Consumer Reports Cars Blog

Video: Embracing seat belt use

Eight things that can dramatically improve auto safety

Toyota’s recent problems with sticking accelerators, floor-mat entrapment, and brake problems have brought automotive safety sharply into focus. There have been 19 deaths linked to unintended acceleration in Toyotas over the past 10 years, according to one analysis. And the company needs to address all of its safety issues as quickly as possible. But there is far more that can be done to reduce the approximately 37,000 deaths that occur on American roads every year:

What drivers can do

Buckle up. Wearing a safety belt is the simplest means of cutting deaths and serious injuries on the road. In 2008, some 14,000 fatalities involved unrestrained occupants.

Curb drinking and driving. Alcohol was involved in nearly 12,000 fatalities in 2008, or 32 percent of all highway deaths. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives. If we all took small measures like choosing a designated driver or taking the keys away from friends who have had too much to drink, we can help prevent thousands of deaths per year.

Avoid distractions. Distracted driving rivals drunken driving in its danger. A University of Utah study found that distraction from cell-phone use (whether hand-held or hands-free) can slow a driver's reaction time as much as having a blood-alcohol concentration at the .08 percent limit. Nearly 6,000 deaths were attributed to distracted driving in 2008. Don’t talk on a cell phone or send or read text messages, or perform any other activities that take your eyes or your mind off the road.

Mind your speed. Excessive speed was involved more than 11,000 vehicle-accident-related deaths—31 percent—in 2008. Drive at the posted speed limit in optimum driving conditions and slow down when weather conditions such as fog, wind, rain, snow, or ice can make driving hazardous.

Know how to handle your car. Would you know what to do if your car suddenly accelerated or if you lost braking ability? We’ve found that hitting the brake pedal and shifting into Neutral is the most effective of regaining control of a runaway car. But to be ready for such a situation, you should become familiar with shifting into Neutral instantly, without thinking or hunting for the gear. Practice at low speeds in a safe location. Also, know where the emergency brake is and how to grab it or push it quickly.

Maintain your tires. Keeping tires properly inflated is an easy and effective step you can take to avoid a flat tire or dangerous blowout, which can result in losing vehicle control. Driving on balding tires is dangerous, as well. Maintain tread depth of at least 1/8-inch, inspect your tires and check the tire inflation pressure at least once a month, and have them examined annually by a mechanic as part of your vehicle’s safety inspection.

What the government can do
Establish graduated licensing programs. Young drivers, especially young male drivers, are disproportionately involved in fatal crashes. Graduated licensing grants driving privileges to teen drivers over time. It limits how many passengers a teen driver can carry and what hours an unsupervised teen is allowed behind the wheel. Graduated licensing is a proven lifesaver, but some states’ laws are stronger than others are. In states where it’s been studied, teen crash rates have dropped 10 to 30 percent since the laws were enacted. Parental enforcement of these programs is also key to reducing teen deaths.

Design more traffic rotaries. Traffic rotaries, or roundabouts, are far safer and more effective than traditional intersections with stop signs and traffic lights. They also reduce dangerous side-impact crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that roundabouts have reduced injury crashes in some areas by as much as 80 percent.

—Gordon Hard with Liza Barth

Five key fixes automakers should make now to reduce unintended acceleration

The unintended acceleration problems at Toyota are often characterized as "glitches" or malfunctions. But a truly well designed car should protect its occupants even when something unanticipated goes wrong. Below are five designed-in safety solutions that Toyota could have used, and we think every manufacturer should adopt. Each has the potential to save lives, and taken together they could have a big impact on auto safety.
 

1. Engineer cars so a sustained braking force can stop a car in a reasonable distance even with the accelerator pedal fully depressed

Whether unintended acceleration is caused by a floor mat,  sticking accelerator pedal, or another mechanical or electrical malfunction is immaterial. A sustained press of the brake pedal should allow the car to stop in a reasonable distance, even if the throttle is wide open. While the brakes on most vehicles can stop a speeding vehicle eventually, it can take up to 1,000 feet to do so. This is too long. One method to reduce stopping distances is "smart throttle" technology that allows the brakes to override the throttle. Toyota is adding this to its vehicle line. Other methods to limit power would be acceptable as long as the vehicle can stop within a short, predetermined distance.

2. Require a minimum distance between the gas pedal and the floorboard

Sometimes the simplest fixes have the biggest impact. Many of the Toyota complaints involved floor mats, which can trap the accelerator pedal in many vehicles. (Other cars have this problem, too. See how mats can be a serious problem in this video of a government-run test that shows exactly how the wrong floor mat can cause the accelerator pedal to stick.) Sometimes people use thick all-weather mats,  ill-fitting mats, or stack one mat atop another. The hooks that hold the floor mats in place can fail, or they aren't used at all. So why not design for failure? The key is to simply allow sufficient clearance between the floorboard and the bottom of the gas pedal, no matter what position the pedal is in, so the pedal clears a floor mat despite how  it's stacked, scrunched, or positioned. This mirrors the change the Toyota is proposing to retroactively make to millions of vehicles.

3. Make it simpler to turn off the engine in an emergency

Push-button ignition systems are convenient and becoming more popular, but a driver might not know how to shut off the engine in an emergency. In many Toyota vehicles, the engine is shut off with a single press of a button when parked, but when the car is moving it requires a sustained three-second push. Though that's a safety precaution to prevent an accidental engine shut-off, it's an action many owners may never guess. When we simulated an unintended acceleration at our track, our driver was unaware of the three-second rule and found that multiple pushes of the on/off button did nothing. Other manufacturers allow the engine to be shut off with two quick pushes within three seconds. That allows even a panicked person to shut the engine off, and we think all push-button ignitions should work that way.

4. Require sufficient brake pedal pressure before a car can be shifted from Park

Many unintended acceleration complaints are not high-speed runaways, but occur in parking situations. Complaints often describe a vehicle lurching unexpectedly when shifted into gear. Shift interlocks, designed to prevent this, require the driver to depress the brake pedal before shifting from Park to Drive or Reverse. However, in our experience the brake pressure required to move the lever from Park is not always sufficient to keep a vehicle at rest when put into gear, especially during a cold start when the engine's idle speed is elevated. This could surprise drivers and cause the vehicle to hit a parked vehicle, garage door, or pedestrian.

5. Simplify shifting into Neutral

If your car is accelerating out of control, hitting the brakes and shifting into Neutral is your best strategy. Finding Neutral should be intuitive and obvious. Not long ago, automatic shift levers were simple to use. But the advent of gated and electronic shifters can make finding Neutral in a panic confusing. You shouldn't have to read the owners manual to figure out how to use the shifter.

Be sure to follow Consumer Reports Cars blog (RSS) and Twitter (@CRcars) to keep up with the latest safety information and advice, also see our car safety and unintended acceleration guides.

Video: NBC Nightly News asks Consumer Reports for advice on Toyotas

The segment concludes with Champion stating that Toyota needs to fix the involved cars real quickly, jump on the Prius brake problem, and reach out to customers to make sure these issues are resolved.

We will continue to cover this developing story. Be sure to follow Consumer Reports Cars blog (RSS) and Twitter (@CRcars) to keep up with the latest information and advice, also see our unintended acceleration guide.

—Jeff Bartlett

Toyota adds 2010 Prius braking problem to the list, recall possible

Since the U.S. and Japanese governments yesterday launched an investigation into braking problems with the 2010 Toyota Prius, news reports suggest Toyota will recall 270,000 cars to correct the issue.

In a statement, Toyota said, “…customers have complained of inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the anti-lock brake system (ABS) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction. The system, in normal operation, engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to tire slippage. A running production change was introduced last month, improving the ABS system’s response time, as well as the system’s overall sensitivity to tire slippage.”

To understand what consumers are experiencing, we have mined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints database for examples from the Office of Defects investigation.

• I have a 2010 Prius which I bought in August 2009. On several occasions, approximately 8-10 times, I have been braking at slower speeds when coming to an intersection. When I put my foot on the brake and the car happens to hit a bump or hole in the road and the car noticeably surges. My foot is not on the accelerator and this has nothing to do with the floor mats because my floor mat is pinned to the floor of the car. The most recent time this happened with 12/28/2009.
• I have a 2010 Toyota Prius, and am shocked that this car was not included in the gigantic Toyota recall. Why? Becase [sic] the 2010 Toyota Prius exhibits brake failure and sudden acceleration when slowing down on bumpy roads. For example, if you’re slowing down towards a red light, and then all of a sudden you hit a pothole, the car will suddenly accelerate and may cause a crash with the person ahead of you! This happens all the time and is extremely dangerous. Thousands of 2010 Prius drivers worldwide are also having this brake failure/sudden acceleration issue with their 2010 Prius [sic] as well! Take a look at just a few of these discussions which are taking place, where people are having uncontrollable sudden acceleration with the 2010 Prius. Will the NHTSA please do something about this?
• I have a 2010 Prius. when I hit a pothole while stepping on the brake, the brakes let go. I have to rebreak [sic]. The car actually seems to speed up. It is very frightening. I have taken it into the dealer. They say it is the anti-lock brakes. I have had anti-lock brakes before and never have had that kind of problem,
• I would like to add my report to your other complaints about 2010 Toyota prius brakes. I purchased mine in July and since then have experienced 4 (four) instances of this problem. In each case, I was decelerating with the brakes steadily applied, and rolled over a bump or pothole in the road. At that moment, the brakes stopped working, or the braking power was severely reduced, and the car felt as if it lurched forward. Applying more pressure on the brakes when this occurs does cause the braking to resume, but there is a delay of perhaps 1/2 second. I have not had an accident so far, but if i were behind another car which was also braking when this happened, there is a high likelihood that my car would smash into the other car's rear.

NTHSA has stated that the complaint records involve four deaths. The complaints can be found on the Web site of NTHSA’s Office of Defects Investigation.

—Eric Evarts