5 Ways to Stop Distraction on the Road
Distracted driving is dangerous. Of that, there is no doubt. Over 3,000 people died in 2019 from distracted drivers. However, the road itself can be distracting. Indeed, with the accessibility of mobile technology always in reach, there is no end to distractions. In fact, the best way to stop distractions on the road is to […]
Snow Driving: What They Don’t Teach
The Safety Cult wants you to be afraid of driving in the snow. It wants you to rely on “technology” rather than skill to get through the snow. It’s why so many people can’t deal with driving in the snow. A counter-intuitive way to make the point is to point out one of the most capable-in-snow vehicles […]
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 […]
Christine, for Real
Do you remember the horror flick Christine? It was about a self-driving ’58 Plymouth Fury that liked to run people over. Body by Plymouth. Soul by Satan. What unholy spirit animates “self-driving” Teslas? And who is responsible when one of these “Christines” runs over someone? According to the felony manslaughter charges just filed against Los Angeles limo driver Kevin […]
The USDOT, Speed Cameras, and Automated Corruption: NMA E-Newsletter #683
It didn’t take long after Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation Secretary, introduced his department’s 42-page National Roadway Safety Strategy for people to grasp the importance of a tiny sentence buried in Note 3 on Page 28 of the report: “Promote speed safety cameras as a proven safety countermeasure.” Protestations emanated from as far away as the […]
And So It Begins—Vision Zero from the Top Down: NMA E-Newsletter #682
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced that his department wants to drastically reduce deadly traffic accidents through vehicle and street design changes. The USDOT also plans to use $14 billion in funding from the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill to encourage the states to make extensive use of speed cameras to enforce lowered […]
More Speed Cameras, Lower Speed Limits, More Surveillance
By Lauren Fix, Car Coach Reports Does the infrastructure bill have another hidden surveillance initiative? Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg uses the infrastructure spending plan to promote speed cameras nationwide! The DOT has received $6 billion to issue grants to help cities and towns with road safety due to the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that Congress passed. […]
Traffic Safety is the Responsibility of All – Not Just Motorists
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in December 2021 as NMA E-Newsletter #674. Subscribe today if you would like to receive NMA’s one-topic E-Newsletter every Sunday! In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB122, a bill that would have enabled bicyclists to utilize the Idaho Stop (using stop signs as […]
Roads Might Be Dicier than Usual this Winter
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in December 2021 as an NMA Weekly E-Newsletter. The situation in many states has not changed and with the current polar vortexes that continue to plague the US, it probably won’t improve this winter. If you would like to subscribe to the NMA’s […]
The Best Satire Mirrors Reality: NMA E-Newsletter #680
Omeleto released a video in March 2021 that describes a utopian society where citizens are programmed to spy on each other. It is brilliant and disturbing. One vignette depicts a man blowing desperately into a breathalyzer device telescoping from the steering wheel of his vehicle to start it. The developers were prescient. Later that same […]