Lauren Fix, The Car Coach® explains how this very kind car thief accidentally stole someone else's Subaru. How did the same Subaru key work in both cars? Lauren Fix explains.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released proposed guidelines today to help address driver distraction caused by mobile and other electronic devices in vehicles. Today’s announcement covers the second phase of voluntary guidelines to address driver distraction on U.S. roads. The first phase focused on devices or systems built into the vehicle at the time of manufacture.

"As millions of Americans take to the roads for Thanksgiving gatherings, far too many are put at risk by drivers who are distracted by their cellphones," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx."These commonsense guidelines, grounded in the best research available, will help designers of mobile devices build products that cut down on distraction on the road."

AAA Foundation study reveals the dangers of getting less than seven hours of sleep

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 6, 2016)- Drivers who miss between one to two hours of the recommended seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period nearly double their risk for a crash, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 35 percent of U.S. drivers sleep less than the recommended seven hours daily. And with drowsy driving involved in more than one in five fatal crashes on U.S. roadways each year, AAA warns drivers that getting less than seven hours of sleep may have deadly consequences.

“You cannot miss sleep and still expect to be able to safely function behind the wheel,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Our new research shows that a driver who has slept for less than five hours has a crash risk comparable to someone driving drunk.”

The national average price of regular unleaded gasoline has increased for seven consecutive days, reaching today’s price of $2.18 per gallon. Today’s average price represents an increase of five cents per gallon compared to one week ago, four cents less than one month ago and 14 cents more than the same date last year.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) elected to cut its collective production when the group met last Wednesday in Vienna, Austria, in an effort to rebalance the global oil supply and raise prices. Markets reacted quickly to the production agreement with crude oil gaining 12% and leading to increased retail prices. The deal is set to take effect in January 2017.
Traditionally this time of year gives way to lower gas prices as a result of cheaper to produce winter-blend fuel and less demand. However, due to the agreement from OPEC it is still unclear if prices will retreat considerably ahead of the upcoming holidays.

NHTSA intends to upgrade 5-Star Ratings to new era of safety

NHTSA has set the standard for safety, helping consumers find safer cars with its 5-Star Safety Ratings for more than 30 years. Now, buying a safer car just got easier with the new Overall Rating that makes comparing vehicles simple: More Stars mean Safer Cars. 5-Star Safety Ratings measure the crashworthiness and rollover safety of vehicles. Five stars is the highest rating, one is the lowest.

• Search 5-Star Safety Ratings
• On YouTube: SafercarTV has all our crash test videos