Safety

Volkswagen didn't quite spell it out this bluntly, but a copy of a recent dealership memorandum sums it up similarly: North Americans who drive diesel-powered cars are stupid. The memorandum, obtained by Automotive News, describes VW's upcoming service action to retrofit almost 210,000 diesel-engine cars in ...    Read more

It's getting warm outside. Students are getting out of school for the year. On top of all of that, Memorial Day is less than a week away, and you're bound to be hitting the highway for a getaway. Unless you're renting a car, chances are you'll need to make sure your ...    Read more

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has launched an eight-part series that takes viewers inside the Institute's Vehicle Research Center in Ruckersville, Virginia. The Institute goes behind the scenes to show how crash test dummies work, and how the IIHS engineers crash and evaluate the safety of every new ...    Read more

Both Maserati and Alfa Romeo are recalling select vehicles over concerns of rear tie rods that have the potential to rust. This is cause for concern because these rusty tie rods can weaken and may even break, causing the vehicle to loss control. Maserati is blaming the faux pas on ...    Read more

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi a five-star overall vehicle score, the highest possible rating. This score is determined by the severe testing procedures of the NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program that combines performance in front and side accidents, as well as ...    Read more

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has created a booklet to help parents understand all the safety features on their vehicles, and how to keep children safe by using the available safety features and car seats. The booklet opens up with a list of a few safety features to help ...    Read more

David Friedman has been appointed as the new deputy administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and has considered making auto-brake systems in cars a mandatory feature. Friedman has previously pushed for stricter fuel economy standards and lower oil consumption. Automatic braking systems use cameras and radar systems to ...    Read more

A new study from the University at Buffalo has found that crash test scores are less relevant when a sedan is in an accident with an SUV. The study will be presented in full on May 16 at the annual meeting of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine in Atlanta. In ...    Read more

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced test scores for its most recent compact crossovers, and Mitsubishi and Subaru have reasons to smile. Only two out of the 13 vehicles tested earned the top honor of Top Safety Pick+. The 2014 Subaru Forester was the only vehicle to ...    Read more

Not wholly shocking, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that all states lower what legally constitutes drunk driving from a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 to 0.05 percent. The NTSB says that about 10,000 people die each year from alcohol-related car accidents, and 170,000 are injured. This would be one way ...    Read more

A settlement of $1.63 billion for Toyota's 2010 "unintended acceleration" fiasco seems unfathomably high, covering 22 million customers who own or owned an "affected" vehicle during the time the cars were said to have had problems. That works out to right around $74 per customer, though. But Toyota isn't parting with ...    Read more

In one of those few moments you should thank your lucky stars that statisticians figure out insurance rates than public opinion, CarInsurance.com ran a poll in which it surveyed 1,000 people to see how they would adjust rates. Much of it makes sense; some of it is downright scary. Let's ...    Read more

Many a congratulation and back-patting were dealt after 2011 accident fatality statistics showed that deaths were at their lowest point since 1949, when roads were far less populated. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration isn't going to have a repeat performance this year, as preliminary 2012 statistics show that on-road fatalities were ...    Read more

Chrysler Group has announced recalls concerning two of its brands, Ram Trucks and off-road centric Jeep. The first vehicle needing a fix is the 2013 Ram 1500, which was assembled from June 25, 2012 to December 12, 2012. The problem at hand concerning the Ram deals with a coolant bypass ...    Read more

Toyota continues to pressure U.S. safety regulators to approve a headlight design that is currently not allowed on U.S. roads. These new headlights use cameras to detect other vehicles and dim portions of the high beams to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. Currently, these headlights are in use in more than 16,000 ...    Read more

Model year 2005 to 2007 Chevrolet Corvettes are under investigation due to complaints that the headlights may turn off without warning. No injuries or accidents have been reported in relation to the complaint. The investigation was launched on Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and will involve ...    Read more

The 2013 Honda Civic Sedan has earned top safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as well as the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). It has received a five-star overall vehicle score from the NHTSA, as well as a Top Safety Pick+ award, the highest crash ...    Read more

This is stating the obvious, but young drivers are way more at risk of motor vehicle crashes and fatalities than other demographics. Noticing this, the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) have partnered with the government, corporate leaders, young people, and other partners to launch Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, ...    Read more

Subaru has introduced eight new videos showcasing some of the features that make up its vehicles, including the flat-4 "boxer" engine, Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, and X-Mode, among others. Each video focuses on one aspect of a vehicle, with the help of a mime or two. Set to the same ...    Read more

A new IIHS study has found that the top tether on child seats, a strap meant to prevent a child restraint from falling forward, is being ignored by many parents. These tethers are part of a child restraint system called LATCH, or Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. The reason ...    Read more

Picture this: You're driving alone down a long, dark, two-lane country road in your 2014 GMC Sierra after a long day and you begin to drift off. As you drift off, your brand new Sierra begins to wander from into the opposite lane. Then, all of a sudden, you feel ...    Read more

President Barack Obama has formally nominated Charlotte, North Carolina mayor Anthony Foxx to succeed Ray LaHood as Secretary of Transportation. Foxx will continue the goal LaHood has set to rebuild and expand the nation's infrastructure. News of Obama's nomination began to leak this past Sunday, and according to Obama, Foxx is ...    Read more

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has published a report stating something we've known for a while now. Swedish automaker Volvo makes safe cars, and that's due in part to its forward collision warning system, as noted by a recent report released by the IIHS. As it currently stands, three ...    Read more

It all comes down to personal preference. Do you want a beefy V-8 engine? Or are you more concerned with your carbon footprint? Do you want smartphone integration? Or do you like left being left alone while you drive? According to a recent report by J.D. Power and Associates, when ...    Read more

While we didn't talk about it in our review of the 2013 Ford Focus ST, a wonderful driver's car with a questionable interior layout, we were amazed with one feature the car had in its MyFord Touch infotainment system: A ...    Read more