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Driver Distraction Study; Be the Driver You Want Your Kids to Be

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS), today announced preliminary findings from a major, national study of teen drivers (ages 16 to 18) and parents of teen drivers conducted jointly with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).  The Study shows a significant correlation between parent and teen behaviors behind the wheel, suggesting parents can play an influential role in modeling risky behavior on the road.  The UMTRI/Toyota Teen Driver Distraction Study, the largest scientific survey of its kind, also found that texting while driving remains commonplace among teens, despite ongoing, nationwide efforts to educate drivers on the significant risks associated with these behaviors.   
             
The UMTRI/Toyota Study is based on national telephone surveys of more than 5,500 young drivers and parents.  The survey includes interviews with 400 pairs of teens and parents from the same household (dyads).  This is a unique factor that allows researchers to analyze closely how driving behaviors among parents and teens within the same family unit relate to each other.  In addition to a national sample, the study includes local surveys in Chicago; Philadelphia, Pa.; Houston, Texas; Long Island, N.Y.; Los Angeles and Washington, DC.     

Commenting on the connection noted in the study between parent and teen driving behavior, Dr. Tina Sayer, CSRC Principal Engineer and teen safe driving expert, said:  “Driver education begins the day a child’s car seat is turned around to face front.  As the Study shows, the actions parents take and, by extension, the expectations they set for young drivers each day are powerful factors in encouraging safe behavior behind the wheel.  Seat belts and good defensive driving skills are critical.  However, the one piece of advice I would give to parents to help them keep newly licensed drivers safe on the road it is to always be the driver you want your teen to be.”

Nationally, motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for U.S. teens and, in 2010, seven teens between the ages 16 and 19 died every day on average from motor vehicle injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[1] 

The Study, sponsored by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC), was designed to shed new light on frequently discussed driving risks and to identify effective recommendations to help keep teens safe and help parents serve as more effective driving role models.  The Study also looked at a range of risk factors that receive less public attention but pose great risks on the road as well as the role parents and peers play in encouraging distracted driving behaviors.

Today’s announcement represents only a portion of the study’s preliminary findings.  UMTRI and Toyota’s CSRC continue to analyze, compare, and contrast the data and will publish additional findings incrementally over the next few months. 
 
Key Findings from the UMTRI/Toyota Teen Driver Distraction Study
The sample of teens and parents from the same households (the dyad sample) showed a strong correlation between driving behaviors and attitudes within families.  In general, parents who engage in distracting behaviors more frequently have teens who engage in distracting behaviors more frequently.  Other findings from the dyad sample include:

• What Teens Think Their Parents Do Behind the Wheel Matters More Than What Parents Say They Do:   What teens think  their parents do while driving has a greater impact on the teens’ behavior than what parents actually report they do.
  • If a teen thinks that his or her parent looks for something in the vehicle while driving, the teen is four times (4.1) more likely to also look for something while driving (as compared to if the teen does not think their parent does this at all).
    • If a teen’s parent reports looking for something in the vehicle while driving, the teen is two times (2.2) more likely to do the same (as compared to if the parent does not report this behavior at all).
  • If a teen thinks that his or her parent eats or drinks while driving, the teen is three times (3.4) more likely to likely to do the same (as compared to if the teen does not think their parent does this at all).
    • If a teen’s parent reports eating or drinking while driving, the teen is two times (2.2) more likely to do the same (as compared to if the parent does not report this behavior at all).
  • If a teen thinks that his or her parent deals with passenger issues while driving (interacts with passengers regarding requests, concerns and conflicts), the teen is five times (4.7) more likely to do so themselves (as compared to if the teen does not think their parent does this at all).
    • If a teen’s parent reports dealing with passenger issues while driving, the teen is two times (1.7) more likely to do the same (as compared to if the parent does not report this behavior at all).

• Teens Think Their Parents Engage in Driving Distractions More Often Than May Be the Case:  A third of teens (32 percent) believe that their parents use an electronic device for music while driving, while only one in ten parents (10 percent) report that they do so. Seventy-one percent of teens believe that their parents read or write down directions while driving, while 55 percent of parents say they do so. Eighty-five percent of teens believe that their parents deal with passenger issues while 70 percent of parents say they do so.  

•  Parents May Underestimate How Much Their Teens Text While Driving:  Teens read or send text messages once a trip 26 times more often than their parents think they do.  More than a quarter of teens (26 percent) read or send a text message at least once every time they drive versus the one percent of their parents who said their teen does this. 

Key findings from the larger, national sample of more than 5,500 respondents include:

• Cell Phone Use by Teen Drivers Is Similar to Parents:  More than half of teens (54 percent) report that they use a hand-held cell phone while driving, similar to the six in ten parents (61 percent) who report that they do so.

• Texting While Driving Remains Pervasive:  A quarter of teens (24 percent) respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. Nearly one in three teens (30 percent) read a text or email once or more every time they drive.  Almost one in ten parents (nine percent) respond to a text once or more every time they drive, while 13 percent of them read a text or email once or more while driving.   Perhaps even more alarming, one in five teens (20 percent) and one in ten parents (10 percent) admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving.

 

• Digital and Social Media Are Significant Driving Distractions for Teens:  Teens search for music on a portable music player, such as an iPod, four-and-a-half times more frequently than parents do while driving.  More than half of teens (53 percent) say they do so, while just 12 percent of parents do.  More than one in ten teens, or 11 percent, say that they update or check social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, while driving. 

 

• Teens Regularly Drive with Young Passengers Despite Serious Risks:  Nearly three-quarters of teens (69 percent) say they drive with two or three teen passengers and no adults in their car, which, according to a study by the AAA Foundation, is associated with a doubling of the driver’s risk of being killed in a crash.[2] Almost half of teens (44 percent) do so with more than three teen passengers and no adults, which is associated with a quadrupling of a driver’s risk of being killed.[3]  Additionally, half of teens (50 percent) say that they deal with passengers while driving.  Nearly one in three teens (30 percent) say they do this at least once a trip or more. 

 
Driver Education Begins When the Car Seat Starts Facing Forward
“Children look to their parents for a model of what is acceptable.  Parents should know that every time they get behind the wheel with their child in the car they are providing a visible example that their child is likely to follow,” said Dr. Ray Bingham, Research Professor at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Head of the Young Driver Behavior and Injury Prevention Group.  “By examining the willingness of U.S. parents and teens to engage in high-risk driving behaviors, this study will inform programs that help reduce distracted driving and the non-fatal injuries and death that it causes.”

Toyota complements this research with extensive safety education programs for young drivers and their parents as well as direct outreach to consumers, including:

• Toyota Driving Expectations (www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com), which provides hands-on, real world defensive driving courses that go far beyond what is taught in standard driver education courses;
• Toyota Teen Driver (www.toyotateendriver.com), a partnership with Discovery Education, which offers free online teen safety resources to parents, teens, educators and schools and has annual contests, including the Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge and Educator Challenge, which reward scholarships and prizes, and are designed to inspire teens to make safer decisions behind the wheel; and
• Additional teen safe driving partnerships with DoSomething.org and the National Safety Council.

Sitting down with teens to draft a Safe Driving Contract can help jumpstart this dialogue.  This contract is a mutual agreement that outlines a parent’s expectations for a teen’s driving behaviors and the consequences when those expectations are not met.  Parents can find a sample agreement at www.toyotateendriver.com.

Courtesy of Toyota Press Room

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Toyota Produces 25 Millionth North American-Built Vehicle

Toyota celebrated the 25 millionth vehicle manufactured in North America just two weeks ago at a ceremony at its Georgetown, Ky., plant coinciding with the start of production for the all-new 2013 Avalon. The milestone vehicle – a Classic Silver Hybrid Avalon – represents 26 years of manufacturing, a direct investment of nearly $24 billion in North American operations and 365,000 jobs created in the United States.

“Toyota’s 25 millionth vehicle signifies the tireless work of thousands of Toyota team members, hundreds of North American supplier partners, and great dealers giving their best every day,” said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. “We continue to evolve as a company thanks to their commitment to build the best vehicles in the market.”

Wil James, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc., the company’s largest manufacturing operation in North America, emceed the event. “This is a pivotal time in Toyota’s history,” James said to an enthusiastic crowd of manufacturing team members. “What better way to cap off 26 years of manufacturing excellence than with the all-new Kentucky- built Avalon, a shining example of what our customers have to look forward to in the future.”

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and University of Kentucky Men's Basketball Coach
John Calipari also addressed the audience. Toyota’s Georgetown plant employs approximately 6,600 and builds the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon, Venza, and manufactures 4-cylinder and V6 engines. Toyota’s North American production includes 12 models representing 70 percent of U.S. sales.

"We thank the millions of customers, some of the finest team members in the world, hundreds of excellent North American suppliers and our outstanding dealers who have supported us in reaching this milestone,” said Bill Fay, Group Vice President and General Manager, Toyota Division, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Courtesy of Toyota Press Room

Maintenance Monday!

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Will higher octane or premium fuel give me better gas mileage and/or more power like some people say?

The answer is no. Sportier cars have higher compression engines which generate more power and require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. That's where the myth of "premium = more power" came from. If your handbook says "regular", use regular.

Courtesy of CarBible

Check out how the Toyota Venza passed this safety test!

Toyota Celebrates 35 Years of Research and Development in the United States

Toyota Technical Center (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc., will celebrate its 35th Anniversary with team members and executives this week at locations in Michigan, Arizona and California.

Toyota Technical Center (TTC) has been the driving force behind Toyota's North American engineering and research & development (R&D) activities since 1977. Headquartered in Michigan, TTC has R&D facilities in Ann Arbor, Saline, Plymouth and Livonia. In California, TTC has R&D facilities in Gardena and Torrance and operates the Toyota Arizona Proving Ground near Phoenix.

TTC has major vehicle development responsibility for Avalon, Sienna, Tundra, Tacoma, Venza and RAV4 EV. The 2013 Avalon and 2012 RAV4 Electric Vehicle are the latest vehicles to have been engineered at TTC.

In 2011, TTC established the Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) to complement its advanced research activities. CSRC has committed $50 million towards safety related research. As of September 2012, CSRC has partnered with 16 universities, agencies and research institutions on 26 projects to help advance auto safety research across the industry.

Giving Back to Our Community
To mark the 35th anniversary, TTC Team Members selected 10 non-profit organizations in their communities, and Toyota is donating a total of $35,000 to these agencies. Additionally, TTC donated a total of $12,500 to the six fire departments that serve their communities.

Amanda Uhle, Executive Director of 826Michigan, an after-school tutoring program and one of the recipients, commented: “We are honored and delighted by this gift. I remain so grateful for Toyota’s partnership and community support over the years. It means the world to us!”

Another recipient was Packages from Home, Judy Hayes-Packing Coordinator. “Thank you for your generous contribution in support of our military,” she said. “This is our 4th year partnering with Toyota to send packages to our Troops. It has been a great experience!”

Organizations receiving 35th Anniversary donations are:
* 826 Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Ele’s Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Girls on the Run, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Growing Hope, Ypsilanti, Michigan * The Hope Clinic, Ypsilanti, Michigan * Packages from Home, Phoenix, Arizona * Humane Society, Phoenix, Arizona * 186th Street School, Gardena, California * Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Los Angeles, California * Lymphoma Research Foundation, Los Angeles, California.

Toyota Technical Center believes, in addition to their monetary grants, it’s equally important to volunteer within the communities we work and live. In 2011, 553 TTC volunteers participated in over 40 community opportunities.

“I am very proud of the Team Members at all of our locations,” said TTC Vice President Ed Mantey. “In the Toyota spirit of giving back to our communities, the TTC Team Members demonstrate their commitment and are recognized by many citizens and community leaders throughout the year.”

“Over the past 35 years, our outstanding workforce has dedicated itself to engineering quality vehicles right here in the North America,” said TTC President Seiya Nakao. “Toyota is committed to leading the way to the future of mobility and enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsive ways of moving people. Building on 35 years of experience, we look forward to creating great Toyota products for our American customers.”

Courtesy of Toyota Press Room

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Toyota Donates $1 Million to Support Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

Toyota today announced a $1 million contribution to the American Red Cross and other nonprofit organizations to support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Sandy in the regions worst-hit by the storm. In addition, Toyota will match employee contributions to the American Red Cross and other non-profits doing relief and recovery work in affected communities.

Commenting on the donation, Shigeki Terashi, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America, Inc., said, “On behalf of Toyota, we express our sincere condolences to the families affected by Hurricane Sandy. Since we have operations and many dealerships in the affected regions, we felt a special responsibility to lend a hand. In addition to this contribution, many Toyota employees are already involved in volunteer activities to support those in need. We very much appreciate their support.”

Beginning Nov. 1, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) and Lexus Financial Services (LFS) will launch a “Customer Outreach” calling campaign to lease and retail customers who are delinquent, or become delinquent, due to circumstances related to the storm and who reside in the 13 states directly impacted by the hurricane (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT and WV) and in the District of Columbia. This campaign will determine if these customers may be eligible to take advantage of payment relief options, some of which include:

• extensions and lease deferred payments;
• redirecting billing statements;
• and arranging phone or on-line payments.

Toyota Financial customers with questions about their account should call (800) 874-8822. Lexus Financial customers with questions about their account should call (800) 874-7050. Qualified residents residing in FEMA-designated areas (of the above-mentioned states and the District) needing to purchase a vehicle may also take advantage of a 90 Day Deferred First Payment Program designed to assist customers with their transportation needs as they work through the recovery process. This program is for a limited time and only available through participating Toyota and Lexus dealers and TFS/LFS.

Toyota Operations

Toyota continues to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to its operations on the East Coast and reports no known injuries to associates, family members and dealer employees. The storm had the biggest impact on company operations and dealerships in the New Jersey area. Some regional/branch offices, as well as Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships, were affected by flooding and power outages. Toyota Logistics Services operations at the Port of Newark (N.J.) sustained water damage to its buildings and a number of vehicles.

Courtesy of Toyota Press Room