Driving News Roundup: May 18, 2012

This is a weekly feature on the NMA Blog, running each Friday, where we highlight seven of the most interesting driving news stories of the week.

New Jersey: Senator introduces bill to ban red-light cameras
A New Jersey state Senator has introduced legislation that would ban municipalities from using camera systems which detect violations of traffic control signals and automate the process of issuing tickets to drivers.

North Carolina: Cary red-light camera malfunctions 31 times
At least 20 people were victims of the same overenthusiastic Cary traffic camera system, and town officials are not happy. After an investigation revealed the repeated glitch, and amid a lawsuit regarding the camera network, two council members said Cary could make significant changes to its automated red-light ticketing program.

Florida: Florida Highway Patrol troopers disciplined for speeding
Fallout from a Sun Sentinel investigation of speeding cops widened Monday as the Florida Highway Patrol confirmed 31 troopers received oral reprimands for driving at excessive speeds and another 17 troopers are still under internal investigation.

Texas: Judge strikes down red-light camera referendum
A Calhoun County, Texas judge on Monday ruled that voters were prohibited from having a say in whether a foreign company can issue red-light camera tickets in the city of Port Lavaca because the photo enforcement program’s primary purpose is revenue generation.

Louisiana: New Orleans traffic camera ticket appeals process will change if Gov. Jindal approves
The city of New Orleans will set up a new method for drivers to appeal tickets issued by traffic cameras if Gov. Bobby Jindal goes along with a bill passed 93-0 by the House late Wednesday.

Washington D.C.: Moves to eliminate shifting blame for camera tickets
Get a ticket generated by one of the District’s speed and red-light cameras? If a D.C. Council committee gets its way, “Someone else was driving” won’t be an acceptable excuse anymore for motorists looking to transfer blame.

Alabama: Prichard looking to speeders to increase city revenue
Prichard is counting on thousands of speeders to generate new revenue for the city, pay for six police officers and help curb crime, Mayor Ron Davis said Wednesday.

To see more stories like the ones above, check out our NMA Driving News site. Each weekday we update the site with news stories that are interesting and/or informative for drivers like you.

2012 Volvo XC60 Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist

Safety still sells — problem is, everyone’s selling it — not just Volvo.

That’s why Volvo’s gone sporty to an extent that’s truly startling in the context of Volvos-gone-by. Read the rest of this article »

TheNewspaper.com Roundup: May 16, 2012

Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Oklahoma Speed Trap Town Cheats Motorists, Refuses Refunds
Bernice, Oklahoma trustees voted Monday not to refund illegally collected speeding ticket fines. The notorious Northeast speed trap town of just 500 residents was busted last month by the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector for charging up to $545 for a single traffic ticket when it could only legally collect $50.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Tennessee: Federal Lawsuit Takes on Automated Justice
A group of motorists have launched a challenge to the Bluff City, Tennessee speed camera program. The class action suit was transferred to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee earlier this month. It alleges that not only is the ticketing automated but the adjudication process is as well. Read the rest of this article »

Stuff That’s Gone Away

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist

I guess everyone gets to that point in life where they start to say, “I remember when… . ” Here’s some from me:

Economy cars were rear-wheel-drive

Today, only a handful of cars — most of them high-end cars — are rear wheel drive. But back in the day — the ’60s, ’70s and into the ’80s — most cars were rear-wheel-drive and that included most economy cars. Pintos, Vegas, Chevettes — even imports like the Datsun B210 and of course, the old Beetle — were burnout-capable (assuming there was a little black ice on the pavement). Vegas — and even Chevettes — were popular as sleeper hot rod projects and bracket racers, because of their RWD layout. Stuff a big V-8 into a Vega (or a V-6 into a Chevette) and you had an M80 on wheels — and for cheap, too. That’s the other thing about RWD econo-cars: Their mechanicals were the essence of simplicity, which made them genuinely economical in a way that modern economy cars aren’t. No CV joints to fuss with. You had a solid beam axle that would outlast the car instead. A pair of shocks — $40 for the pair — instead of $200 for a set of struts. True, you usually only got a gas gauge and a speedometer and a dial-control one speaker AM/FM radio — but you also didn’t get a $300 a month payment for the next five years. I miss that. And being able to spin the rear tires, too. Read the rest of this article »

Driving News Roundup: May 11, 2012

This is a weekly feature on the NMA Blog, running each Friday, where we highlight seven of the most interesting driving news stories of the week.

New Jersey: ACLU wins court order to block new driver’s license rules
The ACLU has won a court order blocking New Jersey’s stricter new driver’s license requirements, putting into limbo plans requiring 6 million drivers to show additional proof of ID before securing a license.

U.S. traffic deaths fall to lowest level in 62 years
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 32,310 people died last year in traffic accidents, the lowest number since 1949.

U.S. Senate transportation bill mandates black box, more rules
US House and Senate negotiators are currently working out differences in the opposing transportation reauthorization bills passed by the respective chambers. In an alert sent to members yesterday, the National Motorists Association raised an alarm over a Senate-endorsed provision mandating the installation of black box recording devices in all automobiles beginning with the 2015 model year.

New York: Police unions, management face off in ad over traffic tickets
It’s a battle between New York City police unions and management. A full page ad in the Daily News reads: “Don’t blame the cop, blame NYPD management for pressure to write tickets and the pressure to convict motorists.”

Illinois: Chicago residential speed limit could change
The speed limit on Chicago’s residential streets could be changed to 20 miles per hour under a new city plan. Also, pedestrians would get three more seconds to cross the street. Those are some measures in a proposal being considered by the Department of Transportation.

Arizona: Governor preserves camera revenue stream by backing non standard intersection definitions
Governor Jan Brewer on Wednesday vetoed a measure that would have brought Arizona’s definition of an intersection into compliance with federal law. In her veto message, Brewer said it would be too dangerous to adopt the same legal standard implemented across forty-eight other states.

Gov’t unsure on who can establish distracted driving laws
Turns out the federal government’s attempts to create enforceable oversight of cell-phone use in vehicles has hit a snag: It seems there isn’t a government agency specifically empowered with the authority to do so. The legislative boundaries of the Federal Communications Commission end at the phone itself, those of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration end at the vehicle itself. Neither is equipped to address how people combine the two while driving.

To see more stories like the ones above, check out our NMA Driving News site. Each weekday we update the site with news stories that are interesting and/or informative for drivers like you.