Car Safety

Despite widespread safety campaigns and harsher penalties for not abiding to seatbelt laws, a new study has found that more than two thirds of all teenagers killed in vehicle accidents at night were not wearing a seatbelt. Though seatbelt use in the U.S. is rising slowly – 82% last year, up...

We're all aware of how technology has been employed to make driving and cars safer and yet faster, and even how lasers might be used to display ads at traffic lights, but so far not much has been done to solve the single biggest problem of driving in a heavily populated area: traffic. The Aldis...

It was just another day in Martin Bullen's rather fortunate work life - driving a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and getting paid to do it. Of course, he was driving it to the repair shop, but still, there are worse ways to make a living. And then, while stopped at a traffic light the car made a noise...

Last month we reported that the UK government was considering rolling out ‘average speed’ cameras across hundreds of miles of highways in an effort to actively control speeding instead of just measuring it. New reports claim the draconian measure could also be used in residential areas...

Following the results of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash testing of the Smart ForTwo last month, which showed the tiny two-seater only achieved average results, comes a new round of test results, this time from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In the...

Smart has set out to quash the perception that its diminutive ForTwo runabout is unsafe by launching a new advertising campaign in the UK where the car is hit with a one-ton wrecking ball. Marketers hope the new ads will change the perception of new car buyers in regards to the ForTwo’s...

Updated with new video. Volvo has a well-established reputation of building the safest passenger vehicles in the industry but the carmaker believes it can improve on its own standards by reaching the ultimate goal of avoiding car accidents all together and reducing the road death toll to zero...

Testing done recently in the UK shows that the cheap seats used in many small cars are compromising occupant safety by increasing the likelihood of whiplash. Unfortunately, the most likely vehicles to suffer accidents likely to cause whiplash - low-speed traffic collisions - are the vehicles...

Hybrid, fuel-cell and all-electric vehicles are viewed by many as the future of the motoring world but there is a growing fear that the flow of electrical current from the motors that power such vehicles produces harmful magnetic fields, which some scientists associate with a number of health risks...

Over 40 reports of severe corrosion of Hyundai Sonata frames has prompted the U.S. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate the matter. The rust problem is reportedly so severe it is causing suspension failure and 'fist-sized holes' in the frame. The problem affects...

Antilock braking systems (ABS) have been around for almost a century - first appearing in the 1920s for the aviation industry after being pioneered by French automobile and aircraft company Voisin - but the technology has only been used in cars for the last 30 years. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was...

Usually the high-tech world of Formula One is the first to benefit from advanced safety and performance features before the technology eventually filters down into regular road going cars. But with Toyota’s Total Human Model Safety (THUMS) computer simulation system, it was regular production...

Weather conditions and poor lighting can often combine to make crosswalks and intersections difficult to spot, especially at night, but Hanyoung Lee may have the answer with his Virtual Wall concept. Using lasers to create a wall of light that illuminates crossing areas, the system is certainly...

One of the most effective methods of improving fuel-economy is reducing vehicle weight but the challenge for car designers is how to reduce weight while keeping costs down and safety standards up. Modern safety features such as passenger cells and complex airbag systems add significant weight to a...

Nissan, together with Capital City Highway Corp., has developed a new safety campaign in Japan dubbed the ‘Tokyo Smart Driver’ project, which aims to not only reduce the death toll, but also cut carbon emissions. Organizers hope to achieve these goals by getting drivers to be more...

Volkswagen used this week’s Hanover Fair to demonstrate its new 'Park Assist Vision' self-parking system on its new CC saloon. The system is still in testing but it’s a hint of what’s to come in VW’s future lineup. Having already launched a semi-automatic park-steering...

The Mercedes-Benz SL63 may have been picked as the official safety car for F1 but its little brother, the new C63 AMG, was chosen for the role in Europe’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series. The new car will start its role as the official safety car in the second DTM race of the season...

The redesigned 2009 Subaru Forester has earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award, earning the highest rating of ‘good’ in the Institute's front, side, and rear tests. The tough criteria of the tests of the IIHS safety rating has been designed with the...

The hype surrounding F1's first ever night race is growing but the top priority for organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix remains ensuring safety for the drivers and crowds especially in regards to poor visibility. This means that drivers will be getting a little help in the form of electronic...

In yet another blow for UK motorists the government is considering the rollout of ‘average-speed’ cameras on hundreds of miles of motorway under its plan to actively control speeding instead of just measuring it. The system uses a number of linked cameras mounted at intervals along a...