safety

IIHS announces 115 Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) today named its Top Safety Picks--115 vehicles in all. The list includes 15 vehicles from Toyota, Lexus, and Scion, 14 vehicles from General Motors, and 13 each from Volkswagen and Audi.

The winners' circle includes 18 new vehicles for 2012, and 97 models that qualified for the 2011 award carry over to 2012.

"For the second year running, a record number of models qualify," IIHS President Adrian Lund said in a press release. "It's tough to win, and we commend auto manufacturers for making safety a top priority.&… Read more

ABCs of Car Tech: Safety tech

You have heard gear heads brag about their car's horsepower, handling, and modifications, but when was the last time you've heard anyone brag about their new whip's crash-worthiness?

This week, we'll be taking a look at the unsung heroes of the automotive industry. Some of this hardware could save your life in the event of a crash, while other elements are there to keep you from dinging up your paint job in the first place. That's right. This week, I'll be explaining passenger safety tech.

Seat belts and SRS: Supplemental restraint system

Seat belts are the oldest bit of passenger safety tech and are basically fabric straps that keep you from bouncing around the cabin in the event of an accident. In the earliest days of motoring, you got a two-point lap belt and padded dashboard, but in the 80s, we saw widespread use of three-point safety belts for all passengers.

Working in tandem with the modern seat-belt system is the "supplemental restraint system," which is basically a technical term for airbags. In the beginning, only the front passengers got airbags--usually located in the steering wheel and dashboard. Modern airbags are triggered by sensors in the car that measure vehicle deceleration. When a car runs into something, it decelerates at a terrific rate, triggering the system's deployment. Gasses from a small chemical explosion are captured by the nylon fabric airbag, creating a cushion of air in as little as 8/100ths of a second. I can tell you from experience that the airbag slap stings, but it's definitely softer than the steering wheel.… Read more

Ford recalls about 129,000 Fusion and Milan sedans

Ford Motor today announced the recall of about 129,000 Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion sedans that may suffer wheel stud fractures, causing the vehicles' 17-inch steel wheels to fall off.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall affects 2010 and 2011 models built from April 1 through April 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through November 13, 2010. (To see the recall notice, click here and search on NHTSA campaign ID number 11V574000. No permalink, unfortunately.)

The recall announcement states that while the car is in use, "multiple stud fractures could occur at the … Read more

More texting behind the wheel, yet driving is getting safer

Texting while driving jumped 50 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study released this week.

But that rather ominous-sounding jump should bear an asterisk, because according to the administration, only 0.9 percent of the drivers it observed at selected stoplights and intersections were texting, up from 0.6 percent the year before--which means that in spite of the 50 percent jump, texting was observed among fewer than 1 out of 100 drivers. What's more, the 2010 number was still lower than the recent peak of one percent measured in 2008.… Read more

Car Tech Live 243: Chevy Volt is hot...in the wrong way (podcast)

Chevy Volt spontaneous combustion is investigated, Toyota and BMW swap tech, Tokyo Motor Show wows us with weird (duh), and Maybach is dead.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 243 SHOW NOTES

House subcommittee advances spectrum bill

A spectrum bill has passed through a subcommittee in the House of Representatives that authorizes FCC incentive auctions and also allocates spectrum to public safety.

On Thursday, the communications and technology subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum Act (JOBS Act).

The legislation authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to create an auction for selling wireless spectrum voluntarily released by TV broadcasters. And it also includes provisions for allocating spectrum and funding a nationwide public safety mobile broadband network.

Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who sponsored the bill, said it would help create 100,… Read more

Child proofing your Internet-enabled gadgets

More and more parents are giving their kids tablets, game consoles, laptops, and other Internet-connected devices as special holiday gifts. But how do you keep Junior safe as he's downloading apps, playing games online and exploring the World Wide Web?

Putting the iPod Touch on lock-down

Dear Maggie, My 10-year-old daughter wants an iPod Touch for Christmas. I'm sure it's because all of her friends have one and are playing games and other apps on it. But I am nervous about getting her one. I trust her, but I do not think she needs all of the … Read more

Revolights inventor lights the way for safer cycling (video)

Even in the friendliest of bike cities, motorists and cyclists aren't always on the lookout for each other. And that can pose safety problems, especially at night.

Silicon Valley inventor Kent Frankovich has set out to make cycling safer, putting a spin on the old-fashioned bike reflector. He's developed a design that makes it easier for bike riders to see and be seen by mounting LED lights onto the bike's wheels. SmartPlanet catches up with Frankovich to check out his invention, Revolights, still in development.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "Meet the inventor of Revolights.&… Read more

Most kids who break 'Internet house rules' have bad experiences

A 24-country study conducted by Symantec found that 82 percent of kids who've broken "Internet house rules" have experienced something negative online." That compares to 52 percent of kids who "follow house rules."

More than six in 10 (62 percent) of kids reported that they have had a negative experience while online. Those negative experiences include being bullied, responding to an e-mail scam, downloading a virus, or being pressured online to do something that the child thought was wrong.

Cyberbaiting The study also found that a fifth of teachers (21 percent) have personally experienced … Read more