Ford's Inflatable Seat Belts Not Just Hot Air

Auto industry appears to have solved vexing problem

(NEWSER) - Newer sport utility vehicles are significantly less deadly than those of decades past, according to a new analysis of federal data. From 2008 to 2009, the fatality rate for passengers in 3,000- to 3,499-pound cars or minivans hit by similarly-sized SUVs was 16 per million registered vehicles. That’s down nearly 64% from the 44 deaths per million rate during the 2000-2001 period, and death rates for car occupants during the most recent period were basically the same whether their vehicle was hit by a car or an SUV. More»

Panel cites 'complacency' at automaker

(NEWSER) - Toyota has serious institutional flaws that pose a threat to the safety of its vehicles, finds an independent review out today. The problems stem from a “sense of pride at being number one” that can become “arrogance and foster complacency,” says the report, conducted by a panel the firm convened a year ago to review its safety practices. The Toyota North American Quality Advisory Panel spoke with Toyota executives, academics, industry analysts, and a range of others, but was unable to deduce the cause of sudden acceleration in some cars. More»

Safety officials receive 238 complaints of lurches while idling, driving slowly

(NEWSER) - Federal safety officials are investigating the Ford Freestyle after getting 238 complaints that it can suddenly lunge forward when it’s supposed to be idling or moving slowly. Eighteen minor crashes were reported with one minor injury involving 2005 through 2007 Freestyles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the cars can lurch up to 10 feet when the driver's foot is neither pressing the gas nor firmly on the brakes, the AP reports. The NHTSA's investigation, which began May 11, covers about 170,000 Freestyles. More»

Academy of pediatrics ups age guidelines for car seats

(NEWSER) - Cue the choruses of, "Oh mom, do I have to?": The American Academy of Pediatrics has cracked down its carseat guidelines, reports the Washington Post , and they're likely to cause plenty of bickering. Among them:

• All children should sit in the back seat until they are 13 years old
• Children under 13 should use booster seats until they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall, or big enough to fit seatbelts properly
• Infants should ride in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the seat's maximum height and weight.

Automakers quietly rely on them in tests

(NEWSER) - Those cute crash test dummies make for better commercials, but automakers have long relied on a less-publicized way of ensuring safety: cadavers. Dummies and computer modeling have come a long way, but actual bodies provide more accurate results about, say, damage to internal organs in an accident, explains Justin Hyde at Jalopnik . "Every part of a car touching on safety—from steering columns and laminated windshields to side-impact air bags—drew from tests with cadavers to ensure they work," he writes. More»