It's easy to assume that major national disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes kill the most people. While the weather is responsible for the most deaths, it's the weather combined with car accidents that kill the most people. According to recent reports, on average more than 7,000 Americans die each year from weather-related car accidents on national highways.
Weather-related car accidents include those caused by fog, snow, sleet, rain, and slick pavement. And while the media tends to focus on huge multi-car pileups, it's actually the one or two person accidents that make up the majority of the national figure. Until very recently, the weather service did not even report these "smaller" accidents as part of their annual deaths caused by severe weather conditions.
The National Center for Atmostpheric Research might have a solution this major problem. The Center is in the process of developing technology that would allow drivers to see up-to-the-minute information on the road and weather conditions and plan their trips accordingly. The technology, known as the "vehicle data translator" will use wireless technology to use cars as mobile weather stations to collect and relay information on weather conditions. With 250 million drivers on the road, that is a lot of information to prevent other drivers from encountering adverse weather and avoidable accidents.
