Tag: driving

Video: Lexus shows off world’s coolest driving simulator in new safety commercial

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos, Lexus

Lexus driving simulator

Lexus’ next (really) big thing – Click above to watch commercial after the jump

It’s no longer kosher for carmakers to run simulations on computers that can fit on desks, because that’s for chumps. If you don’t have gear fit for a Hollywood blockbuster or a trip to Mars, well, you’re not really serious about this whole car thing, are you?

Lexus has joined the latter camp with its new driving simulator, built to simulate crash avoidance. Inside the metal bulb is a Lexus LS460, surrounded by a 360-degree facsimile of a real driving environment. It’s their next big thing, so they say. Us? We just want to reserve it when Gran Turismo 5 finally comes out. Follow the jump to watch the spot.

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Video: Lexus shows off world’s coolest driving simulator in new safety commercial

Video: Lexus shows off world’s coolest driving simulator in new safety commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving

Filed under: Technology, Mini

If you’ve used one of the athletic apps for the iPhone, you’re probably familiar with the feature that matches the music to your workout. You run faster, the system ups the BPM. Cycle slower and the tempo drops. Mini wants to do something similar with the Mini Connected system, and that’s just the tip of the interactive infotainment iceberg.

Mini Connected is the automaker’s integrated music and navigation system, which connects to a smattering of smartphones to stream music and data to the stereo. However, the iPhone and iPod are currently more deeply integrated into the system, including the introduction of the new iPod out functionality which displays Apple’s music player controls on the Mini’s center-mounted screen. But that’s nothing new and Mini wants to go deeper, so it’s releasing the Mini Connected iPhone/iPod touch app to increase the interaction.

The headlining Dynamic Music function plays tunes that have been exclusively composed for Mini and then adjusts the rhythm based on your driving style. Additionally, a web radio function allows users to listen to local radio stations independent of their location, and the app can be programmed to read RSS news feeds, supply Google local searches and send information from your browser to the Cooper’s display. Facebook and Twitter integration will also be included, while the “Minimalism Analyzer” provides advice on how to drive more efficiently.

Mini hasn’t outlined a timeframe on when the new app will be released, but it’s a few steps above and beyond what’s on offer from Ford’s Sync system – assuming it works as seamlessly as advertised. The one drawback: it’s currently only for Apple users, so Android, Blackberry, PalmOS and – any day now – Windows Phone 7 users are out in the cold for the time being. Get all the details in the press blast after the break.

Continue reading Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving

Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Driving Force: Lamborghini and Callaway Golf collaborate on new forms of carbon fiber

Filed under: Performance, Technology, Lamborghini

Lamborghini and Callaway announce their strategic partnership in Paris – Click above for high-res image

Lamborghini is hard at work finding new ways to make its cars lighter as much if not more than any other automaker. Most of that research centers around carbon fiber. Thing is, the stuff is really expensive to make. But on the plus side, although motorsport was the driving force behind the material’s development in the first place, the auto industry is far from the only one working with it these days.

Lamborghini Forged Composite carbon fiberWhile experimenting with the material at the University of Washington, Lamborghini met up with another interested party: Callaway Golf. Since their interests overlap but don’t compete one with another, the two recently announced a strategic partnership to develop a more versatile, cost-effective form of carbon fiber.

The result is called Forged Composite. Whereas conventional carbon fiber is layered down in sheets and bonded together, Forged Composite comes mixed together in a paste of fibers and epoxy that can be squeezed into any shape desired. The application makes it far easier to form complex shapes, and since the fibers come out oriented randomly, the resulting form is apparently stronger in every which direction, instead of fixed ones like in conventional layered sheet carbon.

Lamborghini demonstrated what it has in mind for Forged Composite with the Sesto Elemento concept currently on display at the Paris Motor Show. The concept’s monocoque and suspension arms are made from the stuff. For Callaway’s part, they’re planning on using Forged Composite for a new generation of golf club heads, allowing for lighter weight, a longer shaft and a drives an estimated at eight yards longer than with existing clubs. Callaway Golf plans on phasing out titanium drivers – currently the market dominator – in favor of the new Forged Composite ones within a year. There’s no word yet on when we’ll see the debut of Forged Composite on a production Lamborghini, but we’re guessing it won’t be long.

Gallery: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept In Detail

[Source: Lamborghini]

Continue reading Driving Force: Lamborghini and Callaway Golf collaborate on new forms of carbon fiber

Driving Force: Lamborghini and Callaway Golf collaborate on new forms of carbon fiber originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey: 9 out of 10 say phoning while driving should be illegal – half do it themselves

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology

Distracted driver on phone, applying mascara

We all know that driving while talking on the cell phone is a distraction. Even if you say you’re a good driver with superior multi-tasking skills, blabbing on a phone while piloting a two-ton automobile is a quick way to show that you are in fact not smarter than a fifth grader. Don’t let Jeff Foxworthy and his band of miscreants shame you, though… nearly all of us have done it in a moment of weakness. A recent survey of 1,000 motorists found that 90 percent believe that talking on the phone while driving should be illegal. The flip side is that 51 percent of that same data set admit they have used their phone while out on the road.

The survey, sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, highlights an interesting paradox in our thinking – the “it won’t happen to me” notion. A majority of us agree that doing something is dangerous yet we do it anyway, even when we think it should be illegal. We believe we’re somehow better than the folks who get in the distracted-driving car accidents but we’re exhibiting similar behavior. We eat food, send texts, read our Kindles, call mom and check e-mail while we should be paying more attention to the road. It’s not just about making sure your vehicle is heading where it’s supposed to go but to also maintain awareness of what’s happening around you – and that’s extremely difficult to do when typing out “LOL, OMG-guy nxt 2 me drvng CRZY!!11!”

Check out the official press release after the jump for more details on the survey.

[Source: Chubb Group]

Continue reading Survey: 9 out of 10 say phoning while driving should be illegal – half do it themselves

Survey: 9 out of 10 say phoning while driving should be illegal – half do it themselves originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Laws: Commercial truck and bus drivers banned from texting while driving

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

Ray Lahood mimics phone

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that in 2009 alone, 5,500 fatalities and half a million injuries occurred as a direct result of distracted driving. The problem is so severe that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (above) recently felt compelled to address Autoblog readers directly in an effort to spread the word about how dangerous it is to multitask while driving.

The Department of Transportation isn’t resting its hopes on Autoblog, though. The DoT has initiated the second National Distracted Driving Summit this week to shine light on the problem, and the government’s latest offensive isn’t going out to texting teens or phone-obsessed commuters. The early pressure is on drivers transporting hazardous materials, commercial truck and bus drivers and rail operators. LaHood opened this week’s summit by talking up new laws that ban commercial bus and truck drivers from texting and driving, while train operators can no longer legally use cell phones or other electronic devices from the driver’s seat. Companies are also getting in on the act, as 1,600 corporations have banned distracted driving, affecting 10.5 million drivers. Another 500 companies will reportedly follow suit in the next year.

Beyond new laws covering commercial drivers, LaHood and friends are also touting the results of heavily increased enforcement. In Hartford, Connecticut 4,956 tickets have been passed out to texting or talking drivers. Syracuse, New York police have issued another 4,446 citations. We usually get anything but excited when hearing about increased tickets and fines, but the results of the texting and talking crackdown are difficult to ignore. The DoT press release after the jump tells us that surveys and observations claim that phone usage is down 56 percent in Hartford and 38 percent in Syracuse. Further, texting is down 68 percent and 42 percent, respectively. Hit the jump to read over the press release.

[Source: Department of Transportation | Image: AP]

Continue reading New Laws: Commercial truck and bus drivers banned from texting while driving

New Laws: Commercial truck and bus drivers banned from texting while driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Teens don’t think texting while driving is as dangerous as DUI

Filed under: Safety

Texting and Driving

Despite plenty of academic research demonstrating that texting while driving can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving, a new poll shows that most teens simply don’t think that’s the case. State Farm recently sponsored a poll conducted by Harris Interactive in which 14-to-17 year-olds were asked whether they thought they would die one day if they regularly text and drive. Only 35 percent of those asked strongly agreed with that statement. Compare that figure with the 55 percent of teens who think that drinking and driving could prove deadly, and you begin to see the disparity.

Likewise, those polled believed that their chances of getting into an accident are higher while drinking and driving versus texting and driving. The auto insurance giant says that it’s up to parents to underscore the dangers of both activities for their children. We couldn’t agree more – especially after seeing that only a little more than half of the teens surveyed appear to adequately understand the potential consequences of drinking and driving. With public safety groups and parents having already spent decades reminding young people of the dangers of driving under the influence, it looks like it’s going to take at least that long to reach them about the perils of distracted driving. Hit the jump for the press release.

[Source: State Farm | Image: Getty]

Continue reading Study: Teens don’t think texting while driving is as dangerous as DUI

Study: Teens don’t think texting while driving is as dangerous as DUI originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LaHood releases 2009 distracted driving crash figures ahead of summit

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

Transportation Seceratary Ray La Hood

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has released his department’s findings on the impact of distracted driving on highway safety in 2009, and according to research conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 5,474 people died due to distracted driving last year, with another 448,000 people injured. Those are big numbers, and NHTSA says the number of people killed due to distracted driving marks a total of 16 percent of all traffic fatalities last year. In 2005, the deaths were just 10 percent of the total figure. Even as high as those numbers are, La Hood warns that they may misrepresent the severity of the problem.

NHTSA says that not all law enforcement agencies are trained to recognize when an accident is caused by distracted driving, and as a result, the actual figures may be much higher than what’s been reported.

LaHood is hosting a distracted driving summit in Washington, D.C. aimed at increasing awareness about the problem nationally. Hit the jump for a look at the press release.

[Source: NHTSA]

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LaHood releases 2009 distracted driving crash figures ahead of summit originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vancouver using 3D optical illusion to scare motorists into safer driving?

Filed under: Safety, Canada

3D Girl safety imageSafety organizations and the District of West Vancouver, Canada are joining forces to build awareness about careful driving during the start of the school year. Thanks the work of the BCAA Traffic Safety Association, drivers motoring down 22nd Street in West Vancouver will be met with a 3D image of a girl chasing a ball across the street. No one is saying exactly how the tech works, but it’s meant to be a wakeup call for drivers who may be distracted or otherwise not paying enough attention to their surroundings while driving near school zones.

The display will be installed for just one week and cost a princely total of $14,400 (USD) to operate. According to The Globe and Mail, drivers will be able to see that there is something on the road as they approach the 3D image. Once the vehicle reaches a certain point, the image of the child and her toy will appear. According to the BCAA Traffic Safety Association, September and October are the two months with the highest child fatalities, and this exercise should go well beyond the typical awareness campaign. Here’s hoping it doesn’t trigger any panic-braking induced accidents in the process.

[Source: The Globe and Mail]

Vancouver using 3D optical illusion to scare motorists into safer driving? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey: Allstate lists America’s safest driving cities [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos

Allstate has officially ranked the country’s 200 largest cities by the likelihood of their drivers to get into an accident. The annual report singles out localities with the best drivers, and this year, Fort Collins, Colorado took the cake as the city with the safest residents. Last year, the town was stuck at number two behind Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Unfortunately for drivers who live in the former capitol of safe driving, that town saw its rank fall by 17 places to number 18 in just one year.

On average, Allstate says that drivers in Fort Collins will get into an accident of some variety or other every 14.5 years, and that they’re around 31.2 percent less likely than the national average to wrinkle their sheetmetal.

And which localities are the worst of them all? It should be no surprise that the drivers who circle the Beltway in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia are among the worst of the lot. Our nation’s capitol held onto its spot in dead last, with drivers expected to get into a claimable accident every 5.1 years. Baltimore, Maryland is just one notch up the list with that city’s drivers likely to experience one accident every 5.6 years. Hit the jump for a look at the top ten cities, and check the gallery to stick an eyeball on the complete results.

Gallery: Allstate 2010 Safe Driver Report

[Source: Allstate | Image: Garry Sun/bauergriffinonline.com]

Continue reading Survey: Allstate lists America’s safest driving cities [w/video]

Survey: Allstate lists America’s safest driving cities [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari to release Virtual Academy online driving simulator [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Ferrari, Toys/Games

Ferrari Driving Academy Trailer – Click above to watch the video after the jump

There are a handful of F1 driving simulators out in the market today, ranging from Codemaster’s F1 2010 to the $191,000 Cruden Hexatech simulator. Ferrari has decided to try their hand at their own version called Ferrari Virtual Academy 2010.

The simulation racing game will benefit from much of Ferrari’s own expertise in Formula One. The team’s engineers were consulted to provide realistic driving dynamics and each of the tracks were digitally recreated with Laser Scan and Motion Capture. Ferrari’s current competitor, the F10, is the vehicle of choice, and Fiorano, Mugello and the Nürburgring are the current tracks available. There’s no word as to whether historic cars or additional tracks will be offered.

The game will be available for download on September 9 with a price tag of 15 Euros (around $19 USD), although to tantalize potential users, Ferrari has said that there will be “exclusive Scuderia gadgets and further surprises” for the drivers. We don’t know what that means, but we can’t imagine a Ferrari gadget that we wouldn’t like. Need to see more? You can watch the game’s official trailer after the jump.

[Source: Ferrari]

Continue reading Ferrari to release Virtual Academy online driving simulator [w/video]

Ferrari to release Virtual Academy online driving simulator [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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