driving

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Jail for UK Driver Who Texted Before Fatal Accident

Woman who slammed into victim at 70 mph said phone wasn't involved

(Newser) - A UK woman who sent more than 20 text messages while driving before crashing into a stopped car and killing another motorist has been sentenced to 21 months in jail, the Times reports. Philippa Curtis, 21, said she was not using the phone when she plowed into Victoria McBryde at...

Want a Traffic Ticket? Buy a Hummer

Drivers of burly SUV 4.63 times more likely than average to get in trouble with law

(Newser) - Hummers and Scion’s tC top a list of cars most likely to receive moving violations, the Los Angeles Times reports. A study links tickets to size and power—the Hummer is one of the biggest “cars” on the road—and driver age, which applies to the Scion, marketed...

Calif. Texting Ban Hits Jan. 1
 Calif. Texting Ban Hits Jan. 1 
Dec 26, 2008 4:45 PM CST

Calif. Texting Ban Hits Jan. 1

(Newser) - California is beefing up its distracted-driving laws, DailyTech reports, with a ban on adults texting while at the wheel going into effect Jan. 1. The state instituted a hands-free law in July, at the same time prohibiting teen drivers from texting and driving; the new law extends to adults, and...

Inauguration Will Overwhelm DC Transport

Even if only 1M show, expect 'a lot of walking, a lot of waiting'

(Newser) - If you’re one of the 2 million to 4 million expected to converge on Washington for Barack Obama’s inauguration, be warned: Neither public transportation nor local roads will be able to handle the influx, the Washington Post reports. With road restrictions and packed subways, “it’s going...

Early On, Holiday Travel Going Smoothly

Few delays reported on roads, airports at start of Thanksgiving rush

(Newser) - Travelers breezed through airport terminals and drivers cruised open roads today, the effects of a sour economy blamed for keeping people closer to home at the start of the annual Thanksgiving rush. Even though gas prices fell and airlines offered last-minute deals, many Americans appeared to be skipping trips this...

Teen Critical After Jumping From Moving SUV on Dare

200 Ill. teens played the stunts-for-cash game

(Newser) - An Illinois grand jury is investigating a scavenger hunt that left a 17-year-old in critical condition after he jumped from a Dodge Durango moving at 25mph. As many as 200 teenagers were apparently competing for cash by performing stunts and videotaping them last Friday. Erik Nava's team was winning the...

Jury Stuck on Britney's State
Jury Stuck on Britney's State
Oct 18, 2008 4:57 AM CDT

Jury Stuck on Britney's State

Traffic trial hinges on whether star counts as Californian or Louisianan

(Newser) - The jury in Britney Spear's traffic trial couldn't reach a verdict yesterday and has retired for the weekend to ponder whether the LA resident counts as a California girl, the Los Angeles Times reports. Spears' lawyer argues the singer, charged with driving without a valid California license, doesn't need one...

Software Blocks Calls While Driving

(Newser) - A new software technology can automatically disable cell phones moving at car speeds, augmenting laws already in place forbidding their use while driving, RealTechNews reports. The developer, Canada's Aegis Mobility, is partnering with Nationwide insurance to offer discounts to adopters. Aegis still needs carrier support but expects the software to...

California Bns Txtng While Driving
California Bns Txtng
While Driving
Sep 25, 2008 1:55 AM CDT

California Bns Txtng While Driving

Reading, sending texts will cost motorists $20

(Newser) - California has become the latest state to outlaw text messaging while driving, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Motorists will be fined a minimum of $20 the first time they are caught reading or writing an electronic message behind the wheel, and $50 for any subsequent offenses.

Immigration Cut in Half in 2007, Census Shows

Economy may have been factor in slowdown

(Newser) - The number of immigrants to the US dropped by half in 2007, with 511,000 new arrivals, compared with about a million every year since 2000, new Census data reveal. Foreign-born numbers fell in 14 states, including longtime entry points like New Jersey and areas newly popular among immigrants, the...

Time to Raise Driving Age?
 Time to Raise Driving Age?
Sep 9, 2008 8:06 PM CDT

Time to Raise Driving Age?

(Newser) - Is 16 too young to drive? A safety group today began a push to encourage states to follow the lead of Japan, China, Russia, and most of Europe by raising the legal age to 18, the Detroit Free Press reports. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for youths...

High Gas Prices Mean Fewer Traffic Deaths

People are changing where, when, and how they drive

(Newser) - The number of traffic deaths may drop this year to their lowest since Kennedy was president—thanks in large part to higher gas prices, the AP reports. As they rose above $3.20 a gallon, fatalities plummeted 22.1% in March and 17.9% in April, a study found. The...

Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%
 Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%
Aug 15, 2008 8:54 AM CDT

Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%

Overall traffic deaths down but motorbike deaths up for 10th year in a row

(Newser) - The number of motorcyclist deaths rose in 2007 for the 10th year in a row, the New York Times reports, jumping 6.6% even as the overall number of vehicle deaths continued to drop. Motorcycle deaths now account for one in eight traffic fatalities, totaling 5,154 last year—a...

In 200 Yards, Tell Your GPS to Shut Up Already

Developers finally realize personality as important as function

(Newser) - GPS voices, for all their helpfulness to drivers, are still obnoxious and humorless. Now, after years of focusing on packing “navbots” with information, developers are realizing that friendliness counts, too, the Washington Post reports. “Personality, from an engineering perspective, is still an afterthought,” one says. “But...

US Driving Continues to Brake
 US Driving Continues to Brake 
Jul 28, 2008 2:57 PM CDT

US Driving Continues to Brake

Americans drove 29.8B fewer miles through May '08 than same span in '07

(Newser) - Driving in the United States continued to drop, the Washington Post reports, with May marking the steepest dip in vehicle-miles traveled for that month in the 66 years statistics have been tallied. Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May 2008 than May ’07; in the first five...

GM Developing Futuristic Windshield

Looking forward to an aging driver, tech would compensate for poor eyesight

(Newser) - America’s driving population is aging, and GM aims to do something to help older motorists: develop a high-tech windshield that compensates for declining eyesight, the AP reports. The system, now in the research phase, uses lasers and infrared sensors to identify hazards in the road—or perhaps the edge...

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars
Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars
Jul 12, 2008 7:30 AM CDT

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars

Study estimates $4 gas will prevent 1,000 deaths a month

(Newser) - The record-breaking gas prices putting the squeeze on American drivers may be a lifesaver for some, reports the AP. Experts crunched 20 years of data and discovered that auto deaths fell 2.3% for every 10% hike in gas prices. When gas went up, people drove slower and bought safer...

Sioux Falls, SD, Is Safest for Driving: Study

Residents wreck once every 14.6 years; DC worst at 5.4 years

(Newser) - Sioux Falls, SD, is the safest US city to drive in for the third year in a row, according to an insurance study. Allstate found that Sioux Falls drivers average an accident only once every 14.6 years, compared to a national average of once every 10, the AP reports....

Hands-Free Phones Still Dangerous Driver Overload

Scientists say any kind of phone use makes for risky driving

(Newser) - California motorists are now banned from using cell phones, but scientists say the move won't make the freeways any safer, reports the Los Angeles Times. Research shows that it is the lack of attention rather than occupied hands that impacts safety, and that drivers chatting on phones with both hands...

States to Motorists: Hang Up
 States to Motorists: Hang Up 
Jun 27, 2008 2:10 PM CDT

States to Motorists: Hang Up

Number of tickets issued soars since states make talking a primary offense

(Newser) - It might be time to get that hands-free cell: Tickets for phone use while driving are skyrocketing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. States are increasingly making yakking behind the wheel a primary offense, meaning police can pull motorists over just for that. California and Washington next week join New York, Connecticut,...

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