It remains the conventional wisdom that sitting in the back of a vehicle is safer than sitting in the front, especially for passengers in the "death seat," as the spot next to the driver used to be called. But that thinking is out of date. Major advances in car safety -- from basic air bags and "crumple zones" to seat belts that absorb the force of impacts during a crash -- have greatly reduced the likelihood of getting injured or killed while riding in the front seat. But far less progress has been made protecting backseat passengers. "We don't have crash dummies in the rear. So things are improving in the front, but the backseat hasn't kept up," said Jessica Jermakian, a senior research scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS. "For adult occupants, we wouldn't necessarily say it's safer [in the rear] anymore." The issue of safety for car passengers surfaced again this week after veteran newsman and "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon was killed in a crash … [Read more...] about In car crashes, backseat can be more dangerous than the front
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Oil exec Aubrey McClendon dies in car crash a day after indictment
Last Updated Mar 2, 2016 7:51 PM EST A day after his indictment on bid-rigging charges, Aubrey McClendon, the former chief executive of Chesapeake Energy Corp., died Wednesday morning in a car crash in Oklahoma.An Oklahoma City police spokesman said the 56-year-old, also a part-owner of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, was speeding and "drove straight into the wall" when he was killed in a single-car crash.Capt. Paco Balderrama said McClendon crossed the center line, drove into a grassy area and crashed into a wall at about 9 a.m. Wednesday."He pretty much drove right into the wall," Balderrama said. "There was plenty of opportunity for him to correct and get back on the road but that did not occur."Police are still investigating the single-vehicle crash, and said it was too early to say whether it was intentional. Balderrama said McClendon was not wearing a seat belt and was driving above the speed limit of 50 mph.McClendon was indicted Tuesday on a federal charge of conspiring to … [Read more...] about Oil exec Aubrey McClendon dies in car crash a day after indictment
Goats And Soda’s Top Stories: Mosquito Repellent, Menstrual Huts, Car Crash
Commentary Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email Enlarge this image From left: A scene from the video of a car crash test; illustration of a mosquito transmitting the Zika virus; a menstrual shed in Nepal. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/YouTube; BSIP/UIG via Getty Images; Poulomi Basu/Magnum Emergency Fund hide caption toggle caption Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/YouTube; BSIP/UIG via Getty Images; Poulomi Basu/Magnum Emergency Fund From left: A scene from the video of a car crash test; illustration of a mosquito transmitting the Zika virus; a menstrual shed in Nepal. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/YouTube; BSIP/UIG via Getty Images; Poulomi Basu/Magnum Emergency Fund It's always interesting for the Goats and Soda team to look back and see which stories got the most clicks. Sometimes, we have a hunch about what will be a hit — like our guide to mosquito repellents, which we published at the onset of the Zika epidemic. Other … [Read more...] about Goats And Soda’s Top Stories: Mosquito Repellent, Menstrual Huts, Car Crash
4-car crash causes oil spill on Highway 101 in San Jose
By Sarah Ravani Updated 10:00 am, Monday, March 19, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-10', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 10', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-15', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 15', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-20', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 20', target_type: … [Read more...] about 4-car crash causes oil spill on Highway 101 in San Jose
‘Scariest Car Crash Ever Caught On Video’
America Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email Whether it actually is or isn't the "scariest car crash ever caught on video," as Jalopnik.com says, this is a truly frightening thing to watch — even if you know it's coming and that the driver wasn't hurt. So, be warned: This clip is only 40 seconds long and at the 32-second mark a board comes flying into the windshield. Please don't press play if you aren't sure you want to watch. If you do, perhaps it's a teaching moment about paying attention when you're behind the wheel? About not following too closely? And about not doing things like using your camera phone to record what's happening in front of you? (Though it's not clear that played any role in the accident.) This happened in North Carolina. The driver, Wendy Cobb, posted it on YouTube over the weekend. She tells Jalopnik that "I don't know why I didn't scream or cuss or cry, I guess just pure shock, I could barely form words to call 911." WendyCobb YouTube … [Read more...] about ‘Scariest Car Crash Ever Caught On Video’