Tag Archives: safety

Study: Deadly Daydreaming Distracts Drivers

A new study on distracted driving shows that daydreaming might be more deadly than using a cell phone while driving.

According to Erie Insurance Group, daydreaming while driving cause 62 percent of distracted driving accidents. Only 12 percent of distracted driving accidents were caused by cell phone usage, even though most initiatives targeting distracted driving are specifically about cell phone usage while driving. The study also named other major driving distractions such as eating while driving, managing pets, and talking with other passengers.

This study should change the conversation on distracted driving. The question shouldn’t be how drivers can do more while driving but rather how drivers should focus only on the road while driving. People are driving and thinking about a million things, thinking they can go on autopilot and still drive safely. Clearly, they are wrong. Distracted driving initiatives will be more successful if they start early with driver’s ed classes and target older drivers using public service announcements which focus more on the attitude that drivers can multi-task rather than just cell phones.

Readers, what do you think? Do you use your cell phone while driving? Do you think these public service announcements and initiatives are helpful for stopping distracted driving? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

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WardsAuto Announces 10 Best Interiors in April

Next month, WardsAuto will be narrowing down 47 competing vehicle interiors to only 10 for the honor of being named one of Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2013.

The top 3 automakers represented this year were General Motors with nine nominees, Toyota with seven nominees, and Honda with five nominees. Notably, the Ram 1500 was the only pickup truck nominated this year after having no pickup truck nominees last year.

WardsAuto editors serve as judges narrowing down and selecting the final list, and they judge interiors based on a wide variety of factors from the quality of materials used to safety features and “smart” car features. It seems like more expensive vehicles would have an edge over their competitors, but editors are less interested in price than what the driver is getting for their money. If the vehicle is a good price with a superior interior, it will have a better chance of making the list than an expensive car that doesn’t live up to its price tag.

The list will be announced next month, and WardsAuto will present the awards at a ceremony on May 22 in Dearborn, MI as part of the WardsAuto Interiors Conference. Stay tuned to the Approved Loan Store blog for the full list when it is announced.

NHTSA Releases New Mobile SaferCar App

A new phone app from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will keep users up to date on the latest recalls and auto safety information.

SaferCar, which is currently available on mobile iOS devices, allows users to search for vehicle safety ratings, read safety complaints, check for recalls, and even access a how-to guide for installing child seats. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated recently that there was a high demand for a mobile app of SaferCar which was previously available as a program on the NHTSA’s website, and LaHood says the mobile app version will help consumers “buy safe, drive safe, and stay safe.” For example, car shoppers can access the app when they are at a dealership and check safety ratings or any recalls on a specific model.

While we haven’t had a chance to check out the new app yet, Approved Loan Store is a big proponent of informed car shoppers. The online version of the SaferCar program has been a fantastic resource for consumers, and it is great that it will be available on-the-go. Currently, SaferCar is not available for Android phones or tablets, but an Android version is in development and will likely be available soon.

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CONSUMER ALERT: Recalls for 2013 Ford Focus, C-Max, and Escape

Edmunds is reporting a new recall on the 2013 Ford Focus, C-Max, and Escape, starting March 25.

Some of these new Ford vehicles have a faulty child lock mechanism installed on the left door of the backseat. Child locks are supposed to automatically lock the backseat doors from the inside while the engine is turned on so that children in the back seat cannot accidentally open the door.

Ford will replace the locks on all affected vehicles, and until then, it is recommended that any small children be seated in the middle or on the right side of the backseat. Fortunately, there have not been any reported injuries related to the faulty child locks, and with the recall, Ford hopes to keep it that way.

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Volvo Updates City Safety for Bicyclists, Pedestrians

Auto safety has improved leaps and bounds in the past few years, not only for drivers and passengers but for pedestrians as well. Volvo has been a leader in this regard, presenting pedestrian air bags at the Geneva Motor Show last year, and this week, they unveiled another stunner. New Volvos will be able to sense pedestrians and bicyclists on the road and help drivers avoid a collision.

The new technology is an update to Volvo’s three-year-old City Safety system which reduces distracted driving accidents and accidents caused by human error. City Safety alerts the driver if the car is on course for a collision and applies the brakes if the driver does not respond to the warning. The original system could detect and monitor other vehicles, but the update expands its detection system to include bicyclists and pedestrians. This system does not give drivers the ability to drive without watching the road but rather serves as a safeguard in high-stress driving scenarios.

Doug Speck, Volvo’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service, was optimistic about the new system and what it means for the future of Volvo, stating, “By covering more and more objects and situations, we reinforce our world-leading position within automotive safety. We keep moving towards our long-term vision to design cars that do not crash.”

The new system will be available May 2013 in the V40, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70, and S80, and pricing has not yet been announced. Volvo owners can also expect additional updates in the next few years that cover large animals such as deer or small animals like dogs or cats.

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Chrysler Announces $374 Million Investment in Indiana Factories

At the end of January, GM announced that they would be investing $600 million into their Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant, their largest investment into a single plant to date. GM isn’t the only automaker putting funds back into their factories, though, as Chrysler announced late last week that they would be investing over $300 million into two of their factories.

The two factories, located in Indiana, will receive a total of $374 million in upgrades and approximately 1,250 new jobs. These factories were on the chopping block back in 2009 after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, and it is fantastic that now in 2013, they are receiving such a major investment from Chrysler. Upgrades to the factories will address current safety risks and get them ready to produce 8-speed and 9-speed transmission.

In a press release, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne praised the Indiana workers, calling the investment a “tribute to the character of the men and women of Chrysler” and crediting Chrysler’s success with its workers’ “ability and…willingness to think in unconventional ways in order to exceed expectations.”

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Distracted Driving Repairs Cost Drivers Greatly

With distracted driving a growing problem in the United States, auto repair shops are seeing a boost in business, but they aren’t necessarily happy about it.

A recent story from KXTV, an ABC affiliate in Sacramento, covered a local auto shop which has seen an increase in fender benders and other incidents caused by distracted driving. Repairs can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars for, as KXTV put it, a few seconds of distraction. A fender bender can cost more than $2000 in repairs, and a side dent can cost as much or more than $500 depending on the vehicle.

Tyler, one of the auto shop employees, encouraged drivers to use technology that is available and on the market such as Bluetooth hands-free devices so that they don’t take their eyes off the road. “That brief second that you take a look to see who e-mailed you or texted you could cost you a significant amount of money.”

Repair shops might be happy about the extra business, but they would rather have safer roads for all drivers. There isn’t a text, a call, or an e-mail worth getting into an accident and putting yourself and others in danger. Get a hands-free system, or for a less expensive option, simply turn off your phone while driving.

Are you looking for a new or used car? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get you a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

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Chevrolet Donates Hundreds of Vehicles For First Responders Training

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles were destroyed in Super Storm Sandy back in October including a substantial amount of new inventory. A question that people are starting to ask is what automakers will do with all these cars, seeing as they are unfit to sell, and Chevrolet is stepping up to make the best out of a bad situation.

Chevrolet announced this week that they will be donating 300 vehicles to Guardian Centers in Perry, Ga. The cars will be used to train first responders in a modern cityscape simulator. Chris Perry, the U.S. Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing, explained that many ports and dealer lots in the northeast were flooded, and if Chevrolet hadn’t donated the vehicles, they would have been destroyed. “We could not sell them, so instead of crushing them, Chevrolet is using these vehicles to help train those who respond to just such disasters.”

Guardian Centers’ founder and CEO Geoff Burkart has called these vehicles “essential” to the simulation experience. In a joint press release, Burkart thanked Chevrolet for their contribution, stating, “Chevrolet has given the millions of first responders throughout North America the ability to exercise in metropolitan scenarios that will look and feel just like their home cities…You can’t expect first response professionals to conduct realistic training in a sterile environment. Every metropolitan area in the world must deal with vehicle traffic and first responders should be provided a training environment that helps condition them for what they will face on the job.”

To learn more about Guardian Centers, visit their website at http://www.guardiancenters.com, and you can read the full press release from Chevrolet and Guardian Centers here.

Are you ready to get into a new or used vehicle today? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, like Approved Loan Store on Facebook, follow Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribe to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Study: New Cars More Dependable Than Ever

The new 2013 models are here, and while conventional wisdom would suggest holding out on buying until any kinks are worked out, a new study suggests that car shoppers might want to buy now.

The study, which was conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, found that customers had fewer problems with vehicles that were either completely new or recently re-launched. In the study, they monitored the 2010 model year and compared new or re-launched cars with carryover models. Carryover models had 17 more problems per 100 vehicles than the new models.

Among the car brands, Lexus performed the best, coming out as the most dependable on average, followed by Porsche, Lincoln, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz. Buick, Honda, Acura, Ram, Suzuki, Mazda, and Chevrolet all managed to perform better than the industry average of 126 problems per 100 vehicles.

In response to the results, J.D. Power Vice President David Sargent praised the auto industry’s improved standards and encouraged consumers to consider new models, saying, “Consumers can buy a vehicle the first year it’s out on the market fairly safe in the knowledge that it’s going to be as dependable as a vehicle that had carried over from the previous year.”

Are you ready to get into a new or used vehicle? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get you a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here, and for more auto news and buying tips, connect with Approved Loan Store on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

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CONSUMER ALERT: Chrysler Recall on Certain Trucks, SUVs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced a recall on certain trucks and SUVs manufactured by Chrysler Group LLC from 2009 top 2012.

According to the report filed with the NHTSA, the issue is a rear axle pinion nut that if loosened can cause the axle to lock up, and the driver could lose control of the vehicle. Chrysler is contacting the owners of all affected models, and owners can get a pinion nut retainer installed free of charge at a Chrysler dealer.

Affected vehicles include:

2009 – 2012 Ram 1500
2009 – 2011 Dodge Dakota
2009 Chrysler Aspen
2009 Dodge Durango

If you are unsure if your vehicle is affected, you can contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

You can get more consumer alerts, car buying tips, and auto industry news by liking Approved Loan Store on Facebook, following Approved Loan Store on Twitter, and subscribing to Approved Loan Store on YouTube!

Are you ready to get into a new car? Approved Loan Store wants to help YOU! Good credit, bad credit, no credit, we will work with you to get you a car you want at terms you can afford! Get started today by filling out our secure online auto loan application here!