Think “muscle car” performance, and images of speed and power are more likely to come to mind than crash tests and safety ratings. Because no one buys a sports car to drive in the slow lane, the best all-¬ around occupant crash protection is crucial. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently put a trio of iconic sports coupes through their paces, and unlike more sedate sedans, none earns the scores needed to clinch a TOP SAFETY PICK award.
IIHS evaluated 2016 models of the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang in the full battery of crashworthiness evaluations. The Mustang comes closest to earning TOP SAFETY PICK, while the Camaro falls shortin one category and lacks an available front crash prevention system. The Challenger is most in need of improvement.
To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK, vehicles must earn good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations and have a basic-¬rated front crash prevention system. To qualify for the Institute’s highest award, TOP SAFETY PICK+, vehicles must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests and an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.
With Memorial Day Weekend and the unofficial start of the summer driving season fast approaching, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company surprised unsuspecting motorists here today. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick, along with his pit crew, appeared at Concord Mills Mall and performed free tread depth checks on consumers’ tires.
With National Tire Safety Week set for May 29 through June 4, Harvick and Goodyear collaborated to raise awareness on the importance of proper tire maintenance. As always, consumers can head to any of Goodyear’s Tire & Service Network locations to receive free tire checks.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7833451-goodyear-tire-check/
A rite of passage for many families is packing up the car and heading to a relative’s house to celebrate the holidays. Whether you’re flying part of the way or driving the entire distance, keeping the kids quiet and entertained is paramount to a stress-free trip. Just as important as going over your safety check list is packing your children’s favorite snacks, as well as activity bag chock full of mini board games, coloring books and puzzles. Wearing comfy clothes and bringing cozy blankets can also make a long (and sometimes COLD!) trip much more comfortable.
Travel expert and self-defined “über-busy working mom,” Amy E. Goodman is a pro when it comes to traveling with her family. She is available for live interviews to share with your viewers how to put together a stress-free, relaxing winter getaway – whether to the relative’s or a much needed winter escape!
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced its first-ever, national advertising campaign aimed at parents of children ages 8-14 to make sure their kids are consistently and properly wearing their seat belt every time the car is moving.
“Buckling up is an important habit to instill in children at a young age. As parents, we need to lead by example and reinforce the message to make sure it sticks,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This campaign urges parents to never give up until their kids buckle up.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7467951-psa-kids-seat-belt-safety-ad-council/
Union Pacific Railroad today launched a new social media campaign urging photographers and high school seniors to refrain from taking photographs on or near train tracks. Through startling videos, the campaign compares the dangers of snapping photos on the tracks to posing for senior pictures on a busy highway. Neither are safe locations. The campaign launched exclusively on social media channels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7555651-union-pacific-photo-safety-campaign/
Spring is around the corner, and it won’t be long before it’s prom and graduation seasons for many high schoolers. Rites of passage for many, these are times for teens to celebrate, but can also be times of poor decision-making, especially when vehicles are involved. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 2,524 teen drivers and passengers were killed and 177,000 were injured in 2013. Twenty-seven percent of these fatalities occurred between April and June, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
“The statistics are staggering, especially when you consider that most of these accidents and fatalities are preventable,” said Randy Petro, Mercury Insurance’s chief claims officer. “We don’t want any families to suffer through the loss of a child, so Mercury is taking action with the launch of the ‘Mercury Insurance Drive Safe Challenge.’”
The Mercury Insurance Drive Safe Challenge kicked off with a free defensive driving program, which included hands-on driving skills training and classroom material. An interactive website provides teens with detailed instruction, as well as gives parents the tools to shape responsible driving behavior.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7772251-mercury-teen-drive-safe-challenge/
What will it take for drivers to stop texting behind the wheel? Car-buying platform Edmunds.com believes that a gentle reminder from a loved one could do the trick.
Developers of the award-winning Edmunds app recently broke from their usual work to produce “DrivePromise by Edmunds,” a free app that allows Apple Watch and iPhone owners to make and keep a promise to focus on the road while driving. When the device detects that it is in a moving vehicle, it pops up an uploaded photo of a loved one along with a reminder to drive safely. The app keeps count of all of the user’s safe drives to share with friends and family.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7514851-drivepromise-edmunds-app/
The National Climate Assessment: Climate Change Impacts in the United States concludes that warmer and drier conditions have already contributed to increasing wildfire events across the western United States, and future increases are projected in some regions. Already this year, there have been over 44,000 wildfires that have damaged or destroyed almost 8.5 million acres. Long periods of record high temperatures are associated with droughts that contribute to dry conditions and drive wildfires in some areas.
USDA Secretary Vilsack recently stated, “This year, we are experiencing yet another devastating wildfire season, particularly in the drought-ravaged West. Climate change, drought, fuel buildup, insects and disease are increasing the severity of unprecedented wildfire in America's forests and rangelands, which impacts the safety of people, homes and communities. Development close to forests has also increased the threat to property, with more than 46 million homes in the United States, or about 40 percent of our nation's housing, potentially at risk from wildfire.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7607931-fema-national-prepareathon/
Xenith, LLC (“Xenith”) announced today the launch of the Xenith Shadow, the game’s most advanced football helmet. Xenith Shadow offers athletes the protection, fit, feel and comfort to be the most confident on the field at an approachable price point.
Rigorously engineered and tested for the athlete, the Xenith Shadow is an evolution of the company’s current patented helmet technology. Its streamlined design improves fit and protection while increasing comfort and minimizing distractions. Combining an enhanced shock arrangement with an industry-first, novel polymer shell, it absorbs energy and protects the athlete from a variety of impacts on the field.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8460351-xenith-shadow-football-helmet/
More than 46 million turkeys will be cooked this Thanksgiving holiday, according to the National Turkey Federation, but many families aren’t taking the specific actions needed to reduce their risk of foodborne illness. In an effort to help protect Americans from foodborne illness during the Thanksgiving season and throughout the year, the Ad Council is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to launch new public service advertisements (PSAs) on behalf of their national Food Safe Families campaign.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7383451-usda-ad-council-launch-psas-help-families-protect-from-foodborne-illness-this-thanksgiving/
Nearly five dozen 2019 models meet stricter criteria to qualify for a 2019 TOP SAFETY PICK+ or TOP SAFETY PICK award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 30 first-tier “plus” award winners earn the highest rating for passenger-side protection in a small overlap front crash and have good-rated available headlights, while the 27 winners of the second-tier award qualify with an acceptable or higher rating in the newest IIHS crash test and the nighttime headlight evaluation.
All 57 vehicles in this elite group earn good ratings in the Institute’s five other crashworthiness evaluations and have an available automatic emergency braking system that rates advanced or superior for front crash prevention.
IIHS now requires a good rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test to earn a 2019 TOP SAFETY PICK+ versus an acceptable or good rating for the 2018 award. An acceptable or good rating in the passenger-side test is a new criterion to earn a 2019 TOP SAFETY PICK.
This marks the sixth time that IIHS has raised the bar to earn the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award since introducing it in the 2013 model year to recognize vehicles that offer a superior level of safety. The TOP SAFETY PICK accolade launched in the 2006 model year to help consumers identify vehicles with the highest ratings. Over the years, IIHS has added to and strengthened criteria for both awards to encourage manufacturers to speed up safety advances.
Adults have gotten the message that it’s safer for kids to ride in the back seat properly restrained, but when it comes to their own safety, there is a common misperception that buckling up is optional. Among adults who admit to not always using safety belts in the back seat, 4 out of 5 surveyed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety say short trips or traveling by taxi or ride-hailing service are times they don’t bother to use the belt.
The new survey reveals that many rear-seat passengers don’t think belts are necessary because they perceive the back seat to be safer than the front. This shows a clear misunderstanding about why belts are important, no matter where a person sits in a vehicle.
Before the majority of Americans got into the habit of buckling up, the back seat was the safest place to sit, and the center rear seat was the safest place of all in 1960-70s’ era vehicles. In recent decades, high levels of restraint use, the advent of belt pretensioners, load limiters and airbags, plus crashworthy vehicle designs have narrowed the safety advantages of riding in the rear seat for teens and adults.
