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The Internet Car and Truck of the Year Awards has joined the Chicago Auto Show.

Awards for best car, best truck and best journalist will be presented during the Chicago Auto Show Media Days on Feb. 10-11, 2010.

Awards will be presented for Internet Car of the Year, Internet Truck of the Year, Consumer Internet Car of the Year, and Consumer Internet Truck of the Year. Winners of the Internet Automotive Journalism Contest will also be announced at the show.

Voting will be open until December 11^th. The public can go to: www.internetcarandtruckoftheyear.com and cast their vote.

The Internet Car and Truck of the Year is “Where Internet Pros and Average Joes Pick the Car and Truck of the Year” said founder and chief organizer Keith Griffin.

A jury of 12 automotive writers is simultaneously selecting its top car and truck (including SUVs, pickups and crossovers) at the same time consumers are voting on their top picks in the same categories.

The Internet Car and Truck of the Year Awards) have become an official part of The Chicago Auto Show www.ChicagoAutoShow.com.

“It’s the first time Internet-savvy consumers will have the opportunity to select their Car and Truck of the Year in one place at a website not dominated by manufacturer advertising. It’s only logical that we associate with the Chicago Auto Show, because it is the nation’s largest consumer auto show,” said Griffin.

Popularity: 7% [?]

The vast majority of U.S. drivers believes handheld texting while driving is very dangerous and should be banned nationwide, according to a national survey.

The survey showed that 86 percent of U.S. drivers believe handheld texting while driving is “very dangerous” and 93 percent support a nationwide ban on texting.  At the same time, only 42 percent of respondents believe drivers would stop texting behind the wheel if the practice was banned.  However, more than 75 percent believe there would be more compliance if hands-free or voice-activated technologies were widely available.

The online survey was conducted September 18-21 by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates on behalf of the Ford Motor Company.  Ford commissioned the survey as part of its efforts to understand driver perceptions related to distracted driving.  Ford last week endorsed a proposed nationwide ban on handheld texting introduced by Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

“Research shows that activity that draws drivers’ eyes away from the road for an extended period while driving, such as text messaging, substantially increases the risk of accidents,” said Jim Vondale, director of Ford’s Automotive Safety Office. “That is why we support a nationwide ban on handheld texting while driving and why Ford has developed hands-free and voice-activated technologies to allow drivers to remain connected, but to do so while keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.”

The survey shows that 67 percent of drivers said they believed voice-activated technology is a safe alternative to texting, and 76 percent said such a feature would be an appealing feature in a car.

The survey results come as the U.S. Department of Transportation is scheduled to host a summit on driver distraction in Washington, D.C., next week.

Franks Note: Some years ago, a study found the people talking on cell phones while driving had the same reaction time as someone legally drunk. Not a lot happened; let’s hope this time response to the dangers of texting while driving is better.

Popularity: 8% [?]

While a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates growing public support for the use of ignition interlocks on the cars of drunk drivers, a growing body of justice officials and policymakers say the trend is actually dealing with the people–not just the cars–when it comes to mitigating the social and financial costs of the DUI epidemic.

The IIHS report indicates that two-thirds of their survey respondents think the idea of “advanced technology” to stop drunk drivers from operating their cars when intoxicated is “good” or “very good,” though only 40 percent indicated they would be willing to install the technology on their own vehicles. Today, approximately 180,000 interlocks are in use nationwide. And that number is at the core of the debate: Estimates indicate that even in New Mexico, the state with the strictest ignition interlock laws, only 32 percent of offenders required to install interlocks actually do so. The resources to ensure enforcement of the sanction are simply lacking. More than 1.4 million people are arrested for driving under the influence each year, making it the most common cause of arrest in the U.S.

State 24/7 Sobriety Programs Shift the Focus to the Offenders

South Dakota is leading the paradigm shift from strictly sanctioning cars to changing the behavior of offenders long-term. The state has seen an unprecedented 65 percent drop in the rate of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the last four years, with accompanying reductions in the prison and jail populations. Former South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long, who conceived of and implemented the state’s award-winning 24/7 Sobriety Project in 2005, says the shift is centered on addressing what he calls the root cause of the criminality, which is the alcohol abuse and addiction. “Rather than just ‘requiring’ sobriety, we incorporated stringent testing to ensure it,” says Long. The program mandates that all DUI offenders be sober 24/7, not just when they drive. “What we’ve seen is that effective monitoring, coupled with short but immediate jail time for a violation, is resulting in very high compliance rates,” he says. “We are substantially reducing the burden that these offenders place on their families and their communities.”

Popularity: 8% [?]