All the key news in fleet…

Car Genie sends notifications of any errors to a mobile app.

AA telematics solution can pre-empt up to a third of breakdowns

The AA is to launch a new telematics device can predict a third of breakdowns before they happen.

Available from 1 May exclusively to AA members, the Car Genie self-install device plugs into the on-board diagnostics (OBDII) port and sends real-time notifications of any errors, including potential battery problems, to a mobile app.

The technology is also able to detect a significant crash by registering changes in speed vs g-force, which triggers a call from the breakdown service to the customer, and can also report on driver behaviour.

The AA is also launching a fleet telematics solution, with full details yet to be announced.

Peter Millichap, UK marketing director at Teletrac Navman.

Teletrac Navman and Maxoptra partner for integrated solution

Teletrac Navman and route scheduling specialist Maxoptra have teamed up to launch an integrated solution.

The partnership brings together Teletrac Navman’s telematics software and Maxoptra’s web-based platform and is intended to bring together benefits of cost and efficiency optimisation to small and medium sized fleet operators, as well as increased safety, reduced fuel use and journey time.

Air pollution from traffic fumes can be as bad for wellbeing as major traumatic life events.

Traffic pollution as bad for wellbeing as bereavement or divorce, finds research

Air pollution from traffic fumes can be as bad for people’s wellbeing as major life events such as bereavement or divorce, new findings suggest.

The study by the University of York finds that “the welfare gains to society from reductions in exposure to NO2 can be substantive”. The researchers added: “For example, our standardised coefficients suggest that the effect of NO2 on life satisfaction is equivalent to approximately half that of unemployment, and equivalent to that of marital separation and widowhood, factors commonly associated with some of the largest wellbeing reductions in the literature to date.”

Funding is available to firms developing proposals to incentivise cycling or walking.

Firms offered funding to enable cycling and walking schemes

The Government is offering grants totalling up to £470,000 for proposals to encourage people to make more journeys by bike or on foot.

Offered through the Department for Transport and Innovate UK, the funding is open to individuals, groups and organisations, but is particularly targeted at SMEs. Proposals can cover areas including technology, infrastructure, manufacturing or behavioural change.

Deadline for registration is midday on 7 June 2017.

Fleet managers can watch video footage within minutes of a driving incident occurring.

Hubio Fleet introduces integrated 3G camera and tracker

Hubio Fleet has updated its real-time vehicle tracking solution with video footage.

Thanks to the addition of a 3G camera, fleet managers can watch video footage within minutes of a driving incident occurring, enabling immediate claim intervention with first notification of loss (FNOL) while also allowing fleets to tackle driver behaviour when used in conjunction with harsh driving alerts.

In addition, Hubio Fleet is now available in a CAN Bus Black Box version, which can accurately measure mpg, CO2, over revving and driving efficiency, while further updates means fleet managers can now compare the best and worst drivers in a safety league table.

The majority of car owners want the first MoT test for cars kept at three years.

Three-quarters of drivers oppose MoT extension

The majority of car owners want the first MoT test for cars kept at three years, according to new research.

Results of a YouGov survey, published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), shows that 76% of car owners back the automotive industry’s call for the government to abandon plans to delay the first MoT for cars by a year while more than two-thirds (68%) also expressed concern that delaying the car’s first MoT could put themselves and other road users in danger.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Extending the first test for cars from three to four years is not what consumers or industry want given the serious risk posed to road safety and vehicles’ environmental performance. We urge government to scrap its plans to change a test system that has played a vital role in making the UK’s roads among the safest in the world.”

The grant is part of the Government’s invest in the ‘Connected Car’ sector.

Lightfoot secures funding to enhance driver behaviour solution

The Government has awarded nearly £1m funding to Lightfoot to help further develop its in-cab driver behaviour technology.

Awarded by Innovate UK, the grant is part of the Government’s commitment to invest in the ‘Connected Car’ sector and will be used to help Lightfoot identify and sign up strategic partners to deliver its ‘Driver Ecosystem’, which provides rewards for drivers from partner organisations across related sectors and discounts for Lightfoot drivers in technology outlets, cinemas, restaurants and coffee chains.