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Some of the vehicle safety features that we now take for granted have not been around all that long. It is difficult to imagine driving a car without seat belts or air bags. But after each was invented, there was a period of time in which they were optional “luxury” items that customers had to…

Each year, some 10,000 people are killed in drunk-driving accidents on U.S. roads and highways. And while some of the victims are the drunk drivers themselves, many are innocent individuals (including children) who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Drunk driving and DUI accident rates used to be much higher than…

The idea that dogs frequently bite mail carriers has long been a cliché. But like most clichés, it is rooted in truth. According to the U.S. Postal Service, approximately 5,767 postal workers nationwide were attacked by dogs in 2014. Postal workers obviously face higher risks because their job involves walking on the properties of dog…

Whether or not we realize it, many of our decisions in life are based on an immediate cost-benefit analysis. Behavioral rewards are weighed against risks, and we choose accordingly. And while we usually get things right, we often make the wrong decisions as well. Why do some errors leave us feeling like we did our…

Most Californians are well aware of Google’s project to develop fully autonomous vehicles. While many universities and private companies are working on perfecting the technology of self-driving cars, Google’s efforts are especially noticeable, as their vehicles have already logged more than 1 million miles of test driving, most of which were on California roads. So…

At the beginning of the month, we wrote that May is Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month across California. With all the traffic congestion and year-round warm weather we experience here in the Golden State, motorcycle safety needs to be an even higher priority here than in other parts of the country. California also takes a…

In today’s post, we’re continuing a discussion about a recent announcement by Japanese auto parts manufacturer Takata. The company, which has provided air bags to most of the major automakers around the world, just announced that its safety recall will include 34 million vehicles in the United States, which is twice as many as originally…

In a post last week, we discussed how airbags work. This safety device relies on a rather complex process that we too often take for granted – until something goes wrong. Airbags that deploy mere fractions of a second too late could result in serious injury or even death during a collision. Throughout 2014 and…

One of the biggest news stories of 2014 was the General Motors recall scandal. A congressional inquiry and independent investigation revealed that certain GM employees had known about defective ignition switches for more than a decade, but never made substantive efforts to report that knowledge or correct the problem. So far, the vehicle defect has been…

If you didn’t get your safety-awareness fill in April during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, you’re in for some good news. All across California, May has been designated Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. In all seriousness, this is an issue that, like distracted driving, is worthy of its own month. Far too many motorcyclists are killed and…