Study: 75 Percent Of Seasoned Drivers Would Fail Written Exam
If you’ve been driving for twenty years and have a clean driving record, chances are you consider yourself a good driver. A recent study by LeaseTrader.com would beg to differ: according to their results, drivers with the most experience behind the wheel scored the worst on the sample questions used in the survey.
Drivers with twenty or more years experience scored an average of 46 percent correct, while drivers with ten to twenty years experience scored a still-dismal 58 percent. Drivers with five to ten years behind the wheel didn’t do much better, scoring just 64 percent correct. Out of 500 motorists surveyed, not one answered all the test questions correctly.
Worse, more than 75 percent of those surveyed incorrectly answered four or more questions, which would have netted them a failing grade on the hypothetical driving exam.
The study also looked at the difference in responses between men and women drivers. Men scored an average of 59 percent correct on the survey, while women scored an average of 46 percent correct. There was a significant difference between men and women in the question most often answered incorrectly, as well. Men struggled to identify the correct action when approaching a stopped school bus with flashing lights on the opposite side of a divided highway (stop and wait for the lights to go out before proceeding). Women struggled to correctly identify the speed limit on unposted primary and secondary state and federal highways (it’s 55 miles per hour).
The study seems to question the validity of current driver testing, and raises an even bigger question of driver training. Compared to many other countries, the United States has remarkably lenient standards for driver training prior to licensing, and many cash-strapped high schools are eliminating driver education programs altogether. While a thorough revamping of the system isn’t likely, the study may help to shed light on a problem that won’t be getting better any time soon.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Jeep Wrangler In NHTSA Airbag Probe
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into a potential defect with the airbag system on 2007 and 2008 model year Jeep Wranglers. Some 222,000 vehicles are affected by the investigation.
The NHTSA has received 29 consumer complaints of airbag light illumination and/or clockspring mechanism failure on 2007 and 2008 Jeep Wranglers. Twenty three of the consumer complaints identify the airbag clockspring wiring assembly as the cause of the airbag light, while the remaining six simply mention that the airbag light was illuminated. The majority of the complaints, 16 out of 29, have been received since January 1 of 2011.
No accidents or injuries relating to this condition have been reported to date, but any airbag system malfunction should be inspected by a dealership as soon as possible. A loose or broken electrical circuit in the airbag wiring assembly could prohibit airbag deployment in the event of a crash.
At present, this is simply an investigation into a potential defect and not a recall. Chrysler is working with the NHTSA to determine if the incidents are isolated, or if a recall of the Jeep Wrangler is warranted.
[NHTSA, via Yahoo News]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
GM Planning New Full-Size SUVs for 2014
GM is planning a major overhaul of its full-size SUV fleet for the 2014 model year.
The automaker said today that it will spend $331 million to renovate its assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, home to its current crop of GMT900-family SUVs, including the GMC Yukon, Yukon Hybrid and Yukon XL; the Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and Tahoe Hybrid; and the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV.
The expansion of the Arlington plant could add production of the flexible-bed Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT, if those vehicles are brought back for a third generation of production.
GM had planned for replacements of the full-size SUVs for the 2013 model year, but it was forced to put off production as it maneuvered through its Chapter 11 proceedings. Ironically, in 2006 and 2007, GM had pulled ahead production of the GMT900 family of vehicles, just in time for gas prices to crush SUV sales as a prelude to the 2008 financial crisis.
The new investment will add 110 jobs to the site, though it's unclear if they're being added for construction or for vehicle production.
Arlington opened in 1954, and has built passenger cars and trucks. In 1997, the plant won a coveted slot in the GM empire to build its full-size trucks and SUVs, winning out over the now-shuttered Janesville, Wisconsin, plant. Truck production began as GM ended Texas production of the Chevy Caprice, Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Fleetwood rear-drive sedans.
The plant now counts 2,400 employees and more than 3.75 million square feet under roof.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
IIHS: High-MPG Small Cars Much Improved In Safety
All the talk likening small cars to sardine cans can finally be retired. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released new crash-test results and ratings for more than a dozen small cars and found that, thankfully, automakers have made significant progress in small-car safety—and, that fuel economy and safety aren't mutually exclusive.
Of the 13 small cars that were recently evaluated by the Institute, six have achieved the Top Safety Pick award—signaling top results in all categories as well as available electronic stability control.
Focus, Civic, Elantra join Cruze and Golf as top picks
Among the latest vehicles to be rated were the all-new 2012 Ford Focus, the refreshed 2012 Honda Civic, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, and the Nissan Juke—as well as the latest version of the Toyota Prius and the related Lexus CT 200h hybrid. All of these models achieve Top Safety Pick status, meaning that they get top 'good' ratings in frontal and side impact tests, the seat-based rear test, and the new roof strength test.
The IIHS says that just three models earned the Top Safety Pick accolade in 2006, and things were even worse before then. The first time the Institute tested small cars in side impact, in 2005, 14 of the 16 models earned a 'poor' rating, while there are now a total of 22 small models that earn top scores in side impact and all other test areas.
That said, it's still worth considering that even with one of these small cars carrying top ratings, the level of occupant protection probably still doesn't rival what you'd see in a bigger, heavier vehicle.
Laws of physics still apply
"Even though fuel prices sometimes defy gravity, the laws of physics always are in effect for cars," commented IIHS chief research officer David Zuby, in a release accompanying the results. "That's why it's important that the crashworthiness designs of smaller cars be as good as possible. The new ratings demonstrate that small cars are much safer than they used to be."
Safety equipment has been improving, too; the IIHS points out that Caliber, SX4, and Versa—each among the most affordable new vehicles—now come standard with electronic stability control.
The flip side of this is that, with these latest small cars, you don't have to make significant sacrifices in safety for fuel economy. The IIHS points out that ten small and minicar models get 40 mpg or higher on the highway and earn Top Safety Pick status. Those ranks include the Prius and CT 200h, as well as the Focus, Chevrolet Cruze Eco, Honda Civic HF, Hyundai Elantra, Golf TDI, and Fiesta SFE—plus the new Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf plug-ins.
Not all honor-roll students
But it wasn't all good news. In the latest round of testing, the Honda CR-Z, Honda Insight, Nissan Versa, Nissan Sentra, and Scion xD failed to make Top Safety Pick status due to one or more 'acceptable' ratings. The Suzuki SX4 was rated just 'marginal' in both rollover and rear protection, and the Dodge Caliber managed a worrisome 'marginal' for side protection' and only 'acceptable' for rollover.
[IIHS]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
May Auto Sales: Hyundai And Kia Take Third Place, Ahead Of Toyota
Hyundai and Kia are this month expected to pull ahead of Toyota and Honda, to be the third top-selling brands in the U.S. market after only GM and Ford.
Even more to the point, Hyundai and Kia are expected to be the only major brands with sales up versus April. According to the pricing-intelligence firm TrueCar, Hyundai and Kia combined will sell about 115,000 vehicles, just ahead of Chrysler and Nissan and behind GM (225,000) and Ford (188,000).
Though Hyundai and Kia have different company structures and sales operations in the U.S., they're both part of the same South Korean parent company, Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Both brands have strong new product this year, including the all-new 2011 Hyundai Elantra, 2011 Hyundai Sonata, and 2011 Kia Optima.
Versus last April, market-total sales are expected to be down 8.3 percent overall (with retail down 10.7 percent), to about 1.06 million vehicles, according to TrueCar's forecast.
Toyota and Honda are expected to take the biggest hit, due in part to inventory shortages, as dealerships this month began to feel the affects of the March earthquake and tsunami. Toyota sales will likely be down more than 31 percent from April, while Honda sales will see more than a 25-percent decrease.
The supply shake-up leaves Hyundai and Kia, combined, with nearly an eleven-percent share of the U.S. market—also ranking about a half-percent higher than Chrysler. Last May, Hyundai and Kia had just a 7.3-percent share and were behind Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Chrysler.
[TrueCar]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2014 Chevy Impala Moving to Detroit; GM Adding 2500 Jobs
In the early 20th century, the old Dodge Main plant there built cars for the competition. In the 1980s, a new factory on the same land became the home of Cadillac production.
Today, General Motors (NYSE:GM) says its Hamtramck plant will be the home of the next-generation Chevrolet Impala full-size sedan.
The plant, surrounded by the city of Detroit but within the city of Hamtramck, had most recently been the production home of the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne. Last year, GM began building the Chevy Volt at the facility, helped along with generous tax breaks designed to spur development and production of fuel-efficient vehicles.
Earlier this year, GM confirmed it would also build its new mid-size 2013 Malibu in Hamtramck.
With the switch from the Impala's current home in Oshawa, Ontario, the Hamtramck plant will be almost completely devoted to Chevrolet production. The Opel Ampera, Europe's version of the Volt, will account for the small percentage of non-Chevrolet cars assembled at the Poletown plant.
GM says the move will add two shifts of production and approximately 2500 jobs at the site. Between the retooling costs for the Impala and the Malibu, GM is spending nearly $200 million to refurbish the plant, once the Lucerne and DTS are done with their long production runs.
The announcement also sheds some light on the evolution of the Impala, once one of GM's hallmark rear-drive sedans. The Impala is expected to share some major underpinnings with the upcoming Cadillac XTS sedan. Sharing an assembly site with the front-drive Malibu could mean the Impala also has some commonality with that car and its "Epsilon II" architecture, as well as with the Buick LaCrosse--and even the Saab 9-5, a legacy of GM's ownership of that Swedish automaker.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Extended Warranties Could Get Tamed In Missouri
A long overdue bill sitting on the desk of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon would bring the sale of auto service contracts, commonly referred to as extended warranties, under the licensing and oversight jurisdiction of the state’s insurance regulators.
The bill was introduced by a lawmaker whose district includes Wentzville, Missouri, the home of U.S. Fidelis. That company's bankruptcy last March brought to light abuses in the sale of these contracts.
U.S. Fidelis was featured in a Today Show report that said that over 1100 complaints were filed against the company. Eventually the Attorney General of Maryland sued the company, alleging that the auto service contract issuer had violated Maryland’s Telephone Solicitation Act.
If signed into law, the bill would mean Missouri’s Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration would have the power to withdraw a company’s license if it thought the warranty seller was putting consumers at risk. Under the new plan some financial institutions, car makers, and dealerships which are already regulated could begin selling these contracts without additional licensing requirements.
One practice used by these contract providers was to tie warranty coverage to the use of vehicle additives - a practice that regulators in Missouri eventually found to be illegal. The state’s Attorney General formed a task force to look into the abuse and at least one task force member wishes that the legislation had went further.
The President of the St. Louis Better Business Bureau indicated to stl today that three recommendations of the committee were not included in the law. Those excluded provisions included a requirement for telemarketers to disclose cancellation and refund procedures, and also for them to define what repairs are covered.
Some of the main provisions of the law are:
- That contracts be sent to consumers within 45 days of a phone purchase
- To give canceling consumers full refunds within 20 days after the contracts have been mailed to them, and to give prorated refunds to customers who cancel after the free look period
- Eliminate deceptive practices commonly employed in the sale of these contracts, including telling prospects that their new-car warranties are expiring, claiming an affiliation to the car makers or the dealership and claiming their product “extends” the new car warranty
The Missouri Attorney General’s chief counsel in this matter said that people within the industry had voiced the opinion that something needed to be done to “tame” an environment that he described as the “wild, wild west.”
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Extended Warranties Could Get Tamed In Missouri
A long overdue bill sitting on the desk of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon would bring the sale of auto service contracts, commonly referred to as extended warranties, under the licensing and oversight jurisdiction of the state’s insurance regulators.
The bill was introduced by a lawmaker whose district includes Wentzville, Missouri, the home of U.S. Fidelis. That company's bankruptcy last March brought to light abuses in the sale of these contracts.
U.S. Fidelis was featured in a Today Show report that said that over 1100 complaints were filed against the company. Eventually the Attorney General of Maryland sued the company, alleging that the auto service contract issuer had violated Maryland’s Telephone Solicitation Act.
If signed into law, the bill would mean Missouri’s Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration would have the power to withdraw a company’s license if it thought the warranty seller was putting consumers at risk. Under the new plan some financial institutions, car makers, and dealerships which are already regulated could begin selling these contracts without additional licensing requirements.
One practice used by these contract providers was to tie warranty coverage to the use of vehicle additives - a practice that regulators in Missouri eventually found to be illegal. The state’s Attorney General formed a task force to look into the abuse and at least one task force member wishes that the legislation had went further.
The President of the St. Louis Better Business Bureau indicated to stl today that three recommendations of the committee were not included in the law. Those excluded provisions included a requirement for telemarketers to disclose cancellation and refund procedures, and also for them to define what repairs are covered.
Some of the main provisions of the law are:
- That contracts be sent to consumers within 45 days of a phone purchase
- To give canceling consumers full refunds within 20 days after the contracts have been mailed to them, and to give prorated refunds to customers who cancel after the free look period
- Eliminate deceptive practices commonly employed in the sale of these contracts, including telling prospects that their new-car warranties are expiring, claiming an affiliation to the car makers or the dealership and claiming their product “extends” the new car warranty
The Missouri Attorney General’s chief counsel in this matter said that people within the industry had voiced the opinion that something needed to be done to “tame” an environment that he described as the “wild, wild west.”
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Study: Realtors Confirm Gas Prices Are Changing U.S. Housing Demand
The word is already out that Americans would probably be healthier (and probably a lot happier) if we had shorter daily commutes.
Now it seems that the cost pressure of rising gas prices could be forcing us to do just that—rethink where we're living. If a new survey of real-estate professionals is any indication, American home shoppers are thinking more than ever about shorter driving distances and being closer to shops and services.
Back when gas prices surged in 2008, Americans were cutting back on spending and vacations but few families were doing anything so drastic as moving because of them.
Gas prices an influence for 75 percent of house shoppers?
Now, three-quarters of real estate professionals polled said that the recent surge in gas prices has influenced clients' choices on where to live, while 93 percent of real-estate pros said that if gas prices continue to rise, they might consider housing changes that would shorten the commute.
Altogether, 77 percent of realtors said that more clients were interested in having a home office than five years ago, and 68 percent believed that the cost of gas has something to do with that. Forty-five percent report buyers who choose houses closer to shops and services because of gas prices.
The survey was conducted online by Coldwell Banker Real Estate, of its 1,188 agents and professionals in the U.S., between April 28 and May 3, 2011.
But admittedly, there's some conflicting information; a new Nielsen Wire survey released today shows almost exactly the opposite: that 2011 is not 2008, and that consumers aren't taking the sorts of drastic measures they were last time gas prices spiked well past $4 a gallon in some regions of the country.
A new spending reality—about where we live, too?
According to Nielsen, "consumers have adjusted to a new spending reality," and measures taken to reduce spending are roughly in line with those taken last summer when gas prices were about $3 a gallon, not in 2008 when they hit those record levels.
In the latest Nielsen poll, though, 36 percent said higher gas prices would drive them to shop closer to home, and two thirds said that they'd combine errands or trips.
The Coldwell Banker study found that of the 56 percent of professionals who said that more home buyers are interested in urban situations, 93 percent said that shorter commutes play a role and 81 percent thought that the desire to cut gasoline spending was a factor.
Tell us what you think. Are you considering moving, and do gas prices have something to do with it? Or did gas prices have a role in your last move?
[Nielsen Wire; Coldwell Banker via Consumerist]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Study: Realtors Confirm Gas Prices Are Changing U.S. Housing Demand
The word is already out that Americans would probably be healthier (and probably a lot happier) if we had shorter daily commutes.
Now it seems that the cost pressure of rising gas prices could be forcing us to do just that—rethink where we're living. If a new survey of real-estate professionals is any indication, American home shoppers are thinking more than ever about shorter driving distances and being closer to shops and services.
Back when gas prices surged in 2008, Americans were cutting back on spending and vacations but few families were doing anything so drastic as moving because of them.
Gas prices an influence for 75 percent of house shoppers?
Now, three-quarters of real estate professionals polled said that the recent surge in gas prices has influenced clients' choices on where to live, while 93 percent of real-estate pros said that if gas prices continue to rise, they might consider housing changes that would shorten the commute.
Altogether, 77 percent of realtors said that more clients were interested in having a home office than five years ago, and 68 percent believed that the cost of gas has something to do with that. Forty-five percent report buyers who choose houses closer to shops and services because of gas prices.
The survey was conducted online by Coldwell Banker Real Estate, of its 1,188 agents and professionals in the U.S., between April 28 and May 3, 2011.
But admittedly, there's some conflicting information; a new Nielsen Wire survey released today shows almost exactly the opposite: that 2011 is not 2008, and that consumers aren't taking the sorts of drastic measures they were last time gas prices spiked well past $4 a gallon in some regions of the country.
A new spending reality—about where we live, too?
According to Nielsen, "consumers have adjusted to a new spending reality," and measures taken to reduce spending are roughly in line with those taken last summer when gas prices were about $3 a gallon, not in 2008 when they hit those record levels.
In the latest Nielsen poll, though, 36 percent said higher gas prices would drive them to shop closer to home, and two thirds said that they'd combine errands or trips.
The Coldwell Banker study found that of the 56 percent of professionals who said that more home buyers are interested in urban situations, 93 percent said that shorter commutes play a role and 81 percent thought that the desire to cut gasoline spending was a factor.
Tell us what you think. Are you considering moving, and do gas prices have something to do with it? Or did gas prices have a role in your last move?
[Nielsen Wire; Coldwell Banker via Consumerist]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
