Month: August 2014

U.S. Moving Forward to Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

v2vNot too long ago, we wrote a blog post supposing that car-to-car communications could be coming to an intersection near you in the not so distant future, and it appears the U.S. is moving forward with the idea.

According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. is preparing a report that will examine security concerns, technological issues, costs and safety benefits of vehicle-to-vehicle communications. Previous research by the U.S. Department of Transportation suggests that inter-vehicle communications would significantly reduce the number of annual automobile accidents.

The DoT’s report includes two interesting points of research. The findings suggest that two key features of vehicle-to-vehicle communications – Left Turn Assist and Intersection Movement Assist – could help prevent more than a half million crashes each year and save an estimated 1,083 lives each year.

As the name implies, Left Turn Assist prevents drivers from turning across traffic if another vehicle is approaching from the opposite lane, while Intersection Movement Assist helps drivers navigate intersections with heavy traffic.

“Safety is our top priority, and V2V technology represents the next great advance in saving lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This technology could move us from helping people survive crashes to helping them avoid crashes altogether – saving lives, saving money and even saving fuel thanks to the widespread benefits it offers.”

In addition to the above technologies, the DoT are also studying:

  • Forward collision monitors
  • Blind spot monitors
  • Stop light warnings
  • “Do not pass” warnings 

The department believes the report as well as a commission on proposed rules will be ready by 2016. Once V2V technologies have been perfected, the DoT plans to focus their attention on personal driverless cars.

Related source: Motor Trend

 

How Does An Airbag Work?

Car AirbagAirbags have been saving lives since 1967, but unlike their seatbelt cousin, most people don’t give their airbag a second thought until they need it. Today, we’ll explain how the modern airbag functions.

A Little History

Before delving how an airbag functions, it’s worth understanding how the airbag came to be. Credit for the invention of the airbag goes to two men – American John Hetrick and German engineer Walter Linderer. Ketrick submitted the first patent for an airbag in 1951, and he received his patent on August 18, 1953. Linderer received his patent three months later, but the design of the airbags differed.

Although they can be credited with inventing the airbag, they can’t be credited with creating the first functioning and widely accepted airbag. Linderer struggled to get his compressed air bag to inflate quickly enough to fully protect a passenger, while Hetrick found little support from automobile makers while pitching the idea.

It wasn’t until 1967 that airbags really started making waves. Inventor Allen K. Breed created an electromagnetic sensor that used sodium azide in lieu of compressed air to inflate an airbag to capacity in under 30 milliseconds. Automakers began offering cars with built-in airbags in the early 1970s, and they’ve been saving countless lives ever since.

How Airbags Deploy

There are three key components to the airbag system. They are:

  • The bag
  • The crash sensor
  • The inflation reaction

The first component is the bag. Made out of nylon fabric, the bag can be compressed into the steering wheel, dashboard, seat or door. The second component, the sensor, tells the bag when to deploy. When a crash occurs and the force is greater than roughly 15 miles per hour (as documented by an accelerometer), a mechanical switch is flipped signaling the airbag to deploy.

As soon as the switch is flipped, the third component, the inflation system, goes to work. Sodium azide is released the moment a crash occurs, which reacts with potassium nitrate inside the inflation system. The reaction creates a hot blast of nitrogen gas, which inflates the bag nearly instantaneously.

For more information on car mechanics, keep checking back with our blog!

Related source: HowStuffWorks

Car Ownership Costs: A State-by-State Comparison

Annual Car ownership CostsA new study of car ownership by researchers at Bankrate.com found that it’s cheaper to own a car in Minnesota than the national average, but just barely.

The study found that Minnesota ranked 21st in terms of annual cost of ownership, coming in just $38 south of Indiana, the 25th ranked state. To determine the total cost of annual ownership, researchers looked at three key factors:

  • Repairs
  • Insurance
  • Gasoline

Researchers found the average cost of each of those expenses to come up with a grand total. Minnesota ranked 18th for cheapest average auto repair, 16th for average insurance costs, and 36th for average gasoline expenditures. On average, Minnesotans spent $346 annually on repair costs, $782 on car insurance, and $1,033 on gasoline for a total of $2,162 a year.

The cheapest state for car ownership was Iowa, which boasts an annual ownership cost of $1,942. The most expensive state for car ownership was Wyoming. Residents in Wyoming spent an average of $2,705 a year on their car.

The Best and Worst for Car Ownership

As noted above, Iowa and Wyoming rank as the cheapest and most expensive states for car ownership. After Iowa, a slew of Midwest states dominate the Top 5 cheapest states for car ownership. Ohio comes in at second, followed by Illinois. Idaho and Wisconsin.

On the other side of the spectrum, it appears that it’s more costly to own a car in the southeast. After Wyoming, Louisiana slips in as the second most expensive state for car ownership, followed closely by Florida, Mississippi and New Jersey.

In all, the average Iowan spends $763 less each year in auto-related expenses than someone from Wyoming.

For more information on how each state scored in all three categories, head over to Bankrate.com to see the expanded findings.

Related source: Bankrate.com

Teens Less Likely to Drive Safe Cars

Old Car TeensA new report by researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that teens are more likely to drive older, smaller cars than adults, which puts them at greater risk for accident and injury.

According to the survey, teenagers are at a greater risk of injury during an accident than an adult counterpart who may be better protected in a newer vehicle. The IIHS said many older vehicles don’t have certain safety features like side airbags and electronic stability control. In all, the study found:

• 82 percent of teenage motorists involved in a fatal automobile accident were driving a car that was at least six years old. Only 77 percent of adults in similar accidents were driving vehicles that were at least six years old.

• 34 percent of teenage driving fatalities occurred in vehicles between six and 10 years old, 31 percent occurred in vehicles between 11 and 15 years old, and 17 percent took place in vehicles that had been on the road for at least 16 years.

• 57 percent of teens who died while driving a car that was less than three years old were driving a car classified as a “small car” or “minicar.”

Researchers say there are two main reasons for their findings. First, they suggest that teenagers who get a car soon after receiving their license are often given a family heirloom car that has been in the family for years and is often older than six years old. They also believe that teens who purchase a car are often working with a limited budget, meaning they’ll only be able to afford an older car with a lot of miles, or a newer small car that doesn’t offer the same crash protection as SUVs or larger cars.

Four Recommendations

In conjunction with their findings, the IIHS listed four recommendations for parents who want to help the new driver in their family find a safe and reliable vehicle.

Avoid Horsepower – Cars with extra horsepower can tempt teens into testing their speedometer.

Big and Heavy – Larger and heavier vehicles offer better protection during a crash.

Stability – Look for a vehicle equipped with electronic stability control, which helps a driver maintain control of the vehicle.

Safety Rating – Do some research on the vehicle’s safety rating before buying to ensure it meets your standards and expectations.

Related source: NY Times