Page 21 - On The Safe Side: The RVS Blog

As long as I can remember I’ve always loved the water. As a child I looked forward to spending every summer with my family at the lake. Riding in the boat, swimming in the water and eating ice cream on the dock. I’m from the Midwest, we were always outside. Looking back on it, those summers were pretty lo-tech.

I’m the last of 4 children (All boys, sorry, Mom!) so it was always a circus getting us together in the car for anything. We took turns helping my Dad guide the SUV to the hitch.

“A little more, a little more, a bit more, a tiny bit more, OK STOP! You all heard me, I said stop!”

Somewhere...

Yesterday the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a Federal Automated Vehicles Policy. The new policy ensures consistent safe testing and regulations for self-driving vehicles. Existing safety standards make it nearly impossible for manufacturers to certify automated vehicles. It makes sense, as the standards were made under the assumption there would be a human driving.

“Automated vehicles have the potential to save thousands of lives, driving the single biggest leap in road safety that our country has ever taken,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a press release...

This morning U.S. Representatives Tim Ryan (D-13th OH), Peter King (R-2nd NY) and Jan Schakowsky (D-9th IL) introduced the Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act (HOT CARS Act of 2016). The HOT CARS act requires technology in passenger vehicles to alert the driver when a passenger is left in the back seat.

"This legislation will address the needless deaths of children from heatstroke when unintentionally left in vehicles," said Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety president Jackie Gillian in a media conference call on the legislation.

This bipartisan initiative would prevent...

We are all being encouraged to share the space in our own car or ride with someone else, in order to not just save money but also to help reduce emissions and improve the environment.

Ridesharing is a great idea and if you can grab a ride in a comfortable car like the Chrysler 300 for example, it has its attractions as well as offering convenience. Although personal safety is not often a concern for the majority of passengers and drivers too, it does make sense to at least have some basic safety awareness, especially if you are a busy rideshare driver.

Get yourself a dual dashcam

Dashcams are rapidly...

Google has had some interesting patents when it comes to self-driving technology. Remember the human flypaper? A patent filed back in 2014 and confirmed earlier this month is a little more realistic. The new technology allows the vehicles to distinguish and interact with emergency vehicles based on their unique flashing lights.

“In one aspect, one or more computing devices may identify a set of light sources from an image based at least in part on one or more templates, and may filter the set of light sources in order to identify one or more light sources corresponding to a potential emergency...

I still remember the day I got my driver’s license. After a year with a learner’s permit driving to and from high school, countless hours driving with my parents, and a frustrating 30 minutes in a technical school parking lot with my brother trying to learn stick (Sorry, Walker), the day finally arrived.

The written test was easy. I studied hard, I needed this license. The driving test was with 3 other potential drivers. When I was up, I drove defensively, checked all my mirrors and passed with flying colors. I was so relieved and proud. I could almost taste the milkshakes I was going to buy after...

Many accidents happen every year because of distracted drivers. Sometimes these can result in serious injuries or death to the driver and other road users and pedestrians.

In fact, over eight people a day are killed due to distracted driving in the United States every day. And the use of apps like Pokemon Go while driving have also led to car accidents.

As a result, it's important that we try to reduce this problem as much as possible.

As well as taking common sense advice to avoid becoming distracted while driving, there are also a number of apps and technologies being released that could provide...

There are new stories about semi-autonomous technology every day. Many companies are throwing their hat into this ring, but what do consumers look for when buying a new car? Though the average consumer is highly motivated by tech options when purchasing a new car, many are still unfamiliar with the latest features.

The 2016 Nielsen AutoTECHCAST Report, an annual study highlighting consumer preference on advanced vehicle technologies, reports that only 25% of the nearly 12,000 U.S of new car buyers surveyed are familiar with 44 vehicle-related technologies.

Rear view backup camera systems, smartphone-linked...

Autonomous vehicles are the future, and in some cases, the present. While the debate is now whether to go completely autonomous or add a feature one step at a time, many of these safety solutions already exist.

While Ford has teamed up with Mobileye and Delphi have teamed up to create an off the shelf self-driving system, The Mobileye Collision Avoidance System is available from Rear View Safety. This system features many built-in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), including lane departure warnings, forward collision warnings and pedestrian/bicycle collision warnings.

The Lukas Dual Lens...

You never know when you may need help on the road. It’s important to always be prepared for flat tires, lock outs or other vehicle immobility situations. Consumer Affairs has put together a comprehensive guide to roadside assistance services.    

The guide compares brands, highlights features, types of roadside assistance services, and includes consumer profiles as well as expert reviews. Use this guide to make a safe, educated choice.

Rear View Safety offers systems with built-in roadside assistance. The RVS-776718-DOS Backup Camera System With Auto Dimming And Onstar includes full Onstar...

There are many advantages to wireless backup camera systems. The most difficult part of any installation is usually running cabling through the vehicle. No cabling cuts the install time in half! Sometimes you need to ditch the wires. Luckily, like always, we’ve got your back. Here are a few of my favorite wireless systems.

The RVS-091406 Wireless Backup Camera System With Cigarette Lighter Adaptor was rated as the number one backup camera by TopTenReviews.com for 2016. The 4.3” monitor connects straight to the cigarette lighter and also comes with a suction cup for easy mounting. The digital...

Start your (self-driving) engines! While Ford has announced fully automated cars by 2021, and Nissan has a similar plan for 2020,  two other auto suppliers have teamed up to create SAE level 4/5 automated technology.

Israel-based Mobileye, a company that specializes in computer vision systems, and auto parts supplier Delphi Automotive have joined forces to create autonomous driving systems that could enter production by 2019, and hit the market by 2021 or 2022. These off-the-shelf systems are intended for use in a wide variety of vehicles, including small cars, pickups and SUVs. Rear View Safety...

We are excited to announce that Jean-Paul (JP) Weaver has joined the Rear View Safety as Director of Sales. Jean-Paul will lead new sales initiatives by creating fruitful partnerships with OEM's, dealers, and customers. He comes to Rear View Safety with strong experience in business strategy and the creation of effective relationships in the consumer goods world with the use of both quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify creative business opportunities.

Prior to joining Rear View Safety, Jean-Paul spent several years as a product manager for Yamaha Motor and Avery Dennison, as well...

While Ford has been testing autonomous vehicles for quite a while, the company just dropped some huge news that will change the transportation world, and the world in general. At yesterday’s press conference in Palo Alto, California, the automotive giant announced that a fully autonomous vehicle for ride-hailing/ride sharing will be mass produced by 2021. (That’s only 5 years away!)

“The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago,” said Ford President and...

Choosing a car that’s right for your family is a long process. There are many factors that you have to consider, including size, gas millage, and safety ratings. Don’t forget about tires! Thankfully, Consumer Affairs has created a comprehensive guide to tires.

The guide compares brands, highlights features, types of tires, and includes consumer profiles as well as expert reviews. Use this aid to make an educated, safe tire choice.

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

We’ve written about the dangers of drowsy driving before. Rear View Safety offers both commercial and consumer grade driver fatigue systems to alter driver’s when they begin to show the first symptoms of drowsiness so they can stop the problem before it becomes dangerous. A new study aims to bring more attention to this deadly and often overlooked problem.

“Wake Up Call! Understanding Drowsy Driving and What States Can Do” is a report made by The Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) made possible by a grant from State Farm Insurance. The report highlights the danger of this trend and...

It’s that time of year again. Can you feel it? That’s right, it’s time for your kids to go back to school! Another year older, another year wiser, ready to take on the world. But as you check things off your supply list and throw those extra pencils and notebooks into your shopping cart, you should also reinforce some safe walking habits with your kids. Whether they walk all the way to school, or even just to a bus stop, at some point every kid is a pedestrian.

Every year 16,000 kids are hit by a car while walking in the United States. That’s 44 kids a day.

Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx have created...

Drunk Driving can change multiple lives in an instant. It is a preventable problem that we all need to work together to stop. Shear Comfort has created a guide that can help keep a friend from driving drunk. Please take a look. It’s a matter of life and death.

For many adults and college-aged teens, alcohol consumption can become a part of their casual lives. At dinner, parties, or nightclubs or bars, alcohol is often used as a way to relax or enhance one's enjoyment. Unfortunately, this casual enjoyment can quickly turn deadly when the person drinking makes the decision to get behind the wheel...