When is the most dangerous time to drive?

Texas weather is completely unpredictable, and we have some of the craziest drivers in the urban areas, but also some of the most courteous drivers in the rural areas. But the question is this: when is the most dangerous time to drive?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, August is the most dangerous month of the year to drive in, and it turns out, statistically speaking, that Saturday is the most dangerous day to drive. But why is that true?

Some might argue that winter is the most dangerous due to snowfall and icy roads, which often means dangerous road conditions. But sometimes people don't really think about how drivers react to these condition. It turns out most people actually stay indoors and off the roads, and those who do go out for a drive, tend to drive slower under inclement weather.

To where in summer, kids are out of school and people travel. Speed is the single greatest factor to serious car accidents, not so much because of the violation of the posted speed limits but because drivers ignore the weather conditions that call for a lower speed. Car accidents are the number 1 cause of death for people in the ages of 1 and 34. Auto accidents kill more than 40,000 people in the U.S. every year.

In looking at the last 5 years of statistics for traffic fatalities of all vehicle types, the third quarter (July-September) tops numbers for all other quarters for number of vehicular accidents, but in general spring and summer months (2nd and 3rd quarters) are when more accidents occur than in fall and winter months (1st and 4th quarters).

On average, the spring and summer months have 11.3% more fatalities per year than the fall and winter months. The 3rd quarter alone is 5.25% higher than the 2nd quarter (Apr-Jun), 6.64% higher than the 4th quarter (Oct-Dec), but 23% higher than the 1st quarter (Jan-Mar)! So, in opposition to what most people think as the season with the most difficult driving conditions turns out to have the fewest number of fatalities.

Goodyear recalls 41,000 Wrangler Silent Armor tires

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co said Saturday it would recall about 41,000 of its Wrangler Silent Armor tires produced in 2009 over concerns that a small number could tear, leading to crashes.

Two people died in one 2011 rollover crash in Texas involving a vehicle equipped with the tires, Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman said.

Baughman said about 27,000 of the tires were still believed to be in service. The tires are used on pickup trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles, often at construction sites or for off-road applications, he said.

Goodyear said in a letter to federal safety regulators that it first saw an increase in warranty and property damage claims during a review in May 2010. The recall covers 40,915 tires produced in six sizes from March to May 2009.

"A small number of tires within this population may experience a partial tread area separation under certain severe usage conditions," Goodyear said in a February 22 letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Use of these tires in severe conditions could result in partial tread separation which could lead to vehicle damage or a motor vehicle crash."

Goodyear said it inspected in December the tire involved in last year's fatal crash in Texas and found it had sustained damage from external causes, the company said in the letter to NHTSA.

Still, based on an analysis of the warranty and damage claims, and discussion with safety regulators, Goodyear decided on February 16 to recall the tires, it said. It plans to send notices to customers by March 22.

"Statistics show the vast majority of tire issues are related to tires that are used while under-inflated, overloaded, in a poorly maintained condition or have suffered impact damage," Goodyear said in a statement.

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source: Reuters (Dobuzinskis, 2/25)

Chrysler Recalls Charger Police Cars

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling certain Dodge Charger police vehicles from the 2011 and 2012 model year to fix electrical problems that could lead to failure of their low-beam headlights or the loss of anti-lock braking.

In a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car maker said the possible headlight problem stems from overheating in the bulb harness connector. Overheating can also occur in a component called a power distribution module, which can result in the loss of anti-lock brake and electronic stability control functions.

Chrysler said it built the affected cars between July 5, 2010, and Dec. 20, 2011. The recall includes 9,688 vehicles. The company said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the problems.

Under the recall Chrysler dealers will replace the headlamp jumper harnesses and relocate the anti-lock brake and electronic stability control fuse within the power distribution module. The service is free of charge. The recall is expected to begin next month. Customers can contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403.

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source: Wall Street Journal Blog (Welsh, 2/13)