Auto lessors and lenders have been protected from vicarious liability by law since 2005, but there are concerns that the law could be overturned. Vicarious liability allows a crash victim to collect damages from the owner of a vehicle that has been rented or leased. The American Financial Services Association is asking the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure not to overturn the law protecting auto leasing companies.
An ongoing survey by Arsenault Associates indicates that 56% of fleets that employ maintenance software use it first and foremost to automate preventive maintenance scheduling. The survey also noted slightly fewer than 44% of all fleets use software specifically designed for fleet maintenance, the only type of software capable of fully automating complicated preventive maintenance service scheduling. 33% still use paper maintenance records if they keep records at all. More than 200 fleet executives, managers, and line staff have taken part thus far.
Used car sales are expected to drop 15.4% from August, but are still expected by TrueCar to increase 4.5% over a year ago. September used car sales should come in at 3.23M. New car sales are expected to drop 1.6% from August, but go up 10.1% over a year ago.
According to the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration, distracted driving was responsible for 20 percent of all car crashes with injuries in 2009 and cost millions of dollars in terms of damage, driver and passenger injuries, time and lost productivity. Drivers are faced with a growing number of distractions, and technology is the best solution to the problem. An eye tracking system can electronically determine if the driver is paying attention to the road or not. Cameras are directed at the driver's eyes and can alert him or her to a potential distraction. Failure by the driver to respond to the warning results in response by the tracking system.
Earlier this year BAA, the company that operates London's Heathrow Airport, began a first-of-its-kind electric pod car service to carry passengers between Terminal 5 and outlying parking lots. This month the 25-seat Solo EV, the first full-size, all-electric bus at a British airport, went into operation to move British Airways personnel between Terminal 5 and the company's head office a few miles away. The bus is projected to cover 50 to 60 miles daily and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 20 tons annually. Solo EV is powered by a 600-volt lithium-phosphate battery system made by Valence Technology, Austin, TX.