car safety

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'Crisis in Roadway Deaths' Leads to Big Move by Feds

Automatic emergency braking will soon have to come standard on all new US passenger vehicles

(Newser) - In the not-too-distant future, automatic emergency braking will have to come standard on all new passenger vehicles in the US, a requirement the government says will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries each year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration unveiled the new regulation on Monday, calling...

Here Are the Safest Vehicles of 2024

These 22 vehicles got top marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

(Newser) - Don't feel the need for speed? Per Quartz , auto safety nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its annual Top Safety Pick awards. With newly toughened criteria that includes better protection for those in the back seat as well as pedestrians, 22 models received the highest honor, the Top...

Stick Shifts May Be Safer for Unexpected Reason
Stick Shifts
May Be Safer
for Unexpected
Reason
longform
Dec 17, 2023 9:30 AM CST

Stick Shifts May Be Safer for Unexpected Reason

People can't fiddle with their phones as much

(Newser) - It's already been established that the number of pedestrians fatally struck by vehicles is on the rise in the US. In fact, the number began ticking upward about 15 years ago, reversing a decades-long trend, reports the New York Times . But the newspaper's deep dive into the subject...

Don't Put This on Your Steering Wheel, Regulators Warn
Don't Put This on Your Steering
Wheel, Regulators Warn
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nov 11, 2023 4:45 PM CST

Don't Put This on Your Steering Wheel, Regulators Warn

Decorative aftermarket decals can dislodge in crash, cause serious injury

(Newser) - US regulators are warning drivers to steer clear of aftermarket decals used to embellish a car's logo on the center of its steering wheel. Such metal or plastic emblems—which are typically adorned with rhinestones or other decorations and attached to the steering wheel with an adhesive back—can...

Traffic Deaths Rise, Despite Supposedly Safer Cars

Experts aren't sure what's causing rise in fatalities, though signs point to bigger sales of larger vehicles

(Newser) - Alyssa Milligan was someone who intuitively knew when another person needed help, encouragement, or a kind word. Although she was new to Tennessee, the 23-year old physical therapy student, whose mother called her "Sweet Alyssa," had already made many close connections, especially within the tight-knit cycling community around...

Drive a Ford? See If You're on the Recall List

Newest pullback involves 1.5M vehicles with brake hose, wiper issues

(Newser) - With spring just days away, you may be thinking of taking a ride to the car wash to spiffy up those wheels for the warmer weather. If you own a Ford, you also might want to see if your vehicle is on its latest recall lists. Per NPR , the automaker...

New Tesla Complaints: Steering Wheels Came Off While Driving

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe is underway on Model Y Long Range SUV

(Newser) - US auto safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla's Model Y SUV after getting two complaints that the steering wheels can come off while being driven. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the probe covers an estimated 120,000 vehicles from the 2023 model year. The agency...

US Traffic Deaths Fall but Remain at Crisis Levels

Quarterly dip follows 7 straight increases

(Newser) - The number of people killed on US roadways fell slightly from April through June, the first decline in two years. But the government says the number of deaths remains at a crisis level. Estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that 20,175 people died in crashes from...

Does Your Tesla Suddenly Brake for No Reason? You're Not Alone

NHTSA: More than 750 Tesla owners have reported 'phantom braking' phenomenon

(Newser) - More than 750 Tesla owners have complained to US safety regulators that cars operating on the automaker's partially automated driving systems have suddenly stopped on roadways for no apparent reason. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed the number in a detailed information request letter to Tesla that was...

Tesla Self-Driving Feature Puts Car in 'Assertive' Mode

It allows vehicle to shorten follow distance, come to 'rolling stops'

(Newser) - A Tesla self-driving feature is drawing backlash for what some are saying could lead to too-aggressive driving. The Verge reports that the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta allows vehicle operators to choose from one of three driving modes that control how the car reacts to road conditions: "Chill,...

Crash Test Dummies Are Male, and It's Killing Women

Op-ed in the 'Washington Post' argues that it's time to change the standards

(Newser) - The crash test dummies used by car manufacturers help keep us safe—though that "us" refers largely to the adult male population. In an op-ed for the Washington Post , Susan Molinari and Beth Brooke explain that when crash test dummies were standardized more than 40 years ago, those standards...

How Our Car Safety Ratings Went From Best to Worthless

Motherboard takes a look at the rise and stagnation of the NCAP

(Newser) - When it comes to car safety ratings, the US was a trailblazer. Not so much anymore. In a deep dive for Motherboard , Aaron Gordon traces the fairly recent history of these ratings, which were created in the final days of the Carter administration thanks to Joan Claybrook, then the head...

It Was an Interim Fix. Now It's Being Recalled, Too

Takata's recalls 10M more front airbag inflators

(Newser) - Takata is recalling 10 million more front airbag inflators sold to 14 different automakers because they can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel. The recall is the last one the bankrupt company agreed to in a 2015 settlement with US safety regulators. It could bring to a close...

An Unusual Car Safety Hazard Is Claiming Lives
An Unusual Car Safety
Hazard Is Claiming Lives
the rundown
Jun 28, 2019 12:36 PM CDT

An Unusual Car Safety Hazard Is Claiming Lives

Keyless ignitions causing carbon monoxide deaths

(Newser) - Anyone asked to tick off common car safety issues might list things such as exploding airbags or rollovers. But keyless ignitions? As it turns out, the convenience feature has been blamed for nearly 40 deaths since 2005, including seven in the last six months alone, reports the Detroit Free Press ...

The Back Seat is No Longer Safer, Insurance Group Says

Most improvements have come up front

(Newser) - The most dangerous place to be sitting during a car crash was long thought to be up front: The "death seat" is the one next to the driver, according to Dictionary.com . But that's outdated, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says. The back seat has become the...

One Tesla Burst Into Flames. The Other, Sheared Off.

One possible issue is the cars' Autopilot driving system

(Newser) - A federal agency with the power to seek recalls and issue fines is investigating two fatal Tesla crashes in Florida over the past week, Reuters reports. The Friday crash in Delray Beach involved a 2018 Model 3 that had its roof cut off when it passed under a tractor-trailer; the...

These 3 Large Cars Are Safest Bet in a Crash

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives out top marks to 3 models

(Newser) - In the market for a large car that comes with some extra peace of mind? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has a few suggestions. CBS Miami reports IIHS crashed six large car models to test their safety and awarded three of them its highest "Top Safety Pick Plus"...

The 5 Safest, Deadliest Cars in America
Buyer, Beware: 
5 Deadliest Cars
in America 
in case you missed it
Jun 3, 2017 4:31 PM CDT

Buyer, Beware: 5 Deadliest Cars in America

Also, the 5 safest cars in America

(Newser) - Just how safe is that car you're driving? 24/7 Wall St. investigated to come up with a ranking of the safest and least safe car models sold in the US. The cars you'll want to drive, and those you won't, based on driver death rates:

Tesla May Bring Big Change to Car Insurance

It plans to bundle it, and maintenance, into total price of car

(Newser) - If cars are becoming safer as they incorporate self-driving features—the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month confirmed Tesla's first-gen Autopilot reduced Tesla vehicles' crash rate by 40%—consumers and experts alike are wondering when auto insurers will slash rates to reflect the minimized risk. Tesla CEO Elon...

'Pink Noise' Could Save Your Hearing in Car Crash

Mercedes-Benz has been working on this tech for years

(Newser) - A coming safety feature for cars aims to protect drivers and passengers in a novel way: to save their hearing in a crash. The idea is that when a smartcar senses an imminent collision, the sound system sends out a burst of "pink noise" inside the car. That causes...

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