I don't fly that often. Maybe once a year to visit home. I usually pick a super early flight and just sleep the entire way. No problem. That's why I was initially confused when I read a headline that the government may soon allow Wi-Fi connected phone calls on flights. Why would you need to make a call on an airplane? I've used Wi-Fi on a plane, but never lamented that I can't make a call while in the air. I ride the bus nearly every day, and it's very annoying when someone is on the phone. Someone is always on the phone.

After reading the story, the reason became obvious. It's for work. If you...

I wake up pretty early. Depending on when I go to bed (thanks a lot, Netflix) I usually get out of bed between 5 AM and 6 AM, sometimes even earlier. Every morning I check the weather by looking out my window. I live across the street from a very busy coffee shop and a police prescient. A lot of trucks and buses are stored in my neighborhood. No matter what time I look out the window, the coffee shop is full of drivers, fueling up for their morning rides. It's still full with another group when I start walking to my bus around 7:30. It's important to step back and say thank you.

So Many To Thank...

2016 has been the year we talk a lot about autonomous vehicles. A lot has happened this year. Google created Waymo, a self-driving vehicle company under the Alphabet umbrella. MIT designed a mini city for testing, and GM is testing on public roads in Michigan. Self-driving Ubers (with a driver for emergencies) are being tested in Pittsburgh as I type this.

Playing By The Rules

A few days ago Uber expanded this testing to San Francisco, but with some changes. The cars used in California are EX90 SUVS, the result of a collaboration with Volvo, who does not have a permit for self-driving cars from...

Drowsy Driving is a popular subject on this blog. This is due to the fact that we want to inform as many people as possible about this dangerous problem. It's a very important issue, especially today. Congress recently suspended some safety regulations that could increase driver fatigue.

Drowsy Driving

Drowsy driving was responsible for 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries and 800 deaths in 2013, according to the NHTSA. This number is underestimated because there is no way to confirm what an accident is caused by.

According to an Australian study, being awake for 18 hours produced an impairment...

Rear View Safety is all about innovation.

We are very happy to announce the release of our new  MobileMule™ 5500 series. Packed with new features, including 4G capability, the 5500 series can also record onto a hard disk drive (sold separately) expandable to 2TB. Compatible with both Apple and Android apps, the 5500 series can connect to high-resolution cameras and monitors. The hard drive can be mirrored by SD backup. The future of MobileMule™ technology is here. The 5500 Mobile Mule series will take the place of the 4400 series, which is being phased out of production.

DVR's are perfect for...

Note: This post is from December, 7th, 2016

Exciting news today at Rear View Safety! Our first webinar is today. We are always looking for new ways to communicate and help our customers. Today’s webinar is a discussion on some of our new products, a few holiday gift ideas, and maybe even some surprises. The RVS-FDH120 Full HD Backup Camera System is one of my favorite new items. Who doesn’t love full HD? This heavy duty system also includes ultra-wide 120° viewing angle and 8 infra-red lights for perfect night vision.

The RVS-7700 Backup Camera System with GPS Navigation (3 Channel) is another...

I never learned to drive stick shift. When I turned 16 my brother tried to teach me in an empty parking lot. The first (and only!) lesson lasted about 20 minutes. I killed the car 100 times and we both got frustrated and stopped.  My parents wanted me to learn in case of an emergency that thankfully never came. I doubt I’ll ever learn. Now I don’t even own a car, rarely drive, and soon manual transmission may no longer even be an option.

According to Engadget, the end is near for 3 main reasons.

1. Growing Popularity of SUVs – Most SUVs automatic transmission.
2. Electric Vehicles - Gear boxes are...

The office is a little quieter this week. No, we’re not taking off work because of rainy weather, and I’m not working from home. A few members of our team are showing off our latest RV safety technology at The RVIA National RV Trade Show at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Here’s a video from last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdGFQDZOUWw

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I would love to go to a show and talk about Rear View Safety and all the great things that we offer. I know it’s a lot of work, but I think I could (one day) be up for the challenge...

When I was younger I did a lot of stupid things. I’ve driven while eating soup, cereal, and even hot pockets. It’s absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. I don’t drive a lot anymore, but I when I do I am 100% committed to the task at hand, driving!

3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2014. Recently the NHTSA announced their 2^nd phase of voluntary guidelines to address distracted driving.

The first phase encouraged automakers to design less distracting devices or systems at the time of manufacture. This second phase encourages...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. When I was growing up all 6 of us would pile into our SUV and travel to Kansas City from Topeka. It was about an hour drive, and I thought it was so cool that I could spend the day in a “big city.” The venue would often change, sometimes we would do Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncles, sometimes at my cousins’ house. One of my favorite parts of the day was after the meal, traveling downtown to watch The Plaza lights turn on. This is a must for Thanksgiving in Kansas City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLXM7kZ034k

It was a wonderful experience with my...

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Nov. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin North America, Inc., a unit of Michelin Group, the worldwide leader in tire innovation and sales, has selected Swisslog Warehouse & Distribution Solutions (WDS) to automate a new distribution center in the U.S. The order value of the automation project amounts to a high double-digit-million euro range and was booked in the second quarter of 2016.

The new distribution center will supply passenger and truck tires throughout North America, allowing the company to meet its ambitions for responsible logistics. Swisslog has been engaged to automate...

Yesterday Justin Ross Harris was found guilty of murder after the death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Harris intentionally locked Cooper inside of his car because he didn’t want the responsibilities that came with having a family. The defense claimed that the death was an accident caused by a lapse in memory.

In addition to three counts of murder, Harris was also found guilty of three counts relating to electronic exchanges of lewd material with two minor girls and two counts of cruelty to children.

The trial focused on painting Harris as having a...

I’ve written about my own personal experience with the dangers of drowsy driving before. It is a dangerous epidemic that cannot be ignored. According to a National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll, 60% of adult drivers, roughly 168 million people, say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third, 103 million people), have actually fallen asleep while driving.

While it’s difficult to measure the scope of the problem, NHTSA reports that between 2005 and 2009 there were an average of 83,000 crashes each year related to drowsy driving.

Rear View...

Rideshare driving is a relatively new phenomenon, our only past experience to draw upon has been taxi driving. When services like Uber or Lyft broke through to the mainstream, the once foreign concept of regular drivers taxiing you around was strange. But, it is interesting that it took such a long time to take hold, after all everyone past a certain age has driven or knows how to drive in some fashion.

Ridesharing was only the natural evolution of taxiing people around. One thing you’re never too experienced to accept is driving safety tips.

 Basic Rideshare Safety Guidelines

 As a rideshare...

BOSTON, Nov. 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, today announced that it will make over 7,000 vehicles across the United States free for its members’ use on election night to encourage its members to get out and vote.  Select vehicles will be free from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on November 8 in all markets in which Zipcar operates, including hundreds of cities and towns and over 500 college campuses.

Zipcar members can reserve a vehicle starting today for those select evening hours and are encouraged to carpool with friends and family members to #DRIVEtheVOTE...

There’s a big difference between spooky fun and dangerous scares. Follow these car safety tips to drive safely so that you, and everyone in your neighborhood, have a Happy Halloween! According the NHTSA, Halloween is one of the three deadliest days of the year for pedestrians, and the top deadliest day of the year for pedestrians between the ages of 5 and 14.

Even in the days leading up to Oct 31^st, children will be out trick-or-treating. Peak trick-or-treating time is 5:30pm-9pm, so it is especially dangerous this year as Halloween falls on a Monday. Kids may be distracted by all the spooky...

Last week while we were in Kansas, Kelly got the dreaded phone call. Her friend Janis called from the hospital to say she had gotten hit by a car while walking to work. She didn’t have any serious injuries but her back was hurt and she was understandable very shaken. It was early, and the driver didn’t see Janis and hit her while he was turning.

Now that we’re back in town we’re going to visit Janis. She left the hospital, but is taking another week off work.

Here at Rear View Safety we keep people safe. From backup camera systems to backup sensor systems to driver fatigue systems and everything...

I must have been around 8 or 10. My brother was playing soccer in an Oklahoma tournament when it was announced that the fire department had been called to a vehicle fire in the parking lot. The vehicle was our family van.

I’m very thankful the car caught fire in the parking lot, and not while my family was driving on the highway. I hadn’t gone to Oklahoma for this tournament, but saw the aftermath back home a few days later. It was a mess. Everything was covered with soot. The inside was almost completely unrecognizable. I remember being upset about the toys (now ruined) I left in the van. How...

Kelly (my fiance) and I are back in Kansas this week. We flew home for a friend’s wedding and hopefully the birth of Kelly’s nephew. I’m ready for the invariable question.

“Tyler, what do you do in New York?”

“I heard you have a hot dog cart!”

“I heard you work in a cheese department!”

Well, some of that is true. I have worked in a cheese department and for a restaurant that specializes in gourmet hot dogs. But my favorite New York job is the one I have now. I proudly help keep people safe. Rear View Safety offers backup camera systems, backup sensor systems, mobile DVR’s, driver fatigue systems...