The federal government said automakers must install tire-inflation monitors in their vehicles, but a federal court of appeals in New York ruled that rather than just any old inflation monitor that tells you when any tire — you find it — is down 30 percent in pressure, the government should dictate monitors at each wheel that tattle on a specific tire down 25 percent.
The ruling means that rather than force motorists to interrupt their busy schedules by walking around their cars to see whether a tire is low, they get in and drive until a monitor tells them one or more tires is missing 25 percent of its pressure and probably won’t respond well to panic braking or sudden avoidance maneuvers.
Makes sense, don’t you think?
Of course, how can you expect motorists to take the time to walk around their cars to inspect for a low tire when they barely have time to apply eyeliner and/or lipstick, open and/or read the mail, read the morning newspaper and write the checks to pay the bills while driving their cars?
Barely a week goes by without some survey on driving habits finding that people have one hand on a coffee cup, the other on the cell phone while driving with their knees.
But now comes an AAA-funded study by the University of North Carolina worth noting because AAA put cameras in the cars of 70 volunteers age 18 to 80 to study driving distractions, the cause of an estimated 25 percent of accidents.
Cameras found drivers applying eyeliner/lipstick, opening/reading mail, reading the paper and paying bills — all while under way.
What’s frightening, some of the motorists said they were more careful than normal because the cameras were there!
Even with a video eyewitness, drivers proved that no matter how safe automakers build cars, they are only as safe as the mope behind the wheel reading a newspaper, applying makeup or writing checks.
The most common distraction?
Using cell phones.
Understandable.
Those 70 folks probably were calling nearby motorists to ask: "Do any of my tires look like they’re missing 25 percent pressure?"
LAND CRUISER JR.
Looks like the Toyota FJ Cruiser concept is going to make it into production.
Consumer reaction to the concept, a smaller, more affordable, youth-oriented version of the huge Land Cruiser unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, "was extraordinary," Toyota says.
Though a final verdict hasn’t been reached, it "makes sense and chances are good" Toyota will add FJ for ’06, insiders say.
FJ will share platforms with the next-generation Tacoma pickup built at the Toyota/General Motors plant in Fremont, Calif., that also produces Toyota Corolla and Pontiac Vibe cars (the companion Toyota Matrix is built in Canada).
The FJ could be built at Fremont, close to the youthful West Coast trendsetters that Toyota is catering to with the new Scion lineup of small, affordable cars.
Moving some Tacoma output to a new plant in Mexico would free Fremont for FJ.
