Status Report 2000

Special issue: state traffic safety laws

MANY LAWS RATED IN THIS ISSUE HAVE SINCE CHANGED — SEE OUR UPDATED TABLE

306 traffic safety laws evaluated: about one-fourth are good, about one-third are poor, and the rest are rated acceptable or marginal

Truckers' hours of service are in contention, and a new federal rulemaking process has been interrupted

On-board recorders explained

National Advanced Driving Simulator violates basic rules of research

Pedestrian crash patterns in the late 1990s are compared with those in 1976

New book debunks idea that Volvo invented three-point safety belt

Car commercials don't focus on safety, despite consumer interest

Stricter controls placed on car ads in other countries, where emphasis on speed and unsafe driving is discouraged

Mexican Americans are subjects of new survey on drinking and driving

Bumpers on most SUVs don't hold up in 5 mph crashes

Long-awaited airbag standard specifies new tests, including full-scale crash tests, plus new dummies, injury criteria, and more

Summary of new airbag tests

Debate about testing at 25 vs. 30 mph with unbelted dummies dominates the airbag rulemaking process

Driver and passenger airbag deaths confirmed as of May 1, 2000

Test dummies and injury criteria under the new federal rule

Roundabouts are becoming more familiar on US roads, not just for safety reasons

Pedestrian deaths increase with the speed of crashes; older pedestrians die more often in crashes at all speeds

New FHWA guide to roundabouts

Insurance theft losses vary widely among passenger vehicles

Durability of child restraints is proven in crash tests conducted at both high and low speeds

Nonuse of child restraints still is the biggest threat to safety

Bumpers fail to protect most vehicles from costly damage

Antilocks no longer associated with fatal crash increase

New Institute video relates car crashes to classroom physics

Special issue: cosmetic repair parts

Cosmetic repair parts irrelevant to safety

Injecting safety into the continuing debate about cosmetic crash parts

Two crash tests, one 13 years old, show irrelevance of safety to crash parts debate

Unlike other cosmetic crash parts used in auto repairs, the hoods of cars could influence safety

Real issue about cosmetic parts is cost of original-equipment parts, not safety of aftermarket parts

Elmira, New York boosts safety belt use to nation's highest rate

Truckers' driving hours would be extended under Canadian proposal

Ignition interlocks are effective as long as they're required

Youngest and oldest drivers favor curbs on driving privileges, even when the restrictions limit their own driving

Institute video in Spanish explains how to reduce injury risk in crashes