By Art Liggio, President, Driving Dynamics

I still can remember the first time I got “high” in a car.

I was 16, had just passed my driver’s license test and when I got home, my dad surprised me with the keys to my very first car—a green 1958 English Ford Cortina. Oh boy was that car ugly, but it was mine! I dialed up my buddy (yes, using a rotary telephone) and together we cruised over to the local ice cream parlor in my new ride. The goal, of course, was to impress the girls, and while that didn’t go quite as hoped, it was still a memorable day because it was the first drive in my car. The excitement of owning a car, the independence to go anywhere and the pride of being more grown up gave me an elated feeling—it’s a “high” I’ll never forget.

Today, however, when you hear a story about driving “high” unfortunately it all too often means something very different and much less innocent, and that’s —driving under the influence of drugs.

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AFLA is excited to announce that best-selling author and workplace transformation expert Roxanne Emmerich has been added to the program for the Annual Corporate Fleet Conference (AFLA 2017) to be held September 17-20 at the M Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

At AFLA 2017, Roxanne will discuss why almost every business is ‘dead wrong’ with their approach to motivating employees. Specifically, are your people bringing all of their passion, commitment, skills and enthusiasm to the workplace every day? Do you need a way to bring together your fragmented teams to work for one larger vision? Are dysfunctional viruses such as whining, gossip and sabotage contaminating the spirit of winning you want to create?

With a theme of “Your Winning Hand – Align, Advance, Accelerate, Achieve” the conference will feature innovative presentations on hot topics related to the fleet industry.

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By Mike Cieri

Coaching involves three main processes: communicating, influencing, and helping.

When communicating, the manager listens (receives messages), initiates and responds (gives messages), and gives feedback.

When influencing, the manager persuades the subordinate to move in a particular direction by positively reinforcing desirable behavior; encourages the subordinate to exercise more autonomy; and fosters the subordinate’s identification with the manager as someone whose experience, skill, and influence are greater than the subordinate’s own.

When helping, the manager expresses concern and empathy for the subordinate, establishes the mutuality of the relationship, and assists the subordinate in identifying his or her developmental needs. During the helping phase of a coaching session, both parties respond to the needs of the other.

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Bloomberg

Alphabet Inc. is working with Lyft Inc. on a plan to test autonomous cars on the road, escalating a fight with Uber Technologies Inc. by partnering with its main rival in the U.S.

Waymo, an automotive business owned by Google’s parent company, is currently holding public trials on its own using Chrysler minivans equipped with its technology in Phoenix. Uber is also testing autonomous cars there and in other U.S. cities.

“Lyft’s vision and commitment to improving the way cities move will help Waymo’s self-driving technology reach more people, in more places,” Waymo wrote in an emailed statement.

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Wired

The auto industry has something of a problem on its hands.

Mobile technology has progressed so rapidly in the past few years that people have come to expect, if not demand, the same access to entertainment, information, and communication when they’re on the road. Automakers—hardly a nimble group—have been struggling to catch up.

For good reason, too. Durability and safety requirements make it tricky to simply shove the latest mobile tech into the vehicle.

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The Washington Post

The stakes are getting higher in a trade secrets case that pits two of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies against each other in a battle over the future of self-driving cars.

A judge asked federal prosecutors Thursday to investigate whether Uber Technologies and one of its executives colluded to steal key technology from Google’s self-driving car project, now known as Waymo, before the executive joined Uber last year.

The possibility of an investigation adds to mounting issues facing Uber and its embattled chief executive, Travis Kalanick.

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City Lab

A city full of self-driving cars might not be a city you’d want to live in.

This is the nightmare vision of some transportation experts, who fear what a swarm of privately owned robot cars could do to already-congested urban roads and highways. Imagine roads jammed with “zero occupancy vehicles” circling to pick up their owners or run simple errands. The rise in overall vehicle miles-traveled (VMT) would be dizzying.

So, the logic goes, the cars must be shared: Think driver-less versions of the Ubers and Lyfts we already know and love/hate.

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The Detroit Bureau

It’s often said that you are what you drive. And that apparently translates into how you vote.

A new study reveals that demand for battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, and other “green” cars is strongest in states that voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election, while sales of environmentally friendly vehicles is generally far lower in states that backed Donald Trump.

“In some parts of the country buyers look at the Toyota Prius as a toy, something real men don’t drive,” said Peter Levy, CEO of the data-based car buying site Carjojo.com. “In other parts of the country, a Tesla and the Chevrolet Bolt are status symbols.”

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By Mark Boada, Senior Editor

Billions of dollars have been spent and billions more have been committed to pursuing the ultimate goal of automotive safety: zero accidents.

Whether that goal – literally, not a single crash ever again – is practical, no one denies that future technology will produce a dramatic reduction in collisions, save lives and lessen injuries.

The proof of concept is the success that some of the driver-assist systems that have already been deployed. To date, the most effective system is forward crash avoidance with automatic emergency braking. According to the IIHS, it has proven to reduce rear-end collisions by 40 percent. That’s a remarkable result, especially given that rear-end collisions are the most frequent kind, accounting for some 34 percent of all roadway accidents.

What’s wrong with this picture? Not much, but one nagging question remains: what about the other 60 percent, the rear-enders the technology doesn’t prevent?

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NY Daily News

As other car brands aim to simplify hands-free cellphone use, Nissan has a different approach to help curb those dangerous texting and driving habits – blocking cellphone signals altogether.

Nissan’s new Signal Shield prototype is essentially a Faraday cage built inside the 2017 Juke’s armrest.

Named after its inventor, 19th century English scientist Michael Faraday, a Faraday cage is an enclosure made to block electromagnetic fields. With Nissan’s application of the technology, drivers can place their smartphones inside the bin to prevent themselves from receiving any cellular, Bluetooth or WiFi signals.

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