Accidents

Remember back when carabiners were designed solely for hanging one thing from another? Nope, us neither. Now, a new multi-purpose 'biner is claimed to help users get out of crashed vehicles.

​When a spinal cord injury occurs, sometimes it's the body's own immune system that causes the subsequent paralysis. In the not-too-distant future, however, it's possible that an injection of nanoparticles at the injury site may be able to rein in the well-meaning but destructive immune cells.

​Thanks to things like smartphones and automotive infotainment systems, both pedestrians and drivers are probably now less aware of one another than ever before. An experimental new crosswalk could help keep accidents from happening, however, through lights, electronic signs, and an app.

A new study has collected seven years of data from Colorado, Washington, and Oregon – three of the earliest US states to legalize marijuana – in order to offer a clearer insight into whether traffic fatalities increased after marijuana legalization.

With obesity rates rising and boomers getting older, a Michigan-based trauma surgeon and crash-test-dummy maker are hoping to bring car safety up to date with models that represent today’s older and overweight drivers.

A group of scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) have developed an electrocardiogram (ECG) that operates from within a car’s driver’s seat.

The NTSB released the conclusions of its accident investigation of the crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo saying that the accident was due to an error by the co-pilot, who prematurely released the spacecraft's feather system, placing too much stress on the fuselage and causing it to break up.

Samsung has created a prototype camera and monitor system that allows drivers traveling behind large trucks to see the road ahead and be able to safely pass without having to risk swaying into oncoming traffic.

We keep hearing about systems designed to let drivers know when they've made mistakes. Brain4Cars, however, takes yet another approach. It monitors drivers to determine when they're about to do something wrong, so it can warn them not to.

Table saws can make working with wood a breeze. They can also take fingers off the unwary in the blink of an eye. Bosch's Reaxx table saw can tell the difference between a piece of wood and a finger, and drop the blade out of the way to prevent a messy accident.

Many of us take for granted that, should we have an accident, the emergency services will be able to help. In some places that's not possible though. CriticaLink, being trialed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, seeks to provide volunteer emergency assistance when it might not be otherwise possible.

Many cars don't have rear seatbelt warning systems, so parents may not realize that their children have released their belt while en route. buckle me up wirelessly adds a rear seatbelt warning system to such vehicles.