Whew, That Was Close!

Today seems like a good day for safe driving tips, given that I almost rear-ended a Kia Sorento on my way to work this morning. I couldn't see what was going on ahead, b/c the Sorento was blocking the view from my modest-sized sedan. The driver slammed on the brakes, causing me to do the same, thinking, "I'm going to hit that car," while a concrete mixer truck rapidly approached me from behind. Luckily, my car stopped less than 6 inches from the back of the SUV - thanks, Honda! However, I had swerved slightly to the right, causing the veering concrete mixer to veer even more, and honk at me. Did I mention that an unmarked cop car was around to witness the whole thing? It looks as though I'm not the only one who could use a lesson on automobile safety, either.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its 2004 traffic accident statistics, which report that 13,310 women were killed in traffic accidents in 2004, and an additional 1,469,00 were injured (more than twice as many men were killed). The NHTSA's website has a ton of traffic safety information, including online brochures on agressive, drowsy, and other hazardous driving.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has information on airbags, child passenger safety, impaired driving, young and old drivers, safety belts, and other topics. I learned from the CDC's site that "Motor vehicle-related incidents are consistently the leading cause of work-related fatalities in the United States." Women seem to get off easier in work-related traffic fatalities as well; in 2004, 2,460 fatal transportation incidents occurred, and only 187 of those were women.

Additional safe driving info:

Older Drivers - National Institute on Aging

Aggressive Driving - American College of Emergency Physicians

Fact Sheets - National Safety Council (scroll down to "On the Road")

Pregnancy: Should I Use a Seatbelt? - American Academy of Family Physicians

Pregnancy brochure - NHTSA

Technorati Tags: driving; Road Safety; traffic
MeSH Tags: Accidents, Traffic