In yet another move to improve overall road safety, Volvo has launched a 3-year research program that is geared towards mapping driver behavior in response to particular traffic scenarios.

Volvo’s research will be collating data on the driver’s view of the road, including viewing to the car’s rear and specific movements of the head and the eye. The research will also log the movement of the car. The research will span 3 years and 1.8 million miles of travel, after which the results will be assessed to come up with a model of driver behavior across different situations. The model will then be used to make cars that are able to help the driver react to such situations.

“In order to move towards a crash-free future, we need to learn more about what kind of mistakes and situations that might lead to accidents,” says Senior Research Engineer and Field Operational Tests (FOT) head at Volvo Cars, John-Fredrik Grönvall.

Chalmers University of Technology is also contributing to the research project, along with SAFER and other companies. This particular research is part of EuroFOT, a project sponsored by the EU.

Source: Motor Authority

Night vision is the human eye’s ability to see through darkness. Activities done at night like driving can be a bummer, especially if your night vision isn’t that great. This is one of the reasons why automakers are still investing a lot for smart headlight systems.

However, if you still need to drive or need to go out at night then you might consider employing techniques on improving night vision.

Hey, scouts do teach something you’d eventually find useful. Note that these tips are only for your natural night vision.

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The first-aid kit. Most cars released in the past decade include a first aid kit and I do believe that some nitpicky concourse judges look for them. But they’re not there only for show. They’re there to be used. Mishaps happen both in your garage and on the road. And mind you that these pre-packed first-aid kits aren’t fully equipped. So why not build one on your own (or supplement what you have). It pays to be prepared.

Usually, these kits are equipped with the common things like a variety of bandages, a tweezer, a pair of scissors, a roll of surgical tape, topical antibiotic cream, burn cream, and some antiseptic meds. But having those do not cover all the possible road emergencies you might face.

Here are a few more things you can consider adding to your kit: cotton balls, cotton swabs, petroleum jelly, calamine lotion, plain unscented soap, aspirin, antihistamines, antacids, a bottle of distilled water. Remember that some of these things have expiration dates, so be sure to swap out the expired meds with some new ones.

Ever had that temp guage needle spike up on you? I guess an overheating engine is one of the more common on-road problems that you might experience as a motorist. So what do you do?

Pull over. Pull over to the shoulder for an emergency pit stop. Turn the engine off and pop up the hood. If pulling over isn’t possible, turn off the A/C, open the windows, then set the heater to maximum. This will help dissipate engine heat. Just pay attention to the needle. Most modern cars have a failsafe feature where the engine will shut-off just as before the temperature reaches the red. The radiator cap also has a release valve to release excess pressure. If you have steam coming out of your hood or if your temperature continues to spike, pull over!

Wait for the engine to cool off a bit. One common mistake panicky drivers do when faced with an overheating engine is that they try to pop open the radiator cap to slosh in some cooling agent (water or coolant). Don’t try opening the radiator cap. A lot of pressure (from steam) has built in the radiator. Opening it would give you a nice scalding steam. Or worse a good shower of boiling water.

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It took them more than half-a-year to consolidate the data but the facts now show that US traffic-related fatalities are now at an all-time low. The number dropped 1,600 deaths from 2006 to 41,059 in 2007.

The fatality rate of 1.37 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled in 2007 was the lowest on record, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in its report.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is attributing this to safer vehicles and aggressive law enforcement but I think that’s just her way of blowing the horn. Hey, the government can’t take all of the credit for this one. Especially since they’re reporting that while car collisions account for less this time around, motorcycle deaths are also up from 4,837 to 5,154.

Hmm… Now wasn’t there a market trend that brings out a relation between the two? Aren’t Americans driving cars less and motorcycle and scooter sales up over the years due to ionosphere-high gas prices? Well, the economy’s still reeling and the government has got something to do with it. Maybe that’s one “accomplishment” they wouldn’t want to take credit for.

Source: CNN

If you’re shopping for a new set of shoes (tires) for your ride, then you might be baffled by the sheer selection of tire types in the market today. You have a whole selection of touring tires, all-weather, ultra performance tires, etc… So which one should you choose?

The thing is, it’s pretty much the same with a lot of things out there – it’s simply a name game. Understanding for which purpose a particular tire type is would help you in choosing what suits your need best.

All Season – Probably the one that most would recommended and rightfully so, given its versatility. If your car is simply a daily driver, all season tires would probably best for you as you only need one set of tires to use all-year round.

Summer – Ideal for dry climates. These tires are optimized to give you grip for dry surfaces and the heat caused by traction on such conditions.

Snow – These tires give you the best grip on low-traction surfaces of wet and icy roads. They aren’t really prescribed for summer driving since the added grip on dry surfaces causes immense wear.

Touring – Touring tires, while attractive, are the best ones if you’re in a budget. They provide a cushy ride and long wear but performance and grip is somehow compromised. Don’t plan on using them if you want to delve in street racing as, aside from lackluster performance, these might be unsafe for the stress of racing.

Dual performance/Track and competition – The choice of the weekend track racer. These perform well both on the street and track conditions. Ideal if you drive your car to and from the track.

Ratings – Depending on the types mentioned above, you might also find added labels. From best rated to least, they are: extreme performance, max performance, ultra-high performance, and high performance.

Not all cars on the roads have them and not all cars coming out of the factory can have them as standard. But there’s a reason why anti-lock braking systems or ABS has been around as a safety feature. If you’ve driven a car without an ABS, you might have experienced wheel-locking when braking one time or another. Slam too hard on the pedal at a certain speed and your liable to screech to a halt. ABS prevents that. In most four-wheel ABS systems, this allows you to maintain steering.

Without being too technical, ABS is basically a system of a computer and sensors monitoring the speed of each wheel. When you press down on the pedal, the system kicks in and it takes over how each wheel should slow down to prevent unnecessary skids. If you’re new to the whole ABS thing, you might not notice anything strange at all save for the occasional pulsing of the brake pedal when the system kicks in.

However, this isn’t a foolproof system that would guarantee that skids won’t ever happen. Definitely, you have to consider other factors like the condition and grip of your tires. The road surface will also be a factor. Oil and tar on the blacktop will definitely give you less grip than a paved concrete road. Your speed and direction would also play a factor. The ABS doesn’t necessarily shorten the stopping distance of your car too.

You might want to test the system out in an empty parking lot when you get the chance. You might notice that driving on wet surfaces would affect overall handling but you will notice a difference when the ABS is working. You ABS usually just continues to work silently (unless your car has some options to turn it off). Usually, when it fails, it means that the system is not active (and the amber ABS light on the dash lights up). Usually, your brakes would work just fine, it’s just that you won’t have the ABS to help you out. But take it to a qualified mechanic as soon as possible for repairs.

Another trademark of a defensive driver is to drive by the book. Boring for the daredevils out there, but this is a surefire way of lessening accident risks. This means that if you have developed a driving plan towards a particular destination, stick to it.

As part of planning ahead, you should be able to give yourself ample time and space to position your car in the appropriate lanes so you can predictably make a turn or any other move at the right moment. Mind your blind sides (especially if your car doesn’t have the newfangled camera systems). Avoid tailgating and keep driving within the minimum and maximum speed limits. Even slow driving can be dangerous at times.

If you are not familiar with the area and need the aid of a map, then pull off to the side or a parking lot and not stop in the middle of the road. Be aware of your turn signals. Don’t forget to switch it back (if it does not auto cancel) to normal if you fail to make a turn. Do not confuse other motorists as well.

Brake warning lights are there on the dash because they serve a purpose. What it does is to alert the driver that something is wrong with the braking system. It it suddenly lights up, immediately check your owner’s manual as it can mean a lot of things.

It can simply mean that the hand or parking brake is on and that you just need to disengage it. It can also mean the DOT-3/brake fluid in the master cylinder is low. If you smell something burning and it comes on, then the reason is obvious. If you do have an ABS-equipped car, then this means that you have an ABS light on the dash. This usually comes on when the car is started then switches off later. If it lights up, blinks, or stays on, then the ABS computer has gone a bit awry. Unfortunately, the problem can be as simple as a foreign matter has messed up with one of the sensors, or as complex as replacing the entire ABS unit.

In any case, if the warning light goes on, the best course of action, still is to get it scanned and tested by a qualified mechanic. Your braking system is not one to just ignore. As I would put it, stopping is more important than getting from 0-60 in sub-8 seconds. Getting a portable ODB-II scanner that you can easily link to your car’s diagnostic port can also give you an immediate result as to what’s causing the problem. Just have a reference guide of the error codes for your car.

Collisions usually happen when one or both the drivers are inattentive. Inattention in turn can be caused by several reasons – fatigue, drowsiness, talking, distractions, fiddling with the radio… As a defensive driver, one must be alert to be able to recognize the hazards that could be present on the road so that they could be avoided in time. Distracted driver kills. In the UK, they’ve already made moves to make fines a lot heftier just by driving distracted. So while we don’t have sterner legislation to make up for it, just make sure to keep your focus on the road.

This could be quite a difficult task, but the only way to be really alert while driving is to concentrate solely on what you are doing. Observe yourself. Find out how long it takes before your concentration falters and your mind starts to trouble itself with other things. Try to do this everyday and try to lengthen the time of concentration. Make a conscious effort of not doing anything else while driving.

Reserve doing your daily rituals outside the car. I’ve seen them. People who shave using the rear view. Drivers reading the paper behind the wheel. Guys chomping down on their happy meals. There’s only one thing that you should do behind the wheel and that’s to focus on the road. Even if it’s too tempting to make use of technology, try not to fidget with your phone. If you really need to take calls, then invest in a good hands-free car kit – one that require one-touch answering and dropping, provides a loudspeaker or an ear piece.

Any object, no matter how small and light it is, can feel like a ton if hurled at a speed of at least 60 mph. Many car injuries are actually caused by loose objects that get flung in collisions. If you’ve paid good attention during your high school Physics class, you’d remember that force is exerted when a speeding object is subjected to sudden deceleration. So imagine how much damage it would cause if you have say, canned goods in the grocery bag?

The more disturbing thing is that, people and pets, which are not strapped well into their seats can become loose objects too! No wonder most fatal injuries occur when drivers or passengers are not wearing their seatbelts.

So what to do? Take a good look around the interior of your vehicle. Secure all heavy objects in the trunk of your car or at least safe under a fixed cargo net. Avoid putting unnecessary objects on your dashboard. If you have passengers with you, may they be babies, children, adults, or pets, make sure that they are well strapped with seatbelts before driving off. And don’t forget to buckle up yourself.

I get headaches when driving at night and that’s not just about incompetent drivers and frustrating traffic jams. It’s the glaring headlights of other vehicles! For other motorists such as moi, here are a few tips on how to not get these halogenic problem get to you.

First of all, it is illegal to turn bright lights on in the face of another driver. In some states, it is even a law to dim bright lights within a specific distance of an approaching vehicle or from behind. But in any case that you encounter such a fiend, do not lose yourself to the temptation of flashing your lights at him as well. One visually handicapped driver is bad enough, and when you make it two we’re talking about an impending disaster.

What you do is you avert your eyes instead making sure that you move them a bit downwards to the right. This will still enable you to use the fog-line (or the white stripe that outlines the edge of the road) as reference to keep the car aligned with the road, even if you are slightly visually impaired at the moment. Just make sure that you still keep aware if the vehicle with the ignoramus driver start to drift into your lane.

Surveys say that many people aren’t really tire-smart, meaning a lot of people are not really keen on how many PSI their tires have. Having poorly inflated tires hastens tire wear and even heighten fuel consumption by creating unnecessary drag.

Here’s a quick guide on checking proper tire inflation I wrote for LifeSpy some time ago:

• Invest on a good tire gauge.
• Check the tires in cold inflation, meaning just before you start driving. When you drive, the wheels get hot. Your readout may not be accurate when you measure them hot.
• Unscrew the protective caps of the air valve.
• Press the gauge against the valve and check the readout.
• Compare with the recommended.
• Add or let out air as need.
• Screw the protective air valve cap back on.

Some other things that you have to monitor would be tire wear. Are the treads still packing grip? You might have to rotate your tires every 6,000 miles. It’s National Tire Safety Week and this here is an interesting video on a lot of people not being tire smart. View the video after the cut.

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With the rising cases of car crashes despite having speed camera on roads and all other motoring safety devices on cars, the Brits are looking into laying the smackdown on erring drivers.

A couple of weeks ago, new guidelines have been published citing that drivers who are driving distracted (using their fancy-schmancy gadgets like mobile phones, sat-navs and even MP3 players) that creates clear and evident danger could face jail time of up to two years in prison. These activities formerly warrant careless driving punishable by fines but the guidelines intend to change that by boosting them to dangerous driving.

They’ve also laid out new guidelines to ensure the safety of pedestrians on the road. If you’re a pedestrian, you must love this ordinance. Ever been splashed by those bastardly drivers running over puddles? Well, there’s no room for those bastards anymore in Britain as doing so merits a £2,500 fine.

Oh man, I got to love how the Brits are beefing up their motoring laws.

Source: The Times Online

We have several postings on how you can protect your teenagers from road accidents. The day they get their license is a day of a day of awareness on road safety.

But what is that feeling you get every time you see him behind the wheels? Feeling nervous and unsettled about him driving about town? His own license means you can retire from being his chauffeur, you know.

So don’t fret. you just have to know how to prepare your young driver for this responsibility.

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If you take a look at the hottest buzz on today’s celebrities (*cough* Britney *cough*), you might find that a lot of them have been in trouble for irresponsible driving. Reasons are usually alcohol, drugs, and just plain divided attention.

Driving drunk or simply unfocused is one of the stupidest ways to gamble with your life. This is one kind of thrill you don’t want to be in. Driving when you’re not in the condition to drive endangers not just to you but also other people. Know your responsibilities as a driver if you don’t want to end your life with just one wrong turn.

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Yearly, you pay for your auto insurance coverages so that just in case some crazy motorist (or pedestrian) decides to make life miserable for you by involving you in an accident, you’d be able to claim something. And it is definitely handy at times given all the crazy drivers out there. Better safe than sorry.

An interesting scenario: What if some jerk cuts your lane and causes you to swerve and crash against the road railing. The whole side of your car is damaged and the jerk sped off. Will you still be covered by your insurance? But there’s no actual contact. The jerk never hit you anyway.

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Those who have experience the unpleasantries of winter driving knows the importance of being prepared for the worst.

Sure this might just be a bit early, but there’s no time to prepare winterizing you car than fall. Why this early? Well, some of these winterizing must-haves may entail some costs. Flagging your attention to some of the things that you have to look out for this early would give you time to reconsider your budgets and allot some for preparing your ride for the winter.

Trust us. You don’t want to get stalled in heavy snow at night in the middle of nowhere.

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Going on road trips with your kids? Well be sure that you’re well aware of car safety for them. Don’t be like Britney Spears endangering kids by holding them in your lap while driving. Here are some thoughts on car safety seats for children.

As a rule of thumb, children who weigh 40 lbs or less should be in safety seats. For cars manufactured 1985 and later should have passed safety standards.

Hospitals now offer free or low-cost safety seats for infants which is usually given to new parents who would drive their newborn children home.

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Chrysler issued a recall of 300,000 SUVs to address a potential braking problem when driving uphill. The recall covers 2006-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Commander, 2007 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and 2007 Dodge Nitro SUVs.

Chrsyler apparently received 20 complaints that vehicles experienced braking delays when drivers stepped on them to stop after coasting uphill. To address the issue, the computer connected to the ABS need to be reprogrammed. A crash has already been reported though no one was seriously harmed.

Apart from these recalls, Chrysler will also put the word out on 72,333 Dodge Avenger sedans and Chrysler Sebring convertibles from the 2008 model year that suffer from problems involving the front door latches and locks.

Earlier this week, Honda also issued a recall of 182,756 Civics due to a faulty wheel bearing O-ring causing it to leak and will cause a wheel to fall off “possibly resulting in a crash,” says Honda. Yeah, a wheel falling off may “possibly” cause it to crash. Now that takes a genius to figure out. Consolation for Civic owners though, Honda will notify owners by mail and replace any damaged parts for free.

Source: Detroit News (Chrysler and Honda)

It really depends on your locality. If you live in a place where you need to deal with a lot of gang activity, shootouts, and all, then any time of day would be dangerous. However, given ordinary circumstances and typical roads, the worst time to drive is between midnight and 3 AM. Statistics show that fatal accidents are more likely to happen more than ten-fold during this span of time as opposed to driving from 6 AM to 6 PM.

As for the most dangerous time, it’s usually from 2-3 AM on Sunday morning. It’s because Saturday night is party night and bars usually close at 2-3 AM. The more likely the road’s inhabited by drunk drivers. Accident fatality boosts up to more than twenty-fold during this hour.

Another safety regulation is set to be unveiled by federal officials next month – the requirement for automakers to install side airbags starting by the early part of next decade. The reason? Rising over the years are side-impact crashes, killing 9,200 people two years ago. It is the second most common fatal type of vehicular crash after frontal crashes.

Side airbags have been in discussion among automakers since 2003 but it’s only now that the federal government are making it a legal issue. Aside from installing side airbags, manufacturers are also make cars’ structural integrity beefier through re-engineering the side of a car, stronger roof rails, rocker panels and “B pillars” to help absorb energy from crashes.

Source: Detroit News

If you’ve driven with your windows rolled down, then you probably have had the rather unpleasant experience of having a rouge bug mess with you inside the vehicle. Annoying buggers aren’t they?

Amazingly, in the UK, insects are said to be the cause of 650,000 accidents according to the DVLA. That’s a disturbing number with the resulting damage amounting to a whopping £44 million.

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Being a Top Gear fan, I always loved it when Clarkson kills vehicles. Sure the ways are too extreme (at least they proved that the Toyota Hilux was one tough mo-fo) but seeing things blow up sure is fun.AutoMotto recently posted this article on The Ways Ford Tortures Its Cars. The word torture caught my attention. (No, I don’t have aggression issues.)

Cars’ test models usually get pretty beat up during testing to make sure that the car’s structural integrity is decent once it hits the showrooms. Just take a look at the ways Ford do their torture tests, this time, on a 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty.

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I’ve learned that lesson a long time ago where you have to check the dash if the parking brake light is off and if the lever is totally flush down. But I just got this question from one of my old college pals. “What happens if I drive with my parking brake engaged, will my car be okay?”

Judging from her question, she already did it. Well, for starters, it’s not good at all to do that. Now this lady friend of mine’s a newbie in driving so I’m not laughing at her mistakes. As for her car, well…

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