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Tag Archives: distracted driving
DOT Distracted Driving Rule Bans Hand-Held Phone use by Commercial Drivers, but Allows Hands-Free Cell Phones
The latest DOT rule falls far short of a recommendation in September from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to ban the use of all cell phones – hand-held and hands-free – by commercial drivers except in emergencies. NTSB made the recommendation after a horrific crash in Kentucky between an 18-wheeler and a van killed 11 people. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, distracted driving, news, news analysis, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, cell phone ban, distracted driving, dot, Ken Zino, nhtsa, ntsb, ray lahood, zino
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NTSB Wants Cell Phone Ban for Commercial Drivers
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended banning the use of all types of cell phones by commercial drivers except in emergencies. The Safety Board said cell phone use by the driver of an 18-wheel semi truck was the … Continue reading
DOT’s LaHood Praises BMW as it Enables Distracted Driving?
BMW, the luxury brand that is in the process of becoming the first automobile manufacturer in the world to have voice-read e-mail messages inside its vehicles, has been singled out for praise by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation for claiming it is against texting and driving? Continue reading
BMW Left Turn Assistant Looks at Oncoming Traffic for You
Left turn assistant is a complicated piece of engineering, which demonstrates the power of electronic sensors and software to do virtually anything. It also begs the question of how much safety via sophisticated devices is enough or too much, depending on your point of view. Continue reading
Electronic Devices Gain in Importance for New Vehicle Buyers
NHTSA – in a states’ rights argument that goes back to at least the Civil War during the 1860s – is forbidden by Congress from regulating drivers on a national basis, that power is reserved for the individual states, whose legislators show little interest in outlawing the demonstrably dangerous devices in automobiles. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, distracted driving, marketing, safety
Tagged auto electronics, auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, dd, distracted driving, gps, ipod, Ken Zino, mps, nhtsa, telematics, zino
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Microsoft and Toyota Partner on Next-Generation Telematics
Microsoft Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) today announced they have formed partnership and plan to build on Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform for TMC’s next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure or cloud platform. Continue reading
Department of Transportation Releases New “Faces of Distracted Driving” Video. Deadly DD Epidemic Continues
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today released the latest video in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Faces of Distracted Driving” series.
The video features Loren Vaillancourt, whose 21-year-old brother Kelson was killed in a 2009 distracted driving crash in Huron, South Dakota. Continue reading
Cell Phones Prevail as Dominant U.S. Electronic Device. Distracted Driving Enabler Now Owned by 85% of Adults
Cell phones are now the most prevalent electronic device among U.S. adults, with an 85% ownership rate, and 90% of all adults—including 62% of those ages 75 and older—living in a household with at least one working cell phone. Continue reading
FocusDriven Distracted Driving PSA: 5,500; How Many More?
FocusDriven, the first national non-profit organization advocating for victims of distracted driving has released new Public Service Announcement or PSA titled, “5,500; How Many More?”
The PSA highlights that nearly 5,500 people are killed and half a million more are injured in distraction-related crashes annually. The auto industry and electronics makers whose devices are enabling distracted driving thus far show no interest in helping to curb this growing safety problem. And the U.S. Congress has forbidden federal safety regulators form promulgating national standards or rules. Continue reading
DOT Secretary LaHood Blasts Distracted Driving Yet Again
Congress has prohibited DOT from enacting national regulations governing driving behavior, so LaHood can do little about it except use his “bully pulpit” to address the growing issue, which has been called repeatedly an epidemic by safety advocates. Continue reading
OnStar Presidential Shakeup. Preuss Out. Marshall In
As a lifelong public relations professional, Preuss was likely much more sensitive to the growing distracted driving problem than Wall Street and other executives who emphasize growth with little or no concern for the social problems that the growth might cause. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, people, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed.com, automotive news, chris preuss, distracted driving, Ken Zino, Linda marshall, nhtsa, onstar, selim bingo, stephen girsky, zino
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OnStar Starts Voice Application Student Competition
OnStar is looking for new in-vehicle voice-enabled applications through a contest at five U.S. universities.
The growing telematics subsidiary of General Motors is a leader in the controversial area of in-vehicle electronics OnStar is interested in working with students who are studying voice application development. The voice platform allows OnStar to provide more connectivity to subscribers.
This also might enable more distracted driving accidents, currently responsible for 6,000 deaths and more than 500,000 serious injuries each year, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics. A total of 33,808 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Another 2.22 million people were injured. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, people, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, auto safety, autoinformed.com, automotive news, carnegie mellon university, distracted driving, Ken Zino, massachusetts institute of technology, mit, onstar, onstar student contest, telematics, university of michigan, university of texas, university of toledo, zino
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NHTSA Administrator Strickland Visits NAIAS Show Promoting Jobs, Not Safety? The Endless Partison Political Campaign Continues
The man responsible for traffic safety in the United States, David Strickland, visited the North American International Auto Show – NAIAS – this week promoting the Obama Administration’s jobs agenda – or at least the let’s talk, but do little, part of it, with nary a word about traffic safety. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, fools 'n frauds, people, safety, transportation
Tagged auto informed, auto news, auto safety, autoinformed.com, automotive news, dd, distracted driving, Ken Zino, lahood, naias, nhtsa, zino
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DOT Proposes Rear View Visibility Rule. Endless Regulation?
The U.S. Department of Transportation today proposed a new safety regulation designed to help eliminate blind zones behind vehicles that can hide the presence of pedestrians, especially young children and the elderly. Continue reading
