“These Cameras Are Not a Safety Tool . . .”: NMA E-Newsletter #556
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety took a page out of its own book, and that of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), by issuing a recent report on red-light running with a title designed to send the media into a frenzy. “Red Light Running Deaths Hit 10 Year High” did exactly that. While […]
The Problem of Traffic Cameras in the UK
The traffic cameras in the UK were supposedly installed to increase roadway safety. Whether motorists consider them to be a positive influence or a negative one, they’re now a fixture on many roadways. Whether you spot them at traffic lights or see them while on the motorway, drivers today have to contend with the fact […]
A 4000 Mile Driving Tour of the UK
By NMA New Hampshire Member Jim Burton One of our ‘bucket list’ items has always been to spend a month touring England, Scotland, and Wales. The UK is the land of my ancestors, and my American wife can’t get enough of everything British. Not only is the scenery on this island country stunningly beautiful, but […]
Political Interference in Setting Speed Limits Shouldn’t Happen
From guest writer Ian Tootill, who is co-founder of the grassroots British Columbia motorists advocacy group SENSE BC (or Safety by Education and Not Speed Enforcement). SENSE BC and the NMA are kindred spirits, with SENSE advocating for sensible driving standards for more than 23 years and the NMA for over 36. The issues facing drivers in […]
Predatory Towing Not Just an Inconvenience
This piece originally posted on the NMA website as an NMA E-Newsletter #539 on May 12, 2019. Cities tow cars for many reasons. They are often towed when doubled parked or left in front of a fire hydrant. If there are too many parking tickets, cities will often boot first, and if the driver does […]
Motorists in Court—Latest Court Case Updates from Around the Country: NMA E-Newsletter #544
This time of year, many state legislatures have wrapped up their yearly bills, but courts never stop. Here are just some of the cases we have been tracking. The Colorado Supreme Court recently declared that an alert by a drug-sniffing police dog to detect marijuana and other drugs no longer provides probable cause for a […]
Predatory Towing Not Just an Inconvenience: NMA E-Newsletter #539
Cities tow cars for many reasons. They are often towed when doubled parked or left in front of a fire hydrant. If there are too many parking tickets, cities will often boot first, and if the driver does not pay the tickets in a certain amount of time, the boot comes off, and the vehicle […]
Again, The Lines are Drawn in Ohio: NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #536
In early April, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine approved an $8 billion, two-year transportation budget that included a 10.5 cents-per-gallon gas tax hike and a 19 cent hike on diesel fuel. Raising taxes is always controversial but what has the state’s mayors in a tizzy is something entirely different. When the governor signed off on the […]
Tracking Legislative Activity the NMA Way: NMA –E-Newsletter #533
Today we complete the first full calendar quarter of reporting motorist-related activity that is passing through state and federal legislatures. The NMA Bill/Regulation Tracker (Bill Tracker) was introduced in the Winter 2019 issue of Driving Freedoms and went live on Motorists.org in early January when most states began new legislative sessions. Only three months in […]
On the 2019 Legislative Agenda–Red-Light Cameras: NMA E-Newsletter #526
January and February are the heart of activity for many state legislative sessions across the country. Red-light cameras (RLCs) have certainly been the focus in a number of states. Bills in Colorado, Florida and Illinois are calling for outright bans. Legislators in Texas want to ban new camera programs while allowing existing installations to finish […]