Status Report 2003

When higher speed limits are posted on US roads, deaths go up

More than 2 of 3 vehicles on rural interstate highways are going 70 or faster, Institute survey reveals

Most car advertisements emphasize speed and performance

'Everybody does it' is a frequent excuse for exceeding speed limits, and there's no stigma attached

Horsepower of new cars has increased during the past 20 years

Head restraint geometry has been improving since the 1995 model year

Most adjustable head restraints aren't being adjusted upward

Head restraint ratings: more than 200 passenger vehicles earn ratings from good to poor based on restraint geometry

State legislative update: highway safety laws in some states are beefed up, but Pennsylvania's helmet law is weakened

Side airbags that protect the head reduce driver fatality risk by 45 percent

Consumers say they want side airbags

2004 models with side airbags

One year after New York's cell phone law, drivers resume previous calling habits

Highway safety update: news including a federal agency's rejection of a pilot program for younger truck drivers

New work-hour rules for truckers aren't going to improve safety

Comparison: new versus old rules

"Restart" provision is a loophole that will lengthen hours on the road

Comparison: U.S. versus E.U. rules for monitoring truckers' driving hours

Ford's reminder to buckle up earns approval among most car owners

LATCH rules are helping, but not solving, child restraint installation problems

When restrained infants and children die in crashes, it usually isn't because their restraints failed

Top tethers on child restraints were used only about half of the time before LATCH rules and aren't in use more often now

Crash tests predict injury likelihood in real-world collisions

Risks for people in cars colliding with SUVs or pickups and risks for people in SUVs, pickups, or cars in all kinds of crashes are two safety concerns in the debate about crash incompatibility

Height mismatches are major contributors to the crash incompatibility problem

Deaths involving alcohol-impaired drivers aren't declining anymore

Sobriety checkpoints are effective, international review by CDC finds

Booster seats are the subject of a new federal law that tells NHTSA to define boosters and set standards

Salvaged, stolen, or fake airbags may be a growing problem that most state laws aren't yet addressing

Washington State achieves 93 percent belt use rate, highest in U.S.

Californians favor tough enforcement of safety belt law

OSHA rejects Institute petition to expand belt use requirement from government employees to workers in private sector

So-called radar jammers don't jam radar but could encourage motorists to speed

Many drivers with high BACs who are killed in crashes don't fit profile of a hardcore drinker