Teen Drivers Texting Much More Than Parents Think: Study
A new study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), sponsored by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan shows that teen drivers do a lot more texting behind the wheel than their parents think they do.
The study found that 26 percent of teen drivers surveyed said they read or sent a text message from a smartphone at least one time every time they drive. But only one percent of the parents polled believed their teen engages in this risky driving behavior.
The bad news gets even worse with respect to texting and driving. Twenty percent, or one in five teens, admitted to multi-message text conversations while behind the wheel.
Other survey findings
- 69 percent of teens – more than two-thirds – drive with two to three teen passengers in the car and no adults, behavior proven to double the driver’s risk of being killed in a crash.
- 44 percent of teens drive with three or more teen passengers and no adults in the car, quadrupling the driver’s risk of being killed.
- 50 percent of teen drivers say they deal with passengers while driving, and 30 percent say they do so at least once every trip.
- More than half of teens search for music on a portable music device while driving, while only 12 percent of parents do this.
- One in 10 teens updates or checks social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter while behind the wheel.
Drive like you want your teen to drive
That’s the bad news. The good news is that the survey of more than 2,600 newly-licensed drivers age 16 to 18 and nearly 3,000 parents of drives in this group found that parents have a significant influence in how their teens drive.
Specifically, parents are urged to teach model positive driving behavior – almost from the time the child seat is turned from rear-facing to forward-facing. As Tina Sayer, CSRC principal engineer and teen driving safety expert said in a release, “Seat belts and good defensive driving skills are critical.”
Her one piece of advice to parents of newly-licensed drivers to help them remain safe on the road: “Be the driver you want your teen to be.”
For more information on the study, follow this link.
Want to help your teen stop texting and driving? Check out our 10 tips.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2012 Honda Civic Recalled For Steering Column Flaw
Honda is conducting a voluntary safety recall of a small number of 2012 model-year Civic compact cars to fix a problem with the steering column.
A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website puts the number of Civics potentially affected at just 157. Affected vehicles were built over a five-day period between October 26 and October 30, 2012.
The problem
According to documentation (PDF) Honda sent to the NHTSA, the steering columns of certain 2012 Civics were assembled with a tilt bracket designed for use in the steering column assembly of 2013 model year Civic cars.
The automaker said that it “cannot assure proper performance of the energy absorbing characteristics of the steering column in a crash if the correct components have not been installed.”
The NHTSA bulletin warns that an incorrectly installed steering column increases the risk of injury during a vehicle crash.
In a statement posted to the automaker’s website, Honda said that the problem was discovered during routine factory quality checks and that no crashes or injuries have been reported as a result of this condition.
What Honda will do
Honda will notify owners of vehicles involved in the safety recall and dealers will inspect the steering columns and replace them as necessary. The service will be performed at no charge. The Honda safety recall campaign #S69 is expected to begin December 4, 2012.
In the meantime, owners of 2012 Honda Civic small cars with any questions or concerns may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 and selection option 4. They can also go online to www.recalls.honda.com to determine if their vehicle requires inspection.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V548000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2013 Ford Escape, Fusion Recalled For Fire Risk (UPDATED)
Ford [NYSE:F] will recall about 89,000 2013 Ford Escape SUVs and 2013 Ford Fusion cars equipped with 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines over concerns about a fire risk. About 80,000 Escape and Fusion models are affected in the United States.
According to a report in The Detroit News, the recall affects some 73,320 Escape SUVs and 15,833 Fusion models. Drivers are urged to get in touch immediately with dealers to arrange loaner vehicles. But Ford did not warn drivers to stop driving the vehicles in the interim.
Ford said that no other engines in the Escape or Fusion are affected by the recall.
The problem
Ford spokesman Said Deep told The Detroit News that engine overheating can lead to fluid leaks, which could then result in contact with the vehicle’s hot exhaust system and subsequently trigger a fire.
Deep said that the automaker is currently developing a fix that will prevent fluids from reaching hot exhaust components and will notify owners “as soon as we can.”
A story in the Los Angeles Times said that drivers who experienced the overheating and fire also noticed an instrument cluster message reading, “Engine over temp, stop safely, “ or “Engine power reduced to lower temps.”
Ford has received 13 reports of overheating resulting in fires when the vehicles were in operation, but no injuries have been reported.
What drivers should do
If drivers encounter the overheating and fire they should pull off to the side of the road when it is safe to do so, turn off the engine and get out of the vehicle. The Los Angeles Times story said that Ford “will compensate owners for costs tied to overheating.”
How do you know if your 2013 Ford Escape or 2013 Ford Fusion equipped with 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engines is involved in the safety recall? Ford said to check the 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN). In Ford Escapes, the eighth character will be an “X,” while, on the 2013 Ford Fusion, the eighth character will be an “R.” The VIN can be found on a label on the side of the driver’s side door, on the base of the windshield, and on the vehicle registration.
Owners in the U.S. with any questions or concerns may also contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332 or go to www.Ford.com to check their VIN number under the Support tab and View Notices and Recalls.
Fourth recall for 2013 Ford Escape
This marks the fourth safety recall the automaker has conducted for the 2013 Escape. The first was announced in July 2012 and involved recalling more than 10,000 vehicles to fix incorrectly positioned carpet padding that could interfere with braking.
The second Escape recall also occurred in July and involved 11,500 2013 Ford Escapes equipped with 1.6-liter engines. At the time, the automaker urged owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately due to fire risk. Ford said that about 80 percent of the vehicles involved in that recall have been repaired.
The 2013 Escape’s third recall came in September, involving 7,600 vehicles equipped with 1.6-liter engines. The problem was identified as an improperly installed part that could lead to risk of a fire.
UPDATE
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has posted an official recall notice on its website covering 2013 Ford Escape SUVs with 1.6-liter engines built from October 5, 2011 through November 26, 2012 and 2013 Ford Fusion cars equipped with 1.6-liter engines built from February 3, 2012 through November 29, 2012.
The bulletin says that the Ford recall is expected to begin on or before December 7, 2012. Ford’s recall campaign number is 12S41.
In addition to contacting Ford at 1-866-436-7332, owners of vehicles affected by the recall may also contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V551000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2013 Audi A4, S4, Buick Verano Earn NHTSA Five-Star Safety Rating
The 2013 Audi A4, Audi S4 and Buick Verano compact luxury sedans have each earned the coveted five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The 2013 Audi A4 and its sporty model the S4 earned five stars in the NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) in overall, front, side and rollover testing. The 2013 Buick Verano earned five stars in all testing categories except rollover, where it earned four stars.
For the 2013 Buick Verano, the win comes after the luxury compact sedan earned a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earlier this year.
Safety features: 2013 Audi A4, S4
Standard safety equipment in the 2013 Audi A4 luxury sport sedan and 2013 Audi S4 luxury performance sedan includes front, side, and side-curtain airbags, reinforced crossmembers and reinforced bumpers.
Available safety features include adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, rearview camera, blind-spot warning system, and forward collision warning system.
Safety features: 2013 Buick Verano
The 2013 Buick Verano is equipped with 10 standard airbags. These include head curtain airbags that deploy during a rollover and remain inflated for additional protection.
Electronic stability control, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, a rearview camera, and a collapsible pedal system to reduce leg injury are also standard. Optional safety features include side blind zone alert and rear cross traffic alert.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
November 2012 Car Sales: Post-Sandy, No Slump
Between the Presidential election and the Thanksgiving holiday, auto sales for November found room to expand over last year's strong numbers.
Despite the lingering impact of Superstorm Sandy on top of those national events, car sales jumped 12 percent in November to reach 15 million annualized units for the month, according to sales analysts at LMC Automotive and J.D. Power.
Chrysler had a good November, with its sales up 14 percent versus last year. Toyota saw sales up more than 17 percent, and Honda was up nearly 39 percent. Nissan and Audi set new sales records for the month.
In all, sales were predicted to rise a little more than 2 percent over the same period in 2011. LMC believes annual sales for 2012 will total 14.4 million units, which would be up 12.5 percent on the year. That's hedged against the dire warnings of a lack of progress on tax and spending deals coming from Congress, says Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive.
"A sustained recovery pace in auto sales is expected over the next six months, barring any fiscal cliff hangover," he said in a release, "but the medium-term forecast is still dependent on more pronounced economic activity and growth."
The complete sales figures continue to roll in, but so far, the automakers are reporting the following numbers:
General Motors: GM (NYSE: GM) sold 186,505 vehicles in November, its best results for the month since 2007, and a 3.4-percent increase over last year's numbers. Each of its brands was at least flat on the month: Chevrolet sold 128,867 vehicles to remain just that, while Cadillac posted a 30.3-percent sales gain and 14,517 sales. Buick moved 13,289 vehicles, an increase of 22.1 percent, and GMC was up 1.2 percent to 29,832 units. The Chevrolet Volt watched its sales grow by 33 percent, but GM's pickups were off 8 percent on the eve of a major redesign, to be announced on December 13.
Ford: Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] saw sales rise by 6 percent to 177,673 vehicles in November. The Ford division accounted for 171,941 units; the Focus was up 56 percent and the Mustang was up 37.4 percent, but the Fusion sedan, in the midst of a model changeover, was off 24 percent. The cash-cow F-Series trucks were up almost 18 percent. The Lincoln division was off 9.1 percent.
Toyota / Lexus / Scion: Toyota said its sales were up 17.2 percent on the month, to a total of 161,695 units in November 2012. The Toyota division accounted for 138,976 units, up 17.3 percent; Lexus was up 16.8 percent to 22,719 units; and Scion rose 57.8 percent to 5,606 vehicles sold, with the 2013 FR-S coupe a big mover at 1,350 units.
Chrysler: Chrysler reported November sales of 122,565 units, up 14 percent, its best November since 2007. All of its brands were up except Jeep. The namesake Chrysler brand was up 1 percent to 18,766 vehicles, while Dodge rose 32 percent to 40,075 units--its best November in five years. Jeep was off 3 percent, attributed to the end of Liberty production and the Sandy aftermath in the brand's stronghold of the Northeast. Ram truck sales grew to 25,074 units, up 23 percent, and Fiat 500 sales were up 123 percent over the same period in 2011, to 3,603 units.
Honda / Acura: Honda showed more strength as it continued to recover from the March 2011 earthquake in Japan and from media coverage of the new Civic. Honda sold 116,580 vehicles, up 38.9 percent, with the Honda division accounting for 104,334 units of sales--up 41 percent. Acura was up 23.6 percent, to 12,246 vehicles. The Civic--which just underwent a quick redesign, launched at the LA Auto Show--broke a 12-year November sales record by shifting 30,075 units.
Nissan / Infiniti: The Nashville-based automaker set an all-time November sales record with 96,197 vehicles sold, up 12.9 percent. Sales of Nissan-brand vehicles rose 9.8 percent, with the new Pathfinder boosting the nameplate by 250 percent over the prior version; the Leaf electric car hit 1,539 sales for the month, up 129 percent. Infiniti sales were up 41.2 percent, to 11,897 units, with the JX crossover nearing 20,000 sales in its first nine months on the market. (more...)