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Understanding the Auto Insurance Maze

Are You On the NTSB’s Hit List?

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) took out a hit list this month. It’s goal? To move from “lessons learned to lives saved.”

The 10 general safety improvements focus a lot on implementing technology-based solutions to improve safety and decrease accidents across all methods of transportation. While there is not much you can do when it comes to technological improvements, there are a few items on the NTSB’s hit list that are targeted directly at actions you can begin implementing to immediately improve traffic safety.

You Can Help the NTSB Reach Its Safety Goals

Here are four safety improvements from the NTSB’s hit list that you can take responsibility for today.

  • Reduce fatigue-related accidents. According to the NTSB, nearly 20% of all accidents it has investigated identified fatigue as a factor. And according to an AAA survey, 43% of adults in the US admitted to falling asleep or nodding off at least once while driving in their lifetimes. Help lower these numbers by driving when you are alert. If you feel tired or drowsy, do not get behind the wheel.
  • Strengthen occupant protection. The NTSB found that nearly 50% of fatally injured occupants were not wearing restraints in 2013. Make sure you wear your seatbelt at all times, and require that your occupants do the same. When it comes to proper restraints for children, stop by a local firehouse for assistance in installing child and infant car seats. Educate yourself on the correct way to use child restraints.
  • Disconnect from deadly distractions. More than 3,000 people died as a result of distracted driving in 2014. And according to a State Farm report, more than 30% of drivers admitted to using the Internet while driving. It’s time to put down the smartphone and pay attention to the road. Don’t text, dial or surf while behind the wheel—failure to follow this strict commandment increases your risk of an accident three-fold.
  • End substance impairment in transportation. One in three traffic deaths are a direct result of drinking and driving. And in 2012, 18% of fatally injured drivers had some illicit substance in their systems. You can make a real impact on this safety improvement by pledging to drive substance free. Designate a driver or call a cab any time you drink.

You have the power to help lower the accident risks that we all face every day when we get behind the wheel. Pay attention to your actions—and the actions of those in your vehicle—when you drive. Then take steps to eliminate distractions and other harmful actions. Together, we will all make an impact.

Want to know more about the NTSB’s hit list? View the full list here.

 

Sources: NTSB Unveils 2016 Most Wanted List, Stresses Technology (NTSB Press Release), 1/13/2016; Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements Issue Fact Sheet: Reduce Fatigue-Related Accidents; Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements Issue Fact Sheet: Strengthen Occupant Protection; Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements Issue Fact Sheet: Disconnect From Deadly Distractions; Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements Issue Fact Sheet: End Substance Impairment in Transportation

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