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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
US President Joe Biden banned Russian oil and gas as an additional sanction over the Ukrainian invasion. The Hill discussed how the President came around to banning Russian petroleum. Most Americans apparently are willing to pay more at the pump for Ukraine.
With the news of the ban, gas prices rose by 22 percent in one week according to the Associated Press. MotorTrend stated in its headline, Gas Prices Hit All-Time High, But You Still Paid More in 2008. A number of media outlets analyzed other areas of the gas price jump:
- History repeating: how Ukraine-driven gas price boost compares to past oil crises (WBBM 780)
- Surging gasoline prices bring back memories of past energy wars (NPR)
- Oil Price Shocks Have a Long History, but Today’s Situation May Be the Most Complex Ever (Route-Fifty)
- Gas Prices Reach Record Highs, What Does This Mean for EVs? (Inside EVs)
- If Gas Prices Remain Crazy, People May Start Looking Harder at Fuel-Efficient Cars (Car and Driver)
- Diesel Adds to Record High, Hitting $5.25 a Gallon (Transport Topics)
- Spiking gas prices sting drivers nationwide, tapping pocketbooks and patience (Washington Post)
- Americans are already feeling pressure at the pump. Experts say they should ‘buckle up’ for what’s to come next (Business Insider)
- There’s a way to bring down gas prices, but you won’t like it (Ain’t NO WAY) (MSN)
Immediately after Biden’s announcement, the US began talking to other oil-producing countries about increasing crude oil output. The President also began talking about increasing drilling inside the US.
- Soaring gas prices have Biden talking up the importance of domestic drilling (NPR)
- Biden’s Oil Demands Collide With Drillers Reining In Output (Transport Topics)
- Calls to increase US oil production mostly getting shrugs for now (Freight Waves)
- Why record-high gas prices won’t be solved by drilling more oil in the US (CNN)
The political fallout was also immediate:
- Fuel Prices on Radar of Congress, Stakeholders (Transport Topics)
- GOP tussles with Biden as gas prices soar (The Hill)
- Politics of Russian oil ban fuels Democratic angst (The Hill)
- Opinion: TV coverage amplifies the GOP’s false claims about gas prices (Washington Post)
- Here’s who stands to win from high gas prices (The Hill)
Federal and state lawmakers also were quick to discuss suspending the federal and state gas taxes to help alleviate pain at the pump:
- Calls to Suspend Gas Taxes Across U.S. Grow as Prices Surge (US News & World Report)
- As Inflation Drives Up Prices, State Lawmakers Eye Cutting Food and Sales Taxes (Route-Fifty)
- States weigh tax breaks to ease pain at the gas pump (Auto Blog)
- Democrats divided over a proposal to suspend federal gas tax (The Hill)
What goes up, must come down apparently:
- Oil prices continue a downward trend from last week (Auto Blog)
- Oil suffers ‘spectacular’ collapse, falls into bear market territory just 5 days after settling at nearly 14-year highs (Market Watch)
- Gas prices fall — a little (CNN)
- Oil drops below $100 a barrel; could gas prices fall soon? (Auto Blog)
Here are some other interesting list articles on gas prices:
- Why are gas prices higher in California than Kansas? Gas experts break down costs from state to state (USA Today)
- This Is How Gas Prices Are Determined In Every State (Jalopnik)
- The cost of gasoline the year you started driving (Stacker)
The auto industry continues to have fallout over the Russian Invasion of Ukraine:
- Ukraine War Promises More Chaos for Automakers (Auto Week)
- Russia could nationalize foreign-owned factories that shut operations (Auto News Europe)
- Europe’s automakers scramble to replace Ukrainian auto parts (Auto News Europe)
- Ukraine war is upending central Europe’s post-COVID car revival (Auto News Europe)
- EU said to mull Russia export ban on cars worth over 50,000 euros (Auto News Europe)
- Ferrari suspends production of vehicles for Russian market (Auto News Europe)
- Lada, the Iconic Russian Automaker, Stops Building Cars—at Least for Now (Car and Driver)
- Mercedes says Russian nationalization threatens $2.2 billion in assets (Auto Blog)
- Renault’s Russia Exposure Could Derail Its Recovery, Fitch Says (Bloomberg)
- Porsche to suspend Taycan production due to lack of parts (Auto Blog)
- Toyota Reconsiders Production Plans as Disruptions Pile Up (Bloomberg)
- VW CEO Diess warns Ukraine war risks economic damage worse than pandemic (Auto News Europe)
- Volkswagen warns of risks from Ukraine crisis as operating profit doubles (Reuters)
Other fallout for consumers due to the international crisis include:
- The Gas Price Spike and Chip Shortage Could Mean a Perfect Storm for Car Buyers (The Drive)
- From Beer to Semiconductors, War Will Hit US State Economies (Bloomberg)
- Russia’s war with Ukraine could permanently reshape the global supply chain (Fast Company)
- Automakers face soaring costs without Russian metal supplies (Auto Blog)
- Putin Takes Aim At Key Commodity, Raw Material Exports On The Heels Of Biden’s Russian Oil Ban (Daily Caller)
- Russian oil giant Lukoil had big dreams for its U.S. gas stations. The invasion of Ukraine could spell the end (Washington Post)
- US Police Have So Much Extra Gear They’re Sending It to Ukraine (Vice)
There actually was a great deal of other motorist-related news in the US. Reuters reported that more than 140 US lawmakers urge speedy action on electronic chips funding. Road and Track wrote about a case that could be a legal nightmare for automakers. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed to cut smog and soot pollution from heavy trucks plus the EPA has restored California authority to set car emissions rules. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has finalized the first occupant protection safety standards for automated vehicles without driving controls.
Route-Fifty reported on the 2020 traffic fatality statistics by indicating that traffic deaths in the first year of the pandemic had an uneven toll. The New Republic asked the question, Is Pandemic Stress to Blame for the Rise in Traffic Deaths?
One of the consequences of both higher gas and metal prices—more gas and catalytic converter theft:
- Gas theft is on the rise—how to protect your car (Market Watch)
- The crime of gas siphoning skyrockets alongside price hikes as some use power tools to break into tanks (WBBM 780)
- Surging mineral prices could provoke more catalytic converter theft (Auto Blog)
Here are a few studies and research that might be of interest to motorists:
- Leaded Gasoline Dropped The IQ Of 170 Million Americans A ‘Startling’ Amount: Study (Jalopnik)
- Half of Americans Exposed to IQ-Lowering Levels of Lead Growing Up, Study Finds (Gizmodo)
- Study: Even Many Decades Later, Redlined Areas See Higher Levels Of Air Pollution (LAist)
- Autonomous vehicle sensors can be fooled, Duke researchers warn (WRALTechWire)
- Self-healing’ concrete substitute sucks carbon out of the air (Construction Dive)
Here are some infrastructure stories of interest:
- Biden Signs Legislation That Finally Releases Infrastructure Law Funding (Equipment World)
- Biden touts direct municipal aid in ARPA, infrastructure law at NLC conference (Smart Cities Dive)
- Secretary Pete Buttigieg explains how the infrastructure law will affect you (CBS News)
- Massive Spending Bill Clears Senate, Promising to Unlock Infrastructure Funds for States and Localities (Route-Fifty)
- FY22 Omnibus Package includes more than $16 billion for transit, more than $3 billion for rail (Mass Transit Magazine)
- Infrastructure Team Outlines Efforts to Deploy Funds (Transport Topics)
- Federal Highway Administration advances Complete Streets program (Smart Cities Dive)
- Public transit gets $3.7B to woo riders, adopt green fleets (AP News)
- The Complex 50-Year Collapse of US Public Transit (Bloomberg CityLab)
Additional National Driving News Headlines:
- NHTSA Could Expand Safety Requirements to Include Pedestrians (Planetizen)
- NHTSA Seeks Public Comment On Updates To 5-Star Safety Ratings System (Motor1)
- NHTSA proposes six ways to improve New Car Assessment Program (Auto Blog)
- Trucking coalition wants way around looming CARB emissions rule (Freight Waves)
- The Senate has passed a bill to save USPS billions of dollars and reform deliveries (NPR)
- Federal Transportation Agency Proposes New Marijuana Testing Policies To Reduce False Positives (Marijuana Moment)
- Auto Dealers, Lenders Keeping an Eye on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Again (Ward’s Auto)
- Why Are Farmers Battling for the Right to Fix Their Own Tractors? (Governing)
- Who’s Responsible if a Tesla on Autopilot Kills Someone? (NextGov)
- The Deadliest Intersections in the United States for Motorists (Streetsblog USA)
Additional International Driving News Headlines:
- Europe Is on a Wartime Mission to Ditch Russian Oil and Gas (Bloomberg Green)
- Vision Zero Watch Canada: As photo radar revenues decline, Edmonton’s council to decide how to pick up the costs (Taproot Edmonton)
- First driverless robotaxis OK’d for passenger use in China (Sierra Leone Times)
- How the 1970s oil crisis helped Copenhagen become a cycling paradise (Fast Company)
- Italy to give EV buyers subsidy of up to 6,000 euros (Auto News Europe)
- Toyota’s Hino Motors Confesses to Diesel Emissions Cheating (The Truth About Cars)
- Flying Car Lifts Off, Is Certified Airworthy in Slovakia (GovTech)
- London Imposes $16/Day Fee on Dirtiest Cars, And Sparks Debate Across the Pond (Streetsblog USA)
- UK traffic officers given body cameras to curb abuse from angry road users (Traffic Technology Today)
- Half Of UK Drivers Concerned About Safety Of EVs After Battery Replacements (Inside EVs)
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
- Why California gas prices are so high and vary so widely: ‘Mystery surcharge’ and more (Los Angeles Times)
- Expanding California’s Oil Industry Won’t Stop Gas Price Increases (Governing)
- California’s high gas prices have a little-known ingredient: Russian oil (Los Angeles Times)
- Simplifying EV Incentives Could Boost Adoption in California (GovTech)
- California Highway Patrol Lags Local Police, Other States in Officer Body Cams (Governing)
- California is using outdated high-speed rail ridership estimates (Reason)
- AV Companies Resume Testing Passenger Vehicles in California (EE Times)
- Despite Rising Gas Prices, Safety Concerns Dissuade Mass Transit in Southern California (Governing)
- Emergency Vehicles Take Priority in Bay Area Traffic Signal Upgrades (GovTech)
- Vallejo County Appoints Surveillance Advisory Board (GovTech)
- California stops Hermosa Beach from lowering speed limit (Easy Reader News)
- Rich Los Angeles Residents Angry Over High-End Cars Taking Over Already Limited Street Parking (Jalopnik)
- Mayor Todd Gloria wants to lower speed limits on San Diego streets (KPBS)
- San Francisco’s Treasure Island Residents Slam Proposed Toll on Auto Traffic (CBS San Francisco)
Colorado
- Many in Favor of Colorado Approving Digital License Plates (Governing)
- 20 is Plenty’ did not significantly reduce vehicle speeds in Boulder, CO, new report shows (The Denver Channel)
- NO2TrafficCalming in Boulder, CO: It’s a hump. It’s a bump. It’s a speed kidney. (Boulder Beat)
Florida
- The I-4 Ultimate: Florida’s Biggest Road Project Now Open (Equipment World)
- Brightline says a plan for high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando is in the works (WUSF)
- Hillsborough County Officials object to tolls on expanded I-75 (Tampa Bay Times)
- Osceola County is the first county in Central Florida to start a Vision Zero program (WESH)
Illinois
- Surging prices spur talks of repealing Illinois’ gasoline tax (The Center Square)
- Illinois: Privacy concerns raised over proliferation of license plate cameras (The Center Square Illinois)
- Illinois State Police director details response to expressway shootings (Daily Herald)
- Chicago Area South suburban mayors think lack of cameras on I-57 are partially to blame for expressway shootings (CBS Chicago)
New Jersey
- NJ driving deaths went up during 1st COVID wave. Now AAA knows why (NJ 1015)
- NJ Poll on self-service gas: Ask a stupid question… (New Jersey Online)
- NJ Opinion: I pumped gas for a living. It stinks and so does self-serve (New Jersey Online)
- NJ Opinion: Our sacred right to full-service gas (New Jersey Online)
New York
- DMV releases newly designed New York drivers licenses (Rochester First)
- Albany lawmakers consider ‘home rule’ request from NYC Mayor Adams on speed cameras (NY1)
- NYC speed cameras: Cars registered outside the city account for over 40 Percent of violations, DOT says (Staten Island Live)
- New York City, We Have a Problem–Pedestrian injuries are soaring so far this year (deaths, too!) (Streetsblog NYC)
- NYC lawyer’s driver’s license suspended after thief crashed his car: lawsuit (NY Post)
Pennsylvania
- PennDOT’s Bridge Tolling Project Running Full Steam Ahead (Patch)
- PennDOT Bridge Tolling Proposal to undergo federal review process (The Bradford Era)
- PA petition to stop I-79 bridge tolling has more than 8000 signatures (Observer-Reporter)
- Philadelphia Parking Authority head forced out, ‘lost the confidence’ of PPA board (WHYY)
- Philadelphia Parking Authority says ‘internet fraud’ is why you can’t pay a parking ticket with your license plate number anymore (BillyPenn)
- Pittsburgh May Use AI (Stop-arm Cams) to Fine Those Who Pass School Buses (GovTech)
Texas
- Harris County, Texas’ toll roads are aiming to be more accessible while transitioning to an all-electronic system (Houston Public Media)
- Martin County, TX: Lower Speed Limit Coming to Segment of SH 176 (TXDOT)
- Left turns will be restricted along Austin, TX light-rail routes (KUT)
- More than 100 license plate reader cameras to be installed in southwest Houston (ABC Houston)
Additional Regional and Local Driving News Headlines:
- Anchorage Has Long Way to Go Before Equipping Body Cams (Governing)
- Atlanta embraces tactical urbanism in Vision Zero initiative (Smart Cities Dive)
- Honolulu Scores A Win Against Big Oil In Climate Change Lawsuit (Honolulu Civil Beat)
- Ruling Delayed in Massachusetts Right to Repair Suit (FenderBender)
- ‘What happened to the $167M?’ Durham, NC wants Light Rail transparency before Commuter Rail (News Observer)
- New Mexico: Forfeiture Woes Cross State Lines (Albuquerque News)
- Self-driving robotaxis rollout in Downtown Las Vegas (Fox Las Vegas)
- Oklahoma’s First Four-Level Interchange Completed (Equipment World)
- Portland, OR Legislators Scrapped Consumer Protection That Police Review Speeding Tickets From Fixed Cameras (Willamette Week)
- Critics Fear Nashville License Plate Readers Could Be Used for Immigration Enforcement (Nashville Scene)
- Jackson, WY moves forward with speed study (BuckRail)
Motorist-Related Legislative News Headlines:
- Alaska Bill HB389 Would End State Cooperation With Real ID; Hinder Federal Facial Recognition Program (Tenth Amendment Center)
- California Legislative Report Says: Align Transportation Money with Climate Goals. Now: How? (AB285) (Streetsblog California)
- California drivers won’t see a gas tax holiday any time soon after GOP move fails (The Sacramento Bee)
- CDL program for inmates part of proposed legislation in CT (SB334) (Landline)
- Aggressive driving in Florida may result in additional criminal penalties (HB297) (The Famuan)
- Georgia Senate rejects bill SB203 that would let drivers touch their phones at stoplights (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Kentucky Bill Would Ban the Warrantless Use of Facial Recognition (Tenth Amendment Center)
- Massachusetts Poised to Grant Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants (JDSupra)
- Michigan’s Senate Transportation panel approves red-light camera ban bill SB875 (MI Senate GOP)
- Minnesota bills HF3931/SB3081 would tap auto parts tax revenue for roads (Landline)
- New Jersey Drivers Still Don’t Want to Pump Their Own Gas (Transport Topics)
- NY New bill threatens public release of police records, challenges 50-a repeal (NY Post)
- NY Lawmakers want to suspend gas taxes for drivers by having other taxpayers foot the bill (City and State NY)
- Oklahoma lawmakers pass bill to help wait for driver’s license (KOCO)
- Oklahoma House approves autonomous vehicles bill (KNWA)
- Oregon: With Just 10 Signatures, This Gas Station Owner Could Kill a Ban on Pumping Your Own Gas (Reason)
- Pennsylvania Senate Leader Proposes Lowering Gas Tax by One-third Through 2022 (Route-Fifty)
- TN Bill HB2758 ending suspension of driver’s license over child support fails (WBBJ)
- To the Governor: Utah Bill Would Expand Limits on Drone Surveillance (Tenth Amendment Center)
- Utah Becomes the Latest State to Zipper Merge (Equipment World)
- Washington State bill SB5488 would reduce certain Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls (Landline)
- Washington State Legislature Fails to Pass $7,500 EV Rebates (Governing)
- Washington state legislators again mandate 100 percent electric new car sales by 2030 (Smart Cities Dive)
- Washington state Democrats agree on $17 billion in transportation funding (The Olympian)
Want to know more about what’s going on in your state? Check out the NMA State Pages Today!
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Motorist Corner
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach sent us two video dispatches from the field:
- Ethanol Is Bad For the Environment
- The Russian Invasion of Ukraine will Impact the Auto Industry, Electric Vehicles, and Gasoline Prices
In our Driving in America Blog, we revisit a Driving Freedoms Winter 2022 article on What’s Up with Philly? and NMA Blogger Eric Peters gives us some good reasons why AWD could be extraneous. He also reviewed the 2022 Mazda3 Review.
The NMA was in the News with three different stories last week:
- Phoenix councilman wants longer yellow lights for safety (NMA Mention) (ABC Phoenix)
- Speed cameras get a boost under bipartisan infrastructure law (NMA Mention) (Spectrum Local News)
- WESH 2 Investigates: Hundreds of sunroofs spontaneously exploding (NMA Mention) (WESH)
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 [email protected]. Here are some links of interest: NMA website, NMA Issues Pages, and the NMA Blog. Check them out today!
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Best from Auto Press
- Vehicles That Cost the Most to Gas Up (Consumer Reports)
- The Factory That Put the World on Wheels (Road and Track)
- The car world’s greatest missed opportunities (Autocar UK)
- The Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Cars of Film and TV” Exhibit Has the Best Batmobile (MotorTrend)
- 2022 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Class Immortalized at Daytona (Auto Week)
- NASCAR Exploring Possibility of Street Race in Chicago, Electric Series (Auto Week)
- Low Carbon Transport Options – A Treatise on Alternatives to Electric Cars (Renewable Energy Magazine)
- Ford’s Attempts To Shake Up The Dealer Model Could Kill Its EVs (Jalopnik)
- Total Car Score Podcast: Martin Fritsches, President and CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars America at The Amelia (The Car Coach)
- VW’s Bus Kept On Trucking, from the Age of Aquarius to the ’90s (Car and Driver)
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Opinion
2021: The Year Transit Failed to Recover Part 1
Despite receiving tens of billions of dollars in support from Congress, the transit industry in 2021 failed to recover most of the riders it lost to the pandemic in 2020. Ridership in 2020 had fallen by 54 percent from 2019 due to the pandemic, and was only 3 percent greater, or 52 percent below 2019 numbers, in 2021, according to data released by the Federal Transit Administration in January 2022. . .
(click on title for full op-ed)