http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The second highest cause of automobile crashes is rear-end collisions – 17 percent. Thousands of people die. The solution? "It is simple," said Clay Gabler, a professor of biomedical engineering at Virginia Tech. "Slow the striking vehicle." http://phys.org/news268479651.html Technology Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:49:26 EST news268479651 People do about as much while driving their cars as they do while sitting in their living rooms – eating, reading, talking on the phone. Some of these activities qualify as risky behavior. Dial your phone while watching TV and you may miss a weather alert. Dial while driving and you may crash. http://phys.org/news267432932.html Technology Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:55:51 EST news267432932 (Edmonton) The thud of a bird hitting a window is something many Canadian home owners experience. Up until now, little research has been done to document the significant these collisions for Canada's bird populations. A University of Alberta biology class project supervised by researcher Erin Bayne suggests that many birds meet their end in run-ins with Canadian homes. http://phys.org/news266847700.html Biology Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:21:46 EST news266847700 A couple of years ago, Hesham Rakha misjudged a yellow traffic light and entered an intersection just as the light turned red. A police officer handed him a ticket. http://phys.org/news266602198.html Technology Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:10:41 EST news266602198 A 'master slave' relationship between trucking companies and retail supply chains is foiling efforts to improve safety in an industry involved in nearly 200 fatal crashes last year. http://phys.org/news264851034.html Technology Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:43:59 EST news264851034 In a few weeks, about 2,800 cars, trucks and buses will start talking to each other on the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in a giant experiment that government officials are hoping will lead to safer roads. http://phys.org/news264781610.html Technology Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:26:58 EST news264781610 The European parliament on Tuesday demanded all new cars be forced to be equipped by 2015 with an electronic emergency system known as eCall. http://phys.org/news260534926.html Technology Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:48:51 EST news260534926 By giving drivers the information they need to change lanes safely, a new device could reduce road crashes by up to 30 per cent. http://phys.org/news259820875.html Technology Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:30:01 EST news259820875 More than 5,000 people die each year in vehicle crashes caused by distracted driving, many who were texting and talking on cellphones behind the wheel, according to the May 4 issue of CQ Researcher (published by CQ Press, an imprint of SAGE). Teen drivers appear to be especially susceptible to distraction. http://phys.org/news256563187.html Other Sciences Fri, 18 May 2012 12:33:18 EST news256563187 Moped riders crash more frequently, and motorcyclists are more than three times as likely to die in accidents, a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) road safety researcher has found. http://phys.org/news254044199.html Other Sciences Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:20:01 EST news254044199 In 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2.3 million automobile crashes occurred at intersections across the United States, resulting in some 7,000 deaths. More than 700 of those fatalities were due to drivers running red lights. But, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, half of the people killed in such accidents are not the drivers who ran the light, but other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. http://phys.org/news241865518.html Technology Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:00:01 EST news241865518 The use of stronger graduated driver licensing programs for 16- to 19-year old drivers in the U.S. that included restrictions on nighttime driving and allowed passengers were associated with a lower incidence of fatal crashes among 16-year old drivers, but a higher incidence among 18-year olds, according to a study in the September 14 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news235153343.html Other Sciences Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:22:41 EST news235153343 A landmark study has found that despite the public's perception that road safety cameras are merely revenue raising devices, they significantly reduce road accidents and so save Victoria millions of dollars annually in associated crash costs. http://phys.org/news234693712.html Other Sciences Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:42:17 EST news234693712 The European Union is moving ahead with plans to ensure an automatic emergency call system is installed in all new cars from 2015 to save hundreds of lives on Europe's roads each year. http://phys.org/news234601587.html Technology Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:06:44 EST news234601587 (PhysOrg.com) -- While men and women often disagree about which gender has better driving skills, a new study by the University of Michigan may shed some light on the debate. http://phys.org/news226902216.html Other Sciences Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:28:12 EST news226902216 Programs that create some common-sense restrictions when young drivers get behind the wheel have helped cut the rate of deadly crashes by more than half. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at fatal crashes among 16- and 17-year-old drivers. For every 100,000 youths, the rate of fatal crashes fell from 36 in 1996 to 16.7 in 2008. The CDC report cites graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs, which restrict driving under high-risk conditions when teens first get licenses. http://phys.org/news221390311.html Medicine & Health Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:18:48 EST news221390311 Pedestrian disability and fatality as a consequence of car crashes is a large global health problem. A new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet now shows that upper-body collision with the car's lower windscreen is a common cause of severe injuries and deaths in adults, especially in those accidents where the head is struck. Children injured by cars are mostly hit by the hood. http://phys.org/news221206476.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:14:52 EST news221206476 After a brutal winter, many motorcycle enthusiasts will soon be dusting off their rides to take advantage of balmier weather, but they don't have to brush off their helmets because Connecticut does not have a mandatory helmet law. According to a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Department of Health, this has led to high fatalities and injuries from motorcycle crashes that likely cost billions of dollars in hospital and rehabilitation bills. http://phys.org/news219061725.html Medicine & Health Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:29:02 EST news219061725 Over the past five years, road fatalities in the United States have fallen 22 percent, thanks primarily to the poor economy and the increased prevalence of air bags, according to University of Michigan researchers. http://phys.org/news211538408.html Other Sciences Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:50:01 EST news211538408 To mark The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which takes place on Sunday November 21st, PLoS Medicine publishes two research articles on Road Traffic Crashes. http://phys.org/news209065064.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:00:13 EST news209065064 (PhysOrg.com) -- How do some Web pages become popular? In a recent study, researchers have analyzed Wikipedia articles and a collection of all the Web pages of Chile to better understand the dynamics of online popularity. They observed that online popularity is characterized not by a gradual accumulation process, but by "bursts" that display many of the same features of critical systems, such as stock market crashes and natural phenomena. They also developed a model that captures these critical features of online popularity. http://phys.org/news206789759.html Physics Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:10:01 EST news206789759 Placing speed cameras on roads reduces the number of road traffic injuries and deaths, concludes a team of researchers from The University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia. Their findings are published this month in The Cochrane Library. Preventing road traffic injuries is of global public health importance. http://phys.org/news205554186.html Other Sciences Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:40:01 EST news205554186 African-American victims of motorcycle crashes were 1.5 times more likely to die from their injuries than similarly injured whites, even though many more of the African-American victims were wearing helmets at the time of injury, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers. http://phys.org/news204482256.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:37:59 EST news204482256 (PhysOrg.com) -- Armed with a pathogen detection technology honed through internal investments, as well as a recent $800K grant secured through the Department of Energy's Biomass Program, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are tackling algal pond collapse, an issue that may be preventing some companies from producing the amount of algae it will take to make algal biofuels a cost-effective form of alternative energy. http://phys.org/news204388481.html Biology Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:00:03 EST news204388481 Restricting newly qualified young drivers from night-time motoring and carrying passengers of a similar age could help could save up to 200 lives every year, according to University research. http://phys.org/news204365868.html Other Sciences Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:17:59 EST news204365868 Kansas State University researchers are discovering the challenges aging creates for drivers. http://phys.org/news190561119.html Other Sciences Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:50:01 EST news190561119 We've all experienced it after long hours driving, the eyelids getting heavy, a deep yawn, neck muscles relaxing, the urge to sleep, the head nodding down... But, you're hands are still on the wheel and you only just stopped yourself nodding off in time to avoid the oncoming traffic. http://phys.org/news167907595.html Technology Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:10:01 EST news167907595 Facial fractures from motor vehicle crashes appear to be decreasing, most likely due to design improvements in newer vehicles, according to a report in the May/June issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. http://phys.org/news161882838.html Medicine & Health Mon, 18 May 2009 16:28:03 EST news161882838 A car that can brake itself to avoid a fender-bender during the morning commute might seem far into the future. Except it goes on sale in March. That's when City Safety, a low-speed collision-avoidance technology becomes available on the new 2010 Volvo XC60, a crossover utility. http://phys.org/news152387879.html Technology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:58:50 EST news152387879 Street lighting provides a simple, low cost means of stemming the global epidemic of road traffic death and injury. Low income countries should consider installing more lights, and high income countries should think carefully before turning any off to reduce carbon emissions, is the advice from a new Cochrane Review. http://phys.org/news151737429.html Other Sciences Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:17:39 EST news151737429