Big Bike and Common Sense
By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Editor’s Note: This piece first appeared as NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #578, which was emailed to NMA members on February 9, 2020. If you would like to receive the weekly E-Newsletter, a one-topic dive into an important aspect of motorists’ rights, become an NMA member today! When did traffic safety become […]
6 Ways Seniors Are Driving Safer, Driving Longer
Seniors, like almost everyone else, love to drive. But the fact is as drivers get older, it sometimes becomes harder to drive effectively. For many senior, unwanted changes occur in their ability to drive and perform basic road functions, which can ultimately lead to putting themselves and others in danger. Well, things are taking a […]
Reduced speed traps boost safety in Colorado
A story from Colorado hit my inbox this morning. With fewer speed traps on I-70 near Grand Junction the highway is safer. That’s not what the reporter wants us to believe, but it’s at least as true as the conclusion he drew. Here are the facts. The road had seen “some pretty graphic accidents” so […]
Who Gets The Ticket?
What happens when the driver isn’t “speeding,” but the car is? Who gets the ticket? It’s a question bound to come up soon in traffic court given the fact that some new cars—like Sammy Hagar back in the day—can’t drive 55. Or rather, a driverless car can be tricked into driving 85 when the speed limit is […]
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 […]
Slow Going
If speed kills, why are people always in such a hurry to get to the hospital? It seems to be the only time they’re in a hurry. American drivers are marinated in the doctrine that any motorized movement, not just acceleration, that doesn’t emulate the movements of a Galapagos tortoise is necessarily dangerous. This is based on […]
The Unintended Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
Driverless cars have not yet attained acceptance all over the world. The big companies like Alphabet’s Waymo are attempting to make driverless cars a reality. With the development of driverless cars, it is clear that driverless or autonomous cars/vehicles (AVs) can be harmful to humans in distinct ways. Not Affordable For All AVs will be […]
Driving in America: An Out-of-State Speeding Ticket –Has this Happened to You?
The NMA Office receives numerous calls throughout the year from members asking how to defeat a speeding ticket they happened to receive driving in another state. Unfortunately, these are rather difficult to fight because many small towns and counties target out-of-state drivers. After all, authorities know they won’t come back to fight the ticket. Ticketing […]
Minding Your Mood and your Eyeballs
Memory seats are nice. But how about mood minders? In-car sensors that assess your state of mind via eye movements, facial expressions, gestures — even your rising (or falling) heartbeat — and adjust the car accordingly? Some of this is already here. Some new cars come standard with “drowsy driver” monitoring systems. Cameras embedded in the dash […]
Remnants of Sanity: NMA E-Newsletter #577
Amidst the national movement by transportation planners and Vision Zero proponents to restrict driving, true believers who have never seen a car or motorist they like–speed kills, you know–we occasionally stumble upon remnants of a saner world. Those moments of clarity are probably more common than you might think if you follow the media headlines. […]