car safety News

GM Recalling 69,000 Chevy Bolt Electric Cars Over Fire Risk

General Motors Co. said on Friday it was recalling 68,677 electric cars worldwide that pose a fire risk after five reported fires and two minor injuries. The recall is for 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Bolt EVs with high voltage batteries …

Auto Safety Test Pits Traditional Car Mirrors v. Rear/Side Cameras

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to test how drivers could use cameras to replace traditional rearview mirrors in automobiles, a technology already allowed in other countries, the agency said on Tuesday. The planned test by the agency …

Insurance Institute Calls for Rear Seat Safety Upgrades

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says in a new report that safer restraint systems are needed for the back seats of cars. The study finds that rear-seat safety has not kept pace with front-seat safety and it has been …

New Crash Test Dummies Look More Like Americans: Obese and Aging

As the American population gets older and fatter, the crash test dummies used to test the cars people drive are changing, too. Recently, engineers at global manufacturer Humanetics created dummies that reflect today’s drivers: a 273-pound obese dummy that is …

Many Weed-Smoking Canadian Drivers Say They Can Drive Unimpaired: Insurers

Almost half of weed-smoking Canadian drivers say that they can safely operate a vehicle while stoned. Among Canadians who have driven under the influence of marijuana, 44 percent don’t think it impacts their ability to drive safely, according to a …

Automakers Told They Could Learn from Aviation Industry’s Safety Practices

The U.S. government is bringing together top airline and auto company executives to discuss aviation industry practices such as safety data sharing that automakers could adapt to help reduce car accidents, a leading cause of death in America. The U.S. …

15 Automakers, U.S. Meet on Safety, Recalls, Hacking

Executives from 15 auto companies met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Tuesday to discuss specific industrywide actions that can improve safety and prevent cars from being hacked. The meeting was convened after record numbers of cars have been recalled …

Some Midsize SUVs Do Poorly on Front Overlap Crash Test

Three more midsize SUVs achieved good or acceptable ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the latest round of small overlap front crash testing. However many models, including three newly-rated SUVs from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and one from …

Experts See Gradual Transition to Accident-Free Driving

As millions of cars are under recall for potentially lethal air bags, designers are trying to reduce the need for the device – using sensors, radar, cameras and lasers to prevent collisions in the first place. With driver error blamed …

Symposium Panelists Say New Car Technology May Not Lower Insurance Rates

More cars and trucks are being equipped with cameras, radar, automatic braking and other safety technology that help avoid accidents, but drivers may not see their insurance bills go down anytime soon, experts in the auto and insurance industries said …