Free Republic

Highway guardrails may be no match for heavy electric vehicles (EVs), preliminary test results released Thursday suggest, raising concerns about the nation’s roadside safety system. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility ran a crash test examination using a nearly four-ton 2022 Rivian R1T. When the pickup truck crashed through a metal guardrail and barely slowed down before hitting a concrete barrier, it reportedly came as little surprise to the researchers.

Two big questions (and lots of little ones) are on my mind today. The first big one is, how often is a bill practically unanimous in a state legislature? There’s a bill in California that seeks to ban driverless trucks over 10,000 lbs. Since cargo trucks can usually weigh as much as 80,000 lbs total (that’s counting everything – the vehicle, the cargo, the driver, a full tank of fuel, etc.), this bill covers everything from straight trucks to semi-trailers and similar big rigs. The ban – through at least 2031 – passed the state assembly in Sacramento back in...

Maryland may eventually do away with tollbooths on the state's highways, bridges and tunnels and switch to electronic toll collection. A preliminary report by the Maryland Transportation Authority concluded that converting its seven toll plazas is feasible but would cost as much as $180 million. Transportation officials initiated the study as they look for long-term savings and ways to reduce travel time and increase highway safety. "It's something we're interested in doing. It's something the industry is moving toward. But it's complicated and we're in the earliest stages," said Harold Bartlett, the transportation authority's executive secretary. At least eight states...

Environmental Impacts: An investigation is launched into the possibility of battery fires occurring in crashes involving Government Motors' touted electric car. Industrial policy meets the law of unintended consequences. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced an investigation into the safety of electric cars using lithium batteries, particularly the Chevy Volt, after a battery fire occurred after a side-impact crash test. It has asked other manufacturers who make electric cars or that plan to do so for information on how they handle lithium-ion batteries. The request also includes recommendations for minimizing fire risk. The feds say this is only...

FREMONT – As a firefighter and paramedic, Roy Olsen thought he'd seen it all. That was until the severed head of a pregnant deer crashed through his windshield Tuesday night, leaving him covered in glass and guts. "The head was sitting in the passenger's seat," the 42-year-old Fremont man said Wednesday. The bizarre accident happened around 7:30 p.m. when Olsen was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee north on Route 125 in Brentwood. He was on his way to buy dog food at the Epping Walmart when he said he spotted a deer run across the road in front of a...

Auto Safety: As a Toyota Prius with a stuck accelerator races down a California freeway, no one mourns the victims of the fuel economy standards imposed by Congress. Forced into smaller cars, thousands have died. We can barely imagine the panic felt by James Sikes, 61, as his Toyota Prius accelerated uncontrollably while he drove down Interstate 8 in San Diego County. We can imagine the continuation of the grandstanding by the owners of "government motors" as they further browbeat a competitor of government-run GM and Chrysler. We do not minimize the safety issues here that need to be addressed,...

Fiddling with your iPhone behind the wheel can get you fined across much of the nation. But many states are more than happy to tweet you with up-to-the-minute directions on how to steer clear of a traffic jam. It is a mixed signal that some safety experts and politicians say could be dangerous. At least 22 states that ban texting while driving offer some type of service that allows motorists to get information about traffic tie-ups, road conditions or emergencies via Twitter. "You shouldn't be fiddling around with any kind of electronic gadget in your car while driving," said Minnesota...

Charges pit free speech against highway safety Attorney to work pro bono on pair's defense By Jennifer Golz Staff writer A Downers Grove man believes he is being prosecuted for his political views - and an area attorney has taken his case pro bono. Jeff Zurawski, 39, of Downers Grove and Sarah M. Hartfield, 45, of Naperville were initially charged with disorderly conduct for displaying a banner that read "Impeach Bush and Cheney - LIARS" on May 6 on the Great Western Trail above Interstate 355. But more charges were brought against the two war protesters last week in DuPage...

Cars can kill or maim. Alert cautious drivers can make the difference between life and death. That's the message a safety training program of the California Highway Patrol hopes to drive home to teens and their parents. CHP Officer Ross said the next session of the Start Smart Program is set for mid-February at the Antelope Valley station in Lancaster... Teens comprise 10% of the U.S. population, yet they account for 14% of traffic fatalities nationwide, according to the most recent data available. A report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said teens "learning the...

The new (2003) Hours Of Service Regulations weren't even in effect a full year before the various truck-hating groups began crawling out of the woodwork. The re-revised rules go into effect October 1, 2005. A grace period will extend thru December 31, 2005. Starting January 1, 2006, citations for violations will be issued. I've written this so that "civilians" as well as truckers can fully understand the new rules and the impact they have on highway safety and the economy.

Driving, and the early vehicles people once drove, used to be so uncomplicated. Then somebody came up with the idea to put radios in cars. The rest is automotive history. Now you can cruise down any highway -- or even walk through the mall parking lot -- and glimpse flickering images on video screens supposedly intended to occupy youngsters' minds. But not everybody is screening "SpongeBob SquarePants." Some adults are watching "Bob NoPants." Porn has hit the highway, and parents with young, impressionable children aren't happy. "You're not allowed to have sex in your car, so why are you allowed...

Highway Safety Group Urges States to Slow Down on Cell Phone Bans 8/6/03 10:00:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Barbara Harsha or Christine Linn of the Governors Highway Safety Association, 202-789-0942 WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following are remarks delivered today by the Vice Chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) at a release of new research on distracted driving funded by AAA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. More information about the research is available at http://www.aaafts.org. More information about GHSA's position on distracted driving is available at http://www.ghsa.org. Distracted Driving Press Event August...

Believe it or not, I am EXTREMELY lucky to even be here this morning to post on the FR. Actually I am very lucky to even be in this world. Why? Last night an IDIOT trucker hauling a load of cars and minivans, almost cause me to fatally crash. What happened was that I was on I-95 driving south around 10:45 PM last night here in South Florida when suddenly that truck smacked into the side of my car when he foolishly tried to change lanes too quickly. He had plenty of room in front or behind me but for...