Car Driving and Safety

Left-side or left-hand traffic may seem backwards for most U.S. drivers, but it's nothing new; in the 17th and 18th centuries, it helped control the flow of horse-drawn carriages on London Bridge. These laws set the trend for many of the world's countries that drive on the left side of the road.

By Mitch Ryan

You can probably guess what a speed limiter does by its name alone. But how do they actually work? And why would someone want to limit a car's top speed, anyway?

By Patrick E. George

Seat belts save thousands of lives each year. How can a piece of fabric end up being the difference between life and death? What does a seat belt actually do? Learn how seat belts react in a crash.

By Tom Harris

Speedometers have been around since the early 1900s when cars began to grow in popularity and (literally) outpace the horse-drawn carriage.

By William Harris

A new study out from AAA found that advanced vehicle safety systems struggled when weather conditions weren't optimal. Some test runs even ended in collisions.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

And by the way, driving at dusk and during full moons aren't doing you any favors either.

By Tom Langen

If you're a motorist you may be silently cursing the bicyclist in front of you for making you late. But a study showed the speed difference was negligible.

By Nathan Chandler

Dashcams are inexpensive and easy to install. And they might be provide critical evidence if you're involved in a car accident. So why don't you have one?

By Cherise Threewitt

The Green Mountain State has introduced a bill to allow motorists to include emojis on their license plates. And we are totally on board.

By Cherise Threewitt

The history of jaywalking is probably way more complex than you'd expect. Criminalizing crossing the street has roots in the auto industry, class wars and even racism.

By Cherise Threewitt

School buses are some of the safest vehicles on the road. But most also don't have seat belts, leaving the children inside vulnerable to injury in a crash.

By Cherise Threewitt

Two U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to mandate technology that could end drunk driving as we know it by 2024.

By Cherise Threewitt

Plan on buying a live Christmas tree this year? Don't be that guy who loses it on the road between the lot and your house. We've got tips to help you get it home safely.

By Cherise Threewitt

The zipper merge is best. Drivers should stay in their lane until the very last minute and then take turns entering the open lane.

Seems like just when you've settled on a parking spot far out, some joker cruises by and gets a space in the front row. What do scientists think is the best way to score a good parking space?

By Nathan Chandler

The impossible happens. You're trapped in your car and it's sinking. Could you break a window to get out?

By Cherise Threewitt

Sure, it's a good skill to have, but for how much longer?

By Cherise Threewitt

Who needs the DMV? If Texas HB 409 passes, parents could soon bypass it altogether and make their novice teens legal to drive.

By Cherise Threewitt

JFK. Tupac. Bonnie and Clyde. They each died in a car, but what happened to those famous vehicles after the fact?

By Patrick J. Kiger

These personal air bags can help anyone prone to falling, including motorcyclists, horseback riders and senior citizens.

By Cherise Threewitt

Opening your car door the right way could help you avoid a horrifying collision with a biker and save a life.

By Cherise Threewitt

Wouldn't it be a good idea to retest drivers every so often? Experts say not really.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The van driven by the recent pipe bombing suspect was literally covered from top to bottom with right-wing stickers. But, for the average law-abiding citizen, how many bumper stickers is too many?

By Oisin Curran

Ever get red light after red light when you're driving? Often, it's because traffic lights aren't synced to each other. But would doing so really fix traffic problems?

By Dave Roos

We've all been there. The stoplight won't change and you've got places to be. Do you run it or just wait, wait and wait?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler