Last week, Ford showed off its new, predictive pedestrian detection system, which is slated to debut on the 2017 Ford Fusion. But that's not the only safety technology that Ford's been working on. The automaker has unveiled a host of high-tech features that will soon appear on Ford vehicles...Read More»
Last week, 20 automakers that account for 99 percent of the U.S. car market agreed to make automated braking standard on all new vehicles by the year 2022. Toyota and Lexus fans, however, will see many of their favorite rides equipped with the safety technology far earlier. Toyota says that nearly...Read More»
Of all the autonomous car features headed our way, automatic emergency braking, or AEB, is perhaps the one that has safety regulators -- and consumers -- most excited. AEB consists of sensors and software that warn drivers of approaching obstacles and apply the brakes automatically, if necessary --...Read More»
As everyone knows, 2014 was the Year of the Recall. Between fatal ignition switch flaws at General Motors and exploding airbags from Takata, recalls were at the forefront of everyone's mind. It wasn't just the volume of recalls that made 2014 remarkable, though. It was also the fact that some of...Read More»
Subaru of America is recalling roughly 72,000 vehicles from the 2015 and 2016 model years. The recall is meant to fix a problem with collision-avoidance systems found on select Outback, Impreza, Legacy, WRX, and XV Crosstrek vehicles. ALSO SEE: Samsung Creates A See-Through 18-Wheeler To Curb...Read More»
Well, this is curious: a day after we reported on an investigation of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee's automated braking system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of select 2014-2015 Acura MDX and RLX models for the same problem. ALSO SEE: NTSB Wants Collision...Read More»
Yesterday, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a special report entitled The Use of Forward Collision Avoidance Systems to Prevent and Mitigate Rear-End Crashes. In the 60-page document, the agency laid out some of its near-term hopes and dreams for America's auto industry. As the title...Read More»
Last month, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety unveiled the results of a new testing program designed to put collision-avoidance systems through the wringer. Some performed very well; others, less so. In the latter camp: the Toyota Prius V. According to the IIHS, "The Toyota Prius v wagon...Read More»
Two upcoming Honda Motor Co. safety systems set their sights toward a ten-year 'zero collisions' goal that includes a new generation of accident avoidance as well as, eventually, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication. One of these interim steps is Honda's Autonomous...Read More»
Nissan, like several other major automakers, has for years been offering potentially life-saving accident-avoidance technologies like lane-departure systems, blind-spot warning systems, and forward collision warning. Trouble is, those features are only offered on expensive luxury vehicles (in...Read More»
There's no question that technology has made auto travel safer -- in fact, gadgets ranging from safety belts to airbags are at least partially responsible for the fact that U.S. highway fatalities have hit record lows. According to a new study, collision-avoidance systems like Volvo's City Safety...Read More»
There's been a lot of news lately about cars that "talk" to one another: vehicle-to-vehicle technology that could, according to some studies, eliminate roughly 81% of crashes in the U.S. Now, Volvo is working on new technology to pare down the remaining 19% of accidents -- specifically those caused...Read More»
The great freeway battles of the Sixties and Seventies are over. It's safe to say few new freeways will be punched through existing neighborhoods. But transportation engineers are still busily at work updating and improving existing roads, generally by widening them, adding lanes, smoothing curves...Read More»
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has once again called foul on the federal government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—this time, singling out a federal study that fails to show that anti-lock brakes on motorcycles have any significant effect on...Read More»
If you're considering a sport sedan or crossover from one of the luxury brands, chances are it can be optioned with a radar-based system such as adaptive cruise control—which will maintain a set following distance from vehicles ahead—or, collision avoidance systems that might provide a...Read More»
They're often the worst kinds of accidents: Two cars head into an intersection, with one of the drivers perhaps running a light or not noticing a stop sign. And the result, too often, is severe injuries or fatalities as one of the vehicles is smacked in the side by another vehicle. In all...Read More»
One in three fatal crashes and one of every five serious or moderate injury crashes in passenger vehicles could have been prevented if the vehicle had been equipped with crash-avoidance features including blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems, side view assist, and adaptive headlights...Read More»
A number of luxury vehicles—and a few other tech-focused models like the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Ford Taurus—now offer features designed to warn you when you stray from your lane, whether due to inattention or drowsiness, or might not notice what's in your blind spot. But typically these...Read More»
