Automotive
Taxi-sharing could decrease pollution, traffic, fares (and more)
A whopping 70 percent of New York City taxi rides are shareable, according to a recent study reported by Salon. (True shareability means when New York cab riders are willing to share a car with one other rider, and manage at most an extra 150 seconds of travel time.) The benefits are startling: taxi travel time […]
Is a self-driving Cadillac just two years away?
A future replete with self-driving cars and vehicle-to-vehicle technology has been on our mind lately, and the developments are closer to fruition than you might expect: In just two years, the Cadillac CTS 2017 will likely be the first car on the road to drive itself. Last week, General Motors, which produces the Cadillac, announced […]
App helps drivers spot bikers before a collision
“I didn’t see him coming!” If you’ve ever been in a bike accident, you’ve probably heard — or cried out — this explanation. Most drivers involved in bike accidents simply don’t see oncoming cyclists. Now, a new app using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology will help drivers spot bike traffic and prevent collisions, reports Co.Exist. The […]
Who has the worst drivers? Allstate releases safety rankings
Fort Collins, Colorado: Consistently named one of the top places to live in the country, Fort Collins is also known for Colorado State University, an annual marathon and a popular yearly brewer’s festival. And now, according to just-released safety rankings, it’s also where you’ll find the nation’s safest drivers. Insurance company Allstate has released its […]
Federal gov pushes vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology
Cars that communicate with each other — in order to protect drivers and passengers — are on the horizon, reports Wired. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V), which would allow vehicles to communicate with each other using radio signals to send and receive information on each car’s speed, position and direction, is on federal regulators’ minds and summarized […]
CA to boost low-income drivers’ access to electric vehicles
A new bill in California would make the state’s electric vehicle (EV) rebate program more accessible to low- and middle-income drivers, reports Planetizen. It will also provide extra subsidies for low-income families, as well as rebates valid for transit and car-sharing. Currently, EV sales are on the up — albeit not as high as the […]
Road use fee linked to creepy vehicle tracking program
Some drivers are already being watched carefully: Car-share companies such as Zipcar track their cars’ moves, and EZPass users willingly hand over their tollway locations every time they hit a toll. But a new development may mean that the government wants the authority be able to track vehicles — and bill them accordingly, reports the National […]
Can playlists quell road rage?
A European car rental company has developed a playlist to combat the stresses drivers face while on the go — especially those that lead to road rage, reports FastCo. Founded on research about how music can contribute to drivers’ relaxation or focus, Sounds for Driving is a compilation of seven new songs designed for drivers […]
Survey finds drivers open to self-driving vehicles
A new poll suggests that drivers are very interested in self-driving vehicles, reports USA Today. More than three of four American licensed drivers questioned are “very likely” to consider or to purchase a driverless car, notes the poll, conducted by Insurance.com, a car insurance website. Of the 2,000 drivers surveyed, 86 percent said that driverless […]
Teen drivers trading down in vehicle safety
New research says that many teenagers are operating cars that lack significant safety technology or good crash protection, reports the New York Times. The research, released last week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, also notes that while teenagers are already at a higher crash risk regardless of what car they drive, the risks […]
