Carnegie Mellon University scientists have shown that just listening to a cell phone while driving is a significant distraction, and it causes drivers to commit some of the same types of driving errors that can occur under the influence of alcohol.

Over 2800 members of staff took part in the November 2007 travel survey. The Travel to Work Implementation Group will carry out further detailed analysis of these results and the individual comments made by staff.

Motorists who talk on cell phones drive slower on the freeway, pass sluggish vehicles less often and take longer to complete their trips, according to a University of Utah study that suggests drivers on cell phones congest traffic.

The daily commute may be taking more of a toll than people realize. A new study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) and the California Air Resources Board found that up to half of Los Angeles residents’ total exposure to harmful air pollutants occurs while people are traveling in their vehicles.

Combining low-dose alcohol with moderate sleep restriction can have a significant adverse effect on young men’s subjective alertness and performance behind the wheel, according to a study published in the October 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

The combination of extended wakefulness and low-dose alcohol has significant adverse effects on a person’s ability to drive, and elevates the risk of getting into a vehicular accident, according to a study published in the October 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

Nissan today opened its new “Grandrive” vehicle proving ground, located in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Grandrive has been designed to support vehicle evaluation and testing for engineering development and to showcase the driving dynamics of Nissan products to employees, dealers and other stakeholders.

It's conventional wisdom that talking on cell phones while driving is risky business, but two University of California, Berkeley, graduate student economists report that a spike in cell phone use in recent years and on weekday evenings is not matched by an increase in fatal or non-fatal car crashes from 2002-2005.

Parents and teens looking to purchase a safe new vehicle before school begins can find help with AAA's updated "Buying a Safer Car" brochure containing valuable consumer information on crash tests, rollover rating and safety features.

In an advance that could help curb global demand for oil, MIT researchers have demonstrated how ordinary spark-ignition automobile engines can, under certain driving conditions, move into a spark-free operating mode that is more fuel-efficient and just as clean.

Drivers 65 and older are just one-third as likely as drivers 15 to 24 to cause auto accidents, and not much more likely than drivers 25 to 64 to cause accidents, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.