Archive for the ‘Safety’ Category
Posted by Admin on
August 21, 2008
For those of you zany people who own a 2008 Honda Element, don’t panic, but your automobile might be subject to a recall issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). If you’re anywhere near your Element now, slowly back away, seek shelter, and call 1-800-999-1009 to make sure your car isn’t one of the 241 vehicles that might have improperly welded front bushing brackets on the left trailing arm of the rear suspension.
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Posted by Admin on
August 16, 2008
This just goes to show whether you own a Bentley, Ferrari, or BMW, everyone has problems. We have just received word that Bavarian Car Maker BMW is officially recalling 200,000 vehicles over concerns that the front passenger air bag might not deploy in a crash.
The German automaker says the recall includes all models of the 2006 3 Series, the 2004-2006 5 Series, and the 2004-2006 X3 compact sport utility vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on their website Wednesday that small cracks could possibly develop in the seat detection mat that could lead to the front passenger air bags to be deactivated.
But that’s not all…
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Posted by Admin on
July 3, 2008
In a recent study conducted by engineers at Mercedes-Benz, it was found that 20% of ALL rear-end collisions could have been avoided in Germany last year just with the simple help of the company’s DISTRONIC PLUS and Brake Assist PLUS. What’s even more interesting is Mercedes found that on motorways, rear-end collisions could have been reduced even further by an average of 36 percent!
The findings were based on a brand new procedure developed by Mercedes engineers that makes possible a predictive calculation of the usefulness of new safety technologies. The formula takes into account both official statistics and the analysis of the approximately 16,000 traffic accidents studied within the framework GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study), as well as the reconstruction of more than 800 rear-end collisions.
For those of you unfamiliar with either Mercedes’ DISTRONIC PLUS and Brake Assist PLUS, the systems are both radar-based, with around 40% of new S-Class models already equipped with the technology (and more than 80% of new C-Class models). DISTRONIC PLUS operates by keeping your vehicle at a driver chosen distance from the vehicle traveling in front of you, and, if necessary, is capable of braking your vehicle to a complete standstill, depending on the traffic situation.
In case the traffic in front of you slows too rapidly, the system provides a warning and calculates the required brake pressure required to safely stop the vehicle, which is then applied instantaneously by the Brake Assist PLUS system as soon as the brake pedal is depressed. Should you disregard the warning, the PRE-SAFE Brake system performs an emergency partial braking maneuver, significantly reducing the severity of the impact.
As for the potential impact Mercedes’ safety systems are capable of making in the real world: in Germany, there are over 50,000 severe rear-end accidents every year, with 5,700 noting death or serious injuries. In the U.S., around 30% of all traffic accidents are of the result of rear-end collisions. Reducing both by 20% and the severity of even more would without question be a milestone achievement in improving automotive safety.
To learn more about DISTRONIC PLUS and Brake Assist PLUS from Mercedes-Benz, as well as their contribution to accident prevention, you can find the complete information along with pictures in the official press release below.
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Posted by Admin on
June 27, 2008
Much like the current Mercedes-Benz S Class, the new Toyota Crown Hybrid, has opted for a LCD panel mounted directly above the steering wheel in the dash, instead of traditional gauges. In the case of the Toyota, their 1280 x 480 pixel screen has a fancy name called “Night View.”
And just like the Mercedes-Benz S Class, Toyota is now offering a night vision system that changes the screen from the standard Speedometer and RPM gauges, to a full screen Night Vision displal. But, Toyota has gone a step further by adding a human recognition system to their night vision system. As with any bleeding edge technology, there are some limits however.
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Posted by Admin on
June 15, 2008
The 13,000+ Bentley Continental owners (or, more likely, Bentley Continental owners’ chauffeurs) will now need to be making an unscheduled pit stop at their local Flying B dealership. An official safety recall has been issued due to the potential for road salt to corrode the fuel filter, resulting in leakage and the obvious potential for fire, Olde-English style.
Can’t wait to see the spin German behemoth VW is going to put on this. Perhaps something like: “It might not be a British car anymore, but we can still make it spontaneously combust, right? – Bentley Marketing.”
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