Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Big Bend National Park, Texas Photo taken by DaveyNin (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
Auto Safety headed the top of the Driving News Headlines this week.
Jalopnik reported that Many Cars on US Roads Do Not Meet NHTSA Safety Standard for Rollover Crashes. This news came on the heels of a nuclear verdict against Ford: Ford will appeal $1.7 billion verdict in Georgia truck roof-strength lawsuit.
Every day, NMA’s Driving News feed includes many auto recall headlines each week. Here is the latest crop from just Tuesday:
- Ford Recalls Another 58,000 F-150 Trucks for Driveshaft Problems (MotorBiscuit)
- General Motors recalls over 480,000 vehicles because of Improper Rivets on Seat Belt Buckle Assembly (Clarksville Online)
- 2020-21 Hyundai Palisade recalled to address windshield wiper issue (Autoblog)
- Hyundai, Kia tell SUV owners with tow hitches to park outside due to fire risk (Autoblog)
- Rivian Also Seems to Suffer from Whompy Wheels – What Caused This One to Fall Off? (Auto Evolution)
- US seeks information from Tesla on in-car camera in Autopilot probe (Reuters)
Most of these recalls refer to the basics. If automakers cannot get the basics right though, how can we consumers expect them to protect us with vehicles that are automated?
Ford also announced this week that it plans to slash over 3,000 jobs as it pivots to electric vehicles.
Traffic Safety also Dominated Driving News Headlines
- NHTSA Early Estimates Show Record Increase in Fatalities Nationwide (NHTSA)
- US Road Fatalities Soared in Early 2022 (Route-Fifty)
- First quarter sees most traffic fatalities in two decades (Landline)
- Biden’s NHTSA Chief Departure Reignites Traffic Safety Worries (Bloomberg Law)
- Hot Car Fatalities Are a Year-Round Threat to Children and Pets (Consumer Reports)
- Senator Calls on Feds to Mandate ‘Frontover’ Cameras on Huge Cars — But It Won’t Save Enough Lives (Streetsblog USA)
- Handheld cellphone bans may correlate with lower distracted-driving fatalities, report says (Auto News)
- Risk of dying in crashes drops for women in newer cars compared to men, study shows (Yahoo News)
Perhaps , no more Car Warranty Robocalls?
- A monumental case looks to crack open the world of auto-warranty robocalls (CNN)
- Billions of Scam Phone Calls to US Consumers Are Mostly Pushing Car Warranties (Car and Driver)
Here are this week’s Gas Price Headlines
- Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm cautiously optimistic falling gas prices will continue (Washington Times)
- Gas prices are down, but Biden’s problem at the pump isn’t going away (NBC News)
- US Oil And Gas Firms Made $74 Billion In Profits Last Year (Oil Price)
This Week’s Auto Tech Watch Headlines
- How commercial autonomous vehicles could transform roadway safety for Police (Police1)
- US extends public input on GM, Ford self-driving petitions–Give Your Input Now! (Reuters)
- Buttons beat touchscreens in cars, and now there’s data to prove it (ArsTechnica)
- Department of Homeland Security Tests New Tech that Could Bring Emergency Alerts to Vehicle Screens (NextGov)
- Cross-Industry Alliance Forms to Support Connected Car Data (Tire Review)
- House Transportation Leaders Eye FCC’s 5.9 GHz Spectrum (Transport Topics)
- Electric car boom stresses public charging infrastructure, J.D. Power study finds (Autoblog)
- Electric Charging Infrastructure Can’t Keep Up With EV Demand (Jalopnik)
- The electric car Battery Belt is reshaping America’s heartland (Axios)
- Electric Vehicle Chargers Have a Maintenance Problem (Institute for Energy Research)
- Electric Charging Infrastructure Can’t Keep Up With EV Demand (Jalopnik)
- Graphite, the battery material that might deny you an EV tax credit (Autoblog)
- What You Should Know About Electric Vehicle Costs, Charging (GovTech)
This Week’s Headlines for Buying a Car
- Drivers are paying an average $702 monthly for new cars: Here’s why that record high was ‘inevitable,’ says analyst (CNBC)
- How to see if the car you want qualifies for the new EV tax credit (Autoblog)
- What Should Buyers Know About Forthcoming EV Tax Credits? (GovTech)
- Inflation Sends Car Ownership Costs Soaring To Over $10,000 Per Year: AAA (ZeroHedge)
- High used prices could rule out autos for many (Auto News)
- A Lot of EV Shoppers Left Hanging After New Tax Credit Rules (The Drive)
- Stop Giving Your Friends Car-Buying Advice (Road and Track)
- Why the Fuel Cost Estimates on Car Window Stickers Are So Inaccurate (Consumer Reports)
Infrastructure Watch Headlines This Week
- Secretary Buttigieg to Visit Six States on Building a Better America Tour (USDOT)
- $2.2B in Transportation Grants Awarded – See How Much Your State Got (Equipment World)
- The World’s Roads Aren’t Ready for a Hotter Climate (Bloomberg Green)
- $2.2B in Transportation Grants Awarded – See How Much Your State Got (Equipment World)
- How Local Governments Plan to Spend Infrastructure Funds (Governing)
- Solar Parking Lots Are a Win-Win Energy Idea. Why Aren’t They the Norm? (CNET)
Transit Watch Headlines This Week
- US grant awards $1.66 billion for low-emissions buses (Autoblog)
- Can Uber-like Public Transit Replace Old-fashioned Buses? (Route-Fifty)
- Biden Administration, USDOT Announce Over $233 Million in Grants to Upgrade Intercity Passenger Rail Service (USDOT)
- Passenger Rail Projects in 8 States to Receive $233M in Federal Grants (Route-Fifty)
- How Federal Infrastructure Funds Can Build More Accessible Transit Systems (Route-Fifty)
- Why golf carts are a transportation mode of the future (Slate)
- No, Georgia, Golf Carts Are not the Green Transportation of the Future (Jalopnik)
War on Cars Watch Headlines and other Anti-Car Sentiments
- The Tide Has Turned Against Open Streets (Planetizen)
- Smart streetscapes center plans community-driven research in 3 cities (Smart Cities Dive)
- To Fix Inflation And Climate Change, Get Americans out of Cars (Streetsblog USA)
- Want to reduce emissions and increase transit ridership? NACTO says the answer is to ‘Move! That! Bus!’ (MassTransit Magazine)
- The Death of the Muscle Car As We Know It Isn’t Necessarily Good News (Streetsblog USA)
- Should It Be Easier to Take Away a Driver’s License? (Curbed)
- Streetsblog USA Talking Headway Podcast: Why Tech Won’t Save Transportation (Streetsblog USA)
National Driving News Headlines
- The spending bill will cut emissions, but marginalized groups feel they were sold out (NPR)
- Fast Times and Million-Dollar Fines: Inside the EPA’s Messy War on Dirty Diesel Trucks (The Drive)
- Crisis in policing runs deeper than you think (The Hill)
- Study Seeks To Get Cops To Write Better Crash Reports (Streetsblog USA)
- Hyundai and Kia Thefts Send Owners to Court (Auto Body News)
- FMCSA considers hours-of-service exemption for truck drivers (Freight Waves)
- Why trucking is peeved at the Supreme Court (Freight Waves)
- Ride-hail, delivery app drivers need better safety on the job (Chicago Sun-Times)
- Why Downtown Won’t Die (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Do mapping apps exacerbate prejudice? (New Statesman)
International Driving News Headlines
- Australian bank to scrap loans for new diesel and gasoline cars as country looks to increase EV uptake (CNBC)
- South Australia Wants to Implement Mandatory Training for Supercar Buyers (Road and Track)
- Toronto scam includes text messages about speeding fines, according to Police (The Toronto Sun)
- ‘China’s Hawaii’ to ban sale of conventional cars from 2030 in boost to Beijing’s climate change goals (South China Morning Post)
- Over 260 German cities band together to demand 30 km/hr (18.6 miles/hr) speed zones (The Mayor)
- Japan auto lobby says it is concerned about new U.S. law on EV credits (Reuters)
- Serbia, Kosovo fail to break car number plate impasse, agree to more talks (Euractiv)
- Auckland, NZ: Old speed cameras fail to catch some drivers, documents show (The Bharat Express News)
- Johannesburg, South Africa speed cameras still not functioning (Jacaranda FM)
- Electric Scooter Revolution Faces a Reckoning in Stockholm (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Speed Limits and Number Plates for Cyclists? UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps Floats the Idea (Bloomberg CityLab)
- UK Couple given speeding ticket despite being 1500 miles away from car (LAD Bible)
- UK: Police force starts using cardboard cut-out officers to deter speeding drivers (Yahoo News)
- Human Drivers In The UK Will Not Be Responsible For Accidents When The Vehicle Is Self-driving (Recently Heard)
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 Allocates More Than $2.2 Billion for Transportation Infrastructure (Santa Barbara Independent)
- How do speed limits in California compare to those in other states? (KTLA)
- The Controversy Over How to Regulate Wheelchair Service in California by Uber and Lyft (Streetsblog California)
- More paid carpool express lanes are coming to Highway 101 in the south Bay Area (San Francisco Gate)
- Sheriff’s Office to Install License Plate Readers Throughout Santa Barbara County (Noozhawk)
- Compton installs first set of Botts’ Dots meant to stop street takeovers (CBS Los Angeles)
- Police Commission Sets New Rules for LAPD’s Use of Surveillance Tech (Officer.com)
- Los Angeles Area: Unsafe speeds and reckless driving–Deadly Windsor Hills wreck ‘is the tip of the iceberg’ (Los Angeles Times)
- Streetsblog Los Angeles Analysis: Metro Report–Metro Freeway Expansion Negates Agency’s Other Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts (Streetsblog Los Angeles)
- Inside Los Angeles’ deadly street takeover scene: ‘A scene of lawlessness’ (Los Angeles Times)
- Los Angeles PD Will Impound Every Car at Street Takeovers—Including Spectators’ (The Drive)
- Op-Ed: Los Angeles is spending tens of billions of dollars to make climate change and traffic worse (Los Angeles Times)
- LAX adds 1,300 EV chargers (Autoblog)
- 1 million square feet of L.A. roads are being covered with solar-reflective paint (Fast Company)
- Officials Push Pause on San Francisco Congestion Pricing Plan (GovTech)
- Street vendors join class-action lawsuit over alleged illegal towing of vehicles in Santa Monica (ABC Los Angeles)
Illinois
- Illinois gas prices expected to briefly rise: Analyst (WBBM 780)
- Chicago, IL: City planning to install new speed cameras by two parks, Schurz HS (Nadig Newspapers)
- Chicago Opinion: Modernizing CTA will be in vain if rider safety isn’t top priority (Chicago Sun-Times)
- The Array of Things Street Surveillance: A Chicago city sensor project goes global (MIT Technology Review)
- Illinois Judge’s order allows reactivation of Route 83 red-light cameras in Oakbrook Terrace (Chicago Tribune)
- Peoria, IL City Council could ask state for green-light on red-light cameras (ABC Heart of IL)
Indiana
- Indiana gasoline taxes dropping 5 cents a gallon next month (Daily Herald)
- Editorial: State of Indiana must meet future EV demand (Herald Bulletin)
- Muncie, IN police deploying license plate readers (Fox59)
Massachusetts
- How Boston-Area Officials Are Responding to Transit Turmoil (Governing)
- Boston MBTA riders suffered months of safety problems. Now they’re bracing for a partial shutdown (WBUR)
- Looks Like Cambridge, MA’s Memorial Drive Will Remain Open On Saturdays After All (Streetsblog MA)
- MassDOT bills wrong woman tolls for months (Yahoo News)
New York
- New York’s Congestion Pricing Plan Is Politically ‘Explosive’ (Bloomberg)
- NYC Congestion pricing’s next obstacle? The exemption debate (City and State NY)
- Streetsblog Mythbuster: Congestion Pricing Study Shows Neighborhoods Won’t Be Flooded With Desperate Parkers (Uh, huh!) (Streetsblog NYC)
- NYC congestion pricing plan could mean $120 trips for some drivers (Autoblog)
- NYC Struggling Taxi Drivers See Congestion Pricing as Fee That Breaks Their Backs (The City)
- Struggling Taxi Drivers See NYC Congestion Pricing as Fee That Breaks Their Backs (The City)
- Car Owners Say It’s ‘Virtually Impossible’ to Find Street Parking in New York City (Bloomberg CityLab)
- New York City is owed $500m in parking fines. No one is paying up (The Guadian)
- Opinion: Free parking monopoly–Placard abuse continues on the streets of NYC (NY Daily News)
- Catalytic converter theft soaring by as much as 600 percent in NYC (NY Post)
- New York City Deploys Video Bus Lane Enforcement (GovTech)
- NYC Mayor Eric Mayor Razes Abandoned Outdoor Dining Structures dotting the Streets (Streetsblog NYC)
- NYC cab drivers squeezed out by congestion pricing can become bus drivers, MTA says (NY Post)
- Why New York City’s Car Safety Pilot Is a Big Deal (Bloomberg CityLab)
- Is It Legal or Illegal to Flash Your Headlights In New York State? (Q1057)
- Lewiston, NY will drop maximum speed to 25 mph (WGRZ)
Oklahoma
- Oklahoma’s Chickasaw Turnpike completes transition to PlatePay, cashless tolling (Fox OKC)
- Oklahoma City’s sprawling growth causing reduction in speed limits (Fox OKC)
- Street Surveillance Watch Oklahoma: Success of Tulsa’s license plate reader-cameras celebrated by city leaders (Tulsa World)
Texas
- Motorists Vote 2022: Multiple Texas counties include transportation questions on fall ballots (Landline)
- Dallas area hit by 1-in-1,000-year flood; cars float in water-filled roads (Washington Post)
- Flooding overwhelms early morning Dallas drivers (Autoblog)
- City of Buda, TX getting license plate reader cameras (KXAN)
- Dallas’ minority neighborhoods face major transportation issues, SMU study finds (Dallas Morning News)
- More than 300 new automatic license plate reader cameras are coming to Houston (KHOU)
Virginia
- Partnership to Reimagine Virginia’s I-66 Thoroughfare With Tech (GovTech)
- Richmond, VA could do away with parking requirements: ‘It’s the best thing for our city’ (WTVR)
- School Zone Speed Cameras coming to Alexandria, VA next year (WTOP)
- Virginia’s answer to Greyhound shows rural areas are worth serving (Virginia Mercury)
Wisconsin
- Green Bay, WI police launches ‘Community Speed Watch’ initiative (NBC26)
- Madison, WI Officials say speed limit reductions are helping reduce traffic deaths (Channel 3000)
- Racine, WI PD to install Flock license plate readers, audio sensors in secret location (NBC Milwaukee)
Other Regional and Local Driving News Headlines
- DC Mayor Bowser announces $20M in federal transportation grants for district trail, bus projects (Transportation Today News)
- Motorists Vote 2022: Three Florida county ballots include transportation tax questions (Landline)
- Yes, Florida Highway Patrol Really Uses Stealthy Semi-Trucks for Traffic Stops (The Drive)
- Lexington, KY mayor touts ‘valuable’ license plate cams, wants to address more safety concerns (Kentucky.com)
- Why New Orleans’ Facial Recognition Ban Reversal is Devastating News for All of Us (Medium)
- Baltimore Councilman wants to provide key data before facial recognition camera ban ends (WMAR)
- Michigan’s Blue Water Bridge to begin upgrades to tolling software for eastbound customers (The Times Herald)
- Duluth, MN City Council unanimously approves lowering Lakewalk speed limits (CBS Duluth)
- Minneapolis Police petition city for drone use authorization (CBS News)
- Missouri to Spend $100M on Developing EV Charging Stations (GovTech)
- Omaha, NE city leaders considering license plate reader proposal (KETV)
- Lawmakers, drivers say NJ should ditch front license plates on cars (Police1)
- NM Magistrate Judge To Tesla Buyer Suckered Into Paying Extra For ‘Full Self-Driving’ That Isn’t Self-Driving–Next Time, Read the Fine Print (TechDirt)
- Lyft Announces Autonomous Ridehailing in Las Vegas (GovTech)
- Traffic Calming Pilot program targets speeders in Cleveland, OH neighborhoods (Yahoo News)
- Pennsylvania commission approves updated 12-year transportation plan (Landline)
- Deadly Crashes Down on Roosevelt Boulevard; Philadelphia Officials Want More Speed Cameras (NBC Philadelphia)
- Nashville passes law restricting use of license plate reader data for immigration enforcement (The Tennessean)
- Vision Zero Watch: Eliminating pedestrian deaths? Nashville council voted on a plan to do just that (NewsChannel5)
- In Salt Lake City, here’s what kind of ‘traffic-calming’ projects could be coming to your street (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Link Alone Is Insufficient, Puget Sound Needs Regional Rail, Too (The Urbanist)
- Speed limits changed for selected streets in Port Townsend, WA (Port Townsend Leader)
Motorist-Related Legislative News
- Bay Area Fare Integration Takes One Step Forward, One Step Back (Streetsblog San Francisco)
- New Michigan law clears path for autonomous vehicle roadways (Landline)
- New York City Bill Would Mandate Active Speed Limiters by 2024 (Jalopnik)
- New Pennsylvania law authorizes apportioned registrations, vehicle snow and ice removal (Landline)
Check out the NMA State Pages today!
Motorist Corner
On the Driving in America Blog, we revisited a previous newsletter Motor City should be Renamed Speed Hump City and a second post on 7 Tips for Selling a Used Car.
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach discusses How to Slash and Save on Gasoline–11 Easy Tips in her weekly vlog.
NMA Car Reviewer Eric Peters gives his take on the 2022 Mazda CX-9.
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
- Presenting Car and Driver’s 2022 EV of the Year (Car and Driver)
- 2022 Car and Driver EV of the Year: The Contenders (Car and Driver)
- The Wildest EV Startups Prove the Future Could Get Very Weird (MotorTrend)
- 17-Year-Old Boy’s Electric Motor Design Could Revolutionize EVs (RideApart)
- I know why you hate your car (Autoblog)
- What Is a Shooting Brake? (The Drive)
- No Modern Car Can Match the Model T’s Modding Community (Road and Truck)
- It Happened to Me: My Catalytic Converter Was Stolen (Jalopnik)
- Someone stole my truck. I got a crash course on the wild black market for stolen cars (NPR)
- Do Cars With a Dark Interior Really Get Hotter in the Sun? (Consumer Reports)
- There’s a Pro Am Endurance Racing Docuseries On The Way (Road and Truck)
- How ‘Drive to Survive’ Helped Formula 1 Win Over America (Car and Driver)
- A Giant Beetle With a Hemi V8 and a Truck Frame Is the Most Practical VW (The Drive)
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Opinion
Fueling the Fire
There are many ways to contribute to the NMA. A few are presented here to stir your imagination. We welcome your suggestions on how you or others might best provide the resources needed to strengthen our numbers and, ultimately, the NMA’s influence to defeat the anti-motorist factions that continue to chip away at our driving freedoms. . .
(click on title for full op-ed)