In late November, 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put forward guidelines meant to deal with the problem of driver distraction due to portable electronic devices in vehicles, including mobile devices such as smartphones. The announcement revealed the second phase of the NHTSA’s voluntary guidelines. The first phase addressed […]
In October, 2016, the federal government set a goal of completely eliminating traffic deaths and injuries in the U.S. by 2046. Officials in the Department of Transportation revealed a plan that focuses on increasing seat belt usage; campaigns against drunken, drugged, and distracted driving; and increases the use of rumble strips (strips across the road […]
Popular ridesharing companies, including Uber and Lyft, differ from traditional taxi companies considerably. Because of these differences, the issue of liability in the event of an accident is controversial and confusing. About Ridesharing Ridesharing companies allow consumers to hail vehicles directly from their smartphones. A nearby driver accepts the job, and the consumer is able […]
When parents watch their teen drive away in a vehicle for the first time, they often feel a sense of worry that only a protective parent can truly know. This instinct is, unfortunately, well-founded in the long list of statistics about teen drivers and traffic crashes. While there is a certain amount of risk for […]
The latest gaming craze, Pokemon Go, has captured the imagination of a lot of folks. Called an “augmented reality” game, meaning that it blends the virtual world with the real world, it is free to use and debuted in early July of 2016. The point of the game? To “catch” Pokemon, which are electronic creatures. […]
A number of people are enamored with the high-tech car company Tesla and their cars’ promise of a completely electric driving experience. Others have taken an interest in the advanced technology available with a number of Tesla’s models, notably the Autopilot feature on the Tesla S. Autopilot is composed of a number of forward crash […]
What would you say if you knew that a defect in some automobiles has killed more people than Takata’s airbags? To date, ten people have died because of the Takata airbag defect. But in collapsing seat back accidents during the past 15 years, 17 children have been killed—yet it seems that few people are aware […]
High-tech improvements to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 5-Star Safety Ratings for new vehicles are on the way. The changes are supposed to give all of us better information we can use when buying a new car. One of the stated goals of publishing such information is to encourage manufacturers to continue creating […]
By now, most of us could recite chapter and verse with regard to drinking and driving—in short, don’t do it. However, have you ever considered how sleeping medications affect your driving skills? If you take prescription drugs to help you sleep, you could be as impaired the morning after taking a sleeping pill as if […]
Cybersecurity has become a part of our everyday world, even for those of us whose computer knowledge doesn’t stretch beyond web surfing and social media. Everyone, it seems, knows the basic precautions against hackers: the need for antivirus protection and anti-malware software, and employing long strings of characters to create tough-to-crack passwords. But have you […]