Ford's Driving Skills For Life Program

Ford’s looking for a little bit of good PR, so here it is. Ford hosted another Driving Skills for Life driving camp in Washington, D.C., just before a 2-day summit created by the U.S. Department of Transportation on the topic of distracted driving. The connection of the two is a natural. The Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp educates and trains teens on safe driving, and the U.S. government found that in 2008, the age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group. In fact, 16 percent of all under-20 drivers in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. Vehicle crashes are the top killer of teenagers in America, claiming nearly 5,000 lives each year. Additionally, teens account for three times as many fatal accidents as other drivers, according to the U.S. government.

Doing their part to reduce teen crashes and fatalities, the Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp was created in 2003 in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association. It is one of the nation’s most comprehensive teen driver safety programs. This free, safe-driving event went well beyond typical driver education courses.

Participants were given instruction on safe-driving techniques from some of the nation’s top professional driving instructors. They also practiced these techniques in a safe environment. The techniques focused on four key skill areas: speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition. Experts have identified the lack of these skills as the cause of approximately 60 percent of vehicle crashes for newly licensed drivers ages, 16 to 19 years old.

As a way of demonstrating the impact of distracted driving, participants were asked to text while driving through a course of cones, and then to answer handheld phones. The number of cones knocked over increased dramatically compared to when the drivers kept their eyes on the course instead of texting or talking on handheld devices.

You can learn more about Ford Driving Skills for Life by going to their website at drivingskillsforlife.com.

We all know how Virginia International Raceway is one tricky beast. As this driver of a Shelby Cobra can attest. While managing to flip a low sprung sports car without even leaving the track, is physically possible…. Ouch.

Looks to us like all that damage might not just buff out.

The new 2010 Mercedes E-Class, in wagon form, is apparently the ideal platform for transporting and housing a 1,300-foot DTM slot car track.

We’ll take one of each, please.

It looks to us, that at least some version of the upcoming Playstation 3 racing game Gran Turismo 5 apparently comes with 3 discs. An observant reader spotted the game’s box in the hands of game creator Kazunori Yamauchi on this Mercedes-Benz video that talks about the inclusion of the Mercedes SLS AMG. Notice the Red, Blue and Clear disc boxes inside.

But better news is that Mercedes Benz’s latest supercar the SLS AMG will be prominently featured on the cover.

The airplane-inspired interior design has everything you need. There is a full-featured infotainment system in the front and center, including the stereo, Bluetooth, climate control, COMAND, and shifter mounted below. Each part is surrounded with either aluminum or carbon-fiber trim.

Aluminum pedals match with the metal used on the vents, gauges, steering wheel, and the rings around the controls. Two gauges are placed behind the multi-function wheel, with a computer display in-between them. Leather sports seats in at least five different colors are available.

We’ve known most details of the SLS for a while now so the pictures are what puts the whole picture together. Under the bonnet is a 6.3 liter AMG tuned V8 which delivers 571bhp and 650Nm of torque. 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 195mph. The price will be around €150,000 when it goes on sale next year.

Gran Turismo 5 Packaging Reveals Three Discs [GT Planet]

As with all cars, Mercedes-Benz’s latest supercar the SLS AMG had to pass crash testing to be certified as safe for use on the public roads.

This video released by Mercedes-Benz shows the SLS AMG being prepared and tested (crashed) from various angles. It also shows that in the event that the SLS AMG rolls onto its roof in a crash the gullwing doors will still be able to be opened.

In case you were wondering, the SLS employs explosive bolts to ensure that passengers can get out of the car in case of a roll over.

We’ve already heard a lot about the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, we’ve even see some leaked final images. Now, we get to see how well it goes round the ring! In the hands of Bernd Schneider, this MotorTrend journalist got to see exactly how well the new flagship Mercedes handled.

In true AMG form, the exhaust note is orgasmic, while it looks like the cabin noise is still inslutated enough to carry on a normal conversation while driving the wheels off the car.

According to the latest J.D. Power APEAL Survey, Mercedes-Benz and smart drivers should be particularly satisfied, about the best vehicle concept. In this exhaustive customer survey the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was awarded the highest number of overall points for the third time running, and is therefore not only the best car in its segment, but at the same time The W221 S Class is the best car in the entire US market. Other winners in their segment were the Mercedes Benz SLK and, for the first time, the Smart, whose buyers appreciated it as the best car in the Sub-Compact Cars segment. This result by the internationally renowned market research institute underlines the high level of Mercedes customers’ satisfaction with the quality and design of their new cars.

The 2009 APEAL study (”Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study”) by the market research institute J. D. Power reflects how satisfied car buyers were with their new cars after driving them for three months between December 2008 and February 2009. Around 81,000 new car buyers delivered their verdict on a large number of aspects in a detailed questionnaire. These included driving characteristics, exterior and interior design, operating functionality, stowage space, but also e.g. also the noise made when closing the doors.

Out of a total of 1000 points, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class scored 887 points – the highest recorded points in any of the categories. This makes the luxury saloon the best car in the US market, as well as the measure of all things in the large premium car segment. The S-Class therefore easily defended the first place it had already achieved in 2007 and 2008.

The Mercedes-Benz SLK was also the winner in its class, gaining 28 points after the last model facelift. Other improvements were achieved by the M-Class (plus 10 points), the R-Class (plus 7 points) and the C-Class (plus 6 points). The overall average achieved by the Mercedes models was 841 points – an outstanding result. In this study, car buyers made very positive mention of the fact that in their view, Mercedes-Benz has made very substantial progress in reducing fuel consumption and therefore carbon dioxide emissions.

The smart was represented in the APEAL study for the first time, and the two-seater immediately took first place in the Sub-Compact Car segment

This outstanding result in the APEAL study means that within just a few weeks, and for the second time this year, Mercedes-Benz has emerged a winner in a customer survey conducted by the well-known USmarket research institute J. D. Power and Associates. Only recently, top marks for highest product quality were achieved in Germanyfor the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) survey, which is regarded as the perfect buyers@ guide. First place overall across all categories was won by the Mercedes-Benz CLK, which also took first place in the sports car rating. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class was able to prevail in the luxury segment, taking first place in this significant ranking.

The J. D. Power studies of this year therefore confirm the outstanding status enjoyed among demanding car buyers by the vehicles made by the world’s oldest automobile manufacturer.

Here are 2 short iconographic stories with NSFW text content.

Audi has taken its supercar R8 to the Nurburgring to make some direct comparisons between real-world track driving and GT5: Prologue driving as well as letting loose some secrets on the upcoming demo GT5.

GTPlanet is also featuring an interview with Gran Turismo creator, Kazunori Yamauchi in which he reveals that the upcoming Playstation 3 racer will feature both active weather effects, night racing and the previously confirmed, damage modeling. Expect the virtual racer, Gran Turismo 5, to be the largest and most realistic entry in the series yet with a release on the PS3 expected later this year. Until then, we’ll have to get our grubby hands on our overpriced copy of GT5: Prologue. [via Audi, GTplanet]