Safety

It's now a little bit easier to focus on the road ahead while keeping an eye on your speed and navigation--BMW is making its Head-Up Display more prominent by adding color and more intuitive symbols.

Formerly a safety feature available only on the 5-series, BMW is expanding the optional BMW Head-Up Display to almost all of its vehicles. The new system improves on the old monochromatic graphics projection by adding more realistic and intuitive images and symbols, and displaying them in a full color spectrum. The brighter images are less tiring on the eyes and easier to read. These … Read more

The cars of the future will use vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication for advanced safety technology that will help them avoid accidents, but what about the old clunkers sharing the road with them?

To make sure all cars have this new capability, GM is working on an aftermarket device that could work in all cars to communicate road and traffic hazards with other vehicles.

Unprotected turns, inclement weather, and road hazards are scenarios that can lead to automobile accidents. But V2V technology could help avoid these and up to 81 percent of all traffic accidents, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF).

Using sensors already installed on the vehicles, the system gathers information about traffic and weather and transmits this information to other vehicles, so drivers have more time to react to road obstacles. The system can also activate a vehicle's accident avoidance technologies, such as electronic stability control. … Read more

From the We-didn't-mean-it,-can-we-please-just-forget-about-it? department: OnStar announced it would not change its privacy policy on December 1.

CNET reported last week that OnStar would put a new privacy policy in effect on December 1, which would allow it to continue collecting data from cars even after a driver chose not to renew the OnStar service subscription. After what must have been a public relations nightmare, the company said today that the new privacy policy will not take effect, and that no data would be collected by OnStar from non-subscribers.

OnStar President Linda Marshall noted that "Maintaining the data … Read more

The approval of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act last year essentially mandated that electric vehicles or hybrids running only on electric power--devoid of the actual engine noise that makes pedestrians (particularly the visually impaired) aware that a vehicle is approaching--must now generate some sort of artificial proximity notification noise. However, although the Act mandated that EVs must make a sound, it didn't specify exactly what sound they should make. This means that every EV and hybrid manufacturer is free to make its cars sound like anything.

Toyota has released a video that explains the vehicle proximity notification sound designed … Read more

The keys to the family car are a teen's passport to freedom, but a new tracking device could help parents curb the wanderlust in young drivers.

The iTeen365 is the GPS equivalent of a toddler leash for cars.

Parents can purchase the iTeen365 device online, have it professionally installed in their vehicle, set up a geofence online, and sit back and relax. The tracking system takes care of the rest.

GPS technology embedded in the device tracks the vehicle location, which is visible online at the iTeen365 Web site with a user account. The online reporting tool also stores … Read more

OnStar is updating its privacy policy--effective this December--with some daring new freedoms that allow it to share your data with more people. In addition, a new clause alludes to a possible sale of business operations, which has been a long-standing rumor surrounding the telematics company.

Regarding a possible sale of OnStar: "There may be instances where we sell some or all of our business operations," says the policy (PDF). "To the extent that the business operation that is sold relates to the equipment, service or data connection, we may transfer your information as part of the transferred … Read more

Remember when exchanging information at the scene of an accident on the side of a road involved a pen and paper with barely legible names and phone numbers? Well now there's an app for that.

Bisnar Chase, a personal injury law firm in Newport Beach, Calif., released its Car Accident SideKick app for iPhone, which will help drivers figure out what to do and whom to contact in the event of an automobile accident.

In addition to an accident checklist, the free application can connect the mobile phone owner to 911 emergency responders or direct them to nearby hospitals. … Read more

Earlier this year, car-sharing startup Getaround won a TechCrunch Disrupt award for its CarKit technology, which makes it easy for car owners to rent out their cars to other members without requiring a physical key swap. But judges may have missed a flaw in the technology. A Forbes article points out that Getaround's system is a thief's dream because it provides a list of vehicles with their keys stashed somewhere in the car.

To find out if that's true, I spoke with Getaround's CEO, Sam Zaid. Getaround's CarKit is a device that enables borrowers to … Read more

Hughes Telematics is casting a wider net to catch customers, partnering with AAA Club Partners (ACP) to offer its In-Drive-connected services to the automobile club's 12 million drivers in 20 states.

In-Drive is a telematics service connecting the vehicle and driver to Hughes operators in the event of an emergency or accident. Devices plugged into the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostics port and mounted on the visor connect the driver and the vehicle to Hughes' team of operators, who are available to help drivers coordinate emergency response and detect when a vehicle has been in a crash.

AAA hasn't … Read more