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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: car safety

car safety stories: 18 news summaries

 Ford's Inflatable 
 Seat Belts Not 
 Just Hot Air 

More comfortable, and safer than regular airbags

Nov 5, 09 7:43 PM CST
(Newser) - Still not a fan of wearing your seat belt? Ford’s latest take on the safety standby could change your mind: It’s inflatable, as with vehicle air bags, and its softer webbing has been a comfortable hit with test groups. And unlike many front-seat airbags, the belts inflate with... More »

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auto industry • car safety • Ford Explorer • seat belt • air bag • Ford Motor Co.

Ford Recalls Another 4.5M Vehicles Over Fire Hazard

Faulty switch linked to decade-long problems

Oct 13, 09 4:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ford today made 4.5 million vehicles eligible for what is already its biggest recall ever. The move involves a faulty switch, an automatic cruise control deactivator made by Texas Instruments, that has been linked to at least 550 fires, mostly while the vehicles were turned off. Ford has now... More »

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safety • automaker • Ford • recall • car safety • fire

Traffic Tweets Send Mixed Messages

States send updates, but prohibit drivers
from reading them

Sep 19, 09 7:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - Safety experts complain that states are undermining their own no-texting-while-driving laws by offering motorists constant Twitter updates on traffic conditions, the AP reports. At least 22 states with laws that essentially ban drivers from using smartphones and similar devices behind the wheel provide such information, and, in some cases, readily... More »

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cell phones • driving • smartphones • car safety • texting • Twitter

(Newser) - In 2003 a federal agency compiled hundreds of pages of research on the dangers of using cell phones while driving, but suppressed the findings because of pressure from Congress. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, also planned a long-term study of the risks of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
cell phones • highway safety • Freedom of Information Act • driving • car safety • consumer advocacy • Department of Transportation • driver distraction

Fuel-Efficiency Standards May Threaten Safety

Experts say tight rules could push automakers to make smaller cars

May 20, 09 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama’s new vehicle fuel-efficiency rules have safety experts worried that automakers will comply by churning out smaller, lighter cars—the more likely to kill you with, USA Today reports. Smaller vehicles are an easy route to boost efficiency that can also mean thousands more crash fatalities, but... More »

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vehicle emissions • fuel efficiency • car safety • emissions standards • small cars • Obama administration • President Obama

ANALYSIS

 Honked Off: 
 Car Horns 
 More Harm 
 Than Good 

Horns are hard to ban, but may make drivers more reckless

Nov 26, 08 8:00 AM CST
(Newser) - The next time you honk your car’s horn, you might want to ask why you're doing it. Grabbing the horn by the bull for Slate, Dave Johns thinks you’re probably too close to do anything but tell your obstacle to get out of the way. That’s because... More »

MORE ABOUT:
car safety • traffic accident • cars • automobile • Car horns • honking

 Ford Tops Safe Car List 

With help from Volvo, firm leads with 16 vehicles

Nov 25, 08 11:36 AM CST
(AP) - The insurance industry named dozens of new cars and trucks, led by Ford and its Volvo subsidiary, to its annual list of the safest vehicles today. Ford and Volvo saw 16 of their 2009 vehicles make the list; Honda followed with 13. Some 72 vehicles received the top safety pick... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Ford • Volvo • SUV • auto industry • trucks • car safety • cars

(Newser) - A new software technology can automatically disable cell phones moving at car speeds, augmenting laws already in place forbidding their use while driving, RealTechNews reports. The developer, Canada's Aegis Mobility, is partnering with Nationwide insurance to offer discounts to adopters. Aegis still needs carrier support but expects the software to... More »

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cell phones • driving • car safety • handsets • phone software • automobile

Missing Airbags Threaten Drivers of Used Cars

Some dealers ditch safety for cash in 'life-and-death scam'

Oct 13, 08 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Used-car buyers, beware: Missing or ruined air bags are posing a threat to unsuspecting drivers’ lives, an NPR investigation finds. Some dealerships put greed over safety and sell cars that have been in accidents without replacing the protective pouches. Instead, they may stick faulty air bags back in the car,... More »

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car safety • auto insurance • used cars • air bag

Nissan's New Safety System Uses Bee Logic

Lasers will mimic compound eyes to detect, avoid obstacles

Sep 26, 08 3:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Nissan is set to unveil new collision-avoidance technology modeled on the behavior of bees, PC World reports, with a small robot car to demonstrate the system in Japan next week. The automakers’ engineers have developed laser range-finders that mimic the insects’ ability to adjust their path and avoid collisions by... More »

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bees • Nissan • safety • auto industry • auto technology • laser • car safety • traffic accident

High Gas Prices Mean Fewer Traffic Deaths

People are changing where, when,
and how they drive

Aug 25, 08 11:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - The number of traffic deaths may drop this year to their lowest since Kennedy was president—thanks in large part to higher gas prices, the AP reports. As they rose above $3.20 a gallon, fatalities plummeted 22.1% in March and 17.9% in April, a study found. The... More »

MORE ABOUT:
driving • gas prices • car safety • fatalities • teenage drivers • traffic accident • traffic fatalities

 GM Developing 
 Futuristic Windshield 

Looking forward to an aging driver, tech would compensate for poor eyesight

Jul 17, 08 5:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - America’s driving population is aging, and GM aims to do something to help older motorists: develop a high-tech windshield that compensates for declining eyesight, the AP reports. The system, now in the research phase, uses lasers and infrared sensors to identify hazards in the road—or perhaps the edge... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • General Motors • driving • auto technology • car safety • automobile • head-up display

Are Car Roofs Tough Enough?

US regulators consider stricter strength-to-weight standard

Mar 3, 08 2:55 PM CST
(Newser) - Three-quarters of vehicles on the road today would fail a proposed tougher standard for automobile roof strength, reports the Wall Street Journal. The current standard, unchanged since 1973, requires that car roofs withstand a force equivalent to 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight, but it exempts those more than... More »

MORE ABOUT:
car crash • auto industry • car safety • SUVs • car roof strength • rollover • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration • roof crush • cars

Nissan Murano Top Pick
for Safety Among SUVs

Hummer's H3 does not fare well in industry tests

Feb 26, 08 2:20 PM CST
(Newser) - The 2009 Nissan Murano snagged the best safety rating out of 10 midsize SUVs in industry-run crash tests, the Detroit Free Press reports. The Murano was the only one to receive the top "good" rating in front, side, and rear crashes. The Mazda CX-7 and CX-9, and the Mitsubishi... More »

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General Motors • Nissan • Kia • car safety • SUVs • Hummer • Murano • whiplash • cars

Let's All Go for a Ride-Call-Text-Meal-Movie

Dashboard gadgets multiply almost uncontrollably

Feb 12, 08 2:55 PM CST
(Newser) - As if cell phones weren’t distracting enough, car manufacturers are clogging dashboards with enough gadgets to ensure drivers' attention is on anything but the road, the New York Times reports. With driver distraction figuring in 80% of crashes, front-seat DVD players and the like enrage safety advocates. “You’... More »

MORE ABOUT:
drunk driving • car safety • gadget • cars

Hey, 'Hannah': Buckle Up!

Teen singer ticked off for seatbelt-free ride in hit film

Feb 12, 08 10:05 AM CST
(Newser) - Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, is in hot water, but not for breaking curfew or forgetting her homework. Consumer Reports is on the teen superstar's case for setting a bad example: not buckling her seatbelt. A scene in the 3-D blockbuster Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds shows Miley... More »

MORE ABOUT:
seatbelts • Hannah Montana • Miley Cyrus • car safety

Electric Roadster Ready to Roll

Tesla's battery-powered vehicle meets federal safety standards

Jan 25, 08 2:00 PM CST
(Newser) - The long-awaited, all-electric Tesla Roadster has passed federal safety tests with flying colors and will finally go into production March 17—albeit with temporary transmissions on the first models, reports DailyTech. The interim transmissions mean the $100,000 Roadster will do zero to 60 in 5.7 seconds, instead of... More »

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environment • electric cars • car safety • Tesla Motors • Tesla Roadster

Toyota Unveils Driving Simulator

Huge dome rocks and rolls on rails

Nov 26, 07 1:34 PM CST
(Newser) - Toyota today unveiled its new driving simulator, a 7-meter-across dome with 360-degree imaging that mimics the experience of real driving by rocking on a rail. Toyota will use the simulator to test safety features without endangering drivers, see how tiredness and intoxication affect driving, and develop safety features for specific... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Toyota • driving • auto industry • car safety • safety testing • cars

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