GPS Tracking

Details Concerning Unsafe Drivers is Alarming

Poor Driving Skills Runs Rampant

The following statistics concerning drivers in the United States should put a scare into anyone who reads them.

Almost 1 out of 5 drivers would not pass a written drivers test if they were given one (38 million people).  Basic rules of the road are not only disregarded, drivers do not even have knowledge of what is in those rules.

These statistics are being played out on our streets and roads today with alarming results.  One of the most telling results of a poll that was conducted by the National Drivers Test survey was that 85% could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a yellow light at an intersection even though one of the selections was to “proceed through the intersection before the light turns red.” (more…)

Will This Reduce Injuries and the Risk of Serious Crashes?

Public Safety Gets Consideration

It was just a matter of time before someone invented a way to continue a police pursuit without ‘pushing’ the driver to go faster and faster.  The nature of police chases places innocent people in harm’s way.

So, how do we stop these insanely unsafe chases and still apprehend the perpetrators? (more…)

Technology Aids Students

Tracking with GPS Enabled Cell Phones

In Columbia, Missouri, students at Missouri University have a volunteer organization called Stripes.  This organization provides free rides to students on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

Why is this important?  Students who go to bars and drink have an avenue to get home without endangering lives on the road through impaired driving.  Existing university programs are aimed at discouraging under-aged drinking but this one merely offers a way to safely arrive home without making judgments about the drinking activities.

Stripes is supplying drivers with GPS enabled cell phones and using a common vehicle tracking system with a dispatcher who can track each vehicle through the driver’s cell phone.

The system has examined for about a year because of its ability to increase safety and accountability for both the driver and patrons.  Stripes is negotiating the cost with one of the major cell phone carriers to implement the program fully. (more…)

GPS Tracking Used to Check on Employee Activities

Puts Employees on Notice

Source acquired via Police One, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, April 20, 2010 – Former Tyngsboro policeman Ronald Goulet was forced to resign from the Tyngsboro Police Department after a GPS tracking device proved that Goulet was not actively working during shift hours.

Tyngsboro Police Chief William Mulligan installed a GPS tracker on Goulet’s patrol car following reports and suspicions that Goulet was tending to other tasks while he was supposed to be patrolling. Residents of Tyngsboro saw Goulet idling in his car on numerous occasions, and the GPS tracker that Mulligan installed proved this to be true – Goulet left his car idling for more than 40 minutes on one occasion.

Mulligan also discovered that Goulet spent many hours at home and at other residences while he should have been on duty. Following a suspension, Goulet resigned from the Tyngsboro Police Department indefinitely. Since his resignation, the department has been using GPS trackers to keep a virtual eye on all members of the police force. (more…)

You are bombarded every day with offers of great deals on new vehicles.  The zero-percent interest rates always look the most attractive, but there are others that are as equally enticing.

It used to be simple to buy a new vehicle if you understood the basics about the transaction.  Your vehicle would cost more than a used one and you would be getting better financing.  Next, you could choose from cash-back and other manufacturer offers.  Even though you were paying more, you were ok with it because you were getting such a great deal.  Not only that, but your new car was brand new and no one had driven it before.

Used cars and trucks had their own draw, too.  If you could find that one low-mileage ride that was in superior condition, you felt really good about it – especially if you got a good deal or had a great trade-in for it.  You never had to pay the serious depreciation that occurs once you drive a new car off of the lot, either.

With the economy and other factors, the landscape has changed.  Used cars are selling for more than they used to and new ones have so many purchasing incentives that they can often cost less than a good used one. (more…)

“Up to 10 over the limit and you’re good.”

Most people, when they were new teen drivers, remember hearing that sage advice from adults more experienced behind the wheel. The rationale was that a police officer wouldn’t bother to pull you over for speeding unless you were flagrantly breaking the law. That 10 mph bracket presented too many possibilities of legal challenge.

Well, apparently the sour economy is to blame for one more shift in American behavior: Cops have stopped giving wiggle room.

Drivers who tend to lean a little heavy on the accelerator should expect to find themselves in court more frequently, according to the National Motorists’ Association. The Waunakee, WI group was formed in 1982 to help everyday Joes find speed traps and fight speeding tickets.

“Police are definitely less tolerant of speeders today,” said James Baxter, president. “Our chances of getting away with a warning are very slim. Often motorists are being ticketed for violations of only a few miles an hour.” (more…)

Source acquired via The Independent, April 22, 2010 – Most in-vehicle GPS tracking devices offer motorists a few route options including “shortest distance” and “fastest time.” Recently, Ford Motor Company has come up with a new route option: “eco- route.” This option will allow motorists to choose a route that has been determined earth-friendly.

What makes one route more earth-friendly than another route? When choosing the “eco-friendly” option, motorists will be shown a route that avoids all major highways, freeways, and popular roads. In short, drivers may find themselves traveling down smaller roads that are not subjected to a vast amount of traffic – yet.

Some worry that providing motorists with an eco-friendly route option will increase traffic throughout suburban areas. Further, as more and more motorists become concerned with “being green,” routes that are currently considered eco-friendly may become congested with a fair amount of traffic. The objective of the new eco-friendly route option is to provide motorists with routes that will allow efficient speed travel.

In addition to providing drivers with eco-friendly routes, the new GPS tracking systems will also calculate fuel consumption. By tracking a car’s fuel economy capabilities, drivers can find out if a car is truly fuel efficient. Ford hopes to equip all Ford Edge automobiles with the new GPS tracking system by the summer of 2010.

Since fuel consumption has become a major motorist concern, these new tracking devices may prove to be highly popular. For those people who do not own a Ford vehicle, there is another way to effectively track fuel consumption. Individual GPS tracking devices can keep track of any vehicle, which can lead to decreased fuel consumption.

A quality GPS tracking device can record the amount of time that a vehicle is left idling during any given day. In addition, GPS tracking software allows anyone tracking a vehicle to note a vehicle’s stop duration. Since it has been proven that allowing a vehicle to idle or stopping and starting a vehicle can waste gas, tracking a vehicle with the help of a GPS tracking device provides an inexpensive earth-friendly solution.

Many companies can benefit from installing GPS tracking devices, which, in turn will cut-down on fuel costs. Further, tracking public vehicles (fire trucks, ambulances) with the help of a GPS tracker may save cities and towns a fair deal of money. Saving the planet is easy to do with the help of a reliable GPS tracking device.

The workhorse of the police fleet is being put out to pasture.

When Ford Motor Company announced last year that it would cease production of its old reliable Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, quite a few police officers became uneasy and car makers were challenged to offer an alternative for fleet management.

Ford plans to retire the Crown Vic, a roomy American sedan, in late 2011. When the change comes, it will be a big adjustment. Ford has dominated the cop market for decades. Nine out of 10 police cars on the road today are Crown Vics.

What’s the appeal? Crown Vics are valued for fleet management because of their high performance, durability and strength. They are rugged and easy to repair. They have rear-wheel drive, a V-8 and a gear shift mounted on the steering column so there is ample room between the driver and passenger seats for electronics and other equipment. (more…)

Anyone willing to spend in excess of $100,000 on a new Porsche – a bold statement of indulgence by anyone’s standards -  should probably follow that action with one that most in the fashion industry would strongly advise: Thoughtfully accessorize.

A man seeking to make a statement in this seductive German luxury car might not want to phone home on a commonplace iPhone or Blackberry. For him there’s the Porsche Design P’9522 Black Edition. Forget the smartphones and pocket PCs with names that sound cool like the Instinct, the Surge, the Pearl or the Krave. The P’9522 Black Edition is a unique name for a unique mobile phone. Better than cool; cold. Like a registration number. With an apostrophe. (more…)

GPS Tracking Systems Help Senior ‘Road Warriors’ Stay Connected to Family

This winter was a good one for recreational vehicle parks located in warm weather climates. A national chain of RV parks called Equity Lifestyle Properties reported a 16.5 percent increase in revenue this winter over last.

The difference is an increase in snowbird campers, said the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.

There are three general categories of RVers: vacationers, part-timers and full-timers. The quickest growing group of these three is the full-timers. These are people who live in their RVs nearly all 52 weeks of the year. A majority of them sell their brick-and-mortar homes. They give up a permanent address for a license plate number. (more…)