Posts Tagged: driving

We have the tech to curb drunk driving, but invisible forces are holding it back

Statistically, one person dies from drunk driving every 52 minutes in the U.S. — but it doesn’t have to be that way. We have the technology to stop it.
Emerging Tech | Digital Trends

Tesla debuts new car insurance that uses Texans’ real-time driving behavior

Tesla now offers car insurance in Texas, its new home state, a couple of years after launching the product in California. According to Electrek, though, the insurance available to Texans is quite different than the one owners can get in The Golden State: It calculates for a customer's insurance premium using their real-time driving behavior. Their credit, age and gender that are typically used by other insurance providers apparently don't matter to Tesla. The automaker says it won't even look at customers' claim history and driving records.

Instead, Tesla will look at their "safety scores," which is a feature it introduced with the Full Self-Driving Beta version released in September. That could make things quite tricky, since the premium that needs to be paid can change every month based on the conditions the driver encounters on the road. Every forced collision warning and forced Autopilot disengagement will affect their score. Following other vehicles from an unsafe distance, braking too hard and turning corners aggressively could lower their score, as well. Safety score is still a beta feature at this point, and Tesla said it should improve over time.

Owners can now apply for a quote, wherein which the automaker will assume a 90 safety score to start their policy. The price will depend on the client's performance after that, and it could be higher or lower than what a traditional provider charges. During Tesla's shareholder meeting, where its new home state was also revealed, Elon Musk said the company plans to upgrade its offering in California to be based on real-time driving behavior, as well. It's not allowed to implement the change just yet, but it's currently trying to ask permission from regulators.

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Google Assistant’s driving mode for Android is nearly ready, one year later

Google promised an Assistant driving mode for phones would arrive in mid-2019, but that clearly didn’t happen — over a year passed without any sign of it. It appears to be ready, though. XDA-Developers has discovered (via Android Police) that Google…
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Nissan’s ProPilot 2.0 driver assist allows hands-off highway driving

Nissan's ProPilot driver assist could comfortably control the car with little to no input already, as Autoblog experienced on a road trip last year, but it still required a driver's hand on the wheel. Now the company has announced ProPilot 2.0 will l…
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Selfie filters are driving new cosmetic surgery trends

Doctors have noticed a new trend: People want to change their body to look like their edited selfies. Specifically, they're referring to photos of themselves taken with apps like Snapchat and Facetune that apply filters to instantly touch-up their ap…
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Florida may finally implement full ban on texting while driving

There are 43 states that currently treat texting while driving as a primary offense, but Florida isn't one of them — you have to break another law before texting enters the picture. However, less-than-attentive commuters might not get away with it…
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Eyes on the road! Samsung’s latest app replies to messages when you’re driving

Samsung Netherlands has built a new app that could help keep the roads a little safer — by automatically detecting when you’re driving or cycling and replying to your calls and messages.

The post Eyes on the road! Samsung’s latest app replies to messages when you’re driving appeared first on Digital Trends.

Mobile–Digital Trends

The man driving Xiaomi’s international launch efforts is leaving the company

Hugo Barra, the man behind the global launch efforts for Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi, is leaving the company. Citing a desire to return to Silicon Valley, his time with Xiaomi will end in February.

The post The man driving Xiaomi’s international launch efforts is leaving the company appeared first on Digital Trends.

Android Army–Digital Trends

California resident sues Apple over absence of lock-out function while driving

Texting while driving is a problem that a California resident believes Apple can minimize, but will not do, with a lock-out mechanism for the iPhone. This belief is at the center of a lawsuit against the company.

The post California resident sues Apple over absence of lock-out function while driving appeared first on Digital Trends.

Mobile–Digital Trends

‘Pokémon Go’ just became even harder to play while driving

Niantic’s latest update for ‘Pokémon Go’ suggests there are still plenty of people out there playing the game while behind the wheel. Trouble is, anyone else in the car – or even on a train or bus – is also affected by the change.

The post ‘Pokémon Go’ just became even harder to play while driving appeared first on Digital Trends.

Mobile–Digital Trends

Tesla hopes existing tech improves its semi-autonomous driving

Many have speculated that Tesla could have prevented the Autopilot-related Florida crash if its cars had lidar (visible light detection and ranging) to better understand the world around them, not just cameras and radar. However, Tesla might have a w…
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Weekly Rewind: Memorial Day driving tips, Google vs. Oracle, and a cure for HIV

In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on, in fact, that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories.

The post Weekly Rewind: Memorial Day driving tips, Google vs. Oracle, and a cure for HIV appeared first on Digital Trends.

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