NTSB Still Pushing to Ban Hands-Free Phones in Cars

Today's automobiles are more connected than ever, and the National Transportation Safety Board doesn't seem to approve. The Detroit News reports that NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman is standing behind a recommendation to ban drivers from making hands-free phone calls that aren't of the emergency variety.

Hersman is battling automakers head-on when it comes to distracting technologies, and there are plenty of those technologies in today's vehicles. That includes hands-free calling made via Bluetooth, which has long been viewed as a safer alternative to grabbing a phone and calling someone the old-fashioned way. The proposed ban on hands-free calling reportedly doesn't include OnStar, which integrates calling directly through the vehicle. Hersman reportedly went as far as to suggest that automakers make their number one priority "safety, not sales."

While we think distracted driving is worth fighting, it's difficult to see where banning hands-free calling is the answer. And we're not alone. Even National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Ray LaHood feels the NTSB recommendation goes too far. If automakers are forced to remove the tech from new vehicles, we're thinking many drivers will simply revert back to hand-held calling.






Ref:  http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/30/ntsb-still-pushing-to-ban-hands-free-phones-in-cars/

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Ram Celebrats Texas with Special 10th Anniversary Lone Star Edition

Everything's bigger in Texas, and that includes the pickup truck market. The market is so big, in fact, that truck manufacturers regularly unveil new models at the Texas State Fair, and create special models just for the largest of contiguous states in the union. For Chrysler, that means the Ram 1500 Lone Star – a special edition available only in Texas that accounts for 30- to 40-percent of its 1500-series truck sales in the state, or about 80,000 units sold since its introduction ten years ago.

Now that the model has reached that decade milestone, the American truckmaker is keen to get the party started – Texas-style – with an even more special special edition. The Ram Lone Star 10th Anniversary starts out with the Ram 1500 Crew Cab with bucket seats and upholsters them in perforated Katzkin leather with special logos to match those on the dashboard, floormats and the emblems on the outside.

A 5.7-liter Hemi V8 does the pulling duty with 390 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, bolstered on the equipment list by 20-inch wheels, an auxiliary power outlet, trailer hitch and more that you can read about in the press release after the jump. The package adds a reasonable $1,500 to the base price for an all-in MSRP of $36,440, with deliveries beginning in the second quarter of the year – but only if you live in Texas.







Ref:  http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/23/ram-celebrates-texas-with-special-10th-anniversary-lone-star-edi/

2013 Mazda CX-5 Earns Top Safety Pick Award

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — The 2013 Mazda CX-5 earned a Top Safety Pick award on Tuesday from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet crash-tested the 2013 Mazda CX-5.
"The CX-5 is the second Mazda to qualify since the institute made the criteria for earning the award tougher in 2010 by requiring good performance in a roof strength test that assesses rollover protection," said the IIHS in a statement. "The other model is the Mazda 3."
The CX-5 earned "good" ratings in the IIHS's front, side, rollover and rear impact crash tests.

Mazda noted that the CX-5 is its first production vehicle to "receive the full suite of Skyactiv technologies" in its statement about the Top Safety Pick award.
The CX-5 gets six standard airbags, antilock brakes, dynamic stability control and traction control.
Inside Line says: The federal government has yet to assess the 2013 Mazda CX-5, but the IIHS Top Safety Pick award is a critical bit of information for small SUV shoppers.



Ref. :  http://www.insideline.com/mazda/cx-5/2013/2013-mazda-cx-5-earns-top-safety-pick-award.html

Don't Forget St. Patrick's Day - Saturday March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day Around the World

Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick's Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day was traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use interest in St. Patrick's Day to drive tourism and showcase Ireland and Irish culture to the rest of the world. Today, approximately 1 million people annually take part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions and fireworks shows.






Ref:  http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day

Driving During Spring Break? Don't Forget to Buckle Up!

Safety Tips – Seat Belts and Safety Seats

Safety belts save lives. If you're in the front seat during a crash, wearing a safety belt improves your chance of survival by 50 percent. Wearing lap and shoulder belts (combined with air bags) is the most effective way to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in traffic collisions.
Buckle Up
Safety belts are most effective when used properly.

• Lap belts should fit snugly across the hips, not over the stomach.
• Shoulder belts go over the shoulder and across the center of the chest.
• Never tuck a shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back.

Here's the Law
Texas law now requires drivers and all passengers in vehicles to be secured by a safety belt. A safety belt violation can result in fines ranging from $25 to $50, plus court costs.
Any child under the age of 8 must be restrained in an approved child passenger safety seat unless taller than 4 feet, nine inches. The fine is up to $25 for a first offense and $250 for a second subsequent offense.
The law becomes effective on Sept. 1, 2009, but tickets for this offense cannot be issued until June 1, 2010. Police officers are allowed to issue a warning before that date. However, the previous law remains in effect for now and requires children younger than 5 and less than 36 inches in height be in a child safety seat, and tickets can still be issued for this violation.





Ref:  http://www.txdot.gov/safety/tips/safety_belts.htm

Chrysler debuts natural gas Ram pickup

Detroit— Chrysler Group LLC has unveiled a new version of its heavy-duty Ram pickup Tuesday — this one powered by compressed natural gas.

The privately held company said Tuesday that its new Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG truck will be sold to commercial customers that operate truck fleets. The company expects to deliver the first trucks in July.
The truck will have natural gas tanks and an 8-gallon fuel tank for gasoline. Chrysler said a small amount of gasoline is needed to start the truck, but after ignition it runs entirely on natural gas. If the natural gas tanks run out, the engine can switch to gasoline.

Natural gas prices have dropped steeply over the last year thanks to higher production. Chrysler said the gas-powered trucks will save money for their owners over the long term.
Other automakers are moving into the natural gas market.

Chrysler said its truck will have a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine. The pickup will have a driving range of about 255 miles on natural gas alone. The backup supply of gasoline boosts the range to 367 miles. Chrysler said it expects commercial customers like public utilities and telephone repair crews to buy the trucks for their fleets.


Associated Press and Detroit News