Parking crashes usually don’t result in serious injuries, but repair costs can quickly mount, along with the hassle of going without the family vehicle while waiting for the body shop to finish work. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has launched a rear crash prevention ratings program to help consumers identify models with the technology that can prevent or mitigate low-speed backing crashes. Two systems earn the highest rating of superior, and four earn the second-highest rating of advanced.
Rear crash prevention encompasses several technologies. Parking sensors issue warning beeps and/or seat vibrations when the equipped vehicle gets too close to another vehicle or object directly behind it, or, in some cases, in front of it. Rear cross-traffic alert warns drivers of approaching vehicles that might cross their path as they back up. Rear automatic emergency braking systems detect objects behind a reversing vehicle and may automatically brake if the driver doesn’t heed alerts to stop.
IIHS engineers evaluated rear autobrake systems on six popular 2017 model vehicles — the BMW 5 series sedan, Cadillac XT5 SUV, Infiniti QX60 SUV, Jeep Cherokee SUV, Subaru Outback wagon and Toyota Prius hatchback.
Under the three-tier rating scheme, models with optional or standard rear crash prevention systems are rated superior, advanced or basic. Ratings are determined by whether the vehicles have available rear autobrake and, if so, how it performs in a series of car-to-car and car-to-pole tests with different approach angles. The availability of parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert also is factored in.
The Outback and XT5 earn a superior rating when equipped with optional rear autobrake, parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert. The Cherokee, 5 series, QX60 and Prius earn an advanced rating with this optional gear.
When temperatures start to fall and days become shorter it is time to take your car to the workshop to prepare it for the winter. Changing to winter tires and testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39% of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8226551-johnson-controls-winter-battery-tests/
When temperatures start to fall and days become shorter it is time to take your car to the workshop to prepare it for the winter. Changing to winter tires and testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39% of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8226551-johnson-controls-winter-battery-tests/
When temperatures start to fall and days become shorter it is time to take your car to the workshop to prepare it for the winter. Changing to winter tires and testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39% of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8226551-johnson-controls-winter-battery-tests/
When temperatures start to fall and days become shorter it is time to take your car to the workshop to prepare it for the winter. Changing to winter tires and testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39% of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8226551-johnson-controls-winter-battery-tests/
Quadriplegic former IndyCar driver and current team owner Sam Schmidt completed the bottom half of the challenging, high-altitude Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb yesterday in the Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:ARW) Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM car).
Schmidt, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a crash during an IndyCar practice lap in 2000, is able to steer, accelerate and brake the modified 2016 Corvette Z06 SAM car using only his head. Sensors mounted on an Arrow-designed high-tech headset that Schmidt wears connect to infrared cameras mounted on the dashboard and detect his head-tilt motions to steer. A sip-and-puff device that Smith breathes into enables him to accelerate and brake.
Nearly 50 vehicles meet tougher criteria for 2016 to take home the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, earning good ratings in all five IIHS crashworthiness evaluations and an advanced or higher rating for front crash prevention. An additional 13 models qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK.
The baseline requirements for both awards are good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a standard or optional front crash prevention system. The 48 winners of the “plus” award have a superior- or advanced-rated front crash prevention system with automatic braking capabilities. These vehicles must stop or slow down without driver intervention before hitting a target in tests at 12 mph, 25 mph or both. Models with a basic-rated front crash prevention system, which typically only issues a warning and doesn’t brake, qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK.
IIHS inaugurated TOP SAFETY PICK in the 2006 model year to help consumers home in on vehicles with the best safety performance. The TOP SAFETY PICK+ accolade was introduced in 2012 to recognize vehicles that offer an advanced level of safety.
Volvo Cars’ all-new XC90 – which will be revealed in August – will offer the most comprehensive and technologically sophisticated standard safety package available in the automotive industry. The new technologies will take the company a significant step closer to its vision that no one will be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/71400582-all-new-volvo-XC90-safest-car
Otis Elevator Company, the United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) unit which powered cities skyward and moves passengers up and down structures as diverse as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and the Kremlin, celebrates its 160th anniversary with the promise to harness the power of the sun.
Founder Elisha Otis sold his first elevator in 1853, after developing the safety brake designed so that, “if the rope breaks the platform cannot fall.” Over the past 100 years, Otis, a $12 billion unit of UTC, has provided elevators to eight of the ten World’s Tallest Buildings, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the Shanghai World Financial Center in China, as well as the iconic Empire State Building in New York City.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60420-otis-elevator-company-marks-160-th-anniversary
