Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Unintended Consequence of Technology: New LED traffic lights can't melt snow]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/unintended-consequence-of-technology-new-led-traffic-lights-can/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/unintended-consequence-of-technology-new-led-traffic-lights-can/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/unintended-consequence-of-technology-new-led-traffic-lights-can/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Traffic lights using state-of-the-art LED illumination use 90 percent less electricity, offer a much longer service life and are more durable than their incandescent counterparts. Taking advantage of the countless benefits, cities around the country have been replacing traditional filament-based traffic signal bulbs with LEDs for years. Unfortunately, the low-watt LED units burn much cooler than its white-hot counterpart making it unable to melt snow off weather exposed traffic fixtures.

"I've never had to put up with this in the past," said Duane Kassens, a driver from Indiana who was involved in an accident attributed to a snow-clogged traffic light. "The police officer told me the new lights weren't melting the snow. How is that safe?" It obviously isn't.

Municipalities around the country are taking different steps to keep their signals shining brightly in the face of Mother Nature. Crews in St. Paul, Minnesota, use compressed air to keep their lights clean. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, city workers brush the snow off by hand in a labor-intensive process. Until a fix arrives, it is best to take the advice of Dave Hansen, a traffic engineer with the Green Bay Department of Public Works. Treat a blocked signal as if the power is out. "If there's any question, you err on the side of caution," says Hansen.

[Source: AOL Autos | Image: Oswego Police]

Unintended Consequence of Technology: New LED traffic lights can't melt snow originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlubFreezeIceLEDLED BulbsLED lightingLED TechnologyLED traffic lightsLedBulbsLedLightingLedTechnologyLedTrafficLightsLightsroad lightsroad safetyRoadLightsRoadSafetySignalsSnowstreet lightStreet LightsStreetLightStreetLightstraffic lightTraffic Lightstraffic safetytraffic signalTraffic SignalsTrafficLightTrafficLightsTrafficSafetyTrafficSignalTrafficSignalsWinterWed, 16 Dec 2009 17:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Ready, Set, Go! Clever stoplight concept counts down to green]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/03/ready-set-go-clever-stoplight-concept-counts-down-to-green/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/03/ready-set-go-clever-stoplight-concept-counts-down-to-green/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/03/ready-set-go-clever-stoplight-concept-counts-down-to-green/#commentsFiled under: ,

Eko stop light - Click above for image gallery

We've got the stoplights in our neighborhood timed pretty well, but it's pretty painful when you're at a foreign intersection and have absolutely no idea when the light will turn green. We shift our vehicle into Neutral and give our left foot a break at a stoplight that we know is long, but at uncharted lights, we occasionally keep our clutch foot to the floor.

One designer by the name of Damjan Stankovic decided we should wait no longer, so he designed an innovative-looking "Eko" stoplight that offers an easy to read indicator that shows how much time the light has until it turns green. The idea has some merit. If you want to conserve fuel and reduce CO2 emissions, you could turn off your engine during truly long lights. (We wouldn't, but you could). If drivers were able to see the light from far away, they could also let off the accelerator early and save a little strain on the brakes. We can think of one big issue, though: drivers trying to time the turn from red to green.

What do you think? Would a red light timer be a good thing, or would it be a recipe for disaster? Give us your take in 'Comments.' Thanks for the tips, Spyros and Jared!


Gallery: Eko Stop Light


[Source: Yanko Design]

Ready, Set, Go! Clever stoplight concept counts down to green originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Damjan StankovicDamjanStankovicroad safetyRoadSafetystop lightstop light timerStopLightStopLightTimertraffic safetyTrafficSafetyThu, 03 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST<![CDATA[REPORT: More than 25% of US bridges are "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/11/report-more-than-25-of-us-bridges-are-structurally-deficient/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/11/report-more-than-25-of-us-bridges-are-structurally-deficient/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/11/report-more-than-25-of-us-bridges-are-structurally-deficient/#commentsFiled under:



Here's some bad news for all of us: Over 150,000 bridges in the U.S. have been judged to be "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." And get this, there are less than 598,000 bridges in America. That means 25.7% aren't in very good shape. It turns out that the state with the most structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (SD/FO) bridges is Texas, with 9,564 such bridges. However, Texas is ginormous - almost half the size of Alaska - and therefore has a lot of bridges, but the percentage of Texan SD/FO bridges is 19%. And that's significantly lower than the national average.

What state has the most SD/FO bridges? Betcha never would have guessed the District of Columbia. For one thing, it's not even a state! For another, you'd think being in such close proximity to all that Washingtonian largesse would be good for something. Turns out, not. Anyhow, 55% of the bridges in our nation's capital are going to fall down/fail sooner than later says The Better Roads Bridge Inventory survey.

The actual State with the highest percentage of bad bridges is Rhode Island with 53%. Pennsylvania takes second place honors with 39%. The really bad news, according to the frighteningly detailed article, is that all these numbers might be low.

[Source: Better Roads via The Car Connection | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]

REPORT: More than 25% of US bridges are "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bridgeBridgesFunctionally ObsoleteFunctionally Obsolete BridgesFunctionallyObsoleteFunctionallyObsoleteBridgesinfrastructureroad constructionroad infrastructureroad networkroad safetyRoadConstructionRoadInfrastructureRoadNetworkRoadSafetyroadworkspanStructurally DeficientStructurally Deficient bridgesStructurallyDeficientStructurallyDeficientBridgestraffic safetyTrafficSafetyWed, 11 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[STUDY: Majority of highway fatalities caused by deficient road conditions]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/02/study-majority-of-highway-fatalities-caused-by-deficient-road-c/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/02/study-majority-of-highway-fatalities-caused-by-deficient-road-c/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/02/study-majority-of-highway-fatalities-caused-by-deficient-road-c/#commentsFiled under: , ,



What would you think to be the leading contributor to fatalities in car crashes here in the States? Failure to use seat belts? Speeding? Drunk driving? Think again. According to a new study commissioned by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), the leading cause of highway fatalities is deficient road conditions. In fact, the study asserts, with a roadway-related crash occurring every minute on American streets, inadequate roadway infrastructure is responsible for the majority of highway fatalities in the United States and over a third of injuries incurred in non-fatal crashes as well.

Given the state of many roadways, you might think that the situation - like America's road network - is beyond repair. However, the study, entitled "On a Crash Course: The Dangers and Health Costs of Deficient Roadways," assesses the financial cost alone of crashes caused by these substandard roadways - as a whopping $217 billion annually, including medical bills, loss of productivity and property damage. That's more than three-and-a-half times the $59 billion which local, state and federal governments in the United States invest in improving America's roadways. PIRE's solution? Improving road conditions, of course, including better signage and markings, widening shoulders and removing obstacles from roadsides. Follow the jump to read more on PIRE's findings and suggested solutions for what it deems is one of the largest killers in America.

[Source: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation | Image: STR/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading STUDY: Majority of highway fatalities caused by deficient road conditions

STUDY: Majority of highway fatalities caused by deficient road conditions originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto accidentauto accidentsAutoAccidentAutoAccidentscar accidentcar accidentscar crashcar crashesCarAccidentCarAccidentsCarCrashCarCrashescause of deathCauseOfDeathdeathdeficient roadwayDeficientRoadwayfatalitiesfatalityhighwayhighway maintenancehighway markingsHighwayMaintenanceHighwayMarkingsPacific Institute for Research and EvaluationPacificInstituteForResearchAndEvaluationpireroad constructionroad maintenanceroad networkroad safetyRoadConstructionRoadMaintenanceRoadNetworkRoadSafetyroadwaysafetysignagetraffic safetyTrafficSafetyThu, 02 Jul 2009 10:28:00 EST<![CDATA[National Motorists Association ranks states most hostile to drivers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/21/national-motorists-association-ranks-states-most-hostile-to-driv/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/21/national-motorists-association-ranks-states-most-hostile-to-driv/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/21/national-motorists-association-ranks-states-most-hostile-to-driv/#commentsFiled under:



For as long as there has been traffic enforcement, drivers from different states have gathered to compare notes on whose police and legal systems are the most oppressive and toughest to deal with. While most such conversations rarely progress beyond the anecdotal, the folks over at the National Motorists Association have actually gone to the trouble of ranking all 50 states using a set of seventeen criteria, just in time to adjust your travel plans ahead of this weekend's Memorial Day holiday.

The list was compiled by weighing such factors as 'Speed Traps Per Capita," the use of speed and red-light cameras, as well as legal factors like the presence of mayor's courts, the availability of trial-by-declaration, and so on.

We're not sure we agree with each of the criterion (e.g. singling out whether cellular phone use is legal), but it's a very interesting list all the same, and might give you some fuel for the inevitable water cooler discussion following your next moving violation.

Click on the jump to see the full list of factors and where your stomping grounds stack up among the least motorist-friendly states in the nation. Hot tip, Frank!

[Source: National Motorists Association, Source Photo by bradleygee | CC2.0]

Continue reading National Motorists Association ranks states most hostile to drivers

National Motorists Association ranks states most hostile to drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 May 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cell phone driversCellPhoneDriversdriverslaw enforcementLawEnforcementmotoristsNational Motorists AssociationNationalMotoristsAssociationred light cameraRedLightCameraroad safetyRoadSafetyspeed camerasSpeedCamerastraffic enforcementTrafficEnforcementThu, 21 May 2009 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Color-shifting roads warn of ice]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/color-shifting-roads-warn-of-ice/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/color-shifting-roads-warn-of-ice/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/08/color-shifting-roads-warn-of-ice/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Problems caused by disappearing traction when roads get icy will be solved when we all get our flying cars - it is the 21st century, after all. Until that long overdue promise is fulfilled, we're all relegated to putting rubber to the road to reach our destinations. The way winter road conditions are currently mitigated involves lots of salt and many trucks. The trucks are pretty much necessary for removal of heavy precipitation, but salting exacts an environmental, as well as financial price. Motorists, too, could benefit from a warning that road surfaces are less than optimal. To that end, France's Eurovia is developing a temperature-sensitive varnish that changes color to provide a visual indication to all road users that the pavement is freezing. Once it warms back up again, the varnish returns to its default hue. Durability trials are underway in several areas of France that experience severe weather, and if the coating holds up well, we could all be watching out for pink stripes in the winter. Thanks for the tip, akhel.

Translated press release after the jump.

[Source: Eurovia via Transport Trends; Photo: news.fr]

Continue reading Color-shifting roads warn of ice

Color-shifting roads warn of ice originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>icy roadsIcyRoadsroad conditionsroad safetyRoadConditionsRoadSafetysafetysafety markingsSafetyMarkingswinter conditionswinter drivingwinter safetyWinterConditionsWinterDrivingWinterSafetyTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:57:00 EST<![CDATA[UK motorcyclists saved from being sliced in two by wire rope barriers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/28/uk-motorcyclists-saved-from-being-sliced-in-two-by-wire-rope-bar/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/28/uk-motorcyclists-saved-from-being-sliced-in-two-by-wire-rope-bar/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/28/uk-motorcyclists-saved-from-being-sliced-in-two-by-wire-rope-bar/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



We aren't conspiracy theorists, and we believe that government usually wants to do the right thing. Nevertheless, we do wonder sometimes how large groups of smart people come up with such dumb ideas. In this case, it's wire rope barriers used to act as a median on rural roads.

The barriers, already in use in Sweden, the Netherlands and New Zealand, are used to prevent head-on collisions between automobiles on narrower roads that don't allow for thick concrete barriers. The UK was in favor of installing them, until a study by a motorcycle group showed that they would be fatal for motorcyclists. In New Zealand, the barriers were nicknamed "cheese cutters" after a 22-year-old motorcyclist encountered them at speed and was sliced in two like a brick of fromage.

Now the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the group that had been lobbying for them in the UK, has withdrawn its endorsement. It now wants to "ensure that any barrier system proposed anywhere on our roads places the safety needs of motorcyclists at the top of the list."

Thanks for the tip, Adam!

[Source: Motorcycle News]

UK motorcyclists saved from being sliced in two by wire rope barriers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheese cuttersCheeseCuttersroad safetyRoadSafetywire rope barriersWireRopeBarriersFri, 28 Dec 2007 18:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Canadian tragedy sparks calls to ban aftermarket parts]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/04/canadian-tragedy-sparks-calls-to-ban-aftermarket-parts/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/04/canadian-tragedy-sparks-calls-to-ban-aftermarket-parts/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/04/canadian-tragedy-sparks-calls-to-ban-aftermarket-parts/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A tragedy on Toronto streets that claimed the lives of a pair of enthusiasts has once again set alight political fires alight by those looking to ban performance modifications to automobiles.

Whether the deaths are attributable to street racing remains up for debate, but the event has triggered calls for the banning of go-fast bits like nitrous oxide.

Wheels' chief scribe Jim Kenzie rants in the Toronto Star that taking such action is little better than conclusions drawn from overly simplistic metaphors like:

Prostitutes wear short skirts. That woman is wearing a short skirt.
Therefore, she's a prostitute.

Said another way, banning aftermarket parts and the tuner culture would be to wrongly attack a symptom, not the problem of street racing itself.

What do you think about street racing and the efforts made to prevent it?  Sound off in comments!

[Sources: Toronto Star; PopCenter.org]

Canadian tragedy sparks calls to ban aftermarket parts originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Jun 2006 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>illegal racingIllegalRacingroad safetyRoadSafetyrolloverstreet racingStreetRacingTorontotraffic safetyTrafficSafetySun, 04 Jun 2006 19:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Volvo joins humanitarian aid groups to help prevent accidents]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/18/volvo-joins-humanitarian-aid-groups-to-help-prevent-accidents/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/18/volvo-joins-humanitarian-aid-groups-to-help-prevent-accidents/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/18/volvo-joins-humanitarian-aid-groups-to-help-prevent-accidents/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Volvo continues to burnish its halo for building safety-conscious vehicles. This time, the Ford Motor Company's Swedish imprint is teaming up with no fewer than 40 different global humanitarian aid organizations to talk traffic safety.

Volvo will share its knowledge and analysis with Fleet Forum, a voluntary collective of humanitarian aid organizations, in the hopes of increasing the safety of road systems around the world. By offering reports and analysis from its own accident research team, the automaker believes it can help lessen the number of accidents among humanitarian aid transport missions.

The partnership is set to last until 2009.

[Source: Easier UK; NewStreet.It]

 

Volvo joins humanitarian aid groups to help prevent accidents originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 May 2006 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fleet ForumFleetForumhumanitarianhumanitarian aidHumanitarianAidroad safetyRoadSafetytraffic safetyTrafficSafetyThu, 18 May 2006 18:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Texas considering 80 mph speed limit]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/16/south-texas-considering-80-mph-speed-limit/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/16/south-texas-considering-80-mph-speed-limit/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/16/south-texas-considering-80-mph-speed-limit/#commentsSomewhere, Sammy Hagar is smiling. Texas' Transportation Commision will consider raising the speed limit on Interstates 10 and 20 next week. The Texas Department of Transportation's proposal would bump the speed limit to 80 mph to better reflect the rate of speed that traffic presently travels at anyway. A survey of the West Texas roads found that 85 percent of drivers regularly travel at up to 79 mph.

Of course, the proposed change has environmentalists and road safety advocates audibly concerned, but advocates maintain that raising the legal limit will make the roadways safer by encouraging a more universal pace.

What do you think? Sound off in 'Comments.'

[Sources: Associated Press via Houston Chronicle; Motomania; Lyricsbox]

Texas considering 80 mph speed limit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 May 2006 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>55 mph55Mph80 mph80MphD.O.T.double-nickelFuel EconomyFuelEconomyI can't Drive 55I-10I-20ICan'tDrive55Interstate 10Interstate 20Interstate10Interstate20posted limitPostedLimitroad safetyRoadSafetySafety AdvocatesSafetyAdvocatesSammy HagarSammyHagarSpeed LimitSpeedLimitTexas Department of TransportationTexasDepartmentOfTransportationTransportation CommissionTransportationCommissionVan HalenVanHalenWest TexasWestTexasTue, 16 May 2006 07:05:00 EST