Gas-pedal inspection shows most do not pivot

Preliminary federal investigation into a highly publicized unintended-acceleration crash involving a Lexus ES 350 crash this past August is pointing toward incorrect floor mats as a significant factor. The cause of the crash is described as “very excessive speed” linked to the accelerator being fully depressed. (Read "More than floor mats: NHTSA report gives more details on Lexus crash.")
 
Toyota issued a recall on 3.8 million cars to have owners remove the floor mats from the vehicles. But the other part of the equation in the investigation is the accelerator pedal itself. An initial investigation of the crashed car found the rubberized plastic all-weather floor mat was fused to the rubberized plastic accelerator pedal in the fire that followed the crash (pdf). That mat wasn’t intended for the ES; rather it was a mat from an RX 400h.
 
The report also noted that the Lexus’s accelerator “is not hinged and has no means for relieving forces caused by interferences.” All gas pedals move up and down to control the engine speed, and most are hinged either at the top or the bottom. Some pedals also tilt relative to the arm they’re mounted on (though this has no effect on the throttle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seems to imply that if the pedal had a second hinge, it might have been easier for the driver to get it unstuck from the floor mat.
 
We checked our Auto Test Center parking lot to find how many cars had such a double-hinged pedal. Of 45 cars we checked, we found only the Kia Optima LX four-cylinder had a double-hinged pedal (show right)—our Optima EX V6 did not. In the LX sedan, the pedal was so high off the floor that it seems unlikely that an unsecured floor mat could reach it, as investigators suggest may have been the case in the Lexus crash. All other pedals checked in our lot were rigid, one-piece designs (see above), some hinged at the top, and some at the bottom.
 
We’re not sure whether the double-hinged design would help or not. But it seems an answer not many automakers are pursuing. For its part, Toyota says it is working on solutions that prevent the throttle from sticking, rather than those that would mitigate the effects of a stuck throttle.

 —Eric Evarts

Related:
More than floor mats: NHTSA report gives more details on Lexus crash
Putting a car in Neutral might save your life
Putting stuck floor mat survival strategies to the test
Floor mat survey reveals problem with all-weather mats
Toyota and Lexus floor mat recall is official
Toyota advises 3.8 million Lexus and Toyota owners to remove floor mats
Misaligned floor mat may have caused calamity

2009 Infiniti FX35: Lessons from a car that drives itself

Cars that can drive themselves are a technology of the future, right?

After driving the latest Infiniti FX35, I can answer the question with a definitive, sort of.

Our FX35 is equipped with forward warning, intelligent cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-departure prevention, and an “around view monitor” to aid parking maneuvers. Unlike similar systems we’ve tried before, the forward-collision warning and lane departure systems can help keep the car on track, push back on the throttle, and even apply the brakes, in addition to sounding alarms inside the cabin. In stop-and-go traffic, the distance-control alert system can even bring the car to a full stop.

Using these systems, the FX35 can brake and accelerate on its own, and it can even provide small steering inputs using the brakes. I tried to leave the systems turned on as much as possible to experience their capabilities and limitations.

Mostly, it all works as advertised. But driving is about a lot more than stepping on the gas and brake, or even turning the steering wheel.

For example, the FX35 won’t stop for stop signs when no one else is around. Neither do many of my fellow drivers, I realize, but it’s still the law.

While the distance control alert can stop the FX35 behind another car in traffic, it doesn’t stay stopped for long. After about a second, it releases the brakes and creeps ahead – then applies the brakes again when it “sees” the car in front still hasn’t moved. If you don’t want to hit it eventually, you’ll still have to hold the brakes.

Before the FX applies the brakes, the distance-control alert system pushes back on the gas pedal to try to get the driver to back off when approaching another car too closely. For better or worse, that means much of the time the driver is fighting extra throttle resistance in suburban cut-and-thrust driving. Worse, when the car in front of you suddenly moves out of the lane or goes around a curve, it can create a disconcerting momentary acceleration as the resistance in the gas pedal is suddenly diminished.

Using the intelligent cruise control allows the car to accelerate to a pre-set speed (by using the cruise-control’s Resume feature). The cruise allows you to set the following distance for between two seconds and three seconds behind the car in front of you. Until I timed it, I found it troubling that I always wanted to use the closest setting. But the system builds in a healthy safety margin.

Infiniti’s lane-departure warning system works in conjunction with the side- and forward-view cameras. It does a good job identifying when the FX35 drifts from its lane. (If you use the turn signals it won’t beep when you mean to change lanes.) Adding lane-departure prevention allows the system to apply the brakes on one side of the vehicle individually to try to pull the vehicle back into its lane. But at highway speeds, the system intervenes too late, and too feebly to really keep you from leaving your lane, much less negotiate a curve. (Other systems, on the Lexus GS and LS can also control the steering, but provide only slight inputs when moving forward, still not enough to negotiate curves.)

Not surprisingly, all these systems seem to be fighting the driver for control at times, mostly to try to get the driver to slow down, not follow so close, or stay in the lane, which might have the potential of keeping more cars on the road. But for most attentive drivers it’s often tempting  to just turn these devices  off. Human drivers are much more coordinated and smoother—so long as they are paying attention.

In reverse, our FX35 displays the car’s surroundings on a split-view screen on the center of the dashboard. (It works going forward at very slow speeds as well.) At first this seemed handy for knowing how close you are to other parked cars, for example. But I soon found I’m not much more coordinated at backing up an actual car by video than I am at driving video games. It was hard to follow a straight line without looking over your shoulder. As soon as you try turning to look, though, you realize it’s a good thing the FX35 has the around view monitor; it’s nearly impossible to see the car’s surroundings through the narrow window slits and around the big rear pillars. The surround video does provide an extra measure of safety, especially if children may be around.

In the end, it’s fun to try the technology of the future. But even with all these systems, you still have to drive the car.

See the complete Infiniti FX35 ratings and road test, available to online subscribers.

—Eric Evarts

BMW X5 – Taking the gloves off

The other day, I bummed a ride from one of my fellow engineers, Michelle Tsai, to pick up a new test car. While driving there in our BMW X5 diesel, Michelle admitted that she couldn’t quite figure out how to open the glove compartment. (You push a hard-to-see, unlabeled button on the far side of the dashboard center stack.)

Proud of knowing the BMW equivalent of a secret handshake, I pushed the button and the clamshell doors retracted open. Educational moment over, I shut the doors and we motored on. A few seconds later, the glove compartment doors popped open – all on their own. Hmmmm. I shut the doors, only to have them reopen a few seconds later.

Shut the doors fast – pop back open. Close them gently – pop back open. Shuffle stuff around in the compartment – pop back open again. Fiddle with the button to see if it’s stuck – pop back open. Michelle even stopped and shut the car off, hoping to “reset” the body computer like unplugging a PC. You guessed it – the doors popped back open. Hence, the reason why you see tape in the photo holding the doors shut.

So we’ve got to wonder. An electric glove compartment release seems fancy, as you push the button and the doors arc open. The electronic glove box doesn’t work that well in our Jaguar XF, either. But a manual release works fine. We’ve heard from other manufacturers that these power releases were needed to meet new crash test standards – but those releases aren’t uniform across a manufacturer’s line, even on newer-designed vehicles. And no one seems to have a problem finding a normal glove compartment latch, instead of hunting for a button among a sea of other buttons.

Ultimately, there is a cost to this over-complication. For us, it will probably be a trip to the BMW dealer. At least our X5 is still under warranty.

—Tom Mutchler

Motor vehicle accidents injure 10 million children worldwide annually

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have completed a study on unintentional child injury and its prevention. According to the report, the top five causes of child injury and injury-related death are:

1. Road crashes: They kill 260,000 children a year and injure about 10 million. They are the leading cause of death among 10-19 year olds and a leading cause of child disability.

2. Drowning: It kills more than 175,000 children a year. Every year, up to 3 million children survive a drowning incident. Due to brain damage in some survivors, non-fatal drowning has the highest average lifetime health and economic impact of any injury type.

3. Burns: Fire-related burns kill nearly 96,000 children a year and the death rate is 11 times higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.

4. Falls: Nearly 47,000 children fall to their deaths every year, but hundreds of thousands more sustain less serious injuries.

5. Poisoning: More than 45,000 children die each year from unintended poisoning.

Globally, road traffic injuries are the number one cause of child injury and injury-related death among young people aged 15 to 19 years and the second leading cause among 5- to 14-year-olds. In 2004, road traffic injuries accounted for approximately 30% of all injury deaths among children,

For younger child occupants, the lack, or improper use of, a child restraint is the main risk factor. While many parents use child restraints for infants, the use decreases significantly after the child has outgrown the infant device.

Young drivers are at high risk of a crash in their first year of driving by themselves due to both their immaturity and lack of driving experience. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examines the benefit of delaying teen licensure and the effect of implementing graduated licensing systems, providing insight into how the United States compares to other nations.

Worldwide, 17 or 18 is the typical age a teen gets their drivers license. In the U.S., most states allow teens to drive alone at age 16 or 16 1/2, some as early as 14 1/2 or 15, and the only state to withhold driving licensure until 17 is New Jersey. There have been a few states that have proposed changing the age of licensure to 17 or 18, but so far the proposed changes have not been successful.

If you are parent of a soon-to-be driver, and your state allows licensure without a graduated licensing system, consider imposing some restrictions yourself for the safety of your teen and for your peace of mind.

—Michelle Tsai

Connecticut Sets Example for Teen Driver Safety

Teen drivers die in fatal motor vehicle crashes at a rate at three times the rate for drivers ages 35-49. Hence, motor vehicle crashes remain the number-one killer of children under the age of 18. These young novice drivers are at elevated risk on the road because they have not yet developed the judgment and driving skill that comes with experience. Most states have implemented a three-stage graduated licensing system, in which the new driver obtains initial experience in lower risk conditions, such as driving with a parent, driving with a restricted number, or no passengers, and driving only during the day. Although most states have some form of graduated licensing program, the details of each of the programs varies widely across the country. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also provides a rating of the graduated licensing system in each state.

As of August 1st, 2008, 16- and 17-year-olds learning to drive in Connecticut will have new driving and training laws as well as tough new suspensions for violations. These new requirements include:

Instead of a paper style learner’s permit, new drivers will receive a newly designed license document which incorporates the security features in other DMV license credentials.

16- and 17-year-old teens must take a longer more comprehensive test.

Drivers under 18 must be off the road by 11:00 PM.

Parents of those obtaining a learner’s permit must attend two hours of instruction on teen-driving laws before their teen takes his or her driving test.

On-road training is doubled from 20 to 40 hours.

Increased penalty for teen drivers’ and their passengers not wearing seat belts.

Increased suspension periods for 16- and 17-year-olds for reckless driving and vehicle racing.

60-day license suspension for speeding and 30-day suspension for use of cell phone while driving.

Teens that violate the provisions of the graduated license rules will lose their privileges for 30 days.

Suspension of license for at least one year upon referral to the DMV by the arresting officer for operating under the influence. Will be required to complete a mandatory Substance Abuse Training Program (SATP).

During the first six months of licensure, 16- and 17-year-old drivers can not have any passengers in the vehicle except for a licensed driving instructor, a parent or legal guardian, or a licensed person providing instruction who is at least 20 years old and whose license has not been suspended in the previous four years prior to training. During months seven through 12 of licensure, the only passengers allowed in the vehicle are members of the driver’s immediate family.

A full description of the new laws and other information can be found on the Connecticut DMV Web site.

If you are a parent of a soon-to-be teen driver, you might want to consider the benefits of having this type of graduated program. If you live in a state in which there are not strict enough guidelines, you may want to consider restricting teen driving privileges yourself in the interest of their safety and your own peace of mind. Each of the new restrictions in Connecticut is intended to address particularly risky behaviors and driving conditions that have been linked to teen driver crashes and fatalities. Additional information on each can be found at iihs.org. 

Also, visit our Kids and Car Safety special section.

-- Michelle Tsai