HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-10-29, Page 34Hi -tech highways
MTC's Mike Delsey commented, "Since we installed the system, vehi-
® from page 11
cle speed increased by 45 per cent and we had a 20 per cent drop in ac-
cidents during the morning, rush hour period in that area."
This success, coupled with rewarding results on highways in Europe
and the U.S. prompted MTC to design a system for the twinning of the
Burlington bridge.
Keep
children safe
What to do when...
WHEN MOTOR
If your starter doesn't turn the motor
over, check your lights and horn. If they are
working properly, check the battery connec-
tions to the starter. If the lights are out or
very weak, your battery may be dead.
If your starter turns the motor over, but it
WON'T START
doesn't catch, check your ignition key. It
may not be fully "on." Check your gas
gauge, your carburetor may be flooded.
Press the acL%lerator to the floor, and turn
over the motor a few times. Then wait a few
minutes, turn on the ignition and try again.
All vehicle occupants, especially children,
should be restrained whenever riding in a
car— even on short, around -town trips.
Holding your child in your arms is no
substitute for a proper child -restraint
system. In an accident, a child held in a per-
son's arms can be struck or crushed by an
unrestrained, rider and could also be injured
by striking the interior, or by being ejected
from the car during a sudden maneuver or
impact.
According to Andy Mikloski, vehicle safe-
ty engineer at General Motors of Canada, a
child restraint system is necessary for basic
safety in a vehicle. He recommends that
buyers look for systems which are certified
to comply with Canadian standards set by
Transport Canada. "For optimum safety, I
strongly urge that instructions be followed
for installation," he says. "Improper in-
stallation can pose a safety danger."
The current Transport Canada standard
for child restraint systems requires that all
restraints equipped with tether straps
(other than child harnesses, booster seats or
restraints for physically -handicapped
children) to pass a 50 -kilometre -per hour
test with the tether strap unattached. This
provides children in restraints with unat-
tached tethers crash protection equivalent
to children riding in restraints designed
without a tether.
Miklosik also says that infants who cannot
sit up should be placed in a padded baby car-
rier. Put it crossways on the car seat and
securely restrain it with the vehicle's lap
belts. If that's not possible, place it
crossways on the floor behind the driver's
seat.
Children who can sit up by themselves
should be restrained with a lap belt when
riding in the. rear seat. In the front seat, a
child should wear both lap. and shoulder
belt. If the shoulder belt irritates the neck or
face, move the child closer to the cer,',re of
the car or to the rear of the seat.
RAD SHOP TECHNICIAN: John Dixon
COUNTER SERVICE: Larry Gibbings
and Colleen Cox
What happens
at 3 5 mph
New crash tests uy the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S.
graphically demonstrate what happens in
frontal crashes which are responsible for
over half of all vehicle occupant fatalities
and injuries each year.
The Institute crashed four 1982 Chevrolet
Cavaliers with a female dummy in the driv-
ing position. In a 20 mph impact, the belted
dummy's face and head are prevented from
striking the steering wheel. But in a crash at
35 mph, the belted dummy strikes the steer-
ing wheel violently.
In another 35 mph crash, the belted dum-
my has an air bag to prevent violent contact
with the steering wheel. The dummy's face
is pillowed by the bag.
The filmed test results have been confirm-
ed by recent findings from Great Britain,
where 90 per cent of all drivers obey a seat
belt law and about 80 per cent of all people
involved in crashes are belted. There, seat
belts are working well. Belts perform well in
a variety of crashes: frontal, rollovers, and
some side impacts. But, by far, it is front
seat passengers rather than drivers who are
gaining the greatest benefits from belts and,
according to British researchers, in many
crashes drivers' faces and heads may be
striking the steering wheel.
gooseem
.
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