the investigation and trying to find the source of the issue, with one suggestion being "a transient voltage spike" in a circuit.

Drivers on a stretch of Interstate 75 in Florida found themselves in the midst of a scene from a nightmare early Sunday morning. Fog and smoke from a nearby brush fire combined to significantly reduce visibility, which resulted in a massive pile up just south of Gainesville involving 12 cars and six or seven semi trucks. The collisions began at 3:45AM EST and police have confirmed at least 10 deaths associated with the incident and ensuing vehicle fires. All six lanes of the highway are closed now as investigators work to discern exactly what caused the tragedy.

According to reports, the smoke and fog were still heavy when rescuers arrived, forcing emergency personnel to listen for screams and cries in the darkness. The wreckage was spread over a mile across both sides of the interstate. Around 18 people were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment, though their conditions are unknown at this time.

Authorities had closed the highway earlier in the day due to poor visibility, but later opened the road again when the smoke appeared to have cleared. Follow the jump for a Reuters news report on the incident.