 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mobile Phones Provide Another Reason To Hate SUVs
Paris (AFP) Jun 23, 2006 Owners of 4x4 vehicles, already loathed or derided by environmentalists for their contribution to global warming, now face battle on a second front: road safety. A study published online on Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that British drivers of 4x4s, also known as sport utility vehicles (SUVs), are four times likelier to use their mobile phones while at the wheel compared with other drivers. The research was carried out at three busy sites in London, with spotters looking at the drivers of 2,944 four-wheel-drive vehicles and 38,182 normal cars. The exercise was carried out in two phases -- one within a "grace period" before a new law was introduced in Britain to punish use of a mobile phone while driving, and the other a week after the grace period ended and penalties started to be imposed. A total of 8.2 percent of the 4x4 drivers were seen using mobile phones while at the wheel, compared with two percent among the other drivers. There was no difference in the drivers' behaviour before or after the grace period. The 4x4 drivers were also likelier to ignore laws requiring them to wear a seat belt. Nearly 20 percent of 4x4 drivers did not buckle up, compared with 15 percent in other cars. The paper is authored by researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Queensland in Australia. Previous studies have established a link between reckless driving and the feeling of safety: for instance, when seatbelt laws were introduced, many drivers drove faster. The authors speculate that this could be what causes negligence among 4x4 drivers, as owners of these vehicles often say they like the sense of safety, thanks to having a higher seat and to being buttressed by steel. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are indeed safer in a crash, although the safety applies only to their occupants. Drivers of small cars, cyclists and pedestrians suffer a disproportionately higher rate of death and serious injury when in collision with a 4x4 because of the larger mass of the other vehicle and its design. In the case of pedestrians, the risk of a fatality involving an SUV is nearly twice that of other cars.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links the missing link Car Technology at SpaceMart.com
Self-Powered Sensors To Watch Over Hydrogen Cars
New York (UPI) Jun 21, 2006Nanotechnological, inexpensive sensors that can detect invisible, odorless hydrogen leaks and sound the alarm wirelessly could help safeguard future vehicles and refueling stations based on the gas, experts told UPI's Nano World. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
