Are All Levels of Autonomy Equally Safe?
While the ultimate goal of self-driving vehicles is one in which humans are solely passengers, the reality of the situation is that we’re moving from a world where people have complete control of their vehicle to ones where they have none at all.
The Society of Automotive Engineers classifies autonomous vehicle technology capabilities into six levels ranging from Level 0 - no autonomous features, to Level 5 - vehicles can safely drive anywhere and at any speed in any condition.
The problem is when we’re operating in the middle ground — vehicles having some of the control, and humans still needed for some control. The main issue is that it’s psychologically very difficult to not pay attention to something until you absolutely need to pay attention to avoid a fatal outcome.
Read the article at Forbes.
A Facebook Rumor About White Vans is Spreading Fear Across America
Terrifying rumors initially propelled by Facebook's algorithms have sparked fears that men driving white vans are kidnapping women all across the United States for sex trafficking and to sell their body parts.
While there is no evidence to suggest this is happening, much less on a national, coordinated scale, a series of viral Facebook posts created a domino effect that led to the mayor of a major American city issuing a warning based on the unsubstantiated claims.
"Don't park near a white van," Baltimore Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young said in a TV interview on Monday. "Make sure you keep your cellphone in case somebody tries to abduct you." The mayor said he had not been told of the apparent threat by Baltimore Police but said it was "all over Facebook.
Read more at CNN.
Distracted Driving Collisions: Is Your Fleet Doing Enough to Prevent Them?
As long as crashes happen, juries will want to know what a company has done to prevent them.
By Paul Atchley, PhD, eDriving’s Brain Scientist Advisor
In May 2019, a jury awarded a plaintiff $15 million in a case in which a truck driver, talking on his cell phone, failed to stop for stationary traffic, critically injuring a driver who had stopped. As an expert on the case who was asked to testify on the company’s lack of an effective cell phone policy, I can say that one reason the jury was compelled to find in favor of the stopped driver was that the delivery company was taking no significant actions to prevent the crash, other than telling drivers in their welcome packet to not use their phones.
I wrote “…there appears to be no evidence that (the delivery company) took adequate steps necessary to prevent (their driver’s) behavior despite knowledge of the risks of phone use of any kind by its drivers and clear evidence available to fleet safety professionals that fleets with strict cell phone policies have fewer crashes.”
Brendan P. Keegan Wins Silver in 9th Annual Best in Biz Awards
Nashua N.H. native and CEO of Merchants Fleet Brendan P. Keegan has been named a silver winner in the Executive of the Year – Medium Companies category in Best in Biz Awards.
Keegan was recognized for his innovative leadership, which has fueled Merchants Fleet’s strategic direction and been the driving force behind its industry-leading growth.
“With our strategic focus on innovation across the company and our move into our new building, it has been a remarkable year for Merchants,” said Gary Singer, Owner of Merchants Fleet and Chairman of the Corporate Board.
Read more at Merchants Fleet News.
Auto Driveaway Acquires a Majority Interest in Sparkle Mobile LLC
Partnering with mobile, eco-friendly, waterless car wash and detailing services
Auto Driveaway Systems, LLC, through its newly formed entity, Sparkl Mobile LLC, is pleased to announce the acquisition of a majority interest in Sparkle Mobile LLC, a leading provider of mobile, eco-friendly, waterless car wash and detailing services based in Chicago, Illinois.
“We’ve done extensive testing of the Sparkl service offerings and are very pleased with the results and the potential throughout our network,” says Rodney Ruth, President and CEO of Auto Driveaway.
