An early crop of advanced crash avoidance technologies includes some clear success stories when it comes to preventing crashes, insurance claim analyses by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) show.
Forward collision avoidance systems, particularly those that can brake autonomously, along with adaptive headlights, which shift direction as the driver steers, show the biggest crash reductions. Lane departure warning appears to hurt, rather than help, though it’s not clear why, and other systems, such as blind spot detection and park assist, aren’t showing clear effects on crash patterns yet.
HLDI analysts looked at how each feature affected claim frequency under a variety of insurance coverages for damage and injuries. Clear patterns were seen in claims under property damage liability (PDL) insurance, which covers damage caused by the insured vehicle to another vehicle, and collision insurance, which covers damage to the insured vehicle. Frequency is measured as the number of claims relative to the number of insured vehicle years. An insured vehicle year is one vehicle insured for one year, two vehicles for six months, etc. The model years of the vehicles included ranged from 2000 to 2011, depending on when an automaker introduced a feature. Insurance data through August 2011 were used.
It has more than 112 years in tire experience; 86 years of service experience. It has serviced 11,000 makes/models and over 500 million vehicles in the last 86 years. Make no mistake. Firestone is a car company.
That’s the concept of the new Firestone brand campaign Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) launched this past weekend during the IZOD IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Baltimore IndyCar race.
The commercials use scene set-ups typical to a new car commercial only to reveal more seasoned makes and models as the stars of the campaign. The campaign, entitled, “Drive a Firestone”, is built on the core idea that while we don’t make cars, Firestone is a car company. That’s because whatever you drive, Firestone tires and the service provided by a Firestone retailer can help make your car run stronger, longer. It becomes a Firestone.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/57818-bridgestone-americas-make-no-mistake-firestone-is-a-car-company
The 2013 model-year vehicle winners of the annual Best Resale Value Awards, recognizing current and forthcoming vehicles for their projected retained value throughout the initial five-year ownership period, were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. Since depreciation (or loss of value) is typically a car buyer’s primary expense during ownership, these awards, like all of KBB.com’s new and used vehicle information, are designed to help consumers make more informed car-buying decisions.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/58376-kelley-blue-book-kbb-2013-best-resale-value-awards/
Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used vehicles, will add drama to this year’s Big Game to launch its all-new advertising campaign. Today, the site released print, digital and social teasers that pose the question “why drama?” Until the big reveal of Cars.com’s first new commercial, which will air during the first quarter of the game, fans can get a taste for drama by visiting www.cars.com/whydrama.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/59238-cars-com-campaign/
2013 marks the 113th anniversary of the New York Int’l Auto Show, North America’s first and largest attended auto show. Featuring 1,000 vehicles plus the latest in tech, safety and innovation in nearly 900,000 sq ft., it is one of the hottest tickets in town.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60466-kelley-blue-book-kbb-com-2013-new-york-auto-show-nyias-the-new-cars
The beach may be sunny right now, but the real summer hot-spot is at car dealerships. That’s where consumers can get scorching deals on new vehicles, specifically in August, according to TrueCar.com.
While common wisdom is that December is the best time to buy a car, TrueCar data shows the average price for buying a vehicle in August is more than $150 lower than any other month. That’s $500 lower, on average, than the rest of the year. And it’s more than $1,000 lower than December, which actually has the highest monthly transaction price.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62339-truecar-august-best-month-to-buy-car
Child restraint manufacturers continue to roll out new booster seats that do a good job of improving the way an adult safety belt fits a typical booster-age child. This year, 19 of 31 new models evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earn the top rating of BEST BET, and one model is a GOOD BET.
The Institute began rating boosters five years ago because research indicated that most seats weren’t doing a good job of fitting safety belts correctly and consistently on children in a variety of vehicles. Boosters earn a rating of BEST BET, GOOD BET, Check Fit or Not Recommended, based on a protocol that involves measuring how three-point lap and shoulder belts fit a child-size test dummy seated in the booster on a stationary test fixture under four conditions that span the range of safety belt configurations in passenger vehicles. The evaluations focus on safety belt fit and don’t involve crash tests.
The 2014 model-year brand and category winners of the annual Best Resale Value Awards, recognizing vehicles for their projected retained value through the initial five-year ownership period, were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. Both Toyota and Lexus earned top honors for best brand and best luxury brand, and each of those top brands had six segment winners from a total of 22 different segments. Honda earned three segment awards, while Chevrolet captured two segment awards and placed an impressive three vehicles in the overall top 10 list.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/63131-kelley-blue-book-kbb-2014-best-resale-value-awards/
Only 1 minicar out of 11 tested achieves an acceptable rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's small overlap front crash test, making these tiny vehicles the worst performing group of any evaluated so far.
The Chevrolet Spark's acceptable rating in the test, along with good ratings in the Institute's four other crashworthiness evaluations, earns the new minicar a 2014 TOP SAFETY PICK award. The Spark was among the initial award winners announced in December. The new small overlap test results for the rest of the minicar group mean that no other models in this size category join the Spark in the winner's circle yet.
Carfax has unveiled an innovation in online car shopping that helps consumers find the right car with the right history. At carfax.com, online shoppers now can search for used cars with specific vehicle history details – things like no accidents reported to Carfax, service records, Carfax 1-Owner and more. Used cars for sale from thousands of dealers on the new listings site all come with free Carfax® Vehicle History Reports™. Plus, vehicles are shown based on the history attributes shoppers want, making the shopping process for carfax.com visitors easier and faster.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/66063-carfax-revolutionizes-online-car-shopping-with-vehicle-history-search
The Chevrolet Equinox and its twin, the GMC Terrain, are the only midsize SUVs out of nine evaluated to earn a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test, which continues to challenge manufacturers more than a year and a half after its introduction.
The Equinox and the Terrain qualify for the Institute’s highest award for 2014, TOP SAFETY PICK+. The Toyota Highlander, a midsize SUV whose acceptable small overlap rating was announced in December, also qualifies. The award is given to vehicles with a good or acceptable small overlap rating, good ratings in four other occupant protection tests, and a rating of basic or higher for front crash prevention.
Three other midsize SUVs in the test group rate poor for small overlap protection, and three are marginal.
Each year the KBB.com editors compile a list of the most efficient vehicles available and then pick 10 standouts featuring a variety of price ranges and powertrains. More than just a compilation of the most fuel-efficient vehicles, the list also takes into account production methods and recyclability, and the editors try to seek vehicles appropriate for varying lifestyles. With more environmental-focused models available every year, choosing the 10 best among the pack is proving to be a challenging task.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/7123651-kelley-blue-book-kbb-best-green-environmental-cars
