New Alpine At The Nurburgring
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Fast and Furious star Paul Walker RIP
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At first it was a hoax, then within hours the truth came to light, Paul Walker star of the Fast and Furious films had been in a car crash with his friend and his new Porsche Carrera GT. This story isn't here to detail the crash, rather it's a celebration of his great car career and his love of cars in general. RIP Paul Walker, the Fast and Furious films will never be the same without you, fond farewell Brian Spilner (Brian O Connell).
If one day the speed kills me, do not cry because I was smiling
'attributed to Paul Walker'
Could trackable GPS cannons prevent road deaths and catch criminals
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According to USA Today, 1 in 3 deaths caused by high speed chases are the deaths of innocent bystanders – a shocking figure that US authorities are now seeking to change with new police car GPS cannons.
GPS cannons fire a GPS tracker onto the car being pursued, allowing the police to track its location without a car chase. Preventing any need for dangerous driving and allowing criminals to be caught safely.
High speed car chases look exciting on the big screen but in reality, they’re very dangerous and put lives at risk every year. They risk the lives of police, the suspects and innocent bystanders and can cause expensive vehicle damage.
So is it time to stop the chase and implement GPS cannons?
How do police car GPS cannons work?
In Florida and Iowa in the USA, a new cannon called Starchase is being tested. During a car chase, police fire a ‘bullet’ containing a GPS tracker at their target.
Once the tracker has been fired from the police car and is connected to the vehicle in pursuit, police can back off and track the vehicle from a distance – without the need for high speed.
In fact, it’s already been a success in the US. Police can track the car’s whereabouts and arrest them shortly after – allowing them to catch criminals without any damage to police cars and without any bodily harm to the people involved.
The reality of implementing GPS cannons
Unfortunately, the reality is that these GPS cannons are expensive. Very expensive in fact, but far less costly than a human life.
Each cannon costs around $5,000 to install on a police car and each round or ‘bullet’ costs $500.
However, this is less expensive than the damage that would be caused to vehicles in the event of a crash.
And while they’re currently being tried and tested in several American states, it could be a while before they’re rolled out throughout the whole of the US – and even the UK.
Do you think they’d be worth the money? Would you like to see police car GPS cannons used in the UK? Let us know what you think below!
Unicom Insurance are UK based regulated specialists of Motor Trade Insurance. You can connect with Unicom Insurance on Google+ to keep up to date with all the latest news and stories from the Motoring Industry.
Jethro Bovingdon Interview: MotorTrend onDemand
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Earlier this month we spoke to Jethro Bovingdon about his new show coming to Motor Trend. This petrol head is starring in Head to Head and Ignition. Jethro started back in May 2001 as a road tester at EVO magazine, he then went on to work for Drive Tribe, and CAR Magazine amongst others. He has now moved on to Motor Trend!
Golf R latest spy shots
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Image courtesy of Auto Car Golf R spy shots
Volkswagen is putting its foot down on dev with its 286bhp R version of the latest Golf the Mk7, the most horses ever put in a production VW Golf since its launch in 1974. The Golf R has been clocked at the Nürburgring, and also like a scene out of 'Forza 4', the Swiss Alps.
The Golf R is expected to be the last of the so-far confirmed new Golf models to appear in the showroom. An on-sale date of early 2014 has been mooted after a launch at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
The Golf R will be the cream followed by the GTI. The R packs a 2.0-litre TSI engine producing a healthy 286bhp with 280lb ft of torque, a 6 speed auto box with dual clutch, a new version of awd Haldex 5 carrying it from 0-62mph in just 5.0sec and limited top speed of 155mph, not bad considering it weighs only 1200kg.
It will be tuned, and still capable of around 40 mpg.
planet auto update shows, shows & more shows 2014
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It's November already, car shows well and truly finished for 2013, except for club meets etc. This makes it the busiest time for the pa team, hence why news is a little thin on the ground. Currently Michael and I are sourcing and adding as many car shows is possible, today we are adding VW festivals, next it's, well whatever we find Vauxhall, Ford, French Euros you name it.
If you would like your show adding please comment with the shows details below or add a car event here.
Audi 2017 models to use Qualcomm snapdragon 602a processors
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It has been announced today that Audi is going to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 602a processor in it's 2017 vehicle range, the Snap Dragon is the first infotainment chip by Qualcomm, the chipset is designed to meet the highest standards of the auto industry in order to give you the driver and passengers advanced control, connectivity, navigation, information, voice quality and ICE at a smartphone quality level.
Read more: Audi 2017 models to use Qualcomm snapdragon 602a processors
Efacec licenses Qualcomm to commercialise WEVC systems
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Efacec, a global supplier of engineering, energy, transportation and environmental solutions, today announced it has entered into a Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) license agreement with Qualcomm Halo.
Read more: Efacec licenses Qualcomm to commercialise WEVC systems
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