Privacy Concerns Could Trickle Down to the Automotive World
As more and more automakers are slowly revealing their autonomous driving technologies and vehicle-to-vehicle communication capabilities, the question of privacy and just how much personal data motorists will have to give up is becoming a concern.
Though the cars and highways of the future will likely make our day-to-day commutes more convenient, the big question is at what cost?
Manheim Enhanced Vehicle Imaging Suite Now at 20 Auctions
Manheim’s Enhanced Vehicle Imaging Suite, introduced to customers in May, is now at 20 of Manheim’s North American locations as part of Manheim’s InSight Electronic Condition Report. Customer research has found that getting good condition reports with great vehicle images remained an ongoing point of frustration with customers; coming up with a solution to help customers has been gratifying, the company said.
It’s AFLA Time in Las Vegas!
We are excited to introduce Matt Betz as our newest columnist. Matt has a good deal of experience in the fleet industry and in 2008 was honored with NAFA’s Excellence in Education Award for his contribution to fleet management education. His extensive knowledge of the industry is impressive.
Matt’s monthly column focuses on the modern mobile worker and specifically on the fleet manager’s role in supporting these mobile employees. You will find Matt’s first article on this subject this week in The Mobile Employee. We are eager for the next installment!
We are thoroughly enjoying the AFLA 2014 Conference this week in Las Vegas. We hope to see you there!
Janice Sutton
Executive Editor
‘Hands off the Steering Wheel’ Explores Where Driverless Cars are Heading
Driverless cars – also known as self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles – have recently become a heated topic in the US. In the wake of Google’s launch of a test project featuring its own self-driving pods, debate has gone viral on the internet. There’s fear of privacy being violated, hackers taking over control of the car, and loss of personal freedom behind the wheel. On the other side, there’s been much enthusiasm for the technology solving huge problems coming from car crashes and worsening traffic congestion and gridlock.
The polarized debate calls up two images – computerized artificial intelligence system HAL 9000 becoming an antagonist murderously attempting to take control of the spaceship in “2001: A Space Odyssey;” and there’s KITT, a black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that safely transports do-good action hero Michael Knight in “Knight Rider.” A new white paper on the subject, “Hands off the Steering Wheel – The state of autonomous vehicle government policies, testing projects – and when these vehicles will likely make it to roads,” explores these polarizing issues and what to expect in coming years.
LeasePlan USA’s Dan Shive: Confronting a National Driving Safety Epidemic
When we asked Dan Shive, Vice President of Risk Management Services at LeasePlan USA, what the major fleet concerns are today, he responded that using cell phones while driving has become a national epidemic. We all know that there are a patchwork of different state laws out there -- addressing hand-held and hands-free devices, and complete bans -- but Dan believes we are seeing these laws change and evolve.
"I think if you look at most of the information and studies out there, they indicate that the device is not the issue. It is the fact that you are on a phone call and that your cognitive distraction is taking over, versus paying attention to driving. That is really the problem; it is not necessarily the device. My gut feeling tells me that we are seeing the progression of laws that first allowed hand-held, then hands-free, and eventually they will move to full cell phone bans."
