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The Washington Post
According to a new survey, work-related pressures play a part in distracted driving, with more than a quarter of those who drive said that their employer called or texted them even though the boss knew the employee was behind the wheel.
The survey found that 43 percent of respondents who drive were in touch with work either by talking on the telephone (38 percent); texting (17 percent) or emailing (10 percent). Of those who engaged in work-related communication during their drive, 54 percent were 18 to 44 years old.
“If an employer texts an employee who is driving, and the employee gets into an accident while reading or responding to the message, it is possible that the company could be brought into a legal action,” said Dave Nelson, a vice president at Travelers.
Read more of the original article at The Washington Post.
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The Guardian
In a new study, the total cost of ownership of cars over four years, including the purchase price, depreciation, fuel, insurance, taxation and maintenance were analyzed with findings that pure electric cars came out less inexpensive in all the markets examined: UK, Japan, Texas and California.
Contributing factors included lower fuel costs – electricity is cheaper than petrol or diesel – and maintenance costs, as the engines are simpler and help brake the car, saving on brake pads.
“We were surprised and encouraged because, as we scale up production, [pure] electric vehicles are going to be becoming cheaper and we expect battery costs are going to fall,” said James Tate, who conducted the research published in the journal Applied Energy with Kate Palmer and colleagues at the University of Leeds, UK. “It is a really good news story.”
Read more of the original article at The Guardian.
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Bloomberg
Three years ago, General Motors Co. wouldn’t even let its self-driving cars out of the parking lot.
On Nov. 29, GM unveiled the latest version of its electric Chevy Bolt, a close second to Waymo’s self-driving minivans as the most advanced autonomous car the world has seen. GM intends the Bolts to form the backbone of a robo-taxi business it plans to start in 2019.
“Autonomous driving is one of the most difficult software challenges of the decade, if not the century,” says Kyle Vogt, the face of GM’s automation efforts.
Read more of the original article at Bloomberg.
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National Safety Council
Stay alert! More than 50,000 crashes occur in parking lots and garage structures annually, resulting in 500 or more deaths and more than 60,000 injuries.
Thousands of pedestrians end up with broken bones, tissue damage or even worse because of cell phone or other distractions in parking lots.
During the hectic holiday season, drivers and pedestrians also are likely to be distracted by extensive to-do lists and are hurriedly trying to get from one place to another.
Read more of the original article at National Safety Council.
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Slate
In major metropolitan areas, a new form of vehicle “ownership” is becoming available – subscriptions. How is that different from leasing a car?
The biggest difference is the time frame: Rather than being tied to a years’ long lease, subscriptions give you the ability to “own” a car on a month-to-month basis. These subscription plans include insurance, saving the time and headache of hunting for a policy yourself. Also unlike a lease: You will not have the option to buy your car at the end of your term.
Ford, Porsche, Cadillac, and now Volvo are among the carmakers giving drivers the option of a subscription.
Read more of the original article at Slate.
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By Mark Boada, Senior Editor
When auto sales slip, car-makers roll out the incentives. And so it has been this year, and may well be for the foreseeable future, at least for some fleets and for some models.
Following the recovery from the recession that saw U.S. car and light truck sales bottom out in 2009 at 10.4 million, sales set a new all-time record in 2016 with 17.55 million units purchased or sold. But sales slumped badly through the first seven months of this year, with Detroit’s big three notching declines in July of 15% at GM, 7.4% at Ford and 10% at Fiat Chrysler. Boosted by post-hurricane replacement buys, Detroit had a great September, moving cars at an annualized rate of more than 18 million. But in October, sales edged downward again, are projected to fall further in November and are on pace to fall by around three percent to around a flat 17 million.
The trend has some industry analysts saying we may be witnessing a longer-term decline in auto sales. “There’s a pretty general consensus that [the] recent phase of elevated auto sales is coming to an end,” Tony Dutzik, a senior policy analyst at Frontier Group was quoted as saying. “Really, the question is whether it’s going to be a hiss or a pop.”
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Strategy+Business
Vulnerability is generally perceived to be a weakness, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that vulnerability can be an asset for leaders.
Admitting mistakes, being open and honest, and accepting weaknesses yields far more effective results than projecting an untouchable facade. Tough leaders may inspire through fear or intimidation. Vulnerable leaders inspire with authenticity and humanity. And it’s the latter that is more likely to yield better results.
Once a leader decides to be open and all-in — to be vulnerable — several positive outcomes follow.
Read more of the original article at Strategy+Business.
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