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How Safe Are America’s Highways?

Blowing snow and icy roads wrecked thousands of couples’ plans for romantic dinners last night. Law enforcement officers reported thousands of accidents on highways stretching from the Midwest to the Northeast yesterday. The Ohio State Highway Patrol alone handled more than 1,200 calls involving weather-related accidents.

Sounds bad, and it is (I’ve had my share of weather-related incidents), but believe it or not, according to a new report, sunny skies and open freeways are more common conditions for fatal traffic accidents than snow and ice covered roads.

The new driving study, conducted by Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that Americans know very little about the risks involved in driving in dangerous conditions.

The study asked random drivers questions such as: “A woman in her early 20’s who drives to the gym weekend mornings — is she safer if she lives in Florida or New York?” The answer: She is three times as likely to die if she is making that drive in Florida.

Other interesting facts: Did you know that statistics show that your children are safer taking a bus to school than when you drive them yourself? The study also revealed that it’s 99% riskier to have your child ride with their teenage brother than to take the bus to school.

For all of you Georgians who think driving the Perimeter is like taking a spin on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you may be right. According to the study, while Bostonians have been blasted in the media for being the country’s worst drivers, it turns out New England is actually the safest region in the entire United States when it comes to fatal accidents.

The results from the study are part of the new “Traffic STATS” program, which calculates driving risks. The best part: it allows you to tailor the program to your particular area. For example, if you live in Chicago and are traveling to Dallas, you can click here to compare travel fatality risks in each city.

Related Articles:

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This entry was posted in Auto/RV and tagged , , , , by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.