Driving News Roundup: January 27, 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.

Texas: Many highways will soon get 75-mph speed limit
The speed limit will soon rise from 70 to 75 mph on nearly 1,500 miles of highway. The new limit was approved Thursday by the Texas Transportation Commission after studies on the roads determined that the change would be safe.

Oklahoma: Rankin to seek OK for radar guns
A controversial proposal to allow sheriff departments to use radar guns is likely to make its way back to the state Legislature this session, partly because of Rankin County officials.

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2012 Land Rover Evoque Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist

James Bond’s Walther PPK was a lot like the new Range Rover Evoque: Compact, elegant – but very capable when called upon. Ditto the Evoque.

There’s a small but potent (and efficient) turbo’d four under the hood.

Almost 30 MPG on the road – and 0-60 in seven seconds flat.

Terrain-mapping AWD is at your fingertips – and the ability to ford nearly 20 inches of water.

You can go two-door – or four.

Let’s look some more… .

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TheNewspaper.com Roundup: January 25, 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, January 25, 2012
Texas: Federal Appeals Court Defends Anti-Camera Referendum
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday rebuked a lower court judge who had taken extraordinary measures to protect the red light camera program in Houston, Texas. A three-judge panel ruled that US District Court Judge Lynn N. Hughes erred last June when he blocked the organizers of an anti-camera referendum from participating in the court proceedings that Hughes used to nullify the election results.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Houston, Texas Settles Red Light Camera Lawsuit
The city of Houston, Texas announced Friday that it would pay American Traffic Solutions (ATS) $4.8 million to settle the lawsuit the company set up after voters rejected red light cameras in November 2010. Upon approval by the city council Wednesday, the Arizona firm will receive $2.3 million up front with another $2.4 million provided as the company collects on unpaid citations over the next three years.

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Vehicle Accident Reconstruction: Is It “CSI For Cars”?

By Jerry F. Cuderman II, Ph.D., P.E.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Cuderman has long been a member of the NMA and a contributor to The Experts Corner, a resource for supporting NMA members. He has been active in the accident reconstruction field for over 20 years, and he wrote this article for our member newsletter, Driving Freedoms, where it originally appeared last year.

The topic of vehicle accident reconstruction (AR) can be of great interest to motorists involved in a collision, especially if criminal charges or litigation is likely.

There are a number of books that go into great detail on how to reconstruct vehicle collisions. Thousands of articles are published by the Society of Automotive Engineers and others on the subject. For the purposes of this article, I will present merely an overview of AR, providing its definition and how it is generally approached rather than attempting to create a primer on how to actually perform AR.

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An Ode To The Two Stroke

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist

I’m in the process of restoring an old Kawasaki motorcycle – a 1975 S1C Triple. I love the bike’s lines and looks – but I also admire its engineering. Which is startlingly simple.

Because it’s a two-stroke.

There is much less to the engine – parts and physical size-wise. The entire valvetrain is eliminated. No camshaft(s), no valves, no pushrods or chains; no keepers or shims or buckets to bother with. The “top end” of the S1′s engine consists of three one-piece cylinder head castings – each little more than a small block of aluminum with a cast-in combustion chamber on the underside and a threaded hole in the center for the spark plug. There is nothing to rebuild. Ever. Provided the block of aluminum is not physically damaged (e.g. warped, or a cooling fin broken off or the spark plug hole’s threads ruined) it is a “forever part” that you can use and re-use almost indefinitely. You can clean it occasionally, if you’re concerned about looks. But function-wise, it never wears out.

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