Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway 550 Between Ouray and Silverton, Photo Taken by Mike McBey (cc by 2.0)
1. National Focus
2. Top Regional and Local Headlines
3. Motorist Corner
4. Best from Auto Press
5. Opinion
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National Focus
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced this past week that it will ask the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to put breathalyzer devices in all new vehicles. Here are the various headlines that might be of interest:
- NTSB wants all new vehicles to use in-car Surveillance to check drivers for alcohol use (ABC News)
- NTSB Wants All New Vehicles to Check Drivers for Alcohol Use (Transport Topics)
- NTSB recommends technologies to curb drunk driving and speeding in new vehicles (WDJT/CNN)
- NTSB wants alcohol detection systems installed in all new cars in US (ArsTechnica)
- Your car should be able to tell if you’re too drunk or impaired to drive, NTSB says (The Verge)
- NTSB wants all new vehicles to check drivers for alcohol use (AP News)
- NTSB wants new vehicles to be equipped to monitor drivers’ blood alcohol levels (NY Daily News)
- Government Inches Closer to Mandatory Breathalyzers, Driver Monitoring (The Truth About Cars)
Gas Prices Continue to Dominate Driving News:
- Gasoline’s 98-Day Slide Ends With Modest Price Hike (Transport Topics)
- Oil prices down, investors expect big Fed rate hike (Reuters)
- 5 Factors that Could be Affecting your Fuel Economy (Gas Buddy)
- Gas prices: Keeping an eye on Hurricane Ian (Autoblog)
- Gas Prices Disconnect Surges as Some States see Spike, Others Continue Falling (Gas Buddy)
- Like lower prices at the pump? Don’t get too used to them, experts warn (Chicago Daily Herald)
- Diesel price decline hits third consecutive weeks (Landline)
- Key diesel prices down to levels not seen since March (FreightWaves)
Policing is once again in the News:
- Democrats Strike Deal to Boost Funding for Police (Route-Fifty)
- Mayors and Law Enforcement React to Police Funding Package (Route-Fifty)
- Institute of Justice Fights Underhanded Expansion of Qualified Immunity (Institute of Justice)
- When the police themselves use Waze to locate themselves and reduce the speed of a road (Gear Rice)
Here is some Interesting Auto Industry News This Week:
- Auto suppliers feel the green squeeze as carmakers get clean (Reuters)
- Auto Suppliers Raising Prices for Ford and Beyond (NADA)
- Hertz is teaming up with oil giant BP to install thousands of EV chargers in the US (CNBC)
- Kia and Hyundai Are Being Sued Because Viral TikToks Showed How Easy It Is to Steal Their Cars (VICE)
- Tesla just recalled one-third of all the cars it’s ever produced (Fast Company)
- Kia Sorento and Sportage recalled over tow hitch fire risk (Autoblog)
- Automakers tackle patent hurdle in quest for in-car tech (Auto News Europe)
- NACTO Pushes Back as Big Auto Seeks Safety Exemption for Driverless Cars (Streetsblog USA)
Auto Tech Watch Driving News This Week:
- US Vice President Kamala Harris pledges to consult South Korea over EV subsidy concerns (Autoblog)
- NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy calls out ‘27 years of inaction’ on V2X (Traffic Technology Today)
- All 50 States Get Final OK to Build Highway EV Charging Network (Transport Topics)
- Autonomous Vehicles Require Autonomous Roads (Forbes)
- Self-driving cars’ benefits, perils outlined in new report (Smart Cities Dive)
- California’s Power Problems Should Serve as Warning for Washington (The Chronicle)
- To ensure access to electric cars, some activists are calling attention to ‘charging deserts’ (Grist)
- Don’t let flying taxis be the next scooters, city planners warn (Smart Cities Dive)
- Flying taxi ordered by American Airlines completes first test flight ( Autoblog)
Hydrogen Fuel had a big week:
- Department of Energy opens $7B hydrogen hub funding opportunity, issues draft production standard (Construction Dive)
- Seven Midwest states (IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, OH, WI) enter hydrogen coalition (The Center Square)
- Multiple Efforts Underway to Mainstream Hydrogen Fuel (Transport Topics)
- New Hydrogen Fuel Cell More Efficient Than Diesel Engine (MIT Tech news)
Infrastructure Watch is never Boring:
- House committee to examine effects of infrastructure law (Landline)
- House Republicans Slam Buttigieg Over Infrastructure Law Rollout (Route-Fifty)
- Why the Infrastructure Permitting Reform Debate Isn’t Going Away Anytime Soon (Route-Fifty)
- The Emerging Concerns Over the Infrastructure Law Rollout (Route-Fifty)
- What the Inflation Reduction Act Will — And Won’t — Do For Sustainable Transportation (Streetsblog USA)
- The Disappearing Art Of Maintenance (Noema)
Trucking Industry Headlines Heated Up This Week:
- EPA Considering Tougher Emission Rules for Big Trucks (The Truth About Cars)
- Senators Promote Truck Parking Access (Transport Topics)
- Senate Confirms Robin Hutcheson as FMCSA Administrator (Transport Topics)
- Moving Grain: FHWA Invests $10Mln To Reduce Highway, Port Congestion (AG Fax)
- Trucking caught in crossfire of Fed’s war on inflation (FreightWaves)
- OOIDA to focus on Commerce Clause in AB5 lawsuit (Landline)
- Truck Safety Coalition releases top states for big-rig-related crash fatalities (The Trucker)
- How Truckers Ranked the 18 Busiest Interstate Highways (Transport Topics)
- FMSCA project to assess effectiveness of entry-level driver training regs (Landline)
- FMCSA to recruit truck drivers for autonomous vehicle study (FreightWaves)
War on Cars (and Trucks) Continues Unabated:
- How Surging Pickup and SUV Sales Are Undermining Carbon Reductions From EVs (Streetsblog USA)
- It’s Time for Cities to Ditch Delivery Trucks—for Cargo Bikes (Wired)
- Four Reasons Not to Celebrate NHTSA’s New Fatality Numbers (Streetsblog USA)
- Community involvement needed in traffic safety strategies, Vision Zero manager says (Smart Cities Dive)
- Streetsblog USA: The Internal-Combustion Car Did Us a Favor (Streetsblog California)
Other National Driving News Headlines:
- USDOT Announces $6.5 Million Funding Opportunity for Innovative Projects That Improve Bus Safety (USDOT)
- New research shows that 1 in 4 adults in the United States suffers from transportation insecurity (Washington Center for Equitable Growth)
- Massachusetts, Washington State confirm plans to end gas car sales by 2035, following California (Smart Cities Dive)
- Roadway Fatalities Projected to Decline According to NHTSA (Roads and Bridges)
- Traffic is coming back to downtowns across America (Axios)
- Study: Downtown Congestion is Still Down — And It Could Help Explain Roadway Dangers (Streetsblog USA)
- 34 Percent of Drivers Support Ban on ICE Vehicles by 2030 (Autoweek)
- ‘Robo-lawyers’ are Coming. Are States Ready? (Route-Fifty)
- Hertz Arrests Still Happening Despite New CEO Calling Them Out (Jalopnik)
- Lake Michigan border states agree to create 1,100-mile scenic byway (WBBM 780)
Other International Driving News Headlines:
- Europe should copy US EV subsidies, France says (Auto News Europe)
- An Australian driver’s courtesy horn beep might lead to a hefty fine (TDPEL Media)
- Volvo Teaching Driverless Cars to Avoid ‘Flying Kangaroos’ for Australian Market (Body Shop Business)
- Oldest Speedway in Western Canada Shuts Down After 68 Years (The Drive)
- China Threatens Legal Action Over U.S. Proposal to Make EV Batteries Here (Jalopnik)
- Beijing bus drivers to have their ’emotions tracked’ by government using AI bracelets (Daily Star UK)
- Cabinless Self-Driving Trucks Hit the Road in Germany (IOT World)
- South Korea has ambitious plans to have 50% of cars autonomous by 2035 (TweakTown)
- Highways without speed limits: measures proposed by the new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss (World Nation News)
- Thousands of UK drivers ‘caught out by stealth change in speeding rule’ (Yahoo News/The Times)
For a daily dose of motorist rights news, check out the NMA Driving News Feed today!
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Top Regional and Local Headlines
California
- California’s latest power grid problems are just the beginning (Politico)
- California EV Drivers Should Shift to Public, Work Charging (Governing)
- California doesn’t want OOIDA allowed into next steps in CTA’s AB5 lawsuit (FreightWaves)
- OOIDA permitted to intervene in renewed AB5 legal battle in California (FreightWaves)
- California’s top cop sends message to sheriffs statewide: Nobody is above the law (Los Angeles Times)
- Motorists Vote 2022: Los Angeles County locales pursue new road revenue (Landline)
- California Voted for Cheaper Uber Rides. It May Have Hurt Drivers (Wired)
- Tesla countersues California agency behind race discrimination lawsuit (Autoblog)
- Oakland: Abandoned Cars Cause Crime, Not Just Blight (Governing)
- Pasadena begins process to heal ‘scar’ known as the ‘710 stub’ (San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
- San Diego leaders strip ‘road charge’ on drivers from $160B transportation vision (San Diego Union Tribune)
- San Francisco’s Proposed E-Scooter Ultimatum: No Sidewalks or No Scooting (Route-Fifty)
- How San Francisco Is About to Take Police Surveillance to the ‘Next Level’ (The San Francisco Standard)
- San Francisco police get real-time access to private cameras (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Cruise’s Self-Driving Cars Keep Blocking Traffic in San Francisco (The Drive)
- Caltrans Continues Widening, This Time with South San Francisco (Streetsblog San Francisco)
- San Jose, CA limits use of license plate data (San Jose Spotlight)
District of Columbia Area
- Here’s what I-66 drivers paid Monday during the first tolled commute (Washington Post)
- DC Council Mulls Adding Points for Automated Traffic Violations (Washington Informer)
- Never right on red? DC closer to passing ban on red light turns (WUSA)
Georgia
- Georgia Senator urges electric car tax credit ‘flexibility’ (Autoblog)
- Electric vehicle charging stations to become much easier to find in Georgia (Yahoo News/WSBTV)
- Is This Atlanta Streetcar ‘The Worst Transit Project of All Time’? (Reason)
- Fulton, GA schools to get license plate readers (Axios Atlanta)
Hawaii
- The state of Hawaii is confident red light cameras are legal. They’ll likely face legal challenges anyway (Hawaii News Now)
- 14 red-light ticket cameras will be installed at Honolulu intersections (Hawaii Public Radio)
- Here are the first 2 sites on Oahu where the state plans to install red light cameras as part of pilot (Hawaii News Now)
- Raised crosswalks coming to various Oahu neighborhoods in effort to improve safety (Hawaii News Now)
Illinois
- Illinois Editorial: Governor Pritzker, don’t follow California in banning gas-powered car sales (Chicago Tribune)
- Chicago Police Encrypt Radios Amid Transparency Concern (GovTech)
- Chicago Op-Ed: Ankle monitors for DUI, traffic cases are creating private profit with little transparency (Chicago Tribune)
- Illinois State Senator Emil Jones III Facing Federal Bribery Charges Tied to Red-Light Camera Investigation (NBC Chicago)
- Powerful Illinois Politician Responds To Photo Enforcement Bribery Charge (TheNewspaper)
Massachusetts
- A Bridge Too Far: Sagging Investment Leaves 644 Massachusetts Bridges Structurally Deficient (Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center)
- Editorial: Massachusetts road rules seem designed to be broken (Lowell Sun)
- Traffic Disruption MA: Boston making some street changes, bike lanes permanent following Orange Line shutdown (CBS Boston)
Michigan
- Ann Arbor, MI narrowing Huron Parkway lanes to slow down cars (Michigan Live)
- Michigan DOT enters 5-year partnership to build first public in-road EV charging system in Detroit (Click on Detroit)
- Michigan: Protestors call Ypsilanti Township license plate reader plan ‘mass surveillance’ (Michigan Live)
Nebraska
- Bellevue, NE Police explain use, benefit of new License Plate Cameras (KETV)
- Traffic Disruption NE: Omaha City Council commits to downtown bike lane – but where will it go? (KPTM)
- Omaha bike lane partner withdraws from collaboration after pilot project terminated (WOWT)
New York
- NYC Congestion Pricing Debate: Buses reduce congestion, but should they be exempt from new tolls? (North Jersey Online)
- Mayor Eric Adams says NYC being railroaded into congestion pricing backed by Governor Kathy Hochul (NY Post)
- Congestion pricing faces more criticism, MTA chief defends plan (NY1)
- Traffic Disruption NYC: ‘Get Stuff Done’ Mayor Far Behind on his Vow to Fix 1,000 Intersections (Streetsblog NYC)
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams Announces Community Outreach for Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Improvement (City & Land NYC)
- Privatizing police duties could save cities like NYC hundreds of millions to focus on crime: study (NY Post)
- The ‘Surveillance Solutionism’ of Putting Cameras in NYC Subways (Wired)
- Schenectady, NY to discuss lowering speed limit to 25 (ABC Schenectady)
Ohio
- Ohio Supreme Court Says There’s Nothing Wrong With Cops Seizing A $31,000 Truck Over $850 Criminal Offense (TechDirt)
- Big changes ahead for Ohio Turnpike (The Courier)
- Plans stall for speed cameras near Youngstown, OH schools (The Vindicator)
Oregon
- Seeing Red: Medford, OR man plans lawsuit over city’s red-light cameras (Medford Mail Tribune)
- Medford, OR Police Launch New Drone Response Team (GovTech)
- West Linn wants more communication from Oregon DOT, region-wide tolls to launch at same time (Pamplin Media)
South Carolina
- South Carolina Supreme Court drops the ball on asset forfeiture reform (Reuters)
- South Carolina Libertarians Blast Court Ruling On Civil Asset Forfeiture (FITS News)
- City leaders looking to lower speed limits in Columbia, SC neighborhoods (WLTX)
Texas
- Austin, TX Seeks Federal Funds for Safer Streets (Austin Chronicle)
- Austin Transit Partnership passes $90.6 million budget on its own (KXAN)
- Vision Zero Watch Texas: Austin transportation leaders improving high-crash intersections across city (CBS Austin)
- Free, driverless prescription drug delivery set to roll out in Houston (Houston CultureMap)
Washington State
- Washington State: I-90 traffic woes continue; many furious over construction planning (KIRO)
- Seattle Lawmakers Abandon Plan to Defund Police Department (Officer.com)
- That new tolled expressway to the Port of Tacoma, WA? It’s under construction along I-5 (The News Tribune)
Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Regulators Approve Programs to Manage EV Charging (GovTech)
- Bureaucracy is a barrier as Wisconsin cities try to curb deadly driving on urban highways (WTMJ)
- Green Bay City, WI Council to voted to expand license plate reader cameras (WBAY)
Other Regional and Local Driving News Headlines
- Mobile, AL Scooter Launch Skids to a Stop Without Agreement (GovTech)
- Drivers could see more lowered speed limits in Fayetteville, AR (ABC 11)
- Federal and AZ officials ask judge to toss lawsuit challenging proposed Interstate 11 (KJZZ)
- This three-mile stretch of I-10 is Arizona’s most ‘dangerous’ for crashes (NBC Phoenix)
- Colorado’s I-25 South Gap project near completion–start of tolls down the road (KOAA)
- Connecticut to Receive $52M for EV Charging Network Expansion (GovTech)
- Polk County, FL: Polk Parkway converting to fully electronic tolling (ABC Action News)
- Department of Transportation approves $25 million interchange south of Sioux City (KTIV)
- Idaho Transportation Board approves ‘unprecedented’ FY2023-2029 transportation plan (Transportation Today News)
- Indiana Police Departments Launch New Apps to Fight Crime (GovTech)
- Kentucky declares ‘KenTRUCKy Day’ ahead of new Ford Super Duty reveal (Autoblog)
- Baton Rogue, LA Metro Council could re-evaluate city-parish red-light camera program (WBRZ)
- Montgomery County, MD still a long way from ‘Vision Zero’ goal (WTOP)
- Minnesota Closes Out One AV Shuttle Project, Opens Two More (GovTech)
- Minnesota and Its Long Road to Electric Vehicle Transition (Governing)
- ShotSpotter Contract Clears Durham, NC City Council (GovTech)
- PennDOT moving forward with I-80 bridge projects in Clarion, Jefferson counties without tolling (The Courier Express)
- Judge Rules RI Truck Tolling System Must End Within 48 Hours (US News)
- Trucking Interests Get Rhode Island’s Bridge Toll System Blocked (Bloomberg Law)
- One VA County’s Solution to Controversial Confederate Road Names: Switch to Numbers (Route-Fifty)
- Manassas Park, VA boosts police, firefighter pay with traffic-camera fees (Prince William Times)
Motorist-Related Legislation Headlines
- California’s newest housing law: Abolishing some parking mandates (CalMatters)
- California Introduces Strict New Laws for Auto Parts (The Truth About Cars)
- Catalytic converter theft is a huge problem. Will legislation signed by Gavin Newsom help? (Sacramento Bee)
- Governor Charlie Baker returns ‘confusing’ Massachusetts road safety bill (Berkshire Eagle)
- Massachusetts governor hits pause button on bill that includes rule for side underride guards (Landline)
- Michigan Rolls Back Reforms of Civil Asset Forfeiture (Reason)
- PA Legislation would require drivers to pay outstanding tolls for vehicle registration (Fox43)
- RI House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi expects state to appeal truck toll decision (WPRI)
Check out the NMA State Pages today!
Motorist Corner
On the Driving in America Blog, Week Four of NMA’s Driver Courtesy Month 2022 and Precious Metal, from NMA Blogger Eric Peters.
Here is the next edition of the Traffic Law Blog: Is a DUI a Criminal Offense in the State of Georgia?
The Car Coach, Lauren Fix, had two vlog posts on the NMA Blog:
- Is the Car Bubble about to Burst?
- Millions of Electric Car Batteries Retiring by 2030, Could Be Ticking Time Bombs
Eric Peters also gave us his take on the 2022 Mercedes S-Class.
If you have written and had posted a motorist rights advocacy letter-to-the-editor or find a news story where the NMA is mentioned, please send us the link via email nma@motorists.org. Here are some links of interest: the NMA website, NMA Issues Pages, and the NMA Blog. Check them out today!
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Best from Auto Press
- Silent Running: Why EVs Won’t Save the Planet … Yet (MotorTrend)
- Why Flooded-Out Cars Are Likely Total Losses (Consumer Reports)
- The history and magic of the great American family road trip (Deseret News)
- Installing a New Steering Wheel and Shift Knob Can Transform Any Car’s Driving Experience (The Drive)
- This Formula 1 Newsletter Is for All the Women Who Watch Racing (Jalopnik)
- The Little-Known Story of the Women Who Stood Up to General Motors and Demanded Equal Pay (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Forget chips, Ford is running out of its Blue Oval badges (Autoblog)
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Opinion
Community Speed Watch: Is it Snitching or Driver Education Part 2—Readers Respond
We had varied responses to the September 11th NMA E-Newsletter #713 on the new community speed watch program (read here), in Green Bay, WI. . .
(click on title for full op-ed)