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.
You deserve every speeding ticket you get. You can complain all you want after the fact, but it's true. Find out why.
It's one of the "great" American past times: complaining about unfair speeding tickets. There are two types of people when it comes to complaining about this particular type of traffic ticket. Which group are you in?
