Road Safety

Berlin – October 28, 2026 -- Seventy-one percent of Germans support an absolute alcohol ban for car drivers, according to the TÜV Mobility Study 2026. The TÜV-Verband is using the result to press for a zero-per-mille limit for all motor vehicles. Forsa surveyed 2,504 people aged 18 and over on the association's behalf between March 19 and April 10, 2026.

Support varies by vehicle type. Approval for a zero limit stands at 74% for motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and mofas, and 67% for e-scooters. For bicycles, a narrow majority of 54% backs zero per mille. Some 49% of respondents want the limit applied to every vehicle type surveyed, while 18% reject a zero limit entirely.

Women and older respondents drive support for a full ban

Of women, 78% back zero per mille for car drivers, against 63% of men. A ban covering all vehicle types is supported by 57% of women and 40% of men. Men (24%) reject a ban outright twice as often as women (12%).

Hurst, Texas – October 27, 2026 -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) convened 80 traffic safety leaders from 38 jurisdictions on November 17–19, 2025, to address declining DUI enforcement capacity across the United States.

Attendees included state police agencies, sheriff's offices, municipal police departments, prosecutors' offices and highway safety organizations. MADD ran the National Law Enforcement Leadership Summit on Impaired Driving as a working session rather than a traditional conference.

Four pressures are eroding DUI enforcement effectiveness

Participants said proactive traffic stops have fallen steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting officer visibility and deterrence. Staffing shortages and accelerated hiring cycles have left departments with newer officers who have limited experience with complex DUI and drug-impaired investigations.

Pittsburgh – – October 05, 2026 -- A commercial truck driver from Hilliard, Fla., has filed a patent application for a new vehicle signaling device designed to alert other motorists during 180-degree turns, and the design is now available for licensing through InventHelp.

Device targets a gap in standard turn-signal systems

The invention, called the U-TURN SIGNAL, provides a distinct visual indicator separate from conventional left and right turn signals, intended to reduce driver confusion and prevent collisions during U-turn maneuvers. The inventor developed the concept after identifying recurring signaling ambiguity encountered while operating commercial vehicles.

Brown Deer, Wis. – September 29, 2026 -- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has deployed 14 mobile Wrong-Way Detection Trailers built by TAPCO, part of a statewide push to identify wrong-way driving risk at unsignalized highway ramps before crashes occur. Texas and Arkansas transportation departments have also adopted the mobile trailers since the product launched earlier this year.

Fatal wrong-way crashes nearly doubled nationally over the past decade

Fatal wrong-way crashes on U.S. divided highways rose from 278 a year in 2014 to 520 in 2023, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Over that decade, 4,164 fatal wrong-way crashes killed 5,730 people, with wrong-way fatalities climbing faster than the overall fatal-crash rate.

Pittsburgh – September 19, 2026 -- An Indianapolis-based inventor has filed a patent application for the U-TURN FLASHER, a signaling device designed to warn other motorists before a vehicle executes a 180-degree turn at an intersection.

Device targets a specific gap in existing turn-signal communication

Standard turn signals do not clearly indicate a U-turn maneuver, leaving other drivers to guess a vehicle's intentions. The U-TURN FLASHER is engineered to give advance, unambiguous notice of an impending U-turn, aiming to reduce collisions caused by miscommunication at intersections.

Washington – September 15, 2026 -- An estimated 18,460 people died in U.S. motor vehicle crashes during the first half of 2026, a 2% decline from the revised first-half 2025 count, according to preliminary National Safety Council (NSC) data released Sept. 9, 2026. The drop occurred even as total miles driven rose 0.8% between January and June, pushing the estimated fatality rate to 1.12 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled -- down 3.4% year-over-year and 10.4% from 2024.

State-level fatality trends diverge sharply across the country

Thirteen states recorded double-digit decreases in traffic deaths, led by Hawaii (-30%), Illinois (-24%) and West Virginia (-24%), followed by Kansas (-21%), Oklahoma (-20%), Idaho (-18%), New Hampshire (-16%), Nevada (-14%), Maryland (-13%), Wisconsin (-13%), Tennessee (-12%), Utah (-11%) and Massachusetts (-10%).