Introduction
Jacksonville, Ala., in 2010 became the first city in the state to adopt a “no texting while driving” ordinance. Forty-six states now have anti-texting laws and 14 states ban hand-held cellphone use while driving. But experts say the laws have had little or no effect on traffic deaths. (AP Photo/Gadsden Times/Marc Golden)
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Behavioral choices — such as speeding, driving while drunk, texting or not buckling up — are fueling a highway death rate that increased more in 2015 than in half a century. After decades of decline, fatalities jumped by more than 7 percent that year, and early figures indicate that 2016 may be an even deadlier year. Nearly half of the 2015 fatalities involved an unbelted passenger or driver and about one-third were alcohol-related. Experts say stronger laws and beefed-up public awareness programs would help. And they say technological developments, including automatic braking and collision avoidance, also will save lives. Distracted driving raises new concerns: As more cars include hands-free capabilities for smartphones as standard equipment, safety experts warn that use of such devices is as dangerous as talking on hand-held versions. Self-driving cars are on the road in California, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, potentially adding another dimension to the possible safety solutions but raising new questions around the life-and-death choices the software programs in those vehicles must make.
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Jun. 19, 2020 |
Fuel Efficiency Standards |
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Feb. 01, 2019 |
Self-Driving Cars |
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Feb. 17, 2017 |
Reducing Traffic Deaths |
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Jul. 25, 2014 |
Future of Cars |
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Feb. 06, 2009 |
Auto Industry's Future  |
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May 16, 2003 |
SUV Debate |
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Oct. 26, 2001 |
Auto Safety |
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Jan. 21, 2000 |
Auto Industry's Future |
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Jul. 25, 1997 |
Aggressive Driving |
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Oct. 16, 1992 |
U.S. Auto Industry |
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Apr. 27, 1990 |
Curbing Auto-Insurance Premiums |
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Jul. 14, 1989 |
Automakers Face Trouble Down the Road |
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Aug. 31, 1984 |
U.S. Auto Industry: Strategies for Survival |
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Feb. 23, 1979 |
Auto Research and Regulation |
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Apr. 28, 1978 |
Automotive Safety |
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May 10, 1974 |
Auto Industry in Flux |
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Apr. 18, 1973 |
Auto Emission Controls |
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Jan. 13, 1971 |
Auto Insurance Reform |
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Jul. 27, 1966 |
Fortunes of Auto Industry |
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Jun. 04, 1965 |
Automobile Safety |
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Jul. 10, 1964 |
Automobile Insurance and Traffic Safety |
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Nov. 19, 1958 |
Small Cars |
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Apr. 17, 1957 |
Better Driving |
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Jul. 01, 1954 |
Competition in Automobiles |
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Mar. 23, 1954 |
Automobile Liability Insurance |
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Dec. 24, 1952 |
Highway Accidents: Causes and Remedies |
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Aug. 21, 1945 |
Automobiles in the Postwar Economy |
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Sep. 02, 1938 |
The Market for Automobiles |
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Oct. 26, 1932 |
Outlook for the Automobile Industry |
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Dec. 10, 1929 |
Condition of the Automobile Industry |
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Jan. 30, 1928 |
Automobile Fatalities and Compulsory Insurance |
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Dec. 10, 1927 |
The Status of the Automobile Trade |
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