News In Brief

SO, WHO'S IN A HURRY?

You've got to admit that Stuart Baldwin is no average college student. In fact, he's so exceptional that he warrants special recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records. So, did he zip through with a straight-A average in only three terms, or something? No. The Witham, England, resident is believed to have taken longer than anyone else in history to finish his degree - 28 years. It seems Baldwin owns a bookshop, which cut into his study time. His plan now: to go right back to school for a PhD.

YES, I GUESS I DID, OFFICER

Hmmm, Gary Jacobsen mused, as he sat at lunch in an Omaha, Neb., cafe watching people rush out of the federal building across the street. Then it dawned on him: He'd parked a yellow rental van at the curb. Yes, security guards, remembering the 1995 truck bomb that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City, ordered the place evacuated. Jacobsen was lectured and fined for his act.

Antilock brakes top drivers' wish lists, new survey finds

When it comes to safety features for cars, many consumers are willing to go all out. A recent survey by market researcher J.D. Power & Associates found that 3 of every 4 respondents want side-impact air bags on their next vehicles. Never mind that only 20 percent of vehicles sold in the US are equipped with that technology. The most-desired safety features for vehicles, with the percentage of people in the survey who said they want them, from Power's "2000 Automotive Performance Execution and Layout Feature Contenting Report":

1. Antilock brakes 93%

2. Side-impact air bags 72%

3. Brake assist 70%

4. Stability control 66%

5. Daytime running lights 63%

7. High-intensity headlights 61%

(tie) "Smart" passenger air bag 61%

8. Auto-dimming rearview mirror 59%

9. Traction control 58%

10. "Run flat" tires 56%

- Business Wire

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