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[AAA: Young drivers more likely to drive drowsy]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/12/aaa-young-drivers-more-likely-to-drive-drowsy/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/12/aaa-young-drivers-more-likely-to-drive-drowsy/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/12/aaa-young-drivers-more-likely-to-drive-drowsy/#commentsFiled under: ,

Teen driver pulled over by police officer at night

Wake-y, wake-y... hit the brake-y! This is the National Sleep Foundation's Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has completed a new survey with data indicating that one in seven drivers between 16 and 24 have admitted to falling asleep while behind the wheel at least once in the last year alone. That's a lot more drowsy driving compared to only 1 in 10 of all drivers who said they nodded off while driving.

While most people surveyed said sleepy drivers are a threat to public safety, at least 30 percent also admit they have recently driven while being tired enough that they struggled to keep their eyes open.

"Unfortunately, most drivers underestimate the risks associated with drowsy driving and overestimate their ability to deal with it - that's a dangerous combination," says AAA Foundation President & CEO Peter Kissinger.

"Research shows that fatigue impairs safe driving, with many symptoms causing drivers to behave in ways similar to those who are intoxicated," said AAA President & CEO Robert Darbelnet in the same press release.

Think you're a better driver than those folks? The list of things that constitute drowsy driving include not noticing traffic signs, driving past your intended street/exit, difficulty keeping your eyes open, yawning frequently, lane drifting and daydreaming.

AAA has a few suggestions to help you stay awake. Get plenty sleep the night before a long trip, avoid traveling whey you usually sleep, take a break every two hours and travel with someone who can take a turn driving.

Read the press release below for more signs of drowsy driving and how to prevent it.

Continue reading AAA: Young drivers more likely to drive drowsy

AAA: Young drivers more likely to drive drowsy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aaaamerican automobile associationdistracted drivingdriver safetydriving fatiguedrowsydrowsy drivingsleepysleepy driversteen driversteenage driverstraffic safetyMon, 12 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20375602/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/11/12/aaa-young-drivers-more-likely-to-drive-drowsy/20375602/article-detail.xml 20375602 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/teen-driver-with-policeman_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/teen-driver-with-policeman.jpg <![CDATA[Teen girls twice as likely to use cell phones while driving as teen boys]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/26/teen-girls-twice-as-likely-to-use-cell-phones-while-driving-as-t/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/26/teen-girls-twice-as-likely-to-use-cell-phones-while-driving-as-t/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/26/teen-girls-twice-as-likely-to-use-cell-phones-while-driving-as-t/#commentsFiled under: ,

Crazed teen girl behind the wheel

Research by the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety has revealed teenage girls are twice as likely as their male counterparts to use devices like cell phones while driving. The study used video taken of young drivers while they were behind the wheel to determine how teenagers engage in distracted driving. While talking on the phone and texting ranked among the highest sources of distraction, personal grooming and reaching for objects in the vehicle also played significant roles. Outside of using electronic devices, AAA found teens were distracted around 15 percent of the time while behind the wheel.

Girls were also found to be 10 percent more likely than their male counterparts to be engaged in other distracted driving activities. AAA found the young ladies to be 50 percent more likely to attempt to reach for something in the vehicle and 25 percent more like to eat while operating a vehicle.

Of course, driving with passengers in the vehicle also contributed to distraction, while having a parent or adult in the vehicle caused rates of distracting behavior to fall off. Shocking stuff we know. Hit the jump for the full AAA press release.

Continue reading Teen girls twice as likely to use cell phones while driving as teen boys

Teen girls twice as likely to use cell phones while driving as teen boys originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aaaaaa foundation for traffic safetydistracted drivingstudyteen driversteenage driversteenage girlsteenagersMon, 26 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20201039/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/03/26/teen-girls-twice-as-likely-to-use-cell-phones-while-driving-as-t/20201039/article-detail.xml 20201039 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/crazed-teen-girl-driver_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/03/crazed-teen-girl-driver.jpg <![CDATA[AAA study says teen drivers kill others more than they kill themselves]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/03/aaa-study-says-teen-drivers-kill-others-more-than-they-kill-them/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/03/aaa-study-says-teen-drivers-kill-others-more-than-they-kill-them/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/03/aaa-study-says-teen-drivers-kill-others-more-than-they-kill-them/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Teenage drivers are dangerous, that's no revelation. AAA has analyzed the last decade of crash data by its AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and found that while deadly crashes are down overall, teenage drivers are still at least twice as lethal to other people as they are to themselves.

While measures such as graduated licensing and improved driver training have brought down fatalities, more could still be done. Passengers in cars driven by teens continue to fare the worst, while other drivers, pedestrians and other non-motorists are also victims. The statistics certainly make parents contemplate carting around their progeny indefinitely, as AAA says that 49 states could beef up their graduated licensing programs. Add to the discussion the dismal state of driver training and the level of distraction many drivers (not just teens) inflict upon themselves while piloting 3,000-pound projectiles, and you might also start seriously considering telecommuting. Check out the official press release from AAA after the jump.

[Source: AAA | Photo by djuggler | CC2.0]

Continue reading AAA study says teen drivers kill others more than they kill themselves

AAA study says teen drivers kill others more than they kill themselves originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aaa teenage driver safetyAaaTeenageDriverSafetyaccident statisticsAccidentStatisticsteen driverteen driver accidentsteen driver fatalteen driversteen drivers licenseteen drivingteen driving fatalteen driving safetyteenage driverteenage driver accidentsteenage driver fatalteenage driversteenage drivingteenage driving fatalteenage driving safetyTeenageDriverTeenageDriverAccidentsTeenageDriverFatalTeenageDriversTeenageDrivingTeenageDrivingFatalTeenageDrivingSafetyTeenDriverTeenDriverAccidentsTeenDriverFatalTeenDriversTeenDriversLicenseTeenDrivingTeenDrivingFatalTeenDrivingSafetyTue, 03 Mar 2009 17:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1474894/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/03/03/aaa-study-says-teen-drivers-kill-others-more-than-they-kill-them/1474894/article-detail.xml 1474894 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/2612835735_01b50099f7_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/2612835735_01b50099f7_opt.jpg <![CDATA[Tougher teenage driving laws: pros and cons]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/07/tougher-teenage-driving-laws-pros-and-cons/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/07/tougher-teenage-driving-laws-pros-and-cons/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/07/tougher-teenage-driving-laws-pros-and-cons/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report this week that indicated states with the toughest laws governing teenage driving reduced death rates for 16 year olds by up to 21% while states with less restrictive laws reduced by up to 11%. A study from John Hopkins University states the following provisions have the greatest impact among teen survivability:
  • Age requirements for learner permits, intermediate and full driver's licenses.
  • Supervised driving of hours of 30 or more.
  • Passenger restrictions while teen is driving.
  • Three-month waiting period for teen to obtain their intermediate license.
  • Night-time driving restrictions.
"We already knew that the programs reduced crash rates of young drivers," says John Hopkins professor Susan Baker and lead author of the above study, 'but we didn't know which programs were most effective." Currently 19 states have all the listed provisions on the books.

Supporters for tougher teenage driving laws, which includes the current head of the NHTSA, point to the report and the Hopkins study in the hope that other states will reevaluate their current regulations. But states with high numbers of farming communities most likely will resist such provisions, especially those raising the legal driving age to 17. The National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) also opposes such regulation on civil rights grounds. States NYRA director Alex Koroknay-Palicz says, "to have driving stripped away from young people is discriminating."

[Source: USA Today]

Tougher teenage driving laws: pros and cons originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jul 2006 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>driver's licenseJohn Hopkins UniversityNational Youth Rights AssociationNHTSAstate lawteenage driversTeenageDriversFri, 07 Jul 2006 14:02:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/640410/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/07/07/tougher-teenage-driving-laws-pros-and-cons/640410/article-detail.xml 640410 http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/07/teen-driver-with-license_thumbnail.jpg http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/07/teen-driver-with-license.jpg -1 2