Gas prices increased for the 34th consecutive day. The national average for a gallon of unleaded regular gas is $3.86, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. Gas prices are more than $1-a-gallon higher than a year earlier and less than 25 cents away from the record high price of gasoline set in July 2008. (The record price set in 2008 is $4.11.)
ieldLogix, an industry leading GPS fleet tracking system, has launched an online Fuel Efficiency Driver Training Program. Training that targets fuel efficiency can help drivers recognize and change driving habits that waste fuel. Even highly experienced truck drivers can boost their skills and enhance driving performance through fuel efficiency driver training programs.
A few simple changes in driving techniques can produce sizable fuel savings of 5 percent or more, according to the EPA. Fleets that improve fuel economy by at least 5 percent through driver training and monitoring programs can save more than $1,200 per truck each year in fuel costs and eliminate 8 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per truck each year.
GPS tracking without a warrant, law enforcement and 4th Amendment rights: The legal system has been quite divided over whether law enforcement must obtain a warrant before placing a GPS vehicle tracking device on a suspect’s car. In some cases, if someone is caught doing something illegal, and 1) the GPS tracking system information was used to convict him or her and 2) the GPS tracking system was placed by law enforcement without a warrant, convictions are not possible or overturned. But in other cases, courts have upheld the use of evidence obtained by placing a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s car without a warrant.
This week the US Justice Department entered the legal debate over GPS tracking, law enforcement and 4th Amendment rights. The Justice Dept is appealing a lower court ruling that reversed a criminal conviction because the police did not obtain a warrant for the GPS tracking device they secretly installed on a man’s car during a D.C. drug-trafficking investigation.
Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reversed the life sentence of a Washington area man named Antoine Jones, saying the government violated Jones’ privacy rights in clandestinely tracking his movement for a month in a drug trafficking investigation. The initial ruling last summer says police can’t use GPS tracking technology to track a suspect’s car without getting a warrant. The full court, in a 5-4 decision last fall, refused to reconsider the decision. Now, the Justice Department, in a last-ditch effort, wants the Supreme Court to review the decision, arguing that it has broad implications for law enforcement across the country.
Gas prices have climbed for 27 consecutive days. Many experts and analysts see no immediate relief anytime soon.
The current average for a gallon of regular gas in the US is $3.83, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. This is up six cents from a week ago, 29 cents from a month ago and 96 cents from a year ago. The average price for a gallon of regular gas has topped $4 per gallon in 6 states and Washington DC.
Due to bearish market influences, crude oil settled down $2.54 at $107.12 at the close of formal trading on Monday, April 18, 2011. This marks the first time in more than a month that we have seen a week-over-week decrease in crude oil prices to begin a week. All this comes after oil prices set a multi-year high on Friday, April 8, only to tumble nearly six percent to begin last week.
Despite the slight drop in oil prices, gas prices have continued to rise. As the change from winter-blend to summer-blend gasoline is taking place in many parts of the country, most drivers have continued to see the price of filling their gas tank climb higher.
Asthma is a very common illness. Worldwide, over 300 million people suffer from the inflammatory condition. Each year, is is estimated that over 250,000 people die from asthma attacks.
Asthma attacks are triggered by different things in different people. For example, my nephew always starts wheezing whenever he is near a grassy area such as a park or field. But his mother, my sister, only has asthma attacks whenever she is near second-hand smoke from cigarettes or cigars.
Because asthma attacks are triggered by different things in different people, doctors usually ask patients to track when and where their asthma attacks occur. Based on this concept, epidemiologist and medical anthropologist David Van Sickle has come up with a GPS add-on for asthma inhalers. Van Sickle’s company, Asthmapolis, created Spiroscout, a GPS based asthma inhaler, so doctors and asthmatics patients can identify the triggers of their asthma attacks.
When you have an attack and reach for your inhaler, the GPS tracking device will record the time and location of the attack; it can then either store or send the data to a remote server. It’s hoped that then a patient or doctor will be able to see patterns in when an attack happens, and what caused it–be it pollen or a chemical substance.
Anyone who has seen an elderly loved one deteriorate from Alzheimer’s, or seen a child suffer from Autism, can tell you just how devastating and heartbreaking both of these situations can be. Wandering seems to be a frequent occurrence for many Alzheimer’s or Autism patients. Many expert estimates have reported that if not found within 24-48 hours, many elderly patients end up dying or severely hurt. It’s really important to know this if you live somewhere with extremely hot or cold temperatures outside because people are at more risk when they wander off.
The companies that brought you vehicle tracking devices for stolen cars have designed a system made for tracking people. Widely known for its vehicle tracking system, LoJack is now trying to educate people about how its technology can be used to track the elderly and autistic children. The GPS tracking system is called SafetyNet. There’s no question that the SafetyNet tracking devices can save lives and give caretakers peace of mind.
A GPS tracking device can help caretakers to monitor vulnerable family member whereabouts without invading their privacy or taking away their independence. A GPS tracking system can help family members keep tabs on an individual from hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Douglas Weichman has officially taken over as the 32nd President of the National Association of Fleet Management (NAFA). Former NAFA President Christopher D. Amos handed over the reins this weekend at NAFA’s 2011 Institute & Expo in North Carolina. Congratulations Mr. Weichman.
Douglas Weichman, the 2009 Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year, has been the director of the Fleet Management Division for Palm Beach County since 1990. Prior to his position with Palm Beach, he was the fleet manager for Miami-Dade County for nine years. Additionally Weichman has many years of experience working in private sector fleet management.
Anyone who has seen a friend or family member struggle with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can tell you that seeing someone you know and love mentally deteriorate is heartbreaking. But what can be of an even greater concern is their tendency to wander off and get lost. There have been many studies reporting that over 60-70% of all patients with these diseases will become lost at least once. Even more shocking is that nearly 50% of them can die if they aren’t found within 24 hours.
Families of dementia patients are turning to GPS tracking technology to monitor loved ones. Many families have reported that using a GPS tracking device gives them peace of mind because they know their loved ones are safe and sound. GPS tracking devices can help to keep those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s safe 24 hours a day, without being too invasive or making the patient feel inadequate.
Telecommunications giant AT&T (T) helps approximately 300 million people around the globe stay connected 24/7, every single day of the year. In order to service such a vast amount of customers worldwide, AT & T utilizes extensive telecommunications networks and a large corporate fleet.
AT&T’s fleet is huge. The company operates approximately 78,000 fleets vehicles in total and is one of the largest private fleets in the US, according to Fleet Owner Magazine. There is a growing trend in the industry to operate an eco-friendly, green fleet and AT&T is leading the way.
AT&T’s corporate fleet is made up of vehicles that use compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of traditional petroleum or gas. On Friday April 1, 2011, AT&T announced that its use of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in its corporate vehicle fleet helped the company avoid the purchase of more than one million gallons of fuel in 2010.
Gas prices skyrocketed during the entire month of March 2011. The current average for a gallon of unleaded regular gas is $3.61. One month ago, gas prices were at $3.38. Gas prices have risen 23 cents in the last month, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express as of April 1, 2011.
This week the website for the AAA Fuel Gauge Report added the highest ever recorded gas prices in the US to their daily gas price updates. The highest ever recorded average price for a gallon of gas in the US is $4.11. For diesel, the record is $4.84. Both records were set on July 17, 2008.
Gas prices rose again today. Today’s national average for unleaded regular is $3.60 per gallon, an increase of over 5 cents from last week, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
Alaska gas prices reached $4.06 and Hawaii is at $4.25. New Jersey has the lowest price in the continental U.S. at $3.40 a gallon and California the highest at $4.04 a gallon.
The current average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the US is $3.595, the highest ever for this time of year. Prices have risen over 2 cents since last week and are up over 22 cents from 30 days ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. The biggest increase was on the West Coast, where gas prices were up six cents and remained the most expensive of the major regions at $3.92 per gallon.
According to a recent report by the U.K.’s Royal Academy of Engineering on the vulnerability of the GPS system, GPS technology has become a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives. We are all dependent on the GPS system whether we know it or not. Although the report pointed out weaknesses in the GPS system, most people agree the chances of a successful terrorist attack or interference with the GPS system is quite low.
Professor Peter Sommer from the Information Systems and Innovation Group, London School of Economics, welcomed the report findings but stressed the GPS systemic risk was relatively low. “It is not so unimportant that we should not be doing anything about it,” he said, “but the suggestion that it is going to be easy for terrorists to cause any long term, large scale disruption is entirely fanciful.”
Gas prices in San Diego have been very high lately. The current average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the US, according to AAA, is $3.547. In California, the average is $3.969. It’s going to be hard to find a gallon of unleaded regular gas for less than $4 a gallon this Spring in California.
The Utility Consumers’ Action Network (UCAN) tracks gas prices at hundreds of gas stations in San Diego. Charles Langley of UCAN said he was uncertain about where gas prices are heading, but it wouldn’t surprise him if the price topped $5.00 a gallon this summer, according to KPBS.
Looks like wasting time sitting in traffic is going to be a thing of the past, thanks a recent update to Google Maps Navigation for Android. Now, if you’re driving and there is traffic up ahead, the Google Maps Navigation app will automatically route you around the congested roads. Appropriately, the new feature is called “Route Around.”
Route Around gives drivers the most efficient route, automatically taking real-time traffic into consideration. According to Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of consumer services, “People drive more than 35 million miles a day while being assisted by Google Maps Navigation. The Route Around feature currently saves users two years of drive time every day, or about 12 million miles per year.
Prior to the update, the app had the ability to display traffic information, but you had to manually input an alternate route. Route Around replaces the old method of navigating a driver to a route that was technically the quickest, but didn’t take traffic conditions into consideration.
Seismologist Tim Melbourne says the Pacific Northwest will see a major earthquake within two generations, based on recent scientific data that he’s collected. Many seismologists are saying it’s only a matter of time before Seattle or San Francisco sees an earthquake on the magnitude as the one in Japan, according to NPR. Melbourne, a professor […]
In light of the recent rises in gas prices, it is important to remember that how you drive can affect your vehicle’s fuel mileage (MPG). However, you have to know the difference between a good driving tip and a bogus one in order to really slash your gas costs.
Unfortunately there is a lot of confusion about certain driving and vehicle issues. Let’s try to clear the air on a few driving myths.
Driving Myth #1:
1) Increase Tire Pressure. To get the most out of a full tank of gas, you should pump up those tires.
The Reality: Yes, it’s true that driving on under-inflated tires can cost you up to 3.75% in fuel economy. However, over-inflating tires can actually be dangerous. Tires that are overinflated have trouble getting a grip on the road, which can easily cause an accident.Have you ever seen a blow-out on the freeway. Drivers definitely don’t want that to happen.
Gas prices in the state of California are the highest in the US. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in California is now $3.897, the highest in the entire US, according to AAA. California gas prices are now even higher than the 2 states that usually have the highest gas prices – Alaska and Hawaii.
In San Diego this weekend, gas prices ranged from $3.81 to $4.19 per gallon of regular gas, according to website GasBuddy.com. Gas Buddy listed San Francisco as the most expensive city for gas in the country at an average of $3.93 a gallon, followed by 15 other cities in California. In Los Angeles, it’s hard to find a station where the price of regular gas for less than $3.95 a gallon.
Gas prices are predicted to continue rising due to turmoil in Libya, among other factors. Nationwide, the average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $3.509, according to a daily survey by AAA. Gas prices are $.76 higher than they were a year ago.
The AAA Fuel Gage Report is a public service of the United States of America’s largest motoring and leisure travel membership organization. The report is updated every day from several sources. There are up to 100,000 stations surveyed daily, and daily surveys from Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) with average national, state and local prices for gasoline, and diesel.
