Across the United States, chances are roughly one in seven that a driver is uninsured, according to new estimates from the Insurance Research Council (IRC).

In 2009, the five states with the highest uninsured driver estimates were Mississippi (28 percent), New Mexico (26 percent), Tennessee (24 percent), Oklahoma (24 percent), and Florida (24 percent). The five states with the lowest uninsured driver estimates were Massachusetts (4.5 percent), Maine (4.5 percent), New York (5 percent), Pennsylvania (7 percent), and Vermont (7 percent).

“The leveling trend in the percentage of uninsured motorists is an unfortunate consequence of the economic downturn and illustrates how virtually everyone is affected by recent economic developments," said Elizabeth A. Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC. “Despite laws in many states requiring drivers to maintain insurance, about one in seven motorists remain uninsured. This forces responsible drivers who carry insurance to bear the burden of paying for injuries caused by drivers who carry no insurance at all.”

The IRC study examines data collected from nine insurers, representing approximately 50 percent of the private passenger auto insurance market in the U.S.

Making sure your drivers are properly insured is essential to running your fleet. Make sure all information is up to date and guard your business against sudden, costly insurance issues.

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Audi sustained its 2011 momentum with a series of record setting achievements. March U.S. sales of Audi cars and SUVs not only marked the third-straight monthly record for 2011, but also the best March in company history and the best first quarter of all-time. Additionally, the March 2011 results rank as the third-best monthly sales overall for the brand in its U.S. history. The strong March sales represented a month-to-month sales increase of more than 25 percent over February 2011, and a 14.3 percent improvement from March 2010. The 2011 best first quarter in company history comes on the heels of Audi posting its best annual U.S. sales for 2010.

Overall, Audi sold 9,818 vehicles in March 2011 compared to the 8,589 vehicles sold in March 2010 to set the old record for the month. The strong sales results were buoyed by the continued extraordinary public response to the 2011 Audi A8 flagship model with a 788.9 percent increase in sales from a year earlier. March 2011 was the best month for Audi A8 sales in more than five years. Sales of the Audi A4 recorded more than a 20 percent month-to-month sales increase over February 2011 and climbed 12.1 percent compared to March 2010.

[via Fleet Financials]

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Ford Motor Co. is recalling 1.32 million model-year 2004-2006 F-150 and model-year 2006 Lincoln Mark LT trucks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

This recall, which addresses a potential airbag problem, got under way on some vehicles in March. The recall campaign on the additional vehicles is expected to begin around May 9. 

If the truck's clockspring jumper wire comes in contact with the driver-side frontal airbag lower horn plate, the wire insulation may become chafed. This creates the potential for a short circuit. If this occurs, the airbag warning lamp may illuminate to indicate that service is required. A short circuit could result in the driver-side frontal airbag inadvertently deploying, increasing the risk of injury or loss of vehicle control, the NHTSA said. 

Ford will notify truck owners of the recall, and dealers will install a new clockspring jumper wire that incorporates a protective mesh cover. There will be no charge for these repairs. 

[via Automotive Fleet]

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday, April 26, praised North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple for signing a new law banning texting while driving in the state. The new law, which becomes effective Aug. 1, will impose a fine of $100 on people caught texting while driving.

“North Dakota has taken an important step to eliminate distracted driving,” LaHood said. “Thanks to the bill signed today by Governor Dalrymple, North Dakota roads will be safer for everyone.”

With the addition of North Dakota, 31 states, the District of Columbia and Guam now have banned text messaging by all drivers. Eight states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have prohibited all handheld cell phone use while driving.

In 2009, LaHood launched a national anti-distracted driving campaign modeled on other NHTSA efforts to reduce fatalities, such as its “Over the Limit Under Arrest” and “Click It Or Ticket” campaigns to curb drunk driving and increase seatbelt use.

In addition, DOT has launched a dedicated website, Distraction.gov, to provide the public with a comprehensive source of information on distracted driving; hosted two national summits devoted to the issue; crafted sample legislation that states can use to adopt distracted driving laws; and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, Conn., and Syracuse, N.Y.

[via Commercial Carrier Journal]

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This week's Automotive Fleet safety tip addresses how drivers can maintain a safety "space cushion" on each side of their vehicle to decrease the likelihood of a collision.

-Do not stay in another driver's blind spot. The other driver may not see your vehicle and could change lanes and hit you.

-Avoid driving directly alongside other vehicles on multilane streets with or without traffic in the opposite direction. Another driver might crowd your lane or change lanes without looking and crash into you. Drive either ahead of or behind the other vehicle.

-If possible and when safe, make room for vehicles entering freeways even though you have the right-of-way.

-At freeway exits, do not drive alongside other cars. A driver may decide to exit suddenly or swerve back onto the freeway.

-Keep a space between yourself and parked cars. Someone may step out from between them. A vehicle door may open or a vehicle may pull out suddenly.

-Be careful when driving near motorcyclists or bicyclists. Always leave plenty of room between your vehicle and any motorcyclists or bicyclists. 

 [via Automotive Fleet]

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While industry watchers may debate how quickly consumers will make the transition to electric vehicles, they generally agree this transition will require big improvements to the batteries that power these cars.

In the near term, reducing the cost of the battery — and with it, the price of the vehicle — will come mostly from better manufacturing techniques and building more batteries. Improving durability and range will largely be the domain of researchers and scientists.

 Compared with the nickel-metal hydride battery used in the Toyota Prius, for example, a lithium-ion battery of the same weight and volume would increase energy density two to three times, said Venkat Srinivasan, manager of the Battery for Automotive Transportation Technologies Program, an Energy Department-supported program managed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley.

Even as new advances move from the lab to the production line in the coming decade, in the near term most cost reductions for the battery pack will come from lowering manufacturing costs, according to Alex A. Molinaroli, president of the Power Solutions group at Johnson Controls, a company building lithium-ion batteries for BMW, Daimler and Ford.

With the battery the costliest component of the car, automakers tend to be tight-lipped about actual prices, considering it competitive information. Even so, Mike Omotoso, an automotive power train forecaster for J. D. Power & Associates, estimated today’s cost at around $750 to $800 per kilowatt-hour. For electric vehicles to achieve parity with gasoline-powered cars, from a cost perspective, most analysts estimate that battery cost must come closer to $200 per kilowatt-hour.

Mary Ann Wright, vice president for global technology and innovation in the Power Solutions group for Johnson Controls, estimates that this parity point is a decade away, but offers two caveats. “You have to consider that the gasoline engine will also become more fuel-efficient during this time,” she said. “This technology is not standing still.” And parity must be considered as the total cost of ownership over the life of the car. “So while the sticker price may always be higher, the electric vehicle will be less expensive to maintain and operate over the life of the car compared to a gasoline-powered car,” she said.

[via The New York Times]

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When most people look at fleet safety, commercial fleets are the main concern, but public sector fleets need to pay attention to safety just as much as anyone else.  This week, a new law has been created to help with school bus safety.

A bill that increases penalties for passing a stopped school bus, among other changes, was signed into law on Monday by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

The legislation was named for Nathan Key, a 5-year-old who was killed in December 2009 when a vehicle illegally passed his school bus as he was unloading.

Under the new law, fines for stop-arm running will range from $350 to $750 for a first offense and $750 to $1,500 for a second or subsequent offense, which will also result in a driver's license suspension of 90 days.

Nathan's Law makes several other changes related to school bus safety, including clarifying the offense of passing a stopped school bus and authorizing cameras on stop arms. It also requires that every driver's license examination ensures "adequate knowledge on the part of the applicant as to school bus safety requirements," according to the text of the legislation.

A similar bill died in the 2010 legislative session. The new bill was introduced in January.

[via School Bus Fleet]

If you’re looking to buy new vehicles or offload old ones, take a look at this article from USA Today before making a move:

Used car prices — already rising — could soar as buyers are driven to seek alternatives due to a predicted shortage of some new vehicles in the wake of the continued disruption of Japanese auto production, experts predict.

Price increases at the wholesale level already are being seen for the compact and midsize used cars from Japanese brands and of rival models that would be the closest substitutes for the more popular Japanese new cars.

Over the past couple of weeks, the NADA pricing service says it has observed an 11% rise in the wholesale prices of 3- to 5-year-old compacts such as the Toyota Corolla and the similar Ford Focus.

Midsize cars went up 8.5%, the service says.

Trade-in values for smaller cars already were rising because of higher gas prices and could be even higher by the end of the month. Toyota and Nissan said this week that they don't expect to get back to full production in Japan until at least April 11, a month after the earthquake. Many Japanese plants remain closed, and several Japanese makers' U.S. plants are operating on reduced hours to conserve parts that are sourced from Japan.

Though higher prices are bad for buyers, they're good for car dealers who have suffered through the recession.

"It will help everybody in the used car business," says Terry Megee, who runs Floyd A. Megee Motors, a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealer in Georgetown, Del.

[via USA Today]

AAA released the results of its annual “Your Driving Costs” study, which revealed a 3.4-percent rise in the yearly costs to own and operate a sedan in the U.S. The average costs rose 1.9 cents per mile to 58.5 cents per mile, or $8,776 per year, based upon 15,000 miles of annual driving.

“Despite seeing reduced costs for maintenance and insurance this year, there is an overall increase in the costs to own and operate a vehicle in the U.S. this year,” said John Nielsen, AAA National Director of Auto Repair, Buying and Consumer Programs. “The 2011 rise in costs is due to relatively large increases in fuel, tire, and depreciation costs as well as more moderate increases in other areas.”  

The cost of tires had the largest percentage increase, rising 15.7 percent to 0.96 cents per mile on average for sedan owners, according to AAA.  Although several vehicles included in the ‘Your Driving Costs’ study had increases in fuel economy, it was not enough to offset the rise in gas prices which caused fuel costs to increase 8.6 percent to 12.34 cents per mile on average for sedans.

The 2011 AAA study also found a 4.9 percent increase depreciation costs, averaging $3,728 yearly for sedans driving 15,000 miles annually.

Maintenance costs dropped 2.2 percent to 4.44 cents per mile on average for sedans, which reflects a trend by automakers to include some portion of scheduled maintenance in the purchase price and extending recommended maintenance intervals. All categories had lower costs for maintenance, but the minivan category had the largest drop with a 7.4 percent decline to 4.5 cents per mile. Average insurance costs for sedans fell 6.1 percent (or $63) to $968 yearly.

In-depth findings of this year’s study, including a breakdown of specific costs for each category of vehicle and costs at different annual mileages are available at select local AAA branch offices or may be downloaded at AAA.com/PublicAffairs.

[via Business Fleet]

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LeaseTrader.com has released data based on transactions in its online marketplace showing that individuals are getting rid of personal vehicles with leases because of company-issued vehicles.

LeaseTrader.com cited the 8.8-percent national unemployment rate, which has fallen over the last few months due to a gain of 194,000 jobs in February and 216,000 jobs in March.

“On the surface, the jobs outlook is brightening, which creates an environment for rising confidence among drivers and households,” said Sergio Stiberman, CEO and founder of LeaseTrader.com. “What’s more, the increase in jobs creates more company-issued vehicles, and in these cases people look to shed their personal car leases.”

Many of the personal vehicle lease transfers are taking place in states such as California, Texas, Florida and Michigan, which all showed growth in jobs during March, according to LeaseTrader.com. During the recession and much of the economic recovery, drivers would escape vehicle leases out of need. Since January, a growing percentage of drivers have been escaping to shop for a new vehicle lease deal at retail, or choosing to drive their company cars instead now that they have more confidence in keeping their jobs.

[via Automotive Fleet]

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