Archive for September, 2010
Maruti Sx4 In May
September 27th, 2010 | 
Author: Maruti Sx4 In May
The MarutiSuzuki SX4 is just around the corner. I have been invited to a test drive on the 25th26th of April with our auto journalists but will have to decline due to prior commitments. So I will only get my hands on the SX4 after the official launch in May.
The SX4 is an interesting vehicle since it’s a sedan based on a small crossover platform. Ground clearance is going to be generous and one can expect the SX4 to cope with potholed roads of India very well. Maruti will launch the SX4 with a tweaked 1.6liter petrol engine though a 1.3litre diesel the Swift’s engine with a VGT is expected to follow.
Pricing? I would assume that with an indigenization level of 79 the SX 4 would be priced at around INR 660000 for the base model. And at that price the SX4 will rock the segment.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Deepesh Rathore
Research Editor
deepesh.rathoresupplierbusiness.com
For more details on Maruti SX4 visit www.theautodiary.com
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Ford Expedition Deadly In Rollover Accidents
Ford Expedition Deadly In Rollover Accidents
Like many other SUVs the Ford Expedition has proven to be defectively designed and extremely deadly when involved in a rollover accident.
Although designed to be driven off road the Expedition is not equipped with sufficient roof support adequate door latches or laminated glass that could mean the difference between life and death in a rollover accident. Engineers and safety experts have actively suggested fundamental changes to the Expedition to increase its rollover resistance however Ford Motor Co. continues to choose less expensive and less effective remedies as permanent solutions to a life threatening issue.
Rollovers accounted for over 10000 fatalities in the United States in 2004. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA rollover accidents are more likely to result in fatalities than other types of accidents. In 2004 about 2.7 percent of occupants involved in rollover accidents were fatally injured. That same year only 0.2 percent of occupants involved in accidents that did not involve rollovers were fatally injured. This means 33 percent of all passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in 2004 occurred in accidents that involved a rollover.
Due to its high center of gravity the Ford Expedition is disproportionately prone to rollovers when compared to other passenger vehicles. If a vehicle has a higher center of gravity and is quickly redirected as when a vehicle driver tries to avoid a sudden obstruction the vehicle can topple and rollover. The Expedition holds excessive weight at a higher level than other passenger vehicles leading to handling and stability defects. Because the Expedition is topheavy it is prone to heavy oversteering by drivers making a rollover accident likely.
One of the biggest dangers to Ford Expedition occupants in the event of a rollover accident is roof intrusion. Roof intrusion or “roof crush” refers to a situation when the roof of a vehicle does not maintain its shape during a rollover and is crushed or collapses seriously injuring vehicle occupants. The extreme weight of the Ford Expedition in combination with a weak roof design makes the SUV prone to severe roof intrusion during a rollover accident.
In the event of a rollover the roof pillars front roof header and side roof rails of the Ford Expedition often collapse and invade the occupant safety zone. When this happens the roof of the Expedition is usually forced down onto the top of occupants’ heads often causing brain contusions. Furthermore the forces are often transferred to the spine causing a fracture to the cervical neck. This type of spinal cord injury usually results in paraplegia quadriplegia or death. According to the Crash Injury Research Engineering Network CIREN the roof of a passenger vehicle is the source of over half 56 percent of all head injuries and onethird 33 percent of all spinal cord injuries in rollover accidents.
Problems with the design of some vehicle doors have been brought under great scrutiny in recent years. Shouldn’t vehicle doors be manufactured in a way that is strong enough to withstand the impact of a real accident? Absolutely! Vehicle doors are considered a key element of the overall structural strength and protection that an automobile should and is required by law provide to its occupants. Unfortunately many vehicles are equipped with doors that are not strong enough to bear the pressure endured during a rollover accident.
In the event of a rollover accident the strength of the torsion spring that is designed to hold the door latches or door locks shut may not be strong enough to perform as intended. The torsion spring controls the amount of force required to release the safety grip of the vehicle handle and open the door. The safety grip is created by the outward pressure of the torsion spring against the latch claw mechanism. Its primary purpose is to hold the vehicle door in its closed position. The door latch or door lock problem occurs when the torsion spring is too weak to maintain the safety grip under extended amounts of pressure such as the pressure that is endured during a rollover accident and allows the vehicle door to open exposing the occupants to much greater levels of injury.
The Ford Expedition is equipped with defective door latches. During a rollover accident the excessive weight of the Expedition increases the pressures and forces applied to the side doors of the vehicle. The door latches of the Expedition are too weak to hold the doors shut during the rollover creating an opportunity for occupant ejection or partial ejection from the vehicle. In the event of a rollover accident the door latch fails allowing the door to open during the event and exposes the occupant to deadly objects and impacts outside the safety of the vehicle.
On May 23 2004 a 10yearold boy from Texas endured fatal injuries when he was partially ejected from a Ford Expedition in a rollover accident. The boy’s name was Matthew Morroquin. Matthew was seated in the driver’s side third row seat when the Expedition was hit by another vehicle. The Expedition was struck in the rear quarter on the passenger side causing it to rollover one and onequarter times. All of the occupants in the Expedition including 10yearold Matthew were properly restrained by seatbelts at the time of the accident. During the accident the rear window glass shattered leaving Matthew unprotected from ejection out of the vehicle window. The 10yearold boy was partially ejected through the unprotected window opening causing his head to be crushed between the vehicle and the ground. The boys fatal injuries may have been avoided had the Expedition been equipped with stronger side window glass.
Laminated or glazed glass has been in use for about 60 years. This industrial strength glass is like a glassplasticglass sandwich. An acousticgrade interlayer composed of three layers of acoustic polyvinyl butyral PVB is laminated between two sheets of glass creating a stronger more flexible and lighter product. Laminated glass provides over 10 times the intrusion resistance of the traditional tempered glass and is about 4 pounds lighter than nonlaminated glass.
Studies show that vehicle occupants are five times as likely to endure fatal injuries when ejection is a factor in an automobile accident. If the Ford Expedition in the May 23 2004 rollover accident were equipped with laminated side glass 10yearold Matthew Morroquin would probably be alive today. Although it is widely used in other vehicle models in the United States laminated or glazed side glass in not used in any of the Expedition models. The use of laminated side glass would help prevent occupant ejection and multitudes of injuries and deaths that result from vehicle ejection.
Automotive engineers have long agreed that injuries are reduced dramatically if the occupants are secured within the safety zone of a rolling vehicle without severe intrusion. The technology to ensure this level of safety has been available for years. However little action has been taken to implement the necessary changes.
On July 6 1968 Mr. J.R. Weaver a safety engineer for Ford submitted an internal memo titled “Roof Strength Study” to Ford Motor Co. In the memo Weaver stated that “people are injured by roof collapse” and he suggests that some rollover accidents are so severe that the basic roof design would have to be altered to withstand the impact. Don Huelke another noted engineer stated that the amount of roof intrusion is directly attributed to the severity of nonejected occupant injuries.
In the spring of 2000 Ford engineers recommended that the company launch a recall campaign to fix defective door handles for over 4 million Ford vehicles including Expedition models years 19972000. Ford engineers advised that the design and manufacture of stronger springs and the installation of a counterweight was necessary to keep the Expedition doors shut. The cost would have been 99 cents per door. Unfortunately for consumers Ford’s investigation found that such a recall would cost about 527 million to fix all the defective door handles and decided to disregard the safety advice of their engineers.
With approximately 300000 rollover accidents and over 10000 rollover fatalities occurring every year in the United States rollover accidents are possibly the most significant safety issues concerning passenger vehicle occupants. The Ford Expedition is a major contributor to the number of vehicle rollover deaths. Due to its defective design the Expedition can be very unstable and therefore prone to rollover accidents. Research suggests that stronger roofs stronger door latches and stronger window glass would tremendously improve the safety of Expedition occupants.
Most auto manufacturers consciously refuse to take the corrective action necessary to save hundreds of vehicle occupant lives preferring instead to make a cheaper product and increase their profit margins. Our federal regulatory agencies do not have the guts to mandate improved safety standards. Consumers are therefore left to better investigate what they are buying and sue for redress when they have been duped.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;John Bisnar is a partner at Newport Beach Personal Injury Law Firm Bisnar Chase. The Bisnar Chase law firm has dedicated their practice to victims of serious injuries due to defective products negligence and malpractice.Visit http://www.bestattorney.com or call 8882650161
Theory Test Driving Theory Test
Theory Test Driving Theory Test
DSA has released new driving theory test questions for the Car and Motorcycle theory
test from 3rd September 07.
The Driving Theory Test is a test which United Kingdom learners must pass to obtain a full
driving license. The test was introduced in July 1996. There are two subtly different tests one for
car drivers and one for motorcyclists.
In Great Britain it is administered by the Driving Standards Agency DSA and in Northern Ireland by
the Driver amp; Vehicle Agency DVA.
The car and motorcycle theory test lasts 57 minutes and involves answering 50 multiplechoice
questions about a wide range of ‘driving topics’ such as car or bike mechanics the Highway Code
and driving law. 43 of the 50 questions must be answered correctly in order to pass. For lorries and buses 60 questions are asked over a 70 minute period in which 51 out of 60 must be answered
correctly to pass.It is immediately followed by a hazard perception test. Having passed these two exams a certificate is issued which can then be used to book the practical driving test within two years of the theory pass. It is necessary to pass all three parts theory hazard perception and practical in order to obtain a driving licence.
DSA has released new driving theory test questions for the Car and Motorcycle theory
test from 3rd September 07. The Driving Theory Test is a test which United Kingdom
learners must pass to obtain a full driving license. The test was introduced in July 1996. There are two subtly different tests one for car drivers and one for motorcyclists.In Great Britain it is administered by the Driving Standards Agency DSA and in Northern Ireland by the Driver amp; Vehicle Agency DVA.The car and motorcycle theory test lasts 57 minutes and involves answering 50 multiplechoice questions about a wide range of ‘driving topics’ such as car or bike mechanics the Highway Code and driving law. 43 of the 50 questions must be answered correctly in order to pass. For lorries and buses 60 questions are asked over a 70 minute period in which 51 out of 60 must be answered correctly to pass.It is immediately followed by a hazard perception test. Having passed these two exams a certificate is issued which can then be used to book the practical driving test within two years of the theory pass. It is necessary to pass all three parts theory hazard perception and practical in order to obtain a driving licence.
The theory test was last revised on the 3rd September 2007 to include 50 questions with a pass mark of 43 instead of the previous 35.
Hazard Perception Test
Examinees watch fourteen oneminute clips filmed from the perspective of a car driver and have to
indicate usually by clicking a mouse button or touching the screen when they observe a developing hazard. All of the clips will include one developing hazard and one will include two such hazards.
The sooner an examinee reacts to a developing hazard the more points are scored from five down to one with no score if the examinee reacts too late. The maximum score possible is 75.For the purposes of the test a developing hazard is defined as something which requires the driver to adjust speed and/or direction. Potential hazards are hazards that no immediate action needs to be taken but are worth observing in case their status changes. Clicking on potential hazards is acceptable but the scoring window only opens if that hazard develops thus examinees have to remember to react if the status of a hazard changes and not just when the potential hazard is first spotted.
The hazard perception test and the theory test are taken together and must both be passed in the
same sitting for the applicant to become lligible to take the practical driving test in order to obtain a full driving licence.
Practical Driving Test
A Practical Driving Test is a test which United Kingdom learner drivers must pass to obtain a
driving licence. Different tests are available for users of different vehicles from car rivers to motorcyclists and HGV drivers. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driving Standards Agency DSA and in Northern Ireland by the Driver amp; Vehicle Agency DVA. It is necessary to have passed a UK Driving Theory Test and a UK Hazard Perception Test before sitting this exam. Passing this test then entitles one to hold a full UK driving licence.
Practical Driving Test Format
The practical test is taken on the road with the examiner directing the candidate around a predetermined but unknown to the candidate route. The examiner marks the candidate for driving
faults commonly called minor faults or minors serious faults and dangerous faults collectively
ferred to as major faults or majors. A candidate will fail the test if he or she accumulates any
major faults or more than fifteen minors. If a candidate acquires several three or more
driving faults in the same category the examiner may consider the fault a recurring and dangerous
habit and mark a serious fault in that category. The test usually lasts 30 to 48 minutes in a
standard test or one hour when the candidate is taking a test after having their licence revoked.
Eyesight Test
Before getting to the car the examiner will ask the candidate to read a car’s number plate at a
distance. The distance required is 20.5 metres for an oldstyle plate A123ABC and 20 metres for a new style plate AB51ABC. If the candidate needs glasses to do this then these must be the ones worn whilst completing the rest of the test. If the candidate fails to read the first number plate correctly then the examiner asks the candidate to read a second number plate. If the candidate cannot correctly read the second number plate then the examiner must use a tape measure to measure the correct distance between the candidate and a third number plate. If the candidate cannot read the third number plate then the candidate is deemed to have failed and the test will not continue.
Show me tell me
Before the candidate is taken out onto the road the examiner asks two basic questions about car
maintenance and safety. These are always phrased in the form Show me… and Tell me…; for
example:
bull;Show me how you would check that the power assisted steering is working before starting a journey.
bull;Open the bonnet identify where you would check the engine oil level and tell me how you would
check that the engine has sufficient oil. A failure to answer one or both of these questions
correctly would result in a minor driving fault being marked against the candidate.
Maneuvers
During the test the examiner will ask the candidate to carry out any TWO manoeuvres from the following list:
Turn in the road
Reverse around a corner to the left or right
Bay park only in test centre car park
Parallel park by the side of the road
The examiner may also optionally ask the candidate to carry out an emergency stop exercise.
Maneuvers are selected at random by the examiner selecting a sheet at the test centre which also
determines the test route and if an emergency stop is done 1 in 3. Candidates taking the test
after having their licence revoked must carry out ALL manoeuvres.
General driving
Usually the time taken in finding an appropriate place for the candidate to carry out the two
manoeuvres and driving to an appropriate stretch of road bearing the national speed limit atisfies
the minimum amount of time required on the test. This naturally involves a certain amount of general town driving during which faults can be gained. If the minimum amount of time has not been satisfied the candidate may be asked to drive around to satisfy it. The candidate will also be asked to pull up on the left of the road and stop before moving off again on a gradient on the flat and behind a parked car.
Feature Of Theory test
1.Driving Theory test questions will increase
2.No. of questions in the exam currently 35 will increase to 50
3.Pass mark will be 43
4.Allotted time to complete test will be 57 min
5.DSA exam fees increase from pound;21.50 pound;28.50
6.No change in HPT.
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