The latest booster seat ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that child seat manufacturers have mastered something that once eluded them: building a seat that provides good safety belt fit for the typical 4-¬ to 8-¬year-¬old passenger.
Out of 53 new models evaluated, 48 earn the top rating of BEST BET, meaning they are likely to provide good belt fit for a 4 to 8 year-¬old in almost any car, minivan or SUV. When the Institute first began rating boosters in 2008, only a quarter of the seats evaluated earned the BEST BET designation.
The Focus Electric is a 5-door hatchback electric car produced by Ford Motor Company. It was originally released for the U.S. market in 2011, while in Europe came one year later. It is the company’s first full production, all-electric passenger vehicle. It is based on the standard, third generation of Focus.
Volvo Cars has unveiled a new concept that takes executive in-car luxury to a new level at the Shanghai Motor Show. Labelled the Lounge Console, the concept offers busy chauffeur-driven business people the ultimate executive accessory; a compact and versatile solution to expanded storage and comfort. The Lounge Console replaces the front passenger seat, providing a wealth of functions and amenities.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7496751-volvo-lounge-console/
The National Limousine Association’s Ride Responsibly™ initiative (www.rideresponsibly.org) is back with its third public service announcement starring actress and activist Pamela Anderson. In partnership with Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE), the PSA highlights the often horrifying lack of accountability maintained by ride-hail services and urges passengers to make themselves aware of the safety standards for these apps and their drivers.
“Terms & Conditions” is a follow-up to Ride Responsibly’s second PSA, “The Signs,” which was released in January and called attention to the vast number of sexual assaults reported against drivers. This time, the video shows Pamela Anderson as a passenger of a ride-hail vehicle. Her driver quickly and abruptly reads her a list of terms that she is agreeing to by using the service. Much of the language shocks and disturbs Pam as she is informed that these apps are not responsible or liable for a passenger’s well-being. The terms used for this PSA were taken, in reality, directly from a popular ride-hailing app.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8285451-nla-ride-responsibly-pave-pamela-anderson-psa-terms-and-conditions/
A new crash test program from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety aims to ensure that manufacturers pay attention to the safety of front passengers as well as drivers.
The test was developed after it became clear that some manufacturers were giving short shrift to the right side of the vehicle when it comes to small overlap front crash protection. A good or acceptable passenger-side rating will be required to qualify for the Institute’s 2018 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
The first test group in the passenger-side small overlap front test program did better overall than vehicles IIHS previously evaluated for research. Ten out of 13 midsize cars tested earn a good rating, while one is acceptable and two earn a marginal rating.
In contrast with a group of 2014-16 model small SUVs tested for research, none of the 2017-18 midsize cars had a poor or marginal structural rating. Instead, the biggest problem in the new group was inconsistent airbag protection in five cars, which would put passengers’ heads at risk.
TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2015, the 20th event for the duty free & travel retail industry in Asia Pacific, closed on 14th May in Singapore after a very successful week.
With occupied exhibition space topping previous years at 9,118 m2 – up 9% on 2014 - and 292 exhibiting companies present (+12%), of which 73 were new to the show, there was a huge variety of products on display for the benefit of visiting buyers and agents.
Visitor numbers were considered satisfactory by organisers TFWA in a year which has been challenging for the duty free and travel retail industry, with aviation accidents, a new approach to gift giving and luxury consumption among the all-important Chinese travellers, financial instability and political tension in several countries and the resulting slowdown in the growth of air passenger traffic.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7484951-20th-duty-free-travel-asia-summit/
Just 15 vehicles qualify for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from IIHS after the requirements were strengthened to include good-rated headlights and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in small overlap front crashes.
Another 47 vehicles earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, which now requires acceptable or good headlights. In contrast, headlights weren’t factored in for 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK, and an acceptable headlight rating was enough to bump a 2017 award winner into "plus" territory.
The inclusion of a passenger-side crash test is a first for any IIHS award. The Institute developed the passenger-side small overlap front crash test after it became clear that some manufacturers weren't paying sufficient attention to the passenger side as they made improvements to achieve better performance in the driver-side small overlap front test.
The National Limousine Association (NLA) and When Georgia Smiled: The Robin McGraw Revelation Foundation (WGS) join forces on The Aspire Initiative, a domestic violence program, which aims to reduce the level of intimate relationship violence in the US and instill the importance of bystander responsibility. With an escalating number of passenger assaults alleged against ride-hailing app drivers, the NLA believes Aspire is vital to ending violence and sexual assault. Robin McGraw announced the partnership in a video message posted to her Foundation’s Facebook timeline on Friday, November 20th. The message was then shared by Robin’s husband and television personality Dr. Phil McGraw to his show’s Facebook page timeline on Monday, November 23rd.
The Aspire Initiative is available free of charge and includes a potentially-lifesaving smartphone app, Aspire News, a smartphone app available as a free download on Google Play, as well as at www.whengeorgiasmiled.org, that allows the user to create a pre-written text or voice message to be sent to designated numbers (i.e., 911 or other chosen contacts) with just the tap of a button. The ignition of the app‘s “go button” also starts a recording to capture the details of the domestic violence encounter and/or other dangerous events taking place. Aspire News is designed to appear like any other smart phone app to the untrained eye, allowing it to be downloaded and used discreetly.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7430253-nla-wgs-the-aspire-initiative/
Global NCAP, the umbrella body of consumer car safety testing bodies, welcomes the Indian Government’s initiative to launch a New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) but believes that this positive step should also be accompanied by action to apply the United Nation’s minimum crash tests standards.
India is now the fifth largest producer in the world of passenger cars but new independent crash tests show why the country should use internationally accepted safety standards. Crash tests of Nissan’s Datsun Go and Maruti-Suzuki’s Swift demonstrate a high risk of life-threatening injuries with both cars receiving zero-star safety rating for their adult occupant protection. These risks would be significantly reduced if the cars had to comply with the UN test regulation for frontal and side impact.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/72762582-nissan-suzuki-safety-test-score/
What if there were a way to prevent a leading cause of childhood death, but three out of four of us were doing it wrong? The startling truth is that a car seat can dramatically reduce childhood death and injury from motor vehicle crashes, but 75 percent are installed incorrectly.1
With Child Passenger Safety Week upon us, the good news is that community-based programs are making a difference. Buckle Up for Life is a national education program, created in 2004 by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Toyota, to save children's lives. Over the last ten years, it has grown to include a network of more than a dozen of the nation's leading children's hospitals and has educated more than 17,000 people about the proper use of car seats and seat belts. Toyota's sponsorship has provided funding for over 40,000 car seats for families in need.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7318951-toyota-cincinnati-children-s-hospital-child-passenger-safety-buckle-up-for-life/
The 2014 Chicago Auto Show is now open to the public. Held in the McCormick Place complex, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America and has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent. Exhibitions include: multiple world and North American introductions; a complete range of domestic and imported passenger cars and trucks; sport utility vehicles; and experimental or concept cars. In total, nearly 1,000 different vehicles will be on display.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65459-kelley-blue-book-chicago-auto-show
Volvo Cars’ design team have completely re-imagined how children could travel safely in cars in the future.
The move follows the Shanghai reveal of the XC90 Excellence and the Lounge Console Concept, which marked a bold and luxurious step forward for the Swedish car brand.
“We started by asking ourselves if we could make life easier for parents and safer for their children when it comes to the child seat experience. We focused on three key benefits – making it easier to get the child into and out of the child seat from an ergonomic and comfort perspective, providing the child with a safe rearward facing seating position that enables it to keep eye-contact with either the driver or the rear passenger and of course including enough storage for those vital child accessories, such as diapers, bottles, wipes, and so on,” said Tisha Johnson, Chief Designer Interiors at Volvo Cars Concept and Monitoring Centre.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7559451-excellence-child-seat-concept/
