Aramation Auto

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety looks into latest safety features automakers are cramming into their cars in the name of crash avoidance. More specifically, this report analyses the efficiency and effectiveness of blind-spot detection system, adaptive headlights, lane-departure warning system, forward-collision warning system with automatic breaking, and emergency break assist.

Their conclusion is that these systems won’t reduce the number of accident fatalities as long as the driver isn’t careful. After all, driver error is the number one cause of accidents on the road…

[Read full report in PDF format]

New study by researchers at the University of South Florida Public Health have discovered that intersections with red-light cameras installed have actually higher accident rate than the ones without cameras. The main cause is the fact that drivers slam on brakes when they see a yellow light causing the cars behind to collide with them. Apart from boosting city’s treasury, the camera was widely touted as a safety feature by reducing the number of people who run red lights.

[Read full release from USF]

Infiniti’s new crossover/wagon EX35 received Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the States. The test focused on the vehicle’s ability to avoid crash as well as front, side and rear impact testing. EX35 performed well by offering "superior overall crash protection", and this is the first Infiniti vehicle to receive the top rating.

Full press release after the jump:

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Gas-electric hybrids are becoming increasingly popular even though it does not make economic sense to opt for a pricier hybrid than equivalent gas model. However they give you a green image, make you feel like you’re contributing to saving the environment, and some authorities give you a tax break as well.

Now an advocacy group for the blind have completed unscientific tests specifying that they pose a health risk to the blind as they cannot hear the hybrids when operating in electric-only mode. Some are arguing for mandatory minimum noise legislations (really?). While I understand the need to protect the blind, I find argument for an artificial noise generation pretty weak: there are many things on the road that are virtually silent and could cause problems for the blind, and some of the attraction for the hybrid is its near-silent. Noise is also a serious pollution that people in big cities must deal with, and hybrid offers some reprieve in that aspect too.

Instead of making hybrids noisier, carmakers and governments should find innovative ways to ensure blind persons do not collide with cars in general.