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Denton, Texas, September 26, 2017 – The CBS ArcSafe® SecureConnect™ Remote Operator for Allen-Bradley® CENTERLINE® 2100 Motor Control Centers (MCCs) remote racking system has won Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) magazine’s 2017 New Product of the Year Award in the Electrical Safety category. This honor is CBS ArcSafe’s eighth New Product of the Year Award for innovative safety products that protect electricians and maintenance personnel from arc-flash danger.
Designed in cooperation with Rockwell Automation, the 13-lb. SecureConnect Remote Operator allows technicians to remotely disconnect an individual plug-in SecureConnect unit from the CENTERLINE® 2100 MCC vertical power bus while the enclosure door is closed and while standing up to 300 feet away. Prior to the introduction of the SecureConnect Remote Operator unit, technicians manually operated the SecureConnect while standing in front of an MCC. While the enclosure door provides some protection, however, distance is safety when it comes to avoiding arc-flash injuries. The new SecureConnect Remote Operator allows the technician to operate the CBS ArcSafe SecureConnect Remote Operator optional safety system from up to 50 feet via wired tether or up to 300 feet using CBS ArcSafe’s wireless pendant.
The SecureConnect Remote Operator system is compatible with Allen-Bradley CENTERLINE® 2100 MCCs with the SecureConnect option. The SecureConnect Remote Operator system’s input voltage is rated at 120–240 V AC/50–60 Hz.
“CBS ArcSafe is thrilled to be recognized by OH&S and its panel of dedicated safety professionals for our commitment to developing electrical safety solutions that protect our customers’ workers,” says Ashley McWhorter, president of CBS ArcSafe, Inc. “This award instils confidence in the CBS ArcSafe team as we find new ways to keep technicians safe from arc-flash hazards.”
Installation and operation of the SecureConnect Remote Operator system is quick, simple, and does not require any modifications to the existing electrical equipment. This new remote operator is the latest addition to CBS ArcSafe’s line of remote racking and switching solutions for circuit breakers, switchgear, and motor controls, which includes the RRS-2 BE universal remote racking system designed specifically for motor control applications.
This is a very exciting time for the auto industry. And I don't just mean the 2016 North American International Auto Show taking place in Detroit.
Yesterday, I announced DOT’s efforts in 2016 to support the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles that carmakers have been developing. And that includes President Obama's proposal to invest $4 billion in pilot programs [external link] to make sure we get it right. And next week, the President will visit Detroit to celebrate a history-making year of record auto sales.
But there's another side to what is happening in the industry. While we should celebrate the good news, there has been talk of another kind of record: Record numbers of vehicles recalled, and record civil penalties issued by our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Fast Lane readers know the stories. And you might know that Congress recently passed legislation that strengthens NHTSA's enforcement tools. But, you probably also know that real safety means finding and fixing defects before someone gets hurt, rather than just punishing manufacturers after the damage is done.
So that's why I'm excited to announce that, today, DOT and 18 automakers are taking a strong stand --together-- for a new proactive, collaborative approach to safety.
We have finalized a historic agreement on a set of broad-ranging actions to help make our roads safer and help avoid the sort of safety crisis that generates the wrong kind of record-setting and headlines. The commitments we make today will help catch safety defects before they explode into massive recalls. They will help improve the quality of data that automakers and NHTSA analyze to identify defects today, and they will find ways to generate better data in the future.
DOT has experience with this kind of approach. In aviation, for example, we already have a model of industry-wide collaboration to support safety. The FAA’s safety management system (SMS) requires a willingness among the airlines to share safety data that can lead to discovering a defect before it hurts anyone. And this has dramatically reduced aviation accidents in our skies.
And, when a recall does become necessary, the commitments we're making today will help us reach consumers and get their vehicles repaired.
Additionally, today’s actions strengthen the industry's efforts to protect vehicle owners from cybersecurity risks. We all know that the performance today's vehicles achieve is due in large part to an increasing amount of computer hardware and software under the hood and behind the dashboard. And the era of automated vehicle technologies we're ushering in will add to that. So we have pledged to work collaboratively to mitigate cyber threats that could pose unreasonable safety risks. We will engage our best cybersecurity minds, share known vulnerabilities and countermeasures, and adopt best practices from within as well as outside of the auto industry.
This coming together of the global automotive industry with DOT and NHTSA to determine how we can make vehicles that are safer than ever before and even safer in the future --this is unprecedented. It was born of us gathering everyone in the same room last fall, and it was the product of an immense amount of work by the companies who have signed onto these principles and by our team at DOT.
It’s a new way of doing business for everybody, and new ways don’t come easily. But that's what you have to do to when the mission you share --making sure Americans can get safely to and from their destination every time they get in their car-- is so important.
You can read this historic agreement at www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/proactive-safety-principles-2016
2/25/2016, CNET -- We don't often get the latest and greatest in-car tech in the US, and we have some outdated laws to thank for that -- it's why we likely won't receive laser headlights for some time. But not every cool bauble is banned from our roadways. In fact, the feds just approved a trick piece of hardware in the forthcoming Cadillac CT6.
The CT6's rearview mirror functions like any other -- until you flip a switch. Then, it turns into a screen, displaying a live feed from the backup camera. The goal is to enhance visibility and reduce blind spots with a wider field of view -- it also works when, say, you've loaded the rear seat up to the ceiling, or if you have some particularly tall passengers.
There was concern that the new mirror didn't meet federal safety standards, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put that to rest by approving the mirror, citing its retained functionality as a traditional mirror. Basically, just because the mirror also does something else doesn't preclude it from acting in a traditional manner.
Read the rest here: http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/feds-approve-cadillac-ct6-digital-rearview-mirror/
USA Today, 9-26-2016, SAN FRANCISCO — Federal regulators, faced with a growing number of self-driving car tests on roads across the U.S., plan to issue a flurry of new guidelines Tuesday aimed at automakers and tech companies.
The U.S. Department of Transportation will require any new tech to meet a 15-point safety assessment, consider new powers to allow administrators to limit the deployment of experimental vehicles, and will issue a model for state self-driving car policies aimed at developing a cohesive set of national regulations.
Officials will solicit public comments on the topic of self-driving car regulations for the next 60 days on the Transportation Department website and plan to update self-driving car policies annually.
"We’re laying it out there, what we care about, and inviting the industry to show us how they meet those standards," Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters during a briefing late Monday. "Some companies haven’t dealt with us, but they’ll learn quickly we can go really deep on these topics. We want the public to be safe."
President Obama hammered home his administration's message with an editorial posted late Monday on the website of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh is home to Uber's self-driving car research facility and the first city in which it is testing autonomous vehicles).
"Regulation can go too far," Obama writes. "Government sometimes gets it wrong when it comes to rapidly changing technologies. That’s why this new policy is flexible and designed to evolve with new advances."
He allows that some argue government "should stay out of free enterprise entirely, but I think most Americans would agree we still need rules to keep our air and water clean, and our food and medicine safe. That’s the general principle here. What’s more, the quickest way to slam the brakes on innovation is for the public to lose confidence in the safety of new technologies."
Government officials stressed that they reserve the right to create new rules for the nascent industry, and reiterated that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will have the power to "remove from the road" any vehicle whose technology poses a safety risk.
The agency specifically noted that certain semi-autonomous driving systems - "ones in which the human continues to monitor the driving environment and perform some of the driving task" -- may be subject to recall.
While many automakers offer such driver aids, electric-car maker Tesla Motors has been in the spotlight for a few fatal crashes in Florida and China where its Model S sedans may have engaged the car's Autopilot partial self-driving system. NHTSA is investigating the Florida incident.
NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind declined to say whether any action would be taken against the electric automaker.
Read the rest of the story HERE.
Nextgov, May 10, 2016 -- Plans for a broadband network exclusively for first responders are progressing, but not fast enough, some say. FirstNet, the public-private partnership running the effort, is collecting proposals now and could take years to stand up the network.
“There are real needs out there today,” Jay English, a director at APCO International, a nonprofit dedicated to public safety communications, said during a panel in Washington on Tuesday. “Officers are responding -- firefighters, medics responding -- without information.”
There currently isn’t an app that seamlessly transmits information from 911 centers to police, fire departments or emergency medical services, English said. And first responders can’t wait for FirstNet or Next Generation 911, an IP-based emergency reporting system, added English, who spoke at the AFCEA Bethesda's Law Enforcement IT Day.
But most apps require Internet connections as well as police, fire department and EMS resources, including a specific person to oversee the app, he said.
Read the rest of the story here: http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2016/05/first-responders-we-cant-wait-firstnet/128184/
Giving Drivers Optimum Views
Holly Hill, Fla. – July 12, 2018 – Metra Electronics®, the leading manufacturer of aftermarket automotive solutions, announced today micro-cameras are being rollout by iBeam Vehicle Safety Systems®. The TE-MICM, TE-MIIRB, TE-MIIRW and the TE-MIFM are used primarily as reverse cameras, but can also be used in multiple locations including front and side, providing drivers with optimum views. In most installations the video is shown on an aftermarket screen, but they can be paired easily with an Axxess interface to allow images to appear on an original factory installed screen.
Micro is an accurate description for these cameras as they add zero ‘bulk’ to the profile of the vehicle. Three of the models are not a flush mounts, but have the ability to be mounted in two different directions. Each has a 180 degree vertical view with a switchable image, and is able to be mounted under the lip of a trunk lid or on a high-vantage point on the back of a work van. The micro-cameras also offer selectable parking lines and have the ability to mirror an image.
“Having the confidence to drive knowing you are covered from all angles provides the next level in safety. Installing iBeam micro- cameras removes the dangers of backing up blindly or awkwardly trying to parallel Park in a tight space,” said Stephanie Carver, director of iBeam product development.
Product Specifications:
TE-MICM
TE-MIIRB, TE-MIIRW
TE-MIFM
At Metra, 12-volt installation and integration is our passion. We strive to continuously offer the highest quality products to meet the fluctuating technological challenges of the automotive world. We actively listen to our customers’ requests and invest resources into developing the highest quality dash kit and harness solutions. We make more dash kits for the most vehicle applications than anyone else in the world. That’s why we’ve been known as “The Installer’s Choice®” for more than 70 years. Our brands include: Axxess®, T-Spec®, The Install Bay, ® Heise LED Lighting Systems®, iBeam Vehicle Safety Systems®, Shuriken High Performance Batteries®, Raptor®, Ballistic® and AmmoTenna®. Metra’s expertise in connectivity solutions is also applied to its division of premium home theater and surveillance products, Metra Home Theater Group®. For ordering information and pricing, visit Metra Electronics online at MetraOnline.com or call 800.221-0932.
Boston Globe -- Waze, the smartphone app that maps out faster routes using traffic information submitted by its users, is now using City of Boston data on crashes to alert drivers to the most dangerous intersections.
As part its campaign to eliminate fatal crashes, the city partnered with Waze to let people know when they are passing through areas with the highest rates of traffic collisions. The app warns motorists to drive cautiously and slowly when approaching the intersections.
Waze announced the partnership on Wednesday as part of a nationwide launch of the new feature. Four other major US cities — New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. — are participating.
Read the rest of the story here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/09/16/smartphone-app-waze-uses-data-from-city-remind-drivers-dangerous-intersectons/4NDjrVFPfYj5c1GS3begEP/story.html
NBC News, 3/27/2016 -- As part of a unique industry-government consortium, American motorists will soon find virtually every car, truck and crossover on the market equipped with a breakthrough safety system called Automatic Emergency Braking.
But that's likely to be only the start. The same group of 20 automakers, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, plans to push even more advanced safety technology into tomorrow's cars faster than would normally be possible under the slow and cumbersome regulatory process.
Experts say such moves — which will help lead up to an era of fully autonomous vehicles — could yield huge benefits in terms of lives saved, as well property damage prevented.
Autonomous Emergency Braking, or AEB, alone has been shown to reduce the number of rear-end collisions by as much as 40 percent, according to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind earlier this year suggested it may be possible to bring the total number of U.S. highway fatalities — which topped 32,000 in 2014 — down to zero in the not-too-distant future.
To get there, automotive manufacturers and suppliers are taking a two-pronged approach, starting with improvements in passive safety — systems like seat belts and airbags designed to keep occupants safe in a crash. The latest vehicles are expanding the use of high-strength steel, carbon fiber and other materials which, along with new designs, absorb much of the energy of a crash before it reaches the passenger compartment.
Read the rest here: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/technology-taking-auto-safety-next-level-n544841
