Car Insurance

On the last page of this issue, my colleague Chris Sawyer is, in effect, pissing and moaning about his experience trying to hook up his iPod to his 2003 Mini. He does make reference to his calling some BMW executives to task for their iDrive, pointing out that that interface was exceedingly complex and cumbersome. Now, with the simplification of the iDrive, it is mainly just complex and cumbersome, just not excessively so. While he, perhaps, expects that we all know this, it should be mentioned that the manufacturer of the future-retro car that he owns is the self-same Bavarian Motor Werks. And to BMW’s credit, it was early out of the box with an iPod interface for the vehicles that are adorned with that blue-and-white propeller logo.

Mr. Sawyer is vexed and tormented by the troubles of trying to link up his iPod with his car. And a consequence of this is his belief that it is “a big distraction … a technology best accessed before a trip.” Which is, of course, a wise decision. Driver distraction is a dangerous thing. But while not wanting to be a shill for Steve Jobs, it seems to me that he’s complaining about something that the iPod wasn’t designed for. That it can be used at all in a car is a bonus, not a function that was taken into account by Apple engineers. Certainly people work to retrofit things to their purposes, but let’s not blame the original designers and engineers for that any more than the bizarre complaints that often turn into law suits.

One of the things that I have discovered while looking at some of the electronics developments for this issue is that a number of companies are working very hard to integrate the wonderful technology that has emerged from One Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California. Ford is hoping like mad that the Microsoft Sync technology will get people behind the wheel of the new Focus. And it is fairly evident that they recognize that those who will be plugging in a portable consumer electronics device will hooking up iPods, not Zunes.John Kill of Visteon said flat out that they’re not going to try to compete with Apple on the iPod, but that they want to work to make the integration as seamless as possible. And Mark Michmerhuizen, chief engineer of electronics of Johnson Controls, told me that one thing that excites him about the Mobile Device Gateway that they’ve developed and which could be available in 2010 model year vehicles is that it is “Cool that you can bring your digital music in a car and make it usable.” He acknowledges, “Yes, there are kits and auxiliary jacks, but that doesn’t give you much control,” especially not compared with the way that the JCI device replicates the iPod catalog structure.

Someone might have pointed that out to Mr. Sawyer before he bought all of those plugs and cables, but this would mean (a) waiting and (b) a new car.

What we’re seeing here is that vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers are taking to heart the fact that consumer electronics companies are better at, well, consumer electronics than they are. A lot better. Consequently, it is beneficial to take advantage of their products–and marketing, to boot. For too long, car companies have thought of themselves as the ones who can, in effect, call the shots. But this has led to consumers saying “No,” and there is an entire automotive audio aftermarket business that has grown up despite what the OEMs have done. Remember the Ford Taurus with the ovals everywhere, including around the audio head unit, that ostensibly would foil the replacement of the Ford sound with something more germane to teen spirit or audiophile listening? That didn’t stop the change. And how many companies have tried to make it so that the audio system was integral to the vehicle such that replacing it would unleash a hornet’s nest of bugs?

Is any vehicle manufacturer going to invent a better iPhone? Of course not. Nor should it even try. What it needs to do is to embrace the technologies that companies like Apple and Microsoft and Whomeverelse are developing and then working with their supply base to make sure that they can advantageously deploy them in their cars and trucks. That way there is the proverbial quadruple win: for them, for their suppliers, for the consumer electronics supplier, and for guys like Mr. Sawyer who will realize seamless integration.

A 13-year-old girl was in “extremely critical” condition Sunday night after she was injured in a two-vehicle collision Sunday afternoon.

A 16-year-old girl was also injured but was in good condition, and the male driver of the vehicle was in serious condition. His age was unknown. All three are Salt Lake City residents.

South Salt Lake Police Capt. Tracy Tingey said the wreck occurred on 3300 South at State Street at 12:30 p.m. when the brakes on another vehicle apparently failed.

A man in his mid-20s was driving a pickup truck westbound on 3300 South when the light at the intersection with State Street turned red. The man tried to apply his brakes, but they apparently did not respond and witnesses behind the truck confirmed they saw the brake lights go on but noticed the truck did not slow down, Tingey said.

The pickup entered the intersection and collided with a Ford Explorer carrying the man and two teenagers. The Ford rolled over and landed upsidedown in the southwest corner of the intersection.

All three of the injured occupants were taken to local hospitals by ambulance. Tingey said it remained unclear Sunday night whether the 13-year-old would survive, but the other two were expected to recover.

Police impounded the truck and will investigate whether equipment failure actually was to blame for the accident. The driver of the pickup cooperated fully with police and alcohol or drugs were not suspected to be a factor in the wreck, Tingey said.

The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries to his leg and declined treatment, Tingey said.

A car crashed into a parked semitrailer truck Saturday night at 8135 S. State, killing the driver.
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The 17-year-old male was apparently driving at a high rate of speed, said Midvale Police Sgt. John Salazar.

The teenager was traveling north on State Street when his car struck the truck and then spun into an empty parking lot and hit a light pole. The driver was flown to University Hospital, Salazar said.

Street racing may have been a factor, but authorities are still investigating. The speed limit in that area of State Street is 45 mph, and officials said the driver was going “well over the speed limit.”

The fundamental aspects of wheel/rail interaction haven’t changed from year to year. Balancing vehicle behavior with track integrity and friction management remain the mainstays of an optimized wheel/rail system. But the increasing use of wayside and onboard vehicle/track monitoring systems has provided a new vantage point that is enabling railroads to more clearly see the impact that vehicle and track behavior have on each other.

An international gathering of railroaders, researchers, and suppliers at Interface Journal and Advanced Rail Management’s 11th Annual Wheel/Rail Interaction Seminar looked at what railroads are doing to cull the worst-acting vehicles from the fleet before they damage the infrastructure, and to identify vehicle and track conditions–some of which may be “in spec”–that may lead to disaster. Speakers at this year’s seminar focused on the use of technology to manage wheel/rail interaction. They also examined economic issues, including the lingering question of “who benefits/who pays?” for preemptive maintenance measures, particularly as they relate to private car owners.

As part of their mandate to reduce the stress state, the major North American railways have begun planning maintenance based on performance characteristics, rather than on time- and mileage-based maintenance intervals. “We want to identify cars that are behaving badly–those that are generating excessive lateral or vertical loads–before they damage the track, and identify small problems before they turn into big ones,” said Scott Cummings, senior engineer at TTCI.

While railroads and private car owners agree that removing bad-actor cars and high impact wheels is good for all, there is disagreement over the 90-kip (dropping to 80-kip) alarm levels at which impact detectors are set and the consistency of the readings, which can vary depending on the operating speed, lading, and detector location. Another point of contention is that flat or out-of-round wheels that generate high impact loads are often the result of operating practices–poor train handling or failure to release hand brakes. Railroads and private car owners (more than 60% of the North American fleet) are interested in preventive efforts that will generate the biggest bang for the buck. Whose buck, however, remains an issue.

Vehicle/track measurement systems

Vehicle performance, as measured by hotbox, wheel impact load (WILD), acoustic bearing, and truck performance (TPD) detectors, represents the yardstick by which good and bad actors are judged. Identifying fiat or out-of-round wheels by the vertical impact loads measured by WILD systems is fairly straightforward. Failed or failing bearings can be identified by their temperature readings or acoustic signatures. Judging truck performance, which is characterized by axle angle of attack along with lateral and vertical force measurements, is more difficult, however. And identifying the cause(s) of poor truck performance adds further complexity. A warped truck, for example, generates high lateral forces in curves and excessive truck rotational resistance, TTCI’s Cummings said. The latter also can be due to extremely dry centerbowls or improperly set up CCSBs. Because of variability in equipment, some cars simply perform better (or worse) than others.

TTCI identified the bad-actor trucks beyond the 99th percentile at one test site. Of the cars that were inspected and torn down, 60% had obvious defects, such as broken springs, worn wedges, and damaged side bearings–the types of defects that are billable under AAR interchange rules. Another 20% alarmed on safety limits, such as high L/V ratios. The remaining 20% had no obvious defects. But when put back into service, they showed repeated poor performance. This is because trucks may perform differently each time they pass a TPD, depending on factors such as the wheel/rail coefficient of friction or the dynamic activity of the vehicle, which is related to speed, lading, and truck warp position. A truck that is warped on one pass may be knocked square by a switch on the next. This performance “elasticity” is more prominent for the worst-of-worst than for the best-of-best acting trucks. “While good actors are always good, bad actors are sometimes bad, sometimes good,” Cummings said. This has made it difficult to draw trend lines and make predictions about when trucks are in need of repair.

Norfolk Southern incorporated several wayside measuring systems to identify and quantify the effects of hunting–a phenomenon that wears friction components in trucks, contributes to track degradation and damages lading. NS installed a Salient Systems WILD system, a Wayside Inspection Devices’ Truck/Bogie Optical Geometry Inspection (T/BOGI) laser/camera-based system, and a proof-of-concept system from Lynxrail and TTCI that uses wheel proximity sensors to identify hunting motions. Through these tests, NS found that while hunting tends to increase with speed, particularly within the 35-to 50-mph range, there are periods during which vehicles that have become excited may dampen back down. Empty cars are more prone to hunting than loaded cars. Worn trucks are more likely to hunt than new or well-maintained trucks. Friction conditions also play a role.

Brookfield A 17-year-old boy killed when a car fell from the rear of a tow truck and landed on top of him was working as a youth apprentice through Waukesha West High School despite a state law that prohibited him from operating the truck.

Joshua D. Reif of the Town of Genesee was attempting to remove a car from a tow truck when the accident occurred Tuesday evening. He was later pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.

Reif never should have been operating the truck, said Rose Lynch, communications director for the state Department of Workforce Development.

Wisconsin law prohibits a minor, apprentice or otherwise, from operating a truck over 6,000 pounds and from operating or assisting someone else who is operating a hoisting mechanism, Lynch said.

Tow trucks are over 6,000 pounds and use a hoisting mechanism, she said.

Minors are also prohibited from operating a motor vehicle of any size as part of their regular duties, and they cannot drive at night, Lynch said. A minor should not be operating the truck as part of his regular job, she said.

The accident occurred just before 7 p.m. Tuesday at the impound lot for Dennis’ Service Inc., at 4435 N. 127th St., according to Brookfield police.

A man who answered the phone Wednesday at the Brookfield-based towing company told a reporter that the business would not comment.

Reif’s parents, John and Mary Reif, declined to comment Wednesday, according to a family member who answered the phone at their residence. Waukesha West Principal Douglas Straus said he was unaware that Reif, who was an automotive apprentice receiving credit and pay for the work, would have been prohibited by state law from operating the tow truck and its mechanism.

“We will certainly be reviewing that,” Straus said. “That will certainly be part of our conversation.”

Students in the apprentice program attend classes for half of the school day and then go to their jobs for the remainder of the day, Straus said.

Long a part of program

Reif has been part of the school’s technology program since he was a freshman, receiving the program’s Student of the Month honor just last month, Straus said.

Straus announced Reif’s death Wednesday morning. Counselors and social workers were present for anyone who needed them, he said.

About 40 to 50 students went into the auto shop with instructor Todd Behnke for two hours Wednesday to talk about Reif, Straus said.

Behnke, who set up the apprentice program, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Reif’s friends posted messages Wednesday on a Web site he set up at myspace.com:

“It wont be the same without you man, many good times you will be truly missed. RIP: 120″

“We miss you, big guy.”

“Josh-You were definetly one of the funniest guys i knew. You made econ. way more interesting…and i will miss you forever because of it. you became a really good friend to me, and i will NEVER forget you…RIP…we all love you. Kate”

Brookfield police, who are investigating the death along with the state Department of Workforce Development and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said a co-worker was at the impound lot and attempted to use the tow truck to lift the car off Reif but was unsuccessful.

The co-worker called 911, and rescue personnel pulled the boy from under the vehicle and brought him to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, where he was pronounced dead by hospital staff.

OSHA will be examining the equipment, training and overall condition at the scene, said George Yoksas, area director for the federal agency. The agency also will look at any laws related to child labor, he said.

An autopsy late Wednesday showed that Reif died after the weight of the car prevented him from breathing. His death was ruled accidental.