Kawasaki Zx636 Rear Seat on 2040-parts.com

'Get tough on killer drivers' call

DRIVERS who cause death on the roads should be jailed for at least five years, according to the majority of motorists. Eighty-two per cent reckon sentences should be higher for those drivers who kill, a survey by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line found. Brake said the latest Government figures showed 62% of those convicted of killing someone through risky driving were jailed and only 9% got sentences of five years or more.

NHTSA upgrades probe of 1.2 million Toyota Corollas, Matrixes

Federal regulators have upgraded an investigation of as many as 1.2 million Toyota Corollas for possible engine stalling. Consumers have filed 1,101 complaints about Corollas and Corolla Matrixes for 2005-07 models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a filing on its Website. “The engine can stall at any speed without warning and not restart,” NHTSA said in describing the problem.

General Motors combines smartphone functions with the Chevrolet Volt

General Motors is bringing together two of the hottest areas of technology--smartphones and plug-in electric cars. GM's OnStar telematics unit has developed a downloadable application that will let Chevrolet Volt drivers use a Blackberry Storm, Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid to remotely control and monitor some vehicle functions, such as charging. The Volt is slated to go into production late this year and arrive in California utility company fleets by early 2011.