Vehicle safety is always an important consideration for drivers, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is one of the private organizations that keeps close tabs on this measurement. In a recent report, the group made seven recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the group responsible for vehicle safety regulation, that they believe could cut down on the number of road deaths.
According to the IIHS, one of the big factors is seatbelt laws. Some states, such as New Hampshire, have no seatbelt laws. Others have a "secondary" law, which means that police can only write you a ticket if they pull you over for something else. Switching from a secondary law to a "primary law - where they can pull you over for no seatbelt - reduces deaths by seven percent, according to the organization.
Another recommendation was more roundabouts. The IIHS has found that many crashes involve right angles, left-hand turns or head-on collisions. Roundabouts eliminate much of this, and areas that have roundabouts have crashes reduced by 40 percent.
Other ideas that made the report included red-light cameras, DUI checkpoints, lower speed limits, harsher teen driver laws and mandatory motorcycle helmets, says Consumer Reports.
Drivers should make sure that they are doing all they can to remain safe on the road. Things like brake service and repair and buying tires are good preventative measures that can lessen the risk of an accident.