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The average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving in the UK is just four years – 62 per cent shorter than for manslaughter, according to road safety charity the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). While the average sentence length of manslaughter is 6.6 years, those sentenced to prison for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving are given an average sentence of 1.3 years. Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs has an average sentence of 4.3 years

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad, working with transit mobile ticketing specialists Masabi US, will begin testing a smartphone app that will let people buy their train tickets anywhere, anytime and never have to hold a piece of paper. During the pilot, select users will be able to download the free app to their iPhone, Android or Blackberry phones. Through the app, these users can buy any type of ticket, one-way, round trip, 10-trip, monthly etc, with any origin and destination

Inrix, the international provider of traffic information and driver services, has announced the hiring of four industry leaders from the automotive and mobile industries to drive the company’s European business development and global marketing efforts. In addition, the company is naming former Blue Nile CEO Diane Irvine, to its board of directors.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn (DB) has introduced proximity search for bus and rail travellers as an additional search option in its HAFAS-based journey planner. From any starting point in Germany, the DB's journey planner generates all destinations that can be reached within a certain period of time. HaCon's 1:n search facilitates not only excursions to the countryside, but also helps to find destinations like theatres, museums and theme parks. These are shown on a map, along with their respective distances in t

Zipcar, which claims to be the world's leading car sharing network, has announced the acquisition of Denzel Mobility CarSharing in Austria, which operates under the name CarSharing.at. This transaction follows Zipcar's acquisition of a controlling interest in Barcelona-based Catalunya Carsharing, known as Avancar, in February 2012. The acquisition also comes on the heels of Zipcar's integration of Streetcar operations in the UK last year and the recent appointment of Frerk-Malte Feller as president of Zipca

A partnership between AirSage and Citilabs has announced Cube Cloud, which is claimed to be the world’s first cloud-based traffic analytics solution. Using AirSage’s cell phone signal analysis data, Cube Cloud combines the convenience of an online solution with accurate population movement data to deliver efficient transportation analysis and modelling.

A market report by McKinsey & Company predicts a sharp increase in LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting adoption in the automotive category by the end of the decade. And while in the very near term the industry will experience an increase in daytime running lights and headlamp usage, unique LED light guides and multiple light source lamps, McKinsey predicts that the technology will continue to change and advance, and in the future will include technology such as smart headlamps that sense the driving environ

Fifty local councils in England saw more than a ten per cent increase in killed and seriously injured (KSI) crash rates between 2010 and 2011, according to an Institute for Advanced Motorists (IAM) analysis of the new road accident figures. The biggest increases in KSI numbers were in St Helens – 62 per cent, Portsmouth – 57 per cent, Stoke on Trent – 57 per cent, and Coventry – 51 per cent. A further 76 councils saw increases in the KSI rate above the national average of two per cent.

Following the adoption yesterday of the European Commission's proposals to reduce CO2 emissions from cars and vans, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) says it will now work with its members to conduct a full analysis of how the proposed targets should be reached as well as their feasibility, and what this means in practice for the industry as a whole.

Following the adoption yesterday of the European Commission's proposals to reduce CO2 emissions from cars and vans, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) says it will now work with its members to conduct a full analysis of how the proposed targets should be reached as well as their feasibility, and what this means in practice for the industry as a whole.

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Sherri H. LeBas has announced the New Orleans Core ITS project that will outfit the I-10 corridor, from Kenner to the Central Business District (CBD), I-610 and US 90 Business with 24 new surveillance cameras and eight dynamic message signs. These will be monitored and operated by staff at the regional transportation management centre. The aim is to improve travel by helping drivers avoid traffic congestion and use alternate routes, ultimately

TomTom has launched its first quarterly Congestion Index that identifies and analyses traffic congestion in major cities across Europe. The report, initially covering 31 cities, finds Warsaw the most congested city in Europe. On average, journey times in Warsaw are 42 per cent longer than when traffic in the city is flowing freely and 89 per cent longer during morning rush hour.

TrafficCast International has successfully implemented two traffic signal optimisation projects in the State of Georgia. To improve key arterial roadway efficiencies, Cobb County and Fulton County have deployed TrafficCast’s BlueToad online suite of travel time data management tools to mitigate congestion and reduce travel delays.

An unlit stretch of the M42 motorway in the UK, identified as an accident black spot area due to the lack of street lighting linked to increased accident rates, has seen the installation of 780 Astucia SolarLite road studs. The studs, along the carriageway of the M42 from junctions 1 to 3a, give drivers up to 900 metres visibility of the road layout ahead, which is up to ten times greater than would be possible from traditional retro-reflective ‘cats eye’ road studs. In addition, the existing two metre whi

Following the success of the 2011 ITS Video Competition held at the European ITS Congress in Lyon, France, submissions are now being invited for this year’s competition which will culminate at the ITS World Congress, being held in Vienna, Austria, from 22-26 October, 2012.