Numerology vs. safety
Anti-car activists in California released a report targeting the speed trap law. The speed trap law is much hated because it is effective. In other states city councilors can hand out signs and speed traps like candy to favored constituents. In California the law says speed limits on major urban streets can’t be below the […]
It’s OK when we do it
In Massachusetts, a corrupt police officer stayed out of prison by arguing everybody did it but he was unlucky to get caught. In California, another officer complained about lack of professional courtesy when he was caught transporting illegal immigrants. Heath McAuliffe was one of many in Massachusetts State Police Troop E who lied about making […]
A Professional Sloganeer in Los Angeles
It made national news. Brian Gallagher, public relations engineer for the City of Los Angeles, dumped a giant pile of pretend engineering on the LA City Council. Councilors complained it wasn’t fake enough but approved it anyway. Depending on the spin of your news source you may have read “LA eliminates speed traps” or “baby-killers […]
Vehicle Emissions Standards—Now What?
The long awaited but not too surprising ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week on turning back the Obama era CAFÉ Standards seems to have confused the issue even more. At issue: by 2025, automakers who want to sell new cars to American consumers must boost a corporate average fuel economy (CAFÉ) to […]
Self-Driving Cars without human babysitters hit the California Road in April
In less than a month, California motorists may be in for a surprise when they notice no one is driving the car next to them. In late February, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced that it was eliminating the driverless car test requirement to have a person in the driver’s seat to take […]
Watch Out—You Could be Next!: NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #475
Most people’s interaction with a police officer is usually during a traffic stop. The anxiety and fear that most of us feel when stopped by a police officer makes it worse when we believe we have done nothing wrong or thought we were doing the right thing. Placed in jeopardy of receiving a ticket or […]
NMA Lobbying in DC, Part 2 – License to Steal: NMA E-Newsletter #465
I get annoyed by the overuse of certain clichéd buzzwords and catch phrases in our area of advocacy, terms like “big brother,” “nanny state,” and “taxation by citation” for instance. That isn’t to say that they don’t sneak into the NMA vernacular from time to time. In fact, I used the golden oldie “highway robbery” […]
Car of the Future Blog Recent Post Updates
The NMA Foundation presents The Car of the Future weekly feature: I have been writing the Car of the Future blog for nearly a year now and have been fascinated with the pace of activity in this disruptive sphere. In the past month, I have written three posts that are already in need of an update. The first […]
California says Automakers should not be liable for Autonomous Vehicle Accidents
The NMA Foundation presents The Car of the Future weekly feature: Last week, California regulators embraced a General Motors recommendation that automakers should not be liable for accidents and other trouble autonomous vehicle (AV) owners may face. Basically, the state of California is saying that if you don’t maintain your car to manufacturer specs then you are out […]
Manufacturing violations in Saratoga
The Mercury News described a typical crosswalk sting. Santa Clara County deputies went to Saratoga recently to enforce a law they made up. They say if a deputy steps into the street 90 feet in front of a moving car, the driver must stop. 89 feet, don’t have to stop. 90 feet, have to stop. […]