Safest Pickup? Rivian R1T Only Truck to Earn Top Safety Pick+
The 2024 Rivian R1T is the only pickup truck to earn a Top Safety Pick+, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced Tuesday. The IIHS conducts the most rigorous crash-testing assessments in the automotive industry, and a TSP+ designation is considered the highest safety recognition.
The electric pickup truck earned top "Good" ratings in all crash tests performed by the insurance-industry funded safety agency, including its updated moderate front overlap test. It's the only pickup proven by the IIHS to adequately protect rear occupants.
Survey: 47% Drive A Truck; 41% Are Alarmed at Truck Size
Almost half of Americans drive a pickup truck. Most Americans who don’t drive one think they’re getting too big. YouGov asked “a nationally representative sample of 1,116 adults (aged 18+ years) in the U.S.” to fill out an online survey in February.
They found that 47% of respondents owned a pickup and 41% of respondents agreed with the statement that trucks and SUVs “have become too large in recent years.” That group even includes many truck owners. Thirty-nine percent of truck drivers, the researchers say, “believe that the vehicle category has become too big.”
The Hourglass Foundation’s Triple Impact Challenge: Raise $5k in 30 days, Help 4 Impressive Student Scholarship Recipients!
The Hourglass Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit and philanthropic arm of Flexco Fleet Services launches their first ever “Triple Impact Challenge,” a fundraising initiative that launches April 1st, 2024, and runs the entire month of April.
The goal is to raise $5,000 in 30 days to help support The Foundation’s four most recent student scholarship recipients—each pursuing educational endeavors in Automotive Technology, Diesel Mechanics, or Aviation Maintenance Technology.
To make this effort even more achievable, Flexco Fleet Services, an industry leader in vehicle remarketing services, and Hop Drive, a vehicle transportation drive services company, have both committed to matching dollar-for-dollar every contribution made.
Transportation Authority Approves New York’s Congestion Pricing Plan
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board voted to approve the toll rates for Manhattan's congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the United States. New York says more than 900,000 vehicles enter the Manhattan Central Business District daily, reducing travel speeds to around 7 miles an hour (11 kph) on average.
Under the plan, New York City will charge a daily toll of $15 during the day for passenger vehicles driving in Manhattan south of 60th Street starting in mid-June. It will charge up to $36 for larger trucks and buses. The plan still faces a number of legal challenges including from the state of New Jersey.
GAO to Congress: NHTSA Needs to Better Educate Public on ADAS Capabilities
By Dave Bean, Content Editor, FMW
In a detailed report aimed at various congressional committees, the GAO is recommending that NHTSA needs to up its game in regard to informing the public about exactly what ADAS can and can’t do, as well as how to properly operate them.
Drivers who ignore, disengage, or even become overly reliant upon these now ubiquitous new vehicle safety components may actually be increasing their odds of having an accident.
