Improving Traffic Safety at the 2026 World Traffic Safety Symposium 

I covered the 2026 World Traffic Safety Symposium at the New York International Auto Show this April. The symposium discussed the holistic safety and mobility of motor vehicles.

Mark Scheinberg, President of the Greater New York Automotive Dealers Association and the New York International Auto Show, opened the symposium.

Guest Speakers included:

John Bozzella, President & CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Jennifer Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board, Dr. Jeffrey Runge, former NHTSA Administrator, John Adkins, CEO, Governors Highway Safety Association, Mark F. Schroeder, Commissioner, NYS DMV, Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety, and many others.

Jennifer Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board, shared that there are 110 deaths per day in the United States from automobile crashes and that 95 percent of all deaths from planes, trains, and automobiles are from automobiles. I was shocked to hear this statistic! Some of the crashes were caused by the NTSB’s safety recommendations being ignored.

To help remedy the situation, the NTSB chair advocated for the implementation of safety technology in automobiles, such as alcohol detection and speed monitoring. Alcohol use while driving accounted for 12,000 deaths in the US. 11,00 deaths are the result of speeding, and 3,000 deaths are the result of distracted driving.

The NTSB chair stated that drug use while driving has skyrocketed with the legalization of Marijuana in some states. The NTSB chair recommended bringing driver safety education back. She said that people don’t read owner manuals in cars, and they don’t know about the operating mechanics of automation in cars. The more you use automation in a car, the more distracted you are. 97 percent of traffic crashes are caused by human factors. Auto deaths have dropped to 39500, but it is still too high! This is a 6 percent decline despite vehicles being safe.

Dr. Runge said that automotive safety is a team sport with automakers, auto dealers, states, law enforcement, and traffic enforcement working together to address the problem.

Jon Adkins highlights that bike lane advocacy in NYC has led to a decrease in bike fatalities over the past 3 years.

Marketing Schroder, NYS DMW Commissioner and CGTSC Chair, shared his commitment to road safety in New York State. He described the various task forces working to make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians. He also shared his work making the NYSDMV more efficient.

A new computer system was implemented at NYS DMV over a 4-year project, replacing 96 data lines. Since the Rockefeller administration, there has been only 1 dedicated data line used to process information and transactions. This also improved the customer experience at the DMV, reducing wait times from 2 to 3 hours to 15 minutes to do a transaction. Auto dealers do 1 million transactions with the NYS DMV.

Marketing Schroder, NYS DMW Commissioner, shared how New York is applying stricter enforcement against dangerous drivers

Alcohol and drug convictions now carry an 11-point penalty on your license, with an automatic suspension; previously, no points were added.

Teaming up with law enforcement and the community to reduce drug and alcohol impaired driving, the NYS DMV, DOT, and NYSP are coordinating and improving traffic safety.

The 2026 World Traffic Safety Symposium highlighted issues, insights, and solutions to improve traffic safety.

Salesforce demos Agentforce’s Power at Agentforce Tour in New York

I covered Salesforce AgentForce in New York this past month. This event was organized to showcase Salesforce’s Agentforce. Agentforce is DIY AI in action. Agentforce is a customer service agent that can be built by Salesforce customers and integrated into all industries across the customer journey.

In the keynote, Patrick Stokes, EVP of Product & Industries Marketing at Salesforce, asked, “What if organizations can create an unlimited labor force?” Salesforce shared how organizations use DIY AI in Agentforce to multiply their workforce.

I saw demos for use cases across industry verticals and the customer journey in Sales, Service, and Marketing functions.

Alice Steinglass, EVP & GM Platform at ‪Salesforce‬ demos how Prudential uses Agentforce.

Sanjna Parulekar, SVP of Product Marketing at ‎⁨‪Salesforce‬ demos how Prudential uses Agentforce.

Jon Moore, Director of Product Marketing ‪at Salesforce,‬ demos Agentforce, empowering Financial Advisors.

There was a panel discussion; leaders discussed using Agentforce and Agentic AI. Panelists also shared how they would like Agentforce and DIY AI to evolve to improve productivity and outcomes.

Lydia Dishman hosts a ‎⁨‪Salesforce‬ media panel at Agentforce Tour on Agentforce and Agentic AI.

Agentforce Tour was a great event. I learned much about AI Agents, DIY AI, and how it can transform the customer experience.

People connect and network in the Salesforce Ecosystem while learning about Salesforce Agentforce’s new features and rollout.

Salesforce, thank you for having me at the Agentforce Tour.

If you want to be on the cutting edge of DIY AI, attend Agentforce in your city.

Have you used Agentforce?

Share your experience in the comments.

Additional pictures can be found on Instagram.

Things are changing in the automotive industry. These changes are from the way vehicles are bought and sold. Vehicle offerings are also different. Vehicles went from gas combustion engines to hybrid vehicles which means a split between gas and electric. Now there is going to be a shift to all-electric vehicles or EVs. The adoption of EVs will accelerate as more charging stations become available.

Source: Derived registration counts by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Experian Information Solutions https://afdc.energy.gov/data/10861

“This figure illustrates the population breakdown of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) registered in the United States as of Dec. 31, 2020. Most of the vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), but those generally operate primarily on conventional gasoline. FFVs were produced and sold as a way for vehicle manufacturers to meet their fuel economy requirements. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are the second-largest population by fuel type, accounting for 70% of the AFV population when excluding FFVs. Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) include all-electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and account for about 30% of the AFV population when excluding FFVs.”

I covered The New York Auto Show which was back after a two-year pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s auto show had different types of cars, trucks, and SUVs. The show was made up mostly of electronic vehicles and hybrid vehicles. This change is because of changes in the industry and US government policy to improve the environment. Starting in 2026, all gas vehicles will need to get 50 miles to the gallon to be sold in the US. Gas engines are being phased out.  The industry pledges to sell only electric vehicles or EVs by 2035. This is a global trend.

This is information that came out of the World Traffic Symposium, at the New York Auto Show.

Guest Speakers included:

Jennifer Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board

Andrew Wishnia, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation

Dr. Steven Cliff, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

David Strickland, Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs, GM

Mark F. Schroeder, Commissioner, NYS DMV, Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety

I did a survey on LinkedIn on how people find and buy vehicles. The results are here.

People are buying and selling cars online but many sales are still happening at dealerships.

According to the New York International Auto Show, here are the demographics of people who attended and bought cars at the auto show over the last 10 years.

How do you feel about electric vehicles? How do you find and buy vehicles?

Share your thoughts.