June 27, 2008
Well, I experimented with driving slower this week and found I can definitely save money.
My 1999 Volvo has readouts that tell me my miles per gallon at any one moment and also for a preset trip. I found I could average 32 mpg at around 60 mph over the 30 mile trip from Jamestown to Providence compared with 27 mpg on a more normal, faster run.
(Even at 60 mph, I guess I was exceeding the speed limit. But that is the speed in the slow lane and cars drive were driving around me.
It reminds me of the time an officer pulled me over in a 25 mph zone. I make no defense for the speed I was going, but have you actually tried driving at 25 mph? It is remarkably slow!)
Getting back to my experiment, I should point out that I was driving most of the time on the highway. City driving in a heavy Volvo quickly brings the fuel economy down.
But all in all, there is no question that a lighter foot on the pedal will save money – and lives.
Meanwhile, as if to confirm that fuel economy is on all our minds, J.D. Power and Associates announced that “drivers of new cars were less satisfied with their vehicles this year for the first time in at least five years due mainly to rising fuel prices.”
It noted in its annual survey of vehicle owner satisfaction that part of the problem is that gas prices have risen dramatically over the last 12 months while fuel economy has basically stayed the same.
And the latest Auto Pulse Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows more than 77 percent of consumers cited the government’s failure to implement an effective energy policy as a root cause for high gas prices.
It also found that nearly 80 percent of car shoppers intend to buy a vehicle with better fuel economy, with 80 percent considering a diesel, flex-fuel, or hybrid vehicle.
Indeed, 31 percent of new-car shoppers said fuel economy was the most important consideration. That is nearly double the share recorded in 2007.
And 54 percent said they would pay more for a more fuel-efficient vehicle while 74 percent are driving less due to fuel costs.
- Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 2:54 PM | Permalink
June 26, 2008
Providence — The state Supreme Court today ruled that harsher penalties approved in 2006 do apply to motorists who refuse to take Breathalyzer tests, according to The Providence Journal's Edward Fitzpatrick.
In making the ruling, the high court rejected the argument that the new penalties were wiped out when Governor Carcieri signed a budget bill containing the law’s old language.
Justice Paul A. Suttell began the court’s 13-page opinion with a quote: “If you like laws and sausage, you should never watch either one being made.”
Suttell said, “Otto von Bismark’s laconic observation is apropos to this appeal in which we are asked to consider two legislative acts passed in the waning days of the 2005-2006 session of the General Assembly.”
Before the penalties changed, nearly 85 percent of motorists suspected of drunken driving in Rhode Island were refusing to submit to Breathalyzer tests, while the national average was 25 percent.
So in 2006, the General Assembly passed a law aimed at cracking down on those who refused to take the tests. For first offenses, the law doubled the minimum license suspension to six months, and it made subsequent offenses criminal rather than civil. For second offenses, the law provided penalties of up to six months in prison, fines of up to $1,000 and up to 100 hours of community service.
Governor Carcieri signed the bill on June 28, 2006. And two days later, he signed the annual budget bill, which added a $200 assessment for refusing a Breathalyzer test but did not include the stiffer penalties contained in the other legislation.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:46 PM | Permalink
June 25, 2008
Some drivers across the nation apparently are cutting their speed slightly to squeeze more mileage out of $4-a-gallon gasoline, according to a USA Today review of preliminary state traffic data for the first five months of 2008.
Average speeds along some stretches of interstate highways were down in Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin and unchanged on others, electronic monitoring showed.
Of 20 states providing data on speeding citations issued by state troopers, the number of tickets was down in 13 states — Arkansas, California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington — and up in seven — Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina and Ohio.
The state agencies emphasized that the data are preliminary and apply only to roads patrolled by state police.
Transportation experts and some law enforcement professionals caution that it's too soon to establish a link between gas prices and driving speeds.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 3:51 PM | Permalink
June 12, 2008
A team of racing professionals – including many current and former IndyCar, NASCAR, drifting and sportscar drivers – will offer free driving tips to young drivers aged 15-to-21 at Foxboro Stadium June 28 and 29.
Driver’s Edge is a non-profit organization based in Las Vegas that this year has added Foxboro to its schedule of some 40 cities. To date, some 50,000 teenagers and their parents have taken the course which includes classroom and hands-on training.
The course is “designed to alter young driver attitudes and behavior and to serve as a “wake-up call” to help erase the video game mentality that is common among many of today’s young drivers,” according to a news statement.
Founder and president Jeff Payne said he founded the non-profit in 2002 because he was frustrated with what he perceived to be inadequacies in training young drivers.
“Everyone blames the kids,” he said in a recent interview. “Everyone points fingers at the kids, but they have never been taught to drive.”
“They’ve been taught to pass a test, and that’s good, but they are not prepared for the hazards of everyday life,” he said. “They’ve never received the proper training.”
The training is divided into four separate groups scheduled for morning or afternoon sessions on the Saturday and Sunday. Each session has space for 100 students, but the program tends to fill up fast. In addition, Payne says he encourages parents to attend.
Course and registration details are available at www.driversedge.org.
Driver’s Edge’s four-and-a-half-hour course is similar to the training offered by Boston-based In Control (incontroladt.com), which offers $300 courses at five locations in the area, including Seekonk Speedway where it conducted courses last Wednesday and Thursday.
In Control is smaller, having trained some 7,500 students since it was founded in 2002, according to spokesman Sean Martin.
In Control founder Brandon Bogart said his company offers training in such real-life problems as tailgating which he said was a major cause of accidents, especially among teenagers.
Payne, a former race car driver, said he supported all efforts to educate teenagers, including the courses offered by In Control and the Skip Barber Racing School (the nearest is at Lime Rock Park).
But he said he wanted Driver’s Edge to be free – “I did not want to be tearing my hair out worrying whether enough kids had registered,” he said – and found a major supporter in Bridgestone Tires.
“How can we help you, what do we do,” he said Bridgestone asked him and the company has been a national sponsor ever since.
“Driving,” Payne said, “continues to get more difficult for kids.”
He said teenagers need a car and it’s a sense of freedom for both parents who don’t have to drive them and for the teens who are on their own.
Meanwhile, “there are more and more distractions,” he said, citing iPods and cell phones. “It’s getting worse and worse.”
He said statistically, young male drivers make up 75 percent of the fatalities while young female drivers, who drive slower but are often distracted, make up over 50 percent of the injuries.
“With guys, it’s peer pressure,” he said, noting they tend to egg each other on with such famous last words as: “Come on, Dude, you can catch the light.”
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 1:58 PM | Permalink
May 14, 2008
Smart got the highest rating of 'Good' for front crash protection.
The tiniest car sold in the USA posted some of the best crash-test results, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will announce Wednesday, according to USA Today.
The Smart ForTwo, the twin-seat micro that's so small that two can fit in a single parking space, earned the top rating in front- and side-impact crash tests. It was rated "acceptable" for whiplash protection in rear-end crashes, the agency says.
There's an important caveat: While the frontal tests do a good job of replicating a crash against a fixed object, there is no overcoming the laws of physics when it comes to crashes against larger, heavier vehicles such as SUVs and big pickups.
"All things being equal, bigger and heavier is always better," says institute President Adrian Lund. "But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:38 AM | Permalink
May 8, 2008
DETROIT — Ford has redesigned the midsection of child-size crash-test dummies to help carmakers invent seat belts that could protect children against abdominal injuries, according to USA Today.
Ford is hoping the new dummy will become the international standard for child crash dummies, helping researchers better understand the forces that act on children's bellies in an accident.
Children ages 4 to 8, who typically no longer ride in booster seats, are 25 times more likely than younger children to sustain serious abdominal injuries.
Overall, fatality rates in the USA are on the decline, but abdominal injuries have become one of the most common for young children, and serious injuries can occur even in slow crashes.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:11 PM | Permalink
April 23, 2008
I can't make it up.
Just a few days after I wrote about the carnage caused by drunk drivers, a new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds Rhode Island ranks high in estimated numbers of adults driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Disgracefully high.
Indeed, Rhode Island ranks 8th in the estimated number of adults driving drunk in the past year, with a 20.4 percent ranking. Wisconsin topped the list with 26.4 percent, followed by North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Massachusetts and then Rhode Island.
Mormon-dominated Utah rounded out the list with 9.5 percent; Mormons eschew alcohol.
And when it comes to driving under the influence of drugs, Rhode Island ranks an even worse second with 6.8 percent. Only the District of Columbia ranks worse with 7.0 percent. New Jersey came in best with only 3.2 percent.
While I am sure these numbers are open to interpretation, the results are damning. At what point do we seriously regard drunk driving as totally unacceptable because of the regular mayhem caused to innocent people?
As I have said earlier, do not give me that BS about alcoholism being a disease. I really don't care if it is or it isn't. And it certainly should not serve as an excuse. The main thing is to get drunk drivers off the roads where they are a public danger.
And when I say drunk drivers, I mean ALL of us. I admit I have driven a few times with one or two many drinks inside me - and I'll bet most of you have too. I've been lucky in not having had an accident, let alone hurt anyone. And I mean lucky.
Too often we think we can handle our social drinking. And too often luck is on our side. But when it is not, the results can be disastrous.
If a drunk driver drives into a tree and ends up dead or injured, that's his or her problem (and a problem for police officers who have to clean up the mess).
But if a drunk driver kills or maims innocent people, it is our problem. None of us deserves that level of bad luck.
- Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:47 AM | Permalink
April 17, 2008
Some pricey new safety gear that automakers have billed as technological breakthroughs that will save lives may have only limited protective value, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concludes in a report out Thursday, according to USA Today.
Federal safety officials and many automakers have hailed the "crash-avoidance" devices as their best hope for lowering the annual U.S. death toll in crashes from the current 42,000. Unlike safety belts and air bags, the new devices are designed not to lessen injuries from a crash but to prevent one in the first place.
But some of the devices may not work well, the IIHS says, because some drivers are likely to ignore the warnings, turn them off or drive with less care. Automakers are installing devices that warn you, for example, if you leave a lane without signaling, alert you to blind spots and detect other vehicles — and sometimes apply the brakes if you don't.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:01 PM | Permalink
April 14, 2008
With gasoline prices having settled past $3 a gallon and increased talk about global warming, one of those darling little fuel-efficient cars like the Smart Fortwo, Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit may seem more attractive than ever. But are they safe? asks The New York Times.
Knowing for sure is an enormously and perhaps hopelessly complex task. One problem is human ingenuity. People find so many ways to crash that one can’t test for all of them. Then there are variations in engineering. Also, cars of different sizes attract drivers of different ages, different levels of skill and different regard for self-preservation.
Some side-impact crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have indicated that although there can be exceptions to the bigger-is-better rule, fatality statistics show that, over all, small cars are more dangerous.
Occupants of the smallest cars are about 51 percent more likely to be killed in a crash than those in midsize or large cars, according to 2006 fatality figures analyzed by the insurance group.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:48 AM | Permalink
April 4, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Smart Fortwo two-seat minicar received one of the lowest crash-test scores among 2008 car models for protecting passengers, according to federal test results released Thursday, according to The Detroit Free Press.
While the other tests of the Smart produced better results, the scores highlighted the high safety hurdle Smart's U.S. sales team has to climb in order to overcome American buyers' fears about driving the smallest vehicle on the road.
Smart said the results were as expected, although
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:35 AM | Permalink
March 31, 2008
This DriveFit test measures the ability to estimate speed.
Could a video game make you a better driver? More important, could computer software prevent teenagers from making fatal mistakes or even weed out older drivers whose debilities make them crash-prone?
While no one is suggesting that games like Grand Theft Auto will help junior make safer left-hand turns, there are researchers who believe that specially designed cognitive assessment software can train neophytes and aging drivers, according to The New York Times.
Much as games like Brain Age for the Nintendo DS are intended to improve mental acuity, the cognitive software uses bouncing balls and visual memory tests to gauge driving skills.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:06 AM | Permalink
After years of lobbying by child safety advocates, legislation to make it safer to back up the family minivan was signed into law last month, according to The New York Times.
Named after a Long Island two-year-old who was backed over and killed by his father in 2002, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 mandates that the Department of Transportation establish rear visibility performance standards for cars, S.U.V.’s and minivans within about three years.
Kids and Cars, a nonprofit group that pushed for the law, estimated that about two children a week were killed by vehicles backing up. The reason is obvious: most drivers cannot see small children directly behind their vehicles.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:59 AM | Permalink
February 26, 2008
AP photo / Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
DETROIT -- The 2009 Nissan Murano was the best performer in new crash tests of midsize sport utility vehicles, while the Hummer H3 had one of the poorest showings, according to results released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, according to the Associated Press.
The institute, which is funded by the insurance industry, said the redesigned Murano was the only vehicle among the nine tested to get the highest rating in front, side and rear crash tests.
It praised Nissan Motor Co. for making electronic stability control standard on the 2009 Murano. The system, which helps prevent swerving, was an option on previous models.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 1:32 PM | Permalink
February 12, 2008
Motorists have always engaged in risky behavior, whether it is eating a sandwich, arguing with a spouse, applying makeup or studying a map while speeding down the interstate.
But safety experts say the influx of electronics is turning cars into sometimes chaotic — and distracting — moving family rooms, according to The New York Times.
Talking on cellphones and typing text messages while driving has already led to bans in many states. But now auto companies, likening their latest models to living rooms on the road, are turning cars into cocoons of communication systems and high-tech entertainment.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 2:58 PM | Permalink
February 6, 2008
If the Massachusetts House gets its way, Bay State drivers can hang onto their steering wheels or their cellphones - but not both, according to the Boston Globe.
Last month, the lower house passed legislation that would ban drivers from text messaging while on the road and require them to use hands-free technology while making voice calls.
Drivers have plenty of hands-free options. Millions of phones have jacks for a headset; wired headsets can be had for $10 or less. Millions of other phones feature Bluetooth, a short-range radio networking technology. Bluetooth phones work with wireless headsets that sell for $25 and up.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:06 PM | Permalink
January 31, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Parents who struggle to install their child safety seats or fasten their toddlers in the back-seat chairs are receiving some new guidance from the government, according to the Associated Press.
The Transportation Department said Wednesday it was revamping a consumer ratings system for child safety seats to help parents and caregivers make the best choice for their kids.
The new approach will use a five-star rating system, based on the seats' ability to secure a child and the ease with which the seats are installed. It will also consider the seats' labeling and instruction manuals.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:57 AM | Permalink
December 12, 2007
Each year, nearly 6,000 American teenagers die in car accidents involving teenage drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the New York Times, and more than 300,000 are injured.
The cost, in property damage and health care expenses, is $14 billion. The economic fallout will come as no surprise to anyone who has had to insure a male driver under 21.
Driving in the digital age has presented added worries. The cellphone owned by the 17-year-old girl who crossed the median into an oncoming tractor-trailer in one of this year’s most horrific teenage accidents was found to be texting just before impact. It is not known which of the five girls who died in the fiery collision near Rochester was using it.
“Nobody would want to see the crash photos I’ve collected,” said Ralph Miro, Trauma/E.M.S. coordinator for Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut. In 24 years as a paramedic, he has assisted at the worst roadside carnage.
The relentlessness of the slaughter and grief compelled him in 1998 to start a statewide driver education program aimed at high school students called the Hard Truth. Presented with the help of volunteers from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Mr. Miro’s road show, with its graphic accident scene and emergency-room slides and heart-rending testimony from victims and offenders, is heavily booked all over Connecticut — especially during prom season.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 5:09 PM | Permalink
November 20, 2007
When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced the latest list of what it considers the safest vehicles last week, there was a surprising newcomer: a pickup truck, according to the New York Times.
This is the first time a pickup has been on the list since the institute began giving out the Top Safety Pick designation two years ago. The institute had not tested pickups for side-impact protection until recently because it said it did not have the time. Now, pickups are undergoing the complete round of tests.
The newcomer is the Toyota Tundra, which beat its domestic competitors from Ford, Nissan and Dodge. The Chevrolet Silverado and a close relative, the GMC Sierra, were not among the vehicles tested.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:14 AM | Permalink
November 16, 2007
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Virginia-based organization which represents the interests of the insurance industry and runs its own crash-test program independent of the federal government, has announced its Top Safety Pick awards for 2008, according to thecarconnection.com
In order to win the award, a vehicle must earn top 'Good' results in all of categories of the Institute's crash-testing program for front, side, and rear protection. Top Safety Picks must also have electronic stability control (ESC), which federal data, along with that from the insurance industry, has shown to significantly reduce accidents and fatalities. The federal government will require the devices for 2012, giving automakers several model years to phase in the technology.
"If all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year," said Adrian Lund, IIHS president, in a release.
Ford, Honda, and Subaru top the crash-test honor roll.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 1:07 PM | Permalink
November 14, 2007
People rail against drunken drivers and motorists who yap on the cell phones. However, speeding causes more than half of the deaths on Rhode Island’s roads — higher than the national average of 30 percent — and accounts for about the same percentage of fatalities as drunken driving. And, it’s as commonplace as any day’s commute.
Check out the Providence Journal's Amanda Milkovits' story on this serious problem.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:31 PM | Permalink
November 5, 2007
Some parents are adopting new technology to monitor their fledgling drivers, according to the New York Times.
David Phipps, a security consultant in Baltimore, is one of them. After his daughter, Katie, got her driver’s permit, Mr. Phipps said he worried about her safety on the road. So this year he bought a palm-size global positioning device that uses satellite technology to keep an eye on her Toyota Scion.
“I can click on the ‘track now’ button,” said Mr. Phipps, of Bel Air, Md., “then go online, and in 35 seconds I can see where she is.
“My wife and I wanted it for her safety, and for our peace of mind,” he said.
Mr. Phipps bought his device from an online retailer, Global Tracking Group. The device can send notification by e-mail or text message.
Such gadgets can be installed under the dashboard or, in some cases, plugged into the cigarette lighter or other vehicle power outlet to check on the driver’s behavior, whether it is reckless driving or speeding, where they are going and, for some devices, even whether they are wearing their seat belts.
In addition to the cost of the device, parents pay a monthly fee for the G.P.S. tracking, which uses satellites to pinpoint the car, then transmits the information via cellular tower.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:33 AM | Permalink
November 2, 2007
The federal government is unveiling a broad program to cut motorcycle death rates that have doubled in the past 10 years as aging baby boomers hit the open road, according to USA Today.
The Department of Transportation's initiative includes a national training standard for beginning riders and added training for police officers who enforce traffic laws.
"Our nation's greatest traffic highway safety challenge is motorcycle fatalities," says Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, noting that biking deaths are rising while other vehicle fatalities are declining.
"We have a significantly disproportionate representation of motorcycle fatalities," Peters says. Motorcycles represent 2.5% of all registered vehicles but 11.3% of traffic deaths.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 7:13 AM | Permalink
October 26, 2007
In most states, some people convicted of drunken driving can start their cars only after blowing into a device attached to the vehicle that detects alcohol, shutting the car down if it does, according to the New York Times.
These alcohol interlocks are a bit clunky and very intrusive. But with improvements to the technology, where a simple touch of the steering wheel might measure a driver’s blood alcohol concentration level, advocates say every car, not just ones owned by those convicted of drunken driving, could some day be equipped with an interlock.
The advocates said that if the technological and privacy hurdles were overcome — which could take many years, if not decades — the interlocks could save thousands of lives a year.
“It’s better to prevent somebody from breaking the law, and maybe killing or injuring someone, than to arrest them after the fact and try to prevent them from doing that again,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:12 AM | Permalink
October 16, 2007
COVINA, Calif. — A motorcycle that grew an extra wheel. Or a car that somehow lost one. It's possible to make the case for either when it comes to the Can-Am Spyder, a head-turning, motorized means of transportation that will start showing up on American highways this month, according to USA Today.
The Spyder is licensed as a three-wheel motorcycle, has cycle-style handlebars, engine and seat. It shifts like one, too.
But how many motorcycles have power steering, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes — even a reverse gear?
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:46 AM | Permalink
October 12, 2007
WASHINGTON — Some sport-utility vehicles don't provide the protection in a side crash that one might expect from such large vehicles, according to tests released Thursday by the insurance industry, according to USA Today.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave marginal scores in side-impact tests of 2008 versions of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Jeep Grand Cherokee and two SUVs built by Nissan - the Pathfinder and Xterra without optional side air bags.
In similar side testing, the Toyota 4Runner and Pathfinder and Xterra models equipped with side air bags received top marks of good in the side testing. The Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer received the second-highest rating of acceptable
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:44 AM | Permalink
October 1, 2007
BALTIMORE -- Gas-electric hybrid vehicles, the status symbol for the environmentally conscientious, are coming under attack from a constituency that doesn't drive: the blind, according to the Associated Press.
Because hybrids make virtually no noise at slower speeds when they run solely on electric power, blind people say they pose a hazard to those who rely on their ears to determine whether it's safe to cross the street or walk through a parking lot.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:02 PM | Permalink
September 28, 2007
I was out walking with my 5-year-old son Charlie in the dense fog that enveloped Jamestown last night when a couple of teenage nitwits hurtled by on roller blades while holding onto the door handles of a car driven by another nitwit teenager.
Fair enough. I was a nitwit teenager once upon a time. Just hope they wise up before they hurt themselves.
But I am no longer a nitwit teenager and as I was heading home from work earlier in the evening, I finally came to the conclusion that I had allowed myself to get into some pretty bad driving habits of late. And I bet that I am not the only one.
These habits are driven by a couple of devices most of us now own: the cell phone and the iPod.
Making phone calls on the cell phone is bad enough, but at least most of the numbers we call - family, friends, doctors, colleagues, etc - are already entered and all it takes is the click of a couple of buttons to locate them.
But when it comes to text messaging, it is impossible not to take one's eyes off the road for extended periods of time. Not only one's eyes but one's whole concentration. Yes, I have text messaged many times without incident. But I cannot help thinking it's only a matter of time.
And I also cannot help thinking that if everyone else is texting, when is one going to hit me?
And then there is the iPod. Some months ago I bought one with 30G of memory at the same time I was buying a new Apple MacBook. (I am a Mac man going back to the early 1980s.) I confess that it sat on my desk for a couple of months before my 14-year-old stepson Patrick showed me how to turn it on!
But once he did, I was sold and have uploaded a substantial portion of my eclectic CD collection which ranges from the sublime Mr. Handel to Van Morrison (40 albums) to the Soukous dance music of Kanda Bongo Man of the Congo.
All very well. But then I bought a connection to my car stereo through the tape player and found myself dithering around selecting music when I should have had my eyes on the road.
So I am officially swearing off texting and changing music on my iPod while driving.
Talking on the cell phone? Well, I am not so sure about that. Three nights ago, Charlie fell off his bike and broke his elbow. I bundled him into the car and set off for South County Hospital and was mighty glad to be able to set up an appointment with Dr. Dan Coghlin of Narragansett Bay Pediatrics on the way down there.
- Peter C. T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:31 AM | Permalink
September 26, 2007
WASHINGTON -- General Motors and the University of Michigan Medical School are working on a new study that will try to guide emergency workers and doctors who respond to car accidents - and develop safer vehicles along the way, according to the Associated Press.
Researchers are using crash and injury data from GM's OnStar service to learn more about the links between certain types of crashes and injuries. The in-vehicle system alerts emergency rescue officials when an air bag deploys or the vehicle is involved in a crash.
The study could help emergency room doctors know what to expect before the victim of a car accident arrives at the hospital. It also may help rescue workers determine when they need heavy equipment to extricate passengers or should send injured motorists to trauma centers.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 7:43 AM | Permalink
September 24, 2007
HOMEOWNERS have learned that some home improvements pay off handsomely, returning every dollar spent when the time comes to sell.
Similarly, car buyers are finding that optional safety features — stability control systems and side curtain air bags, for instance — can do more than just keep the family safe, according to the New York Times.
Along with options like CD changers and leather upholstery, the extra-cost safety equipment can help owners get a higher price when it is time to sell or trade in the car, according to companies that track resale values.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:39 AM | Permalink
September 10, 2007
USUALLY, when Madison Avenue uses nostalgia to peddle products, the result is the kind of “misty water-colored memories” that Barbra Streisand warbled about in “The Way We Were.” By contrast, a humorous campaign from BMW stands out for asking consumers to reminisce about a time in their lives they might have sought to forget, according to the New York Times.
The theme is “Relearn to drive,” which is also the address for the campaign’s Web site. The goal is to persuade car owners to consider attending the BMW school because a good deal of what they learned when they were taught to drive is outdated or irrelevant — or may have been wrong in the first place.
To sow doubts about how people were taught to drive and persuade them to “undo the damage,” the site presents nine archetypal (or stereotypical) characters intended to represent the people who helped most Americans learn to drive.
The characters include a feckless stepfather, an impatient older sister, a brusque high school coach, a bumpkin of a country cousin and a neurotic mother. They are all dissected in droll descriptions as basically well-meaning but hopelessly unqualified for the task. Thus the need for a visit to the school, which the Web site promotes as having been “built from the ground up to make you a better driver.”
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:50 AM | Permalink
The government Wednesday ordered automakers to beef up side-crash protection by late 2012, something car companies say they're already doing faster than the new regulation requires, according to USA Today.
The rule announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not dictate how automakers must improve head and torso protection for occupants of vehicles that are hit from the side. But it adopts a tough test procedure that both NHTSA and automakers say will result in all vehicles having side-impact torso and head-curtain air bags.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:10 AM | Permalink
August 30, 2007
The video revolution is coming to a car near you, according to USA Today.
Automakers are finding new ways of using small cameras in vehicles in a quest for greater safety and security, including the first 360-degree cams that give drivers a view of blind spots in their surroundings.
The proliferation of uses for automotive video systems reflects their growing popularity. Chrysler finds nearly a third of buyers of its Pacifica family hauler opt for a backup-camera option, which costs $399 and up, spokesman Nick Cappa says.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:51 AM | Permalink
Drivers aged 85 and over will be limited to a six-mile radius of their home under a scheme being studied in Australia, according to that nation's Daily Mail.
The restricted licence is being proposed by the New South Wales Traffic Authority as doctors predict a rise in eyesight problems and dementia.
With older drivers more frequently being blamed for collisions, the rules would also insist that 75-year-olds take an annual medical test. This currently applies at age 80.
For motorists living in the outback, where homes are located long distances from shops, the radius would be extended, with a "home to town" restriction being available to them, rather than a set six miles.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:44 AM | Permalink
August 21, 2007
Recent studies have found that we Americans prefer big vehicles and - manna to the auto manufacturers - small cars are not as safe as big cars.
Duh.
Of course we prefer big vehicles. Gas, after all, is still very cheap in the U.S. Yes, I know it is now hovering around the $3 a gallon mark, but that is less than half the price that it is in Europe. And when you are paying $8 a gallon, you can be sure that you are not going to drive a gas-guzzling SUV.
Why is gas so expensive in Europe? Because the governments tax the heck out of it. Here such a notion is anathema to a large portion of the body politic - in addition to the auto, oil, steel, rubber and plastics industries - and for a very good reason.
Unlike the Northeast and other urban centers - where small cars do make sense - most Americans live surrounded by vast expanses of space unimaginable in Europe. Small, economic cars don't make a lot of sense in Texas, for example, where the Chevy Suburban was always referred to as the state vehicle when I lived down there in the late 1980s.
And many Americans have rural roots they revere and for them a pickup is the only way to go. Many may use their pickups mostly for driving to and from work in the nearest city, but that is beside the point. The vehicles serve an emotional role, as indeed all vehicles do.
So forget about raising taxes on fuel. It is not going to happen and even if it did it would still be a nominal amount compared to European levels.
And so we will continue to have the best of both worlds, being able to afford to run big cars and SUVs and pickup trucks and, as an added bonus, having bought them, be comforted that we are safer in them.
Only two things cast a shadow on this self-indulgent picture: If you think the price we are paying in the Mideast - the lives of our military personnel, the maiming of thousands of others, the same of countless more Iraqis, the billions of dollars to equip our forces and run the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the billions of dollars in aid we grant to Egypt, Israel, Pakistan and others to keep the peace - if you think all that blood and money is ALL about George W. Bush's war on terror and has NOTHING to do with the supply/price of crude oil and the price of gasoline you pay at the pump, then I would like to know the name of your drug dealer because you are obviously getting good stuff.
Personally, I think all that blood and money is a pretty high tax to pay for our cheap gasoline.
And the other shadow is the nebulous business of global warming which, while blindingly obvious to a simpleton like me, remains a debatable propostion in some quarters of our petro-driven administration.
- Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:37 PM | Permalink
Federal traffic safety officials kicked off their annual push against drunken drivers Monday, calling on states to toughen penalities and warning offenders that an offense could cost them $10,000 on average in fines, court costs and lost wages, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will bolster the effort with $11 million in national advertising.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:07 PM | Permalink
Americans are buying more small cars to cut fuel costs, and that might kill them, according to studies reported in USA Today.
As a group, occupants of small cars are more likely to die in crashes than those in bigger, heavier vehicles are, according to data from the government, the insurance industry and the National Academy of Sciences.
The newest small vehicles, of course, meet today's strict safety standards and can be laden with the latest safety hardware, such as stability control and side air bags. They are safer than ever. And differing designs mean some small cars are safer than average. But even the safest are governed by the laws of physics, which rule in favor of bigger, heavier vehicles, even in single-vehicle crashes.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:46 AM | Permalink
August 20, 2007
The 2008 Saturn Astra and the 2008 Dodge Charger are among the Top 10 Safe New Vehicles priced at less than $25,000, according to the latest rankings conducted by caranddriver.com and reported in the Detroit Free Press.
All the vehicles that made the list met a list of criteria that included being equipped with stability control and a minimum of six airbags.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:47 AM | Permalink
August 17, 2007
BMW may have a longstanding (and well-deserved) reputation for safety, but the results of the latest round of IIHS crash testing may cloud that perception a bit in the U.S., at least for safety-conscious shoppers, according to thecarconnection.com
In a batch of six sedans recently tested, the 2008 BMW 5-Series sedan was rated 'Marginal' - the next-to-lowest possible score - in the agency's side-impact tests despite having standard head and torso side airbags.
In the side test, a barrier - meant to simulate the bumper of an SUV or pickup - bashes into the side of the car at 31 miles per hour.
On the other hand, Volvo again took the top spot in safety; with the S80's 'Good' ratings and low overall chance of serious injury in this test, combined with its 'Good' ratings in front and rear crash protection, it earns the organization's 'Top Safety Pick' label.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:16 AM | Permalink
August 15, 2007
The U.S. federal government has mandated electronic stability control for the 2012 model year.
But while it's on the way as standard equipment, its installation is spotty - and often, as it is around the world - stability control is prevalent in big expensive cars, and less so in smaller compact cars where it could make a big difference in safety, according to thecarconnection.com.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 1:07 PM | Permalink
August 14, 2007
A new television ad from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration featuring frogs apparently exploding on a hot road is aimed at teaching motorists about tire safety, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The spot, released Monday by NHTSA, features parody of a nature TV show with a narrator describing the “perilous journey” that frogs face crossing the road — especially in the summer heat. The frogs then appear to explode.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:15 AM | Permalink
August 9, 2007
A tire importer said Thursday it would recall 255,000 Chinese-made tires it claims were defective because they lack a safety feature that prevents tread separation, according to USA Today.
The recall involves half the number of tires that the importer, Foreign Tire Sales, had identified in June as possibly posing a risk.
The models involved are steel-belted radial replacement tires for pickups, vans and sport-utility vehicles that consumers bought from early 2004 through mid-2006, Foreign Tire Sales said.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:02 AM | Permalink
July 31, 2007
Almost half of teenagers admit to text messaging while driving according to a new survey by the American Automobile Association. So far, only Washington state has enacted a law banning text messaging while behind the wheel. Check out this AP video on the dangers.
Posted by at 10:05 AM | Permalink
July 11, 2007
Teen drivers admit that they're prone to text messaging, talking on cellphones and hauling their friends around in the car, USA Today reports.
A joint survey conducted by AAA and Seventeen magazine of 1,000 teens in April showed young drivers engage in risky behavior behind the wheel, prompting safety advocates to call for parents to be more aware of what their kids are doing when they leave with the car keys.
On average, 10 teens die every day in vehicles driven by themselves or other teens. Fatal accidents for 16- and 17-year-old drivers jump 20% in July and August, making them the deadliest months for teen drivers.
Posted by at 3:25 PM | Permalink
July 3, 2007
Chrysler said today it was recalling more than 80,000 2007 Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicles in the United States because of possible engine stalling, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Chrysler Group, a unit of DaimlerChrysler AG, said the recall would allow dealers to reprogram a power module to remove the potential for a brief interruption of electrical power to the instrument panel and the engine.
Posted by at 2:24 PM | Permalink
More than 60 percent of light trucks tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have been found to provide inadequate protection against neck injuries in a rear-end crash, the most common type of accident, according to the New York Times.
Of 87 models evaluated, 21 received the highest rating, according to results scheduled for release Tuesday by the insurance institute. Fifty-four vehicles, or 62 percent, failed the test, which measures how well the head and neck restraints on seats guard against whiplash when the vehicle is struck from behind.
Posted by at 12:24 PM | Permalink
July 2, 2007
Defects aren't something automakers usually like to spotlight, but Nissan's new facility does just that, according to the Associated Press.
Panel photos of cars that had caught fire and an exhibition of other examples of problems are among the features of Nissan's Field Quality Center, which opened last month in this town just west of Tokyo.
The center also includes special simulator machinery that recreates rocky and swerving road conditions to test vehicles indoors for problems. It also houses a huge storage area where some 150 problem parts are brought in a day from dealers for study.
At a time global sales are sliding, Nissan is investing $7.3 million in the center, which brings suppliers and developers under one roof to speed up response to defects and improve quality. In the past, Nissan did not have a central location
Posted by at 11:15 AM | Permalink
June 28, 2007
A tire importer says it plans to comply with the government's mandate to recall all 450,000 potentially defective Chinese tires it sold to distributors, even if that means it will go out of business, according to USA Today.
"We will do the recall until we run out of money," said Lawrence Lavigne, attorney for New Jersey-based Foreign Tire Sales. "At that point, consumers are on their own."
At issue are tires manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber, China's second-largest tire company, that are missing "gum strips," which hold the tire together. Without the gum strips, the treads can separate and cause drivers to lose control and possibly cause the vehicle to roll over. The tires are blamed in the deaths of two Pennsylvania men.
Posted by at 2:08 PM | Permalink
June 27, 2007
The government has ordered a small New Jersey tire importer to recall 450,000 Chinese-made light-truck tires because they might come apart and cause fatal crashes, even though the importer says the costs of a recall would bankrupt it, USA Today reports.
The tires, in sizes typically used by full-size vans, SUVs and pickups, are blamed in a fatal accident outside Philadelphia that's generated a lawsuit against Foreign Tire Sales of Union, N.J. FTS has in turn sued Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber, one of China's biggest tiremakers, which sold it the potentially faulty tires.
Posted by at 9:54 AM | Permalink
June 20, 2007
WITH fuel prices high and the pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions rising, automakers are finding themselves in the familiar squeeze of balancing customer wants with government mandates, according to the New York Times.
The most direct path to improving fuel economy — designing cars that are lighter and smaller — presents many challenges, including a population that is bigger and more feature conscious. While clever marketing may overcome that resistance to small cars, federal safety standards cannot be compromised, and the physics of a car crash gives the advantage to larger, heavier vehicles.
Still, development of more compact vehicles seems healthy. General Motors dipped its toe in these waters with a trio of pug-nosed microcar designs for the auto-show circuit this year; the tiny Mercedes-Benz Smart cars will be here next year; and Honda, Nissan and Toyota have all recently added smaller cars to their lines.
Posted by at 11:10 AM | Permalink
June 11, 2007
Active safety systems, like anti-lock brakes, traction control, brake assist, and electronic stability control, act without your input. They decide an accident is coming and act to control the car before the accident happens. (Passive safety systems, like seatbelts and airbags, differ in that they engage once an accident has happened.)
But there's a new crop of active safety systems that give you warnings to which you must respond, like the lane departure warning system that beeps at you (M45) or vibrates your steering wheel (2008 BMW 5 Series) when it detects you're departing from your proper lane, according to thecarconnection.com. These systems beep, flash, light up, and cause vibrations in your seat and steering wheel. There are a host of these baby sitters, which are being developed because we aren't just driving - we're falling asleep, drifting and fiddling with the audio or our phone and people are getting killed.
Interested parties like the big insurance companies have been pushing these technologies behind the scenes mostly because they want fewer fatalities, and fewer payouts on claims. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is conducting a study on the lane departure warning system now. Results will be in over this summer and IIHS and will probably recommend the system when the study is complete. The big question is whether or not drivers are going to embrace these systems.
Posted by at 10:06 AM | Permalink
June 6, 2007
If you ever wanted to know what it's like to be in the middle of a pack of high-speed cars on a NASCAR oval, a very cheap way of finding out is to get onto I-95 in Connecticut, down toward the New York area, and wait.
You may be cruising along at a respectable 70 mph - 5 mph over the speed limit - along with everyone else, but it is only a matter of time before a car, usually driven by a young driver, sweeps past you at 90, 100, sometimes over 100 mph.
Listen, I know my time will come but if I am taken out by some little jerk playing NASCAR on the public highways, I am going to be extremely cross.
Give me an effing break.
These NASCARettes overtake you on either side, sometimes even at an angle as they weave their way through the traffic. You see them coming up behind and the only thing to do is to maintain course and speed. Trying to get out of their way could easily result in an accident because they are travelling too fast to adapt to 'moving' objects; at their speed, the rest of us are stationary objects to navigate around.
On my return from the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance on Sunday, a number of these young heroes flashed passed me but one whipped by on the inside lane so fast that my car - and it's a heavy Volvo station wagon - literally shook.
What can the police do? I presume most of the young speedsters are armed with radar detectors and so are practically immune from being stopped. Plus a police chase with one of these drivers in heavy traffic could easily lead to increased danger for all concerned.
Maybe the only alternative is having the public call in the license plates of drivers they consider to be particularly dangerous. But what can the police do then? I don't know, but its sounds like it may be worthwhile to find out.
Hoping that they will drive themselves off the road and into the oval in the sky may nurse a sense of outrage but is not a practical solution to a public menace.
Posted by at 10:29 AM | Permalink
May 31, 2007
Test scores released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found several affordable convertibles that offer better crash protection than their more expensive competitors, USA Today reports.
Conducting tests on 10 new midsize convertibles for the first time, the institute gave its top scores to two expensive convertibles — the 2007 Saab 9-3 and 2007 Volvo C70. Both vehicles, which start at nearly $40,000, received the highest scores on front, side-impact and rear crash protection tests.
Posted by at 10:48 AM | Permalink
May 24, 2007
Cars are getting to take over the driving, according to USA Today.
For example, using radar technology developed for military aircraft, an experimental BMW on a test track senses when it's about to crash and simultaneously flashes a red light on the dash, primes the brakes, pushes back on the gas pedal, closes the windows and sunroof, moves the seat upright, cinches the seat belt and adjusts the air bag deployment.
If the driver doesn't hit the brakes fast or hard enough, it will do that, too.
Posted by at 11:23 AM | Permalink
May 15, 2007
Add typing to the list of distractions being outlawed across the country. CBS5.com from Seattle reports that the Washington state legislature has followed through with a bill that bans text messaging while driving, according to thecarconnection.com
While handheld cellphones are banned in several states, banning text messaging is the new frontier as PDAs and smartphones and text messaging become more popular. New Jersey and Arizona are also studying texting bans, the Web site reports.
The Washington law was proposed after a 2006 accident in which a driver on a Seattle highway caused a five-car accident while reading his BlackBerry at the wheel.
Posted by at 9:50 AM | Permalink
May 14, 2007
The 2007 Acura MDX sport utility vehicle and the 2008 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable passenger cars received top scores in new crash tests released Monday by the insurance industry, according to the Associated Press.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave its highest score of "good" in frontal, side and rear-impact testing for the vehicles, built by Honda Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co.
Posted by at 10:22 AM | Permalink
April 20, 2007
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a report on the vehicles with the worst and best safety records on the road. The report looks at driver death rates by make and model in 2001-2004 model year vehicles. The death rate is based on the number of a particular model vehicle on the road in calendar years 2002 to 2005 and the number of driver deaths in that vehicle.
Posted by at 10:06 AM | Permalink
April 17, 2007
Effective April 16th, all four Rhode Island legislators on Capitol Hill - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin - have signed on to co-sponsor the Cameron Gulbransen KIDS AND CARS Safety Act, that among other things would direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a minimum visibility requirement behind all vehicles in the interest of preventing backover incidents, according to Sue Auriemma, vice president of KIDS AND CARS .
Each week in the US, an average of 50 children are struck by reversing vehicles - often in their own driveways - with two of these incidents resulting in fatalities.
The bills respectively are S694 on the Senate side and HR1216 on the House side. On the Senate side, the bill has been to a subcommittee hearing for the Commerce Committee and is awaiting mark up. On the House side, the bill is awaiting a subcommittee hearing.
Posted by at 10:26 AM | Permalink
April 16, 2007
An international consortium of nine automakers and two parts suppliers is asking researchers for proposals to develop "virtual humans" — computer programs that will help them design safer cars and trucks, according to USA Today.
The Global Human Body Models Consortium LLC says the computer models will provide better simulations of crash injuries than current crash dummies.
In an announcement scheduled for Sunday at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit, the companies say they have requested proposals from 40 research and university groups worldwide, and plan to create five centers of expertise for different parts of the body and two centers for full body models, the paper says.
Posted by at 9:45 AM | Permalink
April 5, 2007
This is serious stuff.
If you've ever known anyone who has gotten whiplashed by someone slamming into the rear of their car, you know the pain and expense involved with neck and back injuries can be really debilitating. Rear-end accidents are far more common that most people realise and it's a really good idea to protect yourself by making sure your headrest is adequate, set at the right height and that your head is close to it at all times.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety today issued its findings from rear crash tests and finds that seat/head restraint designs in 22 current car models provide good protection, but those in 53 other cars are rated marginal or poor.
The IIHS says its latest evaluations of occupant protection in rear-end collisions found that the seat/head restraints in more than 60 percent of car models fall short of current state-of-the-art protection from neck injury or whiplash.
Check out an AP Video showing test results together with instructions on how to adjust your headrest. Go to the Web site and select "Crash Test: Headrests Unsafe in Many Cars."
Posted by at 9:39 AM | Permalink
April 3, 2007
Lori Nunes endured every parent’s nightmare in April 2003, when her 17-year-old son, Justin Nunes, was killed in a grisly accident caused by two teenagers racing their cars through Swansea, Warren and Bristol.
Last night, The Providence Journal's Scott Mackay reports, Nunes joined Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, State Rep. Raymond Gallison, D-Bristol, Sen. Walter Felag, D-Warren, Bristol police officers and 30 or more relatives and friends of her son in an event at Colt State Park to remember Justin and argue for legislation that would make it easier to prosecute drivers who use the public streets for drag racing.
To make it easier to prosecute violators, the legislation that Nunes has worked on with Lynch would define street racing as a crime, and would establish tougher penalties for it. A second or third street racing offender would incur an automatic felony. License suspensions of six months and one year would accompany second and third violations respectively. Current law does not provide for an automatic license suspension for street racing, a fact that Lynch said was a “shocking” hole in state law.
Posted by at 10:02 AM | Permalink
March 30, 2007
Having fostered a reputation for building fuel-efficient vehicles over the last 35 years, Honda now wants to join Volvo as an automaker best known for safety, according to the New York Times.
The company is offering front and side-curtain air bags and antilock brakes on most of its offerings, from the smallest cars to trucks, emphasizing that buyers need not pay top dollar for such protection.
Posted by at 9:52 AM | Permalink
March 23, 2007
Consumer Reports says its efforts to remain independent of industry and government contributed to crash-testing errors in a recent report on infant seats.
The February issue article, which was retracted two weeks after it was released, said most of 12 infant seats tested performed "disastrously" and that one should be recalled. Now the magazine is also retracting its request that the Evenflo Discovery infant seat be recalled as well as the seat's "not acceptable" rating.
Tests subsequently conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found the side-impact crash tests were run at about twice as fast as the 35 miles per hour the magazine said they were.
Posted by at 9:56 AM | Permalink
March 7, 2007
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is holding a hearing today on proposals to overhaul its crash tests of cars and trucks, according to USA Today. The agency has been rating vehicles for 30 years and currently gives vehicles one to five stars, five being best, based on how they perform in a 35-mile-per-hour head-on crash and in a side-impact crash. The agency is thinking of adding tests at lower speeds and considering how well vehicles avoid crashes.
Posted by at 11:52 AM | Permalink
March 1, 2007
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing the results of a new series of crash tests today (New Low-Speed Crash Tests: Costly damage is the rule when bumpers don't bump). The tests were designed to find out how well modern bumpers protect cars in low-speed collisions like the kind that happen in commuter traffic. The tests were at 3 mph and 6 mph.
The institute says the tests were intended to measure how much crash damage happens because cars don’t have bumpers that can withstand what should be minor fender benders. It found some midsize cars sustained $4,500 damage in just one 6 mph crash test into a barrier that represents the bumper of another vehicle.
A lot of the damage happens because bumpers slide under or over the bumper they’re hitting. This is especially a problem when cars hit SUVs or vice versa.
Cars were once required to have bumpers that could withstand a 5 mph hit, but that rule was rolled back by the Reagan Administration. It also tested a 1981 Ford Escort that met the old standard to show that it could handle the new bumper tests with little or no damage.
Posted by at 12:06 PM | Permalink
