Gas Prices Now Dropping Below $4 a Gallon in Some Parts of US: Analyst
July 8, 2022 - Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy predicted Wednesday that the United States would see "thousands of [gas] stations falling back under $4 per gallon" within days. True to his projection, De Haan revealed Friday morning that GasBuddy has since received nearly 6,000 individual reports of prices below $4 a gallon.
GasBuddy reported that gas prices had fallen for a third straight week, after momentarily eclipsing $5 per gallon in early June. Tuesday reportedly marked a week-over-week price drop of over $0.10, bringing the national average to $4.78 a gallon, down over $0.07 from this time last month.
Prices appear to be on track for yet another week of decline, as AAA states that gas prices stand at $4.72 today. That'd suggest a daily fall of $0.02 so far this week. Year-over-year, however, prices remain up $1.66.
Ford Addresses One Fire-Related Recall Just as Another Flares Up
July 8, 2022 - The 2020-2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator are under recall for a fire risk and, because the SUVs could go up in flames even while parked with the engine off, it was strongly recommended that owners park those vehicles outside, away from garages or structures, until a fix could be performed.
Ford has found the cause and it's a common theme of 2021 that continues into the middle of 2022: a supply chain issue. In this case, it's not the lack of a part but because a part was made by a different manufacturer to alleviate the supply issues.
On the heels of that fix for the Expedition and Navigator comes word of potential fires in 2020-2022 Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair, and 2022 Ford Maverick models equipped with the 2.5-liter I-4 hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains.
“Can You STOP a Crash Before It Happens?”
By Ed Dubens, CEO/Founder of eDriving
In short, absolutely!
But first, let’s clarify what we are discussing – the use of statistical techniques from data mining, predictive modeling and machine learning that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future or otherwise unknown events – in this case, road traffic collisions.
Predictive analytics and predictive modeling have been at the center of enterprise driver risk management for many years, yet many predictive models do not provide an effective and complete approach.
These days, some believe that telematics alone is all that is needed to make effective risk management decisions that protect both employees while driving for work purposes, as well as the wider community in which your employees live and work.
You’re Much More Likely to Buy an EV if You’ve Ever Had a Ride in One
July 8, 2022 - The percentage of Americans who say they would "definitely buy" an electric vehicle has more than tripled over the past two years. It went from just 4% of Americans in 2020 to 14% in the latest Consumer Reports survey of attitudes towards electric vehicles.
One of the biggest predictors of whether someone said they would at least consider getting an electric car was, simply, whether they'd had any experience with one in real life. Almost half of those who said they would "definitely" buy or lease an electric vehicle had a friend, relative or co-worker who owned one.
"If we put the survey out today, I'm sure even more people would be inclined to choose an electric vehicle," Quinta Warren, associate director of sustainability policy for Consumer Reports said.
New Federal Rule on Truck Underride Protection Does Not Go Far Enough
July 6, 2022 - In its long-awaited rule on truck underride protection, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) appears to be out of sync with the Safe System strategy adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) earlier this year.
While the new standard is an improvement over the old one, nearly all newly manufactured guards on trailers already meet this new standard, which is similar to a longstanding Canadian requirement. Meanwhile, IIHS crash testing and the TOUGHGUARD award inaugurated in 2017 have pushed the largest trailer manufacturers to strengthen their underride guards well beyond this level, demonstrating that further improvements are feasible.
To truly reduce the number of lives lost in underride crashes, NHTSA needs to incorporate changes that would require crash testing of guards when mounted on trailers, allow fewer exemptions for other kinds of trucks and improve protection in offset crashes. The Safe System strategy, if it is to be more than words on paper, requires NHTSA to take all these steps.
