Automotive Technology

Testing Agency: Driver Attention Monitors Are Terrible

  Testing Agency: Driver Attention Monitors Are Terrible By Sean Tucker 03/13/2024 8:16am The systems that ensure a driver is paying attention to the road don’t work very well, according to a new study. An insurance industry lab tested 14 such systems, giving one an “Acceptable” score. The other 13 fell below even acceptable levels. Insurance

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Car Safety Agency Makes Harder Tests; More Cars Ace Them

  Car Safety Agency Makes Harder Tests; More Cars Ace Them By Sean Tucker 03/01/2024 8:03am 2024 is a good year for car safety. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the American car safety testing group regarded as the hardest grader in the industry, made its crash tests even harder. But more cars earned its

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NY Times Pins Surging Road Deaths on Phones, Drugs, Poor Lighting

  NY Times Pins Surging Road Deaths on Phones, Drugs, Poor Lighting By Sean Tucker 12/11/2023 8:34am “If the U.S. had made as much progress reducing vehicle crashes as other high-income countries had over the past two decades, about 25,000 fewer Americans would die every year.” That’s the stark math at the heart of a New

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Crash Tests Suggest Small Car Rear-Seat Safety Lacking

  Crash Tests Suggest Small Car Rear-Seat Safety Lacking By Sean Tucker 05/12/2023 9:52am For rear-seat passengers, even the safest small car isn’t as safe as it could be. In a new round of safety tests, just two small sedans got a passing grade for protecting people in the back from a frontal-impact crash. One of

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Most Midsize SUVs Fall Short in New Crash Test

  Most Midsize SUVs Fall Short in New Crash Test By Sean Tucker 03/15/2023 8:08am Few people buy a midsize SUV with plans to leave the rear seats empty most of the time. Midsize SUVs are America’s family haulers of choice. That means, for many drivers, the safety of rear-seat passengers is paramount. With that in

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IIHS Gives Fewer Safety Awards After Toughening Crash Tests

  IIHS Gives Fewer Safety Awards After Toughening Crash Tests By Sean Tucker 02/24/2023 10:56am Last year, 101 vehicles took home awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 65 of which earned the institute’s highest honor — Top Safety Pick+. This year, just 48 won recognition, and only 28 took home the top prize.

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Crash Tests Show Automating Braking Systems Fail at Night

  Crash Tests Show Automating Braking Systems Fail at Night By Sean Tucker 08/31/2022 8:13am More pedestrians have been killed by cars every year since 2009, and 75% of those fatal accidents have occurred at night. Our cars keep, supposedly, getting safer. Automakers pepper us with advertisements for new safety technologies daily, and seemingly every other

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GM Ultra Cruise to Allow Hands-Free Driving Almost Everywhere

  GM Ultra Cruise to Allow Hands-Free Driving Almost Everywhere By Sean Tucker 10/07/2021 8:35am In 2023, General Motors will unveil a new driver-assist system that will allow hands-free driving “in 95 percent of all scenarios.” Called Ultra Cruise, the system will appear first on Cadillac vehicles. Wait, Don’t They Already Advertise Something Like This? Ultra

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Tesla: Full Self-Driving Will Not Be Self-Driving

  Tesla: Full Self-Driving Will Not Be Self-Driving By Sean Tucker 03/10/2021 11:21am Tesla executives have been promising that the brand’s Full Self-Driving feature will make its cars fully autonomous. Now, the company has admitted to regulators that that is not true. To tell the story properly, we first need to explain some industry jargon. The Society

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