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Trying to Hit the Brake on Texting While Driving
Scott Tibbitss has developed a system that uses a small black box, plugged in under a car’s steering column, to block incoming and outgoing texts and prevent phone calls from reaching the driver.
Category: Safety Topics
How Google’s Autonomous Car Passed the First U.S. State Self-Driving Test
Regulations governing Google’s experimental self-driving cars will come into effect on California’s roads starting 16 September. They have driven more than 1 million kilometers since the company started secretly developing them in 2009, but they have been tested only once by a government body on open roads—by Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) officials in May 2012. IEEE Spectrum has […]
Buckle Up: Booster Seats
Choosing the right car seat is high on the list for any new parent, and every parent plans to leave the hospital with a newborn securely buckled up in a car seat. But as kids grow up, using a car seat or booster seat may feel more like an option rather than a requirement. By […]
Smart Cars would Save 420 Million Barrels of Oil Over 10 Years
Much has been made of smart cars’ potential to dramatically reduce the millions of automobile collisions that occur each year and the tens of thousands of fatalities that result from these crashes. But collision avoidance is only one of the benefits that giving cars bigger brains will yield. According to a report released on 28 August by the Intelligent Transportation Society […]
GM Cars Could Soon Tell if You’re Distracted
It looks like General Motors could be taking a big step to creating safer, semi-autonomous cars. Japanese manufacturer Takata, who supplies GM with safety parts, has inked a deal with Australian company Seeing Machines to create sensors that will detect distracted driving, according to a company news release. The deal is set to last for 15 years. […]
Texting and Driving? Not so Fast – General Motors is Watching You
Companies like Tesla and Google have their eyes on self-driving cars. But while humans are still behind the wheel, General Motors is turning to eye-tracking, facial recognition tech to make the streets a bit safer. The Financial Times reports GM is planning to install machines in about half a million cars that will track drivers’ eye and head movements to […]
Are Death-Free Highways Possible?
More than 30,000 Americans are killed in highway crashes each year, but experts believe that death toll could sink to zero as safety improvements continue and autonomous cars hit the road. A sign of that possibility will come with the release of a new study next month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which […]
A Google Car Without a Steering Wheel? Not So Fast, California Says
Google caused a stir earlier this year when it unveiled a self-driving car without a steering wheel or pedals for braking or accelerating. But Google’s goal of an autonomous car is bumping up against new testing rules from California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
LEDs Bring New Light to Car-to-Car Communication
Drive on a city’s streets at night and you’re guided by artificial lights: glowing traffic signals beckoning you forward, the headlights of a car trailing you, a sign warning of work ahead. Artificial lights may soon guide your car, too: In the quest for cars that understand the world around them and respond intelligently, a […]
Driving with TACT: Troopers target aggressive driving on Alabama highways
The Alabama Department of Public Safety, along with the Alabama Trucking Association, are participating in the “Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks” campaign to reduce aggressive driving between passenger and large commercial vehicles. Among the violations that are the main focus of the ongoing program are following too closely, improper lane use, drivers cutting off others, […]