By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The state Transportation Department is holding meetings this week to tell drivers about upcoming road construction projects:

• Kalaniana'ole Highway improvements, from Olomana Golf Course to Waimanalo Beach Park. 7 p.m. tonight at Waimanalo Elementary School.
• H-1 Freeway widening, west-bound between the Kaonohi Street overpass and Pearl City off-ramp, 7 p.m. tomorrow at Waimalu Elementary School cafeteria, 98-825 Moanalua Road, 'Aiea.
  
  
  

Breaking the codes

"Consumers shouldn't be in a position where the only place they can take the car is the dealership," said Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., who introduced legislation last week aimed at prying open access to the codes.

A survey of 15,000 independent auto manufacturers found that about 10 percent of cars can't be repaired at their shops because mechanics lack access to dealer computer codes.

School-bus statistics

Riding a school bus is by far the safest way to get to school — even safer than walking, a study says. The most dangerous way: riding in a car with a teenager behind the wheel.

Researchers found that school buses account for one-fourth of all trips but only 2 percent of children's deaths in school-related traffic accidents.

By contrast, teenage drivers account for 14 percent of trips and 55 percent of traffic deaths.

Accidents with adults driving accounted for 20 percent of students' deaths on the way to or from school. Children walking accounted for 16 percent of deaths; biking 6 percent.

The research, including a review of more than 800 school commuting deaths last year, was conducted by the independent National Research Council for the federal Transportation Department.

Car-seat tips

Because motor-vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death for kids under 14, federal transportation officials are reminding parents of some car-seat facts.

• If a car seat is more than 6 years old, it's time to get a new product. Plastic can become brittle and break more easily; old seats become outdated as technology improves.

Never buy a used car seat or shop for a cheaper car seat at garage sales, officials say. You can't tell by looking at a seat whether it's been in a crash.

Origins of the minivan

The ubiquitous minivan is half a century old. Here, according to the Orange County Register, is a brief history of how the van came to reach its exalted status in suburban America.

• 1950: Volkswagen rolls out its Microbus. It's slow, unsafe and has no heat, but soon becomes an icon of counterculture. Nobody calls it a minivan.
• 1975: Bumper sticker "If this van is rockin', don't bother knockin' " pops up on thousands of cargo vans.
• 1977: Chrysler starts research on T-115, aka the "Magic Wagon," a vehicle for buyers bored with station wagons.
• 1983: Chrysler comes out with the first minivans, the Caravan and Voyager. Sales hit 209,895.
• 1985: Ford, General Motors and Toyota now sell minivans.
• 1987: Jeep Cherokee, a compact four-door sport utility, is billed as an "off-highway vehicle."
• 1988: Chrysler exports minivans to Europe. Europe says no.
• 1991: Ford rolls out Explorer, an SUV aimed at mass market.
• 1995: John Travolta drives an Oldsmobile Silhouette in "Get Shorty." Dubs it the "Cadillac of minivans."
• 1996: Minivan sales top 1.5 million units. Buick Roadmaster, the last full-sized American station wagon, ceases production.
• 2000: Chrysler offers PT Cruiser as a smallish minivan alternative.
• 2002: Hyundai runs TV ads that describe hell as a place where people drive minivans.

Advertiser news services contributed to this report.