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Study: Americans who consider drunk driving ‘a serious threat’ declines 21% in 3 years

Filed under: Safety

The

Alternate titles for this story could have been “American drivers growing stupider,” “Number of boneheads on the road increases,” “Natural selection having greater influence on American drivers.” We don’t mean to make light of the latest study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, but it’s so darn disturbing that we aren’t really sure what else to do.

AAA compiled the results of three years of surveys, and found that Americans aren’t nearly as concerned about seriously bad behaviors while driving as they were a few years ago. It’s no wonder there was an estimated 5.3-percent increase in annual traffic fatalities last year. The infuriating thing is that we’ve gone seven years without an increase in fatalities.

In 2009, 90 percent of the AAA survey respondents thought drunk driving was a “serious threat.” 71 percent were opposed to drowsy driving. 87 percent considered working a smartphone while behind the wheel to be a bad thing, while 21 percent admitted to texting while driving. 77 percent took issue with people that ran red lights.

Fast-forward to 2012, and we’re going to see a rather radical shift in feelings. Only 69 percent of people find drinking and driving to be an issue, while 46 percent are opposed to drowsy driving. 81 percent think a smartphone and driving don’t mix, while 26 percent have texted while behind the wheel. Also baffling, 70 percent of people are against running red lights, with over a third admitting to flying through a red in the past month. For those that don’t feel like looking at the paragraph above for comparison, fewer people are concerned with bad behind-the-wheel behaviors.

Take a look below for the full press release on the AAA study, and please, please be safe behind the wheel.

Continue reading Americans who consider drunk driving ‘a serious threat’ declines 21% in 3 years

Americans who consider drunk driving ‘a serious threat’ declines 21% in 3 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Acura press kit causes bomb threat near Automobile magazine offices

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

Acura Emblem

Thanks to one very suspicious-looking press kit from Acura, the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan had a bit of a bomb scare on its hands this afternoon. The Japanese automaker sent a special-edition package to our friends at Automobile magazine in conjunction with the release of Thor. That kit happened to find its way into a recycling bin outside of the publication’s Michigan office. A stand-up citizen reported what they thought was a bomb, which resulted in the evacuation of parts of down town.

A helicopter was reportedly called in to provide an eye in the sky for a few hours as well.

We can’t blame the authorities for taking action. The Automobile offices are situated directly across the street from a Federal building, and with the ne’er-do-wells of the world plotting revenge for the termination of the nefarious Osama bin Laden, a little caution is more than warranted.

As of the time of writing, everything had returned to normal around the Automobile enclave. For a look at the kit itself, head over to The Car Connection.

Acura press kit causes bomb threat near Automobile magazine offices originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 May 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How being fat and old is the newest threat to auto safety

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology

Erwin Wurm 'Fat Car'

There’s no easy way to say this, America: You’re getting fatter and older every year. Over a quarter of the population is obese, and the rate of obesity increases 0.5 percent each year. The amount of folks aged 65 and up currently stands at 40 million, but that number will increase to nearly 90 million by 2050. What does any of this have to do with automobiles? A lot – if you’re a safety engineer.

The systems that help keep us safe during a crash will need to be redesigned to cope with our ever-increasing mass and aging bodies. Seatbelts and airbags are being developed that can work with the larger, older occupants of future vehicles. Adaptive airbags and load-limited seatbelts will better conform to the person sitting in the seat.

As we travel down the road to our Wall-E style future, it’s comforting to know that today’s engineers are working to protect tomorrow’s driving population. The solution to our weight problem is, of course, to battle the ever-expanding waistlines found throughout our nation. That, however, is easier said than done. Let’s just hope that the four-wheeled products that result don’t resemble sculptor Erwin Wurm’s ‘fat car’ series, as shown above.

Now if you’ll excuse us, a 20-piece Chicken McNugget meal is calling from the kitchen. Oof, that’s an awfully far walk for our aging bones, though.

[Source: Ward’s Auto | Image: Dorotheum]

How being fat and old is the newest threat to auto safety originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World’s Most Popular Car Color: Silver under threat from Black

Filed under: Etc.

2010 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Study

2010 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Study – Click above for high-res image gallery

DuPont has rolled out its annual Automotive Color Popularity Report, and it looks like the long-reigning king may be under threat from a new foe. Silver held the most popular color title for seven years until 2007, when it was dethroned by the likes of white and white metallic. That trend carried over for 2008, but in 2009, silver took its place in the spotlight once again. Now it looks like black may be staging a comeback. This year, of all the cars sold around the world, 26 percent went home with a silver paint job, but 24 percent rolled out of the factory with a black coat of shiny.

Meanwhile, white, white pearl and grey soaked up just 16 percent of all cars sold in 2010. Dupont says that black’s popularity is largely propelled by the color’s success in markets outside of the U.S., where noir doesn’t quite have the same swagger as elsewhere. In fact, here in North America, white retained its popularity with a three percent lead over black and a four-percent jump over silver.

And what about the least popular color of the year? That one goes to yellow and gold, with just 1 percent of all new vehicles swaddled in the color of sunshine and the 70’s. Hit the jump for the full press release. Hat tip to Brent!

Gallery: 2010 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Study

[Source: Dupont]

Continue reading World’s Most Popular Car Color: Silver under threat from Black

World’s Most Popular Car Color: Silver under threat from Black originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles

Filed under: Government/Legal, Earnings/Financials

Can Governments Afford To Incentivise Electric Cars?

Exxon Mobile gas station

Live in the right part of California and work for the right company and you might be able to buy the new Nissan Leaf for as little as $12,500, as Autoblog has reported, due to the raft of incentives that are available for buyers of the little battery car and other high-mileage, low-emission products.

In recent years, lawmakers have been racing to come up with incentives designed to encourage motorists to migrate to clean, efficient vehicles. It’s a clearly noble effort, but one that deserves a closer look in an era of fiscal restraint.

Several states are looking at a more direct form of taxation: a per-mile usage fee on battery-based vehicles.

The feds, and most states offering such incentives, have put caps on their zero-emission incentive programs, and most will vanish by mid-decade. But, ironically, if these programs do what they’re intended to, the fiscal impact could be felt for years to come. It turns out that going green could plunge state and federal balance sheets into the red.

The short-term costs are already potentially significant. At the federal level, a $7,500 tax credit could drain billions of dollars a year out of the Treasury if major automakers come even close to their battery car sales targets by mid-decade.

Such cash incentives – along with other perks, such as access to California’s HOV lanes – are designed to motivate the move to vehicles like the Leaf and the new Chevrolet Volt. Once momentum starts building, these givebacks can be phased out, proponents contend. But they’re missing a big part of the picture.

Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com, and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.

Continue reading How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles

How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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