City Of Columbus Invests In GPS Tracker Devices

Whoever said investigative journalism was dead surely never researched the work that a local television news station conducted in the city of Columbus, Ohio that focused on the misuse of city motor vehicles. This is because after a Watchdog 10 Investigation showed a significant level of incompetence when it came to fleet management of city vehicles funded by taxpayer dollars, the city of Columbus has now moved forward with a plan to install tracker devices on various city-owned and operated cars.

Officials for the city of Columbus stated publicly yesterday that they now have in place a plan designed to monitor vehicles at its fleet facility using real-time GPS technology. In fact, a Columbus Fleet Administrator has went on the record saying the city has already equipped over half of the city fleet with vehicle management systems. That means the process of having all city vehicles installed with the latest real-time GPS units could be complete any day now, allowing fleet managers complete access to both live and historical driving activity.

Columbus was faced with an angry public demanding more accountability after a year long Watchdog 10 investigation uncovered city workers taking advantage of city vehicles and grossly misusing time and money. What the local news team investigation showed throughout the series was that city automobiles were left idling for lengthy periods of time resulting in excessive and unnecessary use of fuel consumption. Even worse was the documentation of one particular city worker who was caught leaving the job to buy donuts on a daily basis while on the clock. The public outrage resulted in a demand for more accountability, and that is why a representative for the mayor explained installing GPS tracking systems would help the city better manage fuel consumption and overall fleet activity as a method of reducing fuel usage while also boosting worker safety.

After evaluating the cost of the GPS hardware against the cost of excess fuel consumption, Columbus city officials believe the tracker devices will essentially pay for themselves in only a year and a half from the in increase in both vehicle and fuel management.

New Teen Driving Class Emphasizes Safe Driving

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) knows firsthand the dangers inexperience behind the wheel can have when it comes to teenage driving. They don't need to look upon the staggering statistics that show the top cause for premature death among young people are automotive accidents because it is often the CHP who are part of the first responders to assist those in vehicle accidents. The CHP believes that no teen should have to lose their life because of an automobile accident and that is why the police enforcement agency will be providing a free Smart Class at CHP headquarters this Wednesday, February 27th in Sacramento.

Evidence provided from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows with concrete detail that teenage drivers are sadly the group most likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident that results in a fatality. The statistics and numbers surrounding teenage driving are very real, but unfortunately many families and communities don't pay attention to them until it is too late.

The heartbreak of an untimely death is unimaginably painful, and for the Stockton community that pain became abundantly clear when a fatal collision involving a group of teens reinforced the importance of teenage driving safety, safe driving behaviors and parental involvement. That is what the Smart Class focuses on, teenage driving safety for not only newly licensed drivers but also parents overseeing driving activity. This is why the CHP is making every effort to encourage parents or guardians to participate with their teens in the popular program where only a limited number of spaces are available due to high demand.

About The CHP Start Smart Program

The Start Smart program is hosted by the CHP and focuses on driver safety education among teens roughly aged 15-19 years old. Participants of the class will learn about techniques that focus on collision avoidance, trends in common collisions, driving laws, alcohol consumption, the process of acquiring a provisional license and more. Parents and teen drivers will have access to the latest videos demonstrating safe driving practices, in-class conversation and an opportunity to have a one-on-one or group discussion with CHP officers to address any topic, including the popular application of using GPS tracking systems to monitor teenage driving activity for things like speeding.

Sheriff's Department Focuses On Driving Safety

The old saying is that driving is a privilege not a right, but unfortunately most teenagers think otherwise. They also have a tendency to believe that they are some the safest and most responsible drivers on the road even though the statistics show that in fact teen drivers are some of the most dangerous behind the wheel. In an effort to reduce the number of automotive accidents by teen drivers  through more parental awareness, the Burlington County Sheriff's Department on March 16th will be holding a free presentation for anyone seeking more information about a new program called "Share the Keys".

What Is Share The Keys

“Share the Keys” is a program designed for both parents and their teenage drivers. The program focuses on teens involved in the pre-permit and permit stages of obtaining a license where driving behaviors are believed to be more easily shaped for long-term success. With an emphasis on safe driving behaviors and parental oversight, law enforcement believe that the program can be successful in reducing automotive accidents among young people.

When asked about the program a Burlington County Sheriff went on to explain that they were so impressed with Share the Keys that they felt compelled to be a part of the  program in an effort to make it that much more effective. The Sheriff also stated that they had a family relative who recently received her driver's permit, and therefore was excited that this program would be able to help her along with other teens ready to take on the road.

Share the Keys goes the extra mile to provide parents with information on Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws as well as the building blocks and tools necessary to create long-term safe teen driving behaviors. The main points of emphasis of the program focus on the importance of being a positive driving role model, increasing behind-the-wheel practice, controlling of automobile keys and as mentioned before a more in-depth understanding of GDL.

Burlington Sheriff's will be offering various door prizes and other giveaways to encourage particpation. People wanting more information can contact communituy servics directly at 609-265-3788.

Getting Live GPS Data From Tablet Systems

Once considered the perfect tool for businessmen and people on the go with computing needs, laptop systems have become less and less popular with consumers. The decline in popularity has nothing to do with the usefulness of laptops but rather the development of tablet computing systems. Now brands such as the iPad, Google Nexus and Amazon Kindle Fire are the hot items making consumers drool. These tablets are user-friendly, light, compact and easy to travel with making them ideal solutions among consumers, and now people with any of the popular tablet systems can access real-time GPS data with the assistance of a new app available.

The most called upon real-time tracker device among businesses and consumers, SilverCloud GPS units have been improving vehicle management, driving safety and automotive security. With the web-based browser offering its users access to both past and live automotive tracking data, users of this particular tracker device can now retrieve their personal location information using any of the tablet systems on the market! All the tablet needs is an Internet connection and its ready to access the satellite imaging programs and driving activity reports online.

Those seeking real-time GPS data access from their tablet system can either access locational information by going to the online platform or downloading the latest mobile app. The web-interface works well for people in a office setting or home, but for those on the go the free download of the mobile app is the recommended portal for data access. Those using the mobile app will find that all of the features are available and easy to use through the LandAirSea control panel.

More and more people are shifting their computing from desktops and laptops to tablet systems. This new portal into accessing GPS tracking system data will provide tablet users an instant gateway into viewing their personal locational data. People interested in learning more can contact Tracking System Direct for more detailed information on features and the mobile app download now available at many of the popular app stores.