Mercedes Benz has been known for its revolutionary standards of safety. After all, as one of the most luxurious and widely-respected car brands in the world, it has a reputation to protect.
That’s why the German-based automakers have introduced a new safety features on their 2010 E-class luxury-sedan. Called the Attention Assist, this new safety technology is intended to keep tired and weary drivers from dozing off into lala land.
The Attention Assist is capable of detecting abrupt steering corrections – a classic case of drowsy driving – done on the car and responds by emitting a low-frequency beep to alert the driver of his recklessness. If the beep isn’t enough to get the driver’s attention, an espresso cup – don’t ask us why – lights up on the dashboard reminding the driver to get his wits about himself if he wants to get home in one piece.
We’re all proponents for safe driving and understand the ramifications of falling asleep while behind the wheel of a car – it accounts for over 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths every year in the US. Hopefully, Mercedes Benz’s new Attention Assist safety feature can cut down on those staggering numbers.
It has been a while since Top Speed has reported anything about the KTM X-Bow, open air sports car with room for two. Unfortunately, the X-Bow that we are talking about today met its match when the driver took a curve too fast, dropping one wheel onto the grass and then subsequently lost control. The X-Bow went end over end three times before coming to rest with the shiny side up, albeit a little dirty.
The KTM X-Bow has a niche carved out for itself amongst speed junkies and lightweight performance driving enthusiasts. Similar to other minimalist sports cars like the Caterham and Ariel Atom, the X-Bow gets its appeal by being a stripped down racer offering an extremely favorable power to weight ratio and a wind in your face, formula type experience.
Now, modern passenger cars are loaded with safety features that rob gas mileage and ruin a vehicle’s nimble nature all in the name of saving lives. So when we look at lightweight roadsters like the KTM X-Bow, we have to wonder just how safe these fun to drive vehicles really are. Thankfully, the pilot who shot his X-Bow off the beaten path and then conducted some aerial acrobatics was able to walk away from the incident, although we can’t say the same about the car.
Airbags are supposed to protect us from accidents, right?
Tell that to one Dr. Ken Thompson.
In a somewhat reversal of fortune, the good doctor ended up injuring his thumb when the airbags of his 2006 BMW 325xi deployed after a minor fender bender with another car.
While the airbags did their job in shielding his body from the minor scrape, his right thumb wasn’t so fortunate.
“I had what they call a partial amputation," Thompson said. “My right thumb is just basically hanging and that was the only injury I sustained.”
New York City officials recently mandated that all taxi cabs must average 25 mpg by 2012. The plan was to lessen the environmental impact of New York City’s 13,000 taxis, as well as 40,000 other for-hire vehicles, but the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission apparently forgot to concern itself with passenger safety.
The fight is over the bulletproof plastic partition, which is mandated by law in NYC and separates the drivers from their fares. The problem with it is the possible effect on airbags and other passive and active safety devices to rear seat passengers. Toyota and Honda have issued outright warnings against using their hybrid vehicles as commercial cabs. While Ford, General Motors and Nissan have refused to certify the crash worthiness of their hybrid taxis, modified with mandatory partitions. It seems that the partitions could somehow block or deflect side airbags, rear airbags and side curtain airbags. There is also the chance of injury from someone being thrown into the partition itself, their seat belt being used or not (and I don’t know anyone that wears a seatbelt in NYC taxis, do they even have them?).
The trouble doesn’t end there though. Automakers are also warning that hybrids were never designed for “heavy commercial use.” Who knows if the hybrids of today can handle the deft driving skills of a NYC taxi driver, as well as the not so great maintenance schedule the cars are on.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has yet to respond to the safety and longevity concerns, but does list several hybrid vehicles on its approved vehicle list for taxi use.<
Volvo knows that are too many distractions when driving. So, after declaring war on auto accidents, the safety-conscious Swedish carmaker is showing off some low speed technology. Watch as your next car may keep you from spilling your latte because you plowed into the back of another car while text messaging.
Russia is working a new symbol so that other drivers can tell when a novice driver is behind the wheel. The sign will be required to be put in windows with drivers who have had less than two yeas driving experience. In the U.S. we have a less uniform, but still effective code to identify novice drivers. Just look for the three-foot high rear spoiler attached to a stock Honda Civic.
Like a McDonald’s cup of coffee, General Motors may have a problem with making its fluid too hot. GM is now recalling 857,735 vehicles because the heated windshield washer fluid system. A short-circuit in the system may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke, increasing the risk of a fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website.
The recall involves the 2007-2008 model year Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Avalanche and Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT, GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL and Saturn Outlook; 2006-2008 Hummer H2, Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne; and the 2008 Buick Enclave. The fix will be an in-line fuse that will prevent the short circuiting.<
Smart is recalling 43 cars, all sold in the US, due to defective paint. Doesn’t sound as intimidating or scary as exploding gas tanks, electrical fires, or most other safety recalls. But as it turns out, this is a little unnerving. The defective paint could lead to the loss of the windshield or roof while driving the little car. The paint in question was used to coat the frame and chassis, then an adhesive was placed over the paint. If the paint peels off the frame the adhesive goes with it, then say bye-bye to some rather important bits. We think the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made a good choice with this recall.
We all know someone who doesn’t like cars. Every time you try to show this person a picture of the new Camaro, he/she goes off on some rant about all the great people you meet on the bus. No one knows why this person is so anti-car, but now there may be an answer. Maybe there was something traumatic from his/her childhood. If so, there might be a new member to the society as a grandmother in southern Florida left her three-year-old granddaughter on the roof of her car as she drove through a supermarket parking lot.
Brenda Bouschet said that she would never let anything hurt her granddaughter. But for those of you who may have compassion for this woman thinking that she just forgot about her granddaughter, and that we all make mistakes; she also said that she was driving at "snail-speed" and holding the child’s leg.
“That new car smell” has been long been an underlying selling point of cars. It helps describe the joy of being the first to wear in a car. But now it may also be the way you describe how you got your latest health concern. Last week, the Ecology Center released its 2nd annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children’s car seats (www.HealthyCar.org). Of the cars tested, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider GT scored the worst (highest contaminants), and the Acura RDX scored the best (lowest).
Chemicals of primary concern include: bromine (associated with brominated flame retardants); chlorine (indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC and phthalates); lead; and heavy metals. Such chemicals have been linked to a wide range of health problems such as allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer.
The Ecology Center’s study breaks down results by make or car category. So, before you take a big whiff from your new automotive purchase, you may want to know what’s getting into you.
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