Autoblog

Vägverket, the Swedish Road Administration, is reporting that General Motors used ten human cadavers for crash research. While it isn't clear which GM vehicle hosted the corpses on their one-way trip into a wall, a spokesman for Vägverket said it was most likely the Saab brand. The spokesman was also quick to point out that all of the cadavers were people "who had donated their own bodies." (Well, that is comforting to know!)

While cadavers were used in the earliest crash tests (first started in the late 1930s), most of us were under the assumption that fully-instrumented million-dollar synthetic crash test dummies, or computer simulations, had replaced human remains in current testing. Apparently, some folks at GM may have been thinking otherwise. As of today, neither General Motors or Saab have acknowledged any tests involving dead bodies, but our hunch says this issue hasn't been laid to rest. Thanks for the tip, Will!

UPDATE: Saab called to let us know that neither it nor General Motors use "postmortem human test subjects" for safety research, nor do they have the facilities to even do so. They do, however, provide funds to certain bio-mechanical research projects, often through universities, the results of which they use to make better crash test dummies.

[Source: The Local]

Click on the image above for our Toyota Prius gallery

When an eight-year-old boy on a bicycle gets hit by a car while riding in the middle of the street, the blame often points directly at the youth. However, if the car in question just happens to be a quiet hybrid-electric... there just may be reason to accuse the vehicle.

Last weekend, a youthful Owen Erickson was riding his two-wheeler with a friend when he was struck by a Toyota Prius and tossed onto the hood of the popular hybrid. Thankfully, he was unhurt. His mother, however, was quick to place some of the blame on the "totally silent" Prius, claiming her son never heard it coming. As a scapegoat, the hybrid-electric vehicle is taking more than its fair share of heat. Two years ago, we blogged about the silent danger of hybrids. Earlier this year, Maryland launched a study, and passed legislation aimed at vehicle noise levels (more specifically, the "lack of" audible decibels), citing a legitimate concern for the blind. Just last month, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives to study whether or not a "minimum sound level" needs to be established for these highly-efficient silent runners.

We obviously haven't "heard" the end of this hybrid-electric argument as it begins to gain momentum around the country. Whether future Prius models are equipped with blaring sirens or not, we do know that Moms will still need to teach their children to not play in the middle of the street. Thanks for the tip, Tyler!

[Source: KARE 11]

Drivers give in to a lot of distractions behind the wheel. Phone calls, eating, drinking, and slapping the kids around are one thing, but something that's always irked us is drivers traveling with pets on their laps. Aside from the possibility of Fluffy freaking out and doing its doggone best to create a crash, we've always envisioned a Chihuahua-sized cavity in someone's chest after the airbag deploys. Well, California Assemblyman Bill Maze shares our concern and has proposed a bill to make it illegal for an animal to be held on a driver's lap while behind the wheel. The bill passed the Assembly on Monday by a vote of 44-11 and is on its way to the state Senate before landing on Arnie's desk. Here's hoping that the Governator does what's right for man and his best friend.

[Source: AP]

Click above for a few more pics of this EVO's severed limb

...your accelerator pedal breaks clean off. Actually, the owner of this 2008 Mitsubishi EVO X GSR swears he wasn't caning the car excessively hard when his go pedal snapped in two. Posted on the evolutionm.net forums by 'DRAG', these pictures show the severed pedal in question. DRAG claims he was at a stoplight at the time (in front of some STI owners, no less) when he started to leave the light with a little "enthusiasm". As he pushed the GSR's accelerator to the floorboards, the thing's plastic arm broke off clean. Clearly frustrated with his $40,000+ automobile, DRAG called the dealer and waited for some roadside assistance that never came. To make a long story short, Mitsubishi refused to replace the pedal under warranty, but the dealership decided to pick up the tab anyway. Hopefully Mitsubishi doesn't view this case as an isolated incident caused by someone pushing their EVO too hard, because A) you should be able to push an EVO really hard and B) EVOs have been pushed to their limits while being tested by members of the automotive press and we've never heard of anything like this happening. Take a peek at some more pics of the completely cracked pedal in the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, thedriver!

UPDATE: It was actually the accelerator pedal, not the clutch pedal as originally stated. Post above has been corrected.


[Source: evolutionm.net]

When you growl out lyrics like "we all just wanna be big rock stars," even satirically, as Chad Kroeger did when he laid down the vocal for Nickelback's "Rockstar," there's bound to be an overtone of schadenfreude when you get busted for acting like a rockstar. Kroeger was pinched in 2006 for driving his Lamborghini too fast and too drunk (amusingly chronicled here). The wheels of justice don't turn as fast as a lead-singer-piloted Lambo, apparently, so Kroeger's (née Turton) sentence was just recently meted out in Vancouver. Twice the legal blood alcohol level and 80 miles per hour will net you a fine of 600 Loonies (like $2,000 now that the US dollar is all Caspar Milquetoast) and a driving suspension for the rest of the year. Oh darn. I think we'd be inclined to consider ourselves lucky if we received such a light tap on the wrist, but the indignity of it all will see Kroeger appealing. When he eventually loses the second appeal, we suggest he be sentenced to writing a truly new song.

[Source: BBC]

Lane departure sensors and adaptive cruise control have helped to prevent accidents and save lives, and new technology from the University of Michigan hopes to take the those ideas to the next level. U of M's Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System warns drivers if they're about to hit another vehicle while changing lanes; if they're about to leave the road; and if they're going to rear-end another vehicle. The system improves on existing technology by integrating data from video, radio sensors and GPS to warn drivers of dangerous situations and give them the path of least possible harm.

The university secured over $32M in funding from state and local governments plus several corporations, which will pay for the testing of 16 passenger cars and 10 commercial trucks equipped with the system. IIHS predicts that tens of thousands of lives will be saved each year if lane departure and forward crash systems are improved, so here's to hoping the Wolverines have a smash hit on their hands. No pun intended.

[Source: Detroit News]

Slightly more than 90,000 Toyota Highlanders are being recalled for a seatbelt problem in the third row. The recalled crossovers are all 2008 models built between May of 2007 and March of this year. The stock belts could prevent secure mounting of a rear-facing child seat in the third row, and dealers will install a redesigned part on affected Highlanders. The problem with the third row belts hasn't spawned any complaints or injuries, and owners will be notified starting in June. Still, Toyota has put the brakes on Highlander sales until current stock is retrofitted and assembly lines are resupplied with the new part.


[Source: AP via WCVB]

Though Men's Vogue has already attempted to disprove the theory that only women can get away with driving one, it seems that smart has seen the need to dispel some rumors about the fortwo, their little urban runabout. Specifically, many people apparently question how large of a person the smart can easily handle, how safe a car this small could be, how much room there is for stuff and what features the fortwo is equipped with. In all honesty, the smart would probably work for a large percentage of the population of both the U.S. and the U.K., but certainly not for every situation likely to come up in everyday life. As a second car or strictly for commuting, we imagine that the smart would meet the needs of quite a few drivers who would never even consider a vehicle this small.

Just for fun, why not check out the truth about smart here. Even if you hate the car, you may enjoy seeing it mildly-mangled by a wrecking ball.

[Source: the truth about smart]

Four U.S. states, one Canadian province and one territory have already banned smoking in your car when children are present. Next up to potentially adopt the legislation is Ontario, Canada. A bill has been introduced into parliament that would fine anyone smoking in a car when someone under the age of 16 is also in the car.

The bill makes no exceptions for, well, anything. It doesn't matter if the car is stopped or moving, if all the windows are down and the sunroof open, or whether the smoker is driver or passenger. Smoke inside a motorized vehicle with a "child," and it'll cost you $250 Canadian.

While we don't argue with the supposed spirit of the law -- protecting children from the ill health effects of smoke -- we do wonder about the relevant age. Sixteen years old seems kind of long in the tooth to be classified as a "child," while 17-year-olds are suddenly adults who can handle it. There would also seem to be more dangerous things out there than traces of smoke at 55-MPH with the windows down, but it is Canada after all, so maybe not.

Thanks for the tip, Rodstar!

[Source: Canadian Driver]

Contrary to the findings of the Japanese Metropolitan Police, a new study has just been released in Britain which suggests that older drivers are not dangerous on the roads. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) data shows that older drivers actually become less of a risk than drivers under the age of thirty. Unfortunately, though, drivers over the age of seventy are more likely to be seriously injured when they do get into an accident. Neil Greig, director of the IAM Motoring Trust suggests that older drivers self-regulate themselves as they realize their abilities are weakening.

Still, the U.K. requires drivers over seventy to renew their licenses every three years, but it's up to the driver to report any physical conditions that could impair their driving. The U.K. government is considering adding new testing requirements for drivers over the age of seventy-five.

In other news, ninety-one percent of teen drivers consider themselves safe, though only 34-percent would say the same for their friends. Feel free to scare yourself by reading an entire press release of teen-driving statistics after the break.

[Sources: What Car, Erie Insurance]