7/24 assignments

List 8 areas Mickey Rentas Jr.

8 areas where it illegal to pass another vehicle are 1. Within 100 feet of a railroad crossing. I think this is because within the 100 feet you don't have the adequate space or time to safely pass another car. 2. On a 2-lane bridge. I think this is because you don't have enough space. 3. On a 2 lane underpass. Again, I don;t think you have enough space. 4. When going uphill. I think this is because you have to much of a LOS restriction. 5. At an intersection. To me this is because it would be reckless and you would get in the way of turning cars. 6. When oncoming traffic is too close. I would say "nuff said" but it's because you would probably hit another car head on and kill yourself. 7. When you cannot complete a pass before there is a no-passing zone. This is because when you enter the no passing zone-it's to dangerous to pass. 8. on a curve. This is because you have too much of a LOS restriction to pass safely.

Passing situation Mickey Rentas Jr.

If the situation is: You are traveling at 60 mph and the car you are about to pass is going 40 mph, it will probably take you aroung 15 seconds to complete the pass. 60*1.5 = 90. 90*15=1350 feet traveled. So over the time of the entire passing you would have traveled 1350 feet. In the first part of the manuver you will probably travel 475 feet. The second part you will prabably travel 400 feet. And in the last part you would probably travel another 475 feet. In overall you'd be traveling 4 times the size of a football feild which is 300 feet.

News articles Mickey Rentas Jr.

Engine Problems Force Honda Recall
(AP) WASHINGTON Honda Motor Corp. said Monday that it was recalling about 165,000 vehicles from the 2005-06 model years in the United States to deal with potential engine problems.Honda said the recall affected 2005 models of the Acura RL, TL and TSX sedans, 2005 Honda Accord coupes, sedans and hybrids, 2005 Odyssey minivans and 2006 Ridgeline trucks.The move is part of a global recall because of similar problems, said Honda spokesman Chris Martin. Details on the total number of vehicles and the number of countries where the vehicles were sold were not immediately available, he said.Martin said the automaker discovered that sealer material leaked onto a coil wire inside the fuel pump relay on some of the vehicles. The wire can become brittle and snap, causing the engine to stall or fail to start.Honda has received "multiple complaints" of vehicles stalling or failing to start, Martin said. There have been no injuries or crashes linked to the defect.Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pump relay free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in early April.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. )
http://wbztv.com/business/finance_story_078184657.html

The article was mainly about how honda was having a global recall of it's cars because of engine problems. There was engine fluid leakage in their cars that lead to corosion. It also says that they are going to fix the engines free of charge and I think they should.


Ford To Recall Thousands Of Cop Cars
(CBS) DETROIT Last week, Ford announced recalling models of its 2003 pickup and vans for a cruise control switch problem.Now, Ford announced it will begin recalling Crown Victoria police cars of certain 2003-2005 models numbering to as many as 109,664. The car model was found to acquire cracks in their steel wheels that could lead to air loss in tires during high-speed car chases.The defects have reportedly only been seen in a small percentage of the wheels.Daniel C. Smith, Ford's associate director for safety assurance, said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the wheels were previously covered by an extended warranty program.Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis said police departments have already reported two crashes caused by the wheel problem although the company is disputing those claims. The crashes did not cause any injuries, said Jarvis.According to the NHTSA, the cracks can form near the weld line that connects the rim to the wheel disk.Ford reasons that the stress forced on the wheels during pursuits is greater because of police techniques.By next week, dealers will be able to replace the wheels and spares based on the wheel part numbers of the Crown Victoria cars.The company said car owners will be notified of the recall.
http://wbztv.com/business/finance_story_067121436.html

The article was about how Ford is having a recall of it's model of cop cars. They say that there are problems with cracks in the metal in the wheel that could leak air. This could lead to problems in cars that are in high speed police chases. I think that Ford should fix it free of charge because it was their fault, and that they should check for other problems in other cars because tjust before this they had another recall.


Crash Tests Expose Fender Bender Costs
(AP) WASHINGTON Those minor fender benders might cost more than you think, according to new crash tests released Thursday by the insurance industry.The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that most bumpers on midsize cars do little to prevent costly damage to vehicles, even in low-speed crashes of up to 6 miles per hour. The crashes frequently occur in parking lots and in commuter traffic.Testing for the first time by the Virginia-based Institute found that only three midsize vehicles — the Mitsubishi Galant, Toyota Camry and Mazda 6 — sustained less than $1,500 in repairs from each of the four crash tests.The tests were conducted to review damage from front, rear, front corner and rear corner crashes."The cars with the lowest repair bills after our new bumper tests still sustained much more damage than they should have in some of the tests," said Adrian Lund, the Institute's president. "We got crumpled grilles and headlights plus buckled fenders in impacts at speeds equivalent to an average person walking fast."The Institute conducted tests on 17 midsize cars in low-speed tests. In one test of the front-end at 6 mph, four vehicles — the Nissan Maxima, Volkswagen Passat, Pontiac G6, and Hyundai Sonata — had damages of more than $4,000.By comparison, the Institute conducted similar tests on a 1981 Ford Escort and found the front-end test only caused $86 in damages. They said it highlighted federal requirements that were in effect until 1982 that required bumpers to keep damage away from vehicle safety equipment and sheet metal parts in crashes of up to 5 mph.Since 1982, the Institute said the required test speeds have been cut in half, leading to more damage.Automakers said they work to design vehicles to resist low-speed collision damage. Nissan, for example, said it believes the Maxima "performs competitively in terms of cost of repair."Volkswagen of America Inc. said that "while low-speed collision repairs are an element of the total cost of ownership, we're confident that Volkswagen products continue to provide exceptional customer value."General Motors Corp. said in a statement that the tests "have everything to do with damageability, but they are really not an occupant safety issue. These are new tests and we are assessing the results."Serious injuries are uncommon in low-speed crashes, and the institute's bumper tests did not assess passenger safety.
http://wbztv.com/business/finance_story_060183051.htm

The article was about how there was an experiment done on midsize cars (on their bumbpers). The tests were low speed crash tests. The test showed that at 6 mph you could crash some models of cars resulting up to $4,000 dollars in cost. I think thats outragous and that the car compaies should make improvements on their newer models.