November 20th, 2009
Four million gas pedals potentially faulty
Toyota is still working on a solution to the issue of floor mats causing its accelerators to stick, causing that pesky “unintended acceleration” that can really put a damper on anyone’s drive. The automaker has been working closely with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association to come up with a permanent solution for the growing problem. Toyota recently published a statement saying that it would “take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat.”
Inside Line and Kyodo News are reporting that Toyota may be close to announcing that they will replace the gas pedals of the four million vehicles affected by the recall with shorter ones.
The fix would be provided by Toyota dealerships at no charge to the customer. Swapping out four million accelerator pedals could prove to be a pricey solution, but Toyota claims it has saved up to $5.6 billion dollars in its recall funds over the years for just such an occasion.
Have you or your drivers noticed acceleration problems with any Toyotas in your fleet?
Photo courtesy of mary2678 under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Inside Line, Kyodo News, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Toyota
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November 19th, 2009
General Motors is reporting that better-than-expected results from the third quarter of 2009 will allow it to begin repaying government loans sooner than originally planned.
Although GM posted a $1.2 billion loss since emerging from bankruptcy, sales have increased enough to make paying for the automaker’s debt more immediately feasible. GM received $6.7 billion in loans from the U.S. Treasury as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, along with help from Canada and Ontario. But this is only a fraction of the $50 billion in help GM received from U.S. taxpayers since the end of 2008.
GM announced on Monday that the company anticipates paying $1 billion to the U.S. Treasury in December, along with an additional $192 million to the Canadian and Ontario governments. The U.S. government now owns a majority stake in GM, but taxpayers are unlikely to see a return on the investment.
GM president and chief executive officer Fritz Henderson told reporters Monday morning that the third quarter results represented “some signs of progress, some signs of stability,” but that ultimately they were “not satisfactory.”
By comparison, Ford and Toyota both reported unexpected quarterly profits during the same period.
Henderson claims that GM intends to fully pay its debt to the United States government as early as June 2010. He said, however, that the timing of such an offering would depend on the state of the stock market as well the company and industry’s performance.
Photo courtesy of lunasYongXin under the Creative Commons License.
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November 19th, 2009
A while ago, we took a look at new contenders to the retiring Crown Victoria’s throne as the country’s number one police cruiser. Now it looks like Ford is not ready to step down just yet. The Ford Motor Company has announced that it will produce a completely new purpose-built Police Interceptor specially engineered to replace the Crown Vic in 2011.
Ford’s new interceptor is being developed in conjunction with the company’s Police Advisory Board, which has spent the last14 months providing input on the attributes necessary to a quality law enforcement vehicle, such as safety, performance, durability, driver convenience, and comfort. The new Police Interceptor will be offered to law enforcement agencies as soon as the Crown Victoria goes out of production in late 2011.
The new vehicle is designed to provide municipalities with reduced ownership costs through improved quality, durability, and fuel efficiency.
“Ford’s commitment to the law enforcement community produced the Crown Victoria, the benchmark police vehicle,” said Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a member of Ford’s Police Advisory Board. “This commitment has continued, and Ford has been working closely with the Police Advisory Board on developing the new Police Interceptor. I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard.”
Ford plans to reveal the new model and provide full vehicle specifications in the first quarter of 2010 – in time for law enforcement agencies, police equipment manufacturers, and upfitters to develop a transition plan from the Crown Victoria to the new product.
Photo courtesy of wastemanagementdude under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Crown Victoria, Ford, Ford Motor Company, Ford police cruiser, LA sheriff's department, Police Advisory Board, police interceptor
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November 18th, 2009
According to a report from WRAL.com, North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue said Tuesday that rules governing how state agencies lease vehicles need to be reworked to avoid wasteful spending. Some agencies have paid millions of dollars for miles they did not drive, and others had questionable record-keeping practices.
State agencies lease their fleet vehicles from the North Carolina Motor Fleet Management Division, which is fully funded by the fees collected on the vehicles. By law, the division charges for a monthly minimum of 1,050 miles on each vehicle to cover maintenance, insurance and gas for more than 8,500 state-owned vehicles. If vehicles are driven more than 1,050 miles in a month, the agency must pay extra. If cars travel less than 1,050 miles, agencies must still pay the minimum rate.
Over the past year, the unused miles have added up due to the Governor’s orders to cut travel expenses due to a record budget shortfall. From July 2008 to June 2009, the state Department of Correction spent $1.7 million on parked cars. More than half of the state Department of Health and Human Services vehicles drove under the minimum mileage, costing the agency more than $1 million.
Gov. Perdue said agencies could end up returning several vehicles to Motor Fleet Management and having their employees share vehicles to recoup the costs. She also said the law regarding usage of state-owned vehicles might need to be updated.
The motor fleet statute that covers mileage was adopted in 1981 and has never been changed. By law, Motor Fleet Management is limited in its oversight. Once an agency rents a vehicle, the division can’t take it away as long as the bills are being paid.
Photo courtesy of lastdue under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Beverly Perdue, Department of Correction, Department of Health and Human Services, fleets, Motor Fleet Management, North Carolina Motor Fleet Management Division, WRAL.com
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November 18th, 2009
Los Angeles’ West 3rd Street is a popular destination for its many gourmet restaurants, trendy boutiques and premium shopping experiences. But there has always been a major problem for visitors: parking. Now L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz and the West 3rd Street Business Association are launching a public valet service on November 28th to eliminate parking woes.
“Customers have told us, we love your street, but we don’t love the parking situation,” said Deborah Wolsh, owner of Ethel Boutique. “So we and the Office of Councilman Koretz created this service to make it as easy as possible for our customers and neighbors.”
A study of the district identified hundreds of unused off-street parking spaces at times when West 3rd Street’s parking meters were full. The public valet will park visitors’ cars in these spaces, which will continue to be privately owned.
The program also seeks to remedy concerns among local officials that some parking operators may be creating problems for customers, businesses and neighbors.
“Unfortunately, some valets have abused the public parking meters and loading spaces. This causes congestion, hazardous conditions and frustration from customers searching for parking on nearby streets. The new service is going to make parking easier for motorists, and life better for local residents,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz, 5th District.
The public valet parking will begin on November 28, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. and operate only Saturday and Sundays through December 27th. The program will launch full time, seven days per week soon after the New Year.
The valet parking service charge will be $3.50 until 5:00 p.m. which is less than the charge for two hours at most area parking meters. After 5:00 p.m. the fee will be $5.00 at selected locations. These rates are roughly 30 to 50 percent less than the existing, independent valet services currently operating in the area.
Photo courtesy of JiBryant under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Ethel Boutique, Los Angeles, valet parking, West 3rd Street Business Association
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November 17th, 2009
A Los Angeles, CA physician accused of deliberately injuring two cyclists by slamming on his car’s brakes was convicted of mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and other criminal charges on November 2.
Dr. Christopher Thompson, an ER doctor of Beverly Hospital in Montebello, Calif., was also convicted of battery with serious injury and reckless driving causing injury, said the Los Angeles Times. He now faces up to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged that on July 4, 2008, on a stretch of Mandeville Canyon Road in Brentwood, Thompson stopped his car after passing two cyclists and shouting at them to ride single file. The cyclists, Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr, said that they had begun maneuvering to start riding single file when they saw Thompson’s car speed up, pass them dangerously close and then brake abruptly.
Peterson, a coach for USC’s and UCLA’s cycling team, was thrown face-first into the rear windshield of the doctor’s car. He broke his front teeth and nose and his face suffered multiple lacerations. Stoehr was thrown to the sidewalk and separated his shoulder. A police officer testified that Thompson told him shortly after the accident that the cyclists had cursed at him so he slammed on his brakes “to teach them a lesson.”
Thompson denied the cyclists’ allegations, testifying that he had stopped his car to take a picture of the two, thinking that he had left ample room for them. Thompson said he and a number of residents in the area were disturbed by what they viewed as unsafe behavior by cyclists regularly riding that particular road.
While there is tension between motorists and bicyclists in many major cities across the country, in most states bicycles are entitled to the same use of a full lane as an automobile. Drivers should be aware of these rights and follow proper traffic protocol around cyclists.
Photo courtesy of jjan9 under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Beverly Hospital, Los Angeles Times, proper traffic protocol, UCLA, USC
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November 17th, 2009
Black Friday shopping may be best known for deals on flat screen TVs, toys and clothing, but shopping for a new car the day after Thanksgiving can be just as fruitful.
According to car pricing researchers at Truecar.com, Black Friday is the best day of the year to purchase a new car. Data on day-by-day car pricing for the last several years reveals that auto discounts on Black Friday are, on average, the biggest of the year.
“The discounts from dealerships, as well as manufacturers’ incentives, generate the highest discounts of the year on Black Friday,” said Jesse Toprak, an analyst for Truecar.com.
Unlike typical Black Friday sales in which prices are advertised well in advance, car prices are negotiated on the day of sale. However, Toprak says there has been a clear trend in discounted prices for car buyers over the past several years.
The average new car discount on Nov. 27 is projected to be 7.5%. The average discount the day before and after is expected to be just over 6%. On a typical day throughout the year, car shoppers usually pay about 4.7% less than the sticker price.
Truecar.com projected particularly large Black Friday discounts on certain models. For instance, consumers should be able to pay about 28% off sticker price for a 2009 Suzuki SX4 compact car, 26% off for a 2009 Nissan Titan or Ford F-150 pick-up or 20% off a 2009 Hyundai Sonata sedan.
Car dealers are making deep cuts in price on Black Friday to ensure shoppers find their way to a dealership on the important shopping day.
“There’s a lot of noise in the market that day, and we have to stand out,” agreed Brian Benstock, general manager of New York City’s Paragon Honda.
If you’re looking to beef up your fleet or just looking for a new car yourself, keep Black Friday in mind. You may find yourself on the good side of a real deal.
Photo courtesy of ryantxr under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: 2009 hyundai sonata, 2009 nissan titan, 2009 suzuki sx4, Black Friday, Car buying, ford f-150, Paragon Honda, Truecar.com
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November 16th, 2009
Recently, we passed along some tips about driving safely at night. Now The Kentucky Driver Manual has some helpful hints about sharing the road with commercial tractor-trailers. Make sure that your fleet drivers know these methods to keep them safe on the road
- Trucks have large blind spots, called NO ZONES, behind or on the side. If you are driving behind a truck and cannot see the rearview mirrors of the vehicle in front of you, the driver of the large vehicle cannot see you. Do not drive in the blind spot unless absolutely necessary.
- Trucks require a much longer stopping distance. Do not enter a roadway in front of a large vehicle. When passing a large vehicle, do not pull back in front of the truck until you can see its headlights in your inside rearview mirror. Do not make sudden stops in front of large vehicles.
- Large trucks cannot turn to the right without first swinging to the left, or to the left without swinging to the right. Never pull into the open space beside a truck if the driver has signaled to turn.
- An oncoming truck can create jolting air turbulence. Hold the steering wheel tightly and be ready to make any steering corrections needed.
- On mountain roads or downgrades, watch for fast-approaching trucks. If one seems out of control or unable to slow down, get out of the way.
- On long downgrades, there are sometimes special “escape” or “runaway” ramps for trucks. These ramps are for use only by large vehicles that are out of control or cannot stop because of brake failure. Never stop or park in the vicinity of these ramps.
- When stopped behind a truck on an upgrade, stay to the left of your lane where the driver can see you. Allow extra space between you and the truck in case the truck drifts backwards slightly.
- Avoid driving in the right lane in the vicinity of truck weigh stations where slow-moving trucks will be attempting to re-enter faster-moving traffic. You will reduce the possibility of rear-ending or being rear-ended by a large vehicle.
- Avoid driving near vehicles carrying hazardous materials. These vehicles will be clearly marked with the type of hazardous materials they are transporting. Vehicles carrying hazardous materials must stop at all railroad crossings. Be prepared.
Photo courtesy of Team Abundo under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Kentucky Driver Manual, NO ZONES
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November 16th, 2009
With all of the talk lately about texting and driving, it is important to shed some light on other major road safety issues facing American drivers.
The National Sleep Foundation’s 2009 Sleep in America poll shows that 1 percent, or as many as 1.9 million drivers, have had a car crash or a near miss due to drowsiness in the past year. 54 percent of drivers (105 million) have driven while drowsy at least once in the past year, and 28 percent (54 million) do so at least once per month, according to the study.
“People underestimate how tired they are and think that they can stay awake by sheer force of will,” said Thomas Balkin, chairman of the National Sleep Foundation. “This is a risky misconception. Would there be 1.9 million fatigue-related crashes or near misses if people were good at assessing their own ability to drive when fatigued?”
“The problem,” said Balkin, “is that although we are pretty good at recognizing when we feel sleepy, we do not recognize the process of actually falling asleep as it is happening. The process robs us of both self-awareness and awareness of our environment. All it takes is a moment of reduced awareness to cause a crash.”
Studies have shown that staying awake for more than 20 hours creates the same level of impairment as a blood alcohol content of 0.08, the legal limit for driving in all states. A fatigued driver is just as impaired as a drunk driver, with the added danger of not being able to do anything to avoid a crash.
The following warning signs indicate that it’s time to stop driving and find a safe place to pull over and address your condition:
- Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking and/or heavy eyelids
- Difficulty keeping reveries or daydreams at bay
- Trouble keeping your head up
- Drifting from your lane, swerving, tailgating and/or hitting rumble strips
- Unable to clearly remember the last few miles driven
- Missing exits or traffic signs
- Yawning repeatedly
- Feeling restless, irritable or aggressive.
Photo courtesy of Knapster under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: 2009 Sleep in America, drowsy driving, National Sleep Foundation, texting and driving, The National Sleep Foundation
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November 13th, 2009
The Better Roads Bridge Inventory survey for 2009 harbors some bad news: Over 150,000 bridges in the U.S. have been judged to be “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” 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 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.
The leading state in SD/FO bridges was, well, not a state, but the District of Columbia. The survey states that 55% of the bridges in the nation’s capital are likely to fail or fall down sooner than later. The actual State with the highest percentage of bad bridges is Rhode Island with 53%. Pennsylvania takes second place with 39%.
The worst part about all of this data? All of these numbers may on the low side of estimates.
You can read the full detailed survey results here.
Photo courtesy of James Duckworth under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Better Roads Bridge Inventory
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