June 6, 2008

Mustang first convertible to win top safety rating

MustangConv.jpgDEARBORN, Mich. -- When Ford Chief Engineer for Safety Systems Steve Kozak decided to give a new car to his teenage daughter as a graduation gift only one model would do: the 2008 Ford Mustang GT convertible, the No. 1-selling and top safety-rated drop-top in the U.S.

The 2008 Mustang GT is the only convertible to earn a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for frontal crash, side impact and rollover tests.

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Posted by Frank at 6:57 AM | Filed under 2008 Vehicles | 5th Wheel | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech | Ford | Safety

Ford continues voice-activated research

Ford_Simulator.jpgDEARBORN, Mich. -- As the National Safety Council turns the country's attention to distracted driving next week, the Ford Sync in-car communications and entertainment system continues gaining popularity as one of the most advanced answers yet to the distractions nearly 190 million Americans encounter as they talk on cell phones while driving.

A recent survey found that more than 80 percent of mobile phone owners said they talk on the phone while driving, and 40 percent of teen and 20-something American mobile phone owners admitted to composing and sending text messages while driving.

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Posted by Frank at 6:51 AM | Filed under 5th Wheel | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech | Ford | Lincoln | Mercury | Safety

Students Learn Driving Safety in Time for Prom

DETROIT -- Takata, a global automotive safety leader, took its Safe Driver program to University Preparatory Academy (UPA) in Detroit today to teach high school students how to minimize driver distractions and make good judgments while driving - just in time for UPA's prom tonight.

Driver distraction and dangerous driving behaviors are especially prevalent during prom and graduation season. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for high-school-age students, and 70 percent of teens killed driving at night are not wearing a safety belt.

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Posted by Frank at 2:47 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Safety

AAA Michigan Urges Veto of Bill That Allows Motorcyclists to Go Without Helmets

DEARBORN, Mich. -- AAA Michigan today (June 4) urged Governor Jennifer Granholm to veto legislation that would enable motorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads.

In their latest bid to rid riders of their helmets, special interest groups in Lansing have proposed a permit solution. For a $100 fee, motorcyclists who meet specific requirements can buy their way out of a helmet.

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Posted by Frank at 1:40 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Safety

Share the Road Highway Safety Program Visits Americade

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- Life-saving highway driving tips were presented today as part of the American Trucking Associations' national Share the Road highway safety tour by top professional truck drivers.

The 2008 Americade motorcycle rally provided the perfect backdrop for the elite group of million mile accident-free drivers to share their message of road safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcycles are the only major motor vehicle category in which death rates have risen during the last decade.

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Posted by Frank at 1:05 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Safety

June 5, 2008

AIAM Supports Enhanced Roof Strength Standards

ARLINGTON, Va. -- In a statement delivered this morning at a U.S. Senate oversight hearing, Michael J. Stanton, President and CEO of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM), conveyed AIAM's support for enhanced passenger vehicle roof strength standards as part of a larger comprehensive effort to help prevent rollover crashes and the fatalities and serious injuries caused by vehicle rollovers.

The hearing was held by Senator Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety.

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Posted by Frank at 4:11 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech | Safety

May 29, 2008

Teen Driver Crashes Cost $34 Billion Annually in U.S.

DEARBORN, Mich. -- A first-ever analysis from AAA finds that crashes involving teen drivers ages 15 to 17 cost American society more than $34 billion annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs in 2006.

"The impact of a teen crash extends beyond the emotional tragedies and physical injury at the crash scene, with costs that can extend to employers, families, the government and society overall," said Jack Peet, community safety services manager for AAA Michigan.

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Posted by Frank at 8:39 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Finance | Safety

May 28, 2008

Volvo offers eight tips for keeping summer road trips safe

Volvo_booster.jpgIRVINE, Calif. ­­-- ‘Tis the season for families to pack up their cars and hit the road on trips both short and long. Volvo Cars of North America, a leader in safety innovation, is offering parents tips to pass along to their most precious cargo: their kids.

While often overlooked in the safe driving world, kids can present parents with dangerous distractions while driving. Simple, preventative measures can keep both young passengers and adult drivers out of harm's way.

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Posted by Frank at 2:37 PM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech | Safety | Volvo

May 25, 2008

It's Ticket Time!

When I worked as a newspaper reporter I had the chance to go on ride-alongs with police officers, and one guy had a habit of singing to himself. When he came back to the car after interviewing a motorist, he would warble, "it's ticket ti-ime!"

Besides the usual warnings about driving safe during the holidays and summer, blah, blah, there is a real reason everyone should make it a point to adhere to the rules of the road: money.

Not just that getting tickets is expensive, and can cost extra money on your insurance, and the general crummy feeling you get, but be aware that tickets are a revenue source.

And unless you haven't heard, many cities and states are in financial trouble -- and that means top cops are getting together in their secret lodges and deciding, all of a sudden, that they are going to be very concerned about the public's safety.

And send their blue hordes out looking for you.

We have in our possession an email warning us about a 30-day "speeding ticket frenzy" by local law enforcement, aimed at raising $9 million in revenue. There's a good chance this particular example might be a rumor, but there have been times in the past when law enforcement was asked to step up and contribute cash to the general fund via aggressive ticketing, and we just wanted to warn you. Because we think this is one of those times.

Posted by Frank at 8:01 AM | Filed under 5th Wheel | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Finance | Safety

May 23, 2008

2008 Chrysler, Dodge Minivans Earn Top Safety Ratings

Chrysler_TownCountry_08.jpgAUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan earned "good" ratings, the highest ratings available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in both frontal offset and side crashworthiness tests.

"Minivans are the one of the safest vehicles on the road and our all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan are built with more than 25 years of proven engineering innovations," said Larry Lyons, Vice President -- Car and Minivan Product Team, Chrysler LLC.

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Posted by Frank at 10:51 AM | Filed under 2008 Vehicles | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech | Chrysler | Dodge | Safety

MADD: Ignition Interlock Compliance Weak Across the Board

DALLAS -- Court monitors with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) tracked 487 DUI/DWI cases filed over the 2007 Memorial Day weekend in Nebraska, Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas.

This is the second year Operation Memorial Day monitors have followed cases. Each state has some form of interlock law, however, most of the states monitored showed poor interlock compliance, either through their chosen sanctions or because the case outcomes had not yet been determined.

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Posted by Frank at 5:19 AM | Filed under 5th Wheel | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Safety

Drowsy Driving as Dangerous as Drunk Driving

NEW YORK -- As people jam the roads and highways over the Memorial Day weekend, which marks the start of the peak summer driving season, there's greater risk of being -- or running into -- a drowsy driver, says the National Road Safety Foundation, Inc., a non-profit group that provides free driver safety films and programs including its newest, called "Recognizing the Drowsy Driver."

"A day in the sun can make you tired," says Adele Kristiansson, director of marketing and legislative affairs at the National Road Safety Foundation.

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Posted by Frank at 4:53 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Safety

Verizon Wireless Offers Tips to Help Customers Drive Responsibly

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- With the busiest travel season nearly upon us, Verizon Wireless reminds customers who choose to talk on a wireless phone while driving to do so responsibly and safely when travelling over the next few months and all year long.

Drivers should use common sense and obey all vehicular laws if they choose to talk on a wireless phone while driving, whether across town or across the country. Verizon Wireless offers the following reminders for using a wireless phone or service responsibly while driving:

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Posted by Frank at 3:59 AM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car accessories | Safety

May 22, 2008

Airbags Make the Difference in Side-Impact Crash Test Rating

LIVONIA, Mich. -- TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE:TRW) is star struck. Thirty of the 2008 model year vehicles that have earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) five-star rating in side-impact crash tests feature TRW's side or curtain airbags. These 30 vehicles range in size from compact cars to full sized pick-up trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The NHTSA side-collision impact crash test measures the performance of the vehicle and restraint system in the event of a side-impact collision. Five stars is the highest rating a vehicle can achieve.

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Posted by Frank at 12:11 PM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech | Safety

33 Million Licensed Americans Couldn't Pass the Written Test

ST. LOUIS -- Results from the 2008 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test released today found that 16.4 percent of drivers on the road - amounting to roughly 33 million licensed Americans - would not pass a written drivers test exam if taken today.

The fourth annual survey, which polled 5,524 licensed Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is designed to gauge driver knowledge by administering 20 actual questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) exams.

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Posted by Frank at 12:05 PM | Filed under Auto Marketing | Auto News | Safety