The Claw

Some of you have been wondering – with all of the fast-moving development of vehicle technology — how soon until we have remote-controlled vehicles? When are computers going to take the wheel and start driving our vehicles for us?

In the past five years, we’ve seen a tremendous growth of in-car telematics. We’ve also seen phenomenal growth in the use of smartphones. GPS tracking has become a standard in our lives now. The logical next step is the development of autonomous vehicles that have their own onboard computer sophisticated enough to drive a car safely. Then how long will it take for major corporations to “create” super computers that can monitor and control millions of vehicles on the road everyday – vehicles without a driver behind the wheel that can make rational decisions? Will they be sharing the road with human-controlled drivers, or will they have their own private highways?

As we’ve seen, the US Air Force is increasing the use of drone aircraft to carry out bombing missions and intelligence gathering in hostile zones. From a control room at a base in the western United States, a drone pilot can guide a plane on missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other trouble areas. This has changed the game when it comes to battlefield ethics.

We can assume that having computer driven vehicles will allow more efficient and safer driving. This assumes that a computer will be polite to other vehicles and make safe decisions. There is a myriad of things that must be determined before computers take to the roads. How do you insure a driverless vehicle? How does a police officer “pull over” a computer? Who has more rights, a human driver or a computer driver?

Somehow every day a driver goes up against tremendous odds with the roads filled with human drivers who can and will make random decisions. There are more than 33,000 deaths annually from traffic accidents and more than 1.2 million injuries. One can assume that the goal of autonomous vehicles is to lower the traffic deaths. Obviously, some human drivers make bad choices – like driving too fast, making improper lane changes, braking poorly, or being inattentive. Somehow we are getting by with this flawed system of drivers using their own choice. Just how do we make this transition to a monitored, controlled driving environment with the “wild card” being a free-thinking human?

There are things to overcome before unmanned cars and trucks share the roads and streets with human-driven vehicles remain. To pioneer this research, we must first send out a team of attorneys. In our world of the future, we must first know who is legally responsible for remote operation of a vehicle. Property and casualty attorneys can make a living suing incompetent and irresponsible drivers that are causing mayhem on the roadways. I can only guess that the lawsuits will increase over software glitches causing an accident, or someone hacking and stealing someone’s autonomous vehicle.

So what seems like a plot for a science fiction movie (“The Attack of the Lincoln Towncar” or “Warp Speed on Route 66″) is apparently turning into science fact. More than ten years ago in 2001, a team in China (working with their military) successfully tested an unmanned drone automobile. In recent experiments they drove an unmanned vehicle more than 175 miles, averaging 54 miles an hour – and this was a military experiment!

Google has successfully tested unmanned vehicles. So far they’ve logged more than 140,000 miles in testing. However, there has been at least one crash – apparently caused a human driving another vehicle that crashed into the unmanned vehicle. And Nevada has become the first state to adopt legislation to allow for unmanned vehicles.

In 2011, Ford Motor Company tested specially equipped vehicles in the United Kingdom that scanned the road ahead for traffic signs and alerted the driver of changing road conditions. Ford has already got adaptive cruise control that can prevent us from crashing into cars that are slowing down ahead of us. They have blind spot indicators to alert us of cars we can’t see. They have rear cross-traffic alerts to warn us of vehicles approaching us from the rear. They have rear view cameras and rear sensors. They have automatic headlights and windshield wipers. Ford’s Sync-equipped cars can call a 911 operator and relay latitude, longitude and elevation as well as open the microphone so the driver can speak directly to the dispatcher. By 2013, Ford will have vehicles that can monitor how a car is staying in its highway lane. It will automatically keep a driver from drifting out of the lane.

So the next step is refining the artificial intelligence to operate the vehicle. And, of course, designing roadways that handle “programmed vehicles.”

So I say this is the Golden Era of Automobile Driving. This is a special time. Sometime in the future we’ll look back on these days and remember being able to drive free. We’ll fondly recall a “spur of the moment trip to the lake.” We’ll be able to tell our grandchildren, ” I remember when we could gas up the car and just drive. We could go anywhere we pleased. Heck, we could even go off road. We could drive across an open field, race through the desert or drive through a park just to have a picnic.” Yep, these are the days!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Oil – Life Blood of Your Car’s Engine
• The Best Way to Sell Your Car
• Best Used Cars Under $10,000
• When Is It Time to Trade in Your Car?
• Tips On How To Save On Gas

Tags: Cars // Add Comment »

Everyone has had that problem at one point or another when their car has to go to the shop and you have to pay thousands of dollars or else you won’t have a car. But, at what point should you just trade in your old car for a brand new one? It seems like everyone is having some kind of deal no matter what time of year it is, but that shouldn’t be the only reason that you decide to trade in your car. There are a few things you will want to consider before you decide it’s time for an upgrade.

Money of course is the first thing to consider. When you are thinking about trading in your vehicle, you need to think about your current and future financial situation. Of course you may have enough money to buy a car right now, but will you still be able to keep up with the monthly payments in the years to come? It is hard to plan for something like that, but if you have money in savings, then you should be financially ok for a while if you lose your job or something else happens that may put a strain on your finances. You will also want to look at different financing options. These will be different from dealer to dealer, so finding the right financing for you can make all the difference. Before you go looking for a new car, think about how much you spend on your car currently. This may mean not only your monthly payments, but how much do you pay in repairs and gas. You will also want to shop around for different loans, if you can’t get the amount you need from a lender, you might have to wait a while and try again.

Safety is something that you may also want to think about. If you have an older car, it may not be up to date with today’s safety features. This doesn’t mean that technically anything is wrong with your car; it just means it’s not as safe as a newer model. This can be very important when it comes to starting a new family, or even if you have moved to a new town that seems to have more traffic. There are many new safety features out like having air bags on all sides of the car, even the seat belt, having back up cameras, and even new automated systems to help you in the event that you have a wreck or your car breaks down.

Is your car worth the cost of the repairs that you are making on your current car? Sure, a hundred here and a hundred there may not seem like a lot, but it does add up. If you have an old enough car and have to replace the engine or have to take it to the shop every month, the money you are spending on repairs may be of better use towards buying a new car. There is no sense in wasting your money on a car that will just be in the shop month after month.

Of course if you simply just want a more up to date car that has a lot of new features then upgrading your car could be well worth the money you use on your new car. If you still feel money may be a small issue, you can apply to get a car loan. Also, don’t forget to look at the financing options that dealerships may have to offer for the car of your dreams.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Oil – Life Blood of Your Car’s Engine
• The Best Way to Sell Your Car
• Best Used Cars Under $10,000
• Are These The Final Days of The Golden Era of Automobiles?
• Tips On How To Save On Gas

Tags: Cars // Add Comment »

About the only certainty in the gasoline market is that prices will go up, that has generally been true since the oil embargo of the early 1970′s and with continuing events in certain oil producing countries combined with a sharp rise in the use of fossil fuels by nations such as China and India. This growing middle class is buying more vehicles than ever, you can be sure that prices will only go up.

Therefore, the best step is to find ways to save on gas use. To save money on fuel means combining simple techniques and practices of driving that make for good gas saving tips along with finding gas sources such as purchasing from a fuel saving business or using a gas additive opportunity that will decrease your fuel use even further. It may even be possible to make money and save on gas if you take advantage of certain opportunities which can allow you and your family, friends and those around you to save on gas and save on diesel fuel by joining a fuel direct business or fuel direct opportunity.

First things first, to save a considerable amount of gas in your everyday driving, following these tips can cut up to 1/3rd off your gas usage depending on how many of these fuel saving tips you are already using.

First of all drive the speed limit. It may seem slower, but cars generally lose efficiency above 60 mph. Basically every 5 mph over 60 is wasting about 30 cents of each gallon of fuel you use, that adds up quickly over time. Also, driving the speed limit may keep you out of more harmful trouble as well.

Take Aggressiveness out of your Driving. Speeding, especially rapid acceleration and slamming the brakes wastes a considerable amount of gas. Slow down, calm down and drive sensibly can save you more than just fuel, it may keep you out of an accident as well.

Try to dump some of the weight: Every 100 pounds extra you carry cuts fuel mileage by up to 2%. So if you are carrying heavy equipment or items you don’t need, store them somewhere else.

Learn to stop excessive idling. If you are going to be parked in a spot for more than a minute or so, cut the engine. Idling can use up to a half gallon of gas an hour, so if you’re going to be there a while, kill the engine and save your fuel.

Now that you are driving more efficiently, you can also take advantage of joining a direct fuel company or MLM in which you can purchase gas in larger quantities at lower prices. Often, these prices are locked in when you buy them, meaning you can avoid the sudden increases that often occur during the summer and holiday times.

Also, there are plenty of good fuel additives that can help you increase your mileage by reducing the amount of gas burned. Seeking out good, recommended fuel additives can indeed save you money over the long run.

If you incorporate all of these gas saving tips, you find yourself saving a considerable amount of money in the long term.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Oil – Life Blood of Your Car’s Engine
• The Best Way to Sell Your Car
• Best Used Cars Under $10,000
• Are These The Final Days of The Golden Era of Automobiles?
• When Is It Time to Trade in Your Car?

Tags: Cars // Add Comment »