April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Love ’em or Hate ’em (and believe us, we’ve got some mixed emotions in that area), Geico’s advertising firm(s) comes up with funny stuff.

 

Now here’s the real message and the harsh reality:

Every day, at least nine Americans die and 100 are injured in distracted driving crashes.

Cell phones, dashboard touchscreens, voice commands and other in-vehicle technologies pose a threat to our safety. Consequences of those distractions are not worth the convenience they offer. Ignore the distractions and #justdrive.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April is a united effort to recognize the dangers of and eliminate preventable deaths from distracted driving. Join us to help save lives.

National Safety Council: Our Mission is Safety – The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

We’ve covered Distracted Driving before here at Johnny’s Custom Auto Body…and will likely cover it again next year.

PLEASE….DON’T TEXT and DRIVE!

Well just how much DO you really love your truck?  Depending on your true enthusiasm for trucks…you might already know about TheFastLaneTruck.com community of fellow truck lovers.

 

TFLtruck viewers and readers now have a chance to express their truckin love!  It’s a new video series called:  “Dude, I love or hate my new ride”   And the producers are looking for people just like you to be on the show and express your passion.

At the moment, they’re looking for someone in the Denver, CO area who has purchased their new truck or car in the last three to six months.

We specifically are looking for you to share your thought on the truck you had at least a few months of living with it. If you want to be on the show, please send a picture of your truck, a few sentences about it, and a way to contact you to [email protected]

Here is what we are most interested in about your truck, but the discussion does not have to be limited to this.

1. your reason for purchase?
2. how much did pay?
3. your likes and dislikes?
4. what was the purchasing process like?
5. does it meet your needs or not?
6. what other trucks or cars did you consider?
7. how was your test drive?
8. what options/features are most important to you?
9. would you buy it again?

The whole idea is that your experience with a new truck and the purchasing process will be very helpful to others who are thinking about buying a new truck or car.

Check out the video above as a great example of what you could expect in your very own episode of:  “Dude, I love my new truck/tent”.

Read & See More – TFLTruck

Jeep pickup confirmed for 2018 LA auto show – MotorAuthority

Jeep is finally ready to reveal a pickup truck, which we can safely assume will be based on the Wrangler. The wait is over apparently, as Jeep is bringing its truck to the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show on later this month. The show starts November 26 and more than 60 vehicle debuts are being prepared for the Los Angeles Convention Center, where the…

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Volvo’s 2018 LA Auto Show stand won’t have any cars – Roadshow CNET

The Swedish automaker will instead focus on “the future of mobility” by showcasing its various tech partnerships and connected services.

We want to highlight the big changes that are going on right now…to discuss what the future of automobility will be.” ~ Mårten Levenstam – Volvo Product Strategy Executive (Roadshow phone interview)

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What electric car are you most excited to hear about from the LA auto show? – GreenCarReports

With the green-car oriented Los Angeles auto show ramping up into full swing today, it seemed a good day to ask our readers what models they’re most excited to hear about from the show. There are several electric cars debuting at the show, including the Rivian R1T electric pickup, which the startup company gave details about ahead of the show on… Read More
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2018 LA Auto Show preview: New cars & concepts from Toyota, Jeep, BMW, Honda & more – Roadshow

Your next car, truck, or SUV cold be among the 60 vehicle debuts we’ll see at the LA Auto Show.
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Rivian R1T All-Electric Truck Teased: EV Startup Wants To Best Tesla At Its Own Game – TFLTruck

Odds are you haven’t heard of Rivian before. That’s okay – they’ve been staying pretty quiet since buying a disused Mitsubishi plant in 2017. Now, the electric vehicle startup aims to debut their all-electric truck at the 2018 LA Auto Show. The company released a teaser video and a lone photo to mark the occasion. […]

The post Rivian R1T All-Electric Truck Teased: EV Startup Wants To Best Tesla At Its Own Game (News) appeared first on The Fast Lane Truck.

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A #SmallThanks from Johnny’s Custom Auto Body to YOU!

You made us feel really special for many months. Now we’re returning the favor. #SmallThanks

To support more small businesses you love, add photos and reviews on Google:

 

You can also write reviews from here:

Reviews – Johnny’s Custom Auto Body

 

Coming Soon to Google Maps…

…updates so it’s even easier for you to keep up with the places you care about and find out about places coming soon.

Those using Google Maps for Android can now follow places right from the app. Rolling out now, just search for that coffee shop you love or that clothing store you’ve been meaning to pop into and tap the “Follow” button. Once you’ve followed places, news from them—like events, offers and other updates—will appear in the For You tab.

 

 

Whether you realize it or not, the latest vehicles being sold by car makers are gathering huge amounts of data…and they’re fervently determining new ways to monetize it.

With 90+ million cars built in 2017 alone being spewed onto roadways worldwide, auto manufacturers now have access to unfathomable amounts of real-time data that enables them to track not only a vehicle’s location, but also stats like whether it’s headlights are currently on…and whether it’s driver bakes excessively.

Newer vehicles have dozens to even 100 built-in processors, sensors and computers…all generating data that’s sent to cloud-based servers owned by the car maker.

 

While some car makers gather this data to provide feedback that helps to improve car performance, refine future features and warn about any possible quality control issues in advance…others are using it to create new and more personalized services for drivers.  Still others have larger, revenue generating plans on crafting targeted in-vehicle advertisements.  McKinsey & Co. estimates monetizing data from connected cars will be worth up to $750 billion by 2030.

“To some extent, the sky is the limit for what could be done with the data,” ~ Cason Grover, Hyundai Motor Co. – Sr. Group Mgr. ~ Vehicle Technology Planning

These vehicle data monetization efforts are manifesting amidst increasing privacy concerns sparked by recent controversies at Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc. involving their handling of consumer data.

Car makers are quick to stress that the vehicle owner’s consent is always obtained first before gathering any data…and when collected data is provided to third parties, it is anonymized (scrubbed of all personal information and blended together with data from other vehicles…providing a more generalized view of consumer driving habits.)

Privacy experts however,  point out that it’s often unclear to consumers when they are actually giving consent….because data disclosures are often buried in the terms and service agreement and described in complex legal jargon

That’s not going to give consumers a full sense of how their data is being used and collected any more than it is online,” ~ Ryan Calo – Law Professor of Digital Privacy, University of Washington

In the technology sector…companies collect user data online and via mobile-phone usage…then sell that data to third-party app developers and marketers…or use it to either improve their own services.  The auto industry is following suit.

A lot of the reason an app or service in a car may be free is because you’re paying with your data,” Mark Boyadjis – Connected Car Research – IHS Markit

 

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Whether you’re a staunch American made muscle car fan…or even an off-road racing enthusiast, it’s easy to admire the powerful elegance that the Italian Ferrari carmaker has produced for over half a century. This classic example, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO just set a record at a RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey, CA Saturday.

Ex-Phil Hill Ferrari 250 GTO sets record for highest price paid for car at auction – MotorAuthority

by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

The Ferrari GTO stands as one of the most beautiful and exclusive cars of all time, and it boasts a racing record to back up its unparalleled collectibility. This, however, has seen prices soar to insane levels in recent times, and things don’t appear to be cooling down one bit. Case in point is a 1962 250 GTO, chassis No. 3413, that sold for… Read More

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Pt. 1: A Life Less Ordinary – RM Sotheby’s

Renowned car collector Greg Whitten, an early Microsoft employee and current chairman of Numerix, owns the holy grail of vintage cars: a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

The third of only 36 ever produced, this 250 GTO has an illustrious racing history. It was first driven by Le Mans champion Phil Hill; Eduardo Lualdi-Gabardi won 9 out of 10 straight races behind it’s wheel and Gianni Bulgari won the notoriously difficult Targa Florio in this car in 1963…

The Most Expensive Car Ever Sold at Auction Is This 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO For $48.4 Million – Jalopnik

by Patrick George

It’s been described as “the world’s most important, desirable, and legendary motor car.” Of course, that was by the people selling it, but the hyperbole must have worked somehow, because this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most expensive car ever sold at auction this weekend at an RM Sotheby’s sale during Monterey… Read more

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Pt. 2: Masterworks – RM Sotheby’s

In this episode of Masterworks: Expert Voices, join Ferrari Historian Marcel Massini and RM Sotheby’s Ian Kelleher in an exploration of an extraordinary 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

The third of only 36 examples built, the Ferrari GTO on offer has passed through an unbroken chain of ownership that includes some of the most prominent Ferrari collectors in the world. From early owners Eduardo Lualdi-Gabardi and Gianni Bulgari to current owner Dr. Gregory Whitten, this 250 GTO has “an exceptional race history” and contains “95% or more of the original body work”.

 

Ferrari 488 Pista Spider is the company’s 50th convertible – CNET Roadshow

The topless 488 has 710 horsepower and will crack 211 miles per hour.

Ferrari has chopped the roof off its 488 Pista supercar, giving the new model the Spider suffix in the process. The 488 Pista Spider is the 50th convertible Ferrari has ever introduced.

Visually, the Spider looks a whole lot like the Ferrari 488 Pista coupe that was introduced earlier this year. A wide, purposeful body hugs the ground, with massive air intakes up front, more inlets on the rear fenders and buttresses behind each seat. A central color block that runs down the length of the car is said to symbolize the movement of air over the convertible’s body. To keep weight low, Ferrari installed aluminum plates instead of carpeting and replaced the driver’s-side interior door handle with a fabric strap.  Read More

 

Beginning January 1, 2019, Assembly Bill 544 creates a new decal program to allow certain low emission vehicles to access high-occupancy vehicle lanes, regardless of vehicle occupancy level, for a four-year term. Access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes for vehicles with green and white decals will expire January 1, 2019. Vehicles issued a green or white decal in 2017 or 2018 will be eligible to reapply for a decal in 2019 granting them access to high–occupancy toll lanes until January 1, 2022. ~ California DMV

Kinda confused by the rules allowing clean cars into the much-prized diamond lanes in California? You’re not alone. Most Golden State residents seem to think that the DMV and the California Air Resources Board haven’t been great communicators…like Ronnie Reagan was so famous for being.

A new set of stickers for green vehicles (plug-in hybrids and battery electrics) will be issued Starting January 1, 2019 …and the anxiety level is already rising for many state motorists.  Here’s some of what we know so far:

• The new sticker color and evaluation system are as yet-undetermined.  Regardless…on January 1, 2019…all previously existing stickers (white, green, and red) will become invalid (aka inoperative, says Karen Caesar, spokeswoman for CARB.d
• The new program should be revealed in October or November…and “the vehicle eligibility requirements for the new decal mirror those used for the current white and green decal programs.” (John Swanton, a CARB air pollution specialist)
• Drivers who were issued red, green, or white HOV stickers in 2017 or 2018 can apply for the new decals after January 1, 2019 that will be valid for three years.
• New car buyers after January 1, 2019 who apply for a sticker will get to use the diamond lanes for up to four years. (..three full years plus “the partial year from when the decal was issued.” said Swanton).

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Who said California isn’t working on creative ways to reduce it’s $1.3 Trillion budget deficit? Maxine Waters…Nancy Pilosi?  Well, the land of Silicon wafers and honey has come up with a new way to transform a $21 stamped metal vehicle license plate and turn it into a brand new electronic $700 recurring revenue center with the potential for display advertising revenue (when the vehicle is parked).

 

It’s 2018…and the state of what was actually the original automotive information platform hasn’t changed since Massachusetts came up with this little bit of prison handicraft in 1903.  We’re still getting stickers in the mail that we put on a piece of metal and then screw that on our car usually with wood screws because you lost the correct screws that came with your vehicle.

California’s new license plate is being first tested in Sacramento with a fleet of 24 in-house city owned vehicles.  The digital display board allows updated messages to be controlled by the driver or remotely by fleet managers.  Using the same computer technology as Kindle eBook readers, along with a wireless communication system…the new plates come with their own computer chips and battery.

What are it’s main advantages?

1. Electronic Registration & Renewals
2. Electronic Transfer of Ownership

Motorists who choose to buy the plate can register their vehicles electronically and eliminate the need to physically stick tags on their plates each year. They also may be able to display personal messages — if the DMV decides to allow that.

What’s the price tag on this cutting edge technology…that already has stoke up concerns about privacy and safety?  A cool $700 (plus a monthly fee of about $7)…though not available through the DMV.

Read More SB

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Distracted driving is a public health issue! WTH?…Health Issue? Yes, anything you can die from is a health issue.  And the latest reports indicated that motor vehicle fatalities are up 6% from 2015. In fact, more than 40,000 people were killed in 2017 on American roads and highways. Distracted driving was and still IS a major cause.

Each death is 100% preventable. Everything from cell phones to dashboard infotainment systems to evolving voice command features – all pose a threat to our safety. Just one second of your attention is all takes to change a life forever.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April is a united effort to recognize and eliminate preventable deaths from distracted driving. Get involved…Join us to help save lives.

 

Everywhere we go, we see drivers focused on their phones, their makeup, their snacks – anything but the road in front of them. As your teen driver gains experience behind the wheel, he or she will encounter these drivers more and more, while also dealing with his or her own distractions. Fortunately, you can help protect your teen from these risks.

 

It Was Just… – Distracted Driving Awareness Month April 2018

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