Not a single small SUV out of 21 tested earns a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s headlight evaluations, and only four are available with acceptable-rated headlights.
Among the 21 vehicles, there are 47 different headlight combinations available. More than two-thirds of them are rated poor, making this group of vehicles even more deficient when it comes to lighting than the midsize cars that were the first to be rated earlier this year.
Headlight performance in today’s vehicles varies widely. Government standards are based on laboratory tests, which don’t accurately gauge performance in real-world driving. The issue merits attention because about half of traffic deaths occur either in the dark or around dawn or dusk.
As with midsize cars, the IIHS evaluations of small SUVs showed that a vehicle’s price tag doesn’t correspond to the quality of headlights. More modern lighting types, including high-intensity discharge (HID) and LED lamps, and curve-adaptive systems, which swivel in the direction of steering, also are no guarantee of good performance.
The Mini Cooper Countryman is the only small car to earn a good rating among the latest group of 12 small cars subjected to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test.
Two electric models and a hybrid are in the mix, with varied results. The electric-powered Chevrolet Volt (with a gasoline engine “range extender”) earns an acceptable rating, while its battery-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, earns a poor rating. The Ford C-Max Hybrid, a small four-door wagon, earns an acceptable rating. Another small four-door wagon, the gasoline-powered Mazda 5, is rated poor.
Booking.com, the world’s number one accommodation site, today announces the launch of the Booking Now app for the Apple Watch. Booking Now, which draws from Booking.com’s vast selection of over 625,000 properties in more than 75,000 unique destinations, is the first and only travel app to enable users to book a stay directly from their Watch, and in just one touch. Through the use of Apple’s new pressure sensitive ‘force touch’ technology, spontaneous travelers are now able to choose and book the nearest relevant hotel in one simple gesture.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7504251-booking-travel-app-for-apple-watch/
The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) has celebrated the XXXV World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in San Diego. From May 30th until today, more than 1,400 delegates have participated in the only and largest international event dedicated to the nut and dried fruit industry that this year’s edition has broken previous records of attendance.
The INC Congress featured a stimulating three-day program to exchange knowledge, ideas and experiences. Attendees had over 16 sessions, among round tables, seminars and keynote speakers’ presentations ranging in topics from market dynamics, crops and production forecasts, agricultural and water resources, new findings in health and nutrition, and product innovations.
Steve Junqueiro, Co-president and COO of Save Mart Supermarkets, shared his vision on the future of American supermarkets. He outlined a market featured by a more digital consumer driven by food transparency, convenience, connectivity, emotional connection and local and sustainable supply.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7849351-inc-world-nut-dried-fruit-congress/
