drivemecrazy

The fact that road mishaps are happening frequently makes auto manufacturers worry about the safety features that their vehicles are offering. This is the reason why most auto makers continue to develop safety features so as to reduce the number of fatal crashes. Today, they have come up with crash-avoidance technologies that they claim to have the capability to improve the chances of avoiding collisions. Some include technologies that have the capacity to give an audible or visual warning to command the driver to do corrective measures. There are even those which have the capability to automatically apply the brakes or guide back into the proper lane a drifting car.

However, even the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) is getting a hard time to tell whether such is effective or not because its use is not widespread yet. Still, the IIHS just analyzed five crash-avoidance technologies: forward collision warning, emergency brake assist, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, and adaptive headlights.

Of these features, the IIHS sees the forward collision warning and the lane departure warning as the most promising features. The forward collision warning feature gives the driver a warning whenever it detects that the vehicle is about to hit an object directly in front of it. On the other hand, the lane departure warning tells the driver if they are drifting out of the lane.

Based on the information gathered by the IIHS from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and General Estimates System, the IIHS identified the types of crashes that all these features have been designed to prevent. In period of four years, which is from 2002 to 2006, there is a possibility that the 20 million frontal collisions could be reduced in half with the aid of the forward collision warning. Though it could not totally erase incidents of frontal collisions, a 50 percent reduction is a good deal. On the other hand, the lane departure warning could prevent up to 100,000 crashes and 2,500 fatalities per year.

The IIHS also announced that of the five safety features they have been analyzing, it is the blind spot detection that shows the least potential. This safety feature alerts the drivers of their blind spots. This conclusion is not because that its capabilities are ineffective but because there are not much fatal crashes that involve vehicles in blind spots.

Here we go again. I’ll be talking once again about the present situation of our environment. I can’t get off it. It’s indeed alarming. Now, what about it? Well, it’s another technology that could possibly save millions of lives in this generation, as well as in the next. You already heard of hybrid vehicles? Those are the vehicles that are now powered with different environment-friendly substances. This technology is somewhat similar to this. But still, it is something different.

It’s the Turbosteamer. If you are familiar with Francis and Freelan Stanley’s steamer, then you could well follow me. The same technology that powered their steamer is now being innovated to power steam engine cars. It makes use of the engine’s wasted exhaust gases to give power to the automobile.

In this system, a heat exchanger is located between the engine and the catalyst, which turns water into steam. This steam is then transported to a small steam engine. Another smaller steam engine produces more mechanical energy. When these two engines’ production is combined, a total of 14 horsepower and 15 pounds-feet of torque are generated. With that, fuel economy is improved by 15 percent in overall driving.

Historically, this technology is already being used by BMW with the intention of increasing fuel efficiency of its vehicles. The company is now eyeing to make the Turbosteamer ready for production in some of its vehicles within a decade’s time.

Well, I can only hope this would greatly help. I still wish for more technologies with great intentions like this to be developed in this growing auto world.

Sometimes, even when you want to have a great driving experience, some things seem to make it impossible to achieve. There are many dangers that could await you. Road accidents are the most common of it. However, there is a thing that could make your nerves shake more--that is a bullet. Why is it scarier? It is because you don’t know when that will hit that precious car of yours and your life as well! To avoid that, why not upgrade your car and make it a bulletproof one?

Having a bulletproof vehicle should not only be for politicians or people who receive death threats. It is important that an ordinary vehicle be equipped with this feature too. You would not know when you would meet a stray bullet, especially if you drive in a high-crime area.

If you are convinced, you don’t need anymore to buy a new one. Converting your vehicle into a bulletproof one could be as simple as following these steps:

1. There are now bullet-resistant windows in the market that could be installed in your vehicle. These come in either two-way or one-way resistant windows. The latter allows you (who is inside the vehicle) to shoot at the attackers without letting their bullets to pass through your windows. The two-way resistant windows do not permit any bullet to pass, be it going inside or outside of the vehicle.
2. Dress your vehicle’s exterior with multi-layered nylon armor. It could be fitted easily between the sheet metal body panels of your vehicle and its interior furnishing. Also, it is advisable that you mount this armor under the carpet so that the vehicle’s floor will be protected from bomb fragmentation.
3. Make use of run-flat tires. These tires could run at high speeds and could still run even when your tires are deflated. You should take note that a bullet could deflate your car’s tires!
4. Ensure that the gas tank is protected because they are the most common roots of explosion when a bullet gets in contact with it. There is a ballistic wrap that could prevent such thing. Also, you can use an anti-explosive fuel tank.
5. Your car battery should be upgraded into an anti-ballistic one. This special battery is constructed with dry cells having no acid content, which could be a cause of explosion.

With these steps, you are guaranteed to be protected from those deadly bullets. However, all the things needed are expensive unlike those ordinary auto parts. But it still pays to spend more than seeing yourself or your passengers dead. Have a safe ride always.

The worsening situation of our environment nowadays has led the way to the introduction of a lot of new technologies—all have the purpose of helping save the environment. One of these is the introduction of the hydrogen-powered vehicles that do not emit any harmful substances. Many auto manufacturers had ventured into making vehicles of this type. However, a problem is now arising to the success of these hydrogen-powered vehicles. That is the absence of a cheap and abundant source of hydrogen production that will support these vehicles. That was the problem.

But that problem had already been given a solution now. Some scientists from Virginia Tech had developed a different process of producing hydrogen. This has something to do with the conversion of sugars from plants, which is called cellulose, into hydrogen. The sugars are combined with water and some enzymes. After that, hydrogen is already produced. Still, this solution is not that successful yet. The amount that could be produced by this process is remarkably little to serve its commercial purpose. However, the bottom line here is that this is some sort of a light to the world saying that there are indeed possible ways to solve a worsening situation. Don’t lose hope fellows.