Planet Jupiter » Safety

Cruise Control When it is Raining–Not such a Good Idea….

mbattel — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:40:08 +0000

Driving in the rain
I wonder how many people know about this -

~ A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore , Texas she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!
When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know -
NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH
YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON .
She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.
But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with
the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane.
She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.
The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver’s seat sun-visor –
NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY,
along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and
drive a safe speed – but we don’t tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry.
The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his car and sustained severe injuries.
NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are
on.
If you send this to 15 people and only one of them doesn’t know about this, then it was all worth it. You might have saved a life.

Opel and GM Develop Vehicles with a Sixth Sense

mbattel — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:10:02 +0000

October 22, 2008

In its second international forum, the CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium (C2C-CC) is demonstrating for the first time worldwide vehicle-to-X communication independent of manufacturer or vehicle-type. Opel is hosting the event at the GM Dudenhofen Test Center in Germany.

Preventing accidents by warning drivers about potential danger from other vehicles was a major goal during the development of the new General Motors/Opel C2C (car-to-car or vehicle-to-vehicle) communication systems. Vehicles equipped with this technology can communicate with each other and exchange information such as location and speed. Drivers can then be warned in advance if another vehicle is stopped in an area that is difficult or impossible to see, or about to enter the same intersection as they are.

“Driving is a very complex task. Knowing where the other guy is and where he’s headed can be as critical as being in control of your own vehicle,” said Hans-Georg Frischkorn, Executive Director, Global Electrical Systems, Controls and Software. “With C2C technology, we intensify the driver’s awareness of his environment to improve road safety, without any distraction to him and certainly without reducing his level of control. This sixth sense lets drivers know what’s going on around them to help avoid accidents and improve traffic flow.”

Today, vehicles can be equipped with multiple safety sensors, including
radar-based sensors connected with speed control devices, lane change assistance systems or sensors to detect objects in a car’s blind spot. GM/Opel can increase the operating range and coverage of individual sensors significantly with its comprehensive technology – a more effective and affordable way to provide extensive observation and assessment of the surrounding traffic conditions.Demonstration with typical driving situationsGM/Opel engineers demonstrate the new technology’s advantages with a range of practical exercises. Several functions help prevent the rear-end collisions that occur on a daily basis due to poor visibility, twisty roads or short lapses in driver concentration. For example, the system warns of a stationary vehicle on the road even before the driver behind can see it, for example around a corner. Depending on the situation, the system transmits these warnings visually, acoustically or through vibrations in the driver’s seat.

Goal: Wide availability for as many vehicles as possible.

GM/Opel has deliberately based this technology on inexpensive, proven components, giving it the potential to become standard equipment in many vehicles. The alternative would be to offer extremely expensive high-tech systems for just a few cars, but as Hans-Georg Frischkorn says: “GM/Opel has always been committed to democratizing innovations. Our C2C systems are affordable and could potentially be used in every vehicle class. That’s especially important because cooperative systems like these become more effective when many vehicles are equipped with them.”

California Hands-Free Cellphone Law Could Save

Csavage — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:40:59 +0000

The California law requiring people to use hands-free phones behind the wheel will save almost one life per day when it takes effect July 1, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

It’s a startling statistic, but it’s at odds with data from the California Highway Patrol that shows gabbing on a cellphone was a factor in just six fatal accidents in 2006, the last year for which data was available. Joe Kolko, who conducted the study, said the problem isn’t with his data, but the CHP’s. He says the number of cellphone-related traffic fatalities are grossly under-reported.

“Mobile phone use can’t be measured accurately at the time of a traffic collision,” he said. “A driver may hang up to avoid looking negligent, and police can’t easily access mobile-phone records.”

California’s law will require drivers to use hands-free devices when dialing and driving and bans anyone under 18 from using a cellphone or other mobile device behind the wheel. Kolko says the law will save 300 lives per year.

How did he come up with so specific a figure?

Kolko collected data on mobile-phone ownership and traffic fatalities for all 50 states, then examined the effects of hands-free laws in the states — New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia – where they are in effect. Chicago and Santa Fe, New Mexico, have municipal ordinances requiring hands-free phones, and Washington state’s law takes effect July 1.

Kolko discovered that traffic deaths during bad weather fell 52 percent within six months of the laws’ taking effect. Fatalities on wet roads dropped 38 percent and rush-hour deaths fell 17 percent.

Data from New York, which enacted the nation’s first hands-free law in 2001, suggests the pattern holds up over the long haul. Four years after the law passed, traffic fatalities during lousy weather or on wet roads were down about 64 percent. Kolko assumed California would see similar declines and applied those figures to the number traffic fatalities in adverse conditions to arrive at 300 lives saved per year.

Kolko says his estimate is “conservative,” but it’s still well above the CHP’s data, which shows no more than eight cellphone-related traffic fatalities a year between 2004 and 2006. Kolko says collisions caused by people yakking on a phone are underreported because it’s tough to determine after the fact if the phone was a factor.

He also says previous attempts to study the impact of cellphones on traffic fatalities are “are all over the map. Some find no effect from mobile-phone use on collisions, and others find very large effects.” He argues those studies relied on surveys of drivers and lab simulations and didn’t predict the effects of hands-free laws.

Other studies have concluded that talking on a phone while driving is much more dangerous than either the CHP figures or the PPIC study suggests, regardless of whether the driver is using a hands-free device or not. The United States lags behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to mandating hands-free phones in traffic. More than 45 countries, including Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan and Australia, require hands-free phones behind the wheel.

It took six years to pass California’s law, which was written by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and it faced intense lobbying by the cell phone industry. Joe Farren, a spokesman for the mobile-phone trade group CTIA, says the group encourages hands-free use of phones while driving.

Now, what about those idiots who read the paper on the morning commute?

Toughest States On Distracted Drivers

Csavage — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:17:08 +0000

New Hampshire motorists who use drive time to chat on the phone, read the paper or apply makeup may want to focus on the road.

In that state, if you cause harm to another vehicle or a pedestrian while engaged in an activity behind the wheel, you face a maximum fine of $1,000 and lose your license for up to a year.

“This is a good deterrent to have on the books,” says Peter M. Thomson, coordinator of New Hampshire’s Highway State Agency. “I travel 65 miles to work, on Interstate 93, and I see a ton of distracted drivers. You name it, and I have seen it. It drives me crazy to see people trying to drive with a full plate of food on their lap while trying to steer with their knees.”

New Hampshire’s no-nonsense law carries the greatest fine and penalty of the nine states with the harshest laws for distracted drivers on our list.

In Depth: Toughest States On Distracted Drivers

Best Children Car Seats

Csavage — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:47:59 +0000

Are you in search if Best Children Car Seats sold online? Want to find the best children car seats that would suit your vehicle and your safety measures? You’ve reached the right post reader!

A lot of online stores are present on world wide web that sells different products online. All of them would guarantee you that their product was the best among all. Choosing a right one is difficult, isn’t it? Let’s go to the point, maybe you’ve reached this post as you search online for best car seats that was sold online. Let me share you an online shopping website that offers the best and safest car seats that was sold online.
ShopWiki.com – http://www.shopwiki.com, an online shopping website that sells great products and stuffs online. This online shopping website sells high quality and safe car seats that you are looking for. Looking for safe car seats for your children? ShopWiki has a lot of car seats intended to made for your children. They have toddler and infant car seat intented for your children.

Interested now on purchasing one of those car seats? Visit their website now at http://www.shopwiki.com, find the best car seats that suits you!!!

Four Ways to Tire Safety

Csavage — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:28:41 +0000

Tire safety should be a part of regular maintenance. If you notice that your tires are worn or you feel a shake or wobble in your steering wheel, DO NOT ignore it. Seemingly minor problems could cause a fatal accident.

The first thing you can do to ensure tire safety is to check your tire pressure once a month. Most tires naturally lose air over time. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to determine under-inflation just by looking at your tires.

Keep a tire pressure gauge in your vehicle so you can check your tires often. This will improve vehicle handling, protecting you from breakdowns or accidents. It will also increase the life of your tires.

As gas prices inch closer and closer to $4.00 per gallon, keeping proper tire pressure will improve fuel economy. Some studies show you can save up to $200 at the pump each year just by taking good care of your tires.

Three other ways to take good care of your tires include:

1) Tread- Visually check your tires for uneven wear, looking for high and low spots or unusually smooth areas. Also check for signs of damage.

2) Alignment- A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can throw your vehicle’s front end out of alignment and lead to tire damage. Have your vehicle checked periodically to ensure proper alignment.

3) Rotation- Regularly rotating your vehicle’s tires will help achieve more uniform wear. Unless your vehicle’s owners manual has a specific recommendation, the guideline for tire rotation is every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.

Tire safety is important, so if you’re not confident checking your tires, Jupiter Chevrolet can easily check for proper alignment and tire rotation. And we’ll show you how to check pressure and inspect your tires every month.

8 top traffic ticket myths

Csavage — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:03:21 +0000

Drivers of red cars get more tickets. Don’t sign a ticket and the case will be dropped.

If the officer gets your hair color wrong on the ticket, you’ll win.

Urban myths relating to traffic tickets abound, but drivers and defendants will find that few of them are true.

The best advice is to simply obey the law, know that rules and procedures vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and don’t count on these myths when you’re hoping to escape a ticket — or the consequences.

Myth No. 1: If the officer makes a single mistake on your ticket, the case will be dropped.
A ticket should be seen as an accusatory instrument and a basis for prosecution that must be factually valid, says Matisyahu Wolfberg, an attorney from Spring Valley, N.Y., who represents defendants in traffic cases and lists tips on his Web site http://www.notspeeding.com/.

Clerical mistakes, such as a wrong number or wrong order of a person’s name, are usually overlooked. Material mistakes, like the identity of the driver, the direction of travel, the street where the citation occurred or the description of the vehicle, can usually help a driver win the case.

See the rest of the list here.

Catalytic Converter Thefts From Autos Spike on Higher Precious Metals Prices

Csavage — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:32:56 +0000

Soaring Metals Prices Cause Spike in Catalytic Converter Theft

There is a growing trend of catalytic converter theft. The catalytic converter is a part in the exhaust that neutralizes air pollutants (generated by the combustion engine) before the exhaust is released to the atmosphere. Catalytic converters, which are in just about every modern gasoline powered car utilize precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium which have recently skyrocketed to all-time highs. Thieves sneak under the vehicle, cut out the catalytic converter and then sell it on the used auto parts market or even on E-Bay! Used converters can fetch $150 to $200 each or more.

Some of the thefts have been brazen – one case involved theft of a converter in broad daylight at a busy parking lot! (See Articles Below). The person had no idea anything was missing until she started her car and noticed how LOUD it was! By the time she took it to a mechanic and found out what had happened the thieves were long gone and the stolen converter was probably sold by then!

Why have they gone so high? Future demand for automobiles and industrial materials in China and India may have something to do with it. After all, there are hundred of millions of people in those countries that are seeing an increase in their standard of living…and guess what……they’re going to want cars just like people in Europe and the U.S. have. That means a huge demand for catalytic converters and precious metals used in them. There are also major power supply disruptions to precious metal mines in South Africa (a major supplier of platinum group metals) which are hampering production. Some speculate that these power disruptions may last for a few years.

SUVS and Trucks May Be At Particularly High Risk

Sport utility vehicles and trucks may be at higher risk for catalytic converter theft for two main reasons. They have larger catalytic converters than cars and they have higher clearance above the ground making it easier for thieves to gain access under the vehicle.

When Will This Trend Stop?

As long as the prices for platinum group metals are high, catalytic converters will be a tempting target for thieves.

Precious Metal spot prices of April 19th, 2008 02:16 PM New York Time:

Gold – $US 917.00

Silver – $US 17.87

Platinum – $US 2,060.00

Palladium – $US 464.00

Rhodium – $US 9,035.00

Several good reasons to wear a motorcycle helmet.

Csavage — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:21:05 +0000