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Texas Approves 85 MPH Speed Limit, The Fastest State In America
Yee-haw: the Texas House of Representatives has approved a new transportation bill, and part of it allows the Texas Department of Transportation to raise speed limits to an eye-watering 85 mph. The Fastest State in America (hey, it’s been a couple decades since Wyoming- and Montana-ans enjoyed their “reasonable but prudent” signage) already has over…
Mercedes Recalls 137,000 M-Class SUVs for Cruise Control Fault
Mercedes has announced a recall for approximately 137,000 of its M-Class SUVs for an issue surrounding the vehicle’s cruise control. The issue itself is that in some circumstances applying the brakes does not automatically turn off the cruise control – as it’s designed to. Affected vehicles include the 2000 – 2002 M-Class as well as…
Massive 127-Car Pileup In Abu Dhabi Leaves One Dead, 61 Injured
Fog and speeding were to blame for an early-morning pileup that involved 127 cars and left one man dead on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway. The accident happened at 8am on Saturday between the cities of Sahama and Ghantoot, where fog reduced visibility to less than 150 feet. The fog hampered the efforts of over 100…
NHTSA Reports 2010 As Record Low For Traffic Deaths
The United States Department of Transportation reported that 2010 was a record low for traffic fatalities, besting the previous record of 2009. While that year saw 33,808 deaths, 2010 saw a drop to 32,708. Both the DOT and NHTSA credit public awareness campaigns and stricter law enforcement, with programs against impaired driving, distracted driving and even…
Federal Jury Clears Toyota In Unintended Acceleration Case
A court verdict from a federal jury has ruled that Toyota’s unintended-acceleration woes were not to blame for a 2005 crash in which a Scion accelerated into a tree. The jury deliberated for two hours in a court on Long Island before voting in Toyota’s favor. The court case, which began on Monday, is the first one…
2012 Volvo S60 Drives Away With IIHS Top Safety Pick Award
Another one makes the cut. Add the 2012 Volvo S60 to the list of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award winners. That means it earned good performance ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection. It also comes with standard electronic stability control (ESC), which is also needed to win…
Volvo S40 Recalled: 13 Vehicles May be Repalced Due to Structural Flaws
Volvo has issued a recall for just 13 of its 2011 S40 models and while the number of vehicles affected may be small, the issue is not. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the cars may have a crack in a support member found the engine bay, which could reduce the vehicle’s…
2011 Honda Odyssey Recalled for Sticking Front Windows
Honda has announced it will recall 2,800 of its new Odyssey minivans to replace the windows on both front doors. The recall affects only 2011 model year versions of the Odyssey due to glass that can become detached from the mechanism that moves it, causing it to become stuck either open or closed. No injuries…
Arizona Bill Would Outlaw Kids Riding Loose in Pickup Beds
Some would argue that common sense disappeared back in the 1980s. In fact it seems more and more laws are being introduced to save us from our own stupidity. In Arizona, state lawmakers recently passed a bill that would prohibit children under the age of 18 from riding freely in the back of a pickup…
Mercedes Launches Teen Driving School in The U.S.
In fact standard driver training in the US consists of just 30 hours of classroom learning and 6 hours of practical driving.
NASA Report Exonerating Toyota Unintended Acceleration Claims Being Challenged
Lawyers for a group of plaintiffs in the Toyota unintended acceleration case are challenging a NASA report that found the automaker was not at fault for the alleged issues that led to a massive recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The plaintiffs lawyers filed papers in a California court last week stating they intend to disprove the…
Booster Seats Not Up To Government Standards For Heavier Children
When you strap your child into a car seat, you think that they are safe because these seats have safety standards, right? Sorry to burst that bubble, but if you’re strapping kids weighing more than 65 pounds to a booster seat, they don’t come with any government safety standards. And even seats for younger children…
Hyundai Elantra Recall Affects 190,000 Models for Airbag Problems
Hyundai has recalled over 190,000 Elantra models over concerns that the passenger side airbags might not work properly. The Elantras were from the last generation, built from July 2006 to November 2008, and cover model years 2007 to 2009. The recall deals with a defect in the airbag seat sensor that detects a person’s weight…
Continental Recalls Tires on F-Series Pickups
Continental said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, that the affected tires, if overloaded or under inflated, could cause the belt edges to separate and the tread to become detached from the tire.
2011 Honda Odyssey Recalled for Super Strong Wiper Motor, Weak Wiper Linkage
Issuing its second recall in as many days, Honda has announced it is taking steps to replace a potentially faulty front wiper linkage rod on the 2011 Odyssey. The recall affects 33,341 vehicles where the wiper linkage could be bent if the wiper motor is turned on, but the wipers themselves are frozen to the…
2011 Honda Civic Recalled for Faulty Fuel Pump
Honda has announced a recall of 18,056 Civics from 2011 model year due to a fuel pump that could malfunction. Honda says the fuel pumps could have been damaged in the production process and that in the case of a roll-over accident could cause gasoline to leak from the tank. Owners of vehicles affected by…
NHTSA to Investigate Car Seat Heaters
Always on the vanguard of public safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether overenthusiastic seat heaters pose a health and safety risk, citing 150 people who have been injured by leaving their buns in the oven for too long. In one case, a parapeligic man suffered burns in his Chevy Silverado after…
Honda Odyssey, GM Crossovers Get Top Safety Pick
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has bestowed their Top Safety Pick to the 2011 Honda Odyssey as well as the GM crossovers, which includes the Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse and GM Acadia. The three GM vehicles all share the Lambda platform. The GMC Acadia was the guinea pig that ran the gamut of tests,…
Taser App Locks Down Cell When Vehicle’s In Use
Before you get too excited, the Taser app isn’t what you think it is. But what it will do is protect your family while they are driving. A special app that’s only available for Blackberry and Android platforms (it needs Bluetooth to function properly), the Taser prevents cell-phone related driving distractions, promotes responsible driving behaviors,…
Kia Recalling 70,000 Optimas for Transmission Issue
However, Kia also says that so far, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not recorded any instances of injuries resulting from the problem.
NHTSA Launches Faces of Distracted Driving Series
Sometimes, statistics don’t tell the whole story. That rings especially true when it comes to talking about distracted driving. And even though we all know the dangers associated with distracted driving, it takes the stories of people who have been impacted to really drive the point home. And that’s the why the National Highway Traffic…
Andy Pilgrim’s ‘The Driving Zone 2’ Educates Teens About Distracted Driving
Sometimes, it takes a racing pro to get through to teens about safe driving practices. And that’s what Andy Pilgrim is doing in his quest to educate new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. Partnering with Volvo, the Andy Pilgrim Foundation is fighting distracted driving with a newly released educational DVD, “The Driving Zone…
Spider Infestation in Mazda6 Also an Issue for Honda, Hyundai
Apparently spiders don’t just prefer Mazdas. Honda has warned its dealers to keep an eye out for the same spiders that nested in 65,000 recalled Mazda6 sedans, as they may infest the Accord. Hyundai is also reportedly warning dealers of a similar issue with its models. It’s not a full-blown recall, but if you see…
Ford, NHTSA Still in Talks Over Larger F-150 Airbag Recall
A more significant recall of Ford F-150 trucks is probable, as talks between the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continue. In February Ford issued a recall of 144,000 F-150 models dating from 2005-2006 in response to a request by the government agency. That recall was not, however, satisfactory, with NHTSA requesting…
