Page 3 - Featured Stories

It’s been approximately 3 weeks since Canada mandated vaccines for truckers crossing the border, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the backlash.* In fact, many theorize that the blockades and protests will grow. 

If continued, these protests can cascade into problems that will hit close to home for many Americans:

• Manufacturing Job Cuts/Reduced Capacities

The focal point of the protests, Ambassador Bridge, is responsible for roughly 1/3rd of America’s auto industry supplies. Car plants, including some of Toyota’s and GM’s, have already been cutting back on shifts since the protests...

You might be guilty of it yourself.

Distractions, however brief, are almost impossible to ignore. That’s why states havehad to crack down on distracted driving as cell phones have become ubiquitousover the course of time.

Despite the potential of being fined or worse, drivers just can’t help but look everywhere but the road in front of them, and the numbers show it.

According to MoneyGeek, these are the 5 worst states when it comes to distracted driving fatality rates per billion miles (DDFR, for our intents and purposes), with a side of distracted driving deaths (2018-2019):

5. Louisiana

Louisiana...

Ever wonder how dangerous your state is when it comes to driving?  

Well, according to insurance company data, there’s a method to figure this out. It involves combing through 4 million insurance applications to calculate the proportion of drivers to speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and DUIs. 

Based on the stats extracted by the above mentioned method, these are the 5 most dangerous states, in order from bad to worst:

5. 5. Virginia 

“Virginia is for lovers,” so that might explain the 14.34% of drivers with a speeding ticket, but it doesn’t explain the 26.68% of drivers with at least one...

Take one look at Jessica Rambo’s Instagram page The Painted Buffalo, and you’d think it was a collection of gorgeous landscape shots, skoolie conversion updates, and cool excursion pics. 

In fact it’s all those things, and so much more, for so many folks.

Read a little into the captions and you’ll not only get her story, but a sense of what drives her and makes her projects and her page so special. 

Jess is a mother, a Marine vet, an artist, and a force for good when it comes to other vets, women, and single mothers. Last but not least, she’s the owner of The Painted Buffalo, a school bus-turned-home...

If there’s one time we’d recommend using our systems, it’s during your commute home on that busy highway you have no choice but to take.

Though you may be sitting in traffic for a while, it’s still possible to get scratched, side-swiped, rear-ended, or even worse–so who wouldn’t want a good set of sensors to get through that?

With the help of ATRI, we’ve compiled the top 5 busiest highways in the U.S. (as of 2021) that are sure to have you sitting and seething. That is, if you make it home unscathed.

5. Houston, TX: I-45 at I-69/US 59
Though up 53.7% in peak average speed from the year before...

In keeping with our (recently established) tradition, we’d like to start the new year by highlighting upcoming auto-related technologies--especially the novel types that save lives.

Though we tend to be more safety-focused, we appreciate the bells and whistles of flashy new trends that seem straight out a sci-fi movie scene; some of which definitely made our list:

Adaptive Headlights

Adaptive, or matrix headlights, automatically adjust high beams in the face of oncoming cars while keeping the rest of the road illuminated and are able to be aimed more precisely than regular headlights. The headlights...

It’s been an eventful 2021 to say the least, and we’re going into the new year with high hopes and safe wishes for all! 

Thanks to you, our readers, the On The Safe Side blog has had its best year ever! 

Readership increased in record numbers, and more and more visitors showed interest in the various topics we touched on. 

In order, here are the top 5 articles you clicked on in 2021:

5) 4 PIECES OF TAILGATING TECH YOU'LL GET A KICK OUT OF

Just in time for the start of the NFL, this blog entry dropped a quick list of tailgating essential gadgets that’s still in season (at least until the Super...

Who says a premium safety feature has to cost like one?

We’re all about having best-in-class systems at average-consumer-level prices, and these 5 popular cars help make the case for that.

Hyundai Sonata
Priced at an affordable $24K, Hyundai’s popular sedan comes with brake assist, lane keep assist, an effective blind-spot system, and a backup camera that definitely make it worth the low price tag.

Toyota Camry
At around $33K, the popular Camry comes with a backup camera system which accompanies features like automatic braking, collision warning, lane keep assist, and a blind spot system.

Nissan...

If “hindsight is 20/20” was a gadget, it would be the dash-cam. 

Mini but mighty, dash cams are the most underrated yet useful pieces of tech out there. 

Since privacy and recording laws differ state to state, cars aren’t legally required to have them, but when utilized, they assist with a multitude of issues: 

- Lowering Insurance Premiums 

While it inherently influences a driver to be more aware of their habits on the road since they’re being recorded, it’s also the perfect tool for accident-recording and resolving liability issues should they arise. Establishing that you’re not at fault...

If the early headlines are any indication, then this winter might be a tough one. 

When it comes to safeguarding yourself and your family against icy, whiteout, and freezing conditions, the time to begin winterizing your vehicle and mentally preparing is now–especially if you’re in the northernmost U.S. and Canada. 

So we’ve collected some tried-and-true tactics that have stood the test of time, and updated that list with some modern strategies (namely some cool tech right from the RVS collection). 

Visibility

- Warm up your vehicle and cab first to reduce the chances of your windows fogging...

There are a long list of warning signs to keep an eye out for if you’re in the market for a used car.

You’ve heard of the usual red flags, especially when it comes to prices, financing, and mysteriously missing paperwork; in true RVS fashion, we’ve decided to focus on more tangible, safety-related warnings–the types that you can either see or feel (and even smell).  

• Mismatched/Recent Paint Jobs 

While it seems innocuous on the surface, a patchy paint job on a car can point to recent damage that may have just been brushed over, instead of professionally fixed. This is a red flag regarding both...

Though vehicles (and sometimes your patience) can take a beating during the holiday season, nothing tests drivers more than Thanksgiving weekend--and that will go double for this upcoming 2021 Thanksgiving weekend, as the post-pandemic rebound continues. 

Ever in a giving mood, we’ve gone ahead and compiled some of the Thanksgiving forecasts (directly from AAA) to help you guide or plan for the worst in those long drives:

Top 20 Most Popular Travel Destinations

• Orlando, FL 
• Anaheim, CA
• New York, NY
• Dallas, TX
• Phoenix, AZ
• Honolulu, HI
• Kahului, Maui, HI
• Atlanta, GA
• Tampa, FL
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL...

This list of car models with the most accidents won’t come as a surprise to many adults, especially parents with teen drivers. 

While it doesn’t cover the deadlier aspect of car crashes, it certainly highlights the danger that comes with certain demographics being behind the wheel and what kind of sporty, compact, and (sometimes) fast cars they tend to favor.

Thanks to insurance company data, we can see which of these models are making up the majority of accident reports in 2021:

• Subaru Impreza

Though it’s the most affordable model on this list with the highest overall safety ratings and safety...

You’re an average driver with a decent driving record, your car model is quite a popular one on the road, but you still think there’s room for improvement as far as your insurance premium goes. 

We know you’ve already heard the conventional tips like bundling, shopping around for rates, keeping your record clean, avoiding sports cars, and taking defensive driving classes--but we’ve got a few that are a little less-known. 

• Investing In A Safety Camera/Sensor System 

Spoiler alert: we’re kicking this off with an obvious RVS pick here. You may not necessarily get a discount from your insurance...

Getting home safely; it’s something we take for granted, and that’s just fine. 

We’re not ones to fear-monger, and making roads safer one safety-system at a time is how we’re able to take our minds off the dangers of driving.

Still, on average, around 40,000 people a year die  from crashes, and approximately another 3.3 million are seriously injured. 

2021 hasn’t been kind to drivers either, with 21,450 people (a 17% increase from 2019) dead from motor vehicle accidents, according to early National Safety Council estimates. 

So, it’s easy to empathize with these responses to a recent survey...

It’s that time of the year again--fall leaves on the ground, cooler weather, and hundreds of super-excited football fans crowding stadium parking lots and having a blast.

Yes, tailgating season has started, and we’re not one to leave you out in the cold (even if your home team does). 

Here are 4 crucial gadgets that will make your tailgating experience the best of the (literal) lot. 

Portable Power Pack

Tailgating can go on for hours, but your vehicle’s battery can not. Bringing a portable power pack ensures you have enough juice to power phones, electronic grills, music, TVs, and still be able...

It’s that time of year when we geek out about the fancy updated tech in new model vehicles being released!

Whether it’s decked-out dashboards or super-sensitive safety sensors, we’re always on the lookout for standouts in vehicle-innovation.

Since we like to stay grounded with our lists (because everyone should be able to be safe), we’ve picked some of the more popular vehicles on the road to highlight: 

2021 Hyundai Elantra 

The 2021 model of the popular compact sedan not only comes with a slew of sleek lines on its exterior, but a souped-up 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system, a 10.2-inch...

We all know the usual suspects when it comes to raising your vehicle’s insurance premium: a teen driver, location, accident history, car type...

There are, however, some more unusual and less thought-of factors that we either take for granted or just ignore: 

Marital Status 

This makes sense, as not only married couples divide driving time between themselves, but tend to be a little more careful, as they’re likely to be carrying precious cargo. Stats have shown that married people are involved in up to 50% fewer accidents, compared to single drivers. The lowest risk group? Married, middle-aged...

There’s “safe” according to the car companies, and then there’s safe according to the IHHS. 

Through unbiased scientific research and testing, IHHS ratings factor in crashworthiness, cab safety, effectiveness of headlights and sensors, braking, lane departure systems, and collision warning systems. 

Being the safety-centric company that we are, we love nerding out about which 2021 vehicles made top picks in their respective categories, so here goes 5 of the best:

SMALL 4-DOOR SEDANS 

2021 Honda Insight 

Reintroduced in 2019 after a 4-year absence, the Insight’s standard Honda Sensing tech...