# Safety **URL:** https://community.cartalk.com/c/safety/9.md [Latest](https://community.cartalk.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://community.cartalk.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://community.cartalk.com/tags.md) --- ## [About the Safety category](https://community.cartalk.com/t/about-the-distracted-driving-category/15)
**Author:** [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/about-the-distracted-driving-category/15 "2019-03-29T22:29:22Z")
The discussion area for Car Talk's Driver Distraction Center. --- ## [NHTSA to Tackle Nighttime Headlight Glare](https://community.cartalk.com/t/nhtsa-to-tackle-nighttime-headlight-glare/206364)
**Author:** [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/nhtsa-to-tackle-nighttime-headlight-glare/206364 "2026-10-16T14:48:30Z")
Just read this and Copied from another forum: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Tackle Nighttime Headlight Glare The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday that i… --- ## [30 years of Blazer improvement](https://community.cartalk.com/t/30-years-of-blazer-improvement/205908)
**Author:** [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 30, 2026, 9:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/30-years-of-blazer-improvement/205908 "2026-06-30T09:22:40Z")
Here’s a crash between a '26 and a '96 Blazer. Guess which wins: '90s Chevy Blazer SUV Folds Like Paper In Crash Test Against Modern Blazer Crossover --- ## [Why drunk drivers survive the accident and the victim in the other car does not](https://community.cartalk.com/t/why-drunk-drivers-survive-the-accident-and-the-victim-in-the-other-car-does-not/199820)
**Author:** [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 2:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/why-drunk-drivers-survive-the-accident-and-the-victim-in-the-other-car-does-not/199820 "2026-06-05T02:48:08Z")
The first reason is drunks have a higher tendency to drive larger vehicles like trucks and SUVs, which puts others in smaller vehicle in more danger. The mass difference between vehicles that crash in to each other can… --- ## [2019 Nissan Altima small overlap crash test cheat](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2019-nissan-altima-small-overlap-crash-test-cheat/205477)
**Author:** [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2019-nissan-altima-small-overlap-crash-test-cheat/205477 "2026-04-17T19:26:23Z")
Ever since the IIHS started doing crash tests, some vehicle makers have been cheating. What I mean by this is they do things to make the vehicle perform well on the test, but not necessarily to do much better, or in some… --- ## [Traffic fatalities increased 15% on dates of major music album releases](https://community.cartalk.com/t/traffic-fatalities-increased-15-on-dates-of-major-music-album-releases/205499)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/traffic-fatalities-increased-15-on-dates-of-major-music-album-releases/205499 "2026-04-16T14:12:38Z")
‘Using event study analysis, we show that music streaming - an indicator for smartphone use, where streaming most often occurs - sharply increases, by nearly 40%, on dates of major music album releases, while U.S. traffi… --- ## [Cooling car on a hot day](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling-car-on-a-hot-day/205465)
**Author:** [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/cooling-car-on-a-hot-day/205465 "2026-04-07T20:22:41Z")
This article offers a method to cool your car quickly on a hot day. Open the windows slightly, close them, then open and close the driver’s door quickly a few times to move ambient air in and out of the cabin. I found… --- ## [How the IIHS 40% overlap test made small cars less safe](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-the-iihs-40-overlap-test-made-small-cars-less-safe/205348)
**Author:** [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-the-iihs-40-overlap-test-made-small-cars-less-safe/205348 "2026-03-19T15:18:19Z")
Less safe than what the test should have been with one simple change. The IIHS 40% 40 MPH moderate overlap crash test in to a fixed barrier uses a deformable barrier in front of the fixed barrier. This barrier absorbs s… --- ## [Plague of headlight brightness](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plague-of-headlight-brightness/204821)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 16, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plague-of-headlight-brightness/204821 "2026-01-16T15:49:31Z")
‘In July, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington proposed an amendment to a bill, calling for an inquiry into what she described as a “plague in this country of headlight brightness.” ‘She introduced the p… --- ## ['Motor Vehicle Collision Due to Left Hemineglect Associated with a Stroke'](https://community.cartalk.com/t/motor-vehicle-collision-due-to-left-hemineglect-associated-with-a-stroke/204652)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/motor-vehicle-collision-due-to-left-hemineglect-associated-with-a-stroke/204652 "2026-01-14T19:04:57Z")
‘A 75-year-old man with hypertension was brought to the emergency department after a motor vehicle collision. A video recording from the dashboard camera in his car showed a sudden inability to react to events on hi… --- ## [Annual auto safety inspections: scam or ripoff?](https://community.cartalk.com/t/annual-auto-safety-inspections-scam-or-ripoff/199071)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/annual-auto-safety-inspections-scam-or-ripoff/199071 "2026-01-13T22:47:23Z")
‘Marketplace’ sent Henry Epp to find out: Do safety inspections make your car safer or put your wallet at risk? --- ## [‘The Medical Case for Self-Driving Cars’](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-medical-case-for-self-driving-cars/204557)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-medical-case-for-self-driving-cars/204557 "2025-12-11T15:30:46Z")
‘I recently got called to see a teenager ejected in a rollover car crash. The trauma team rushed him into surgery to stop major abdominal bleeding, but we all knew. When that much energy enters a skull, no operation can … --- ## [Roundabouts make the comics](https://community.cartalk.com/t/roundabouts-make-the-comics/204551)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/roundabouts-make-the-comics/204551 "2025-12-02T13:32:55Z")
From the current ‘The New Yorker’. --- ## [Do you make u-turns on public roadways?](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-make-u-turns-on-public-roadways/204094)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-make-u-turns-on-public-roadways/204094 "2025-09-26T21:51:05Z")
I never do. They take too long, end up blocking traffic. Worse, sometimes the driver undestimates turning radius and needs to make a 3-point turn. If there’s cross-traffic someone crossing the street may think the u-t… --- ## [‘Motor Vehicle Crash Prevention’](https://community.cartalk.com/t/motor-vehicle-crash-prevention/201246)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 135\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2025, 7:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/motor-vehicle-crash-prevention/201246 "2025-09-26T19:00:14Z")
This review, addressed broadly to the medical and safety communities, describes evidence-based strategies with the potential to make progress toward a future with no traffic deaths within the framework of the Safe Syste… --- ## [Saw this bumper sticker today](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saw-this-bumper-sticker-today/204141)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2025, 1:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/saw-this-bumper-sticker-today/204141 "2025-09-26T13:17:39Z")
--- ## [‘6 More Things E.R. Doctors Wish You'd Avoid’](https://community.cartalk.com/t/6-more-things-e-r-doctors-wish-youd-avoid/204034)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/6-more-things-e-r-doctors-wish-youd-avoid/204034 "2025-09-11T15:28:30Z")
Never put your feet on the dashboard. If you’re in the passenger seat of a car, it can be tempting to put your feet on the dashboard. But don’t do it – ever – said several doctors, including Ryan Gerecht, E.M.S. medical… --- ## [Older cars are safer than newer cars for rear seated passengers](https://community.cartalk.com/t/older-cars-are-safer-than-newer-cars-for-rear-seated-passengers/201527)
**Author:** [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/older-cars-are-safer-than-newer-cars-for-rear-seated-passengers/201527 "2025-08-31T17:40:59Z")
I’m talking mostly about frontal head on crashes here, like on those 2 lane 65 MPH speed limit Colorado roads. Older cars are softer and smash up more in a crash which reduces the forces on the people sitting in the back… --- ## [‘ADHD Medication Use Linked With Lower Risk of Injury, Crashes, and Crime ’](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adhd-medication-use-linked-with-lower-risk-of-injury-crashes-and-crime/203833)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adhd-medication-use-linked-with-lower-risk-of-injury-crashes-and-crime/203833 "2025-08-19T20:58:35Z")
‘From 2006 to 2020, the prevalence of ADHD medication use in Sweden increased from less than 1% to nearly 3%. During this time, ADHD drug usage consistently correlated with lower risks of self-harm, unintentional injury,… --- ## [Inhaling microplastics in cars](https://community.cartalk.com/t/inhaling-microplastics-in-cars/201436)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/inhaling-microplastics-in-cars/201436 "2025-08-15T15:39:47Z")
‘The median concentration of total suspended indoor MPs for the residential environment was 528 MPs/m3 and 2,238 MPs/m3 in the car cabin environment. The predominant polymer type in the residential environment was polyet… --- ## [Worst drivers](https://community.cartalk.com/t/worst-drivers/200778)
**Author:** [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [July 9, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/worst-drivers/200778 "2025-07-09T00:53:13Z")
I read an article in today’s paper. Allstate published driving data for the 200 largest cities in the US. Baltimore was 3rd worst, followed by DC. The worst? You know it, Boston. No woder insurance is expensive here. --- ## [Ultimate Crash Test](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ultimate-crash-test/200426)
**Author:** [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2025, 9:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ultimate-crash-test/200426 "2025-05-24T21:00:41Z")
I recorded two NOVA episodes recently. They are season 52 episodes 10 and 11 and the episode titles are the same as the title of this post. The first one shows the test setup for a simulation of a multi car crash with re… --- ## ['Firefighters rescue cat from car engine'](https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-rescue-cat-from-car-engine/200229)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-rescue-cat-from-car-engine/200229 "2025-05-12T17:07:54Z")
--- ## [Woodpecker attacks side-view mirrors and windows in Rockport, MA](https://community.cartalk.com/t/woodpecker-attacks-side-view-mirrors-and-windows-in-rockport-ma/200006)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/woodpecker-attacks-side-view-mirrors-and-windows-in-rockport-ma/200006 "2025-05-02T15:22:12Z")
https://www.newbedfordguide.com/territorial-woodpecker-wreaks-havoc-vehicles-massachusetts/2025/04/26 Another woodpecker attack came up in a thread in 2017: --- ## [‘The Lack Of Science In Road Design Is Deadly’](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-lack-of-science-in-road-design-is-deadly/199920)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-lack-of-science-in-road-design-is-deadly/199920 "2025-04-19T12:07:09Z")
Dr. Wes Marshall, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, in his book Killed By A Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies our Transportation System, digs into the s… --- ## [Chicanes in Pennsylvania](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chicanes-in-pennsylvania/199712)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chicanes-in-pennsylvania/199712 "2025-04-05T18:35:07Z")
Montgomery Township Pennsylvania has put a chicane in Grays Lane :Grays Lane gets a twist: New chicanes aim to slow down speeders, police say - North Penn Now I suspect it won’t work. You? --- ## [Acura RDX 2015 dim headlights](https://community.cartalk.com/t/acura-rdx-2015-dim-headlights/180589)
**Author:** [@lt\_178124](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lt_178124)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/acura-rdx-2015-dim-headlights/180589 "2025-03-05T14:16:47Z")
My 2015 Acura RDX headlights are so dim it is dangerous to drive at night…especially with rain on the road. I tried getting the brightest bulbs possible, but it doesn’t help. Any suggestions on what to do? Thanks! --- ## ['First or second?'](https://community.cartalk.com/t/first-or-second/199304)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/first-or-second/199304 "2025-03-01T13:26:15Z")
I was waiting to cross Lead on Wellesley southbound (there’s a light) on my bicycle. A motorist stopped next to me and asked, ‘First or second?’ --- ## [Massaging seats](https://community.cartalk.com/t/massaging-seats/199294)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/massaging-seats/199294 "2025-02-28T03:10:54Z")
The April issue of Consumer Reports, the automobile issue, just came out. The inside back page mentions massaging seats, apparently coming. I guess you have to do something when you’re driving your car. I expect Mr Bo… --- ## [Mr Boffo takes his self-driving car for a road trip](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mr-boffo-takes-his-self-driving-car-for-a-road-trip/199204)
**Author:** [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mr-boffo-takes-his-self-driving-car-for-a-road-trip/199204 "2025-02-20T14:26:25Z")
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