Fiat Punto Essence

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E mais uma vez a Fiat apresenta novidades para a linha 2011. Agora o Punto volta a ser beneficiado, desta vez apresentando toda uma gama de versões renovadas. Além da básica Attractive e da versão de topo T-Jet, que segue inalterada, o hatch premium passou por várias alterações técnicas.

As versões ELX e HLX dão lugar à Essence, que assim como toda a linha Punto, recebe novas rodas, revestimentos internos e painel de instrumentos com nova iluminação, além de um vistoso sistema de som com leitor de MP3. Quanto à parte técnica, ela estreia mais dois motores da série E.torQ, inaugurada com o novo Uno. Ambos flexíveis e com dezesseis válvulas, o 1.6 oferece ótimos 113/117 cv, que o fazem ser o motor 1.6 mais potente à venda no Brasil dos dias atuais.

Mas este motor acaba com a ideia de que os 16v têm pouco torque no uso cotidiano: segundo a marca, 81% dos 16,2/16,8 kgfm estão disponíveis já a 1500 rpm. A outra melhoria é a adoção do câmbio Dualogic, que mantém as cinco marchas, mas com opção de trocas manuais ou automáticas, isto disponível apenas à Essence 1.8 16v.

O motor 1.8 16v rende 130/132 cv e 18,4/18,9 kgfm de torque, e por sua vez é a única opção para a nova versão Sporting, esta também com opção do câmbio automatizado. O Punto Essence começa em R$ 44.190 com o 1.6 16v, em R$ 46.250 para o 1.8 16v, e em R$ 48.750 para o 1.8 16v Dualogic.

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Fiat Idea Sporting

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E a Fiat acaba de encontrar mais uma forma de realçar sua veia esportiva. Aproveitando o recente face-lift da minivan Idea, além de lhe trazer a nova linha de versões usada pela marca, eis que lhe surge uma inédita versão Sporting para aumentar o que já é toda uma série, iniciada por Punto e Stilo. Partindo de R$ 54.280, ela pode vir com o câmbio Dualogic, mas seu destaque é o motor E.torQ 1.8 16v, o mesmo usado na topo-de-linha Adventure.

Só que à primeira vista, seu visual impressiona muito mais. A frente renovada já era agressiva, mas agora ganhou faróis escurecidos, parachoques redesenhados e saias por toda a parte inferior do carro. As laterais contam com os novos retrovisores (que incluem os repetidores de pisca) e rodas exclusivas de série, de liga leve medindo 16 polegadas.

E a traseira conta apenas com um novo aerofólio, já que as lanternas são bonitas a ponto de parecerem ter saído de uma loja de tuning. A cabine já não traz tantas inovações; apenas o novo volante, quadro de instrumentos exclusivo, e bancos com partes em couro, os dianteiros com o nome da versão.

A parte técnica também empolga bastante. O E.torQ 1.8 16v desenvolve interessantes potência de 130/132 cv e 18,4/18,9 kgfm de torque, mas por terem cerca de 1,3 tonelada para carregar, não chegam a fazer milagres. Mas o desempenho final é até animador, com aceleração de 0 a 100 km/h em média de 10,4 segundos, e velocidade máxima de 185 km/h.

De série ela traz ar-condicionado, direção hidráulica, computador de bordo, vidros, travas e retrovisores elétricos, e sistema de som com leitor de MP3. Como opcionais temos freios ABS e sidebags, entre outros, além do câmbio Dualogic – este que faz seu preço inicial passar para R$ 56.390.

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Sleeping While Intoxicated-Not a Crime!

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Unfortunately this is not a headline from the online satirical "news" website the Onion, it's not. Instead, it's just one more example of the sad state of affairs in this country when it comes to DUI jurisprudence.

As explained in this post at the Albuquerque Criminal Lawyer Blog, until very recently, it was apparently a crime in New Mexico to fall asleep behind the steering wheel of a car while intoxicated:

The New Mexico Supreme Court reversed the Courts of Appeals ruling from last year which legitimated DWI/DUI charges against individuals who were sleeping in their vehicles effectively taking the driving out of drinking and driving.

The court's decision in the case that was just recently overturned effectively held that an intoxicated person found asleep behind the wheel of his vehicle--where there were no keys in the ignition--was in "control" of the vehicle while intoxicated and thus "operated" the vehicle while intoxicated even though he never intended to drive it.

The failure to consider the intent of the defendant thus resulted in a ridiculous decision that defied common sense.

Fortunately, as explained in the post, the appellate court wisely reversed this inane decision:

The Supreme Court in State v. Simms stated that there must be intent to drive. In effect, there can no longer be a generalized intent to drive as evidenced by proximity to the vehicle. Neither can the issue be couched entirely in the terms of control of the vehicle...The Court in essence adopted the public policy rationale of allowing drivers to sleep off their intoxication.

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Is a car accident alone evidence of intoxication?

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Does the mere fact that an automobile accident occurred warrant testing to determine if the driver was intoxicated? What if the driver of the vehicle left the scene before police arrived? What if witnesses to the crash claimed that the driver was acting erratic? What if the driver was the mayor's son?

These are just a few of the questions that arose from a recent automobile accident that occurred in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. As described in this Daily Herald article, the accident occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

Witnesses claim that a pickup truck ran into stationary cars parked in the lot. The driver exited his vehicle and was shaking and talking to himself. He then got back into his vehicle, despite the urging of witnesses to remain at the scene, and drove off.

His license plate remained behind, however, and responding police officers were able to determine that the vehicle belonged to Craig Johnson Jr., the son of the mayor. Officers then located him that same evening, brought him into the station, questioned him, and issued him a series of tickets for traffic violations, none of which were DUI-related. He was never given a breath test or asked to perform field sobriety tests.

Some claimed that he received special treatment because he was the mayor's son. However, Don Ramsell, of our office, explained that Johnson did not necessarily receive preferential treatment:

Wheaton DUI and criminal defense attorney Donald Ramsell said that while police have a responsibility to investigate why a driver hit three parked vehicles, there's no cause to give a Breathalyzer or field sobriety test without an odor, impaired speech or some other indication of alcohol.

"It would be improper to administer a breath test if you have no outward sign of alcohol consumption," Ramsell said. "It's illegal to fish for a crime."

Still, "it's not like the parked car jumped in front of him," so Johnson should have been asked to provide a satisfactory explanation for the crash, such as bad weather or a sudden obstacle in the road, Ramsell said.

In Illinois, the odor of alcohol combined with an accident is enough probable cause for a breath test, Ramsell said.

So, an accident alone isn't sufficient evidence to support the inference of intoxication. And in this case, there were no allegations that the driver smelled of alcohol, so perhaps the police were justified in not administering a breath test or sobriety tests. A further review of police records would assist in making this determination, but as it stands, based on the facts known at this time, the actions of the police weren't necessarily suspect.

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Mercedes-Benz S400 Blue Hybrid

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E finalmente temos o primeiro híbrido importado oficialmente no país, uma versão do belíssimo Classe S mais recente. Infelizmente um modelo desta faixa de preço está longe de alcançar presença expressiva nas ruas, mas o importante é que pelo menos um modelo assim já se vende por aqui – a tendência é que cada vez mais fabricantes decidam trazer seus híbridos, em que as boas vendas vão ser papel essencial para que cheguem modelos em maior variedade e de menor preço.

O modelo é nada menos que o topo-de-linha da Mercedes-Benz. Então ainda que o S400 seja uma versão intermediária, já podemos imaginar os metros que mede sua lista de itens de série. Mas neste carro os holofotes estão sobre os dois motores: um V6 3.5 de 279 cv já usado em outros modelos da marca, aliado a um elétrico de 20 cv. O interessante é que o S400 os usa ao contrário da maioria dos híbridos: o elétrico fornece força extra em situações de acelerações fortes e de uso em estrada, enquanto na cidade é o V6 que entra em ação quase sempre sozinho.

Já os momentos “ociosos” ele preenche como gerador para as próprias baterias, coletando energia nas frenagens. E não poderia faltar também o sistema Start & Stop, que desliga o motor quando o carro pára, para voltar a ligar quando o motorista abandona o pedal do freio. Toda essa atuação é cuidadosamente regulada pela central eletrônica do modelo, que também gerencia funções como o controle de tração. Segundo a Mercedes, num ciclo de vida comum o modelo consegue emitir 18% a menos de CO₂ comparado com o S350 de mesmo motor.

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Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

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E agora o jipe de quatro portas passa a ter sua importação oficialmente aberta pela Chrysler. Seu item de maior importância são as quatro portas, que agregadas ao já conhecido estilo robusto e irreverente do Wrangler, passam a conciliar as linhas baseadas nos antigos Jeeps com um melhor acesso ao banco traseiro, e com o opcional de capota traseira rígida ou flexível.

A cabine oferece um estilo bem menos agressivo que o exterior, ainda que não esteja tão próxima da de um veículo de rua. Entretanto, o pacote de equipamentos de série é tão bom quanto o de segurança, este oferecendo tração 4x4 e freios com ABS e ESP, além de airbag duplo. E sob o capô, um 3.8 V6 traciona o Unlimited, produzindo 199 cv e um torque de 32 kgfm.

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Some people can't hold their liquor

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Apparently, cops, guns and alcohol just don't mix. We learn this lesson straight from the heart of Texas, where it was reported last week via Fox News that a highly intoxicated Dallas police officer fired her gun into the floor of a police vehicle.

From the article:

According to the Dallas Police Department, Officer Kelly Beemer was off-duty and heavily intoxicated when another off-duty police officer tried to help her into his personal vehicle.

When Beemer attempted to exit the moving vehicle, two officers who were on-duty came to the scene.

Beemer was seated in the back seat of Officer Zachary Helm’s squad car when she unfastened a revolver strapped to her ankle and fired into the back right floorboard, police said.

It seems this cop was as loaded as her gun!

Fortunately, no one was hurt and an investigation is pending in the matter.


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More flawed tests result in wrongful DUI convictions-this time in DC

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First we told you about the faulty DUI lab test results in Pennsylvania, then Colorado, California, and Indiana. The latest is Washington, D.C., where it was recently reported that hundreds of DUI convictions were based on flawed breath test results.

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that since the fall of 2008, nearly 400 people were convicted of DUI based on evidence obtained from the faulty machines, and nearly half of the people convicted were incarcerated. The breath test machines were working improperly because the police calibrated them incorrectly.

As explained in the Washington Post article:

The District's badly calibrated equipment would show a driver's blood-alcohol content to be about 20 percent higher than it actually was, Nickles said. All 10 of the breath test machines used by District police were wrong, he said. The problem occurred when the officer in charge of maintaining the machines improperly set the baseline alcohol concentration levels, Nickles said.

One of the difficulties in defending DUI cases is that jurors generally presume that scientific results, obtained from blood tests and breath test machines, are accurate and infallible. The truth is, they're not.

In the past we've pointed out instances of flawed lab testing where blood tests were determined to be inaccurate long after people were wrongfully convicted of DUI. Now we learn that, like lab test results, breath test results can be inaccurate due to faulty equipment and human error.

Innocent people's lives are turned upside down because of DUI prosecutions and convictions. When DUI prosecutions are based on inaccurate scientific results that could have been prevented if more care had been taken, it's an outrage. These errors aren't simply unfortunate--they're travesties of justice.

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zakumi wallpaper

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Tip of the day

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Next time, send a cab:



Thanks to the Fail Blog.

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Fifa World Cup South Africa wallpaper

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More DUI convictions suspect--this time in California

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Yet again we're reminded that lab test results used to convict individuals accused of DUI are anything but perfect.

Just last week we learned that in Colorado Springs, lab test results were being thrown out due to allegations of hundreds of errors made by a lab technician.

This week brings yet another example of the inaccuracy of lab test results in drunk driving cases. This time, DUI convictions in San Francisco, California may turn out to be based on lab testing that was performed improperly.

In late May, the Seattle Times reported that a San Francisco coroner's supervising toxicologist, Ann Marie Gordon, had a history of improper conduct in Washington state. It was revealed that prosecutors had previously told a Washington court that, while Ms. Gordon ran the state's toxicology lab, she had been a "perpetrator of fraud."

As explained in the Seattle Time article:

From 1999 to 2007, Gordon ran the Washington state toxicology lab, whose main job was to analyze tests in drunken-driving cases. The lab was shut down after state agencies discovered that Gordon had vouched in court for the reliability of alcohol-detection equipment when she had not performed the tests herself.

In San Francisco, Gordon has signed sworn statements verifying hundreds of blood-test results, mostly in drunken-driving cases...since being hired in 2008. She has also testified in trials.

Prosecutors say they were unaware of her Washington history until April.

Because of the accusations against Ms. Gordon, over 100 criminal cases were dismissed in Washington and she quit her job in 2007. Now that her prior history has come to light, pending cases in San Francisco are being subjected to greater scrutiny.

This case is yet another example of the problems inherent in many of the crime laboratories across this country. Between tainted tests, sloppy lab work, and improper procedures, the accuracy of the lab test results are questionable at best. Likewise, equally as questionable are the DUI convictions resulting from these tests. We deserve better.

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Colorado Springs Crime Lab-Another Case of Sloppy Testing

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Another day, another crime lab making sloppy errors that deprive innocent people of their liberty. This time it's the Colorado Springs crime lab.

In April, the Colorado Springs crime lab errors were disclosed to the public. It was revealed that the results of an internal investigation revealed that 167 tests were flawed in 2009 and discovered 39 more flawed tests from 2007. All of the errors were the work of a chemist who had since left the department.

District Attorney Dan May explained that "only" 9 of the 206 faulty tests actually affected the rights of those accused of committing a crime. In other words, only 9 people that we know of--people who were potentially innocent of any crime--had their lives ruined because of the egregious errors of Colorado Springs lab technician.

Questions still remain following the announcement of the massive string of errors, as explained in this article from the Colorado Springs Independent:

Senior chemist Bobby Striebel frankly says he can't explain how a colleague of seven years made mistakes that boosted the alcohol content of some blood samples by more than 40 percent.

"The error was very difficult to identify," he says, with no apparent pattern or equipment failure to explain.

The lingering uncertainty is uncomfortable. Tim Bussey, a Colorado Springs defense attorney who specializes in DUI cases, puts it bluntly: "If they never really identified the problem, how do they fix it?"

These tests were caused by human error or malfeasance. Who knows how many errors are caused by faulty equipment or materials.

The bottom line: blood and breath testing for DUIs is a horribly inaccurate "science" for any number of reasons. The continuing pattern of errors in labs across the country is simply further evidence of that fact.

Perfection isn't possible and it's not required, but predictable accuracy is. Until that standard is met, innocent people will be convicted of drinking and driving offenses and injustice will continue to reign supreme.


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