Yet another reason why I love driving the ActiveE!

As the gas prices climb, I'm thankful to be driving a 100% electric car.

What Documents Are Important to Keep for my Vehicle?

There are several documents you are required to keep with you when you drive in the United States. It is easy to forget about necessary paperwork when driving – most of us are only concerned whether our CD Playerand navigation units are functioning to make sure we are entertained and comfortable. However not having a piece of the necessary paperwork required for driving on public roads can leave you with a huge headache.

 One of these is a driver’s license, which also serves as a valid form of identification. As it is your license to drive, and a form of identification, it is best to carry your driver’s license with you at all times. These are issued by your home state, and the requirements for obtaining one vary from state to state. To check the requirements where you live, visit the Department of Motor Vehicles website for your home state.

You are also required to carry a liability insurance policy for driving. The minimum requirements of these policies also vary from each state, but regardless, a card will be issued to you either physically or electronically. There are many insurance companies switching to paperless policies, and while this is more efficient and “eco-friendly,” it is important to make sure you print a copy of your insurance card and keep it with you if you received it electronically.

You are also required to register your vehicle in the state in which you live. After filling out a registration form, and a check for the fees for registering your vehicle, you will receive a document and a sticker to apply on the top right corner of your license plate. Make sure to keep the document that comes with the sticker – this is your vehicle registration paperwork and should be kept, along with your insurance information, in the glove compartment of your vehicle.

Why are these documents important to keep with you? If you are ever pulled over by any law enforcement officer, you will be required to furnish these documents as proof you are legally able to drive in the U.S. If you are caught without these documents you will most likely be issued a separate ticket for not having them on you, along with whatever violation you were cited for in the first place. Additionally, if you are ever involved in an auto accident, you will be required to exchange the information on these documents to the other party involved (if any), and depending on the severity of the accident, report it to the Department of Motor Vehicles. It is best to avoid any problems by making sure you have your paperwork in order at all times.
 

 Lastly, it is very important to keep the original documents that prove your ownership of the vehicle – typically called a title. The title to your vehicle is critical in proving that the vehicle belongs to you, and is required for registering the vehicle in your name for the first time. Never keep the title inside the vehicle – if the title is lost, getting another copy can be difficult. It is best to keep the title to your vehicle in a safe place at home where you can find it if you need it.

ITU-T: Developing standards to fight driver distraction

The telecommunication standardization sector of the International Telecommunications Union is poised to play a crucial role in tomorrow’s connected cars. And yet, many people in the auto industry have never heard of the ITU, or of its standardization sector, the ITU-T. So let’s start with a quick introduction.

The ITU is the United Nations agency that deals with telecommunications. More specifically, it is where governments come together to agree on international standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs).

Currently, the ITU-T is developing recommendations for ICTs that interact with drivers — examples include networked-based navigation systems, web browsers, and mobile phones. These recommendations will apply to networks; to applications accessed by drivers; and to connected, nomadic, and factory-installed devices. Strictly speaking, these recommendations are voluntary, which is precisely why they are referred to as “recommendations.” However, they can become binding if mandated by regional government agencies or customers.

ITU-T recommendations for the car are needed for several reasons:

• ICTs are moving into the automotive cockpit — Increasingly, ICT systems under the scope of the ITU-T are finding their way into the cockpit and interacting with drivers. Technology-related driver distraction has been recognized as a global problem that needs to be addressed. Internationally agreed guidance on the design and performance of these systems can help increase safety.
   
• Easy-to-find guidance for ICT community — ICT designers, developers, and application authors need easy access to guidance on design and performance requirements for ICT systems that interact with drivers. The ICT community consults ITU-T recommendations for guidance and requirements on ICT systems. Therefore, there is real value in having ITU-T recommendations that can serve as a reference to existing driver distraction-related standards and to fill any standardization gaps.
   
• Internationally agreed standards — The ITU-T is where governments come together to agree on international telecommunications standards. This is what makes these standards unique. It also gives them more weight with regional Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) and regulatory authorities. There is even value in an ITU-T recommendation that simply references existing standards since it will have gone through the ITU-T approval process.

Focus group on driver distraction
Last year, I became the founding chair for the ITU’s Focus Group on Driver Distraction (FG Distraction), which was created to pull expertise from the automotive industry and human factors experts into the ITU-T standardization process. The group currently has 3 planned ITU-T recommendations related to driver distraction:

G.SAM — recommendation on mechanisms for managing the situational awareness of drivers:

 

G.V2A — recommendation on an automotive interface (for instance, APIs) for applications external to the vehicle gateway:



P.UIA — recommendation on automotive user interface requirements:



FG Distraction will finalize pulling together input from industry and human factors experts by December 2012. Approved ITU-T recommendations are not expected until late 2013.

Want to contribute?
If you’d like to participate in FG Distraction, the group is open to any individual from a country that is a member of ITU and who is willing to contribute to the work (which is just about everyone). This includes anyone who is also a member or representative of an interested SDO. There is no cost to participate.

For more information about FG Distraction and upcoming meetings, click here. The next meeting will take place on April 4-5 at the SAE Headquarters in Troy, Michigan, USA.