Safety « Atomic Black

Archive for the ‘Safety’ Category

2011 Buick Regal Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick

Monday, August 30th, 2010

2011 Buick Regal earns TOP SAFETY PICK award (side impact)

The 2011 Buick Regal has received the Top Safety Pick designation in the large-car category by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

To earn the award, a vehicle must receive the top rating of Good in front, side, rear and rollover crash tests. The vehicle also must have electronic stability control, which is standard on the Buick Regal.

Measurements taken from the dummies used during the Regal’s testing show a low risk of significant injury in a 40-mph frontal offset crash. During side impact testing (pictured above), rib fractures would be possible for the driver and there is a low risk of any significant injury for the rear passenger in the type of simulated crash performed during IIHS’ testing.

The Buick Regal is the seventh vehicle from GM to earn a Top Safety Pick award since the Institute implemented a tough roof-strength requirement to test vehicle rollover safety.

To pass IIHS’ roof-strength test, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times the vehicle’s weight. The Buick Regal can withstand 4.97 times its own weight.

The 2010-2011 Buick LaCrosse has earned a Top Safety Pick award. The 2008-10 Buick Enclave was also a Top Safety pick, but that was before the roof-strength test and the Institute has not tested the crossover in that category. The 2006-10 Buick Lucerne has a Good rating in the frontal crash test but Acceptable in side impact. It has not been tested for rollover strength.

2011|Buick|Regal

Posted in Buick, Buick Enclave, Buick LaCrosse, Buick Regal, General Motors, Safety | Comments Off

Recall Alert: 2005-2008 Toyota Corolla, Matrix

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Toyota is recalling nearly 1.3 million 2005-2008 Corolla and Matrix models for a faulty engine control module. Last week, we heard the government was intensifying its investigation into the defect. Toyota will begin notifying owners of the recall in mid-September, but it doesn’t have a timetable for when replacement parts will be available.

In a statement released today, Toyota said there had been "three unconfirmed accidents alleged to be related to this condition, one of which reported a minor injury."

The ECM in some of these vehicles is defective and can lead to harsh shifting, stalling, or the vehicle could fail to start. Dealers will inspect the part to see if it is one of the defective units and replace it if necessary free of charge to owners.

Owners can contact Toyota at 800-331-4331 or the National Highway Safety Administration at 888-327-4236.

Posted in Recalls, Safety, Toyota, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Toyota Recall | Comments Off

Toyota Prius May Add Noisemaker for Pedestrians

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

2011 Toyota Prius noisemaker for pedestrians
One of the benefits of owning a hybrid or electric vehicle has always been its advertised whisper-quiet performance. Apparently, the eerie silence has ruffled the feathers of safety advocates, so now that bit of electric-vehicle distinctiveness may be scuttled.

The third-generation Toyota Prius will get an optional pedestrian warning system in Japan and possibly in the U.S. down the line, according to The Associated Press. The onboard device will automatically produce an artificial sound, supposedly an amplified and synthesized reproduction of the noise an electric motor makes – go figure. The noise is activated at speeds below 15 mph, and it fluctuates in pitch relative to the vehicle’s speed, which is supposed to help pedestrians gauge proximity in relation to the hybrid. You can watch the distinctively Japanese video below to get a better understanding.

The system is a dealer-installed option in Japan that costs about $148, and Toyota may offer the system in the U.S. and other markets, Toyota spokeswoman Monika Saito told the AP. Japan gets the system now because of a recent regulation that requires some sort of pedestrian noisemaker option in near-quiet vehicles. Similar legislation has been brought up in the U.S.

The Chevrolet Volt will come with a pedestrian warning system that’s activated from one of the steering-wheel stalks. GM goes with a chirping alert that’s activated only at low speeds. Nissan recently showed off a system in the Leaf that’s similar to Toyota’s; their alerts seem like sound effects from alien spacecraft in sci-fi movies. The future is now I guess.

Prius Gets Sound Option to Protect Pedestrians (The Associated Press)

2010|Toyota|Prius

Posted in Chevrolet Volt, Hybrids/Alternative Fuels, In The News, Nissan Leaf, Safety, Toyota, Toyota Prius | Comments Off

2011 Ford Fiesta Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick Award

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

40 mph frontal offset test, 2011 Ford Fiesta
The 2011 Ford Fiesta won the honor of Top Safety Pick in the minicar category by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The award applies to the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles.

Measurements taken from the dummies used during the Fiesta’s testing show a low risk of significant injury in a 40 mph offset crash (pictured above).

The 2011 Fiesta is the only car in IIHS’ minicar category to be awarded a Top Safety Pick since the new roof-strength test took effect. Vehicles like the 2010 Honda Fit and 2010 Toyota Yaris perform well in front and side crash tests, but their Acceptable rating for rollover/roof strength prevents them from becoming Top Safety Picks. Vehicles like the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo received a Marginal rating in the rollover test. Poor is the lowest score on the four-tiered scale.

To pass IIHS’ roof-strength test, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times the vehicle’s weight. The Fiesta sedan can withstand an outstanding 5.42 times its own weight and the hatchback 5.05 times.

The Top Safety Pick award applies only to Fiestas built after July 2010, after Ford made design changes to strengthen the outside door handles to reduce the chance of the doors opening in a side impact. Ford built 15,537 Fiestas before that change took place.

2011|Ford|Fiesta

Posted in Ford, Ford Fiesta, In The News, Safety | Comments Off

Ambient Lighting Makes Drivers Feel Safer

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Over the past few years, more and more vehicles are starting to offer ambient lighting as a standard or optional feature. Ambient lighting is the soft illumination around the center console, door handles and pulls, cupholders and sometimes completely across the dash and in the footwells.

Typically, ambient lighting is seen as a purely cosmetic feature, but it may also increase a driver’s perceived safety and quality of the car, according to a new study conducted by BMW and the Lighting Engineering Group at Ilmenau University of Technology in Germany.

Ambient lighting increases spatial perception, making the vehicle’s interior feel bigger at night, the study says. The lights may also decrease fatigue when driving at night, but the study had inconclusive evidence regarding ambient lighting’s effect on “alertness” or the ability to improve a driver’s mood or performance.

Moreover, drivers thought ambient lighting increased the perceived quality of materials and design. They also found controls easier to use.

Brightness of the ambient lighting system was a critical factor in the study. If the lights were too bright, drivers started to find the system distracting. Keeping illumination below 0.1 candelas per square meter will keep glares from forming on the plastics of the interior, which will reduce the possibility of distraction, previous studies have shown. In general, drivers want to be able to control the illumination levels, the study says.

The color used was reportedly not important in affecting the driver’s emotional state, but it was important in forming brand-specific identities.

Most automakers are taking the bait with GMC using a red lighting system, Chevrolet and Buick blue, BMW orange, Saab green and Mercedes yellow. Ford offers an ambient lighting system that lets you can choose from seven different colors, which isn’t great for brand marketing, but great for personal expression.

Ambient Lighting Makes Drivers Feel Safer (Autopia)

Posted in BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, In The News, Safety | Comments Off

Top Roof-Strength Scores Elusive for Some SUVs

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted end-of-the-year testing on the 2010 Nissan Xterra, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Toyota 4Runner and Nissan Pathfinder, all of which are part of the institute’s midsize SUV category. Although each SUV earned the best rating of Good in frontal and side-impact crash tests, none scored well enough in IIHS’s new roof-strength test to qualify for the institute’s Top Safety Pick award.

In the roof-strength tests, the 4Runner, FJ Cruiser and Xterra earned an Acceptable rating, which means these SUVs can withstand 3.25 times the vehicle's weight before the roof caves in at least 5 inches. The Pathfinder received a Marginal rating, which means it can withstand about three times its own weight. Anything below 2.5 is rated Poor by IIHS.

The institute uses the same testing method as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but its standard is more than two-and-half times as stringent as the government’s. To earn a Good rating in IIHS’s rollover test, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times the vehicle’s weight.

To earn the Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must receive the top rating of Good in front, side, rear and rollover crash tests. The vehicle also must have electronic stability control.

Nearly 10,000 people die in rollovers each year, according to IIHS. A key component to preventing fatalities in rollovers is for your vehicle to maintain its roof’s integrity for as long as possible.

2010|Toyota|4Runner

2010|Toyota|FJ Cruiser

2010|Nissan|Pathfinder

2010|Nissan|Xterra

Posted in In The News, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Xterra, Safety, Toyota, Toyota 4Runner | Comments Off

Government Expands Toyota Corolla, Matrix Investigation

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is moving its investigation of nearly 1.2 million 2007-2010 Toyota Corolla and Matrix models into a new phase, the New York Times has reported. NHTSA began a preliminary investigation into stalling complaints in November 2009 but says it has received 163 complaints about the issue.

Of the complaints, only six led to an accident with no fatalities. The wide-ranging acceleration issues that forced Toyota to recall millions of cars over the past year had more than 1,500 complaints as of March.

Toyota has known about the problem since November 2005 and redesigned the suspect part – a control module – in June 2007. It has issued four safety bulletins to dealers to inform owners, but some complaints with NHTSA suggest owners are being asked to pay for the repairs.

A Toyota spokesman said the automaker is working with NHTSA to remedy the problem and that it has approved 4,200 warranty claims so far regarding the control module.

Stalling Problems Could Affect 1.2 Million Toyotas (New York Times)

Posted in Safety, Toyota, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Toyota Recall | Comments Off

Yes, Dogs Are a Driving Distraction, Too

Friday, August 20th, 2010

We talk a lot about driving distraction on KickingTires, and recently I defended eating and adjusting the car stereo as two habits that shouldn’t be considered on the same level as text messaging or applying makeup. AAA is now trumpeting a distraction that has always riled me: driving with a dog on your lap.

The AAA study actually addresses dogs riding anywhere in the car, but it mostly focuses on when they get near the driver. Two-thirds of dog owners surveyed said they routinely pet, play and feed their dogs while driving, the study says.

AAA says that even a 10-pound dog can become a projectile in a crash exerting 500 pounds of pressure.

Full disclosure: I’ve driven with a 60-pound dog in SUVs and wagons, and with the second-row seats down, she’d like to come up to the front and say hi but mostly looked out the rear windows. I’ve also driven with my dog in the front passenger seat on moves when the rear is full of cargo. But I think there’s something fundamentally different when a smaller dog is sitting on a driver’s lap. Not only can it distract you because you want to pet it, but it can get in the way of trying to turn the steering wheel or access turn-signal stalks. Today, my dog is always in the back of one of my wagons because the kids use safety seats.

You can secure your pets in a typical sedan’s backseat with harnesses, or you can use a divider in a wagon or SUV. Some vehicles, such as the Honda Element, have a dog-friendly package with a travel kennel in the rear cargo area, complete with a circulating fan and water bowl.

Posted in Safety | Comments Off

States Expand Seat Belt Laws to Backseat Passengers

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Almost every state has a law requiring children and adults to wear seat belts, but many of these laws have a critical flaw: They typically don’t require adult rear passengers to buckle up.

It’s important that backseat riders wear their belts, too, not only for their own safety but for the front passengers. In a crash, unbelted rear passengers are five times more likely to cause fatal injuries to front-seat passengers even if the front passengers are buckled in, according to the Telegraph.

Even though seat belt use in the front seat has steadily grown over the years, lawmakers are concerned by the gap — and in some instances, decline — in seat belt use in the backseat.

In New Jersey, seat belt use among front-seat passengers grew to 94% this year, but only 27% of adult backseat passengers wore belts, 5 percentage points less than the year before, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As a result, New Jersey added a secondary backseat seat belt law. Since 2007, Louisiana, Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas and Texas have passed similar laws.

Rear seat belt use stood at a 74% national average in 2008, compared with 83% for front-seat passengers, according to NHTSA.

State seat belt laws, which issue fines ranging from $5 in Kansas to $200 in Texas for noncompliance, increase seat belt usage, NHTSA says. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 25 states and the District of Columbia require front and rear passengers to buckle up.

States Expand Seat Belt Laws to Cover Rear-Seat Riders (USA Today)

Posted in In The News, Safety | Comments Off

2011 Kia Sportage Named IIHS Top Safety Pick

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The 2011 Kia Sportage won the honor of Top Safety Pick in the small SUV category by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Since the Sportage is a twin of the 2010 Hyundai Tucson (also a Top Safety Pick), the Kia SUV wasn’t physically tested; instead, the same ratings from the Tuscon were applied to the Sportage, according to IIHS sources.

Earning the award became tougher this year when IIHS added the rollover crash test, which measures roof strength and is twice as stringent as the federal requirement. To pass this test, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times the vehicle’s weight. The federal standard requires a roof to hold 1.5 times the vehicle’s weight.

The Sportage and Tucson can withstand 4.43 times their weight. The Honda Element, Jeep Patriot, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan are also 2010 Top Safety Picks in this segment.

For more information about other IIHS Top Safety Picks, click here.

Posted in Hyundai, Hyundai Tucson, Kia, Kia Sportage, Safety | Comments Off

Atomic Black