Drivers in New York should know that there is no failsafe way to avoid getting in a motor vehicle accident. However, there is data that shows such accidents are more likely to occur at certain times and places.While road trips present their own share of accident risks, drivers are more likely to get into an accident near their homes. In fact, motor vehicle accidents tend to occur no more than 25 miles from a driver's home. Factors such as the relaxation one experiences when driving in their neighborhood have a significant role in the accidents.Driving through familiar areas can result in drivers using their muscle memory rather than their active driving skills, which would make them less inclined to be on guard while driving. One example of this is drivers [...]

New York drivers may be interested to learn that, although the majority believe that distracted driving should be illegal, about one-third are still confident in their abilities to multitask while behind the wheel. According to a study by Progressive Insurance, there was a major difference in confidence levels between drivers of different ages and drivers of different genders.The study found that 64 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 believed that using smartphones for either texting while driving or surfing the net was a common cause of accidents. Even so, 62 percent of the drivers in this age group were confident in their ability to text and drive. Comparatively, only 6 percent of drivers who were 55 or older were confident in their skills to text and [...]

Readers from the New York area may have some understandable concerns about driving in the fall. While fall can indeed be a beautiful time of year, there are also a number of potential hazards associated with the season that are worth knowing more about. Recognizing some of these challenges in advance is an important part of ensuring one's safety on the roads.Weather conditions can be highly irregular in the fall, and rapidly changing temperatures can have a negative impact on tire pressure levels. For this reason, it's important to routinely monitor one's tires to avoid incurring unnecessary damage. In addition, frost may create slippery conditions that necessitate more cautious driving than usual. Being more careful when slowing for traffic lights and perhaps even leaving home a little earlier can be [...]

Collision avoidance systems reduce the risk of injury accidents, but too few vehicles have them installed. These were among the findings of several different studies that examined 2015 data. Some of the drivers in New York and throughout the country who do have lane departure warning systems and blind spots alerts might also be turning off the alerts if they come in the form of a beep, which annoys some drivers, instead of a seat vibration.The vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examined data on cars with the safety systems installed and looked at more than 5,000 accidents. She found that in vehicles that had the safety systems, there were 11 percent fewer single-vehicle accidents or accidents caused by side swipes or head-on collisions. Injury [...]