Volvo V40, Pedestrian Airbag System



Its the latest technology in pedestrian safety. Manufacturers have been trying to improve their score in NCAP, on pedestrian safety. While most manufacturers developed softer bumpers and hoods, design that will lift the pedestrian over the hood instead of tucking it under the car, while Citroen hood raises up during pedestrian collision, Volvo introduces a pedestrian airbag, which covers the front windscreen to further reduce head trauma during a pedestrian accident

 

This is a standard feature on all of the brand new V40

How the airbag and lifted hood designed to lift, protects a pedestrian during an accident.

 

 

 

 

Whats my take on this new technology?

I don't give a fcuk. Why would I care about pedestrians living after being hit by a car. Some might scorned at my insensitivity but, I am about to be hit by a car, will I always be flung up onto the windscreen? What if the car runs me over? Is there an airbag to protect me from being rolled over by the tires? So I am thrown onto the airbag, then what? I am stuck and protected there or will I roll off and fall on my neck and break it.

 

I love airbags, I want 6 of them in my car, but pedestrian airbags? NO!

 



Touch n Go Cunning Ways

TnG is a heaven sent, for those who go through toll plaza each day with out fail. The lines are almost always shorter than cash lanes and no worries about finding small change.

Smart Tag are great too, especially if you are a Proton owner. You know how Proton power window failure is synonim to owning a Proton, with a Smart Tag, no worries about winding down your windows. Either place it on the dashboard, on the Smart Tag holder that you glued on the windshield or simply just hold it in front of you and drive through. Smart Tag lane is much faster than TnG lane and lightyears from cash lanes.

You can reload at many of their kiosk located at petrol stations and TnG option at some ATM for a 50 cent charge. You can also reload at some TnG lanes at toll plaza or at the toll plaza offices for free.

One cunning way they force you to reload at their kiosk is to open at 9am and close at 5pm/4.30pm. Also you must pass through the toll plaza to do so. Cunning now aren't they, even the discount that they give to TnG holder, is only for those who make 80 transactions and above per month. That means for a normal 5 day a week working day, you must pass at least 4 toll plaza a day. Those who live in the outskirts of KL, this is part of their normal ritual, although there are some hidden roads that a lot of people know that allows you to skip the toll plaza all together. My advisor can go to and from Melawati without paying a single cent, my sister can go to and from Kajang to KLCC without any toll. Cunning now, aren't they, just like credit card company, but that is another story all together. After all, nothing is free now in life right?

*I have bought 6 Smart Tag and 6 TnG for my family. I live where paying the toll is something normal, and something you must do if you want to get somewhere fast. I am okay with toll paying, but I hate it when they increase the price of toll even though they have increasing amount of customer each year due to resendential development due the highway development.

It all falls down

Something is missing here..

Its the part of the exhaust system. It fell down on my way back from the gym. I found it amusing actually, since my motorcycle sounded like a lorry :D

Samseng Jalanan

Modenas Kristar. Its 110cc with a disc brake up front, it has a small compartment under the seat, that does not fit a helmet but practical to store your sandals and raincoat. To bad the motorcycle is quite heavy and tall, which blunts the acceleration.

Samseng jalanan, is the word we are supposed to use to replace mat rempit. Well I think I may return to my motorcycle roots. I find out that many of those I currently know, does not know I have a motorcycle license and a motorcycle, since it is parked behind my house, and I rarely ride it anymore. Leaving it to my younger brother, is not wise, since he seem to have it busted up and stuff. I forgotten how cheap is it to ride a motorcycle. No toll, usually no parking fee and cheap on petrol. However I do remember it can be really hot on a motorcycle (I can never get to cold on a motorcycle, unless you told me to ride up Genting, I love riding through the rain, if it was not so dangerous and I did not care that my clothes are getting wet.) I feel that I might use it even more now, since I plan to save up my cash a bit. I try to use to go to gym for now, or even to The Mines or Alamanda. I literally freaked out today, because I thought I used up RM 1k in a week!. After calming down and literally backtracking all the things I used to money for, it turns out I still have around RM 400 in hand. That was a big relief to me. I do not want to be in debt again like the time I overswiped my credit card, that was big and stupid mistake I made upon myself.

Vivi

ITS FINALLY HERE!!!! MY BOY IS HERE!!! WOOO!!!!!

There is my boy, they put him inside the showroom so that he wont get hot :). My black Viva :) Finally I got it today :)

Happy face :) With my brother, we drove to the dealer together, and I drove my boy back while my brother drove the Baby Benz home.

His first time at the petrol station with me :)

We are finally home :). He gets to see Baby Benz, the My Vee and the silver Elephant (Naza Ria)

Me and my boy decide to go to visit all the places I would go, so after taking my sister to Pudu, we both drove to Pavillion, a place I frequently visit :).

We bought JCO donuts and some magazines. I have Times card so I get a 5% discount for my magazines.

It was nightime already and it was time to go home. The fuel consumption was unbelievable. I used about 6 liter of fuel per 100 km that day :), which is about 16.6 km/ liter. My baby benz does 7km/ liter, this saving is going to be worth it in the long run.

Even the stereo system is great. Its so much better than the one in the My Vee. It has great bass to it.

I am calling my boy, Vivi from one of the Final Fantasy IX character. Vivi is a black mage whose posses powerfull offensive type of magic from ice, fire, electric, water, bio and earth. I am happy to have Vivi in my life :)

Ape kes?

I decided to make a sticker for my motorcycle since I have been using it often and I really don't want the pak guard in my hair questioning like am I a staff or student? What am I doing? Where is my sticker?. So I decided to just make a sticker so that they will be happy. Interestingly, I was not able to. The reason is that I have applied for a car sticker and that students can only have one or the other and not both.

So this motor cycle will be sticker free from now on. Hey I am just trying to follow the rule since my car has problems and I do want to save a little cash in petrol usage, alas they just want to make it complicated.

Why not right, because sometimes they don't pay any attention at all who is riding the motorcycle and going in and out of the campus. As long you are riding with the same sex, it should be okay

Maybe without the sticker, the pak guard will break away from the tedious and repetitious work of just observing vehicles entering and exiting the campus.

Ada apa tentang kereta?

When I get really bored or tense at work, what I love to do is to surf the net and pretend like I am eligible to buy a car. Two websites I always seem to go is the Proton and Perodua websites, because the have cars that fit my standard and price tag (the latter being the determining factor really)

I always seem to switch between Persona and Myvi, Persona because its a sedan like my Merc and the Myvi because its so reliable. Reliability or space, when I get tense with thesis, I stress myself with these two unimportant questions :p

My Mercedes is having problem again, the water in the radiator seem to dry up very fast now days. I made sure I have bottle of water to fill up the radiator before my engine overheats. Its time to visit the mechanic.

Miy car has the biggest engine that they could stuff in a 190e body. This is an inline 6 cylinder, 2.6 liter engine. Being a 6 cylinder, the engine is very smooth, and being a 2.6 liter, the road tax is expensive but the pickup is great.

It was weird when at 6.30 pm, there was a sudden surge of traffic in front of my house. So rarely there is this much build up of jam at this time of day.

Not so Smart.

Toll and my life could not be separated, if I need to go anywhere farther than Balakong or The Mines or Putrajaya I would have to pay toll. The car I am using now was brought back from the US when my dad did his degree there about 11 years ago. So the car is left hand drive, which means parking and paying at the toll booth is very bothersome. I had to shift to P, unbuckle my seat belt, roll down the right window all the way, almost crawl to the right passenger seat and strecthed to pay toll or parking. Luckly there is this device called the Smart Tag, which really is a Touch and Go holder with built in sensors so that when you pass the Smart Tag lane, you just have to slow down instead of stopping and paying. This proved to be a lifesaver for my car because no longer I have to reach out to the grinning toll attendant. However this pass week the Toll plaza that I regularly pass each day has problems with the Smart Tag lane, so for the pass few days I have been doing regular strecthes in the car. Not fun okay...

Why? Why? Why? must you be out of service :(

Huhuhu... I wanted to take pictures of me doing my daily morning yoga in the car but there was many people behind me. Hate paying cash and having to wait my turn, with Smart Tag, its just a drive away...

From UPM to IMR

My master research involves parasites that can live inside white mice. White mice is a great host for T. gondii because the parasites can replicate quickly inside the mice. The problem thing is the mice died before I could transfer it to another mice. So terpaksa buat muka kesian and go back to IMR :(

I used the world most expensive longkang AKA the SMART tunnel. I can get to IMR from UPM a lot faster using this tunnel.

As you can see, I was really bummed out because my parasite died and I had to beg from IMR to give me a second sample. I also had to drive all the way to KL meredah traffic for that beloved parasites.

Parking in IMR is horrbile and there is not many of them . See how terribly I park.

Its because my car is too long for that particular parking space, argh how I wish I have the Smart Cabriolet, so what to do, parking mcm nih meh :p

Then I was happy..why???

I got these babies.. these cute white mice..:)

They are loaded with the T.gondii parasites so I can have my T.gondii collection again. I heard IMR and myself are the only people in Malaysia who has this particular strain of T.gondii.

Somemore when I returned to UPM, this truck blocked my path. If you look closely it seem this long trailer turn a bit to wide and cannot go through the corner

First stop..

Our first stop.. where.. have no idea, I was asleep the whole time :)

No one, the rest area is almost deserted man..

Vasu our Indian friend from India brought these tosai like pau and some chicken dishes. SEDAP!! thanks Vasu.. :)

Some teh o, so that I can sambung sleeping some more :D

My biggest expenditure

For the past few weeks, well 45 days to be precise, I drive the family Naza Ria, because my sister will be using my Baby (the mercedes). That thing is big and has a bigger fuel tank.

See I let it almost to the empty mark, so far the warning light for low fuel did not come on.
I fill up RM 20
And look how little the needle budge..... pengsan if i had to use everyday...but alas my parents are back and as luck would have it, my baby is in the shop, so gotta ride my Kristar...and what fine weather we have. Always raining after work..