Over the next several blogs I plan to concentrate on basic information about driving safety.

Driving a car is one of the most routine activities we engage in, but it's also one of the most dangerous. Over 40,000 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents each year.

These 40,000 deaths translate into lifetime odds of 1-in-100 of dying in a motor vehicle accident.

Another discouraging number associated with motor vehicles is that 1-in-2 of us will suffer a temporary or permanent disabling injury* in a motor vehicle accident.

With odds like these, your only answer is to develop a defensive driving attitude when you get into a car. As the articles in the Driving section show, there are many steps you can take to reduce the odds you will be one of these statistics.

One of the most important steps you can take is to develop an attitude to make every driving trip a "perfect trip." This includes such things as wearing seat belts, obeying speed limits, and driving defensively under all weather and traffic conditions.

Driving a car should be one of life's pleasures, not one of life's tragedies.

The principal causes of motor vehicle deaths, based on recent National Safety Council statistics, are: Collision Between Motor Vehicles - 20,600; Collision with Fixed Object - 13,300; Pedestrian Accidents - 5,900; Noncollision Accidents - 5,200; Collision with Pedalcycle - 900; Collision with Train - 200; Other Collision - 100.

* A disabling injury is an injury that disables you beyond the day of the injury.