http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/car safety http://jalopnik.com/tag/car safety

The chilling transcripts from Air France 447 reveal the central conflict dooming the 228 people aboard the plane was not between two inexperienced pilots, but between a pilot and the technology that was supposed to keep him safe that he didn't understand. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5866678&view=rss&microfeed=true

The itty-bitty 2012 Fiat 500 is proof yet again that size doesn't matter (Hey, that must be what it tells J-Lo!), as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the 2012 500 its "Top Safety Pick" award. The little Italian showed "good performance in front, side, rollover, and rear impact evaluations, and for having electronic stability control as standard equipment." More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5850879&view=rss&microfeed=true Put the Purell down. According to a new Australian study, what you really need is a clunker. Well-sealed new cars trap infectious particles inside, but your old car leaks airborne germs like it leaks oil. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5788641&view=rss&microfeed=true A report from Indiana shows less teen drivers = less teen driver crashes, kids on cell phones are just awful, and banning teens from driving with other teens/at night doesn't result in less similar accidents, just maybe less pregnancies. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5782272&view=rss&microfeed=true Henry Morello survived in a busted car for five days by drinking wiper fluid, using car mats as blankets, and reading the car's manual. In retrospect, he says he'd have preferred water. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5763211&view=rss&microfeed=true

Apart from inventing an aerodynamic device and becoming the last man to win a Grand Prix in a car of his own design, what has Dan Gurney ever done for Formula One? Why, he introduced the full-face helmet in 1968. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5756339&view=rss&microfeed=true

Moves to bar drivers from using cell phones have been driven by the mantra that a phone-holding driver is as dangerous as a drunk one. However, a new study found cell phones may actually keep some drivers safer. Here's how. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5727715&view=rss&microfeed=true

Drivers in China have a reputation for being both awful and crazy, but could you pass this ridiculous Chinese driving test? Find out below. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5720773&view=rss&microfeed=true

Old surgeons don’t necessarily lead a life of brown Buicks. This is Sid Watkins, Formula One's first race doctor, and his official red NSX. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5717578&view=rss&microfeed=true

Film student Uira L'Amour uses CG and 3D-modeling techniques to demonstrate why you should pay attention to the road and not your phone. All without resorting to being preachy or overdramatic. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5716048&view=rss&microfeed=true A record 66 vehicles made the IIHS list of 2011 top safety picks. [IIHS] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5716003&view=rss&microfeed=true

A new fingerprint scanning system is designed to make sure kids don't get let off at the wrong stop. Seems like a good idea. Privacy advocates, well, they're not so sure yet. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5677713&view=rss&microfeed=true 2011 BMW 5 Series gets a "Good" rating by IIHS. Glad to see the added weight's being put to good use. [IIHS] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5599591&view=rss&microfeed=true

Small vehicles like the GEM e2 and Tiger minitruck advertise low cost and efficiency, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety thinks they shouldn't share the road with regular vehicles. Here's the dramatic test footage to back up their point. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5543553&view=rss&microfeed=true

With little data suggesting they're helpful, D.C.'s saving $400,000 by ditching safety checks. If it's a good idea wouldn't the insurance industry push every local government to do it. (H/T to Michael!) [USA Today] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5423316&view=rss&microfeed=true

Toyota stamped their feet earlier claiming the IIHS Top Safety Pick awards were "extreme and misleading." Now, Russ Rader of the IIHS responds, saying, basically, Toyota can put its cars where its mouth is. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5407648&view=rss&microfeed=true

Irv Miller, public affairs head of Toyota USA, just posted the automaker's official response to not receiving any 2010 IIHS Top Safety Pick awards. What's it say? The IIHS didn't test every Toyota and the new test is really hard. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5407606&view=rss&microfeed=true

The upcoming 2010 Volvo S60 will be equipped with a system to detect the position, direction of travel and velocity of pedestrians and cyclists, then automatically brake to avoid colliding with them. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5390032&view=rss&microfeed=true

The IIHS has performed another round of slow-speed bumper tests, this time demonstrating all mid-size sedans will cost you a pretty penny to repair in slow speed collisions. See how your favorite appliance auto did below. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5331388&view=rss&microfeed=true

After little-Suzy-homemaker loses control of her fully-loaded-by-110-pounds-of-groceries shopping cart, will it set off the side airbags on your 2010 Ford Taurus at a speed of 10 MPH? Let's find out. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5251297&view=rss&microfeed=true

Spending the day at Ford's Product Development Center learning about the latest efforts in safety sounds boring, right? Normally, yes, but it's amazing how strapping yourself into a 50MPH water cannon-powered Volvo makes anything entertaining. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5251098&view=rss&microfeed=true

Ford engineers have rigged a giant water cannon to a Volvo V70R to test effects of a side-impact crash without the crash. Better news? Ben's trying out this Carpocalypse-level technology as we speak. More below. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5250843&view=rss&microfeed=true

Nissan is developing Darwin-defying in-car technology capable of detecting when old people and bad drivers head the wrong way down highway on-ramps. The system could also detect impending collisions with cell phone-carrying pedestrians. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5142967&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety has retested the most popular small cars in America and the good news is they're getting safer. The bad news comes if you own a PT Cruiser. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5112624&view=rss&microfeed=true

Volkswagen has completed initial trials of a new car-to-car communication system, working with other manufacturers to develop a universal standard for the technology. Essentially, car-to-car equipped vehicles would form their own wireless LAN, communicating information about weather, road hazards, traffic jams and accidents to each other in hopes of alerting drivers to dangerous situations well in advance. That's well and good, but it seems to us the logical extension of car-to-car technology will result in cars that pilot themselves. We think that's a great idea for, say, hockey moms, but we'd just as soon steer our own wheels, thank you very much. Press release after the jump. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5067954&view=rss&microfeed=true

The headline of the press release starts with "FORD’S LATEST SAFETY BRAKETHROUGH"... groan. Bad puns aside, the newly minted active safety system available on select new Fords this year does a couple of things. First, it uses a forward-looking radar system to anticipate emergency situations and react appropriately with audio prompts and the braking system. Second, and this is new as far as we can tell, when backing up it uses the rear backup sensors to detect a car approaching but blocked from view by other cars in adjacent spots. This is an impressive system and we're glad to see it filtering down to the masses, but we're not sure the presser and video featuring exciting Dearborn Product Development Center locations below is the thing to get folks excited. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5059706&view=rss&microfeed=true