This week there were many connected car tech news stories that were too short to report but had a few bits of interesting information for our readers. Cadillac CT6, Zubie, TomTom and Silicon Labs made new announcements. Studies show teen distraction in car accidents and time wasted at DMV offices.
Cadillac Speakers Speak Up and Rear View Mirror – The new interior of the Cadillac CT6 will have 34 speakers in the Bose Panaray system with unprecedented sound clarity with speakers strategically placed throughout the interior. It also features a streaming video review mirror with that increases rear visibility by 300%.
Zubie Citizen of Auto Nation – OBDII device maker Zubie announced that Auto Nation launched a connected-car program with Zubie. Zubie devices will be installed in cars sold or serviced at Auto Nation. Drivers will receive alerts to issues while dealers can communicate with owners and make appointments for service. The Zubie app will also give tips for better driving.
TomTom OptiDrive Optimizes Driving – TomTom Telematics launched its next generation of WEBFLEET OptiDrive with predictive real-time driving advice. OptiDrive 360 uses vehicle data and map data on the road ahead to advise business drivers when to release the gas or shift gear and what their optimum speed should be. WEBFLEET provides managers with dashboards that allow them to see trends in driving behaviour.
Silicon Labs Two New Families -Silicon Labs introduced two series of receivers. The Si479xx family of AM/FM receivers and digital radio tuners delivers on-chip audio processing at the lowest system cost. The new Si46xx family includes single-chip digital radio coprocessors and data receivers. Silicon Labs claims it’s complete radio systems made of receivers/tuners, coprocessors and data receivers enables industry-leading performance at the lowest external system BOM cost.
Teen Distracted Driving More Dangerous – An AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study of crash videos of teen drivers shows that distracted driving much more serious than before. Distraction occurred in nearly 6 out of 10 moderate-to-severe teen crashes, which is 4x as many as police report estimates. Talking to passenger or on cell phones were the top two distractions for teens. Researchers found that drivers manipulating their cell phone (calling, texting or other) had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 out of the final six seconds leading up to a crash. Parents play a critical role in preventing distracted driving. Teens have the highest crash rate of any group in the United States.
DMV Visits Costly – DMV.com’s DMV Hours of Operation Study found that trips to the DMV cost the US economy over $13.8 Billion per year in lost productivity. The average US driver misses just over 2.5 hours of work per year in order to visit their local DMV office. 91% of people surveyed say they are open to their state investing more in online DMV services.