The watch on teenagers has never been so strong. Especially on teenage drivers. We are the low guys on the totem pole in the driving world. People stereotype you all the time and most of the time, teenagers are not what they seem. A lot of changes are being made and laws are being enforced on teenage drivers. The sixteen year old drivers are getting the worse end of the deal. All of these laws have been placed in action to keep the driving youth safe and the others around them. Most of the time, if caught violating these laws can result in serious consequences. A lot of the driving rules have to do with driving at night. Teens engaged in work and school activities would be exempt from the new night rules. The state of Ohio has currently added more laws for teenage drivers. A Republican state lawmaker is proposing tough new driving restrictions on Ohio teens, including prohibiting them from transporting even one additional teenager. Current Ohio law allows 16-year-old drivers to transport one unrelated passenger of any age.
Me being a teenager, I do not like these rules. Being under the age of 18 we do not have a say in our laws. I know that we wont have these laws under us forever because we are not always going to be teenagers. Some of these rules seem unfair but there have been instances that have taken place for certain people to realize that these laws need to be put into action. Laws have a purpose and most of these laws are put into action to save lives. Many kids die every year in teenage driving accidents. Most accidents are caused due to distractions and they can result in the loss of a life. Be careful who you have in your car because their life is in your hands. If something happens, you are at fault. Every state has a different amount of laws on teenage drivers. Ohio has quite a few and i can image there will be more being added in the future. If we could stop teenage deaths and accidents, Ohio law makers would slow the law process down on us teenage drivers.
The Associated Press Agency lists the laws. A teenage driver named Caitlyn Pitts says, "Distractions abound: cellphones, friends, other drivers. And night driving has its own set of challenges, she says" (Pitts). Most teens are accident prone due to distractions inside and outside of the car. A majority of the reported accidents involving teens happen because of distractions. Reporter Rick Rouan says, "The change being considered in the state legislature would limit non-family passengers in a teenager’s car to a licensed 21-year-old, and it would bump the driving curfew back to 10 p.m., from midnight. Teens participating in work and school activities would be exempt from the new night rules"(Rouan). The laws and regulations are getting tighter and tighter every year on Ohio teen drivers. Is there a point when the laws have to stop? Is there too many rules? We will have to find out in the future. Look out future teen drivers.
Not many people think of the rate of the top best selling cars in America as a controversial topic but to some people it is. It may even be more than that. Charts show automobile manufacturers statistics on who and how well there newest model of automobiles may be selling. To achieve the top 10 is an incredible feat. The American public is unpredictable. Years in the past, the Toyota Camry was on of the top best selling cars in the USA. In the month of February in the year of 2014, that is not the case. The Nissan Altima sales shot up 11% in difficult conditions in February and it leads the Camry by 1034 units sold going into March. That is a lot harder than it seems.
As a car enthusiast. i have an idea about how hard it can actually be to get a car to sell in the USA. Americans are a very picky group of people. Especially when it comes to spending their hard earned money on something that is what they want it to be. Getting a car to sell in the USA depends on a lot of things. One of them can be looks. Another can be safety features. It could also depend on how hard each season is in the USA. People look at a lot of things when it comes to buying a car because they want something that is reliable and something that will fit their needs on a day-to-day basis. Another interesting aspect of this graph is how close each percentage of most of the cars are. This means that a lot of the cars had close to the same amount of units sold during the month of February of 2014.
In the article Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - February 2014, they list all of the top selling cars in the USA in the month of February of 2014. As Timothy Cain states, " Seven of the 20 top-selling cars in America last month were Detroit brand (or maybe Italian?) nameplates, even with last February's results but up from six in January 2014"(Cain). A minority of the top best selling cars were American made and a majority of them are not. This is a disappointment. The more American cars that are sold, the more Americans can be put to work to make these American Cars. Cain also says, " The Toyota Camry was not the best-selling car in America in February 2014, nor does the Camry lead the way through the first one-sixth of 2014" (Cain). This means that two foreign cars are competing to make it to the top of the American best selling cars. American consumers need to step up their buying game to keep out economy in good health.
Safe cars are the best cars. Every day, more and more safe cars are being produced. The value of the human life in an endless amount and it is cherished among automobile manufacturers. A Group called the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have been given the opportunity to choose the top 9 safest cars for the year of 2014. Thanks to decades of advancements in automotive safety and engineering, new vehicles have never been safer.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that crash-tests new cars and rates motor vehicle safety, continues to raise the bar with more rigorous standards for its 5-star safety ratings. While NHTSA does not crash-test every new vehicle, the majority of the most popular models undergo its regimen. The top nine safest cars are as pictured below.
I personally believe and agree with all of the IIHS' top 9 picks of the safest vehicles of 2014. I agree with them because each car had to undergo rigorous testing and examination to achieve the top 9 safest cars list. How safe is the car your driving? If you own one of the cars listed above, you know your life is in good hands. Overall, a lot of the safety features that the cars are equipped with make these cars as safe as they are. Its the little things inside of cars that make them the 5 star crash rating material. The only down-side is that the safety equipment makes the cars a little bit more expensive to purchase. The IIHS is a legit group. There test are harder than ever for American cars. As Sadler says from AutoTrader.com , "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that crash-tests new cars and rates motor vehicle safety, continues to raise the bar with more rigorous standards for its 5-star safety ratings" (Sadler). The IIHS takes consumer safety as no joke. They expect more and more out of each car they test. Sadler from AutoTrader.com, also said " Dozens of models earn the highest overall rating, but only nine new vehicles ace the frontal, side and crash tests that contribute to the top rating and earn five stars in every section of NHTSA testing" (Sadler). What Sadler explains is that only a select few cars are qualified to be 5 Star crash rated and ace every aspect of the test. Which makes these cars an incredible piece of engineering.
Below are 5 controversial topics brought to you by me, Bryce Sours. I am a Junior at Penta Career Center. I am in Gas & Diesel engine systems and i like working on engines. I love cars and anything with an engine on it. i like fast cars, drift cars, slow cars and odd cars. It is something about them that makes me like them and i have always been fascinated by them. but all in all, my five topics are as followed...
When buying a car, you look at many things. You may look at things from the size of the vehicle to the average gas mileage. How often do you take a look at a cars safety features? Not very often do people talk about the safety features on their cars. The safety features can prevent accidents, keep you out of harms way, and save you a lot of money. Back-up cameras are a new trend. On average, backup accidents kill 292 people and cause over 18,000 injuries every year. After hearing that fact, think about how little you spend driving in reverse in your car. imagine what the statistics would be for head-on collisions or any type of accident along those lines. These facts just make car safety features a game changer for automobile manufacturers and consumers. I consider the safety features a very good idea. It may be complicated, cost you more money for the car, and may be expensive to fix but its a small price to pay for the lives of your loved ones or whom ever may be riding in your car with you. Car accidents are capable of killing everyone in the car depending on the magnitude of the impact and what safety features your car may have been quipped with. Something as simple as buckling your seat belt may be the 3 second decision that may save your life. Today, safety features are more common to be seen on cars than to not be. As a driver, i would love to see more and more safety features among the modern and future cars of the car world. I think this way because everyone i know, rides in a car at one point in time and i would want them to be safe. Wouldn't you want the same thing? After testing cars, Jerry Edgerton says, "' back-over' accidents cause an average of 292 deaths and 18,000 injuries a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About 44 per cent of those killed are children under five. This is especially an issue for large vehicles like SUVs, pickups and minivans" (Edgerton). This states just how serious backup accidents really are. In his article, Edgerton also says, "The auto-brake functions that slow vehicles if they sense a car or pedestrian in the path of travel are the most important new safety features, he said. Car-pedestrian accidents especially cause so much personal injury" (Edgerton). People every day are killed just crossing the streets and the auto-braking functions can slow the probability or eliminate it all together over a period of time. Just another safety feature that makes you able to live the life you do while keeping others safe.
Topic 1: Hybrid Vehicles I Agree with this article because Diesel engines and Hybrid engines are an alternative energy source to gasoline powered engine. Alternative engines are more expensive than a conventional gasoline engine. They are still under studies and are still being checked and tested so they are not 100% problem free. Diesel engines are also more expensive than your average gasoline engine. The cost for the engine itself will be more expensive. The labor and parts on it will also be more expensive. The cost of diesel fuel is a bit more expensive than the cost of gasoline. You can also run vegetable oil in a diesel engine. These facts can either work against you or in your favor. I personally like the idea of Hybrid engines because it is something different in comparison to the average gasoline engine. Yes the cost more to but but they are a lot cheaper to run and operate which will save you money in the long run. When its time to trade in your diesel vehicle, the value will be higher than a gasoline powered car due to the capability of the engine. Being different isnt always the best. It just means that every problem doesn't have a solution. That is not good for the consumers. People pour thousands of their hard earned money into a car that will cost them an arm and a leg to work on. Only a select few people know how to work on these types of vehicles. People in the Hybrid and alternative energy industry are always bickering. Not only bickering but they are also finding more and more reasons for you to buy what they have to offer. As Bill Howard explains, "The mainstream gasoline engine is best if you drive less than 7500 miles a year because the savings on fuel won’t match the premium you’re likely to pay for a hybrid or diesel car" (Howard). Howard is saying that if you are the type of person who drives a lot every year, you should consider putting yourself in a Diesel or Hybrid vehicle. Howard also says, "If you drive a lot of highway miles, diesel cars are right choice for cost per mile driven, and most diesel vehicles have higher trade-in values than gasoline-powered cars" (Howard). Howard states that diesels, in the long run, are more cost efficient than gasoline powered engines. In this article, it lists all the right ideas that may pursue you into a hybrid or diesel powered car to save you money and in return, save our planet.