Price of Motor Vehicle Insurance Tends to Fall As Safety Improves

Motor vehicle insurance and public safety statistics can be greatly affected by a handful of common factors, like driving while fatigued or distracted, or other unsafe practices.

With that in mind, federal officials have announced new steps that would take aim to make the nation's roads safer by creating requirements that thousands of motorcoach drivers nationwide will soon be required to follow.

According to an announcement from the Transportation Department, the Motorcoach Safety Action Plan will aim to boost public safety by setting new standards for seatbelts on buses as well as greater roof strength, fire safety and emergency exit standards. Anti-rollover technology will also be included on these vehicles in the coming years.

Other parts of the initiative include rules banning motorcoach drivers from texting or using cell phones while behind the wheel. Another part of the plan would initiate the rulemaking process regarding on-board recording devices that could be used to fight driver fatigue. The ban comes about a year after a couple of incidents that made national news involving public transportation workers who had been texting on the job.

"These improvements will not only help reduce the number of motorcoach crashes, it will also help save lives and reduce injuries," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

When it comes to motorcoaches and other large vehicles, automobile drivers can do their part to prevent crashes and improve safety by not tailgating or passing in an aggressive manner. When it comes to school buses, drivers should always stop when the lights go on and the vehicle comes to a stop. Some states run occasional enforcement operations to call attention to the importance of keeping the road safe when children are exiting or getting on board a school bus.

In some states, law enforcement agencies have developed programs where officers ride along on trucks or school buses to ticket aggressive drivers who create unsafe conditions around the vehicles. A number of states have already taken their own measures to ban texting and cell phone use among drivers as well as public transportation employees. Various organizations are also working to bring about a federal ban on these forms of distracted driving.

Another threat to public safety is drowsy driving, which affects millions of drivers each year and contributes to a number of serious crashes. The National Sleep Foundation was one of the organizations to recently observe Drowsy Driving Prevention Week.

Drowsy driving is said to be a more of a problem during the winter months, because of the longer hours of darkness and the more difficult road conditions. The National Road Safety Foundation recently highlighted this issue as the nation turned its clocks back for the winter.

According to the organization, warning signs of drowsy driving include rubbing the eyes, forgetfulness and daydreaming, yawning and head snaps, and drifting, hitting rumble strips or tailgating while driving. People who do experience such conditions are advised to pull over and have some coffee or other caffeinated beverage and take a break.

The government's latest effort comes at a time when traffic safety measures appear to be showing some success. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported that vehicle traffic fatalities for the first half of 2009 had reached new lows. According to the agency, about 16,626 people died in vehicle crashes in the first half of 2009, down 7 percent on a year-over-year basis from 2008. This was also said to mark the 13th consecutive quarter of declines for this category.

As roads continue to get safer, one benefit is likely to be a lower average cost for motor vehicle insurance.