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"I had a hard time showing the truck all dirty or it in the process of getting dirty. Seeing how this is my favorite picture... I'll submit this one for this month."
Congratulations, Banger!
Thanks to all who participated, either by submission or voting and commenting. It was a great turnout this month!
Auto Safety: As a Toyota Prius with a stuck accelerator races down a California freeway, no one mourns the victims of the fuel economy standards imposed by Congress. Forced into smaller cars, thousands have died.
We can barely imagine the panic felt by James Sikes, 61, as his Toyota Prius accelerated uncontrollably while he drove down Interstate 8 in San Diego County. We can imagine the continuation of the grandstanding by the owners of "government motors" as they further browbeat a competitor of government-run GM and Chrysler.
We do not minimize the safety issues here that need to be addressed, but we feel a sense of perspective is sorely needed. Toyota has been accused of cutting corners in the name of profit. The Congress that now huffs and puffs in righteous indignation can be accused of increasing the carnage on the nation's highways in the name of saving gasoline.
Sudden-acceleration events in Toyota and Lexus vehicles have been blamed for at least 19 fatalities and 815 vehicle crashes since 1999. That's fewer than two fatalities a year in a country that makes 1.8 million cars annually. How many crashes and fatalities are caused by the use of cell phones and text-messaging while driving?
Let us take a look at the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards enacted by the federal government in response to the Arab oil embargo. Lately, supporters have sought to increase these standards in the name of fighting climate change. They have neither reduced our dependence on foreign oil nor saved the Earth.
What they have done over time is to force Americans into smaller and less-safe vehicles. The rise of the sports utility vehicle was a consumer-driven response led by American families that wanted bigger and safer vehicles to transport them.
Recent research has been lacking, but what studies have been done over time paint a tragic picture.
A 2006 study by Ryan Bilas of the National Center for Public Policy Research documented the various findings that CAFE standards have cost thousands of lives. The laws of physics have not changed since CAFE was first enacted.
According to a 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study, when a vehicle is reduced by just 100 pounds the estimated fatality rate increases as much as 5.63% for light cars weighing less than 2,950 pounds, 4.70% for heavier cars weighing over 2,950 pounds and 3.06% for light... [Read More]
With all of Toyota's self-induced woes as of late, the biggest problem the company has faced in recent months might just be a report by ABC News in which an expert (Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University) produced an unintended acceleration using a Toyota product. Initially Toyota responded with concerns about the demonstration and now the automaker (and an independent engineering firm it has hired) has examined the process in more detail and have utterly refuted it.
In a statement Toyota has said that, "The analysis of Professor's Gilbert's demonstration establishes that he has reengineered and rewired the signals from the accelerator pedal. This rewired circuit is highly unlikely to occur naturally and can only be contrived in a laboratory. There is no evidence to suggest that this highly unlikely scenario has ever occurred in the real world. As shown in the Exponent and Toyota evaluations, with such artificial modifications, similar results can be obtained in other vehicles."
Toyota has sent the results of its finding to both Professor Gilbert and to the Congressional Committees assigned to look into the matter.
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