BREAKING NEWS:

Motorcycle Rider Deaths Increase Alarmingly, GHSA Report Confirms

Motorcyclist fatalities increased for the sixth straight year in the U.S., according to a new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).  And in the 10-year period from 1997 to 2006 they more than doubled, from 2,110 in 1997 to 4,810 in 2,006.  One of many disturbing facts is that while these fatalities increased in 27 states and Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2006, in 2006, 67 percent of all motorcyclist these deaths occurred in just 15 states.   
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Teenagers Often Ignore Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving
After North Carolina enacted a law prohibiting cell phone use by teenager drivers, the rate of cell phone use by this group while operating a motor vehicle actually increased, according to a new report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).  Teenagers and their parents provided researchers with one possible reason, which is that the law simply isn’t being enforced.  North Carolina’s ban on cell phone use by teen drivers is part of the state’s graduated licensing system.
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UMTRI: Proper Belt Use by Pregnant Women Can Save Fetuses

A new report by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) estimates that 370 fetuses die every year due to improper use of seat belts by pregnant women.  What’s makes many of these tragedies unnecessary is that proper seat belt positioning and use by this group could save approximately 200 fetuses a year.  Included in the study is a clear warning to pregnant women that proper belt use is for the lap belt to be low and the shoulder belt should cross at the center of the chest.

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Chicco USA Inc. Recalling 18,000 Child Restraint Bases
The recall was issued after the company determined that some of the bases could be defective.  In a consumer advisory, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that the campaign includes Key-Fit and KeyFit 30 rear-facing child restraints that were manufactured between Feb. 26 and March 7, 2008.  The defect may prevent some bases from being adequately secured to the vehicle when the lower LATCH attachments are used to install the base, increasing risk of injury.  Call Chicco, (800) 807-8817
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NTSB: Education, Enforcement, Engineering Reduce Traffic Crashes

Mark V. Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, recently emphasized what he refers to as the three Es of traffic safety.  In a speech to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, he explained that the three refer to education, enforcement, and engineering solutions.  Since its inception, the safety board has issued 2,100 highway safety recommendations.  More than 1,800 of these have been acted upon by federal and state agencies, leading to major improvements in safety.
A more detailed version of this story is published in the newswires and newsletters.