Volvo 740 Fog Light Nos on 2040-parts.com

New technology combats drowsy driving

Auto supplier Takata is introducing a new driver-alertness warning system to the commercial trucking industry to keep drivers awake. The SafeTrak electronic vision system sounds an alert if a trucker is driving erratically or unintentionally drifting from a lane. A recent AAA study for traffic safety found that drowsy driving is a contributing factor in 16.5 percent of fatal car crashes in the United States.

VW to go totally turbo

A Volkswagen AG executive announced Tuesday that the company is planning to turbocharge the entire VW fleet by the 2016 or 2017. VW's executive vice president, Mark Trahan, spoke with The Detroit News, saying they will replace the company's remaining three naturally aspirated engines, a five-cylinder 2.5-liter and two six-cylinders with turbo mills. The trend seems to be gaining popularity, seeing as Ford Motor Co.

Call for stronger penalties for texting drivers

DRIVERS convicted of causing death by dangerous driving should be given stronger and more consistent penalties, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists has said. An IAM analysis of eleven recent prosecutions involving mobile and smartphone use revealed that the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is four-and-a-half years in prison and a disqualification from driving for seven years. In all of the cases analysed, the convicted drivers were found to have lost their concentration due to using their mobile phone.