CHICAGO, April 24, 2017 -- Experts from Cars.com put the current crop of affordable compact cars to the ultimate test in their most recent Compact Sedan Challenge. The 2017 Honda Civic walked away with the highly sought-after title of "Best Compact Sedan of 2017." 

"If you think the compact sedan class is full of cheaply made economy cars, think again," said Cars.com executive editor Joe Wiesenfelder. "Many of the latest choices in this segment offer heaps of style and technology for a lot less than you'd think. These one time bare-bones sedans now come chock-full of safety and technology features like the latest crash-avoidance tech, smartphone integration and even all-wheel drive in some."

New study shows that 88 percent of young millennials engage in risky behavior behind the wheel

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 15, 2017) ― A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 88 percent of young millennials engaged in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel in the past 30 days, earning the top spot of worst behaved U.S. drivers. These dangerous behaviors ― which increase crash risk ― included texting while driving, red-light running and speeding. These findings come as U.S. traffic deaths rose to 35,092 in 2015, an increase of more than 7 percent, the largest single-year increase in five decades.
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“Alarmingly, some of the drivers ages 19-24 believe that their dangerous driving behavior is acceptable,” said Dr. David Yang, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety executive director. “It’s critical that these drivers understand the potentially deadly consequences of engaging in these types of behaviors and that they change their behavior and attitudes in order to reverse the growing number of fatalities on U.S. roads.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 28, 2017) AAA’s President and CEO, Marshall Doney, has issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s comments about infrastructure during his first address to a joint session of Congress:

“Tonight, AAA is pleased that President Trump has highlighted the pressing need to improve our nation’s aging infrastructure systems. Cooperation from policymakers on both sides of the aisle will be critical in identifying a long term funding strategy to support and improve a transportation system that reduces congestion, improves roads and helps to keep everyone on the road safer.

A strong and robust transportation system supports the nation’s economy and provides Americans with more choices on where to live, work and engage with their communities. The Federal Highway Administration recently revealed that drivers are logging more miles on the road than ever before. This trend only highlights the growing demands facing America’s roads, bridges and tunnels in the future and justifies the need for greater investment in transportation infrastructure today. Funding the nation’s transportation system might very well require a variety of alternative options and new financing proposals that have yet to be fully evaluated. AAA looks forward to working with the president and members of both parties in the House and Senate to ensure that America’s infrastructure system is safe, reliable and efficient.

New AAA survey reveals that Americans still leery of a driverless future

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 7, 2017) – A new report from AAA reveals that the majority of U.S. drivers seek autonomous technologies in their next vehicle, but they continue to fear the fully self-driving car. Despite the prospect that autonomous vehicles will be safer, more efficient and more convenient than their human-driven counterparts, three-quarters of U.S. drivers report feeling afraid to ride in a self-driving car, and only 10 percent report that they’d actually feel safer sharing the roads with driverless vehicles. As automakers press forward in the development of autonomous vehicles, AAA urges the gradual, safe introduction of these technologies to ensure that American drivers are informed, prepared and comfortable with this shift in mobility.

After remaining relatively flat, the national average price for regular unleaded gasoline has now fallen for 10 straight days to today’s average of $2.30 per gallon. Today’s national average is one cent less than one week ago and two cents more than one month ago. Compared to this same date last year, consumers are paying 37 cents more per gallon at the pump.

Gas prices may continue to drop in the near future due to declining crude oil prices and a well-supplied market, but will begin to creep up again over the next month due to seasonal refinery maintenance and the May 1 required switchover for producing summer-blend gasoline. This prediction comes with the necessary caveat that an unexpected market-moving event, such as unplanned domestic refinery maintenance or further production cuts from OPEC and non-OPEC countries, could further impact prices and supply.