In the year 2000, three million people or consumers were injuredand forty two thousand people died in automobile accidents. (Sharke, 2003) Computers control every aspect of our automobiles this day in age. You may think to your self “but at least I steer the automobile on my own,” well actually you don’t even do that by yourself all vehicles have a power steering device in them that are now electronically controlled. If your cars computer messes up you my no longer even be able to steer your car. In this paper I will show how computer controlled systems can advance together and befriend save lives. One will learn that anti-lock brakes, airbags, and OnStar will work together to save many lives on the future.
Antilock Brakes
Anti lock braking system is a device that monitors an automobiles brake system and when the driver has to push the brakes hard the system will not allow the brakes to lock up and the driver lose control. When a car does not have anti lock brakes when a driver pushes on the brake hard the rotor will lock up in the brakes and the wheel will stop spinning so the driver loses the ability to steer the car. Anti lock braking system is on of the most crucial features in preventing automobile accidents but if this system fails then the driver could face a horrible fate.
How Anti-lock Brakes work
A wheel that is locked up or spinning faster than the car is captivating does not have much traction. Having anti lock brakes allows one to steer the car while hasty decelerating. The control of anti lock braking system comes from a computer that monitor each individual wheels speed.
The computer checks the speed sensors at all times. It is looking for decelerations in the wheels that are not uniform with what it should be. The computer can anticipate the wheel locking up by seeing the wheel decelerating to fast. It might take a car five seconds to stop from 60 mph under ideal conditions, but a wheel that locks up could stop spinning in less than a second.
The ABS controller knows that such a rapid deceleration is not possible without locking up, so it reduces the pressure to that brake until it sees acceleration, then it increases the pressure until it sees the deceleration again. The result is the tire slows down at the same rate as the car which stops the car wheels from locking up, while actually keeping the tires approach the point at which they would start to lock up. By doing that the car gets maximum braking power by keeping max pressure on the rotor. When ABS activates the system can pulsate fifteen times a second.
The biggest problem with anti lock brakes is that when they are working many people contemplate that there is something unfriendly with the brakes and let off and kill up hitting what they were trying to avoid. When anti lock brakes activate there is a violent shaking in the cars steering wheel and an even more violent pulsating feeling in the cars brake pedal. Many people secure nervous when this happens and let off of the brake. Last year when I was in my SUV a van cut me off and I had to get on my brakes hard to avoid hitting the van and when I did the wheel vibrated very hard and the brake pedal felt like it was pushing back but I stayed on the pedal and avoided hitting the van. Anti lock brakes are a great feature that many people are haunted of when it is working correctly.
Airbags
When an accident does happen airbags are among the best systems in an automobile which saves lives. Are bags are controlled by the cars computer and act in under a second. Air bags were first seen in the 1980′s to protect against a head on collision, but since that time air bags are now all over a vehicle to protect against almost any type of collision. The air bag is made of a thin, nylon fabric, which is folded into the steering wheel or dashboard. There is a sensor connected to a computer which tells the air bag when to inflate. One only needs to hit something at 15 mile per hour for the airbag to inflate and when it does nitrogen gas inflates the air bag in under a tenth of a second. (US DOT, 2006)
The design the air bag works is by a igniting a propellant which burns extremely fast to create an grand amount of gas that inflates the air bag. The airbag then explodes from the steering wheel and quickly loses pressure to allow a person to have a cushioned hit. Incredibly this entire process takes less than one twenty fifth of a second. (US DOT, 2006). One problem with air bags is that they come out with such force that it could kill a small child if he or she would to be sitting in the front seat. Even when an air bag saves ones life there are instances where bones have been broken. But a few broken bones is better than losing a life. One procedure car manufacturer solver this is by turning down the force on an airbag by as much as thirty five percent if the owner has a doctors recommendation. (US DOT, 2006)
The Future
Forty percent of all accidents are from side collisions and thirty percent of all serious accidents are a result of side impacts (US DOT, 2006). Car makers are really making an difficulty to further protect the driver by now installing side impact airbags but with this car manufactures face a new challenge. In a front collision it takes thirty to forty milliseconds for the impact to near the driver but in a side impact it only takes five to six milliseconds for the impact to reach the driver so the system has to work almost ten times faster (US DOT, 2006).
OnStar
OnStaris a system that GMC uses on all of their automobiles to control certain parts of safety features and also luxury features in cars. When a person is lost he or she is more likely to have an accident but with on star one can get direction at the push of a button. OnStar even has special discounts for people that are elderly or have a disability. OnStar will be in every GM vehicle by the year 2007 (Motors, 2006).
OnStar is equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) which monitors ones automobile at all times. With the GPS in place if one is lost he or she simply has to push the OnStar button and receive immediate road assistance. The GPS also allows for rescue works to zero in on ones vehicle and find the signal within a square inch range.
Another new feature with OnStar is hands free dialing. Many accidents and fender benders happen when a driver is distracted and a cell phone is a main distraction amongst drivers this day in age. With OnStar’s hands free dialing system all one needs to do is push the button and wait for a dial tone and simply say the number he or she wish’s to call.
OnStar has many innovative features such as Automatic Notification of Air Bag Deployment: which automatically notifies the authorities that the cars airbags have been deployed, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics: which emails the owner a vehicle report every month, Remote Door Unlock: which OnStar will remotely unlock ones doors if the keys are locked in, Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance: which uses GPS to track ones vehicle, Roadside Assistance: which can support one change a tire from bring gas if the vehicle runs out, Accident Assist: which is self explanatory, Remote Horn And Lights, Ride Assist, and Personal Concierge: which OnStar will automatically book reservations for the owner (Motors, 2006).
A problem with a computer system controlling ones vehicle is that it is susceptible to all types of problems that computers are know to have. Computer systems in cars are starting to go across a network sending information. Sending information is ok but once these computers inaugurate receiving information they will be open to viruses and anything else that can find its way in. When computer went on the internet it was great for sending and receiving information but it also opened recent ways to send and receive viruses and worms.
Critics are wary of the possible privacy implications of OnStar and other similar and related technologies (Wikipedia, 2005). They also raise concerns about police or any other groups that could make exercise of OnStar’s tracking, whether legally or illegally. There have already been cases where OnStar has already been ancient in court and where OnStar has contacted the police, against the driver’s wishes. Privacy advocates worry that citizens will be hassled by police from GM sending out false alarms.
Concerns are also raised about what might be done with the data collected by the vehicles’ event data recorders, which are similar to those on airplanes but not as sophisticated and as of now do not function as voice recorders. For example, insurance companies or auto dealers could use data suggesting reckless driving as the basis for denying claims or warranty service. With this technology OnStar claims that they are committed to maintaining the privacy of their customers.
System break down taken from the OnStar website
OnStar Advanced Automatic Shatter Notification System (AACN):
Figure 1: The GM advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system uses front and side sensors as well as the sensing capabilities of the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) itself. The accelerometer located within the SDM measures the crash severity.
Figure 2: In the event of a moderate to severe frontal or side-impact break, data is transmitted from the affected sensors to the SDM. The SDM sensor also can identify a rear impact of sufficient severity. Regardless of whether the air bags deploy, the SDM transmits crash information to the vehicle’s OnStar module.
Figure 3: Within seconds of a moderate to severe crash, the OnStar module will send a message to the OnStar Call Center (OCC) through a cellular connection, informing the advisor that a shatter has occurred. A voice connection between the advisor and the vehicle occupants is established. The advisor then can conference in 911 dispatch or a public safety answering point (PSAP), which determines if emergency services are necessary. If there is no response from the occupants, the advisor can provide the emergency dispatcher with the wreck information from the SDM that reveals the severity of the shatter. The dispatcher can identify what emergency services may be appropriate. Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, OnStar advisors are able to tell emergency workers the location of the vehicle.
OnStar Emergency
OnStar 911 Emergencywill automatically call the rescue workers and notify them that you have been in an accident and they will be able to secure the occupant via GPS location way. This feature will save many live because the driver need not to be conscious in order to place a call.
OnStar is not free; it is two hundred dollars a year for the standard plan and four hundred dollars a year for the advanced version which includes Driving Directions, Ride Assist, and Convenience Services (Motors, 2006). One may think “I am not going to pay four hundred dollars a year for this service,” but can one but a price on his or her family. How much is a loved one worth? Still don’t think OnStar is worth it. Maybe this can change a mind.
An accident story taken fabricate OnStars website
On the OnStar website there was a story about how on star saved the lives of four people:
In early September 2003, Jack and Mary Lou Garner of Centerville, Ohio, were exploring Yosemite National Park, snaking their way up Glacier Point Road. The Garners were approaching a blind curve along the narrow road, when a car lunged toward them halfway into their lane. The two cars collided nearly head-on.
Fortunately, OnStar knew the location of the Garner’s car just after their air bags deployed, so “the notification went to the dispatcher who’s right in the park and is familiar with Glacier Point Road,” explained Sean Pence, paramedic and Yosemite Medical Clinic manager. “Ironically, had anyone been able to dial 911 from the accident scene, the call would have been routed through either Reno or Fresno before ending up at Yosemite.”
An hour after the smash, fire crews were able to extricate the Garners from their car using the Jaws of Life and have them transported to a hospital outside the park. And though the Garners have recovered, their memories of Yosemite, OnStar, and everyone who helped them are filled with emotion. “I still get choked up,” says Jack, “particularly when I think of all of the very generous people who were involved in this.”
That day OnStar saved the lives of not only the driver of the GMC vehicle equipped with OnStar but also the driver of the vehicle which they hit. So what is your life worth? Is a dollar and nine cents a day to much? That was how much it cost to save four lives that day. Can one really put a price on his or her life or the price of loved ones.
In this paper I will showed how computer controlled systems can come together and help save lives. Still reflect that a computer controlling safety features in a vehicle is a bad idea? The more advanced and sophisticated computers become the closer we are to having a vehicle that can predict that an accident is about to happen and react before the accident occurs. Once we get to this step it may even be possible to completely eliminate accidents all together and have complete safety while driving. The future is today, and today is the age of the computer.
References
General, M. (2006). Information center. Retrieved April 25, 2006, from OnStar by GM
Web site: http://www.OnStar.com/us_english/jsp/explore/OnStar_basics/index.jsp
Sharke, P. (2003). Smart cars: knowledge is power…and saftey. Mechanical Engineering,
125.3, 6.
US DOT Research . Retrieved April 22, 2006, from National Center For Statistics and Analysis Web site: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.a8131659c3c0a2381601031046108a0c/;jsessionid=EOlF1Hy2aSC2DbVEuct532Tg75UgNwzGpyNLonEze62zqaJWVowT!-738400497
Wikipedia (2005). OnStar. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from answers Web site:
Filed under Automobile Insurance Wiki by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment. 
My daughter just had her fifteenth birthday and my wife and I are already preparing for six months from now when we rep auto insurance with her name on it. She’ll get her Missouri driver’s permit and then a year from now she will get a graduated driver’s license.
Adding a teenager to your already existing insurance is great if you have insurance with discounts for added drivers. Despite having our own insurance, my wife and I are still shopping around to see if other insurance policies are better than our existing one. Here is a guide for all concerned parents who want to save money when a driver comes of age and still wants friendly coverage.
In general you will want to find an insurance policy that is cheaper for teenagers, not necessarily cheaper in general. According to Edmunds.com, teenagers are six times more likely to get into car accidents than 30 to 59 year-olds so the premiums on all teenagers will be higher than adults.
Good Grades, Good Driving
Keeping your teenager qualified is well-known. Have your teenage know all of the laws before they take their driving test. In Missouri, there is a handy guide online and in booklet format that explains all of the basic rules of the road.
My teenager loves to text. A good investment is to get a BlueTooth attachment for a cell phone so they are less likely to be distracted while driving. Absolutely no texting while driving to keep everyone genuine on the road is a must for your teenager.
Many insurance companies will give discounts for good grades because they figure, and correctly so, that a teenager responsible enough to earn high marks in school can also be a more prudent driver. Edmunds says that you can save up to ten percent on car insurance this way.
Motivating your teen to be a satisfactory driver and maintain good grades can be several fold. Allow them an extra hour or two of curfew, utilize more time with friends, even tell them that the family can save up for them to have their own car to help teach them responsibility as an adult.
Ordering Insurance
Here are some decent plans for teens when you shop around. Rates will vary based upon geographic areas (the more cars in your area, the greater chances of a wreck and hence higher insurance) and what kind of car the teenager will have access to.
Since your teen is your own child and you want to protect them as much as possible, I would resolve for nothing less than full coverage even if your station just requires liability insurance. Full coverage is more expensive but in the long urge, which is just three years, it will be worth it.
You’ve seen the advertising for Allstate Insurance and accident forgiveness and safe teen drivers. Adding your teen to a policy is fairly simple and there are many programs that reward safe drivers. With many budget cuts in public schools, enrolling your child in a driver education class may cost a fee but it is well worth it.
Progressive Insurance is probably a cheaper scheme to go if you want small premiums. Progressive may be cheaper in general even though they may not offer as many discounts. The key is to shop around for many types of premiums and policies. When drivers turn 19 their premiums go down as much as 30 to 35 percent.
Filed under Progressive Insurance by on Feb 24th, 2011. Comment.
If you are a camping enthusiast, you probably either have or will have a travel trailer at some point. Although most trailers travel untold miles without incident, accidents with travel trailers do happen. When you have an accident with a travel trailer, you will be glad that it is properly insured. Travel trailer insurance can give you more protection than just covering the loss associated with an accident.
Not all car insurance will cover a depart trailer in an accident.
Many car policies will offer limited travel trailer coverage. The travel trailer insurance that can be added to a motor vehicle policy is never as complete or specific to travel trailer needs as insurance that is written objective for the trailer itself. The extra things included in a travel trailer insurance policy can make a huge difference when an insurance claim is made. Without adding additional provisions to your auto policy, you probably do not have fade trailer insurance.
You need travel trailer insurance in case of a shatter down.
Unlike most car policies, fade trailer insurance takes into consideration that you will be going long distances away from home and may break down. Travel trailer policies can be written to not only screen problems with the trailer itself, but the tow vehicle, also. This can be a mountainous help if your tow vehicle breaks down on vacation. The policy will usually cover some of the repairs, a loaner vehicle and a tow, if necessary. If you wanted to get this written into your regular auto insurance plan, it would cost you some serious money.
Many retired people today choose to compose their travel trailer their permanent residence.
The great news is that travel trailer insurance can cover your camper even if you live in it full time. You will still have the same coverage against storm damage, vandalism and other needs associated with a depart trailer. It will help repair broken windows, frozen water pipes and other hazards that go along with living in a travel trailer.
Travel trailer insurance will protect your contents against a loss.
Just like homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, travel trailer insurance covers your contents. If you have an accident or loss from some other cause, the proceed trailer insurance will kick in and take care of you financially to repair or replace your possessions. It is rare that this will be offered through your homeowner’s or auto insurance policies.
You can also get some liability coverage in case someone gets pain in your trailer.
While this is rare, it does happen. A person could get injured entering or leaving your travel trailer or inside. If it results in an injury, a lawsuit might follow. In this event, the travel trailer insurance would take care of the claims.
Filed under Cheap Automobile Insurance by on Feb 22nd, 2011. Comment.
When it comes to auto insurance, you may be underinsured and not know it. You could need gap auto insurance, custom car insurance or a non-owners’ auto policy.
Gap Auto Insurance
If you are purchasing a new car with only a modest down payment or leasing a car, you may need gap auto insurance. Gap insurance covers the difference between what you owe a finance company and what your insurance company will pay if your car is totaled or stolen. As you probably know, the value of a new car can depreciate significantly the minute you drive it off the car dealership’s lot. Further, if you stop for a bite to eat on the blueprint home and the car is stolen (and never recovered), your auto insurance company will pay you the cash value of the car not what you paid for it. If this amount is less than the loan on the car, you will be on the hook for the difference unless you have gap insurance. Some lenders and car leasing companies require gap insurance. If you purchase gap insurance, be sure that you terminate it once the balance on your car loan falls below the car’s cash value.
Non-owners Auto Insurance.
Non-owners auto insurance is for those who don’t hold a car but often rent or borrow one. It generally offers miniature coverage, including liability, medical and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Non-owners policies usually do not include collision or comprehensive coverage. For some drivers, there are a couple of advantages to purchasing non-owners auto insurance. First, if you drive a rented or borrowed car frequently, it can be wise to have non-owners coverage since it provides coverage for any car that you drive. Second, non-owners coverage may be more economical than purchasing insurance from a rental car company if you rent cars frequently. If you often rent cars, you can calculate the payback period on purchasing a non-owners auto insurance policy by comparing the daily cost of comparable insurance purchased from the rental car company with the cost of non-owners auto insurance.
Custom Car Insurance
Before you enhance your car with expensive add-ons like custom wheels and rims, ornate chrome and grills, spoilers, side skirts, and engine modifications, check with your insurance company about custom car insurance. Coverage for customized cars can vary from one company to another and from state to state. Your insurance company may allow you to add an endorsement to your collision and comprehensive coverage for custom parts and equipment. If your auto insurance company will not offer your custom car coverage, find one that will before you start the work. Be especially careful that after-market parts are properly installed on your car and that they don’t make it less safe, because in some situations and some states that could give your auto insurance company an excuse to deny your claim.
Sources:
www.insurance.com/nonowners insurance, Insurance for Non-Car Owner
www.insurance.com, Custom Auto Insurance for Custom Cars/Insurance.com
www.carinsurance.com, Customizing Your Vehicle and Car Insurance
www.insurance.com/gap insurance, What Is Gap Insurance?
Filed under Automobile Insurance Quotes by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
This is a messy topic folks. The Progressive Movement was a jumbled mess of ideas taken from many more classic political systems. Progressives could never agree on what Progressivism actually was, who was a splendid Progressive and who was not, and any firm planks in their platform. They never jelled as a political party, but instead became a philosophy with no guiding leaders. They exist, but like the venerable “independent” there is a murkiness to who these people are and what they are actually all about.
While many Progressive tenets are very freedom oriented, some of them are exactly the opposite. Due to the vastness of the topic I will suspend my normal manner of editorial presentation and list some Progressive tenets, as the AC format does not lend itself to a comprehensive review.
Progressivism believes government should evolve as society does. For me this is problematic because as we can clearly see, a loud minority can create the impression that a majority of people desire something. For example, all the gay marriage rancor, and despite what its proponents will publicly argue, 72% of those polled in the entire nation are against gay marriage.
Based on all the gay marriage noise made, only a minority actually favor it, but based on the reporting of most media, one would never know that. As well the proponents of gay marriage misrepresent the truth. They argue only a hater is against it when clearly the statistical evidence does not back their play.
In short progressive beliefs argue for shifting standards depending upon the morals of the society as of this moment. As well, such a position is tacit embrasure of any future societal shifts. Essentially this translates to no firm and hard standards. Is it just me or does this sound like a recipe for disaster?
Progressivism is all about a despise of corporate America and a need for government to control commerce. Progressives love regulation like a hungry dog likes a pork chop – ummmm . . . good eats! Progressives basically believe that Man is flawed and the need for social, economic and political justice AS Obvious BY THEM, should override any natural order. With that in mind they demand corporatism must be controlled and is generally frowned upon. And listening to these folks opine, indeed they do not like anything corporate, except of course GE.
Progressives are all about Big Government! Government is their chosen tool for making society comport to what the movement desires. The inner-city blight of the poor is a direct result of Progressives, as is their belief that there must be a dedicated class of social workers within government to watch out for us because we cannot be trusted to look out for ourselves. It was the Progressives that favored Prohibition, and that led to black markets and organized crime. Thanks, big thinkers!
They are hugely in favor of organized labor. We see this proven out in the Detroit unions getting a bigger per dollar payout than did the secured creditors to the car companies. What a Progressive crock.
They interrogate social justice, whatever that is and however that can be legitimately and quantifiably measured.
They scream for reform of nearly everything, as if the US were the wart on the face of an otherwise dazzling Humanity. The reality is Progressives were the first to embrace and weave into their platforms, such as they are, Marxism and all that delightful philosophy entails.
Most every tenet of the current “non-traditionalist” movement in the US as we see it manifest today is a Progressive initiative. And Progressivism does encapsulate many Marxist concepts, ipso facto, these people are Marxist Lite. That means they are at least Socialists, and that’s honest me being kind. If I wanted to exhaust my days arguing the point, and I do not, I could accurately and fairly execute stick more pejorative nomenclature.
And to sum up the general philosophy of Progressivism, it is a “political movement that addresses ideas, impulses, and issues stemming from modernization of American society. Emerging at the end of the nineteenth century, it established much of the tone of American politics throughout the first half of the century.”(Wikipedia) (my emphasis)
Clearly a great deal of the mess we enjoy today is a result of Progressive involvement in formerly efficient systems and the resulting clusterf&$% as the Progressive mindset has entrenched itself in this unholy amalgam of government and ample thinkers. Instead of the accepted axiom, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” these people live by the axiom “What, no Progressive concept went into “X”? Well, we need to rectify that post-haste.” And WHAMO! We have a big mess on our hands.
As I stated this is a vast topic and the AC format does not lend well to a complete presentation. I have Jonah Goldberg’s “Liberal Fascism” next in the pile of books to read, and I will offer “progress reports” as I read that book which very exhaustively looks into Progressivism as we know it today. Have me, what I have offered herein is not even the tip of the iceberg. I just wanted to give folks a “heads up” as to what it means when one claims, as did Hillary during the campaign, “I am an American Progressive.” (paraphrase)
Only to a Left partisan or an uninformed fool is her proud proclamation anything to write home about. For us common sense folks this is a most definite shoving of a stout stick between the spokes of our moving bicycles’ wheels, no?
SOURCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_progressivism
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Thought/fp12.cfm
Filed under Automobile Insurance Wiki by on Jan 23rd, 2011. Comment.
