High-tech thievery
Hot-wiring cars is so passé, according to news accounts. The National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance-industry group that tracks car thefts across the United States said it recently has begun to see police reports connecting thefts of newer-model cars to what it calls “mystery” electronic devices. Thieves appear to be using laptop computers to hack into late-model cars’ electronic ignitions to steal the vehicles, raising alarms about the auto industry’s greater use of computer controls. For instance, the thief will enter the vehicle identification number on the site and receive a code. The code is entered into the car’s computer triggering the acceptance of the new key. The discovery follows a recent incident in Houston, in which thieves were caught on camera using a laptop to start a 2010 Jeep Wrangler and steal it from the owner’s driveway. Police say the same method may have been used in the theft of four other late-model Wranglers and Cherokees in the city. The recent reports highlight the vulnerabilities created as cars become more computerized and advanced technology finds its way into more vehicles. Fiat Chrysler, General Motors Co. and Tesla Motors reportedly have had to alter their car electronics over the last two years, after learning their vehicles could be hacked. San Francisco-based Voyomotive LLC is developing a mobile application that, when used with a relay switch installed on the car’s engine, can prevent hackers with their own electronic key from starting a vehicle. Its technology is designed to repeatedly relock a car’s doors if they are accessed by a hacker. In response to hacking-related car thefts, automotive industry trade groups are working on a blueprint of best practices for safely introducing new technologies. The Auto-Information Sharing and Analysis Center, created by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Global Automakers Association, provides a way to share information on cyberthreats and incorporate cybercrime prevention technologies.
As motor vehicle crashes escalate, so do deaths
About 90 people die each day from motor vehicle crashes in the United States, resulting in the highest death rate among 19 high-income comparison countries, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Although the United States has made progress in road safety – reducing crash deaths by 31 percent from 2000 to 2013 – other high-income countries are said to have reduced crash deaths even further, by an average of 56 percent during the same period, according to a recent Vital Signs report by the CDC. (For this Vital Signs report, CDC analyzed data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a CDC report that typically appears on the first Tuesday of the month as part of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.)
Lower death rates in comparison countries, as well as the high prevalence of risk factors in the United States, suggest that additional progress can be made toward saving lives. Compared with other high-income countries, the United States had:
- The most motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 population and per 10,000 registered vehicles.
- The second highest percentage of deaths involving alcohol (31 percent).
- The third lowest front seat belt use (87 percent).
In Belgium – the country with the second highest death rate following the United States – about 12,000 fewer lives were lost in 2013, saving the country an estimated $140 million in direct medical costs. In Sweden – the country with the lowest crash death rate – there were about 24,000 fewer lives lost in 2013, saving an estimated $281 million in direct medical costs. For more information about motor vehicle safety, please visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety.
Buckle up for safety
The National Safety Council is frustrated to see the exceptionally high death toll that shows the United States has the highest rate of motor vehicle deaths among 19 high-income comparison countries, according to the latest Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although today’s vehicles are considered safer than ever before, the United States continues to lose about 100 people every day in car crashes. The National Safety Council estimates traffic deaths were up 8 percent in 2015, compared with 2014 – the largest year-over-year percentage increase in 50 years; reportedly 94 percent of these crashes involve driver error. The mission of the National Safety Council is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. The organization strongly recommends the following:
- Drivers must buckle up – in every seat and on every trip.
- Children should be properly restrained.
- Drivers must disconnect from any device or system that could take their minds, eyes and hands off the task of driving.
- Passengers must designate sober drivers.
- Drivers need plenty of rest before they climb behind the wheel of a multi-ton truck.
- Drivers need to follow posted speed limits and properly train novice drivers.
- And, the country needs to keep exploring technologies that can assist drivers and add an extra layer of safety.
Clean up your act!
Southern California drivers, from Los Angeles to San Diego, can now join the thousands of on-the-go car owners whose cars make a shiny statement with Washé, the app that cleans your car. Washé brings the car wash to consumers at the tap of a touchscreen – an on-demand mobile application that connects car owners with mobile car washers. The Washé app is available for free download on the App Store and Google Play. After creating a basic profile, consumers can request a car wash on their smartphone; in minutes, the detailer reportedly arrives at the vehicle’s location. App users also have the option to schedule a time most convenient for them. Although there’s no need to give directions to the washer, the Washé app uses GPS location services and keeps the consumer updated through every step of the process. Users can select the services they desire from tiered packages, which include everything from a basic exterior wash to a full detail. When the job is complete, customers receive a picture of their clean car and secure payment happens automatically.