- 15 Nov 24 Create: The
TAC Safe System: engineering zero road deaths by 2050.
- 16 Oct 24 Goauto:
‘Permissions app’ may solve car data privacy.
- 12 Oct 24 TAC: Put
the headlights on motorcycle safety this October
[not sure where the "headlights on" reference came from
- my research in 2005 found that headlights were not
nearly bright enough to improve daytime conspicuity and
there are better
alternative such as bright front turn signals]
- 30 Sep 24 ABC: Industry
says 65pc of caravans, camper trailers illegally
overweight, uninsured, dangerous.
- 30 Sep 24 BBC: Uber
terms mean couple can't sue after 'life-changing'
crash [in USA].
- 19 Sep 24 SafetyWissen: Subaru
installs local 5G Network at Test Course, begins
Testing cooperative Driving Automation ("over the
horizon" ADAS?) + JLR
aiming to increase Driver Understanding for ADAS
Systems + Testing
begins for Euro NCAP's new Truck Safe Rating
- 15 Sep 24 Fleet News: BMW
and Mini [new car] deliveries [as well as in-service
vehicles] affected by braking system recall -
"Among the [1.5 million] affected cars are the BMW X1,
X3, X4, X5, X6, and X7 SUVs, the 5 and 7 Series saloons,
and the electric iX1, i5 and i7. New Mini Cooper and
Countryman models are also included." + Rolls Royce! vehicle.recalls.gov.au
for Mini & Alpina
- 1 Sep 24: My
Submission to the NSW Parliament Inquiry into use
of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility
options.
- 1 Sep 24 The Conversation: Lower
speeds on local streets cut deaths and injuries by a
quarter in Wales. Over 100 experts want Australia to
do the same + Open
Letter
- 1 Sep 24 Fleet Newes: Actions,
not data, are key to getting the most out of
telematics (see also Telematics and Vehicle Safety)
- 1 Aug 24 Japan Today: Toyota
acknowledges more certification cheating and
apologizes.
- 28 Jul 24 Current Issues in Personality Psychology : A
desire for a loud car with a modified muffler is
predicted by being a man and higher scores on
psychopathy and sadism.
- 8 Jul 24 Fleet News: New
EU vehicle safety regulation and what it means for UK
drivers.
- 13 Jun 24 ETSC: Cars
will need buttons not just touchscreens to get a
5-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
- 4 Jun 24 Japan Today: Toyota
admits to improper vehicle testing as quality scandal
widens + Law
change lets Japanese police crack down on
rule-breaking cyclists.
- 19 Apr 24 Journal of Transport Geography ($): Car
harm: A
global review of automobility's harm to people and the
environment. (see also Allocating
costs and benefits to modes of personal transport )
- 19 Apr 24 Japan Today: Toyota
to recall over 130,000 Prius hybrid cars due to door
glitch.
- 19 Apr 24 CarExpert: Multiple
Land Rover and Range Rover models recalled for
potential fire risk + CleanTechnica: Land
Rovers Keep Catching Fire, But EVs Get [falsely]
Blamed For Luton Carpark Fire + DailyMail (!): Range
Rover fire which sparked Luton airport car park
collapse comes six years after Land Rover destroyed
Liverpool's Echo Arena car park
- 27 Feb 24 The Guardian: Revealed:
car
industry was warned keyless vehicles vulnerable to
theft a decade ago.
- 27 Feb 24 Japan Today: Toyota
recalls 280,000 pickups, SUVs in U.S. over
transmission problem [engine might still propel
vehicle while in neutral]
- 27 Feb 24 Fleets News (UK): Research
changes police approach to hands-free phone use while
driving.
- 21 Feb 24 Goauto: ANCAP
conundrum for Hyundai i30 sedan [whether to
sponsor a swathe of new tests]
- 14 Feb 24 The Conversation: E-scooters
are linked with injuries and hospital visits – but we
can’t say they are riskier than bikes yet.
- 30 Jan 24 BBC: Toyota
recalls 50,000 US vehicles over airbag 'injury or
death' fears.
- 24 Jan 24 Goauto: Ford’s
RHD F-150 recalled for second time - [owners
should] stop driving their vehicles immediately
after finding a steering fault with its locally
converted model.
- 14 Jan 24 Whichcar: The
day I properly understood the sobering reality of
crash safety and my old car (note that the 2000
Magna only reached a 3-star ANCAP rating "The
MITSUBISHI MAGNA perform marginally in the offset crash
test (score 6.40 out of 16 ). The passenger compartment
was substantially deformed. There was a risk of serious
chest injury with both the driver and passenger.
Protection from lower leg injury was poor for the
driver." - the 1996
Magna was worse.)
- 14 Jan 24 ABC: Melbourne
doctors call for greater regulation of e-scooters as
injuries rise, clogging up hospitals.
- 18 Dec 23 RoadSafe (UK):
- 18 Dec 23 Fleet News: Two
in five drivers switch off vital vehicle safety
features.
- 18 Dec 23 Japan Today:
- 25 Nov 23 Fleet News: How
can telematics improve the road safety within your
fleet? (see Telematics)
- 14 Nov 23 ABC: Elderly
man riding motorised wheelchair struck by car and
killed in Townsville (see NEW
SAFETY STANDARDS FOR MOTORISED MOBILITY DEVICES IN
AUSTRALIA - unfortunately moves to implement the
standard have stalled partly due to
misunderstanding about "Blue Label" requirements
for access to public buses )
- 13 Nov 23 The Guardian: BMW,
Subaru and Porsche drivers ‘more likely to cause a
crash’, study finds
- 11 Nov 23 The Conversation: How
to never get a speeding fine again — and maybe save a
child’s life (see Speed
Control)
- 17 Sep23 The Guardian: ‘Bottom
of the food chain’: e-scooter riders push for
reimagining of Australia’s bike lanes ( see SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL MOTORISED ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES
& A
National Policy Framework for Alternative Vehicles
)
- 12 Jun 2023: 10
people have died in a Hunter Valley bus crash -
see Busbelts
- 6 Jun 23 ETSC: A
speed limit on German motorways could bring EUR 1 bn a
year in economic benefits (see Speed Control)
- 24 Feb 23 Japan News: Toyota
to Recall 190,000 Vehicles for Auto Brake Defect.
- 3 Feb 23 CASR: CASR's
founder appointed Officer in the Order of Australia
- congratulations Jack
- 6 Jan 23 The Conversation: Why
do people tailgate? A psychologist explains what’s
behind this common (and annoying) driving habit.
- 10 Dec 22 News.com.au: Hyundai
ix35 vehicles recalled due to risk of fire.
- 23 Nov 22 ABC: Tesla
Australia
recalls 1,012 vehicles over (steering) fault that
could increase 'the risk of an accident causing
serious injury or death' + 25 Nov 22 The Guardian:
Tesla
recalls more than 15,000
Australian electric vehicles over faulty tail lights.
- 11 Oct 22 RoadSafe (UK): Fleet
Safety Guide and Safer Vehicles Purchasing Policy
+ Global NCAP: Global
NCAP Fleet Safety Guide and Safer Vehicle Purchase
Policy 22-23 (PDF)
- 6 Oct 22 ABC: Police
launch e-scooter safety blitz as man dies in hospital
after crash in Melbourne's north + Privately
owned e-scooters legal to buy, illegal to ride as
Victoria Police enforces safety blitz - see SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL MOTORISED ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES
(2011) and this 2010 project report: A
National Policy Framework for Alternative Vehicles
- 27 Sep 22 Global Fleet: Bad
driving habits could call for new legislation in the
US.
- 2 Jun 22 ETSC: Opinion:
will Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) live up to its
promise?
- 20 May 22 New Scientist: Driverless
cars can be tricked into seeing red traffic lights as
green
- 14 Mar 22 Canberra Times (see also vehicle
roadworthiness):
- 21 Feb 22 FleetNews: [Uk Minisiter] Grant
Shapps under pressure to introduce EU safety tech
rules.
- 3 Feb 22 IIHS: Study
shows front crash prevention works for large trucks
too.
- 6 Jan 22 ABC: Tesla
recalls more than 475,000 cars because of rear-view
camera, bonnet issues + JAPAN Today: Tesla
to recall nearly 200,000 cars in China over collision
risk.
- 29 Dec 21 ACA: Sydney
man fined thousands after riding e-scooter on road.
- 3 Dec 21 Science ($): Wildlife
collisions put a dent in road safety.
- 1 Dec 21 ETSC: Intelligent
Speed Assistance specifications officially published (by
EU)
- see speed control
- 1 Dec 21 Roadsafe:
- 1 Dec 21 Japan Today: Honda
turns to AI-powered tech to make roads safer
- 4 Nov 21 CASR - new reports:
- 21 Oct 21 Transport for NSW: Speed
Adviser smartphone app. Updated
to: the latest speed zones; the latest non-standard
school zones; the latest non-standard school times
and updated school and public holiday calendar - [Beats
in-car Speed Assistance System hands-down! See Speed Control]
- 1 Oct 21 NRSPP: Quick
Fact: Speed.. almost 50% of serious speeding-related crashes occur
when a driver is travelling at less than 10km/h above
the posted speed limit"
- 17 Aug 21 ABC: Elon
Musk's Tesla under investigation over Autopilot
crashes.(see Autonomous
Cars)
- 7 Aug 21 ABC: ACCC
launches legal action against Mercedes-Benz over
Takata airbag recall.
- 30 Jul 21 New Scientist ($): Why
self-driving cars could be going the way of the
jetpack.
- 28 Jul 21 The Conversation: Aggressive
marketing has driven the rise of the double-cab ute on
New Zealand streets — time to hit the brakes?
- 15 Jun 21 AutoAction: Safety
expert Dr Michael Henderson awarded Officer in the
General Division (AO) in Queens Birthday Awards
"For distinguished service to motor vehicle and
motorsport safety, and to the prevention of road trauma"
[well deserved recognition see - some of the reports below]- Wikipedia
article.
- 3 Jun 21 The Conversation: Speeding
drivers keep breaking the law even after fines and
crashes: new research (see Speed
Control)
- 24 May 21 The Conversation: Slaves
to speed, we’d all benefit from ‘slow cities + Busted:
5 myths about 30km/h speed limits in Australia.
- 5 Apr 21 Japan Today: Japan
scientist awarded Nobel for LED lamp dies at 92 -
LED have become an important components of safe vehicle
design. In 2003 I pointed out the potential benefits as
daytime running lights.
- 5 Apr 21: NeuRA
and Kidsafe Australia release updated National Child
Restraint Guidelines + National
Child Restraint Best Practice Guidelines + Downloads
here [comment: while the Guidelines make frequent
reference to shoulder heights markers the brochure does
not refer to them - these are an important guide to determining whether the
child is too small or too large for the child
restraint]
- 25 Mar 21 CASR: Intelligent
Speed Adaptation (ISA): benefit analysis using EDR
data from real world crashes - lower predicted
savings than previous estimates but still very
substantial
- 25 Mar 21 IIHS: New
crash tests show modest speed increases can have
deadly consequences. - see Speed
Control
- 2 Mar 21 ANCAP: Mitsubishi
Express fails to meet safety expectation [zero
stars - the 2007 ANCAP rating for the Express
was 1 star at a time when it was effectively not
possible to award zero stars]
- 5 Feb 21 ABC: Hyundai
Tucson models face recall over fears engines could
catch fire even when switched off
- 3 Feb 21 GoAuto: Tesla
faces screen test - US safety watchdog warns
failures of big screens could be fatal in 160,000 cars
- 24 Jan 21 Japan Today: GM
teams up with Microsoft on driverless cars.
- 9 Jan 21 ABC: Anthony
Albanese in hospital after car crash in Sydney's inner
west - comment: It looks like Labor Leader
Albanese's Camry was side-swiped by the Range Rover.
Although not represented by any of the current ANCAP
crash tests, it is clear that the stronger structure
around the a-pillar due to the frontal offset crash test
and side curtains due to the side pole crash test have
prevented more serious injuries to the driver
(Albanese). A slight change to the impact could have
resulted in a narrow offset frontal crash, as conducted
by IIHS.
- 22 Dec 20 Road Safe (UK):
- 17 Dec 20 Prince
Michael International Road Safety Awards 2020 Winners
- 5 Dec 20 Yahoo Finance: Toyota
recalls 24,000 cars: Are you affected? [not "cars"
- diesel Hilux utes & Fortuner SUVs built around
2018]
- 2 Dec 20 DavidJWard.com: Method
not Miracles Bring Safety + LinkedIn Richard
Woods: No
single safety element saved Romain Grosjean in Bahrain..
[ A credit to people like my mentor, Dr
Michael Henderson, who wrote the book Safety in
Motor Racing in 1968. Ordinary cars are so much safer
today due the lessons learned in the motor racing
industry. This wikipedia
page lists many of Michael's contributions to that
outcome.]
- 2 Dec 20 MUARC: Enhanced
Crash Investigation Study - p48 "...this finding
points to the positive safety benefit of improved
vehicle safety and the value of the ANCAP system...."
- 2 Dec 20 TAC: Track
upgrade to boost car safety (Angelsea, Victoria)
- 20 Nov 20 Radiant Vision Systems: Near-Infrared
Light for In-Cabin Sensing and Driver Monitoring
Systems (DMS).
- 9 Nov 20 ANCAP: Let’s
re-write the ending - Vehicle safety features have
evolved. Today’s technologies (AEB and LSS) can help
re-write the ending [Comment: similar trauma savings can
be expected from Speed
Assist Systems that are also strongly encouraged
by ANCAP's rating protocol. Reducing
travel speeds by just a few km can prevent many
serious injuries. It is disappointing that this
was not included in the package]
- 2 Nov 20 ETSC:
- 4 Sep 20 IIHS: Self-driving
vehicles could struggle to eliminate most crashes.(see
Autonomous Cars)
- 28 Aug 20 Japan Today: Tesla
seeks approval for sensor that could detect child left
in hot cars.
- 22 Jul 20
AAP: Impact
speed and the risk of serious injury in vehicle
crashes - based on the study described in the 2019
ESV paper:
Speeding in crashes in the United States of America: A
pilot study using event data recorder information from
NASS-CDS
- 24 May 20 Sussex Express: Volvo
introduces 112mph speed limit on all new models
-
not really a road safety benefit but "Every Volvo car
will now also come with a Care Key, which allows Volvo
drivers to set additional limitations on the car’s top
speed — of between 31mph and 112mph — for example before
lending their car to other family members or to younger
and inexperienced drivers..." (see Speed
Control)
- 7 Apr 20 ABC: Toyota
recall on LandCruiser, Prado and other models over
defective fuel pump + ACCC
advice.
- 4 Mar 20 SMH: Expensive
children's car seat catastrophically fails test,
ejects dummy.
- 13 Jan 20 ABC: Toyota,
Mazda and Suzuki issue voluntary recalls for more than
18,000 cars fitted with Takata airbags - built
between 1996 & 1999
- 2 Dec 19 Interesting Engineering: Vodafone
Demos How 5G Improves The Safety of Connected Cars for
Urban Mobility for The First Time in Italy -
includes ISA
- 7 Nov 19 ABC: New
urgent recall for BMWs with different type of faulty
Takata airbags.
- 6 Nov 19 BBC: Uber
in fatal crash had safety flaws say US investigators.
- 19 Oct 19 NZ Doctor: Safety
initiative set to reduce number of children without
car restraints [child restraint donations)
- 13 Oct 19 Transport for NSW: Requirements
for vehicle frontal protection systems [bullbars]
fitted to light vehicles
- 7 Oct 19 Cision: Western
Express
deploys 3,000 E-SMART units [with ISA] to make its
truck fleet one of the safest and most innovative in
the industry. See Speed
Control
- 1 Oct 19 Uber: All
new
vehicles entering the [Uber Australia] platform
[from 1 Oct 2019] must have a 5-star ANCAP safety
rating or equivalent [Expands to all vehicles
from 1 Oct 2021] (thanks ANCAP)
- 28 Sep 19 Japan Today: Australia
uses new technology to catch drivers on phones.
- 28 Sep 19 The Guardian: Woman
suffers head injuries and children injured in NSW bus
crash (status of seat belt wearing unknown but the
bus would have been equipped
with 3-point seat belts)
- 23 Sep 19 Japan Today: 22
killed in bus crash in Pakistan (see busbelts)
- 23 Sep 19 Register-Herald (West Virginia): Using
child safety seats correctly improves survival chances.
- 13 Sep 19 New Scientist: A
single severe head injury can trigger long-term brain
damage (importance of head-protecting
side curtains)
- 12 Sep 19 New Scientist: The
surprising future of driving: cars that spy on your
every move (spy?? - see Automated
Vehicles and telematics)
- 2 Aug 19 Global NCAP: Joan
Claybrook's speech at the Global NCAP dinner to
celebrate 40 years of NCAP - some fascinting
insight into early crash-testing
- 1 Jun 19 Intelligent Transport: Are
you ready to speed up the roll out of intelligent
speed assistance? (see Speed
Control)
- 28 May 19 ANCAP: Safety
prioritised with 5 stars for Toyota HiAce and Nissan
Leaf EV, yet the opposite for Jeep Wrangler at 1 star
- comment: this is an important outcome for Australian
tradies with the 5-star Hiace van providing good
occupant protection as well as key crash avoidance
features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane
support systems, seat belt reminders for all seats and speed assistance functions that
help drivers stay within the speed limits.
Congratulations to Toyota!
- 21 May 19 ABC: Niki
Lauda, Formula One legend and a three-time world
champion, dies aged 70.
- 17 May 19 The Motor Report: Will
Big Brother start limiting Aussie speeds? [the
article is totally confused about ISA
and top speed limiting]
- 2 May 19 ETSC:
European
Parliament backs new vehicle safety standards -
including overridable Intelligent
Speed Assistance.
- 29 Apr 19 Japan Today: Rear
seats of cars need better safety equipment, study says
[IIHS
study of US crashes - see also this
presentation (pages 18 & 19) and Rear
seat occupant safety from 2007!]
- 28 Apr 19 AutobodyNews: Did
You Know? Speeding Is a Neglected Problem [in the
USA] + IIHS: Speed
limit increases are tied to 37,000 deaths over 25
years + A
national forum to develop a model speed management
pilot program - see also Speed
Control]
- 28 Apr 19 New Scientist: Machine
mind hack: The new threat that could scupper the AI
revolution. [see autonomous
cars]
- 18 Apr 19 Japan Times: Japan
debuts safety steps for foreign drivers amid rise in
accidents.
- 5 Mar 19 New Scientist: Tesla’s
autopilot tricked into driving on the wrong side of
the road.
- 22 Mar 19 ABC: Parents
urge others to install reversing cameras after toddler
run over in driveway [cameras assist but are no substitute for adult
supervision]
- 18 Mar 19 New Scientist: Hacking
just 1 in 10 cars could gridlock all of the roads in
Manhattan
- 28 Jan 19 AAP ($):
- 25 Jan 19 CarAdvice: "SAFETY
DOESN'T COME AT A PRICE" IN CHILD SEATS - STUDY
- 11 Jan 19 ETSC: MEPs
back new road and vehicle safety rules - AEB &
ISA to be regulated across
Europe
- 8 Jan 19 Japan Today: Ford
recalls over 953,000 vehicles [globally] to replace
Takata inflators.
- 3 Jan 19 ABC: Victoria
records lowest road toll ever, but is it really
possible to get to zero?
- 22 Nov 18 SMH: Not
ideal: Old cars account for 80 per cent of teenage
drivers' deaths.
- 31 Oct 18 ETSC: London
introduces bus safety standard, including Intelligent
Speed Assistance on all new vehicles + Hype
around automated cars is dangerously confusing drivers
says Euro NCAP
- 21 Oct 18 IOL: Uber
launches new Safety Toolkit - "Speed alerts: A
feature which reminds drivers and delivery partners to
maintain a safe speed within the posted speed limits."
- 18 Oct 18 ETSC: Car
industry attempting to weaken the European
Commission’s proposals on new vehicle safety measures
- "Intelligent Speed Assistance: why does ACEA not back
a technology currently being sold by a majority of its
members?"
- 4 Oct 18: Ubicar
has introduced a telematics
safety product in Australia. Sydney's Northern
Beaches Council has a safe
driving competition for residents.
- 3 Oct 18 News.com.au: Mazda
CX-8 has safety technology that could save your life
Modern cars have some mind-boggling safety tech these
days. But how does it work?
- 19 Sep 18 Global NCAP: Stop-the-Crash
India - 26th September 2018 - held in conjunction
with the Global
NCAP World Congress in Delhi.
- 29 Aug 18 Japan Today: Self-driving
taxi with paying passengers tested in Tokyo in world
first + Rand: How
Many Miles of Driving Would It Take to Demonstrate
Autonomous Vehicle Reliability? (see also this
comment on a Tesla crash)
- 22 Aug 18 TfNSW: New
bus technical specifications - New requirements (TS150)
for warning signs and flashing lights on school buses to
apply from February 2019. This is based on the Heavy
Vehicle (Vehicle Standards) National Regulation. Comment: In
1995 Dr Alec Fisher and I conducted a review
of school bus warning systems. (more
info, ESV
paper) One of the main conclusions was that the
yellow turn signals being used on school buses at the
time were woefully inadequate for traffic on
high-speed roads on bright days, when their signal
range was typically around 50 metres. We recommended
much brighter lights be used and showed that the lights
in use on school buses in the USA were suitable. Nothing
changed! Tasmania
introduced bright lights on its school buses in
1996. The Draft National
Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual, pubished by the
NRTC in 2001, had this note: "Note: for optimum signal
range in bright daylight the on-axis intensity is
required to be no less than 1500cd. This is about six
times brighter than typical turn signals." Several
Australian States and Territories picked up these
requirements, which were then included in the National
Regulations. So... after 30 years our research has
become law in NSW.
- 2 Aug 18 ABC: ACCC
issues fresh warning to replace 'ticking time bomb'
Takata airbags. + FCAI: Check if your
vehicle is affected by the Takata airbag recall.
- 1 Jun 18 ETSC: New
EU vehicle safety standards could prevent 25,000
deaths within 15 years + ETSC
raises questions over driver understanding of lane
change systems + OECD
report on automation challenges belief that
self-driving vehicles will wipe out 90% of road
crashes + Speed
awareness courses more effective than fines + US:
Fatal collisions with pedestrians increasingly likely
to involve SUVs and high-powered vehicles (an
excellent package of vehicle safety information)
- 1 Jun 18 ACRS: The latest Journal
from ACRS has my article "Telematics and Vehicle
Safety"
- 25 May 18 Bloomberg: Man
Dies After Tesla Crashes Into San Francisco Area Pond
(uncertain if it was on autopilot) + Japan Times: Uber
ends self-driving program in Arizona after fatal
crash, to shed 300 jobs.
- 18 May 18 Stop the Crash: Global
NCAP and Stop the Crash Partnership welcome new EU
regulations on vehicle safety - AEB
and ISA. Details
at Europa.eu.
- 1 May 18 ETSC: OECD
study says inappropriate speed responsible for up to
30% of all fatal crashes + European
Commission set to announce major new road safety
package (16th May) + Latest
Euro NCAP five-star rating scheme includes
cyclist-detection Autonomous Emergency Braking.
- 1 May 18 ANCAP: Five-year
funding for vital car safety program.
- 12 Apr 18 ABC: 'Smart'
speed bumps installed at Curtin University to punish
speeding drivers. See also Badennove: Intelligent Speed Bump
- 3 Apr 18 (A developing theme here?) AFR: Tesla
Model X driver death raises questions about autopilot.
- 20 Mar 18 ABC: Uber
suspends self-driving car tests after pedestrian death
in Arizona (Comment: Maybe a condition of self-driving car
approvals should be “good” pedestrian protection
(impact tests) and good performance in the Euro NCAP
pedestrian AEB test - there are now many
models that meet these criteria. Update: more
details about the crash - it was a Volvo XC90
which had pedestrian AEB but failed to react in time.
The XC90 has "acceptable"
pedestrian impact protection and so the above
suggestion (good protection) would likely not have
changed the outcome but clearly it makes sense as a
requirement for all driverless cars)
- 20 Mar 18 Global NCAP: Make
‘America First’ In Pedestrian Protection Global NCAP
Tells Donald Trump (Note that Australia has not
signed up to the international pedestrian protection
regulation - GTR9 or UN-R127 - despite claims to
have done so in official submissions to WHO: Status
Report on Road Safety 2015: pages 46, 67 & 85
- map of Australia should be yellow like the USA)
- 16 Feb 18 Transport NSW: Road
Safety Plan 2021 - comment: "Only 38 per cent of
cars and other light vehicles on NSW roads are
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) 5-star
safety rated..." This is actually a remarkably high
value for a fleet that is, on average, 11 years old. The
38% prediction aligns with the estimate made in this
2015 ESV paper "Vehicle
Safety Trends and the Influence of NCAP Safety Ratings"
(which is not referenced in the document).
- 6 Feb 18 British Insurance Brokers’ Association
(BIBA): Research
Reveals Telematics Based [UK car insurance] Policies
Almost Reaches One Million Mark (thanks Richard
Tooth) - see PHYD
insurance.
- 1 Feb 18 SMH: Police launch Operation Rolling Thunder
crackdown after fatal truck crashes - see these links
from the 1980s!
- 25 Jan 18 ABC: This
is every road death since 1989 - graphic
inter-active resource
- 5 Jan 18 SMH: Black
spot program 'fatally flawed and federal governments
complacent' on road safety: expert.
- 30 Dec 17 Al Jazeera: Will
self-driving cars do more harm than good?
- 30 Dec 17 Wards: Facelifts
Costly to Some Vehicles’ Safety Ratings + Euro
NCAP: Fading
Stars (Fiat Punto zero stars)
- 15 Dec 17 Fleet Owner (USA): Speeding
more prevalent among motorists than truckers, CVSA
enforcement blitz find...the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which began a major
push to reduce speeding-related vehicle crashes on U.S.
roads back in late July by encouraging more aggressive
enforcement of speed limit laws and the wider adoption
“intelligent speed adaptation
systems.”
- 5 Dec 17 Badennove: Intelligent
Speed Bump + Youtube: This
speed bump is filled with liquid that hardens if you
go too fast - a clever way to discourage speeding
motorists while minimising discomfort to drivers who keep to the speed limit. It uses
a dilatant (non-Newtonian) fluid which stiffens if
deformed too quickly.
- 3 Nov 17 ETSC: Global
NCAP looks to boost take-up of speed assistance
systems worldwide + Global NCAP: Report
of the Seminar on Advancing Speed Assistance Systems.
- 22 Aug 17 Transportation today: US
should implement new policies to combat motorist
deaths due to excessive speeding, NTSB report says
+ NTSB: Reducing
Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles..."Intelligent
speed
adaptation is an effective vehicle technology to reduce
speeding...Recommendation: Incentivize passenger vehicle
manufacturers and consumers to adopt intelligent speed
adaptation (ISA) systems by, for example, including ISA
in the New Car Assessment Program."
- 17 Aug 17 Courier Mail: Ford
Focus recall: Models made between April 2011 and
September 2009 featured in safety recall [fuel
tank cracking]
- 15 Aug 17 ABC: Robot
hijacking threat in homes, cars could paralyse
robotics industry, cyber expert warns.
- 25 Jul 17 ABC: Takata
airbag recall process leaves drivers with 'ticking
time-bombs', Choice says [Opinion: Although this
is a serious issue the number of vehicles with
potentially dangerous airbags is very small - it is
understood that most vehicles on the Australian
recall list have airbag units that are not
dangerous but, since it is impossible to determine the
defective ones, they all need to be replaced. The main
issues have been obtaining a sufficient number of
replacement units to meet demand and, in particular,
contacting the owners of vehicles that are, in some
cases, more than 15 years old. Consumer Reports USA has
some useful
information on this issue. Frontal
airbags have been a key factor in the remarkable
improvement in occupant safety over the past two
decades - it is estimated that they have prevented
more than 2,000 deaths and 20,000 serious injuries to
Australian drivers since 1997.]
- 28 Mar 17 ABC15: Tempe
Police: Self-driving Uber vehicle involved in rollover
+ Uber
to Suspend Autonomous Tests After Arizona Accident.
- 20 Feb 17 BBC: Argentina
coach crash: At least 19 killed near border with Chile
[an example of the potential benefits of 3-point seat belts and rollover
strength for buses. Note this horrific crash was
not reported in any other western media]
- 11 Feb 17 ETSC: EU
transport ministers back 'ambitious' vehicle safety
improvements.
- 11 Feb 17 AAP ($):
- 3 Jan 17 SMH: Minister
says help your kids buy a safer car to reduce road
toll (see Young Drivers)
- Nissan
Qashqai gets five-stars, and a reprimand (no AEB)
Earlier road safety news
|
- 15 Nov 24 Create: How
do you build a hydrogen refuelling station?
- 15 The Conversation: You
will soon be able to power your house with your
electric car. Here’s how.
- 19 Sep 24 The Guardian: Norway:
electric cars outnumber petrol for first time in
‘historic milestone’ (the article refers to
"fossil fuel vehicles" (FFV). In my view this term is
much more appropriate than "internal combustion engine"
(ICE) as it excludes hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. Also the
term ICE plays down the pollution from these engines.
- 13 Sep 24 Electrek: Biden-Harris
EPA rules save $253B/yr, 202k lives; Project 2025
seeks rollback.
- 14 Aug 24 The Guardian: Toyota
hybrid among cars found to guzzle more petrol than
advertised, study finds.
- 28 Jul 24 Create: Is
hydrogen a viable fuel source for passenger vehicles?
- 4 Jul 24 ABC: Car
makers could use New Vehicle Efficiency Standard
loophole to rush higher-polluting cars into Australia.
- 4 Jun 24 New Scientist: Toxic
chemicals from car tyres can get into soil and
contaminate food.
- 10 Mar 24 The Guardian: Polestar
joins Tesla in quitting auto lobby over its campaign
against proposed vehicle efficiency standard + SMH
($): Stoush
over caps on car emissions heats up.
- 9 Mar 24 ABC: Tesla
quits FCAI over claims group deceived customers on CO2
scheme.
- 28 Feb 24 Goauto: Battle
over ‘misleading’ NVES claims.
- 21 Feb 24 Goauto: CO2
modelling reveals cracks NVES may produce opposite
outcomes for emissions and other unintended
consequences [see above item for a counterview]
- 14 Feb 24 The Conversation: What
would a vehicle efficiency standard for new cars cost
– or save – Australian drivers?
- 24 Jan 24 Goauto: Ram
embroiled in emissions scandal.
- 14 Jan 24 ABC: Canada
says all cars and trucks must be zero-emission by
2035, leaving the auto industry unhappy.
- 14 Jan 23 The Guardian: ‘Paying
too much’: what could you save on your holiday road
trip if Australia had fuel-efficiency standards? +
Five
SUVs used up to 13% more fuel on Australian roads than
reported in lab + AAA: Real-World
Testing delivering for motorists
- 13 Nov 23 Drive: Hydrogen-fuelled
Toyota HiAce twin-turbo V6 unveiled ahead of
Australian pilot program.
- 21 Oct 23 ABC: Real-world
fuel economy tests to uncover how much worse cars
perform on Australian roads
- 3 Jul 23 ABC: Why
do we keep building roads?
- 24 Feb 23 The Conversation: Why
a shift to basing vehicle registration fees on
emissions matters for Australia.
- 17 Oct 22 New Scientist: Air
pollution raises our risk of a stroke and its later
complications.
- 27 Sep 22 The Conversation: We
may be underestimating just how bad carbon-belching
SUVs are for the climate – and for our health.
- 27 Sep 22 ABC: Motorists
could have saved $5.9bn on fuel if efficiency
standards were introduced in 2015
- 16 Aug 22 News.com.au: Class
action law firm investigates possible breach from
carmaker (Hino) over data tampering.
- 10 Aug 22 ABC; Motorists
could have saved $5.9bn on fuel if efficiency
standards were introduced in 2015, The Australia
Institute report finds.
- 2 Jun 22 ACEEE: Energy-Efficient
Cars Save Travelers Big Bucks on Road Trips.
- 28 Mar 22 The Conversation: Thinking
of swerving high fuel prices with an e-scooter or
e-bike? 5 crucial questions answered.(see also Allocating
costs and benefits to modes of personal transport)
- 14 Mar 22 New Scientist: Leaded
petrol may have lowered the IQ of over half the US
population (see also Inventor
hero was a one-man environmental disaster -
Midgley "invented" lead in petrol and CFC refrigerants!)
- 14 Mar 22 Jpan Today: Toyota
subsidiary Hino admits use of fraudulent emissions
data.
- 21 Feb 22 New Scientist: One
in 12 new cases of asthma in children linked to NO2
air pollution.
- 12 Nov 21 ABC: Rivian
promised the electric ute. Here's why Wall Street is
betting on it taking on Tesla.
- 25 Sep 21 New Scientist: WHO
calls for lower limits on air pollution to save
millions of lives.
- 28 Jul 21 Phys.org: India's
poor face outsized air pollution death risk.
- 27 Jul 21 ACEEE: To
Undo the Damage of Trump Rollbacks, Biden Needs to Set
Car Standards Stronger than Obama’s
- 26 Jul 21 ABC: Call
for change as illegal e-bikes reaching speeds of more
than 100 kilometres per hour + Smart Transport: E-scooters
predicted to be involved in up to 200,000 accidents (
see SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL MOTORISED ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES
& A
National Policy Framework for Alternative Vehicles
)
- 2 Jul 21 SmartTransport: E-scooters
could replace 5m car trips annually in London + UK
could become e-scooter ‘market leader’ ( see also
A
National Policy Framework for Alternative Vehicles
)
- 1 Jul 21 ACEEE: EPA
Can Maximize Fuel Savings of Partially Automated
Vehicles.
- 9 Apr 21 BoundMotor: SEGWAYS,
SCOOTERS, AND SKATEBOARDS: THE NEW ELECTRIFIED URBAN
TRANSPORTATION (see also SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL MOTORISED ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES
)
- 7 Apr 21 The Conversation: Why
cities planning to spend billions on light rail should
look again at what buses can do (the Brazilian
city of Curitiba introduced a rapid bus transit system
in the 1990s - Urban
Planning in Curitiba ($)
- 4 Mar 21 ACEEE: Electric
Vehicles Top GreenerCars’ 2021 Ratings as Automakers
Push Electrification
- 14 Feb 21 Japan Today: Toyota
to add electric, plug-in hybrid vehicles next year.
- 10 Feb 21 The Conversation: The
US jumps on board the electric vehicle revolution,
leaving Australia in the dust. + On
an electric car road trip around NSW, we found range
anxiety (and the need for more chargers) is real.
- 5 Feb 21 The Guardian: Make
oil firms install electric car chargers in petrol
stations, says thinktank.
- 5 Feb 21 ABC: Government
[finally] releases plans for electric vehicles, not
considering cash incentives for new owners - tax
disincentives like the luxury car tax remain
- 3 Feb 21 GoAuto: Consumption
tax answer to EV charging - Payment app developed
in Melbourne makes paying for EV charging a painless
exercise
- 30 Jan 21 Goauto: 100
new free EV charging stations for regional Vic
- 30 Jan 21 The Driven: First
BYD Han electric sedan lands in Australia ahead of
consumer launch.
- 28 Jan 21 The Driven: Buyer
of Holden’s Australian test site launches three
“smart” electric cars.
- 24 Jan 21 The Driven: Volkswagen
challenges Tesla with new “Trinity” electric vehicle
+ Israel’s
StoreDot unveils “5-minute charge” EV battery.
- 14 Jan 21 SmartTransport: Electric
car sales soar amid turbulent year.
- 9 Jan 21 Science ($): Tire
tread particles turn streams toxic.
- 8 Jan 21 New Scientist ($): Over
100 cities have made public transport free – others
should follow + Electric
cars' best ever year is a tipping point for green
transport + Rosamund
Kissi-Debrah: Clean air 'Ella's law' would honour her
memory.
- 8 Jan 21: The Conversation: Distance-based
road charges will improve traffic — and if done right
won’t slow Australia’s switch to electric cars.
- 4 Jan 21 EV Central: Every
EV and plug-in hybrid car coming to Australia in 2021.
- 29 Dec 20 Japan Today: Toyota
releases compact 2-seater EV for corporate users,
local gov'ts. [looks like a Smart!]
- 5 Dec 20 Japan Today: Japan
set to ban sales of new gasoline cars in mid-2030s:
reports + Automakers
prep for stronger mileage standards under Biden.
- 26 Nov 20 The Guardian: 'Disastrous'
or a smart move? How Victoria's case for an electric
car usage tax stacks up + The Conversation: Think
taxing electric vehicle use is a backward step? Here’s
why it’s an important policy advance (see my
comments at end)
- 26 Nov 20 SmartTransport (UK): Widespread
support for legalising micromobility vehicles.
- 22 Nov 20 The Guardian: 'We'll
be left behind': Australia's electric car inertia is
getting it nowhere + Caradvice: Victoria
will follow South Australia with a per-kilometre usage
fee for pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
- 20 Nov 20 SAE: Battery
Show teems with all things rechargeable.
- 4 Sep 20 New Scientist: Asphalt
on roads may soon be greater source of air pollution
than cars.
- 3 Aug 20 The Guardian: Electric
cars have few downsides except price. One company is
looking to change that.
- 21 Apr 20 SAE: GM
and Honda to jointly develop Honda’s electric vehicles.
- 18 Apr 20 ACEEE: Rollback
of fuel efficiency standards will harm U.S. economy
and public health for years.
- 1 Apr 20 CNN: Obama
slams rollback of vehicle emission standards in rare
rebuke of Trump.
- 20 Feb 20 Renew Energy: Tesla
makes it into top 10 most popular car brands in NSW.
- 23 Jan 20 Fleet News: Government
body says EV revolution can benefit UK’s energy system.
- 23 Jan 20 ACEEE: 2020
Hybrids Surge onto Greenest Car List, Joining the
Greenest of EVs + New
DOE Rule Undercuts a Top US Policy for Saving Energy.
- 13 Jan 20 New Scientist: Air
pollution exposure may make our bones become weaker
- 3 Jan 20 New Scientist: Chinese
air quality regulations could put an end to 'new car
smell'
- 28 Dedc 19 ABC: Our
transport system needs fixing, but a tax on electric
vehicles isn't the solution.
- 6 Dec 19 Fleet News: Air
pollution linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
- 15 Nov 19 New Scientist: Here's
how we can stop a mountain of electric car batteries
piling up.
- 12 Nov 19 The Conversation: Smart
tech systems cut congestion for a fraction of what new
roads cost.
- 29 Oct 19 The Conversation: The
hidden traffic impacts of private schooling.
- 28 Oct 19 NewSci: Changing
a child's route to school can halve exposure to air
pollution.
- 28 Oct 19 The Guardian: SUVs
second biggest cause of emissions rise, figures
reveal,
- 23 Oct 19 The Conversation: To
bolster our fragile road and rail system we need to
add a ‘micro-mobility’ network - see also SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL MOTORISED ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES
- 12 Oct 19 The Conversation: We
thought Australian cars were using less fuel. New
research shows we were wrong.
- 21 Sep 19 The Guardian: Theft
of catalytic converters from hybrid cars surges.
- 19 Sep 19 ACEEE: US
Government Takes Sledgehammer to Clean Car Rules -
"[Trump] administration is revoking California’s waiver
to set stricter vehicle emissions standards that more
than a dozen other states have adopted...Rolling back
fuel economy standards will do nothing to improve
traffic safety, as the administration has claimed" + Energy
efficiency can slash emissions and get US halfway to
climate goals.
- 16 Sep 19 Lifehacker: Why
No One Is Beating Tesla's Range
- 12 Sep 19 Japan Today: (European) Car
makers near CO2 cliff-edge in electrification race
- 9 Sep 19 The Conversation: Clean,
green machines: the truth about electric vehicle
emissions. See also this
report.
- 5 Sep 19 ABC: Toyota
diesel emissions expose broader problem with car
pollution in Australia.
- 2 Sep 19 The Conversation: Flexible
working, the neglected congestion-busting solution for
our cities.
- 27 Jul 19 New Scientist: Adding
more bioethanol {E10] to petrol is no way to go green
- 25 Jul 19 BBC: India
turns to electric vehicles to beat pollution.
- 14 Jul 19 NewSci: Forget
Tesla - China’s BYD is driving the electric car
revolution.
- 14 Jul 19 The Guardian: Billions
of air pollution particles found in hearts of city
dwellers.
- 10 May 19 The Conversation: How
to increase train use by up to 35% with one simple
trick (spoiler - more station entrances)
- 25 Mar 19 Japan Today: Amnesty
International faults electric vehicle batteries as
carbon intensive.
- 25 Mar 19 New Scientist: Does
air pollution really kill nearly 9 million people each
year? + James
Bond is making the switch to an electric car, so when
will you?
- 7 Dec 18 NewSci: The
best pollution masks for cyclists block half of bad
particles.
- 7 Dec 18 Science ($): Flawed
analyses of U.S. auto fuel economy standards
- 29 Oct 18 NewSci: Banning
cars in major cities would rapidly improve millions of
lives.
- 17 Oct 18 The Guardian: 'I
leave the car at home': how free buses are
revolutionising one French city.
- 3 Oct 18 ACEEE: Stormy
weather ahead: [USA] Federal agencies begin to roll
back efficiency policy - [the rollback and
restrictions on states like California] "would waste 14
billion gallons of fuel a year..."
- 29 Aug 18 ABC: Electric
car growth and greater fuel efficiency spark calls for
change to fuel excise funding.
- 19 Aug 18 The Guardian: Tesla
sues Ontario government for 'unfair' scrapping of
electric car scheme.
- 2 Aug 18 WMBF News: US
[Trump] says driving would be riskier if fuel
standards tougher - bizarre claims!
- 26 Apr 18 Euro NCAP: New
LEAF charging ahead with 5 star result in toughest
safety tests to date - "... environmental
friendliness need not come at the expense of improved
safety."
- 9 Apr 18 ACEEE: ACEEE
Denounces Imminent EPA Rejection of Commonsense
Light-Duty Standards.
- 5 Jan 18 Science ($): Air
pollution's hidden impacts
- 20 Feb 17 NBC: Tesla
Under Fire After Explosive Crash - an explosive
crash in Indianapolis involving a Model S
battery-electric vehicle that took the life of a young
woman and her boss...
- 12 Aug 16 ABC: What
should you do if you hit an animal while driving?
- 7 Jan 16 News.Com: Car
industry needs govt help on emissions [actually
the FCAI is suggesting ways governments could reduce
emissions - the headline reads like the industry is
seeking funding]
Earlier Green News.
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