Monday, September 3, 2012
The safest car
There are a lot of things to consider when buying a new car, such as its engine size, boot capacity, fuel type, and a whole host of other factors which might affect drivability and car insurance cost.
However, one thing some people might forget about when purchasing a new vehicle – whether it’s second-hand or fresh off the forecourt – is its safety score.Well, for people worried about the safety of their car, there’s one vehicle they can rely on to keep them very, very safe indeed.
That, according to the Euro NCAP tests, is the Volvo V40.
Reportedly, this vehicle achieved the highest ever recorded score. It was tested on adult and child occupant protection, safety assist, and pedestrian protection, and excelled in all!
The car is available at a starting price of £19,745. I’m going to start saving up!
Photo © NRMA New Cars via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: boot capacity, car, car insurance, cost, drivability, engine, Euro NCAP, forecourt, fuel, new, protection, safety, safety assist, second-hand, test, vehicle, Volvo V40
Monday, August 20, 2012
Shelley the self-driving car
The Dynamic Design Lab at Stanford University, California, and the Volkswagen Electronics Research Lab have made a very speedy self-driving car.
Shelley – that’s the vehicle’s name – can drive up to 120mph and managed to complete a three-mile-long race track in less than 2minutes and 30seconds.
That’s impressive – and even more remarkable when you realise that all of this was done by using algorithms (complicated mathematical instructions to you and I).
Shelley has a boot-full of electronics which guide her and tell her when to brake, how tightly she needs to take a corner, and so on and so forth.
While it might seem this technology may be being tested to allow people in the future to be driven about by autonomous cars, the labs are actually working towards providing safety systems which will – for example – help motorists negotiate icy roads.
Before you start to get worried that machines will be taking over every aspect of our lives and will be better than humans at all the tasks we set them, don’t worry too much.
Apparently, although Shelley can drive at 120mph, that’s still a few seconds slower than a professional human racing car driver. Ha! Take that technology!
Photo © Ana Patricia Almedia via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: 120mph, brake, car, Dynamic Design Lab, icy roads, race track, safety, self-driving, Shelley, Stanford University, vehicle, Volkswagen Electronics Research Lab
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tyre labelling
This week tyre firms began labelling their stock.
Thirty-five million tyres are sold in the UK annually, and now this new labelling system should help drivers make the right decisions safety-wise and price-wise when it comes to purchasing new ones.
From now on, tyres will show potential buyers their fuel efficiency, safety and external noise level ratings in an easy-to-read diagram similar to white-good efficiency rating stickers. The chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) states, “There are more than 150 million tyres currently on UK roads, so any information to help motorists understand crucial safety and performance characteristics is valuable, particularly given the safety improvements and fuel efficiency savings that can be gained from choosing the right tyre.
"Before this tyre label, customers only had price and brand to distinguish between more than 300 different types of tyres; now motorists have a set of comparable factors to make buying decisions easier."
Putting more knowledge into motorists’ hands might be a step forwards towards safer roads, and lower carbon footprint.
It might also mean that some well-known companies which were perhaps riding off their brand name, will have to go back to the drawing board with their tyres and try harder to make them quieter, safer, and more efficient.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but in this case knowledge is power.
Photo © Dominic’s pics via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: fuel efficiency, labelling, motorist, noise level, safety, SMMT, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, tyre