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Whether to drive children to daycare, older people to senior citizen events, athletic teams to sporting events, employees in work carpools, or teenagers to youth programs, 15-passenger vans are in high demand and are prevalent on our nation’s roads. However, these cumbersome vehicles can pose a safety risk to inexperienced van drivers and other road users. In this section, we recommend van drivers insist that all occupants wear seat belts at all times; that drivers of 15-passenger vans are trained and experienced; tires are checked at least once a week, using the manufacturer’s recommended pressure levels; and no loads are placed on the roof of the vehicle.

After spending years protecting your children from all sorts of dangers on the road and off, you now face the prospect of handing them the keys to the family car. It's time for them to learn how to drive. Are you prepared? We can help you mold your teen into a safe and capable driver.

In 2016, 37,461 people died in motor vehicle crashes. Research shows that the vast number of vehicle crashes are tied to human error. NHTSA is working to promote safety through sharing information on vehicle technologies that hold the potential to reduce the number of crashes and to save thousands of lives every year. Learn more about NHTSA's work to bring these technologies to America's cars and trucks.

Every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes—that's one person every 50 minutes in 2016. Drunk-driving fatalities have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. In 2010, the most recent year for which cost data is available, these deaths and damages contributed to a cost of $44B per year.

The continuing evolution of automotive technology aims to deliver even greater safety benefits and Automated Driving Systems (ADS) that—one day—can handle the whole task of driving when we don’t want to or can’t do it ourselves. Fully automated cars and trucks that drive us, instead of us driving them, will become a reality. These self-driving vehicles ultimately will integrate onto U.S. roadways by progressing through six levels of driver assistance technology advancements in the coming years.

If you are an older driver or a caregiver, NHTSA encourages you to talk about driving safety. We offer material to help you understand how aging can affect driving and what you can do to continue driving safely as you age, such as adapting a vehicle to meet specific needs.

Speeding endangers everyone on the road: In 2016, speeding killed 10,111 people, accounting for more than a quarter (27%) of all traffic fatalities that year. We all know the frustrations of modern life and juggling a busy schedule, but speed limits are put in place to protect all road users. Learn about the dangers of speeding and why faster doesn’t mean safer.

As you might expect, when a crash occurs between motor vehicle and a bike, it is the cyclist who is most likely to be injured. Bicyclists accounted for 2.2 percent of all traffic deaths in 2016. Bicyclist deaths occurred most often between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (20%) and in urban areas (71%). The vast majority of bicyclists killed were male (84%) and the largest number of males injured were between 55 to 59 years old. Alcohol was a factor in 29 percent of traffic crashes in which the bicyclist (or driver) had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher, the illegal alcohol level in all States. A large percentage of crashes can be avoided if motorists and cyclists follow the rules of the road and watch out for each other.