fatalities Archives

Close games lead to higher motorist fatalities

Filed under: Safety

For die-hard sports fans, a home-team win can make the whole week better. But according to a study by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of South Carolina, winning can also be deadly-at least for motorists.

The schools focused on fatal accident rates the cities involved in 271 significant (i.e. playoff, rivalry, etc.) pro and college football and basketball games from 2001 to 2008. Fans were then asked to rank close games, and the results were compared against National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data for those game days. The results were startling; in areas where the winning team team won a close game and had a high number of fans on site (whether at the actual game venue or in the team’s hometown if it was playing on the road), road fatalities increase significantly.

The results don’t show that those involved in these accidents actually watch the games, but they illustrate a pattern of more aggressive road behavior following close games. In fact, prior studies found that fans’ testosterone levels of fans increase with a close win, while the losing team sees no rise. The research shows that alcohol also plays a factor, which comes as no surprise. It’s interesting to note, however, that while some fans on both sides are obviously to partake in a drink (or several) while watching the game, the cities of losing teams didn’t show an increase in fatalities.

The moral of the study might be to stay off the road after your team wins.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Maveric2003/Flickr via CC 2.0]

Close games lead to higher motorist fatalities originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. D.O.T. says 2010 traffic fatalities lowest they’ve ever been

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that traffic deaths in 2010 were the lowest they’ve ever been, falling three percent from 2009’s record low. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projections, traffic fatalities fell from 33,808 in 2009 to 32,708 in 2010.

The Department of Transportation and NHTSA see the news as evidence that their public awareness campaigns, and stricter enforcement of traffic laws nationwide are working. According to NHTSA, traffic fatalities have steadily dropped in the last five years, falling 25 percent since 2005.

Specifically, the DOT and NHTSA cited programs like Over the Limit, Under Arrest, Click-it or Ticket and LaHood’s anti-distracted driving campaign as contributing factors to the drop in fatalities.

The biggest regional drop was in the Pacific Northwest, where fatalities plummeted 12 percent from last year. Arizona, California and Hawaii tied for second, each dropping 11 percent over 2009.

While we applaud most of the campaigns championed by NHTSA and the DOT, we can’t help but think that there are probably some larger factors at work here – namely, that Americans are motoring around in vehicles that are safer than ever before thanks to the proliferation of improved safety systems like stability control. Check out the official press release and associated horn-tooting after the jump.

[Source: NHTSA | Image: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty]

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U.S. D.O.T. says 2010 traffic fatalities lowest they’ve ever been originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Keyless start systems blamed for CO-related fatalities

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Lexus

Toyota Camry Hybrid pushbutton start According to WMGT Channel 41 of Georgia, automakers are facing increasing scrutiny regarding the safety of their keyless start systems. According to the NBC affiliate, there are at least three carbon-dioxide related deaths – one in New York, and a pair in Florida – that are being blamed on the technology.

In one case, the family of a Whitestone, New York man is suing Toyota for his wrongful death. According to an older report from the New York Daily News, the family alleges that on February 27, 2009, Mary Rivera parked her Lexus in the attached garage of the home she shared with Ernest Codelia Jr. and accidentally left the engine running. The next day, Codelia was found dead in his bed of carbon monoxide poisoning while Rivera was discovered unconscious on the bedroom floor. She survived the incident, but suffers from brain damage as a result.

Codelia’s family is alleging that that the keyless ignition system on the Lexus is to blame for the tragedy and that Toyota should have installed a shutdown switch to kill the engine if the vehicle is unoccupied or unmoved after a certain period of time. The lawsuit says that the keyless ignition system violates federal safety standards because owners can leave the vehicle running even with the key fob in their pocket.

It is at this point that we must note that in our experience, Toyota’s keyless ignition mechanism operates in essentially the same manner as every other system used by other automakers, and that cars equipped with the technology are programmed to deliver both audible and visual warnings if the driver attempts to leave the car without first shutting off the engine.

Rivera, meanwhile, has no recollection of leaving the car running, presumably because the engine is so quiet. The family’s lawyer says that she “somehow feels responsible” for the tragedy. Thanks for the tip, Jon!

[Sources: WMGT Channel 41, New York Daily News]

Report: Keyless start systems blamed for CO-related fatalities originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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