Free Republic

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2007 – What began as a shared love of German cars has morphed through friendship into a passion to honor, educate and entertain servicemembers, Operation Wheels of Freedom’s program director said. Military children receive large-scale Hot Wheels toy cars during an Operation Wheels of Freedom event to honor, entertain and educate servicemembers. Mattel, one of the group’s sponsors, has provided thousands of the toys. Operation Wheels of Freedom courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We are a group of committed car guys who want to do our part to say thanks to the...

By CHRISTINA CRAPANZANO July 5, 2007 Lawmakers in a dozen states are trying to ban drivers from using video games, computers and fax machines in cars in a new wave of driver-distraction legislation. Since January, states including Texas, New York and Arizona have considered bills that would limit the use of car electronics that go far beyond cellphones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Thou shall not drive under the influence of alcohol. Thou shall respect speed limits. Thou shall not consider a car an object of personal glorification or use it as a place of sin. The Vatican took a break from strictly theological matters on Tuesday to issue its own rules of the road, a compendium of do's and don'ts on the moral aspects of driving and motoring. A 36-page document called "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" contains 10 Commandments covering everything from road rage, respecting pedestrians, keeping a car in good shape and avoiding rude gestures while behind...

...The following morning I hit the ground running and made it to Wichita Falls, TX. The weather had turned foul, and on the north end of town I drove into a raging thunderstorm on US Hwy 287. It was one of those classic North Texas thunder-bangers that just lights up the sky with constant lightning and the thunder is so loud you can feel it down in your bones. The wind was brutal, and visibility was reduced to maybe a tenth of a mile...

A motorist in Helsingborg has been ordered to pay back over a quarter of a million kronor in disability benefits after claiming to be blind for a period of ten years. The person in question was caught driving a car on three separate occasions while at the same time receiving benefits totalling 268,000 kronor ($38,500). The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) explained its decision to request reimbursement in a letter to the individual concerned: "While investigating your case in the autumn of 2006, we received information suggesting that you cannot be considered sightless.

Thousands of Washington children will be forced back into car and booster seats next month when a change to state law takes effect. On June 1, children will have to stay in the safety seats until they are at least 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall. Violators face a $112 ticket. About half of all children between 6 to 8 years old will be affected by the change, according to safety advocates. "It's going to be a big challenge for those kids who have been out of the booster seat to get back," said Shawneri Guzman...

Mayor Proposes a Fee for Driving Into Manhattan Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg laid out a series of Earth Day proposals on Sunday at the American Museum of Natural History. By MARIA NEWMAN Published: April 22, 2007 Saying that he would not spend his final term in office “pretending that all is fine,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made a series of Earth Day proposals this afternoon to improve the environment of New York City, including charging a new congestion fee to drivers who come into parts of Manhattan during peak hours during weekdays. The $8 congestion fee was one of 127...

NEW YORK April 20 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday he is considering a plan to reduce traffic by charging a fee to drive in the city's central business districts. "Using economics to influence public behavior is something this country is built on -- it's called capitalism," Bloomberg said. His "congestion pricing" plan, modeled after a similar plan in London, would charge motorists at much as $8 to drive in key business areas, The New York Post reported. Taxicabs would be exempt. The plan would need state approval. Bloomberg did not say Friday how the tariff would...

For years people have debated whether violence in video games is responsible for children engaging in violent behavior. But a study recently published by the American Psychological Association showed that people who play car racing video games are more likely to become reckless drivers and get into accidents. The study was conducted by researchers in Germany and involved questioning about 198 men and women about whether they play car racing video games frequently, according to Reuters. The article said the researchers then studied 68 of the men and found that even if they played one racing game, they were more...

House OKs driving plan for illegal immigrants SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Bill Ketron has a warning for Illinois lawmakers: Be careful about letting illegal immigrants drive. The Tennessee state senator sponsored that state’s 2004 law to create special driving “certificates” for illegal immigrants – an idea being considered in Illinois. Now the program has been suspended, and Ketron is sponsoring legislation to kill it entirely. People used forged documents to obtain the certificates, he said, and some came from other states to fraudulently get certificates then go home and exchange them for regular licenses. “It’s been a disaster,” the Murfreesboro Republican...

CLIFTON — The allegedly drunk driver of an SUV made an obscene gesture at Colorado State Patrol troopers as they tried to stop him on Interstate 70 moments before he plowed at 120 mph into the back of a passenger car and killed two college students, authorities said today. Patrick Strawmatt, 42, a former officer with the Lafayette police department, was jailed for investigation of vehicular homicide and DUI. He had to be extricated from the wreckage and during the process, "He resisted and attempted to spit on" firefighters, patrol Trooper Ron Greasley said. Jennifer Kois of Brighton and Jacob...

Are an "Auto-Bahner" or an "Auto-Matic"? Allstate Insurance Co. sponsored a study of 2,500 automobile owners and came up with five distinct driving personalities. If driving itself does not really excite you, but the car that you drive does, you are probably like 23 percent of those surveyed who were dubbed "Auto-Matics." Auto-Matics, while generally safe and confident drivers, also have been guilty of speeding on occasion. Auto-Matics are likely to feel that the car that they drive is "distinctly styled," "attention-getting," "trendy" and "extravagant." The next most common driving personality, representing 21 percent of the drivers surveyed, were the...

A proposed ban on the use of cell phones while driving bit the dust in a House of Delegates committee late last month. Good riddance. While well-intentioned, it's a misguided sledgehammer approach. [snip] To defend that freedom, there are some simple practices cell phone users can follow: • Keep it short. • Don't dial anything longer than 911 while in motion. • For incoming calls, keep the phone where you can reach it easily, without fumbling. • Except in a dire emergency, don't pull to the shoulder of a closed-access highway to make a call. • Move to the right...

AUGUSTA - A trucker who had a lengthy record of driving offenses before causing a fatal crash on the Maine Turnpike has lost his driver’s license for good, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Wednesday. The state was able to permanently revoke Scott Hewitt’s license because of a finding by investigators that Hewitt was under the influence of marijuana when his tractor-trailer crushed a car on the toll highway in July 2005, Dunlap said. Hewitt, 34, of Caribou, pleaded guilty last month to manslaughter in the crash, which caused the death of Tina Turcotte, 40, of Scarborough. "The death caused...

A controversial new bill would slap smokers with a fine if they light up in cars with kids, an incendiary idea that’s outraged puffers and civil libertarians while gaining speed nationwide. “They are going to come into your home next,” said Gary Nolan, national spokesman for The Smokers Club, Inc. “Will we have the food police issuing tickets if your child’s (weight) is out of wack and you are heading into a Burger King?” Added Dr. Michael Siegel, a Boston University tobacco policy analyst: “This is a disrespect for parental autonomy. We allow parents to let their children play hockey...

Sunday, February 25, 2007I yield to no man in my devotion to multitasking or my aversion to government poking its nanny-state snout into my business, OK? So if I could do something to keep the butt-inski state out of my life, I'd be right there -- especially if I could accomplish another task or two at the same time. But this conservative favors the proposed ban now before the Legislature on using cell phones while driving. I have come to understand the wisdom in Petrula Betsis' definition of multitasking: "screwing up a lot of things all at once." Silly me,...

PHOENIX — People who insist on drinking before they turn 21 could end up walking. Legislation awaiting a House vote would automatically suspend the licenses of minors who are found guilty of possession of alcohol. A first offense would mean 90 days without driving privileges; subsequent violations would require suspension for at least six months — and possibly up to two years. And that's just for having alcohol anywhere. Minors who have been drinking and driving already face a mandatory two-year license loss. Current laws on minors in possession of alcohol cover only those younger than 18. The law allows,...

SANTA FE New Mexico is taking its fight against drunken driving to men's restrooms around the state. The state has ordered 500 talking urinal cakes that will deliver a recorded anti-D-W-I message to bar and restaurant patrons who make one last pit stop before getting behind the wheel. The top of the devices feature the state D-W-I slogan -- "You drink, you drive, you lose." Some Albuquerque bars installed the devices this week. And the state Transportation Department plans to distribute them to Santa Fe bars and restaurants as well as establishments in Farmington, Gallup and Las Cruces. The state...

Scott L. Hanson, 46, a member of the Ridgefield city council, was arrested for drunk driving and hit and run on Dec. 7 at the Ridgefield junction at I-5. A bulletin from the State Patrol said that Hanson was seen by a state commercial vehicle officer at about 4:47 p.m. going past him at a “high rate of speed” on northbound I-205 in the area of NE 134th St. After that, three other citizen reports of Hanson driving erratically on I-5 northbound were called in to dispatch just before Hanson allegedly collided with two other vehicles... Hanson reportedly veered to...

Put down the flute and keep your eyes on the road. And forget about sipping that cup of coffee on the way to work, or smoking a cigarette on the way home. In some states, it could soon be illegal _ if it isn't already. Emboldened by the passage of cell phone bans for drivers in some communities, states are turning their attention to other things that drive motorists to distraction. Vermont lawmakers are considering a measure that would ban eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, "interacting with pets or cargo," talking on a cell phone...

Road warrior specials BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Dec. 1, 1996.) Here's the problem: If you stop 100 people at random and ask them to evaluate their driving ability, every single one will say, ``above average.'' It is a scientific fact that all drivers, including those who are going the wrong way on interstate highways, believe they are above average. Obviously, this is impossible: Some drivers have to be below average. Not me, of course. I am currently ranked fourth among the top drivers in world history, between Mario Andretti and Spartacus. But there...

Steven K. Vanbrunt refused a breath test on Oct. 20 after a police officer pulled him over. Many drivers blow into a Breathalyzer rather than risk automatic revocation of their license. But Vanbrunt, 48, had nothing left to lose. Classified as a habitual offender whose driver's license had been revoked, Vanbrunt was not even supposed to be behind the wheel that night. But there he was in his 1987 Ford F-150, driving so erratically in Cascade Park that two drivers reported him to 911. Vancouver police Officer Stephen Capellas took note of Vanbrunt's bloodshot eyes, flushed face and how he...

For all the nonsense about the love affair between Americans and their cars, people seem to spend a whole lot of time and effort to avoid climbing into a car. Super Stop & Shop's Peapod provides home delivery of groceries. That eliminates one's weekly trip to the grocery store. Get the grocery list online, pick the items, and the food appears in the insulated box outside your house. People can go to Match, Jdate, EHarmony and Match.com to start dating without even heading to a bar. What happened to joining the ski club? What happened to taking night classes? Tennis,...

MADD's new strategy against drunk driving includes efforts to require ignition-locking technology for all convicted drunk drivers and research in advanced vehicle technologies that would unobtrusively prevent drunk driving by locking a car down if a sensor detects an illegal blood alcohol content. Under a broad initiative launched by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), efforts to reduce fatalities caused by drunk drivers might soon include technologies that go well beyond breath sensors to include in-vehicle tissue analysis and hand-eye movement evaluation. While there has been a 40 percent decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities since MADD was founded in 1980, there...

A pay-as-you drive scheme moved a step closer yesterday with the inclusion of plans for pilot road pricing regulations in the Queen's Speech. The Department for Transport refused to rule out the possibility of motorists with gas-guzzlers paying more than those with more environmentally friendly cars. Regional trials will start in five years and the Government hopes to have a national scheme, with drivers possibly paying up to £1.34 a mile to drive on the busiest roads in rush-hour, in place by the middle of the next decade. The reluctance to rule out differential rates was seen by motoring groups...

LONDON (Reuters) - A blind man who was convicted of dangerous driving after he admitted being behind the wheel of a car that touched 35 mph was given a three-month suspended sentence on Monday. Omed Aziz was also banned from driving for three years at Warley magistrates' court in Oldbury, West Midlands. Aziz, 31, who lost his eyes after an explosion in his homeland of Iraq, had been driving by following instructions on where to steer and when to brake from a passenger who himself had been banned from driving. When police stopped the Peugeot 405 in April this year...

Happy with the falling prices at the pump? Fuhgeddaboudit! That’s what economic wiseguy Matt Lauer suggested to viewers of the August 30 “Today” show, even though oil analysts predict falling gas prices this fall and his own network erroneously predicted $3.50-a-gallon gasoline just a few weeks ago. “You’re probably feeling a little better these days when you fill up your car at the gas station,” Lauer admitted as he teased a story by correspondent Kevin Tibbles. The “Today” host conceded that “analysts say prices could keep falling for months to come,” but sought to shoot it down by pointing to...

I'm in the process of teaching my son to drive. We've logged many hours together already (and I have the gray hairs to prove it). How did you learn to drive? How did you teach your kids to drive? Ever have any close calls? When was your first accident? When did you let them drive alone? Share your stories and advice.

A U.S. Army soldier guides 6th Iraqi Army Division soldiers through correct preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS) on a humvee during a driver’s training class. The PMCS training was part of a three-day driver’s training course taught by 16th Engineer Brigade soldiers throughout the month of August. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Ballog Iraqi Army Soldiers Get Behind the Wheel Iraqi Army soldiers attended classes to gain experience in maintaining andoperating humvees, which will eventually be fielded to Iraqi army units. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Ballog CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2006 --...

Allen Park Officer Hit In Crash Caused By Text-Messaging DriverPOSTED: 9:57 am EDT August 28, 2006 A suburban Detroit police officer was injured in an accident caused by a teenage motorist sending a text message on his cell phone. Michigan State Police said a 17-year-old male driver hit the rear of an Allen Park police car, which was policing an earlier crash Sunday afternoon. The crash caused the police car to spin around and hit the officer, who was thrown into the air on an Interstate 94 ramp. The teenage driver, who told police he was text-messaging on his cell...

Eighth Circuit Appeals Court ruling says police may seize cash from motorists even in the absence of any evidence that a crime has been committed. A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that if a motorist is carrying large sums of money, it is automatically subject to confiscation. In the case entitled, "United States of America v. $124,700 in U.S. Currency," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit took that amount of cash away from Emiliano Gomez Gonzolez, a man with a "lack of significant criminal history" neither accused nor convicted of any crime. On May 28, 2003, a...

Junior takes the wheel BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Oct. 8, 1995.) My son is learning to drive. This terrifies me. He's 4 years old. Well, OK, technically he's 15. But from the perspective of the aging parent, there is no major difference between 4 and 15, except that when your child is 4, his motoring privileges are restricted to little toy Fisher-Price vehicles containing little toy Fisher-Price people who are unlikely (although I would not totally rule it out in America) to sue you. Whereas when your child turns 15, the state of...

As prices at the pump continue to rise, drivers are always looking for new solutions for savings. The use of nitrogen is rising in popularity in the Bay area and costs less than a tank of gas. "Fuel savings for an automobile is the highest priority right now, I think," Olin Mott Tires President Rick Mott said. "One of the advantages of nitrogen, of course, is the fuel savings." Race car drivers and airlines have been using it for decades and so are an estimated 10 percent of tire shops around the country. Auto experts said nitrogen is retained in...

MEL Gibson was speeding, drunk and absolutely certain of how this episode would end when he was pulled over and arrested by a police officer in Malibu. Gibson, 50, told Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy James Mee he "owned" Malibu as he was driven, handcuffed, to the Los Hills sheriff's station early on Friday morning, and he would "get even" with him. "I'm going to f--- you," Gibson reportedly said. "You're going to regret you ever did this to me." What followed will cast a shadow over the remainder of the American-born, Australian-raised Gibson's career as one of Hollywood's most...

The following is the complete text of Mel Gibson's statement regarding his arrest for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol: "After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. "I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said...

Are you really a good, conscientious driver, or are your driving habits the behind-the-wheel equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard to everyone else on the road? A recent survey of 10,000 drivers conducted by Hagerty Insurance, a company that insures collector cars, determined the 10 things that exasperate other drivers the most: 10. You're taking a carefree spin down the road when you notice that the car in front of you has its turn signal on ... and on ... and on. Five or 10 miles later, your left eye twitching, you realize the other driver is clueless to the...

If "impairment" is the justification for aggressively pursuing drunk drivers, how come cell phone yakkers get a free pass? Several studies -- including, most recently, one published in the journal Human Factors -- have found that people blathering away on their phones while driving are as functionally addled as boozers in terms of being distracted, inattentive, having slowed reaction times and so on. This goes for hands-free as well as hand-held phones. And yet, there are few repercussions for driving while drunk -- on conversation. Some states have outlawed the use of hand-held phones by a driver in a moving...

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, Calif. How did the bobcat cross the road? In Puente Hills, it's the same way the coyotes, deer and other animals crossed: through the wildlife underpass beneath Harbor Boulevard. The one-point-two million dollar underpass was unveiled on June First to give the animals an alternative to dashing across the boulevard. Researchers say they're surprised that the 20-foot-wide, 160-foot-long tunnel is already well traveled by animals traveling between the Whittier Narrows nature area and the Cleveland National Forest. Even notoriously skittish deer started using the tunnel just a couple weeks after it was built, without incentives like scents,...

Should last week’s joint disqualify a pot smoker from driving today?A police officer pulls you over at a checkpoint and asks, "Have you been drinking?" Assuming he wants to know whether you have consumed alcohol in the last few hours, such that it might be affecting your ability to drive, you say no. "Not at all?" he asks. Well, you admit, you did have a beer the night before, whereupon he arrests you for driving under the influence. If that scenario makes sense to you, you should have no problem with Michigan's new policy regarding driving and drug use. As...

THURSDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Maneuvering through traffic while talking on the phone increases the likelihood of an accident five-fold and is actually more dangerous than driving drunk, U.S. researchers report. That finding held true whether the driver was holding a cell phone or using a hands-free device, the researchers noted. "As a society, we have agreed on not tolerating the risk associated with drunk driving," said researcher Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. "This study shows us that somebody who is conversing on a cell phone is exposing him or herself and...

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) has had one hell of a run. Their success rate is the envy of the activist community; their lobbying for tougher laws and public awareness is largely responsible (or so they will tell you) for reducing alcohol-related traffic deaths since 1982 by a whopping 37 percent. Okay, they give a little credit to the maturation of baby boomers, safer vehicles, airbags and mandatory seatbelt laws. They have captured every flag they initially set out to capture. They got prison sentences for repeat DUI offenders. Flying in the face of the Constitution, they pressured the government...

In Colombia, beauty can kill. Drivers ogling attractive women rather than paying attention to the road are one of the South American country's leading causes of car accidents. Distraction was the No. 1 cause of the 115,000 road accidents in Colombia last year, costing the equivalent of about $250 million Cdn, according to research by the Road Safety Fund, a private organization. The cell phone was the biggest distraction for drivers, accounting for about 10 per cent of all accidents. Second was men staring at women, which accounted for nearly one in 20 crashes. "It's a culture here of drivers...

Kill `em with kindness BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on June 9, 1996.) I got to thinking about courtesy the other day when a woman hit me with her car. I want to stress that this was totally my fault. I was crossing a street in Miami, in a pedestrian crosswalk, and I saw the woman's car approaching, and like a total idiot I assumed she would stop. The reason I assumed this -- you are going to laugh and laugh -- is that there was a stop sign facing her, saying (this is...

As a person who spends a lot of time traveling I have noticed some patterns in driving that differ from time to time depending upon location. However, I did notice that there are generally more driver friendly regions than others. Certain drivers do certain things that make seem to make no sense to me. So, in posting this I need to see if it is me that has unrealistic expectations of driving rules. I am simply interested in posting a fun note that might highlight some idiosyncrasies I have noticed during my travels. Here are the following types of drivers...

Driver Has 18 Times Legal Alcohol Limit By LIUDAS DAPKUS, Associated Press Writer Tue May 23, 8:42 AM ET VILNIUS, Lithuania - Lithuanian police were so astonished when they pulled over a truck driver and his breathalyzer test registered 18 times the legal alcohol limit, they thought their testing device must be broken. It wasn't. Police said Tuesday 41-year-old Vidmantas Sungaila registered 7.27 grams per liter of alcohol in his blood repeatedly on different devices when he was pulled over for driving his truck down the center of a two-lane highway 60 miles from the capital, Vilnius on Saturday. Lithuania's...

The Most Dangerous Foods May 2,2006 By Selena Maranjian We all should know that a package of raw chicken forgotten overnight on a kitchen counter will become a dangerous food. We also likely know that blowfish is risky, able to kill its ingesters if improperly prepared. But a clean, well-made cup of coffee? Dangerous? As it turns out, it's all about where you drink it. The folks at Insure.com, who focus on the exciting arena of insurance, recently released a list of "The 10 Most Dangerous Foods to Eat." Okay, that title actually included these words at the end: "While...

BERLIN (Reuters) - A 53-year-old German woman who was driving her dead mother across country to save on mortuary transportation costs was fined by police for disturbing a dead person's peace. "You're not allowed to transport dead people in your private car," said Ralf Schomisch, police spokesman in Koblenz, where the car was found after a tip-off from a mortuary. "The corpse was on the back seat without a seat belt, which in this case didn't really matter. But it was covered up with clothing. It is a misdemeanour."

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Eight out of 10 crashes involve drivers who are drowsy, chatting on a cell phone, applying makeup or otherwise distracted from the road ahead, according to a government study released yesterday that videotaped people behind the wheel. Reviewing thousands of hours of video and data from sensor monitors linked to more than 200 drivers, researchers found that a wide range of distractions can lead to crashes or near crashes. Reaching for a moving object while driving increased the risk of a crash by nine times, while reading or applying makeup from behind the wheel enhanced the risk...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Those sleep-deprived, multitasking drivers - clutching cell phones, fiddling with their radios or applying lipstick - apparently are involved in an awful lot of crashes. Distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or near-crashes, says a study released Thursday by the government. Researchers reviewed thousands of hours of video and data from sensor monitors linked to more than 200 drivers, and pinpointed examples of what keeps drivers from paying close attention to the road. "We see people on the roadways talking on the phone, checking their stocks, checking scores, fussing with their MP3...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The ringleader of an underground network that shuttled illegal Hispanic immigrants from New Jersey to Tennessee to secure driver's certificates using fake residency documents was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in federal prison. "I did not force anybody to come to this state to get a license," Zeneida Concepcion Rivera, 55, pleaded through a Spanish interpreter. "I was not doing business with these people, I was helping them." The Lakewood, N.J., resident insisted she was providing a service to hardworking undocumented workers who needed one of Tennessee's unique driver's certificates so they could legally drive to their...