Driving News Roundup: May 25, 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.

State reports show speeding not a significant cause of accidents
Out of 2.7 million traffic accidents recorded in twenty-five states over the course of a year, only 1.6 percent were caused by drivers who exceeded the posted speed limit. The figures come from an analysis by TheNewspaper of annual reports typically compiled by each state for use in applying for grant money from the National Highway Transportation Agency (NHTSA).

New Jersey: Dad saves boy before car plunges down cliff … and gets pair of traffic tickets
A New Jersey dad got the scare of his life when his five-year-old son almost ran off a steep embankment, and though the man saved the boy from falling, he could not stop his Jeep from going over the precipice and into a river below. His reward? Two traffic tickets from local police.

The right to record
The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department took an important stand last week, declaring that citizens have a First Amendment right to videotape the actions of police officers in public places and that seizure or destruction of such recordings violates constitutional rights.

Florida: State collects more than $100 million from traffic citations
In the last 12 months, the state has pocketed $101 million from traffic citations, according to information obtained from the Florida Department of Revenue. That figure doesn’t even include the money distributed to individual counties and cities.

Delaware: Supreme court rules against traffic stop delays
A police officer may not unreasonably delay a motorist pulled over for a traffic citation, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled last week. Many departments use minor infractions as an excuse to conduct an extensive search for possible evidence of more serious crimes. The justices ruled 4-1 against this practice.

Missouri: Another court rules red-light cameras unconstitutional
A second circuit court judge in St. Louis, Missouri on Monday ruled the use of red light cameras unconstitutional. Judge Theresa Counts Burke acquitted motorist Nicholas Pateri and state Senator Jim Lembke for tickets they received in the mail through a procedure each argued violated their due process rights.

California: Senate votes to bring autonomous cars closer to reality
California is on its way to taking a ride with the autonomous car. By a vote of 37-0, the State Senate approved a bill that begins to establish how guidelines on and oversight of self-driving vehicles will be handled.

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?

7 Stories of Speed Trap Revenge: These drivers didn't let the authorities get away with their corrupt traffic enforcement practices. See how the little guys fought back.

This collection of stories will definitely entertain you, but make sure you don't buy into the underlying message. Find out the dangerous myth that these stories perpetuate.

3 dirty tricks that the ticket camera industry uses to steal money from safe drivers. Discover what you don't know.

Despite years of evidence showing that ticket camera companies don't care about safety and will do anything for a buck, there are few tricks that the average driver often fails to notice. You can help expose them.