Archive for 'Automobiles'
Be careful out there — and buckle up
Total traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2008: 37,361
51.6% were drivers
20.0% were passengers
14.2% were motorcyclists
12.3% were pedestrians
1.9% were cyclists
32% of the fatalities were alcohol-related (11,773 deaths).
83% of drivers and passengers use seat belts.
There were 23,507 vehicle fatalities where seat belt use was determined. Of these, 12,865 (55%) were not using seat belts.
67% of pickup truck drivers killed were not wearing seat belts; 70% of pickup truck passengers killed were not.
70% of the 342 13-15-year-olds killed were not wearing seat belts.
Best line of the day, so far
The word on the street from NHTSA is that it was Toyota that planted the driver error story.
. . .So apparently this means that if you hold your Toyota the wrong way it has trouble braking unless you put duct tape on it. Wait. Wait. No, that’s not right. Sorry, we got our defective product scandal pedals mixed up for a second there. Sorry! Blogger error!
Driver Error
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examined the “black boxes,” which records when the accelerator and brakes are depressed, as well as vehicle speed and other factors.
According to the WSJ, NHTSA studied 75 fatal crashes involving 93 deaths. Among those crashes, the only one in which NHTSA found the brakes were applied in the August incident involving a California Highway Patrol officer who was killed with his family in a Lexus. The cause of that high-speed incident was ruled to be floor mats holding the accelerator to the floor.
So, in all but one case, when the car accelerated out of the control the driver did not apply the brakes.
We are surrounded by morons.
Be careful out there
This is a photo of a car after it met with a train near Detroit a year ago. Five young people were killed and wreckage was strewn for a mile along the track.
A firefighter I know was telling me recently that it amazes him that people will not yield to the fire engine. He says the truck weighs 55,000 pounds loaded and it’s not like he can stop it on a dime. Any collision is likely to be cataclysmic for a car.
Be careful out there
I read several years ago that traffic fatalities were not particularly more significant on holiday weekends than any other days. Safety advocates just had us all thinking they were with their public service advertising campaigns and police check points.
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety mostly confirms this. For the period 1986 through 2002 there were an average of 117 traffic fatalities a day in the United States. And, while July 4 was the worst day of the year with an average of 161 fatalities, 158 people were killed on any given Saturday.
July 4 is the only date in the year less safe than any given Saturday.
The worst dates:
July 4 — 161
July 3 — 149
December 23 — 145
August 3 — 142
January 1 — 142
Days of the week:
Sunday — 132
Monday — 96
Tuesday — 95
Wednesday — 98
Thursday — 105
Friday — 133
Saturday — 158
Reposted from 2009 with minor edits.
Headline of the Day
“Honda Reports Accord in China Labor Dispute”
Honda has been on an odyssey to perform its civic duty since 2000. They have provided a lot of insight, so it is only fit that they continue to pilot this element.
Redux redux post of the day
First published here five years ago today.
Smarter than the driver
Dan Neil reports on some intelligent new safety technology:
The new M45 is also equipped with Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) — now fairly commonplace in luxury cars — that above certain speeds maintains a pre-set following distance with the help of radar or laser emitters in the car’s nose. When the car ahead slows down, you slow down.
In Albuquerque (and elsewhere) this feature comes with an optional “Road Rage” setting that allows you to program your car to speed up when the vehicle in front of you slows down.
Redux post of the day
First posted here two years ago.
‘We never exceeded 175 mph’
Last week Sports Illustrated opened its 53 years of archives (or “Vault” as they call it) with free access. A particular favorite article of mine was Brock Yates’s 1972 “From Sea to Speeding Sea,” — “The Cannonball was an out law auto race—unsanctioned and definitely unwise—but off they went, roaring their way toward L.A.” Yates drove the winning Ferrari with racer Dan Gurney from NYC to LA in 35 hours and 54 minutes.
A couple of excerpts:
Determined to find a car to race in the Cannonball, the three men had looked in the Times classifieds in search of a “driveaway” deal—an arrangement where one drives another’s car to a destination for nominal expenses. This is a common tactic used to transport personal cars by people who don’t like to drive long distances. The Long Island gentleman wanted his new Cadillac Coupe deVille driven to California. Opert & Co. obliged, nodding hazily at his firm orders that his prized machine not be driven after nine o’clock at night, not before eight o’clock in the morning and not run faster than 75 miles an hour. Naturally, all the regulations would be violated before the car left Manhattan.
A yellow 4-4-2 Oldsmobile Cutlass appeared in the rearview mirror. It was running fast, coming up on me at an impressive rate. Two guys were on board and I sensed that they were looking for a race. They drew even and we ran along for a way nose to nose. I looked over to catch eager grins on their faces. I smiled back and slipped the Ferrari from fifth to fourth gear. We were running a steady 100 mph when the Olds leaped ahead. I let him have a car-length lead before opening the Ferrari’s tap. The big car burst forward, its pipes whooping that lovely siren song, and rocketed past the startled pair in the Oldsmobile. I glanced over at them to see their faces covered with amazement. Like most of the populace, they had no comprehension of an automobile that would accelerate from 100 mph that quickly. The Ferrari yowled up to 150 mph without effort, leaving the Olds as a minuscule speck of yellow in the mirror.
I slowed again and turned up the volume on the stereo. Buck Owens and his Buckaroos were sonorously singing I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail. I laughed all the way to Las Cruces.
CHPs
The Consumer Reports Cars Blog has excerpts from the CHP report on the San Diego Toyota Prius acceleration event.
It’s actually very interesting reading.
Vehicle sales — compared to what?
The Consumer Reports Cars Blog takes a look at the usual hype that accompanies year-to-year sales figures — comparing vehicle sales to February 2009 is a lot like comparing Phoenix to Hell and saying Phoenix isn’t so bad. Looking back before the great recession gives us a more realistic view.
As you can see, a few manufacturers have even reached and surpassed their numbers from back in February 2007 and 2008.
- Hyundai-Kia had a negligible gain compared with 2/07, but a 9 percent gain compared with 2/08 sales figures.
- Subaru saw gains of 42 percent compared with 2/07 and 40 percent improvement over 2/08.
- Volkswagen Group increased sales by 4 percent over 2/07 and 6 percent over 2/08.
- Despite its challenges, Chrysler appears to have held its own. However, Automotive News reports that 58 percent of Chrysler sales this February went to fleets, rather than consumers. These are low-margin sales that are not sustainable.
In contrast, the major manufacturers with hyped February 2010 sales figures are still down significantly compared with February 2007 and 2008 sales:
- Chrysler–down 52 percent and 44 percent, respectively
- Ford–down 32 percent and 28 percent
- General Motors–down 54 percent and 47 percent
- Honda–down 27 percent and 30 percent
- Toyota–down 47 percent and 45 percent
As a whole, the industry is down 38 percent compared with 2/07, and down 34 percent compared with 2/08.
Best line of the day
“But trying to demonstrate facts to reporters is a waste of time.”
The Ad Contrarian in an blog post about some of the recent FALSE news reports about Toyota titled “The Prius Balloon Boy.”
Thanks to SinPantalones who had this on Twitter.
Man Dies In Freak Gas Pump Fire
A Pennsylvania man died last Friday in a freak fire at a gas station. Authorities say that the fire was sparked by static electricity on the man’s body, and he died of inhalation of superheated gases. While this type of fire is very rare and fatalities even rarer, they do happen. To prevent them, you should do something terribly mundane: do not ever get back in your car while fueling, and make sure to touch a metal surface before fueling.
Key point: “80% of static electricity/gas pump fires happen to women.”
To repeat: [D]o not ever get back in [and out of] your car while fueling, and make sure to touch a metal surface before fueling.
Wrongfully convicted, ya’ think?
LINO LAKES, Minn. – Ever since his 1996 Toyota Camry shot up an interstate ramp, plowing into the back of an Oldsmobile in a horrific crash that killed three people, Koua Fong Lee insisted he had done everything he could to stop the car.
A jury didn’t believe him, and a judge sentenced him to eight years in prison. But now, new revelations of safety problems with Toyotas have Lee pressing to get his case reopened and his freedom restored. Relatives of the victims — who condemned Lee at his sentencing three years ago — now believe he is innocent and are planning to sue Toyota. The prosecutor who sent Lee to prison said he thinks the case merits another look.
Well I guess.
Oh, my!
Here you go, have your cake and eat it too. Porsche is looking to prove that the best of both worlds don’t have to be mutually exclusive with the 918 Spyder concept scheduled to debut tomorrow at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Looking a bit like a Carrera GT evolved, the 918 Spyder is powered by both a 500-horsepower V8 and a pair of electric motors (one for each axle) producing an additional 218 horsepower or 160kW. At full gallop, the concept can theoretically reach 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and nip 198 mph on the high end. On the flip side, Porsche says it can also achieve 78 miles per gallon and emit just 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer. . . .
And another thing
Haven’t you wondered at least a little if it isn’t more than a coincidence that once the Government took over General Motors it got all into Toyota’s grill?
Put down that phone and drive
Currently —
6 states — California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington, plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands — prohibit drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. All but Washington have primary enforcement.
19 states, the District of Columbia and Guam now ban text messaging by drivers. The 19 are Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. All but four — Louisiana, New York, Virginia and Washington — have primary enforcement.
Primary enforcement means the handheld/texting offense is reason alone for a citation. Secondary enforcement means the offense can be cited in conjunction with some other traffic offense.
A statewide ban on handheld cell phones and texting failed in the New Mexico Senate during the recent 30-day legislative session. Both are prohibited in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Gallup, Española and Taos, however.
“[N]o person shall operate a motor vehicle upon a public highway while using a mobile telephone to engage in a call or create, send or read text messages while such vehicle is in motion.” Hands-free phones are exempt. You are presumed guilty of making or receiving a call if the phone is “in the immediate proximity of” your ear.
In Albuquerque it’s $100 the first time; $200 each successive offense. In Santa Fe, $100. If I were a police officer I could pick up an easy $1000 for the city just driving between here and I-25 (six miles) on any given day. Why is this law so cavalierly violated?
Embrace Life
Tobias posted this last week. Besides, it’s the law.
Eighty
You don’t have to break the law to make some time in west Texas.
The Rendezvous Remake
I recommend you click for full-screen mode.
Autopia has the backstory as Jay Leno remakes Rendezvous — after a fashion.
And here’s the real thing, the greatest 9 minutes in auto film (and sound).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOngL0mEhgI
What are the most popular colors for cars
Guess before you click.
Hot Wheels for Reals
What do you suppose was going through her mind?
A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputy escorting Vice President Joe Biden’s motorcade was hit this afternoon at Gibson and Carlisle.
Police say a woman drove around two police units blocking the intersection and hit a car driven by a sergeant with BCSO.
She drove around two police units blocking an intersection!
Neutralized
The Consumer Reports Cars Blog has done the homework and …
Whatever the cause of runaway acceleration, there’s a simple solution that could save your life.
Here’s all you have to do:
- Move the transmission to Neutral.
- Use the brakes to come to a stop safely on the side (or off) the road
- Shut off the engine with the transmission in Neutral
- Put the car into Park
. . .
Shutting off the engine during an uncontrollable acceleration is another option, but we recommend against that. First, killing the engine will not allow you to slow down any sooner than shifting to Neutral will. Second, you can lose power steering assist, making the car difficult to control. And finally, if you should manage to turn the key all the way off, that could lock the steering wheel mechanism, making a safe stop all but impossible.
Trivia question of the day
Who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1920? It’s a common name, one you hear most every day.
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