Car Safety Features Expand After COVID-19: Buyers Want Better Cabin Air Filters, Contactless Maintenance
In an industry where safety features like blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control are big selling points, manufacturers and car dealers are scrambling to adapt to the reality of car-buying amid a pandemic.
Many motorists will be looking for a better cabin air filter on their next car as they prepare for their spring break and summer road trips. But they also want a way to buy a vehicle with a minimum of personal contact.
Volvo recently surveyed drivers about their new car wish-lists. An air conditioner with built-in germ filtering was the most requested item (53%), followed closely by sanitization procedures incorporated within the standard maintenance package (52%). Drivers also said they wanted ways to make items like masks, sanitizer, and disinfectant more accessible in the vehicle such as a phone sanitizer in the console or a designated place to store a mask in the car.
Read the article at USA Today.
Where the Used Vehicle Market is Now
The used vehicle market was extraordinarily strong in the second half of 2020, and is looking to remain fairly stable through the first quarter and into the second quarter of 2021.
New Crash Tests Show Modest Speed Increases Can Have Deadly Consequences
Small speed increases can have huge effects on crash outcomes, as shown in new crash tests by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Humanetics.
Drivers often travel faster than posted speed limits, but when officials raise limits to match travel speeds, people still go faster. Today, 41 states allow 70 mph or higher speeds on some roadways, including eight states that have maximum speeds of 80 mph or more.
"Cars are safer than they’ve ever been, but nobody’s figured out how to make them defy the laws of physics, said Dr. David Harkey, IIHS president. "Rather than raising speed limits, states should vigorously enforce the limits they have. This includes using proven countermeasures like high-visibility enforcement and carefully implemented speed-camera programs to consistently and equitably enforce speed limits 24/7."
Read the article at IIHS.
NAFA & The 100 Best Fleets in the Americas: 4 Essential Traits for 2021 & Beyond
Free Webinar: Wednesday, February 17, 2021 -- 10 AM PDT/1 PM EDT -- Attendance is limited; please register at your earliest convenience.
You have survived 2020, maintained your energy and motivation, faced it down with courage, sacrifice and inspiration. Now, how do we move on and continue to operate at peak efficiency?
Outstanding fleet managers -- though leaders all -- will facilitate this interactive forum on what we can improve on and how to be prepared for a future with unprecedented challenges.
As Traffic Deaths Spike During COVID-19, new Report Examines Unsettling Trend of Teen Drivers Speeding – and Dying – on America’s Roads
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), in partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund, released a new report, 'Teens and Speeding: Breaking the Deadly Cycle' that examines the significant role speeding plays in teen driver fatalities and offers practical tools to help parents rein in this lethal driving habit.
The new analysis for GHSA found that from 2015 to 2019, teen drivers and passengers (16-19 years of age) accounted for a greater proportion of speeding-related fatalities (43%) than all other age groups (30%). During this five-year period, 4,930 teen drivers and passengers died in speeding-related crashes.
The report includes state-by-state statistics. It sheds new light on what we know about speeding-related fatal crashes involving teens – the driver is more likely to be male, have run off the road or rolled the vehicle, and be unbuckled.
Read the article at Ford Media Center.
