School buses are the safest vehicles on the road

Aviation expert breaks down the safest seat on an airplane

The bottom line is air travel is very safe—much safer than road travel. But you can always up your chances. So, here's one expert's take on the safest seat on an airplane.

The engineers proposing massive airbags for airplanes

Though they are famously rare, airplane crashes are some of the most shocking catastrophes when they occur. These researchers are dreaming up an implausible safety feature to help crashing planes land safely.

The Volkswagen bus returns to the US market after 20 years

Volkswagen will start selling battery-powered versions of its VW bus in North America from 2024 onwards, a reintroduction of the iconic vehicle after a roughly two decade-long hiatus. See the revamped bus here.

Driver education was largely removed from public schools in the 1990s

Maintaining fleets of cars proved too expensive for many school districts, relegating driver education to private classes taken outside of school.

Why crash test dummies cost a million dollars

Crash test dummies are crucial in the fight to protect car passengers from potentially catastrophic crashes. So how are they made? And why are they so expensive? This 8-minute video breaks down the high-tech products—which can cost over $1 million...

Explore the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's guide to automated cars

This page provides answers to questions on topics ranging from liability for crashes involving autonomous cars to the safety benefits of these cars. A timeline of the evolution of automated safety technologies is also provided.

Modern innovations have allowed rides to simultaneously become more extreme and safer

Several ingenious additions to roller coasters, such as extra wheels, magnetic brakes, and hydraulic system safety bars, have largely reduced discomfort and threats such as broken rides or ejected passengers.

The US has over 4 million miles of roads. Learn about how highways are designed and the geometry behind what makes them safe and efficient

Fire engines are among the most complex vehicles on the road

These vehicles are purpose-built to carry water, foam, hoses, ladders, and lifesaving equipment to a scene in minutes. This animated video pulls apart every system inside a pumper truck, showing exactly how the machinery that fights fires actually works.

Public transit has been a front line of civil rights battles for over a century

Public transit was among the most contested terrain in the fight for racial equality in America, because it was where Black Americans and white Americans were unavoidably forced to share public space.

Autonomous vehicles have been confirmed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Research indicates that self-driving cars can reduce harmful pollution through lower traffic, decreased parking demand, and optimized driving behavior. These benefits can be enhanced further in smart cities with responsive traffic signals.

Why train derailments happen, 101

In 2021 alone, there were over 1,000 reported derailments in the US—and no amount of maneuvering will reduce those numbers to zero. This 101 explains the causes of train derailments and how safety protocols look to limit them each year.

67 US high school athletes died from exertional heatstroke between 1982 and 2022

Many of those deaths were from football specifically, where student athletes play in hot conditions while wearing heavy protective gear. Few states mandate heat guidelines for school athletes, and this article says that's of increasing concern with more high heat index days.

In November 2025, Peloton issued a recall on more than 800,000 bike seats

Years after high-profile recalls on the treadmill due to reported injuries and even a death, Peloton issued another recall on the Peloton Plus bike seat. The company said it received three reports of the seatpost breaking.

A modified Boeing 747 ferried Space Shuttles across the country

NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft—two specially modified Boeing 747s—were used to transport Space Shuttles between landing sites and launch facilities, playing a critical logistical role throughout the shuttle program.

About 2.5 million American students watched the Challenger disaster live

Because of the publicity of the Teacher in Space program, millions of students viewed Challenger's liftoff in school classrooms—turning the explosion into a shared national traumatic experience marked by shock, silence, and grief.

The tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. changed NASCAR safety forever

When Michael Waltrip crossed the finish line at the 2001 Daytona 500, it was his first win. But the celebrations quickly turned to sorrow when everyone learned that Dale Earnhardt Sr. had died in a final-lap crash. Within eight months after the collision, nearly every driver wore head-and-neck restraints before a mandate took effect.

The Model T's simple but functional design helped the car become popular

Thanks to its low manufacturing costs, the Model T made it so many Americans could actually afford a personal vehicle. The car was produced as a simple, open-air vehicle that could be upgraded with aftermarket additions (like window wipers or better headlights).

Treasury bonds, notes, and bills are critical vehicles for the federal government to raise money for public expenses and manage the national debt

For investors, they're all usually considered low-risk options since they’re backed by the federal government.

Find out which occupations have the highest and lowest divorce rates

Bus drivers have a fairly high divorce rate, with 48% of them being either divorced, separated, or married more than once. Actuaries have a much lower divorce rate at only 14%.

Seven of America's cheapest and safest towns are in Ohio

Combining data on low crime rates and affordable housing, this GoBankingRates survey found New Philadelphia, Ohio, to be the safest and most affordable town in America as of 2025.

Why Stephen King bought the van that nearly killed him

Back in 1999, writer Stephen King was struck by a vehicle near his home in Bangor, Maine. It's a story he recounts in his memoir "On Writing," though that sober-minded text doesn't reveal a fascinating bit of trivia: King initially bought the van intending to obliterate it with a sledgehammer. King did end up purchasing the vehicle, though he didn't destroy it himself. This article uncovers why.

The oral, live virus vaccine is the most robust but carries more risks

The live virus vaccine, delivered via oral drops, induces the best protection in the body. Because it includes a live, weakened form of the virus there's an extremely small risk it can sicken recipients and potentially cause paralysis. Recipients also shed the virus in their stool, which can rarely lead to vaccine-derived cases of the virus if the virus mutates. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Why pregnant teachers were banned from classrooms

Until the 1970s, many schools required pregnant teachers to leave the classroom by mid-term. In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled these policies unconstitutional, establishing that women could choose to keep working while pregnant.

Gas station sushi is actually pretty safe to eat, experts say

Vending machine food, in general, gets a bad rap for its seeming lack of freshness, but whether the food you eat is safe usually depends on the quality of the cold chain supply logistics that brought it to the point of sale. Most prepackaged sushi fish has been flash frozen, and the rice has been mixed with vinegar to inhibit bacteria.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

In recent years a child anxiety expert has created and tested a novel phobia and anxiety treatment approach for children, focused on changing how parents respond to the fears.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

Mid-century modern graphic designers, known for their bright colors and bold lines in advertising, also found success with children's books.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

Three Ebola species are responsible for most large outbreaks of the disease, yet the only approved Ebola vaccine is known to work against just one of them.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.