By Wendy Eichenbaum

On July 14, 2016, Sprint released a press release titled: “Attention Monster Hunters: Sprint and Boost Mobile Stores Become ‘Must Stop’ Location for Pokémon Go Players.” They advertised that gamers could visit a retail store for lures, free charging stations, and help from gaming experts.

The Pokémon Go game is free. In the United States, 64 percent of the population uses smartphones, and over 21 million people play Pokémon Go daily. Players’ addiction to Pokémon Go promises a new way to reach out to your customers.

The Pokémon Go game is free. In the United States, 64 percent of the population uses smartphones, and over 21 million people play Pokémon Go daily. Players’ addiction to Pokémon Go promises a new way to reach out to your customers.

Last month, we examined the potential for Pokémon Go to change users’ expectations of game and mobile app experiences. Now we will explore how this game can revolutionize the way that you incentivize your customers to reach out to you.

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A great deal of people rely on Black & Veatch’s global engineering and construction services to keep their everyday lives and businesses on track.

Because of this reliance, it’s imperative that Black & Veatch’s 450 vehicle fleet and drivers arrive on time and safely so they can get the job done.

However, the company was faced with the ever-present challenge of finding a way to accurately measure performance while motivating their diverse group of drivers who man a mix of cars, service trucks and Class 8 trucks.

Learn how, through the power of telematics from Geotab, Black & Veatch increased driver safety while decreasing accidents and liability. Read the case study here.

The New York Times

The court filings paint a grisly picture: As Ashley Kubiak sped down a Texas highway in her Dodge Ram truck, she checked her iPhone for messages.

Distracted, she crashed into a sport utility vehicle, killing its driver and a passenger and leaving a child paralyzed.

Now a lawsuit related to that 2013 Texas crash is raising a question: Does Apple — or any cellphone maker or wireless company — have a responsibility to prevent devices from being used by drivers in illegal and dangerous ways?

The product liability lawsuit, filed against Apple by families of the victims, contends that Apple knew its phones would be used for texting and did not prevent Ms. Kubiak from texting dangerously. It has brought to light a piece of evidence that legal and safety experts say puts Apple in a quandary — one it shares with other wireless companies.

In Apple’s case, the evidence shows, the company has a patent for technology designed to prevent texting while driving, but it has not deployed it.

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No longer just a subject of the science fiction genre, fears regarding cybersecurity and motor vehicles are a present reality.

Cars and trucks today are more like “computers on wheels,” as they rely more and more on technology for performance and convenience than ever before. For fleet professionals, the rapid growth of vehicle connectivity presents challenges, as well as opportunities.

NAFA will be conducting the webinar “Fleet Management and the Connected Vehicle” on this important subject on Wednesday, October 5 at 10:30 am. Register now by clicking here.

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Detroit Free Press

Federal safety regulators will issue a broad framework today for developing, testing and deploying autonomous vehicles, which are coming to market before undergoing many tests human-driven cars must meet before they are offered to consumers.

The framework contained four sections — vehicle performance guidance, a model state policy, current regulatory tools and modern regulatory tools.

The Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will listen to public and industry comment for the next 60 days.

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USA Today

The launch of Apple’s iPhone 7 has been greeted with much enthusiasm.

The new phone comes with all of the latest bells and whistles, including the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-lens camera. However, when getting a new phone many people give little thought about what they need to do to protect their privacy and security.

Whether you are getting a new smartphone or continuing to use an older model, everyone should be taking precautions to protect their privacy and security.

Here are 10 ways to protect your privacy and security on your smartphone:

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The Washington Post

If people are sleepless in Seattle, it may not be only because they have broken hearts.

The American Medical Association issued a warning in June that high-intensity LED streetlights — such as those in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Houston and elsewhere — emit unseen blue light that can disturb sleep rhythms and possibly increase the risk of serious health conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The AMA also cautioned that those light-emitting-diode lights can impair nighttime driving vision.

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The New York Times

With the typical new passenger vehicle costing more than $33,000, American drivers understandably want to do everything they can to preserve their investments.

But using a higher octane fuel than a vehicle’s owner’s manual specifies “provides no increase in fuel economy, horsepower or a reduction in emissions,” said Greg Brannon, the AAA’s director of automotive engineering.

And what better way to do that than by spending a few extra cents per gallon and occasionally treating your car to a tank of premium fuel?

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Discovery Learning and Practicing the Un-Practicable Benefits of Instructor-Led Driving Simulation Safety Training

By Mike Griffin, Simulation Training Manager, Driving Dynamics

As a simulation training designer and instructor, I have had the privilege of watching many students in simulator driver safety training navigate the scenarios I’ve developed—ones designed to emulate real-world challenges occurring every day on the road.

Properly designed simulator-based safety courses place drivers in a variety of realistic, relatable, hazardous traffic situations. The Discovery Learning process takes hold as trainees are challenged to make real-time decisions and proficiently execute corrective actions. They become keenly aware of the consequences of their decisions and subsequent actions.

Any missteps reveal painful outcomes and have significant impact—personalizing results and motivating students to seek effective, safe resolutions.

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The Detroit Bureau

Uber is upping its game when it comes to the safety of its drivers and riders with a new system that requires drivers to confirm their identity before each shift by taking a selfie.

Called Real-Time ID Check the selfie taken is matched to a photo on file to ensure the driver providing rides is actually driver on the account.

While the incidence of driver identities being stolen is pretty low, the results in the rare instance it does happen could be disastrous, Uber officials noted.

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