What’s Up with Philly?
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared as the cover story in the Winter 2022 Edition of the National Motorists Association’s quarterly magazine Driving Freedoms. If you would like to receive our magazine, please become a member of the NMA today! The City of Brotherly Love seems anything but when […]
“Assistance” Technology
Idiot proofing is now out in the open. It’s just called something else to make the idiots feel better about it. The car manufacturers style this idiot-proofing “assistance” technology–usually “advanced.” Sometimes, “intelligent” because they regard you as not. There is nothing wrong with seeking assistance when you need it. Disabled people, for instance, often need assistance getting up […]
Should 18-year-olds Drive a Big Rig? NMA E-Newsletter #685
The minimum age to obtain a commercial driver’s license and drive a tractor-trailer within state boundaries is 18 in all states. Federal guidelines require the driver of 18-wheelers to be at least age 21. That appears to be changing. With the passage of the November 2021 $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment Act, Congress requires the Federal […]
Crime Isn’t the Only Thing That Doesn’t Pay
By NMA President Gary Biller Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in October 2021 as NMA E-Newsletter #668. If you would like to subscribe to the weekly one-topic newsletter that comes to your inbox on Sunday mornings, please click Here. Care to hazard a guess on how much money the city of Los Angeles […]
When “Driver Assistance” Doesn’t Work
Almost every new car comes standard with various driver “assistance” technology such as Brake Assist, Lane Keep Assist, and Park Assist. New forms of “assistance” propagate with each new model year and sometimes sooner. It raises questions about people’s competence to drive without such “assistance,” especially when such “assistance” becomes unavailable. This happens for the same basic […]
Should Bikelash be Over?: NMA E-Newsletter #675
Even before the pandemic, bike lanes were springing up all over the country in cities large and small. Most motorists weren’t happy, mainly because fewer travel lanes typically translated into longer trips through congested traffic. During the pandemic, the rate of cities building bike lanes and banning cars on streets rose dramatically. The anti-car crowd […]
You Have Trouble Parking? At Least, You’re Not a Trucker
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as an NMA Weekly E-Newsletter in August 2021. If you would like to subscribe to the one-topic newsletter that arrives in the inbox every Sunday morning, click here. We need truckers—these men and women crisscross the country to bring goods to shelves everywhere, and without them, our economic engine […]
The Effort to Dictate How We Live
By Gary Biller, NMA President Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as an NMA Weekly E-Newsletter in August 2021. If you would like to receive the one-topic newsletter every Sunday, subscribe HERE. While we have warned about the Vision Zero and Complete Streets mission to force people out of their cars in many previous writings, […]
Crime Isn’t the Only Thing That Doesn’t Pay: NMA E-Newsletter #668
Care to hazard a guess on how much money the city of Los Angeles has raked in from traffic and parking enforcement during their last five fiscal years, which end each June 30th? If your estimate is more than half a billion dollars, you are getting warm. During those five years, Los Angeles collected more […]
Driver Courtesy Month—Parking Lot Etiquette
Welcome to Driver Courtesy Month! This blog is part three of our month-long series on Driver Courtesy. Check out Part 1 and Part 2! Don’t forget to take the online quiz Are You a Courteous Driver? Courteous driving is safe driving and this is especially important in parking lots. The mantra of courteous driving is […]