Page 22 - On The Safe Side: The RVS Blog

One of the first things my fiancé Kelly and I did when we moved to New York City from the Midwest was sell her car. It became very clear that parking in Washington Heights was very time consuming and/or expensive, and hey, we can just take the train, bus, use ride sharing, or borrow my brother and sister-in-law’s car (Thanks Walker and Mary!) I was perfectly happy being carless until Kelly and I buy an RV and travel the country when we are in our 60s. A new app is making me think we may have made the wrong choice.

Peer-to-peer car rental company Getaround is like the AirBnB of cars. I know you...

We were consulted for a Commercial Carrier Journal article on backup cameras. Happy to lend our expertise to a great site.

Electronics have infiltrated practically every corner of the modern truck cab in an ongoing effort to make driving safer and easier, and backing up – often an afterthought when it comes to driving – has been thrust into the foreground as of this year with plenty of techno-aids in tow.

Rearview cameras are increasingly common on the road and were implemented as standard equipment on passenger cars beginning with the 2016 model year.

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation...

First responders in a car crash need to act and think fast. Sometimes they need quickly sawing a car open to remove passengers after an accident. Mercedes-Benz have recently developed Rescue Assist, an augmented reality smartphone/tablet app that allows first responders to quickly view hidden vital systems on a wrecked vehicle.

Here’s how it works. The app shows a 3D representation of the inside of the car. First responders can use the app to quickly see fuel lines, batteries, airbags, and other potential hazards in order to best access the situation.

This app is the next step of an existing Rescue...

23. So far this year 23 children have lost their lives due to of vehicular heatstroke. Last week 4 children died in hot cars in a four day span. According to Kids And Cars, 25 children passed away from heat related deaths in 2015. This is an epidemic. I’m at a loss for words. This can happen to anyone. The only thing on my mind are my nieces and nephews, my friends’ children, and my future children. We can stop this.

The National Child Passenger Safety Board, a program managed by the National Safety Council,  has declared this Sunday, July 31^st, National Heat Stroke Awareness Day. This...

Every weekday morning I have the same routine. I wake up, get dressed, make my coffee, read about the Royals, kiss my fiancé goodbye, and take the bus to the train. I’ve taken Uber to work before, but only when I’ve woken up late, which thankfully isn’t that often. I live and work in Brooklyn, however, Uber China will soon be offering some high flying travel options.

UberLIFE and Uber+Travel will be introduced in China by the end of the year. While these services are different, both aim to broaden Uber’s popularity and set it apart from the competition.

Of the two, Uber+Travel is most similar to...

This summer is the perfect time for a long road trip, and not just because you have a new RV. According to AAA, gas prices are the lowest they’ve been since 2004. The drop is due to declining crude oil costs and abundant fuel suppliers.

Average gas prices are below $2 (2 dollars!) a gallon in seven states, including: Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri and South Carolina. In the entire United States around 1 in 4 gas stations are selling gas for less than $2 a gallon. Baring large unexpected events, such as a natural disaster or a distributor issue, it looks like this...

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

If you missed the opening event in Atlanta on July 9^th, don’t worry, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Safe Cars Saves Lives bus tour is traveling across America’s southern states this August. The tour aims to spread awareness about the massive Takata airbag recall and inform the public about vehicle safety.

Safety topics include how to search for vehicle recalls using NHTSA’s look-up tool, how to correctly install and use child safety seats and proper tire maintenance. Rear View Safety offers a helpful system to easily check tire...

These are also known as sobriety checkpoints. This is a brief detention developed by police for the purpose of investigating and evaluating passing motorists for drunk driving. These roadblocks on public roadways do not only give the police the chance to check tags and licenses or peer into the vehicle for a moment, they also give them an opportunity to whiff the driver’s breath. It is determined by a policy-making official with logical reasons.

The police closely monitor the cars approaching a DUI checkpoint, so if you are guilty of a DUI, then you might be on the wrong side of the law. The State...

Do you know how Audi or BMW got their name? This infographic, provided by Motor Bazee, highlights facts about vehicles and information on famous car companies.

Source: https://www.motorbazee.com/vehiclesearch/car

We’ve all heard of drone delivery, but two of the original founders of Skype believe that the future of personal couriers is an emission-less self-driving robot on six wheels.

Starship Technologies have been testing these robots for a while now, they’ve driven over 5,000 miles and are ready to start delivering soup and sandwiches to hungry first adaptors. Estonians Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, two of Skype’s original founders, helped bring the idea to life. The parcel bots will soon begin making shipments in London, Dusseldorf, Bern and another undisclosed German city.

The robots are GPS/camera...

Close your eyes and imagine a futuristic car. What does it look like? It’s probably very sleek and aerodynamic, zipping through a modern city. This imaginary car doesn’t have rear or side view mirrors, did it? The future is closer than you think, reports Automotive News.

Mirror less vehicles, cars that are equipped with video screens instead of glass mirrors, improve safety while also raising miles per gallon. The idea has been proposed for years, but recent changes in Japanese laws have given the green light to this modern design.

Ichiko Industries, a Japanese company that supplies mirrors and...

If you’re still new to driving, it can be tricky to stay out of people's way on the highway. Most people don’t know how to handle fast drivers. Here’s what you need to know.

Take Someone With You

Ideally, you would take a few extra driving lessons prior to your test, and spend some time taking defensive driving classes so you can get experience with more advanced aspects of driving. But, if you can’t do that, it’s a great idea to take someone with you when you drive. Maybe you could convince your parent or an experienced friend to come along with you.

Avoid taking a car full of friends on your...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S cruising on autopilot mode. This is the first fatal crash in a semi-autonomous car.

The Verge reports that Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old Ohio resident and Navy SEAL was killed when neither he nor the Tesla’s sensors saw a tractor trailer pulling in front of the car on a Florida highway. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. Brown’s obituary can be found here.  The crash occurred on May 7^th.

“We learned yesterday evening that NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into the...

Be prepared. It's not only the boy scout's motto, it's also great advice for a road trip. This infographic provided by Driving Test Vic lists 10 things you should always have before in your car before you hit the road.

Source: https://www.drivingtestvic.com/car-safety-10-things-you-should-always-have/  

It’s almost time for the 4^th of July. That means fireworks, grilling in the backyard, and maybe even a trip to the beach with your family. Whatever you end up doing, we want you to be safe. Here are some safety tips for Independence Day.

Firework Safety

While the safest way to enjoy fireworks is attending a public fireworks show put on by professionals, if you light fireworks at home you should follow these tips.

• Never give fireworks to small children.
• Keep a bucket of water/fire extinguisher close by in case of a fire.
• Light only one firework at a time.
• Always wear eye protection when lighting...

Verizon has acquired Telogis, a transportation software provider that offers solutions for mobile workforces, as well as navigation, routing and compliance software. Most of the company’s software is sold to fleet operators. Telogis software is already being used by car companies including Ford and Volvo, as well as by tech powerhouses Apple and AT&T.

A Cinderella startup story, Telogis has raised over 126 million since 2013. Notable investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Fontinalis Partners, a company founded by Ford Motor Company chairman, Bill Ford.

Though the companies have...

To have your teen become a safe, competent driver, he or she needs to develop critical driving skills and practice them in a range of driving environments and conditions. High quality practice driving is crucial because a major reason why teens crash is inexperience behind the wheel. The on-road license test is not going to cover the wide range of environments and challenges your teen will face during the intermediate period of licensure. It’s up to you to work with your teen to find opportunities to provide plenty of quality practice during the learner period. We can help.

Researchers from...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXXMORL8F20
Automotive cameras have many uses. Backup cameras and side cameras are vital for erasing blind spots and increasing overall safety. Mobile DVR’s can also be used to protect your company in the unfortunate case of an accident. Thankfully no one was injured in this recent bus crash. The footage from our MobileMule™ 4420 proves that the bus driver was not at fault for this accident. Without recorded video proof, this crash would have cost the bus company $14,000.

We offer a wide variety of DVR’s with many different features including GPS, WiFi, and live...

Automotive technology is constantly changing, from autonomous cars, to the rising interest in electric vehicles, there is something new every day. Automotive safety technology and policies are changing just as fast. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will begin testing back seat safety in 2019. Virtual Vehicle, a research-and-development center in Austria is using advanced human-body modeling to test safety. These realistic tests produce more accurate results.

“You see the crash-test dummy leaning out of the window after a crash. That situation has nothing in common with...

The name Takata is now synonymous with recall. Millions of airbags have already been recalled, but this post is a little different. This post is about motorcycles.

The Honda GL1800 (Gold Wing), the first and only motorcycle with an OEM airbag, has been recalled. 2,701 motorcycles, models from 2006 through 2010, have been recalled in specific regions. The motorcycles have only been recalled in areas with high or fluctuating temperatures. Because this can be a little confusing, you can read the official report from Honda at the bottom of this Autoblog article.

The problem is the same as with previous...