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June 2011

“Jackass” Star Ryan Dunn Dies in Car Accident
June 28, 2011 • Kelly Bayliss, Karen Araiza and Vince Lattanzio • NBC Philadelphia
"Jackass" star Ryan Dunn was killed early Monday morning when his Porsche flew over a guardrail in West Goshen, Pa., slammed into a tree and burst into flames, according to local police.

Chatting, texts, now apps distract young drivers
June 27, 2011 • Richard Chang • Reuters
First it was chatting, then texts. Now apps are distracting young drivers, with more than a third of college students at a U.S. university saying they use them while behind the wheel.

Teen Drivers:  Tips for Keeping Them Safe and You Sane
June 24, 2011 • Curvy Girl Guide.com
I turned 16 on a Thursday. I got my driver’s license on that Friday and on Saturday I proudly drove myself to school in the morning to take my ACT college entrance exams.

Ryan Dunn car crash reminds us of the deadly effects of drinking and driving
June 23, 2011 • Liza Barth • Consumer Reports
After the horrific car crash of “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn early Monday morning, police have revealed that he was driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .196—twice the legal limit.

Teen driver smashes into subway stop
June 19, 2011 • Alexis Jeffries and Daniel Edward Rosen • New York Post
Son, here’s your first lesson — don’t do that again! A teenage boy learning how to drive — with his dad in the passenger seat — jumped the curb and crashed their black Mercedes Benz into a downtown Brooklyn subway-station sign today, police sources said.

Pa. Senate OK’s fines for distracted driving
June 8, 2011 • Tracie Mauriello • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Txting n driving has 2 go.That's the message from the state Senate, which today approved a bill providing for $100 fines for motorists caught texting and driving.

May 2011

Facebook Profile Pictures Go Black May 20 – 27
May 19, 2011 • PR Newswire
Through its Facebook Save 11 page, Allstate is taking action to help stop the number one killer of teens. To help shed light on the darkness of teen driving deaths, visit Save 11 to download and replace your profile picture with a black image available on the page. The blackout campaign is scheduled to run through May 27.

Teen Anxiety Linked to Risky Driving
May 17, 2011
Anna Salleh • ABC Science
Anxiety and depression is linked to risky driving in adolescents.

Teen crashes car into Holiday Inn in Toms River, woman injured
June 5, 2011 • Bonnie Delaney • Asbury Park Press
A 77-year-old Washington, D.C. woman was treated for minor injuries at Community Medical Center after a car driven by a 19-year-old prom-goer crashed into her room at the Holiday Inn, 290 Route 37, at 1:40 a.m.

U.S. Presses to Rein In Gadgets in Cars
June 1, 2011 • Joseph B. White • The Wall Street Journal
As consumers clamor for more tools to help them stay connected to online media on the road, auto makers are coming under fresh pressure to minimize distracting gadgetry in new cars.

April 2011

Ford Survey:  Parents Say They Drive Safely but Teens Observe Troubling Risks
April 28, 2011 • Zeid Nassar • The College Driver
U.S. teens and tweens say their parents are riskier drivers than they claim, according to a new national survey commissioned by Ford Motor Company.

Crash Thrusts Motorcyclist onto Highway
April 26, 2011 • CNN.com
A car crash sandwiches a motorcycle driver, thrusting him onto the highway and leaving him with a broken rib.

Driver Errors Explain Most Teen Crashes, Experts Say
April 12, 2011 • Kathleen Doheny • HealthDay
Driver error accounts for the majority of U.S. motor vehicle crashes involving teenagers, a new study finds.

Teenage Driving Another Casualty of Economy
April 6, 2011 • Reuters
Teenagers eagerly await the day they can drive, but new rules of the road are forcing parents to make some tough financial decision – including postponing their child’s driver’s license, a new survey finds.

Nationwide says fewer teen drivers may crimp insurance-premium revenue
April 5, 2011 • Sopen Shah • Bloomberg
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., the fourth-biggest U.S. auto insurer owned by policyholders, said more parents delaying when teenagers can start driving may reduce premium revenue.

Mobile Tattletale Teams with AskPatty.com to Give Moms a Tool to Prevent Texting While Driving
April 4, 2011 • Pitchengine.com
According to the US Department of Transportation, more than 5,400 people died on US roadways in 2009, and more than 400,000 were injured, as the result of an accident caused by a distracted driver. The age group with the highest proportion of distracted drivers is those drivers under the age of twenty. To address this problem, Mobile Tattletale Applications, LLC. has created Mobile Tattletale, designed to prevent teenaged drivers from being able to text while driving, and in addition to traditional distribution methods, will also be marketing and distributing their app via the AskPatty.com Automotive Advice for Women website and blog.

March 2011

Distracted driving: ‘Deadly epidemic’ or storm in a teacup?
March 31, 2011 • Paul A. Eisenstein • Today – MSNBC
When a dump truck carrying 24 tons of rock salt crashed on I-81 in Pennsylvania recently, police linked the collision, which killed one motorist and injured several others, to distracted driving.

Michigan's stricter teen driver law starts today
March 30, 2011 • Tom Greenwood• The Detroit News
Listen up, teenage drivers: Starting today, some of you will be driving less and with fewer pals in the car because of two big changes to Michigan's Graduated Driver Licensing Law.

Bikers call for state to count 'dooring' accidents
March 20, 2011 • Jon Hilkevitch • The Chicago Tribune
Traffic laws were recently strengthened in Illinois to create safety buffers for bicyclists who share streets with drivers, but state transportation officials are rejecting pleas from cycling advocates to keep records on what they consider the most common type of vehicle-bike accident.

New epidemic: driving while texting
March 18, 2011 • Karina Chavarria • The Miami Herald
A gray casket sat in the center of a burial plot at Kendall’s Woodlawn Park South Cemetery. As the morning sun gleamed off the silver fixtures, 9-year-old Carter Cabassa walks slowly over and joins five other pallbearers carrying the casket to its final resting place.

Senate committee reviews, takes no action on bill restricting young drivers
March 18, 2011 • The Bismark Tribune
Parents of teenagers who have been injured or killed in car accidents said Friday that the state's youngest drivers need more practice before they take the wheel without an adult.

Driver killed in Kingsport collision
March 15, 2011 • Rain Smith • TimesNews.net
A Tuesday morning traffic crash in Kingsport has resulted in one fatality and two additional people being transported for treatment.

Harlem students learn driving safety after two Columbia County teens die in accidents
March 14, 2011 • Katie Beasley • WRDW.com
Two Columbia County teenagers have been killed in car accidents, in the last month. Deputies say one was distracted, the other lost control.

Rescuers dig teen driver from under pickup after wreck
March 12, 201 • Mike Baird • Caller.com
Soft freshly plowed soil may have saved the life of a teen driver thrown from a pickup, which landed upright above her Saturday, a state trooper said.

Designated Driver Services Steering Drinkers to Safety
March 11, 2011 • Claims Journal
The evolution of the cab has come. Those who enjoy a night of drinking can now hire a company to give them rides home in their own car instead of in one of the yellow checkered variety.

Teens spread the word about driving dangers
March 10, 2011 • Michelle Floyd • Rockdale Citizen
Nothing would make senior Magnet student Julian Hines more proud than to learn he helped one of his friends stop texting and driving.

Families share the tragic impact of distracted driving, learn what you can do
March 7, 2011 • Liza Barth • Consumer Reports
"She never looked up," said Tracy O'Carroll recounting the last seconds of her 18-year-old daughter's life, tragically ended when she drifted across the centerline of a rural North Carolina road and into the back axle of a loaded log truck in early January. Sarah Edwards died instantly. Mere moments before, Sarah was behind the wheel of her 1988 Honda Accord reading a text message. Less than a minute later the first 911 call was placed. Texting was cited as a contributing factor in her death.

Teen groups work to fight distraction
March 2, 2011 • Liza Barth • Consumer Reports
Distracted driving is a serious problem that is especially pronounced among teen drivers, but there are a number of organizations who are helping to get the message out to young drivers that cell phones and driving are a deadly combination.

Idaho Bill Says Driving & Texting OK, As Long As Driver Isn’t Distracted
March 1, 2011 • Insurance Journal
An Idaho House representative has proposed a bill to allow people to text and drive — as long as they’re not distracted.

February 2011

Police enforcing seat belt law for teens
February 27, 2011 • Lindsey Elliot • ABC 49 News – KTKA
Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.

Should Doctors Stop Patients From Driving?
February 22, 2011 • Jane Gross • The New York Times
In my many years of reporting about the elderly, I found little that caused doctors more angst than confronting a patient and family about driving. When is it time for someone with physical or cognitive problems to give up the car keys? Who makes that decision? And how can it safely and compassionately be enforced?

UCF SGA's distracted driving campaign beats top companies for award
February 15, 2011 • Salo Steinvortz • Orlando Sentinel
Competing with the most prominent companies in the country, and being the only student body organization at the ceremony, the UCF Student Government Association received the United Safety Council's prestigious Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Award for their "Put Down Ur Cell Fone" campaign.

U.S. Sen. Harkin: Announces nearly $775,000 in funding to support driver safety in Iowa
February 15, 2011 • IowaPolitics.com
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that the State of Iowa will receive $773,175 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The funds are a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) State and Community Highway Grants to support state highway safety programs. Harkin is a senior member of the Senate panel that funds transportation initiatives.

HEARTS Network launches on Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2011 • Amy Williams • National Safety Council
This Valentine’s Day, the National Safety Council announces its HEARTS Network – Honoring Everyone Affected, Rallying The Survivors – a groundbreaking initiative that will gather stories of crashes involving teen drivers from around the United States. HEARTS will build a community for individuals and families who can play a critical role in influencing behaviors, changing beliefs and impacting teen driving to make our roads safer and save lives.

January 2011

LaHood: Still fighting distracted driving
January 20, 2011 • The Washington Post
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has been criticized by highway safety advocates for his focus on distracted driving, said he'll keep the issue at the top of his safety agenda.

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