America, land of the...

Articles of interest to the AD community, currently in the news.
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jont-
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America, land of the...

Postby jont- » Mon Jan 29, 2024 10:04 am

... mandated speed limiter (at least in CA).
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4655 ... rnia-bill/

I guess it will be a variation on the European ISA rules (a misnomer if ever there was one) so most of the technology already exists, just the same problem of accuracy of input data.

vanman
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby vanman » Mon Jan 29, 2024 10:39 am

Weiner what an appropriate name. :D Sadly I fear it will come like airbags and cats, we only got airbags cos. the yanks wouldn't use seatbelts. :twisted:

Jonquirk
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby Jonquirk » Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:13 pm

If it could be implemented in a satisfactory way then it could mean that traffic calming measures, such as humps, cushions, and raised tables could be removed. They are a bad solution to controlling speeding because they cannot usually be traversed at the posted limit without discomfort.

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jont-
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby jont- » Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:58 pm

Jonquirk wrote:If it could be implemented in a satisfactory way then it could mean that traffic calming measures, such as humps, cushions, and raised tables could be removed. They are a bad solution to controlling speeding because they cannot usually be traversed at the posted limit without discomfort.

Worse than that - the folk you most want to slow down are the ones who least care about their vehicle so will slow down the least for them. And that's even before you start discussing all the extra pollution they cause. I'm not sure how any council bleating on about lower speed limits to improve air quality has a leg to stand on unless they'll also remove all the humps and other traffic "calming" measures.

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Horse
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby Horse » Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:44 pm

Jan 23, 2024
NHTSA TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARD IMPAIRED DRIVING PREVENTION STANDARD TO SAVE LIVES
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken the first step toward making impaired-driving prevention technology standard in new passenger vehicles. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that NHTSA is announcing helps fulfill a requirement in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy.

This notice helps lay the groundwork for potential alcohol-impairment detection technology standards in all new passenger vehicles when the technology is mature. This announcement comes as NHTSA kicks off its annual holiday season Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over impaired-driving campaign, raising awareness of the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Alcohol impairment is one of the leading causes of death on our nation’s roads. In 2021, the latest data available, 13,384 people were killed in drunk driving crashes.

The negative economic and societal costs of impaired driving are enormous. NHTSA estimates that fatalities, injuries, and property damage from alcohol-impaired driving cost our society $280 billion in lost wages, lost quality of life, medical costs, and so much more. Impaired driving prevention technology is an action identified in the National Roadway Safety Strategy to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways in support of our vision of zero traffic deaths through vehicle features that promote driver safety and align with the principles of a safe system approach.

“It is tragic that drunk driving crashes are one of the leading causes of roadway fatalities in this country and far too many lives are lost,” said Polly Trottenberg, the U.S Department of Transportation’s Deputy Secretary. “The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking we are announcing today is the first step toward a new safety standard requiring alcohol-impaired-driving prevention technology in new passenger vehicles. I want to applaud the NHTSA team, elected officials and advocates who helped get us to today and will continue to help lay the groundwork on this issue.”

“Impaired driving crashes are 100% preventable – there’s simply no excuse or reason to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. We urge everyone to be responsible this holiday season. If you’ve had anything to drink, use public transportation, arrange for a sober driver, or call a taxi or ride-hailing service and get home safely,” said Ann Carlson, NHTSA’s Acting Administrator.

This ANPRM will help gather information about the state of technology to detect impaired driving, about how to deploy technology safely and effectively, and will provide other information to further the agency’s work as the research and technology advances to the level to develop a standard to prevent driver impairment.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directs NHTSA to issue a final rule establishing a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that requires new passenger vehicles to have “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology.” The law says that NHTSA should issue a new regulation only if it meets the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which states that a proposed standard must be reasonable, practicable, and reduce traffic crashes and associated deaths, among other factors.

Crashes and fatalities from impaired driving are completely preventable, yet alcohol-impaired fatalities in the month of December hit a nearly 15-year high in 2021. The holiday season is an especially deadly time, with more than 1,000 people killed in drunk driving crashes in December 2021 alone.

To continue to educate drivers throughout the holiday season, NHTSA will be promoting the following messages: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI. The campaign is supported by a $14 million national media buy, which includes TV, radio, and digital ads in English and Spanish. The agency is also debuting new English and Spanish TV advertisements focusing on alcohol-impaired driving.

As part of high-visibility enforcement efforts, law enforcement officers nationwide will be going the extra mile in their communities from December 13 through January 1 to get impaired drivers off the roads, with efforts such as sobriety checkpoints and community outreach.

Driving impaired by any substance – alcohol or other drugs, whether the substance is legal or illegal – is against the law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To prevent unnecessary tragedies, NHTSA urges everyone to plan ahead, especially when celebrating the holidays, and to never drive drunk or high. Instead, designate a sober driver, use public transportation, or call a ride-hailing service or taxi – many communities have sober ride programs available during the holidays. Anyone who sees an impaired driver on the road should call 911.

More Information: nhtsa.gov/press-releases
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

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Strangely Brown
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby Strangely Brown » Tue Jan 30, 2024 7:52 am

Speaking of crappy assistance...



Before anyone says... yes, I know he could have turned it off before driving or could have pulled over (addressed in the video)... but the point does rather stand and also speaks to the bigger issue of using Infotainment systems on the move.

ETA: You can skip through the Nord sponsorship by watching his t-shirt.

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Horse
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby Horse » Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:30 am

vanman wrote:we only got airbags cos. the yanks wouldn't use seatbelts. :twisted:


Although that hardly applies to side curtain, door panel, seat, and knee-height airbags.

Also, IIRC, because of better seatbelt compliance, isn't it the case that European airbags are (or were) smaller than those in US vehicles?
Last edited by Horse on Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

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Horse
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby Horse » Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:57 am

The Wiki page is interesting:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag


The airbag specifically for automobile use is credited independently to the American John W. Hetrick, who filed for an airbag patent on 5 August 1952.
...
In the early 1970s, General Motors began offering cars equipped with airbags, initially in government fleet-purchased, 1973 Chevrolet Impala sedans. ... GM's Oldsmobile Toronado was the first domestic U.S. vehicle to include a passenger airbag in 1973. ... Chrysler made driver-side airbags standard on 1988 and 1989 models, but airbags did not become widespread in American cars until the early 1990s.
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

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jcochrane
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby jcochrane » Sat Feb 03, 2024 10:34 pm

Strangely Brown wrote:Speaking of crappy assistance...



Before anyone says... yes, I know he could have turned it off before driving or could have pulled over (addressed in the video)... but the point does rather stand and also speaks to the bigger issue of using Infotainment systems on the move.

ETA: You can skip through the Nord sponsorship by watching his t-shirt.


I could only watch to the half way point of this video. The advert for Nord VPN was worth watching though.

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Strangely Brown
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Re: America, land of the...

Postby Strangely Brown » Sun Feb 04, 2024 10:44 am

What did you find so unwatchable? Was it the content or the style?


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