Car Safety

If you own a new or certified pre-owned Infiniti, the automaker now has a new app designed for the Apple iPhone that will help get you out of trouble should you have engine problems, get a flat tire or run out of gas. Infiniti has collaborated with Cross Country Automotive Services (Cross Country)...

Volvo is updating its XC70 crossover and S80 flagship sedan for the 2012 model year, adding its latest safety and infotainment technologies to the new models in an effort to keep sales chugging along against a much newer range of competitors. The new features include the latest Volvo...

Whoever allowed the tractor in this next video to run amok in a Walmart parking lot in Richmond Hill, Ontario remains unknown but the carnage caused by his or her vehicle was captured live thanks to several onlookers. Also see: So Is Chrysler's Invisible Ad Monkey Flipping Off PETA? and...

There are thousands of tech developers out there, trying to make driving more fun, more efficient, and less frustrating. Apps like DriveSafe.ly, Parking In Motion, and Waze are the fruits of their labor. But there are just as many folks with great ideas for improving the roadways who don't have the...

Here’s a clear example of what not to do when your luxury SUV gets stuck in the mud. After refusing the help of a truck driver whose vehicle can clearly tread through the mud safely, the driver of this modified Porsche Cayenne proceeded to floor the throttle in vain hope that his luxury SUV...

In what may prove to be a brilliant marketing move, Mercedes-Benz will be familiarizing the next-generation of drivers with its vehicles by announcing plans for a new driving school for teens. Set to open towards the end of this year, the new program will use a unique combination of interactive...

At the recent 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, GM showed off a new standalone retail version of its popular OnStar telematics system that acts as a replacement rearview mirror that owners will be able to install in virtually any vehicle. Today the automaker has announced that the new...

Jaguar has issued a nationwide recall on its 2010 model year XF and XK Coupe and Convertible due a potential fault with piping in the respective cars’ power steering systems. Essentially, the power assist steering (PAS) pipes have been supplied with zinc-nickel plating that is susceptible to...

Despite the attention they garner, rollovers are among the rarest of vehicle crashes though they can be the most dangerous. According to the NHTSA, rollovers accounted for 2.2 percent of all vehicle crashes, though fatalities from these crashes amounted to 35.4 percent of all traffic deaths. Not...

Many of us have experienced the unpleasant roasting of thighs and backside when sitting on leather or vinyl seats after they've spent a day in the sun. You wouldn't expect the same in cold weather but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is set to analyze data from several...

If you had any doubt that racing safety has come literally light years ahead in the past century, this video should erase it. Horrific, brutal, and often deadly crashes in the days before seatbelts, safety cells, and fire suppression systems were an accepted, if feared, part of the sport. The music...

You might not think the Dodge Neon SRT-4 is the epitome of safety--certainly not up to the standards of the carbon monocoque in the Pagani Zonda--but that didn't stop the occupants of one from surviving a high-speed crash into a gas pump. A Mitsubishi Lancer racing the Neon also crashed, hitting a...

Cadillac is blaming the wax coating on a rear suspension component for its latest recall of certain 2009 and 2010 model year CTS models. A total of 50,000 vehicles are affected worldwide, though only 11,147 of these are here in the U.S. The affected vehicles have a condition in which a wax coating...

Audi’s R8 supercar pioneered the way with the first production all-LED headlight units and now the technology is filtering across to more affordable models like the new 2012 Audi A6 sedan. This will be the first time that all-LED headlights will be used on a sedan--the units on the Lexus LS...

We’re used to seeing armored vehicles from the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, however, Audi’s line of high security vehicles are a little less recognized. There was this previous armored version of the last-gen A8, but this was a custom order that had a pricetag running close to...

Soon, the U.S. will finally get a taste of the Volkswagen R goodness that the rest of the world has been enjoying for the past couple of years. Of course, we’re talking about the high-performance Volkswagen Golf R, which will be heading to local showrooms towards the end of the year. However...

The airbag is one of the single most significant inventions in the field of passive safety that the automotive world has seen. Patented in 1953 by American inventor John W. Hetrick and introduced into passenger cars in the United States in the mid seventies, it has been responsible for saving...

In-car cameras have a variety of uses and not all are just 'Big Brother' style surveillance. We've recently looked at equipping new drivers' cars with 'nanny cams' so parents can make sure their teenage son or daughter is driving responsibly and safely, and they're also popular in a world of ever...

Whilst not illegal in many states, taking a call or texting whilst driving can be very dangerous since it can take your eyes and mind off the road and if you're not using a hands-free device, occupy one of your limbs, too. American Auto Sales in Fremont is one of the first retail outlets now...

There were a couple of more interesting articles the past few days involving software in cars. Early last week, Markus Waibul over on the Automaton blog and I both wrote (here and here) on the concept of "car platooning." I also noted in my post the Ford development effort involving a new crash...