Tech That Prevents Drunk Driving Could Be Coming to Every New Car in America
Video Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories - Duration: 01:30s - Published
Tech That Prevents Drunk Driving Could Be Coming to Every New Car in America
Tech That Prevents Drunk Driving , Could Be Coming to Every New Car in America.
NPR reports that federal automobile regulators have taken
the first step toward making technology to prevent drunk
and impaired driving a standard feature in new cars.
Impaired driving crashes are 100%
preventable – there's simply no excuse or
reason to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs, Ann Carlson, NHTSA acting administrator, via NPR.
NPR reports that the NHTSA said it will allow regulators
to take a closer look at the technology and see
how it could be implemented across the U.S.
The technologies currently in development include
breath and touch sensors to detect alcohol and
cameras that monitor a driver's eye movements.
Among the supporters for the implementation of
the technology is Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
.
Everyone involved in this rulemaking process
at NHTSA and everyone designing impaired
driving prevention technologies at car
companies need to understand that this is
about saving human beings from the horror
I've experienced and from the deaths and
injuries of tens of thousands of Americans, Tess Rowland, MADD national president, via NPR.
According to NHTSA data, 13,384 people
died in drunk driving accidents in 2021.
The agency estimates that the cost of deaths, injuries
and property damage equated to about $280 billion dollars
in lost wages, medical costs and other expenses.
In 2021, a bipartisan infrastructure law compelled
the NHTSA to develop federal standards that require
technology to prevent drunk and impaired driving.
Ford Orders Recall , Over Potential SUV Gas Leak.
ABC reports that Ford has ordered
a recall for almost 43,000 small SUVs
due to a potential risk of fire. .
The recall impacts some Bronco
Sport SUVs from 2022 and 2023,
as well as 2022's Escape SUVs. .
According to Ford, gasoline can leak from
fuel injectors near or onto hot engine surfaces,
which increases the risk of starting fires.
The recall does not reportedly include repairing
any potential fuel leak, which the company
claims only impacts about 1% of their SUVs.
ABC reports that Michael Brooks, executive director
of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety,
has called Ford's decision a "Band-aid type recall.".
Brooks claims that even a 1% failure
rate is high and places drivers
at potential risk for a crash.
The NHTSA said that it lacks legal
authority to pre-approve recall fixes. .
The agency added that it would, "closely track their performance using field data.".
However, Brooks suggests that Congress
needs to change laws so that the NHTSA can , "require something more than the rubber
stamp that NHTSA is currently deploying.”.
That is a post-remedy inquiry
that won't make the fixes better,
and further stretches out the process
and leaves consumers in limbo. , Michael Brooks, executive director of the
nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, via ABC
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
US Highway Agency Says 2023, Saw Second Consecutive Year of, Declining Traffic Deaths.
'The Independent' reports that traffic deaths
in the United States fell 3.6% in 2023, recording
approximately 41,000 deaths on the nation's roads.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 2023 was the second year in
a row that saw the number of fatalities decrease.
On April 1, the agency also released
final numbers for 2022, registering
42,514 fatalities related to crashes.
According to NHTSA Deputy Administrator
Sophie Shulman, Q4 of 2023 marked the
seventh consecutive quarter of declining traffic deaths.
'The Independent' reports that the news
comes despite people driving more.
Estimates by the Federal Highway Administration show
that people in the U.S. drove 67.5 billion more miles
in 2023 than they did the year before, a 2.1% increase.
According to Shulman,
the numbers remain too high with many of
those deaths the result of distracted driving. .
An estimated 3,308 people were killed in
distracted driving crashes, while another
289,310 people were injured in 2022.
Distracted driving is
extremely dangerous, Sophie Shulman, NHTSA Deputy Administrator, via 'The Independent'.
The agency is set to launch its 'Put the Phone Away or Pay'
advertising campaign, which will include a law enforcement
crackdown on the behavior from April 4 to 8. .
The agency is set to launch its 'Put the Phone Away or Pay'
advertising campaign, which will include a law enforcement
crackdown on the behavior from April 4 to 8.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Advocates Fight For Those , Sickened By US Nuclear Testing , Program on Capitol Hill.
On June 7, the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation
Act (RECA) program is set to expire, ending a lifeline
for families sickened by the country's nuclear testing. .
On June 7, the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation
Act (RECA) program is set to expire, ending a lifeline
for families sickened by the country's nuclear testing. .
NPR reports that advocates have gathered
on Capitol Hill to fight for so-called atomic
veterans and save the RECA program.
Over the past year, multiple bipartisan
bills were approved by the Senate to
reauthorize and expand the program. .
Those bills stalled out in the House,
due to some Republicans objecting
to the cost of the program. .
According to sponsors of the bills, those concerns
were addressed by reducing the initial 2023 estimate
of $143 billion down to between $50 and $60 billion. .
NPR reports that RECA has provided payments up to
$75,000 to those sickened by the nuclear testing
program, totaling $2.7 billion to over 400,000 recipients. .
One of the groups fighting to have
the program extended is the
Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. .
The group works to raise awareness of illnesses
linked to Trinity, the government's code word for
the first nuclear bomb test, which took place in 1945.
Martinez White, a member of the group,
says fallout from those tests resulted in at
least six cases of cancer in her family of ten. .
I would often go home for
funerals and everybody in
Tularosa was dying of cancer.
We knew something was very weird. , Martinez White, Tularosa Basin
Downwinders Consortium member, via NPR.
There's no industry in the whole
Tularosa Basin but for White Sands
Missile Range, where the
Trinity bomb was detonated, Martinez White, Tularosa Basin
Downwinders Consortium member, via NPR
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Walmart Lays Off Hundreds of Workers , While Requiring Others to Relocate.
On May 14, the retail giant announced layoffs impacting several hundred employees at campus offices, NPR reports.
It was also revealed that most remote workers and
employees in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto will be required
to move to "Bentonville, Arkansas; Hoboken, New Jersey;
and the San Francisco Bay Area," NPR reports.
Chief People Officer Donna Morris
let workers know in a memo.
It has been a little over four years since
we faced the global pandemic that
reshaped our lives in many ways,
including our ways of working. , Chief People Officer Donna Morris, via memo.
With the goal of bringing more of us
together more often, we are asking the
majority of associates working remotely,
and the majority of associates within our
offices in Dallas, Atlanta, and our
Toronto Global Tech office, to relocate. , Chief People Officer Donna Morris, via memo.
Morris went on to address the
"reduction of several hundred campus roles." .
While the overall numbers are small
in percentage, we are focused on
supporting each of our associates
affected by these changes, Chief People Officer Donna Morris, via memo.
A reason for the layoffs was not provided other than the fact that "some parts of our business have made changes," Morris said.
We have had discussions with
associates who were directly
impacted by these decisions. , Chief People Officer Donna Morris, via memo.
We will work closely with them in
the coming days and months to
navigate the best path forward, Chief People Officer Donna Morris, via memo
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
How to Be , a Better Neighbor.
You don't even know
your neighbors, do you?.
Per a Pew Research study conducted in 2018, only a quarter of adults under 30
said they know even one of their neighbors.
A fostered sense of community may be what's missing in your young life.
A fostered sense of community may be what's missing in your young life.
Here are a few ways to
become a better neighbor:.
Say
Hello.
Obvious, yes, but the logical first
step to becoming a better neighbor
is to introduce yourself.
Don't do anything grandiose so you
don't come on too strong.
You don't have to show up with a fresh apple pie or anything like that. , Chris Loggins, supervising producer
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, via NPR.
You don't have to show up with a fresh apple pie or anything like that. , Chris Loggins, supervising producer
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, via NPR.
Small Acts
of Kindness.
Show your neighbors that you can
be a kind and generous person.
Always clean up after your pets,
and don't litter.
Connect.
Often it may feel easier to just go home, but experts believe human connection is worth the effort.
Overcoming the initial anxiety may trouble you, but meeting new people could increase your happiness
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Biden Is Giving $6 Billion , to Micron Technology , for Semiconductor Production.
On April 25, President Biden will travel to Syracuse, NY, to announce over $6 billion in federal grants that his administration is awarding to Micron Technology, NPR reports. .
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was heavily involved in enacting the CHIPS and Science Act, issued a statement about the investment. .
This is the federal government taking back the reins, putting money where its mouth is when we say we want the future of tech to be stamped: 'Made in America.', Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, via statement.
Micron will invest $100 billion of the funds to construct a manufacturing facility in Syracuse.
Schumer referred to the plan as "quite a
great return" on the government's investment.
A factory will also be built in
Boise, Idaho, NPR reports. .
That facility is expected to be ready for production by 2026, while two New York factories will likely be ready by 2028 and 2029.
The White House estimates that
the projects could create 20,000 jobs
in construction and manufacturing.
in addition to "tens of thousands of
indirect jobs in the regions," NPR reports. .
The CHIPS and Science Act has also provided funding for Intel, TSMC and Samsung
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Are You in a Creative Rut? , Here's How to Stay Inspired.
Have you had a hard time accessing the creative part of your brain lately?.
Maybe you're hoping for a magical breakthrough
like something you'd see in a movie.
Experts say it may not be so easy, but it's still possible to pull yourself out of a creative rut if you keep these things in mind:.
Creativity Is for Everyone.
Most folks are creative, and experts
say you don't have to be a genius
to harness the power.
I think we are already
creative beings and
how you use that
[creativity] is
up to you, Sarah Urist Green, producer of
'The Art Assignment,' via NPR.
You don't need to have particular skills; you don't need to have
particular materials. , Sarah Urist Green, producer of
'The Art Assignment,' via NPR.
Take a Break.
Experts say allowing your brain to de-stimulate is great practice
if your schedule allows. .
What our brains actually need is periods of destimulation, Rahaf Harfoush, host of 'The Thought Experiment,' via NPR.
which means no screens, no emails, no audiobooks. , Rahaf Harfoush, host of 'The Thought Experiment,' via NPR.
Don't Force
Yourself.
Experts say don't use stress as a tool
to get things done.
Being overly reliant on pressure and stress may deepen your creative rut.
It could also increase chances of
anxiety attacks and depression
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
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