Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[New Year's Day, not St. Patrick's, most deadly on US roads]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/30/new-years-day-not-st-patricks-most-deadly-on-us-roads/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/30/new-years-day-not-st-patricks-most-deadly-on-us-roads/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/30/new-years-day-not-st-patricks-most-deadly-on-us-roads/#commentsFiled under: , ,

2013 parade

Earlier this month, as part of its conclusions to an investigation into wrong-way driving crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommend ignition interlocks for all those convicted of a DUI. That means every first-time offender couldn't start his car until he had satisfied the breathalyzer attached to his ignition. With the nation's deadliest hours for drunk driving approaching, New Year's Day, the American Automobile Association (AAA) has pointed out the dangers of the holiday and voiced support for the NTSB measure.

The AAA says its own study shows that "nearly eight out of ten Americans support requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted DUI offenders, even if it's their first conviction." Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has put the national rate of repeat DUI offenders at 15 percent, but there's a huge variance: in California nearly eight percent of fatal DUI crashes are repeat offenders and DUI recidivism overall was 24 percent in 2007, whereas in New Mexico in 2011 more than 50 percent of fatal DUI crashes are attributed to repeat offenders. Another stat from MADD is that "The average driver drives drunk 87 times before their first arrest."

There are already 17 states that mandate ignition interlock devices for those convicted of DUI, and the NTSB is asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to speed up research into manufacturer-installed interlock devices. It will probably be a while, if ever, before the federal government or the rest of the country follows the lead of those 17 states, but the real point is this: We've made it past the Mayan Apocalypse, so enjoy the new world and be careful behind the wheel come NYE.

Continue reading New Year's Day, not St. Patrick's, most deadly on US roads

New Year's Day, not St. Patrick's, most deadly on US roads originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aaaaccidentamerican automobile associationcrashDriving Under the Influencedriving while intoxicatedduidwifatalitiesignition interlockNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNational Transportation Safety Boardnew years daynew years evenhtsantsbnyetraffic fatalitiesSun, 30 Dec 2012 16:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20412478/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/12/30/new-years-day-not-st-patricks-most-deadly-on-us-roads/20412478/article-detail.xml 20412478 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/2013_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/2013.jpg <![CDATA[PSA: New Year's Day still worst for car thefts]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/28/psa-new-years-day-still-worst-for-car-thefts/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/28/psa-new-years-day-still-worst-for-car-thefts/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/28/psa-new-years-day-still-worst-for-car-thefts/#commentsFiled under: ,

car thiefChristmas day is not just for giving, it's also for not stealing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, December 25th is the day many thieves take a break from stealing cars. Very kind of them, no? But here's the bad news: those thieves are just postponing their nefarious ways for a week. That's right, New Year's Day is the worst holiday for car thefts.

Here's some raw data: 2,760 vehicles were reported stolen in the United States on January 1st, 2009, and 2,189 were stolen on New Year's Eve. Naturally, this year is expected to pretty much follow suit, though the actual number of stolen vehicles is expected to fall for the seventh straight year.

What can you do to combat the problem? Mostly just exercise some common sense. The NCIB recommends the following: parking in well-lit areas, keeping packages in the trunk or out of sight, and making sure your vehicle is locked while it's parked. Or you could just drive an unstealable car... Check out the complete press release after the break.

[Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau | Image: Peter Dazeley/Getty]

Continue reading PSA: New Year's Day still worst for car thefts

PSA: New Year's Day still worst for car thefts originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car theftnew yearsnew years daystolenstolen carstolen carsstolen vehiclesTue, 28 Dec 2010 15:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19779256/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/12/28/psa-new-years-day-still-worst-for-car-thefts/19779256/article-detail.xml 19779256 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/200335931-001-250op_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/200335931-001-250op.jpg <![CDATA[Study: It's actually safer to drive on holidays]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/22/study-its-actually-safer-to-drive-on-holidays/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/22/study-its-actually-safer-to-drive-on-holidays/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/22/study-its-actually-safer-to-drive-on-holidays/#commentsFiled under: ,



We may have one less excuse not to visit the in-laws this holiday season. According to the National Motorists Association and State Farm, driving on the holidays may actually be safer than jumping behind the wheel on a normal day. The insurance agency recently took a look at the number of claims it received on seven separate major U.S. holidays - the Fourth of July, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Easter, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas - and found that on average, those days had 2,350 fewer accidents than non-holidays.

The NMA says that for the majority of the year the average number of claims comes in around 7,435, while the holiday with the most claims - the Fourth of July - netted just 6,031. The figures are without a doubt interesting, but we would be just as interested to see the insurance agency's numbers on the days leading up to and trailing away from major holidays. The majority of people who head away from home typically hit the road just before the actual day of celebration, so we're guessing the number of claims for, say, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving might be higher than the national average.

[Source: National Motorist Association | Image: Scott Olson / Getty Images]

Study: It's actually safer to drive on holidays originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ChristmasEasterfourth of julyFourthOfJulyholiday travelHolidaysHolidayTravelLabor DayLaborDayMemorial DayMemorialDayNew Years DayNewYearsDayState FarmStateFarmThanksgivingThu, 22 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19561325/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/07/22/study-its-actually-safer-to-drive-on-holidays/19561325/article-detail.xml 19561325 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/holiday-travel-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/holiday-travel-630.jpg -1 2