motorists

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'Grinch' Cop Gives Speeders 2 Options: Ticket or an Onion

Col. Lou Caputo uses unusual method to get Florida Keys motorists to slow down

(Newser) - Several motorists who were speeding through an elementary school zone on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway recently received an odorous onion as a reminder to slow down from a county sheriff's deputy dressed as the Grinch. Col. Lou Caputo, a 37-year veteran of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office...

Hundreds of Motorists Rescued After Being Stuck Overnight on I-95

And the train that was also stuck finally reached its destination

(Newser) - Update: All of the motorists stranded on I-95 amid a winter storm had been rescued by Tuesday night, the Guardian reports. Some of them had been stuck on the highway for more than a full day, including Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who details his 27-hour ordeal to CNN . The Richmond ...

Woman Calls 911 With Toes After Hands Crushed

The jack slipped while she was changing a tire

(Newser) - A woman trapped in "excruciating pain" next to a highway in South Carolina had to use her toes to summon help, authorities say. Trouble began for the 54-year-old resident of Charlotte, NC, when she got a flat tire on I-95 Sunday night, CNN reports. She was in the breakdown...

Cop Finds Driver Playing Pokemon Go on 8 Phones

He 'agreed to put phones in back seat'

(Newser) - Pokemon Go isn't as popular as it was in 2016, but one man in Washington state is still trying way too hard to catch them all. Trooper Rick Johnson, a Washington State Patrol information officer, tweeted Thursday that an officer encountered a vehicle he thought was disabled parked on...

NJ Weighs Big Fines for Distracted Drivers (but Coffee Is Likely Safe)

Bill generates a lot of attention

(Newser) - A New Jersey lawmaker wants to slap stiff fines on motorists guilty of distracted driving, which his bill defines as "any activity unrelated to the actual operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that interferes with the safe operation of the vehicle." A story at NJ.com...

Motorists Save Pair From Burning Car

Truckers, cement mixer join Miss. rescue

(Newser) - Passing motorists—including an AP photographer—saved the lives of two women trapped in a burning SUV next to a Mississippi highway yesterday. Between 15 and 20 people came to the rescue after spotting smoke rising from a stand of pine trees. They pulled the driver's disabled sister from...

1 in 5 Drivers Will Soon Be 65 or Older

Baby boomers will outlive their driving ability

(Newser) - As the baby boomer generation enters old age, the graying of America may be felt dramatically on the road. In 15 years, 1 in 5 drivers will be 65 or older, reports AP . The NTSB is already trying to gauge the impact that might have—though smart cars and smart...

Woman Hit by Car— After Flashing Drivers

Woman fined $200 for drunken escapade that landed her in hospital

(Newser) - An 18-year-old New Zealand woman had to go to the hospital and pay a fine after a drunken dare—flash oncoming traffic—caused one motorist to plow into her. Cherelle Dudfield escaped the accident with minor cuts and bruises, but police were not amused. “This girl put herself at...

Bad Driving Is in the Genes
 Bad Driving Is in the Genes 
Oct 29, 2009 4:37 PM CDT

Bad Driving Is in the Genes

Study says 30% can't help being lousy on the roads

(Newser) - Certain people—perhaps up to 30% of the population—may be fated by their genetic makeup to be bad drivers, a new study suggests. Researchers tested a small group of people on a driving simulator and found that subjects with a particular gene variant weren't so hot at keeping up...

Have Mercy, Officer: I Can't Think of a Good Excuse

(Newser) - Every time a cop pulls someone over, he or she is liable to hear an excuse. And every so often, a driver manages to surprise even the most jaded ticket-writer, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Like the pair of Frenchmen one officer caught speeding on Highway 101. They’d...

Next Recession Victim: Highway Rest Stops

Drivers left crossing their legs as states close pit stops to save cash

(Newser) - The pit stops along American highways are starting to go the way of the Pony Express as states slash their budgets, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some states argue that the mushrooming of gas stations and motels at interstate exits make the rest stops obsolete, but American Automobile Association officials...

Amsterdam's 'Beer Bikes' Drive Into Trouble

(Newser) - “Beer bikes”—party vehicles that combine two of Amsterdam's favorite things—are under scrutiny after two recent accidents involving the gizmos, Reuters reports. Each large conveyance seats 10 peddlers at a central bar while a non-drinker steers. “This beer bike is completely legal,” said a transport...

Huge Pipe Break Traps DC-Area Drivers

Boats used for rescue as 4-foot-deep, frigid water gushes around cars in Md. suburb

(Newser) - Rescuers in helicopters scrambled to pull motorists from frigid floodwaters unleashed by a massive water pipe break this morning on a commuter road just outside Washington. TV images showed two people in a minivan climbing into a basket lowered from a helicopter overhead. Rescuers also used a boat to save...

Gov. Vetoes Ban on 'Lap Dog Driving'

Calif. motorists can still tool around with Fido at the wheel

(Newser) - Californians can keep driving with pets on their laps since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have banned such behavior, reports the Sacramento Bee. The "Paris Hilton Bill," as it was named by conservatives, was one of 95 measures that the Terminator terminated over the...

Romo a Hero for Stranded Couple
Romo a Hero for Stranded Couple
Sep 12, 2008 7:20 AM CDT

Romo a Hero for Stranded Couple

Cowboys QB stops to fix Dallas couple's flat after a long day crushing Cleveland

(Newser) - Tony Romo took down the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, then rescued the Whites in Dallas on his way home, People reports. Car after car passed Bill and Sharon White, stuck on the roadside at midnight with a flat tire and a busted jack. But when one finally stopped to help,...

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars
Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars
Jul 12, 2008 7:30 AM CDT

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars

Study estimates $4 gas will prevent 1,000 deaths a month

(Newser) - The record-breaking gas prices putting the squeeze on American drivers may be a lifesaver for some, reports the AP. Experts crunched 20 years of data and discovered that auto deaths fell 2.3% for every 10% hike in gas prices. When gas went up, people drove slower and bought safer...

Hands-Free Phones Still Dangerous Driver Overload

Scientists say any kind of phone use makes for risky driving

(Newser) - California motorists are now banned from using cell phones, but scientists say the move won't make the freeways any safer, reports the Los Angeles Times. Research shows that it is the lack of attention rather than occupied hands that impacts safety, and that drivers chatting on phones with both hands...

States to Motorists: Hang Up
 States to Motorists: Hang Up 
Jun 27, 2008 2:10 PM CDT

States to Motorists: Hang Up

Number of tickets issued soars since states make talking a primary offense

(Newser) - It might be time to get that hands-free cell: Tickets for phone use while driving are skyrocketing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. States are increasingly making yakking behind the wheel a primary offense, meaning police can pull motorists over just for that. California and Washington next week join New York, Connecticut,...

Freeway Shootings Rattle Los Angeles

Cops say troubling spate of firings is random violence

(Newser) - A string of freeway shootings in Los Angeles County is causing more jitters than usual on its jam-packed arteries, the Los Angles Times reports. Windows of six cars were shot out by a mystery sniper wielding a BB gun yesterday, the day after a driver died from a possibly self-inflicted...

Vatican: Thou Shalt Not Speed
Vatican: Thou Shalt Not Speed
Jun 19, 2007 2:14 PM CDT

Vatican: Thou Shalt Not Speed

Holy See issues '10 commandments' for motorists

(Newser) - The pope wants you to slow down, watch your language, and pray while on the road—and not by taking the Lord's name in vain when you get cut off. The Vatican issued "10 Commandments" for motorists today, reiterating the familiar prohibition against killing and adding new guidelines for...

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