Automotive Technology

Cars That Drive Themselves

The February 2012 issue of Wired Magazine features a cover story about cars that drive themselves.  No longer a technology of the future, these cars are actually here already, navigating themselves through busy rush hour freeway traffic at 70 miles per hour.  And they’re doing it more safely than the human beings around them.

Google's Self-Driving Car

These cars utilize everything from radar to laser arrays to identify and track targets around them, and they can make 20 threat assessments every second.  Recently, I had a high school class take a hazard perception challenge in which I showed them a slide for four seconds and then asked them three questions about what they saw.  Whines and grumbles flared up with the first question, as students complained that that wasn’t enough time.  I then showed them several video clips in which unrecognized threats turned into crashes in less than two seconds – the idea being to reinforce how every second counts when driving for survival.

But, 20 threat assessments each second?  If there’s a human mind capable of matching that, I’ve never been in its company.

I’m one of those people who loves to drive.  I prefer a standard transmission to an automatic and would rather be on a curvy mountain road alone than on a crowded freeway.  But I’m keenly aware most people don’t share my passion for it.  Most people use their car simply to get them from one place to another as quickly as possible.  For them, automatic transmissions, power steering, ABS, electronic stability control and even automated parallel parking are welcome conveniences, elements of the driving task they are happy to hand over to computer control.

Nevada has become the first state to pass laws concerning self-driving cars – they’re exempt from anti-texting laws, for one.  As the Wired author puts it, “Maybe the problem is not that texting and Facebook are distracting us from driving. Maybe the problem is that driving distracts us from our digital lives.”

Read the full WIRED article online here.

What would you prefer?

Would you rather sign off from your digital world for an hour at a time and tackle the physical and cognitive tasks required to drive safely, or would you prefer to select your destination and let the car handle getting you there while you multitask through your commute?

 

 

Highway Safety, Safe Driving Tips, Teens

Female Drunk Drivers On The Rise

According to a new study by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the number of female drivers arrested for drunk driving has more than doubled in the last twenty years.

In 1980, females accounted for just 9 percent of alcohol-related arrests.  By 2004, that number increased to 20 percent.

The report recommends ways to make it easier for females to participate in treatment programs, including providing child care and single-gender programs.

From the report: “Since the increase in female drunk driving behavior first garnered
attention in the late 1980s6, there have been three main hypotheses regarding factors associated with this phenomenon. These explanations center on changes in female roles in society, changes in social norms, and changes in social control mechanisms.”  You can read the full report here.

What do you think?  Why is drunk driving among females on the rise?

Highway Safety, PennDOT News, Teens

It’s Official: Texting Is Illegal

We’ve all seen that person in traffic texting away while driving, eyes down to their lap, working the wheel with their forearms or knees, blissfully unaware of their surroundings and the danger they themselves have become to everyone around them.

Effective March 8, 2012, it is illegal to send, read or write a text message while driving in PA.  Here are the details:

  • PRIMARY OFFENSE: Police can pull you over if they suspect you of texting while driving.
  • ALL IWCDs: The law includes smart phones, cell phones, tablets…anything wireless that can send/receive text messages.
  • INCLUDES EMAIL: So don’t read those while moving either.
  • APPLIES TO ALL DRIVERS: not just commercial operators.

It’s a $50 fine each time you get caught texting, which is a lesser penalty than living with the guilt if your distraction kills someone.  If you know someone who texts regularly while driving, pass this on to them.

Highway Safety, PennDOT News

PA Driving Laws Get Graded

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, an alliance between consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies, recently released their 2012 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws.  This report grades each state on its performance in adopting critical highway safety laws.  How did Pennsylvania fare?

Each state earns a ranking based upon their commitment to improving laws in critical areas, as follows:

  • GREEN: Good
  • YELLOW: Caution (Needs Improvement)
  • RED: state falls dangerously behind

In 2011, Pennsylvania advanced from RED to YELLOW status because of the passenger restriction element of its new teen driver law and its new text message restriction on all drivers.

By comparison, most of our neighboring states perform much better – New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia all have the highest rating, while Ohio and Virginia still rank in the red.  Check out the full report here.

PennDOT News

PA Driver’s License Gets Security Upgrade

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation today deployed a new security hologram that makes it easier to spot fake drivers’ licenses and identification cards. Pennsylvania is the first state in the nation to use this enhanced security feature.

“A driver’s license or identification card has always been a trusted source for establishing a person’s true identity,” said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. “We are steadfast in our resolve to combat counterfeit forms of identification, which ultimately jeopardize lives and hold great potential for harm to our national security.”

The new hologram suppresses the “rainbow” colors normally associated with holographic images. The result is a hologram that appears to switch between white and black as the image is moved. Also, because the new image is of a much higher resolution, it is clearly visible in bright, moderate and even low-light environments.

This state-of-the-art technology is added to an array of security features including a holographic overlay of county names and keystone outlines already embedded in current license and ID cards.

For more information and to see an example of the new security feature, visit PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website at www.dmv.state.pa.us and click on Identity/Security.

Teens

PA’s New Teen Driver Law

Governor Tom Corbett signed the new Teen Driver Law, known as “Lacey’s Law”, on October 25, 2011.  The law took effect December 24, 2011.

What does this new law mean to teen drivers?  There are several provisions you need to understand:

1. PASSENGER LIMIT

Under the new bill, teens under the age of 18 are not allowed to have more than one non-family passenger under 18 with them in the car, unless accompanied by a parent.  This means you can no longer give four or five friends a ride to school – pick your favorite and that’s it.  You can have more than one passenger over the age of 18, and family members don’t count for this law – so if you would normally give rides to your younger sister and brother, that’s still okay.  But only one friend under 18 in the car with you at any time.

Once you’ve had your license for six months, the non-family passenger limit increases to a maximum of three, so long as you maintain a clean, safe driving record or unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

2. MORE TRAINING HOURS

Before this law, you needed to get 50 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel training before you could take the driver’s test.  That minimum is now up to 65, and the extra hours have their own requirements.  Under the new law, 10 hours must be done at night, and five must be done in inclement weather (rain, ice, fog and snow).

3. SEAT BELT LAW CHANGE

The new law makes it a primary offense not to use your seat belt under 18 – this means the police can pull you over if they see you driving un-belted.  And it applies to all of your passengers under 18, too – if your friend isn’t wearing his seat belt, the cops can ticket you.

Community Outreach

U. S. Department of Transportation Proposes to Eliminate Deadlines for Replacing Traffic Signs

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Obama Administration is eliminating dozens of burdensome regulations on traffic signs which cash-strapped state and local governments expect will save them millions of dollars. The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing that communities replace traffic signs when they are worn out rather than requiring signs to be replaced by a specific deadline. The proposed changes will eliminate 46 deadlines mandated by federal traffic control regulations.

In January, President Obama called for an unprecedented government-wide review of regulations already on the books. The purpose was to identify rules that needed to be changed or removed because they were unnecessary, out-of-date, excessively burdensome or overly costly.

“A specific deadline for replacing street signs makes no sense and would have cost communities across America millions of dollars in unnecessary expenses,” said Secretary LaHood. “After speaking with local and state officials across the country, we are proposing to eliminate these burdensome regulations. It’s just plain common sense.”

Stop SignThe regulations establishing deadlines for street and traffic sign replacement came from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is a compilation of national standards for all pavement markings, street signs and traffic signals.  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which has published the manual since 1971, updates it periodically to accommodate changing transportation needs and address new safety technologies, traffic control tools, and traffic management techniques.

FHWA today issued a Notice of Proposed Amendments to eliminate 46 of the deadlines in the manual.

“Local and state transportation agencies are best-equipped to determine when they need to replace signs and other items in the course of their daily work,” said FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez.  “We are proposing these changes to give them the flexibility they need to balance their many responsibilities and make the best use of taxpayer dollars.”

The deadlines requiring that certain street name signs be replaced by 2018 to meet minimum retroreflectivity standards and requiring larger lettering on those street name signs are among the series of deadlines eliminated under the amendment proposed today. The proposal would also eliminate deadlines for increasing the size of various traffic signs, such as ‘Pass With Care’ and ‘One Way,’ as well as warning signs, such as ‘Low Clearance’ and ‘Advance Grade Crossing.’  Instead, communities will be able to replace and upgrade these signs when they reach the end of their useful life.

The DOT has retained twelve deadlines for sign upgrades that are critical to public safety. These safety-critical sign upgrades include installing “ONE WAY” signs at intersections with divided highways or one-way streets and requiring STOP or YIELD signs to be added at all railroad crossings that don’t have train-activated automatic gates or flashing lights.

Last November, FHWA published a request for comments in the Federal Register on deadlines and received almost 600 comments from highway agencies, state departments of transportation, other organizations, and private citizens.  FHWA took these comments into consideration as it developed the Notice of Proposed Amendments.  FHWA is also soliciting public comments for this proposed rule for the next 60 days, and comments should be directed to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/

Child Passenger Safety

NHTSA Car Seat Guidelines

child safety seat

A few weeks ago, NHTSA released updated safety recommendations for traveling with children in cars.  Here are the essentials:

  • Birth – 12 Months: always use a rear-facing car seat in the back seat
  • 1 – 3 Years: Once the child has reached the upper limit for height or weight for the rear-facing seat, graduate him/her to a forward-facing seat with a full harness.
  • 4 – 7 Years: Once your child has reached the upper limit for height or weight for the forward-facing seat, graduate him/her to a booster seat – but keep your child in the back seat.
  • 8 – 12 Years: Keep your child in a booster seat until he/she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.

Click here to download a printable flyer for easy reference.

Proper Seat Belt Fit

For a safety belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach.  The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.  Remember, your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.

Need Help Mounting Your Car Seat Properly?

SafeKids routinely sets up free car seat inspection stations around the area, where a professional will help you install your seat properly, and can even help you determine whether a given seat is appropriate for your child.  Visit www.safekids.org to see a list of upcoming events for PA.

Drive Better