Q&A with VisionTrack’s Simon Marsh: Beyond Separate Cameras and Telematics
By Janice Sutton
VisionTrack, a UK in-vehicle CCTV specialist, brought its cutting-edge 3G telematics camera to market back in January. Capable of transmitting a ten-second clip of a road incident using only 350kB of data and reporting information on speeds, location and G-force, Managing Director Simon Marsh says the VT2000 is the future for fleets looking to increase safety and reduce costs.
Fleet Management Weekly headed across the pond to talk with Simon about the importance of this technology and why he feels telematics cameras are the ‘Holy Grail’ in camera technology.
Manheim Reports Used Vehicle Prices Up for Third Consecutive Month
Wholesale used vehicle prices increased for the third consecutive month in June, resulting in wholesale prices at their highest level in four years.
"Despite the second quarter's uptick in pricing, there's no doubt that the overall long-term trend for wholesale pricing is still down," said Tom Webb, chief economist for Cox Automotive. "With this in mind, the recent rise in pricing should be taken advantage of now, as well as appreciated, given that the gains will likely raise the floor to which prices will fall in this cycle."
Speed Up, Slowpoke, or Get a Ticket
Slowpokes, beware: More states are cracking down on drivers who dawdle in the left lane.
While all states require slow-moving vehicles to keep to the right, laws that went into effect in Tennessee this year, Indiana last year, Georgia in 2014 and Florida and New Jersey in 2013 are setting harsher penalties for dawdling drivers.
The new penalties, proponents say, are aimed at reducing congestion, frustration and accidents.
All New Cars To Have Significant Autonomous Vehicle Technology
When 20 automakers announced this spring they would include Automated Emergency Braking Systems as standard equipment in all cars, they effectively standardized autonomous vehicle technology, an expert said in Chicago Monday.
Currently offered as an option on some cars, automated braking systems use many of the same components as fully autonomous vehicles, said Jim Barbaresso, national practice leader for intelligent transportation systems at the infrastructure design firm HNTB.
So as they become standard in all cars, the cost of autonomous technology will drop.
Self-Driving Cars Could Flip the Auto Insurance Industry on its Head
As the driverless car gets closer to reality, so too does the dilemma of how to insure the car and its owner.
The auto insurance industry faces upheaval in the next 25 years as the migration to autonomous safety features — and ultimately a self-driving car — shifts more of a car’s accident risk from the driver to the vehicle, analysts said.
The number of accidents is expected to drop sharply because currently more than 90% of accidents are caused by driver error. That could lower insurance bills for consumers.
