Autoblog

If you plan on driving in November, and who doesn't, keep an eye out for wildlife. It's likely due to amorous quadrupeds wandering around looking for companionship at the peak of the deer mating season, but you're three times more likely to find a large furry thing in your path of travel during November than any other time of the year, and it's getting worse. The Highway Loss Data Institute has been tracking insurance claims for animal strikes, and incidents have risen 14.9 percent in the last five years.

Breeding season collisions have been getting more prevalent, perhaps due to urban sprawl cutting into animal habitats. Animal versus motorcycle incidents rise in the summer months, mainly because riding two-wheelers is more common. Most of the time, these accidents aren't fatal to people, unless they're asking for it by ignoring seatbelts or insisting that helmets are for sissies. Rural areas, where speeds are higher, tend to have the roads you want to watch out for, especially when it's dark.

Peace of mind can be had for a price. Vehicles from Scandinavian countries must pass the "moose test," which means the car is more resistant to folding up like some kind of metallic origami when encountering large livestock. Vigilance behind the wheel of something like a Saab Turbo X Sport Combi doesn't sound like a bad way to finish out Autumn, now does it?

"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that."

That type of belligerence might be coming to your car under the guise of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Many cars can already be had with the necessary hardware like GPS navigation systems that help a vehicle determine its position, and stability control that can already fire individual brakes to effect course corrections. Is the next step writing the software to interconnect those systems into an active safety net? This would effectively enable the car to steer you out of trouble if it compares your trajectory with the nav system and determines you're off-course.

Passive safety systems have seemingly hit a wall, and the mass that all that crash safety adds must be either offset through the use of more exotic and expensive materials, or the result is a stupendously heavy vehicle. The next step will be active safety, a baby-step that has already been made with stability control and active cruise control. Current maps in navigation systems aren't adequate for driver aids, as they're mainly bird's-eye-view positional representations. Once maps with more data become available, the possibility of your car bringing all its situational awareness equipment to bear so that it can execute lane changes and warn you about a blind hairpin curve coming up might not be such fantasy.

[Source: Automotive Design Line]

We've all seen them. Drivers so engrossed in whatever else they're doing that they don't seem to remember they are driving, too. Oh, how we've secretly wished there was a cop around to witness these acts and punish the offenders. Well, thanks to the wide availability of affordable cell phone cams, and the accessibility and popularity of the internet, motorists are taking the law into their own hands. Sort of.

A whole slew of websites has popped up where people can report bad driving and vent their frustrations for the world to see. Sometimes with accompanying photos, motorists post the offender's description, plate number, and offending behavior. All of the sites require membership and to avoid unwarranted attacks, they show the name of the reporter, too. Not a place for vendettas, these sitse really are a way for citizens to help keep other drivers accountable. As we all know, it can be easy to think you're alone, isolated in your own car, but when we pilot a vehicle on public motorways, we need to work within the rules so everybody can reach their destination promptly and safely. Of course there will always be a few boneheads that clog everything up, but that's no excuse for road rage or overly aggressive driving. At least that's what our probation officer tells us. Below you'll find a short list of some of these sites. The list is by no means complete, so feel free to share ones we omitted.

• Irate-Driver is a relatively small site with just a few reported incidents. Still, it's straightforward and has lots of safety links and other resources.
• PlateWire seems to be the largest such site. License plates are displayed and are searchable, but there's a twist. Good drivers and even secret admirers can be listed with thumbs ups and winks.
• Caughtya reads more like a blog, with incident reports listed by date.
• Bad Driving is a UK-based site that looks a bit like a used car listing service. More pics here than elsewhere.
  

[Source: KTLA]

It's always tragic when people die from automotive accidents, especially when they've barely started their lives. Last month, four teen from Wakefield High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, were killed when the driver's Mazda RX-8 slammed into a concrete barrier. In response, the high school, the Wakefield Forest police department, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) have gathered together to put on a safe-driving fair this weekend. Leith Chevrolet dealership owner Chris Leith has also joined the fair.

Air bag deployment and equipment simulating alcohol intoxication are some of the exhibits at the fair. For those in the area, location and times of the safe-driving fair can be found at the link.

[Source: The News & Observers]