Biggest Spike in Traffic Deaths in 50 Years? Blame Apps
The messaging app Snapchat allows motorists to post photos that record the speed of the vehicle. The navigation app Waze rewards drivers with points when they report traffic jams and accidents.
Even the game Pokémon Go has drivers searching for virtual creatures on the nation’s highways.
When distracted driving entered the national consciousness a decade ago, the problem was mainly people who made calls or sent texts from their cellphones. The solution then was to introduce new technologies to keep drivers’ hands on the wheel. Innovations since then — car Wi-Fi and a host of new apps — have led to a boom in internet use in vehicles that safety experts say is contributing to a surge in highway deaths.
Registration Opens For NAFA’s 2017 Institute & Expo In Tampa, Florida
In celebration of NAFA’s 60th year, NAFA's Institute & Expo (I&E) heads to Tampa Convention Center on April 25-28, 2017 promising attendees the biggest and best conference yet.
Starting today, registration has officially opened at www.nafainstitute.org. For those looking to save on the registration costs, the Association is offering early-bird registration rates available until January 31, 2017.
The Institute & Expo is more than just a fleet trade show, it is an opportunity to network with more than 2,000 fleet professionals from all segments, learn about industry advancements from leading experts, and experience new industry technologies within the 60,000-sq. ft. of expo space.
Leading Experts Discuss How Technology Is Transforming the Industry at ARI’s Inaugural Best in Fleet Conference
Speakers from SAP, McKinsey and Company offered insight on trends that are impacting global fleets
ARI recently hosted a multi-day conference highlighting the innovative technology trends that are transforming the fleet industry and which will be game-changing influences in the coming years.
More than 100 senior leaders and executives with fleet and procurement responsibilities from across North America joined ARI leadership and individuals from the tech and consulting communities to participate in a substantive discussion about employing technology to maximize fleet operations.
“We were eager to create an opportunity where leaders within the industry could come together to learn about and discuss how technology is transforming both how we do business now and how we will in the years to come,” said ARI President Chris Conroy.
“Technology, innovation and Big Data is fundamentally changing our industry and how we think about fleet management. Smart companies are not just embracing how new technologies can help them right now, but also looking to understand what it means for them five or ten years from now.”
Ford Move, Cited as Victory by Trump, Has No Effect on U.S. Jobs
Judging from a couple of Twitter messages by President-elect Donald J. Trump, he had scored a hard-won victory for American autoworkers by persuading Ford Motor to keep a Lincoln plant in Louisville, Ky., rather than move it to Mexico.
He wrote, “I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great State of Kentucky for their confidence in me!”
The reality proved less straightforward.
Ford had never said it was moving a plant to Mexico, only that it was transferring the production of a small Lincoln sport utility vehicle there so it could fully dedicate a Louisville plant to a larger-selling model.
Toyota Sees Role for Hydrogen Power in Heavy-Duty Truck Segment
With the little Mirai model, Toyota is now one of three automakers selling fuel-cell vehicles in the U.S. market.
Now, the automaker is looking into potential heavier duty applications, including the possible of using hydrogen to fuel a fleet of zero-emissions trucks.
Such an approach could create a vast new market for hydrogen technology – and solve the problem that clean air proponents have had trying to figure out how to clean up truck emissions. Because of their size and weight, as well as range issues, current battery technology does not appear to be a good fit for large, long-haul trucks.
