You already know this, but phone tech changes far more quickly than anything carmakers can build into your next car. After all, whatever’s in your 2016 Golf started development at least two years ago. Case in point, news that a device called the WayRay, from a Swiss startup called Navion, can overlay augmented reality onto your windshield. Think live Google Street View.

The tech holographically projects objects such as street signs and navigation cues out onto the street ahead of you. Yes, they’re even exploring some of the tech that Waze supplies (i.e., augmented reality speed traps, projected onto the road ahead of you). Of course what you see is actually an optical illusion, because the objects simply appear to be in the distance when in fact they’re bounced to your field of view onto a transparent film on the backside of the windscreen glass.

As technology in newer vehicles improves, criminals are turning to older models and stripping the vehicles for their parts. Therefore you should arm your car with extra security to help deter criminals, including electronic immobilizers as well as visual and physical deterrents such as steering wheel locks, floorboard and pedal locks, gearshift locks and wheel clamps.

The General Motors Ignition Compensation Claims Resolution Facility announced the final tally for its grisly duty of providing money to those killed or injured by the automaker’s faulty ignition switches. In the end, the group offered over $594.5 million to the 399 cases that were eligible for compensation, including 124 deaths. That’s an average of about $1.5 million per claim, but the actual payments varied between fatalities and the severity of a person’s harm, so claimants could have received more or less than that.

Be aware of the unique strategies some thieves like to employ. For instance, thieves may rear-end a vehicle at a slow speed to cause minimum damage, and then drive off in your vehicle when you exit your car to check for damage. If it is dark outside or if you are not visible to other people, avoid getting out of your car.

In addition, be alert and aware of your surroundings as you approach your vehicle. Avoid talking or texting on cell phones or digging for keys as it can be a distraction and can make you an easy target to criminals.

The 1,300 or so pages that comprise a long-awaited transportation bill make for dry reading. Few people will peruse the details of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, signed into law last week, if they hear about it at all. That’s a shame, because this is one of those rare pieces of legislation from Washington that actually has a meaningful impact on almost every American. If you drive a motor vehicle, or merely ride in one, there are provisions in the FAST Act that affect you. And the impact goes beyond the $300 billion in funding to fix dilapidated roads and crumbling infrastructure on which we’ve all grown accustomed to driving. From safety to automated enforcement to data privacy, this is a far-reaching bill.

Online Fraud: Many thieves are turning to online purchasing sites such as Craigslist.com or local sites as easy outlets for online selling or trading of stolen, cloned or re-tagged vehicles and stolen auto parts. H.E.A.T. reminds consumers that if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

FCA US will pay a $70 million civil penalty to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for failing to submit Early Warning Report data going back to 2003. The automaker will also provide any missing data since that time, and an auditor will monitor future compliance.

Concerts, sporting events and other large events will bring cars and fill parking lots which attract criminals that are in search of easy-to-steal property.

Therefore the next time you visit a crowded area or attend an event downtown, consider parking in a secure, city-owned lot or in a well-lit area with an attendant or heavy pedestrian traffic.

Looking over the list of four-dozen vehicles that earned the highest-possible safety ranking from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this year, there’s one noticeable omission: Cars built by American manufacturers. IIHS officials released the results of their annual rankings this morning, and there’s only one car from Detroit’s Big Three among the ones bestowed with a Top Safety Pick+ rating, a designation that influential among car shoppers. The Chrysler 200 was the lone representative from the traditional domestic manufacturers among the top 48 vehicles. (Certain models of the Fiat 500X, manufactured by Fiat Chrysler vehicles, also made the list of elites).

The opportunistic criminals are watching when gym-goers exit their vehicles and head inside the gym to workout. These criminals either grab keys from the key rack in the gym before driving off with a victim’s vehicle, or they take advantage of the time they have to steal tires, rims, airbags, navigation systems and other personal property.

Therefore remember to bring your keys into the gym and keep them with you, and never leave valuables in plain view. If you must leave something in your vehicle, lock it in the trunk or place items out of sight.

The DOT’s new safety rules would add more crash tests, evaluate pedestrian safety in an accident, and check for the latest safety tech in vehicles. While still just a proposal, the updates could arrive for the 2019 model year.

The newly proposed standards add even more evaluations to the current front, side, and rollover resistance tests. Among them, the agency would begin an oblique front crash to smash a vehicle against an angled object. It would also rate the potential injuries to pedestrians in an accident and score whether customers can get modern safety tech like forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking. To help people better differentiate between the tests’ results, the DOT could use half-star increments for its ratings, too.

According to a report coming out of Michigan, it says that people going to gyms and distracted drivers are targets of new auto theft trends.

New methods often involve criminals following their marks. Thieves will trail someone to their gym, then swipe their key from the key rack. Or they could tail a distracted driver, rear-end them, then make off with the vehicle when that driver exits it to review the damage.

Your driver license examinations include:
* A vision test. (Bring your eyeglasses or contact lenses to the exam.)

* A test of traffic laws and road signs.

* A behind-the-wheel driving test, if required. You must have an appointment to take the behind-the-wheel driving test. For the driving test, bring:

* Your old driver license or instruction permit, if you have one.
* A licensed driver age 18 years or older with a valid driver license.
* Proof that the vehicle is properly insured.

The cost of car insurance depends heavily on the individual purchasing coverage and even where they reside; regardless of whether a consumer has a crystal clean record, is a teenager, been convicted of a DUI or in need of extensive protection to cover certain risks, the prices of policies can become extremely expensive.

In many cases, since premiums are usually based on terms in of 3, 6 or 12 months, most consumers simply cannot afford to pay the whole amount up front; fortunately, insurers have come to understand this matter and offer no down payment auto insurance with the rest paid by the policyholder in thirty day installments.

For many, the option of paying for protection on a monthly basis is a lot more feasible way to stay insured and even individuals who are able to afford to pay premiums in full choose this payment arrangement to keep cash on hand. Consumers should be aware that although they may be able to find policies without anything down, the first month’s coverage must be paid to begin this type of arrangement.

Therefore, getting an affordable premium is important to keep upfront costs down and the best bet to finding the lowest start up cost for policies is to locate an insurer who will offer these types of payments at the cheapest price.

The use of testing aids is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: The California Driver Handbook, cheat sheets, or electronic communication devices such as a cell phone, hand-held computer, etc. If any testing aid is used during the written test, the written test will be marked as a “failure.” An action may also be taken by the DMV against your driving privilege or the driving privilege of anyone else who assists you in the examination process.