It's gratifying to report a little good news. According to the Centers for Disease Control, seatbelt use among American adults is at an all-time high. CDC's recent study says that 85 percent of surveyed drivers report wearing seatbelts regularly. That number is up from 11 percent in 1982, although the CDC points out that at least one in every seven adults still does not wear their seatbelts on the road. This, despite evidence that points to automotive accidents as the number one cause of death in the U.S. among those aged 5 to 34.

Which state leads the pack in seatbelt use? The

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They cannot manage to keep their rooms clean and they'll stroll out of the house in the dead of winter wearing only a T-shirt. They're teenagers. And they drive cars.

"Car crashes are the number one killer of teens in the U.S.," says Steve Mochel, who was determined to do something about that statistic. Steve and his wife Laura Shuler, with four teenaged children between them, started their company -- Fresh Green Light Driving School in Cos Cob -- with a loving appreciation of teenagers and a keen understanding of how they operate. There are approximately 6,000 teen traffic deaths

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We might be getting better, but we are definitely getting older. The first wave of the baby-boom generation turned 65 this year, which means that older drivers now account for nearly 20 percent of American motorists. And by 2030, nearly one in five U.S. residents is expected to be 65 years old or older. 

A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study of crashes found that 58 percent of drivers 80 and older failed to yield at intersections, while the number for drivers 70-79 was 37 percent. But Charles Gerstenmaier, 86, a longtime resident of Darien, isn't bothered

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Two groundhogs,  Punxsutawney Phil and Connecticut's Chuckles are in agreement. Winter has only six weeks longer to bedevil us. Maybe they've been living in a cave or something, but it sure feels as if winter's going to last forever. To that end, AAA Southern New England has some tips for driving on snow and ice-covered roads. But take heart. Before long I'll be giving you tips about making sure your car doesn't overheat.

Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best way to get  traction and avoid skids. And don't try to get moving

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Take care of your car and take care of your Earth. Here are tips from the Environmental Defense Fund and the Hinkle Charitable Foundation's Anti-Idling Primer. It's definitely time to turn off your engine.

Driving warms your car faster than idling. Cars warm up more efficiently and faster when you drive instead of idle. Electric cars will soon incorporate a feature that allows the owner to use a cell phone to tell the car (when it's plugged into the grid) to pre-warm or pre-cool the interior, precluding the excuse for even brief idling.

The Environmental Defense Fund advises

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Shouldn't every car have one of those emergency systems that allows a driver communicate with a command center in the event of a vehicular emergency? Now everyone can. General Motors announced that it will offer its OnStar safety and connectivity system to owners of non-G.M. cars.

The new aftermarket Onstar system is packaged within a rearview mirror and will be available at Best Buy for $299, not including installation and a fee for the service. G.M. expects installation to cost from $75 to $100. Service plans begin at $18.95 per month, or $199 per year.

The aftermarket

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Do not confuse go-karts with those Little Rascals-esque plywood toys on wheels. Tazio Torregiani, an unassuming 12 year-old with race cars in his blood, is way beyond such child's play. 

Tazio's professionally manufactured if diminutive racecars, known in racing circles as "karts," are the real thing. Which means they go very fast, something eminently appealing to him. "What I like most about racing," says Tazio, "Is the thrill you get going 60 miles per hour."

His father Patrizio himself has a thirst for speed. Once a racecar driver, he is now a sales specialist

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