By Art Liggio, President and CEO, Driving Dynamics

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Summary of Statistical Findings (DOT HS 812 381), every day crashes that involve a distracted driver kill nine plus people and injures more than 1,000.

With April being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, it is the perfect opportunity to have a conversation with your drivers about the types of distracted driving and how best to avoid them. When drivers understand the behaviors that contribute to dangerous distractions, they gain valuable insight which puts them on a road to positive change and self-improvement behind the wheel.

When it comes to distracted driving, there are three types: visual, manual, cognitive. Here is a brief description of each one, along with typical scenarios which depict a potential underlying cause.

FREE Distracted Driving TRAINING OFFER

Driving Dynamics is excited to announce that during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month we’re kicking off a 90-Day campaign to share knowledge and resources to help fleets deal with the dangers of distracted driving—a month is just not enough! To get started, along with this month’s Safety & Risk column, I’m pleased to offer free access* to take our complete DrivActiv™ “Decisions You Make” distracted driving e-lesson. Sign up here!

* To qualify for the one-time free e-lesson, you must be a fleet administrator/safety professional and cannot be a current DrivActiv eLearning™ customer. This offer is not available to fleet drivers and cannot be shared or accessed more than once.

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By Janice Sutton, Editor in Chief

Members of the NAFA Fleet Management Association know how much it has helped support their careers in so many ways: through its annual Institute & Exposition, webinars, educational programs, publications, and networking opportunities.

But do you know that behind NAFA stands the NAFA Foundation, a non-profit organization that does even more?

Since its beginnings in 1976, the Foundation has expanded its role from working with institutions of higher learning to publishing case studies relating to vehicle fleet management, offering scholarships, funding computer-based tools for making fleet management decisions, and conducting industry benchmarking studies.

More recently, the Foundation has funded two white papers and, this year, is hosting “Mobility Day” at the Institute & Expo Wednesday, April 17, in Louisville, Kentucky.

But it wants to do more.

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The 14^th annual Vincentric Best Fleet Value in America™ Awards were announced today with Nissan and Infiniti combining to win 11 awards while Kia also showed a strong fleet presence with an impressive seven award winning vehicles.

Key to the strong Nissan performance were the three awards earned by the NV Van lineup, led by the NV 200 S which won for the sixth consecutive year. Infiniti did its part in the luxury segments, delivering two sedan winners and two SUV/Crossover winners. The strong Kia performance was led by its Niro lineup, winning both the Hybrid and EV/Plug-in Hybrid segments in the SUV/Crossover category.

General Motors and Ford Motor Co. continued to show a strong fleet lineup with four award winners each, while Mercedes-Benz Vans and FCA were close behind with both earning three Vincentric awards. Other winners included Toyota with two award winners along with BMW, Subaru, Volkswagen, and Volvo who each had one Best Fleet Value in America winner.

“As the financial metrics regarding fleet productivity become more important, it is critical for fleet operators to have an understanding of vehicle lifecycle costs,” said Vincentric President, David Wurster. “The independent, data-driven approach used in selecting the Vincentric Best Fleet Value in America Awards enable the fleet industry to identify the vehicles that provide the best value in their segment. “

Read more of the press release.

Cox Automotive

Wholesale used-vehicle prices increased 0.58% month-over-month, bringing the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index to 136.0, a 4.0% increase from a year ago.

Trends in Weekly Manheim Market Report prices reflect the traditional spring bounce in values, particularly in non-luxury vehicles.

Read the article at Cox Automotive.

The Detroit News

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress would allow automakers to offer the $7500 federal tax credit for buyers of up to 600,000 electric cars.

The lawmakers backing the measure said the tax breaks to date have encouraged development and sales of electric cars.

Read the article at The Detroit News.

Forbes

Israeli tech company Mobileye is attempting to create the technology aimed at achieving autonomous vehicles that can “think” like humans.

Mobileye Executive Vice President. Products and Strategy, Erez Dagan believes that Level 5, or completely self-driving vehicles, will never be adequately safe until they can do something only humans have the capacity to do–anticipate and react to unusual circumstances, declaring, “when it comes to safety, machine learning is not the tool.”

Read the article at Forbes.

The Verge

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced a proposal outlining the permitting process for companies wishing to test or deploy driverless trucks for testing on public roads.

The rule would only apply to autonomous vehicles weighing less than 10,001 pounds. That means only Class 1 and 2 trucks — which include minivans, pickup trucks, utility vans, and step vans — could receive permits for testing under the proposed rule.

Read the article at The Verge.

The Detroit Bureau

According to a survey by Mini USA, nearly two out of three American consumers believe the best use for a battery vehicle was for commuting, or as a city car, with a daily range of 75 miles being sufficient.

Analysts point out that demand for battery vehicles, especially all-electric models, has only taken off with the appearance of products that can get 200 miles or more between charges.

The Mini survey could help manufacturers justify the need to continue offering federal tax credits as the Trump Administration is proposing the incentives of up to $7,500 be eliminated in the coming year. Mini is preparing to enter the electric vehicle market.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

Safety, Research & Strategies, Inc.(SRS)

Mark Rosekind predicted that the NHTSA’s aggressive enforcement stance would continue after his departure, because “the agency has taken steps to keep its momentum on issues such as autonomous vehicles and cementing a “proactive” safety culture in the new presidential administration.”

An examination of NHTSA rulemaking, investigations, and civil penalties in the last two years shows that the momentum has died.

The contrast with the activity under Rosekind’s two-year reign is stark. In 2008, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigations decreased to 123, and in 2018, the number is down to 34. In the first three months of 2019, the agency has opened a grand total of one investigation.

Read the article at Safety, Research & Strategies, Inc. (SRS)

By Dr. Jan Ferri-Reed

Mention the subject of marijuana to the average American and they may well conjure images of hazy rock concerts, smoke-filled parties or “highlights” from their favorite Cheech and Chong film.

But marijuana’s role in our society has been evolving. After gaining widespread popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Cannabis Sativa has evolved from a recreational drug to a medicinal substance reputed to affect a number of illnesses and medical problems. The medicinal uses for marijuana have become so popular that it has lead to widespread decriminalization and the probable ultimate legalization of what we used to call “pot.”

Even though marijuana is still illegal in the majority of states, that’s beginning to change. Many states have reversed their position and legalized marijuana for both medical and/or recreational uses. While this is good news for people suffering from certain medical conditions (as well as people who enjoy getting high), it’s bad news for employers that are going to have to seriously re-examine their policies and procedures regarding substance abuse on the job.

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