Four decades after a failed push to outfit cars and light trucks with devices that force drivers to buckle up, regulators and the auto industry are giving interlocks another chance.
The U.S. government tried to mandate ignition interlocks — which prevent a vehicle from starting unless seat belts are fastened — in cars in the early 1970s to prod more people to use seat belts.
A closely watched test of vehicles that monitor and talk to one another to avoid crashes will run for six months beyond its original end date this summer, U.S. auto safety regulators say.
Under the pilot program in Ann Arbor, Mich., nearly 3,000 vehicles are communicating on public roads using a WiFi-like technology called dedicated short range communication, or DSRC.
Vauxhall has revealed its facelifted Insignia VXR ahead of its official launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Just as patients communicate their symptoms to doctors – smart technology is allowing infrastructure to tell civil engineers when something is wrong.
Sensors installed on bridges, in roadways, and on maintenance vehicles, are communicating real-time performance and weather data, allowing engineers to solve problems before they occur.
A U.S. alternative-vehicle loan program criticized by Republican lawmakers for financing two failed start-ups will resume marketing to industry groups and possible applicants, an Energy Department spokeswoman said.
