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Automated driving systems (ADS) have the potential to fundamentally change transportation, and a growing number of these systems have entered the market and are currently in use on public roadways. However, drivers may not use ADS as intended due to misunderstandings about system capabilities and limitations. Moreover, the real-world use and effects of this novel […]
The continuing evolution of automotive technology aims to deliver even greater safety benefits and automated driving systems (ADS) that — one day — can handle the whole task of driving when we don’t want to or can’t do it ourselves. Fully automated cars and trucks that drive us, instead of us driving them, will become […]
NHTSA has released reports across a spectrum of topics addressing new vehicle technologies. Topics such as the implications of newer cockpit designs on drivers, approaches to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities in modern vehicles, the performance of crash avoidance technologies, and safety applications for communications technology installed on heavy vehicles. NHTSA continues to prioritize vehicle safety research […]
Hundreds of millions of cars on the roads have safety technologies – new and old – that help reduce the risk of crashes and deaths. But even the most advanced safety feature cannot replace a safe, focused driver in the car. The National Safety Council, in partnership with the University of Iowa Public Policy Center, is […]
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today issued a final rule to modernize numerous Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and clarify ambiguities in current occupant protection standards for vehicles equipped with automated driving systems that are designed without traditional manual driver controls. The rule amends several crashworthiness regulations to clarify safety standards for […]
2020 was a year of change in how Americans connect, work, and travel. Many of us are under stress—and understandably so. Unfortunately, the pandemic and the resulting economic dislocations and stay-at-home orders have been accompanied by a sharp increase in risky driving and fatal crashes. Most fatal crashes are linked to risky behavior. If you […]
It is Week 43 of the coronavirus pandemic, and total crash data is showing a decline in Alabama. The number of crashes is similar to pre-COVID-19 levels. The total number of speed-related crashes increased over the four-week period. View Graph This report comes amid reports from other states indicating that their drivers are taking advantage […]
Move Over laws vary by state but generally require motorists to move over a lane or slow down, or both, when approaching emergency response vehicles with flashing lights stopped on the roadside. U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data provide limited information on whether crashes involved violations of these state […]
Ten automakers have fulfilled a voluntary commitment to equip nearly all the new light vehicles they produce for the U.S. market with automatic emergency braking (AEB) — well ahead of the 2022-23 target. The 10 manufacturers put the technology on more than 95 percent of the vehicles they produced between Sept. 1, 2019, and Aug. […]
Marijuana use impairs cognitive abilities necessary for safe driving, including reaction time, road lane–tracking ability, and attention maintenance. In 2018, 45.3% of US residents aged 12 years or older reported having used marijuana in their lifetime; 10.1% were recent users.1 Although US high school seniors reporting driving after using marijuana (DAUM) decreased slightly from 14.6% in […]
