Can Gas Prices Actually go down for the Summer ?

The United States may see a decrease in gas price if a bill is passed in order to provide a tax holiday on gas. In my recent study in economics I do not see any good coming out of this. Yes, gas prices will be reduced for a while but only in the short run. The demand for gas during this tax break will continue to increase and it the demand will remain the same after the break. The supply is still decreasing and I could imagine after this tax break the gas price will become more expensive.

Idea of Smart Traffic Lights

Traffic lights that are capable to wirelessly keep track of vehicles. This could be a really good technology because it could speed up journeys because you will know how to plan your route accordingly. In one respect it could also reduce fuel consumption because you will no longer have to speed up at the light from a complete stop. It will also improve urban air quality because thier will be less gas going into the air from a car at the idle state. Romanian and US researchers who show that "smart" traffic lights might reduce the time drivers spend waiting at intersections by more than 28% during rush hours. These smart traffic lights will take time off of your trip.
In the testing of this technology, "traffic lights were fed the position and speed of all vehicles on nearby roads and programmed to calculate how to phase colour changes in order to optimise traffic flow. As well as reducing intersection waiting times, the team calculates that CO₂ emissions could fall by 6.5%." It will help drivers with speed warnings. If traffic lights were able to tell the driver when they are going the change it will reduce traffic and also reduce the unneeded acceleration at a fresh green light.
For this to work, vehicles must transmit data to the computer system that controls a city's lights. This is not possible currently, but companies and research groups worldwide are already developing vehicle communications systems that might be adapted to be used for the smart lights.
Dash Express is one such car-to-car communication system expected to ship commercially in the US in February 2008. It provides drivers with real-time traffic information using data automatically gathered from other vehicles with Dash Express units. This information includes their current speed and location. This info is transfered via centralized computer.

Rideing Shotgun Roadrage

Gun-carrying motorists can be more prone to road rage

GUN lobbyists like to repeat the quote often attributed to American writer Robert Heinlein, that "an armed society is a polite society". But this is certainly not true for motorists.

A survey of 2400 drivers carried out by David Hemenway and his colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health shows that motorists who carry guns in their cars are far more likely to indulge in road rage - driving aggressively or making obscene gestures - than motorists without guns. Some 23 per cent of gun-toting drivers admitted making rude signs, compared with 16 per cent of those who did not carry guns (Accident Analysis and Prevention, DOI:10.1016/j.aap.2005.12.014).

Yet in some states it is easier than ever to own a gun and carry it a car. In the past two decades 23 states have eased restrictions on carrying guns, says researcher Mary Vriniotis.

Intelligent paint

Intelligent paint turns roads pink in icy conditions

When temperatures drop, it can be tricky to judge road conditions accurately. Soon, however, some roads could give drivers clear icy warnings by turning themselves pink.

A new temperature-sensitive varnish developed by researchers at French company Eurovia can be applied to road surfaces to warn drivers about dangerous conditions. The technique might help in preventing ice-related accidents in future.

The varnish is made of a polymer containing a thermochromic pigment. The same type of coating is already used to make frozen food packaging that responds to a change in temperature . It is the first time this technology has been used to monitor the change of temperature of the road.

This winter, researchers at Eurovia tested the varnish on roads at different sites in France. They painted squares around a metre across onto the roads and observed how the normally transparent varnish turned dark pink when temperatures dropped below 1 °C (see image on top). When the temperature rose back above 2 °C, the coating became colorless.

Zero Emission Car

Rinspeed is unveiling the first zero emission diving car (the sQuba) at the Geneva Auto Show.

The video shows a car developed by Rinspeed that is able to drive under the water as well as on the roads without producing any emission. This car not only can drive on land but it can be used as a submarine because of air tight seals throughout the car. Perfect for those who enjoy scuba diving but in the comfort of their own car. the only way that i could think would make this car sell is if it had a roof on it so the people inside the car do not get soaked. A CBS story says the sQuba prototype costs $1.5 million to make.

RMA Tire Survey

Proved That Many People Do Not Know How to Tell if A New Tire Is Needed

The RMA more formally known as the Rubber Manufactures Association is trying to enlighten drivers on proper tire pressures. Having the correct tire pressure can save lives as well as get better miles per gallon. Proper tire pressure can save as much as .10c per gallon according to the RMA. The biggest danger in having under inflated tires is they can cause accidents which could be easily avoided by checking the pressure of the tires.

Record high gas prices should be an incentive for motorists to take every step possible to help make their cars and their money go further," said Dan Zielinski, RMA senior vice president, public affairs. "While our survey found that 61 percent of motorists agreed that checking tire pressure is very important to maximizing fuel economy, only one in seven drivers properly perform this easy task."

Checking tires is not only a fuel saving tip, it can also be life saving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), under inflated tires contribute to 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries each year. NHTSA estimates that about one in four cars, and one in three light trucks, have at least one significantly under inflated tire.

Under inflated tires also cause premature tire wear that can force consumers to replace tires sooner. "Consumers can help their wallets and the environment by paying attention to their tires so they last as long as possible, reducing disposal needs," Zielinski added.

Are Hybrid Cars to Quite For The Blind ?

Gas-electric Hybrid Vehicles

Hybrids are one of the main symbols in the market of environmentally friendly vehicles. Now Hybrid makers facing another challenge, by people who are not even able to drive. The blind are no longer safe to cross streets because they rely on the sound of the cars as they pass. The new Hybrids make virtually no noise when the are cruising at lower speeds. This is because at low speeds the car only runs on electric power. Blind people say they pose a hazard to those who rely on their ears to navigate through a parking lot or even cross the street.

I'm used to being able to get sound cues from my environment and negotiate accordingly. I hadn't imagined there was anything I really wouldn't be able to hear," said Deborah Kent Stein, chairwoman of the National Federation of the Blind's Committee on Automotive and Pedestrian Safety. "We did a test, and I discovered, to my great dismay, that I couldn't hear it."

Advances in Car Stereo's

New Car Stereo Technologies

In the early stages of car development drivers were considered lucky if they had a radio in the dash and two speaker’s one in each of the front doors. Thanks to the newest technologies the car stereo can now compete with the home audio systems. They no longer use analog format this type of format has been replaced by a better developed digital format. The latest cars come available with surround sound systems, Mp3 technology, and the newest form of radio satellite radio. Similar to the home stereo system, improvements in technology has resulted in improved sound performance and clarity. The composition of a car stereo system is based on four basic components. These are amplifiers, speakers, head units and input devices like graphic equalizer, CD changer etc.

Blind spot Information System

Volvo prides itself on there noted safety innovations, this being the latest. The Blind spot information system has become available as an option in there new models. The blind spot information system alerts drivers about cars and motorcycles that are hard to be seen by using mirrors. Volvo did this by mounting two cameras which are attached to the side view mirrors. This functions by a pale orange light illuminates whenever the driver changes lanes which would result in crashing into someone who is coming up into your blind-spot.

Heart Beat Sensor

Heartbeat sensing technology was developed as an offshoot of a security system developed by a national laboratory to protect nuclear power plants. In that application, security officers set up a station at the plant entrance. There, they attached two sensors called geophones to every vehicle entering or leaving the lab grounds. The geophones measured sounds in the vehicle structure, and software in a portable computer analyzed them to determine whether the vibrations matched the patterns of a human heartbeat. No matter how big the vehicle, these heart pulses set up a distinctive vibration that the sensitive geophones were able to detect. Ford Motor Company engineers and scientists have been able to shrink that military technology to the size needed for commercial applications, using two super-sensitive micro-accelerometers instead of the bulky geophones.
The principle remains the same the sensors measure minute vibrations in the vehicle structure, and matches them against the known sonic pattern of a human heartbeat. It is able to screen out other common vibrations, such as those induced by truck traffic, road construction jackhammers or gusty wind. It is so sensitive that it can detect a person anywhere inside a vehicle. Even someone simply touching the outer skin of the body. Since it doesn't work via line-of-sight, there's literally no hiding from it, which is a major advantage over heat or motion detectors, which leave blind spots in coverage and are vulnerable to defeat.
The system will alert the driver to a child or anyone else left inside the vehicle when it is parked and locked. After a brief delay, the system will sound an alarm if it detects anyone in the car. The system is activated by the lock button on the key fob. This guards against a child being forgotten inside the vehicle on a hot day. It also would sound the alarm if a dog or cat were left inside, since their heartbeats are sufficiently similar.
The system also offers an innovative security feature. In a typical scenario, the driver returns to the parked vehicle after shopping at a large mall. The system allows the driver to "query" the vehicle from a safe distance via the fob. In a few seconds, it scans for vibrations and tells the driver whether anyone is in the car

Lane-Departure Prevention

Warning system which prevents lane departure.

This warning system detects lane markings and sounds a chime if you drift from your current lane. The Lane Departure Warning System helps support the driver in keeping the vehicle in its lane of travel. The driver is alerted by a display indicator and an audible warning when the vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its travel lane.

A Camera unit installed behind the windshield detects lane markers in front of the vehicle and calculate its position relative to the lane markers. Brake actuator controls the brake pressure of each wheel individually to generate intended movement. When the vehicle is getting close to lane markers as a result of driver inattention, system warns the driver to pay attention to driving by display and audible buzzer and assists the driver to return the vehicle in the direction of center of the travel lane by generating part of necessary yaw moment. Quick warning in case of unintended lane departure. Gentle control firmly assists the driver's maneuver. Braking actuator is used to turn the vehicle.