Tag:

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

New Data Shows Change In Number Of Motorists Running Red Lights, AAA Says New Data Shows Change In Number Of Motorists Running Red Lights, AAA Says
New Data Shows Change In Number Of Motorists Running Red Lights, AAA Says A new report from the American Automobile Association found that red-light running and other unsafe driving behaviors have decreased over the past few years. On Thursday, Oct. 28, the association reported the findings from the AAA Foundation's annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, comparing the years 2018 to 2020. Drivers were asked each year to report whether they had engaged in specific unsafe behaviors within the past 30 days. In addition to red-light running decreasing by 18.5 percent from 2018 to 2020, AAA also found that the number of drivers who reported that they had driven&nbs…
Summer Months Can Be Deadly For Teen Drivers, AAA Warns Summer Months Can Be Deadly For Teen Drivers, AAA Warns
Summer Months Can Be Deadly For Teen Drivers, AAA Warns As the summer driving season unofficially kicks off, officials with AAA are cautioning New York parents and teenagers that distracted driving can be fateful as the “100 Deadliest Days” begin. AAA said that June is the "deadliest" month for teen drivers in New York, with the most cases of crashes in any month between 2015 and 2019, according to the University of Connecticut's Crash Data Repository. Nationally, more than 8,300 people died in teen-related summertime crashes between 2008 and 2018, representing more than seven people a day each summer, research from the AAA Foundation for Traff…
Driving High: Newly Released Statistics May Surprise You Driving High: Newly Released Statistics May Surprise You
Driving High: Newly Released Statistics May Surprise You New statistics released about driving while high on marijuana show that Americans may perceive it as less of a concern than other dangerous driving habits. In a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey, seven percent of Americans reported they “approved” of driving after using marijuana. This percentage is higher than the approval rating for other dangerous behaviors like alcohol-impaired driving (1.6 percent), drowsy driving (1.7 percent), and prescription drug-impaired driving (3 percent). This perceived approval is also reflected in the 70 percent of Americans who, according to the s…
100 Deadliest Days Campaign Focuses On Dangers Of Distracted Teen Driving 100 Deadliest Days Campaign Focuses On Dangers Of Distracted Teen Driving
100 Deadliest Days Campaign Focuses On Dangers Of Distracted Teen Driving With Memorial Day in the rearview mirror, AAA is cautioning that the holiday kicked off the “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers on area roadways. Over the past five years, nearly 3,500 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the 100 Deadliest Days - the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day - when the number of crash fatalities involving a teen driver historically rise.  According to AAA, from 2013 through 2017, the major factors contributed to teen crashes during the summer includes speeding (28 percent of incidents); drinking and driving (17 percent) or…
Missing Just 1-2 Hours Sleep Nearly Doubles Crash Risk, AAA Warns Missing Just 1-2 Hours Sleep Nearly Doubles Crash Risk, AAA Warns
Missing Just 1-2 Hours Sleep Nearly Doubles Crash Risk, AAA Warns We all know the dangers of drowsy driving, but a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a nonprofit research and education association, has shown that the hour or two of sleep you missed last night could have a bigger impact on your crash risk than previously thought. The research report was recently reissued in advance of daylight savings time after its initial 2016 release. The lost hour of sleep associated with the time change can cause excessive drowsiness on the road. “You cannot miss sleep and still expect to be able to safely function behind the wheel,” David Yang, ex…
Taking Multiple Medications Can Increase Crash Risk for Older Drivers, AAA Says Taking Multiple Medications Can Increase Crash Risk for Older Drivers, AAA Says
Taking Multiple Medications Can Increase Crash Risk for Older Drivers, AAA Says New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has unveiled the increased accident risk potential for senior drivers taking multiple medications. The report states that almost 50 percent of older adults use seven or more medications while regularly getting behind the wheel. Furthermore, about 20 percent of senior drivers are on medications that ‘generally should be avoided’ as a result of their limited therapeutic benefits and increased harm risk.  These medicines, referred to as potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), include drugs like benzodiazepines and first-gener…
Deadly Combination: Teen Driver Plus Teen Passenger Increase Crash Chance 51 Percent, AAA Says Deadly Combination: Teen Driver Plus Teen Passenger Increase Crash Chance 51 Percent, AAA Says
Deadly Combination: Teen Driver Plus Teen Passenger Increase Crash Chance 51 Percent, AAA Says Teenage passengers may be the biggest threat to teenage drivers, according to a recently released report from AAA. Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that when a teen driver has only teen passengers in their vehicle, the fatality rate for all people involved in a crash increased 51 percent. In comparison, when passengers over the age of 35 ride with a teen driver, overall fatality rates in crashes decreased 8 percent. According to AAA, in 2016, teen drivers were involved in more than a million police-reported crashes resulting in more than 3,200 deaths. Researchers f…
Sound The Alarm: Crashes Spike When Daylight Saving Ends, AAA Says Sound The Alarm: Crashes Spike When Daylight Saving Ends, AAA Says
Sound The Alarm: Crashes Spike When Daylight Saving Ends, AAA Says While many were glad to get an extra hour of sleep due to the end of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, AAA is cautioning that commuters need to be wary of drowsy driving due to the clock shift. Between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. during the evening commute, when the sky turns to twilight, crashes spike by 45 percent in the region, according to AAA, citing the end of Daylight Saving Time. “Even though we feel we’re getting an extra hour of sleep, time changes do affect our internal body clocks,” AAA Northeast spokesperson Fran Mayko said. “So it’s important drivers prepare and make lifestyle adjustments…
Memorial Day Weekend Police Crackdown On Distracted Driving, DWI Starts Memorial Day Weekend Police Crackdown On Distracted Driving, DWI Starts
Memorial Day Weekend Police Crackdown On Distracted Driving, DWI Starts While many will be celebrating an extended Memorial Day Weekend holiday, members of state and local police will be out in force in an effort to curtail impaired and distracted riving. As part of the statewide STOP-DWI enforcement effort, police will be increasing patrols beginning on Friday, May 25, extending through Monday, May 28, citing Memorial Day as one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. Police said that drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols by State Police and local law enforcement agencies during this holiday weekend. Troopers will be using bo…
Historic Increase In Hit-And-Run Fatalities Reported By AAA Historic Increase In Hit-And-Run Fatalities Reported By AAA
Historic Increase In Hit-And-Run Fatalities Reported By AAA AAA is calling on drivers to be more alert, and cyclists and pedestrians to be more aware on the roadways as the number of fatal hit-and-runs spiked to an all-time high. More than one hit-and-run crash occurs every minute on U.S. roads, according to research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Those incidents resulted in 2,049 deaths last year – the highest number on record and a 60 percent increase since 2009. “Hit-and-run crashes in the United States are trending in the wrong direction,” David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety stated. “Our analysis …
Tickets For Texting More Than Double For NY Motorists Tickets For Texting More Than Double For NY Motorists
Tickets For Texting More Than Double For NY Motorists Although many New Yorkers have caught on when it comes to recognizing the perils of talking on cell phones while driving, most still aren’t putting their phones down as tickets for texting while driving continue to rise. Data collected by the state from 2012 to 2016 has found that tickets for talking on cell phones have fallen 47 percent statewide; however, during that same period, tickets for texting and driving is up more than 200 percent. With April designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, State and local law enforcement agencies have cracked down on texting and driving, dishing…
Biggest Danger On Roads Is Now Distracted Driving, AAA Says Biggest Danger On Roads Is Now Distracted Driving, AAA Says
Biggest Danger On Roads Is Now Distracted Driving, AAA Says Distracted, not drunk, drugged or aggressive drivers are the biggest cause of concern for motorists, according to a survey conducted by AAA. According to a study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety this week, distracted driving has reached the top of the list of growing dangers on local roadways, surpassing aggressive or impaired drivers. The study states that 88 percent of drivers contend that distracted driving is on the rise, a 30 percent increase in just five years. The release of the report comes as several local law enforcement agencies announce their intentions to ramp …
State-Wide Distracted Driving Crackdown Now Underway State-Wide Distracted Driving Crackdown Now Underway
State-Wide Distracted Driving Crackdown Now Underway New York State Police have a message for drivers: if you use electronics while you’re behind the wheel of a car, you’re going to pay. As part of April’s designation as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, state police announced a crackdown on distracted driving, while began on Thursday, April 12, lasting through Monday, April 16. According to police, troopers in marked and unmarked vehicles will “aggressively ticket drivers using handheld devices - like smartphones - during Operation Hang Up.” Distracted driving has reached the top of the list of growing dangers on local roadways, …