Main page | May 9, 2008 »

Ford designs new child crash test dummy

DETROIT — Ford has redesigned the midsection of child-size crash-test dummies to help carmakers invent seat belts that could protect children against abdominal injuries, according to USA Today.

Ford is hoping the new dummy will become the international standard for child crash dummies, helping researchers better understand the forces that act on children's bellies in an accident.

Children ages 4 to 8, who typically no longer ride in booster seats, are 25 times more likely than younger children to sustain serious abdominal injuries.

Overall, fatality rates in the USA are on the decline, but abdominal injuries have become one of the most common for young children, and serious injuries can occur even in slow crashes.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 12:11 PM to Ford , Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas prices jump nearly 3 cents to record, while oil pauses

NEW YORK -- Gas prices jumped nearly 3 cents overnight to a new national record of nearly $3.65 a gallon Thursday, while oil prices paused from their own climb to record highs and succumbed to mild profit-taking, according to the Associated Press.

At the pump, the average price of a gallon of regular gas nationwide rose 2.7 cents to a record $3.645, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Diesel prices also rose, adding 0.9 cent to match a record national average of $4.251 a gallon.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 12:03 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: NASCAR has replaced horse racing

So we all dressed up last Sunday for a Kentucky Derby party and placed our bets based more on sentiment (the ladies favored the one filly Eight Belles) and semantics (Bob Black Jack was a favorite) than any knowledge of the horses.

And we drank mint julips and were amusing in a fragrant way. And after an hour or so, we watched the race and were delighted or disappointed depending on our level of interest and the extent of our bets.

And then we were horrified when Eight Belles, who came in second, had to be destroyed after collapsing with two broken ankles.

The accident highlights the trend in modern horseracing to produce horses than can bring in trophies for a limited time before being retired to the breeding sheds. Such an emphasis on speed per se has resulted in horses that are often inordinately fragile.

At the same time, public interest in horse racing has been declining for decades and for a very simple reason: Horses are not part of our everyday lives any more.

Before the automobile, our lives were intertwined with the horse. We all rode or drove/were driven in carriages/carts/wagons and so everyone was interested in horse racing. But just over 100 years ago, the horseless carriage made its appearance and now dominates our lives.

So it’s hardly surprising that as horse racing has slumped in popularity, interest in auto racing, especially NASCAR, Formula One and drag racing has soared. Let’s face it, NASCAR racing is basically a flow of traffic – and we can all identity with that – but at 180 mph.

And we’d all love to drive at 180 mph on our daily commutes!

To be sure, interest in horse racing was sparked by such great horses as Triple Crown winners Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed. But Affirmed was the last Triple Crown winner and that was back in 1978.

Every year, we are treated to breathless speculation about the Triple Crown as the winner of the Kentucky Derby moves on to the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in New York.

But just as interest can be sparked by great horses running great races, it can be turned off by horrible accidents such as the one that brought down Barbaro a couple of years ago when he shattered his leg at the Preakness and had to be destroyed after lengthy rehabilitation proved fruitless.

And the revolting spectacle of Eight Belles floundering on the ground with two broken front ankles is certainly not going to attract the casual fan who dresses up but once a year to have a flutter on the horses.

- Peter C.T. Elsworth

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:51 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Toyota's sales forecast is sobering

Reflecting the dismal state of the current auto market, Toyota is projecting its sales will be down 27 percent this year, according to the Associated Press.

That’s very sobering news for the auto industry.

As Detroit’s Big Three have struggled for years to retain market share, the Asian manufacturers – including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru – have been growing in reputation and sales.

Apart from being lumbered with millions and millions of dollars in healthcare and pension liabilities, the Big Three seemed incapable of coming up with designs that either excited or provided assurance of reliability.

Toyota and Honda in particular have been brilliant in building a franchise that now rests on very solid reputations for reliability which is, not surprisingly, what the vast majority of people want.

Now Toyota, which has been recently tussling with General Motors over who is the king of the castle in terms of sales, is predicting a serious downturn in sales and sees overall U.S. auto sales at about 14.7 million vehicles this year.

That’s way down from recent years and the company cited the faltering U.S. economy, high energy costs, a flat domestic market and the weak dollar for its woes.

Toyota’s announcement is very sobering given that it seems ideally placed with its fuel efficient Corolla and Prius hybrid in a world of soaring gas prices.

Certainly the company put on a brave face.

"We are facing a severe business environment," President Katsuaki Watanabe was quoted as saying. "Toyota considers this headwind as a valuable opportunity to turn it into a more flexible and stronger company."

Given that this is a superbly well run company, it is likely to emerge stronger and better positioned for the brave new world we are entering as developing economies start to roll – including the mega-ones in China and India – oil prices soar, misguided adventures such as George Bush’s War in Iraq keep Mideast politics raw and the global environment changes before our eyes.

But for the short term, the news is just more evidence of the big downturn in the U.S./world economy and right now there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

- Peter C.T. Elsworth

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:07 AM to Toyota , commentary | Permalink | Comments 0