A survey of 4500 truck drivers conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute indicates a low understanding of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's CSA system. Almost 80% of drivers surveyed said the Compliance, Safety, and Accountability program which began in December would not reduce the number of truck-involved crashes. Among other findings, about 22% saw an increase in safety awareness while 10% felt there was a decrease in safety behaviors and 68% observed no changes. The ATA says the survey shows the more educated drivers are about CSA, the more likely they are to support it.
A report issued by U.K. road safety charity IAM says young drivers under age 20 are 15 percent more likely to crash than older drivers because of mistakes at the wheel or reacting badly to risks on the road. Contributing factors in crashes by younger drivers include loss of control, traveling too fast for road conditions, exceeding the speed limit, and sudden braking. Alcohol was a factor in 4.6 percent of crashes for the 17-24 age group compared to three percent for the 25-69 age groups. Young car drivers made up 27 percent of all car driver fatalities, and more than 2000 were killed or seriously injured in 2009.
A number of regulators and planners think the idea of charging motorists by the mile rather than multiple fixed fees and taxes is a good idea. Several states and a number of European countries are exploring the idea of establishing per-mile fees that would use GPS navigation systems to track how much a vehicle is driven. A fixed rate could be charged or the fee might be adjusted to reflect the fuel-efficiency of a vehicle, perhaps even when and where it was driven. As fuel prices soar, American motorists are driving less and there seem to be few options to recover lost highway revenues other than raising excise taxes or adopting an alternative system. Few people expect the pay-as-you-drive system to go away.
Ford and Toyota are partnering to develop the next generation of hybrid technologies that will specifically bolster the fuel efficiency of pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles. The new alliance is in response to recent federal mandates requiring automakers to boost fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Already the world's two leading manufacturers of hybrid vehicles, Ford and Toyota now are challenged with expanding the technology to ensure that the largest vehicles can deliver better mileage. The two automakers also plan to work together on advanced telematics systems.
U.S. News Best Cars released the Best Cars for Families Awards, identifying the best family cars across twenty automotive categories. Toyota and Honda tied for the most awards with five each, followed by three awards for Ford, the most of any domestic automaker. Best Cars for Families Award winners are the cars that score highest in safety, reliability, comfort and affordability. The full list of winners is available at usnews.com/cars-trucks/Best-Cars-for-Families.