Driving

When snowy or icy conditions make driving difficult, we count on state and municipal snowplow crews to help make the roads safer. But all drivers need to do their part to share the road safely when snowplows are doing their work.

Boston — The percentage of roadway fatalities involving cannabis or a combination of cannabis and alcohol more than doubled over a recent 19-year period, results of a recent study show.

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany — Up to half of individuals whose breath alcohol concentration is over the legal limit to operate a vehicle may overestimate their ability to drive, which could trigger “devastating consequences,” according to a recent study out of England and Germany.

Itasca, IL — An estimated 371 people will be killed on the nation’s roads during the Christmas holiday weekend, and another 427 over New Year’s weekend. Many of those lives could be saved, however, if travelers buckled up, the National Safety Council says.

You may not know the name for it, but if you drive at night, you’ve probably experienced situational night blindness. It can occur “when you are temporarily blinded by a bright light such as an oncoming car’s headlights,” the Texas Department of Insurance says.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council estimates more than 500 people may die on U.S. roads over the upcoming Thanksgiving Day weekend – the highest projection of roadway deaths for the holiday period since 2007.

Washington — Only 1 out of 5 parents and caregivers seek expert help about installing a car seat or securing a child in a seat – and the majority of car seats brought to child passenger safety technicians for inspection aren’t properly installed and used, a recent data review has concluded.

West Lafayette, IN — When young drivers aren’t allowed to have passengers in their vehicle during overnight hours, crashes and related injuries go down significantly, according to researchers from Purdue University and the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy in Germany.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council is anticipating a much more deadly Labor Day weekend on the nation’s roads this year.

Quick quiz: Your vehicle is in the middle of an intersection when you see and hear an ambulance approaching. What should you do? Stop, or keep driving through?