Icy California Highway 44, Photo by Jenni Jones , Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 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 Driving News Headlines are winding down for 2022. The NMA’s National Office staff wishes everyone a Happy Holiday Season and please be safe out there!
Traffic safety dominated the headlines this week.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released a study that claims more than half of all serious traffic accidents involve drugs or alcohol.
Winter has arrived and grieving parents from Chicago warn that packed snow at the side of elevated roads can be deadly.
Gas Prices Still Claim one of the top Spots on the Driving News Headline Heap
- Biden administration to buy 3 million barrels of oil to replenish reserves (The Hill)
- Diesel Drops 15.8¢ to Reach $4.596 a Gallon (Transport Topics)
- Oil industry faces end of the road in California regardless of Governor Gavin Newsom penalty on profits (Politico)
- Gas Prices Won’t Drive EV Demand, Battery Prices Will (GovTech)
Police Headlines Continue to also Dominate
- Bill to Help Fund Police De-escalation Training Passes Congress (Officer)
- Armed Robots On Pause With San Francisco Police—But Another Force in Nigeria Just Took Delivery (Forbes)
- ACLU: It’s Simply Too Dangerous to Arm Robots (ACLU)
- Ending Police Fusion Center Abuses (Brenan Center for Justice)
Auto Industry Headlines are as Varied as Ever
- As many as 10 Hyundai plants are being investigated for child labor (Autoblog)
- Child workers found throughout the Hyundai-Kia supply chain in Alabama (Reuters)
- The US is finally investing in domestic chip production—will it make a difference? (Fast Company)
- Ford Settled Several Truck-Rollover Lawsuits Before $1.7B Verdict, Expected To Argue Favoring Super Duty Trucks (Yahoo Finance)
- NHTSA to investigate Hertz for allegedly renting recalled cars (Autoblog)
- Porsche Fires Up Production of eFuel, Made from Water in Chile (Car and Driver)
- This Is Why Stellantis Is Moving Jeep Cherokee Production To Mexico (HotCars)
Auto Safety Must Always be a Concern:
- NHTSA Questions Automakers In Light Of Potentially Lethal Airbags (Car Scoops)
- Why are women more likely to be injured in a car crash than men? (GovTech)
- GM’s Cruise Autonomous Vehicles under Investigation after Crashes (Car and Driver)
- Chevrolet recalls 2,100 Malibu sedans over bad impact bar welds (Autoblog)
- GM recalls more than 825,000 vehicles in US and Canada for daytime running lights that may stay on (Auto News)
- Ram recalls 1.4 million trucks for tailgates that could pop open (Autoblog)
- Stellantis urges owners to fix Takata airbags after another fatality (Autoblog)
- Subaru announces recall for 271,000 SUVs in the US (EconoTimes)
Auto Tech Watch Headlines This Week:
- IIHS Reports Three More Vehicle Manufacturers Fulfill Pledge to Make Autobrake Systems Nearly Universal (CollisionWeek)
- The self-driving era is here, the question is what comes next (Moose Jaw Today)
- EVs, Building Emissions Among Biden’s Sustainable Energy Priorities (Route-Fifty)
- EV tax credit complexity pressures deadlines on US Treasury rule-writing (Reuters)
- US Senator Joe Manchin says Treasury should limit commercial EV tax credit use (Autoblog)
- US lawmakers want Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to speed deployment of connected vehicles (Reuters)
- Auto executives are less confident in EV adoption than they were a year ago (CNBC)
- IIHS Evaluating Crash Test Equipment to Tackle Heavy EVs (The Truth about Cars)
- Maker of Flying Electric ‘Cars’ Prepares for Take Off (AutoWeek)
- Tiny Cars, Big Opportunity (Bloomberg CityLab)
The Headlines are Rather Grim if you are Trying to Buy a Vehicle:
- Fuel Economy Is Getting Better, But Car Buying Habits Are Getting Worse (The Drive)
- How to Buy a New Car in Today’s Challenging Market (Consumer Reports)
- Used-Car Prices Are Falling, but Buying Is Still a Challenge (Consumer Reports)
- The Newest Supply Chain Issue Is…Title Paper? (AutoWeek)
- Car subscriptions are starting to challenge ownership, renting, and leasing (Consumer Affairs)
- Odometer Tampering on Used Cars Is Rolling Higher These Days (Car and Driver)
Trucking Industry News hits Home:
- EPA introduces stringent new truck engine emission rules (Autoblog)
- EPA rule will drive small-business truckers out of industry, OOIDA says (Landline)
- New federal legislation provides bathroom access for truck drivers (FreightWaves)
National Driving News Headlines:
- New Report Uncovers Hidden Tax on Justice in Nearly All 50 States (Fines and Fees Justice Center)
- The Many Ways Bad Policy Worsens Your Daily Commute (CATO)
- Remote Work Flipped the Commuting Script. Now Transit Must Adapt (GovTech)
- FHWA chief approved to guide spending $350 billion on infrastructure (Landline)
- DOT to provide $1.5 billion for hard-to-fund transportation projects (Smart Cities Dive)
- When Buses Are Free But Trains Aren’t (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Nearly 30 Years After the ADA, Transit Agencies Awarded Federal Money to Make Stations More Accessible (Route-Fifty)
- Study: Immigrants and people seeking abortions at risk through new license plate–reading tech (Real Change News)
- A City’s Assets, Reimagined (Governing)
- Uber Won’t Exist In 5 Years. This Is Why (Newsbreak)
- Activist Group Calls For The Mass Deflation Of SUV Tires (Motorious)
International Driving News Headlines:
- Motorists Free Themselves From Speed Cameras In France, Italy, Spain (TheNewspaper)
- Overspeeding Motorists In Austria Could Get Their Cars Sold By The State (Ride Apart)
- Ticket Cam Alert Canada: Edmonton City appeals arbitration ruling that leaves taxpayers on the hook for $32K in photo radar tickets (Edmonton Journal)
- ‘Road sleeping’ deaths soar in Tokyo as socialising returns to pre-Covid levels (The Guardian)
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 Ban on Gas-Powered Cars Could Wreak Havoc on Its Energy Grid (Reason)
- California Needs More Power Lines to Meet Fossil Fuel Goals (GovTech)
- California OKs $2.9 Billion to Double Car Chargers in State (NADA/Bloomberg)
- Will new California law make it legal for pedestrians to jaywalk? Here are the details (Sacramento Bee)
- New Highway Proposed In East Contra Costa County (Patch Concord, CA)
- Los Angeles Metro Anticipates Approving 57/60 Freeway Widening in January, Ahead of Voter-Approved Schedule (Streetsblog Los Angeles)
- Los Angeles PD Unable to Track Facial Recognition Use, Report Finds (GovTech)
- Marin officials air lingering concerns on Highway 37 plan (Marin Independent Journal)
- Outdoor dining venues near San Diego beaches face tough new restrictions from Coastal Commission (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Here’s where San Francisco Mayor London Breed stands on police commission’s proposal to limit some types of traffic stops (San Francisco Chronicle)
- A car-free Embarcadero? These San Francisco organizers are serious about it (San Francisco Gate)
- More than 1K street parking spaces to be removed in San Francisco due to new bus guidelines (ABC San Francisco)
- Advocates Used AI to Help Win Slow Lake Fight (Streetsblog San Francisco)
Georgia
- Cobb County, GA, Approves Facial Recognition for Police (GovTech)
- Houston County, GA to Use License Plate Readers to Aid Investigations (GovTech)
- Ticket Cam Alert Georgia: Some complain about Albany’s photo-enforced school zones, city officials disagree (WALB)
- Emory University and Grady Health System awarded $4.4 million to study Atlanta car crashes (Emory News)
Illinois
- Illinois gas tax set to increase in January (WTVO)
- Illinois Motorists Could See 2 Tax Increases on Fuel in 2023 (NBC Chicago)
- Chicago’s Byrne Interchange mega-project finally ready to debut with ’50 percent reduction in delays’ (Chicago Daily Herald)
- Chicago: Blocking Bike Lanes Could Get You A $250 Ticket — Or Towed— Under New Ordinance (Block Club Chicago)
- Oakbrook Terrace red-light cameras lawsuit given another continuance by DuPage County judge. (Chicago Tribune)
- River Forest OKs buying more police surveillance cameras (Wednesday Journal)
New York
- Dueling toll proposals in New York amid proposed increase (Spectrum NY)
- Consumers and tandem truckers contend with unintended consequence of NY cashless tolling (CBS Albany)
- OpEd: Make Long Island’s Roads Safer (Long Island Express)
- Nassau County, NY lawmakers seek repeal of red-light camera ticket fees (CBS News)
- Ticket Cam Alert: Red-light camera administration fee repeal awaits Suffolk County Administrator Steve Bellone’s signature | TBR News Media (TBR News Media)
- NYC Wants to Cut Average Commute Times to 30 Minutes as Part of Revival Plan (Bloomberg CityLab)
- New New York City: Mayor Eric Adams Will Create a ‘Public Realm Czar’ (Streetsblog NYC)
- Mayor Eric Adams touts plan to ‘reimagine’ NYC’s Fifth Avenue with bike lane, more pedestrian space (NY Post)
- New York City: Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams Endorse $5 Fare For Every Intra-City Commuter Rail Trip (Streetsblog NYC)
- In New York Neighborhood, Police and Tech Company Flout Privacy Policy, Advocates Say (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Uber, Lyft drivers bring Brooklyn Bridge traffic to a crawl in pay protest (Brooklyn Eagle)
Texas
- Texas Creates Chilling Registry of 16,000 People Who Changed Genders on Their Driver’s Licenses (Jezebel)
- Texas Department of Transportation allocates $250M for walking, biking in 2023 (Community Impact)
- First Hydrogen-Powered Truck in Texas Hits Houston Roads (GovTech)
Virginia
- DOT Awards Virginia $97.6 Million in Loans to Improve I-81 (Transport Topics)
- Public Feedback Sought on Recommendations for New Fairfax Countywide Parking and Loading Requirements (Fairfax County Gov)
- Speed Cameras Target Fairfax County School Zone Safety (Fairfax County Public Schools)
- Arlington proposes countywide 20 mph school zones halfway through year two of Vision Zero (Arlington Now)
Washington State
- The cost of Washington’s new CO2 tax: the bad news and the less bad news (Washington Policy)
- Seattle Area Toll revenue still lagging way behind, with a missing $206 million (MyNorthwest)
- Seattle Center Monorail to become fully accessible to all, thanks to $15 federal million grant (KOMO)
Other Regional and Local Driving News Headlines
- Traffic deaths rising in Tucson, AZ, pedestrians at highest risk (Arizona Public Media)
- Arizona Driver Cited for Carpooling With Inflatable Grinch (US News & World Report)
- Coral Springs, FL Plans to Install 30 License Plate Readers Across City to Help Solve Crime (TapInto)
- Ticket Cam Alert Louisiana: Shreveport Drivers contesting school zone speed camera tickets prompt change to system (KTBS)
- Baton Rouge, LA: Central Police using new tech to help fight crime (WAFB)
- Boston, Regional Police Dodge Transparency Ordinance in Bolstering Surveillance Network (Dig Boston)
- Stillwater, MN panel proposes cutting back on free public parking downtown and wants to use ALPRs to enforce (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
- Lincoln, NE: State now expected to complete long-delayed expressway system in 2036 (Nebraska Examiner)
- Albuquerque is using mobile speed cameras. Is Bernalillo County next? (Albuquerque Journal)
- ABQ drivers get far more tickets in 2022 (Albuquerque Journal)
- New reduced speed limits take effect Dec. 21 on five Cleveland Heights, OH streets (Cleveland Online)
- Dayton, OH area: More police license plate readers planned as privacy concerns remain (Dayton Daily News)
- Oklahoma’s Cimarron Turnpike (Tulsa to Stillwater) completes transition over to PlatePay (KTUL)
- New law allows Oregon cities to seek authority to set own speed limits (Hermiston Herald)
- To combat climate change, Oregon bans sale of new, 100% gasoline-powered cars by 2035 (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
- Berks County, PA agencies receive a total of $5.4 million to fund security initiatives (The Bharat Express)
- Providence, RI Furthering “Police State”–ACLU Criticizes Increase of License Plate Readers in the city (Go Local Providence)
- Blizzard Traps 70+ Semi Trucks Under Huge Drifts for Days in South Dakota (The Drive)
Motorist-Related Legislative Headlines
- Push to repeal California anti-oil law inches closer to goal (AP News)
- Florida’s governor signs toll relief package into law (WPTV)
- Missouri bills would bolster transportation funding, reduce fuel tax rate (Landline)
- Montana bill would impose electric, hybrid vehicle fees (Landline)
- NY Governor Kathy Hochul vetoes cap on late fees for NY bridge, tunnel tolls (Gothamist)
- State Legislators Reveal ‘Urgent And Necessary’ Plan To Fund Free NYC MTA Buses (Streetsblog USA)
- South Carolina bills pursue left lane, speed limit changes (Landline)
- Proposed bill could make new South Carolina residents pay $250 for driver’s license (Count on 2)
- South Carolina Bill HB3495 Would Take First Step Toward Limiting Federal Militarization of Local Police (Tenth Amendment Center)
- Texas bills call for fuel tax rate adjustment (Landline)
- Texas Bill HB 928 Would Reform State Asset Forfeiture Laws But Federal Loophole Would Remain (Tenth Amendment Center)
- Washington State Bill HB1025 Would Create State Process to End Police Qualified Immunity (Tenth Amendment Center)
Check out the NMA State Pages today!
Motorist Corner
On this week’s Driving in America Blog, we revisit a newsletter from summer on Highway Deaths in Rural America and NMA Blogger Eric Peters discusses vehicle weight changes.
The Car Coach, Lauren Fix, presented two vlogs this week on the NMA blog:
Used Car Market Won’t Recover Till 2025
NO JOKE! Switzerland Looks to Ban Electric Cars to Avoid Blackouts
Eric Peters also wrote a review on the 2022 Lexus GX460.
NMA in the News this week:
NJ Turnpike agrees to pay billions to help fund the Gateway Tunnel (New Jersey Online)
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
- I’m a Good Driver. It’s Those Other People Who Ruin It for Everybody (Car and Driver)
- The Humble Hybrid Vehicle Isn’t Going Anywhere Yet (NADA/Bloomberg)
- 75 Great, Historic, and Sometimes Sad Stories That Impacted NASCAR (AutoWeek)
- F1 Drivers Now Need Permission to Make ‘Political’ or ‘Religious’ Statements (Road and Track)
- Yellow Off-Road Lights Work. Here’s Why (The Drive)
- 10 Best Cars for 2023 (Car and Driver)
- One-Pedal Driving Isn’t Necessarily the Most Efficient Way of Driving an EV (Road and Track)
- Is a Chevy Camaro EV SUV Blasphemy? Maybe, but It Might Look Like This (Car and Driver)
- Ford Lightning Towing Test Shows Serious Problems (Motorious)
- Will Elon Musk’s Political Rantings Drive Tesla into the Ditch? (Car and Driver)
- How the Toyota Prius Brought Hybrids to the Mainstream (Car and Driver)
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Opinion
Reducing Speed Limits to 20 mph has little Impact on Driving Behavior
Belfast officials changed the speed limits to 20 mph on 76 roads in 2016. Researchers analyzed data from before and after the 20 mph limit was introduced on the same streets and compared that data with other Northern Ireland roads that retained 30 to 40 mph. They did not find any statistically significant differences in average traffic speeds and the number of accidents. One change they did find: the 20-mph roads experienced a reduction in traffic. . .
(click on title for full op-ed)