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April 03, 2006
An airbag saved my life
Be careful when lifting off the throttle in the rain. You might end up hitting the center barrier.
I'm ok. Unfortunately the car isn't. Drive safely out there.
Posted by glyphic at 10:09 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
June 24, 2005
Hang up.
My opinion? Most people can't drive to begin with; why let them speed around in 2 tons of steel while thinking about something other than driving?
WASHINGTON — Detailed new research shows that using a cell phone behind the wheel is a key cause of traffic accidents and that hand-free devices provide little safety benefit, federal officials told an international automotive safety gathering Wednesday.
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But whether drivers use a hand-held device or not, "phone use degraded both driving performance and vehicle control," said NHTSA's Elizabeth Mazzae.
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NHTSA officials have expressed concern that hands-free devices can give drivers a false sense of security, when research has shown that it is the act of conversation that leads to distraction and inattentive driver behavior.
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The federal research presented Wednesday adds to a growing body of studies that suggest hands-free cell-phone systems will not deliver the safety benefits automakers and legislators hoped for.
In 2003, for example, University of Utah professor David Strayer found cell-phone conversations can lead to a kind of "inattention blindness," as drivers fail to recognize objects or events in their field of view. Strayer found that drivers using hand-held and hands-free cell phones were equally impaired.
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Greg Rosinski is a Canton, Mich., resident who uses his cell's speaker phone function. He said studies about the dangers of cell phone use while driving tend to exaggerate.
"Having a baby or even another person in the car is just as distracting," said Rosinski, a former account representative for a cell phone company. "I don't buy any of this scare tactics stuff. Cell phones are no more a cause of accidents than someone applying mascara or eating in the car."
Thanks to Glasstrack for the link.
Posted by glyphic at 11:43 PM | Comments (1)
May 29, 2005
Beijing Rice Racing
Not sure what kind of Toyota it is; it looks like a cross between an early nineties Celica and a mid-nineties Camry, so I'd say it's probably something from that era that we never got stateside.
Posted by glyphic at 02:19 AM | Comments (1)
March 17, 2005
Bad Ass
What you are looking at is the Lotus Sport Exige, not to be confused with your typical, run-of-the-mill Exige.
Posted by glyphic at 04:36 PM | Comments (1)
January 05, 2005
Subaru B9 Tribeca
Good lord that's ugly.
Subaru's inviting current owners to come by and check out their latest crossover vehicle at the LA Auto Show. Subaru pretty much invented the crossover with the Forester, which is a very tall wagon with ground clearance marketed as a mini-SUV. Much better than most SUVs when it comes to handling, with enough cargo space to compete with the ones at the small end of the scale.
I think I'll go check it out; I'm planning to go to the auto show anyway, so this will be a good opportunity to go on Subaru's dime.
Posted by glyphic at 01:51 PM | Comments (1)
December 03, 2004
Maserati MC12
Woah. More pics at Automobile and some information and pics at Edmunds.
Posted by glyphic at 03:40 PM | Comments (2)
November 01, 2004
Ford Shelby GR-1
Every once in a while, Ford does something right:
That's the Shelby GR-1. Not as stunning as the Ford GT. Looks a bit like an Aston Martin with braces. But much, much better than the previous concept car.
Posted by glyphic at 11:22 AM
Take the kids to soccer at 155 mph
If having a 420bhp 6L V8 means you're a sexy automobile, the Brabus Viano V8 is a sexy automobile for nuclear families:
Here in the States, this would be the ultimate sleeper. Yep. You'd whip me at every stoplight.
Posted by glyphic at 11:16 AM
Honda Legend?
Top Gear reports that the Honda Legend, available in the US and Japan, is coming to the UK. Um. What? As far as I know, we don't have a Honda or Acura that looks like this:
Stranger still, this Honda features a 3.5-litre V6 that puts out 300bhp and AWD. Here's Honda's Japanese Legend site.
Posted by glyphic at 11:09 AM
October 20, 2004
Snoozing through traffic
It doesn't rain often here, but when it does, people freak out. I have a low opinion of most people's ability to drive to begin with, and this morning it seemed that every traffic report that managed to sneak into my consciousness before I hit snooze reported another couple accidents on the freeways. Checking Sigalert.com, I can see a clusterfuck of accidents in Orange County (heh, Republicans really can't drive), accidents up and down the 710, and a scattering of accidents everywhere else. Ugh. No thanks.
So here are some tips to my fellow LA area drivers:
1. Pay attention. You should always pay attention, but pay special attention when it's raining/wet. That means turning off your cell phone, saving the paper for later, or doing your makeup before getting in the car.
2. Keep your distance. Your brakes are shitty, your reaction time is slow, your tires are those plastic, long-lasting ones you picked up at Costco for $25 a tire last year. You just aren't going to be able to stop as quickly, period. Multiply that by a factor of 1.5-2.5 in the wet. Don't forget that there's an asshole behind you who drives just like you. If he's tailgating you and you're tailgating the guy in front of you, you're in for a world of hurt.
3. Keep both hands on the wheel. Driving through a pool of standing water can rapidly slow down your wheels on one side, causing your car to jerk toward that side. If you've only got a few fingers resting on the bottom of your steering wheel when that happens, you're probably going to hit that median or the car next to you.
4. Stay home. You just ignored 1-3, didn't you? Well, then just call in sick today. Stay off that road. Or better yet, take advantage of all this free water by washing your car in the rain. Last night I hosed down my car, quickly soaped it up, then took a spin around the block (tried to get my wheels to break loose at the cul de sac, but didn't try hard enough). All in ten minutes. My car is clean!
5. Do the math. Sigh. So you're going to get out there anyway. So let's say you gotta get somewhere that's ten miles away. If you're driving 55 mph, it'll take you 11 minutes. If you're driving 75 mph, it'll take you 8 minutes. If you get in an accident, you can add 1-2 hours to your commute. If you can't handle the speed (and let's be honest here, you can't), go ahead and suck it up. It's going to take you an extra three minutes, and you should stay the fuck out of the passing lane.
I guess this is more of angry rant than a list of tips. There's still good advice in there. ;)
Posted by glyphic at 10:15 AM
April 25, 2004
This is the one I want
Top Gear tells us about the new Lotus Exige. I want it.
It looks like a bad ass alien, features Lotus handling, and has a Toyota engine tweaked by Lotus:
One major difference is that Lotus has aimed to get rid of the thump-in-the-back difference between cam profiles that's so noticeable (and intoxicating) in the Celica. The company was keen to avoid upsetting the balance of the car; the high-speed cam comes in at around 6200rpm but stays working until you drop below 5800rpm, meaning you won't be bumped back down to standard output during gearchanges - though with a red shift light on the dash, you should always be able to change up at exactly the right moment.
More photos here.
Posted by glyphic at 01:33 PM