On November 19, 2019, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released a yearly report (Hot Wheels) that identified the United State’s 10 most stolen vehicles. This report showed data about vehicle theft that police sent to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) which outlined the vehicle model, make and model year reported stolen the most in 2018.
The top three vehicles of this list reported stolen were the:
- Honda Civic — 5,290 stolen
- Honda Accord — 5,029 stolen
- Full-Size Ford Pickup — 3,173 stolen
Along with this report, the NICB released data showing on 11 holidays in particular in 2018, 22,879 stolen vehicles were reported.
Best Car Safety Features for Teen Drivers
24 Dec 2019When it comes to teens driving, they have a dangerous track record. One of the biggest reasons for this is because of technology. In fact, of all drivers involved in fatal accidents, teens make up 7%, but 13% are distracted with technology like using a cell phone at the time. Below you’ll learn about some car safety technologies available to help keep your teen driver safer.
- Stability Control
Stability control features such as Electronic Stability Control are very important for teen drivers since this feature ensures stability when your teen is driving on slippery and curvy roads. This feature has been shown to reduce the risk of single accident fatality. It became mandatory in 2012, therefore all new vehicles will come with it. But, you’ll need to find out if it comes with any older used cars you’re thinking about purchasing.
GPS pioneer, James Spilker, Jr., died at the age of 86. An adjunct professor of astronautics and aeronautics, he was a primary figure who developed the technology Global Positioning System (GPS). He was also a generous philanthropist.
During his long career, Spilker made many advances in technology, but what he might be best known for is his 1970s development of the GPS coarse/acquisition (CA) signals. Today, it’s the gateway for around four billion GPS users. And, the development of his “delay-lock loop” process in the early 1960s, became important to GPS accuracy.
After the launch of GPS, it assisted the U.S. military in improving its navigation and after that, contributed immensely to mobile mapping applications. Today, almost 50 years later, the GPS signals designed and proposed by Jim in the 1970s continue to be used in everything from banking to GPS tracking devices for parolees, Alzheimer’s patients and more to monitoring glaciers and tectonic plates.
Spilker was:
- Formally positioned in the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame
- Inducted to the Air Force GPS Hall of Fame
- Elected member of the National Academy of Engineering
He was a Fellow of the Institute of Navigation (ION) and a Life Fellow of the IEEE. As one of the GPS originators, he shared in the Goddard Memorial Trophy.
The Power of the American Global Positioning System (GPS)
Today, billions of individuals worldwide rely on a large engineering infrastructure that reaches out across the world and into space. It allows anybody with a smartphone to see precisely where they are on the planet, along with the exact time and is used in applications ranging from banking and aviation safety to locating and rescuing distressed ships. GPS, which is the planet’s first global satellite radio navigation system, made this possible.
