Studies: Teens More Likely to Crash When Driving With Their Peers
New studies of teen drivers conducted by State Farm and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that more than 70% of male teens involved in serious crashes were distracted by their passengers before the accident occurred. Teen passengers can encourage unsafe driving. More states may feel pressure to adopt rules limiting the number of young passengers in a car with a just-recently licensed teen driver.
Are Hydrogen Vehicles Coming of Age?
Peter Hoffman is an advocate and author of publications on hydrogen vehicles. A number of automakers have committed to building hydrogen cars by 2015, and Mr. Hoffman expects their production costs to decrease as technology matures. He also predicts more consumer acceptance of fuel-cell vehicles due to their built-in level of safety and the fact that they can travel up to 300 miles on a tank of hydrogen.
Used Car Pricing Going Up…Again
Used car prices went up about 3 percent in 2011 and are expected to increase almost another 2 percent in 2012. Consumers are hanging onto their vehicles longer and many are opting for used vehicles when they do buy, coupled with reduced automaker production over the last few years, so that the limited field of used vehicles is drawing higher prices at the dealership.
New Stolen Equipment, Vehicle Recovery System from LoJack
LoJack Corporation has introduced its new entirely self-contained Stolen Vehicle Recovery System for construction equipment and commercial vehicles. It is hidden in a piece of equipment and can be camouflaged to match the exact color of the machine. When Police Tracking Computers match the stolen equipment product ID number to the LoJack registration number, the system is automatically activated by police, causing the hidden transceiver to emit a silent signal that leads law enforcement agencies to the precise location of the stolen equipment.
Telematics Help Prevent Cargo Theft
The FBI estimates reported cargo theft in the U.S. costs businesses $30 billion a year. Most goods are stolen from trucks but also from shipping containers, cargo lanes and warehouses. A growing number of businesses now use telematics to address the threat. Tracking systems include using GPS, Google maps, and geofencing devices.
