The Fort Wayne Indiana Police Department has announced that they are installing a new system in police cars that will shut the in-car computer off when the car is going more than 15 miles per hour. Officials say they hope to reduce the number of accidents and also improve safety for both police officers and the public.
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Police computers to help stop distracted driving
Approximately 33,000 Americans died in traffic accidents in 2011, according to collision statistics, and the head of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Biosciences Group speculates that this number could have been reduced by minimizing the discrepancy between crash test results and real world accident scenarios caused by the inadequate range of crash test dummy models available to auto safety researchers.
Typically, only two styles of crash test dummy are utilized by automakers in safety tests – a dummy whose specifications reflect the average size and weight of an adult American male, and a dummy designed to replicate a petite adult woman. Children, adults whose heights or weights significantly deviate from the average, and even soldiers in full combat gear are most likely riding in vehicles that have not been collision tested with their dimensions in mind.
Using a scanning device commonly employed by video game designers, researchers working on behalf of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Biosciences Group are recording the dimensions of individuals from a variety of body types not typically represented in collision testing, allowing them to run virtual vehicle assessment testing on a variety of simulated test subjects in real time. According to researchers, software collision simulations are accurate at predicting the results of crash tests using the two dummy styles mandated by federal safety guidelines, so additional simulations using a variety of body types and demographics not represented by physical crash test dummies should be comparably useful for automakers and safety researchers. The data gleaned from these results, according to the project’s director, can be used to adjust air bags, seat belts and other safety features to meet the specifications of a large range of body types. And, unlike crash test dummies, which can be positioned in a limited number of poses prior to crash testing, virtual dummies can be situated in a large variety of configurations according to a range of variables. Simulated crash tests can measure the acceleration of a vehicle occupant’s head on impact, the strain on muscles and other tissues, and the total force exerted on the body in a collision, depending on height, weight and other factors.
According to safety experts, the last large scale crash testing conducted specifically to measure the affects of traffic collisions on the bodies of children was conducted 35 years ago, and the current obesity epidemic renders many of these results invalid for a growing number of children, as well as adult males, the majority of whom no longer conform to the weight standards represented by traditional crash test dummies. While these virtual simulations can never replace physical crash tests, experts say, they provide auto engineers and safety experts with valuable data not provided by standard issue crash test dummies.
Automobiles have been equipped with keyless entry fobs for decades, but many motorists are unaware of a lesser known function the fobs can perform. Using the keyless entry remote included with many common vehicle models, a user can lower a car’s windows instantly. Though the feature is standard on a number of keyless entry remotes, it is typically not clearly labeled.
In most cases, users of keyless entry fobs equipped with the ability to roll down a vehicle’s windows can activate the feature by pressing and releasing the remote’s door unlock button the pressing the button again and holding it down. In many vehicle models, this action will cause all of the vehicle’s windows to roll down simultaneously. If the vehicle is equipped with a sunroof, this may be opened as well. If the vehicle is a convertible, the automatic top may also be activated. Other vehicles have been equipped with a similar feature: Inserting the key into the door lock, turning it counter clockwise and back then turning it clockwise again and holding it in that position will lower the windows, and typically, turning the key counterclockwise will roll them back up.
Many vehicles, according to surveys conducted by the consumer electronics review website Cnet, the vehicles equipped with these features include Volvos, Alfa Romeos, Bmws, Acuras, Jaguars, Hondas, Inifinitis, Lexuses, Lincolns, Mazdas, Mini-Coopers, and several other brand names and models.
In summer months, this feature can be useful for allowing heat trapped inside the vehicle to dissipate before the driver even gets inside the car. According to safety experts, the temperature inside a parked car can rise rapidly on even mild days, with temperatures escalating rapidly to more than forty degrees hotter than outside weather conditions within an hour, and leaving the windows cracked reportedly does little toward lowering the vehicle’s interior temperature. For this reason, safety experts remind parents and pet owners that children and animals die inside hot cars on a daily basis during summer months.
The Transportable High-End Rider Education Facility (THE REF), a 40-foot trailer dedicated to motorcycle safety, made an appearance at the fair in Middleton, Wisconsin, on Sunday to help motorcyclists ride safely. Motorcyclists comprise only 4 percent of registered motor vehicles in Wisconsin, but they are involved in 15-20 percent of all traffic fatalities. THE REF is the only trailer of its kind in the United States.
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Around Town: Motorcycle safety vehicle rolls into Middleton
New cars and trucks in 2025 will need to have nearly double the fuel economy they do now, according to national fuel economy rules announced this week by the Obama administration. Under the new guidelines, light-duty trucks and cars manufactured in 2025 will be required to have an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon, nearly twice the required 27.3 miles per gallon average fuel economy for passenger vehicles in 2011.
According to administration estimates, 2025’s fuel economy standards would reduce the amount of oil consumed in the United States by an estimated 12 billion barrels and save drivers approximately $1.7 trillion in gasoline costs.
The guidelines for Corporate Average Fuel Economy were proposed by the president and developed with the cooperation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after consulting the United Auto Workers union, consumer advocacy groups, energy experts, and automakers. The 13 car manufacturing companies that produce more than 90 percent of the vehicles sold in the United States issued a statement last year in support for the new standards, which expand on previous initiatives intended to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases.
By 2025, the incrementally stricter fuel efficiency guidelines are predicted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated six billion metric tons, more than half the emissions recorded in the United States in 2010. In addition, according to the president’s administration, the new standards will also give automakers incentive to develop more fuel efficient engines and explore alternative energy sources such as electricity.
According to auto website Edmunds.com, the stricter standards may require automakers to eliminate features consumers are reported to care more about, such as comfort, interior room, and engine performance in order to meet the new 54.5 miles per gallon standard. The United Auto Workers organization, however, said the higher fuel efficiency rates would lower the cost of driving for consumers, giving them extra incentive to buy new vehicles.
The company CODA automotive recalled seventy-eight electric cars due to improper installation of side curtain airbags. These airbags might not deploy as designed during a crash. Owners of 2012 Coda Sedans can call 855.464.2632 or contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888.327.4236 / TTY 800.424.9153 or go to www.safercar.gov.
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CODA ( 12V409000 )
Hardy Insurance Agency is bring an interactive driving program to the town to show the citizens the dangerous effects of distracted driving. Those who had the opportunity to take the simulator already reported being shocked at the effects of distracted driving. The simulator offers those who partake an opportunity to have a refresher course on some of the basics of driving.
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ABOUT TOWN: Distracted Driving Simulator Shows Perils of Texting, Taking …
Students at North Central High School in Indianapolis got a chance to drive a simulator provided by AT&T in cooperation with Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the Attorney Generals office to inform novice drivers of the dangers inherent in distracted driving. While students discovered that they had little difficulty completing both tasks simultaneously most of the time, each student typically experienced at least one incident of the simulation vehicle running off the road or into another vehicle. The simulator is touring high schools all over Indiana this year.
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Texting while driving dangers
In an effort to stem texting while driving, an emergency room doctor assisted in developing the new smart-phone application, Vehawk. The app records a driver’s mobile phone usage and reports occurrences of text messaging to the cell phone account holder. The trend of texting while driving is on the rise among teen drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the case of most teen drivers, the account holder to which the app reports would be their parents. Creators of the application site that the app could also be used to track fleet driver’s habits.
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While the U.S. Department of Transportation is currently urging carmakers to limit the wireless connectivity options in new vehicles and states to pass laws prohibiting drivers from all forms of cellphone communication without exceptions for hands-free devices, some software companies are developing smartphone apps specifically designed for drivers.
Several recently released apps such as TomTom, Waze, Twist, and Twitraffic offer drivers information about upcoming roadblocks and traffic snarls using a variety of methods including global positioning satellites and social networking websites.
The makers of TomTom say the app offers the most up to date roadway information and estimates a time of arrival based on several factors including rush hour traffic. It also features an option to select a route based on maximum estimated fuel efficiency and warns drivers of upcoming traffic light cameras. Waze also offers GPS navigation, but the directions are augmented with data collected from other app users driving the same routes. Twist, rather than offering help to motorists avoid traffic jams, assists drivers already gridlocked. The app estimates arrival time based on traffic conditions and rate of speed and can be programmed to text ahead if the motorist is going to be late, potentially saving him or her from texting from behind the wheel. Twitraffic, an app for users in the United Kingdom, offers real time traffic updates based on information gleaned from the social media site Twitter.com. The apps designers claim it is more efficient at reporting traffic congestion than the government’s Highways Agency.
