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Texting Boosts Driver Crash Risk 23 Times

Texting while driving found to be deadliest distraction

(Newser) - A first-of-its-kind study has found that sending and receiving text messages is the deadliest distraction for drivers by far, the New York Times reports. The study, which involved cameras in the cabs of long-haul trucks, found that texting raised a driver's risk of collision a whopping 23 times, putting it...

Battle Over Big Rigs Pits Efficiency Against Safety

Measure would extended federal limits on big rigs

(Newser) - Bigger is not only better—it’s also safer and greener, say trucking-industry advocates who would like to see limits on the size and weight of big rigs on interstate highways lifted. One tells USA Today bigger trucks are more fuel-efficient and minimize pollution. But if truckers are successful, one...

Driver Polishing Nails Charged in Fatal Crash

She hit a motorcyclist yielding at a signal

(Newser) - A woman who fatally rammed into a female motorcyclist yielding at a yellow light said she was painting her nails before the accident, the Chicago Tribune reports. The driver was ticketed for failing to slow down and could face more charges. Authorities say the deceased biker was wearing a helmet...

'Cash for Clunkers' Plan Hits Skids With Auto Experts

Critics call green scheme misguided, too narrow

(Newser) - “Cash for Clunkers,” a congressional effort to remove older, gas-guzzling cars from the road, is gaining traction on Capitol Hill, but remains controversial elsewhere, MSNBC reports. The plan would offer drivers a $4,500 voucher toward new, fuel-efficient cars in exchange for trading in their environmentally unfriendly vehicles....

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...

California Bns Txtng While Driving
California Bns Txtng
While Driving
Sep 25, 2008 1:55 AM CDT

California Bns Txtng While Driving

Reading, sending texts will cost motorists $20

(Newser) - California has become the latest state to outlaw text messaging while driving, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Motorists will be fined a minimum of $20 the first time they are caught reading or writing an electronic message behind the wheel, and $50 for any subsequent offenses.

Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%
 Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%
Aug 15, 2008 8:54 AM CDT

Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%

Overall traffic deaths down but motorbike deaths up for 10th year in a row

(Newser) - The number of motorcyclist deaths rose in 2007 for the 10th year in a row, the New York Times reports, jumping 6.6% even as the overall number of vehicle deaths continued to drop. Motorcycle deaths now account for one in eight traffic fatalities, totaling 5,154 last year—a...

Under the Hood, Size Does Matter
Under the Hood, Size Does Matter
May 31, 2008 2:39 PM CDT

Under the Hood, Size Does Matter

Even in SUVs, Americans opt for smaller engines to conserve on gas

(Newser) - Instead of saving on gas by getting smaller cars, many Americans are buying cars with smaller engines. Four-cylinder autos have been zooming off lots nationwide, leaving six-cylinder rides in the dust: Three quarters of mid-size cars sold in May sported the smaller engine, a swerve away from a trend in...

Gas Prices Drive Americans Off the Road

Motoring takes record drop: 11B fewer miles in March

(Newser) - The summer driving season that kicked off over Memorial Day weekend will see significantly fewer Americans hitting the road, reports CNN: Figures from March released yesterday show the biggest decline in driving since the federal government began keeping records in 1942—down 4.3% or 11 billion miles from last...

High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache
High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache
ANALYSIS
May 24, 2008 3:52 PM CDT

High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache

Main Street and Wall Street finally admit financial pain

(Newser) - Oil prices gushed for 5 years, but the US economy remained blissfully unaffected—until now, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rising gas prices have finally spooked consumers and sparked ominous news from two major airlines, Ford, and even memory card maker SanDisk. “The economic outlook has been taken hostage...

SUVs Plunge in Value as Drivers Turn to Smaller Cars

Downsizing is in as pump prices start to pinch drivers

(Newser) - SUVs are falling out of fashion fast as gas prices go through the roof, CNN reports. As drivers downsize to more fuel-efficient vehicles, gas-guzzlers are filling up used-car lots—but there aren't many buyers. The biggest SUVs—like the Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition, and Chevy Suburban—are dropping in value...

GPS Network Aims to Beat Traffic Jams

New unit pools data from cars to warn of congested roads

(Newser) - You may soon be able to evade a traffic jam with a little help from your fellow driver, the Washington Post reports. California start-up Dash Navigation is launching a GPS device that collects speed and location data from vehicles, then uses the information to figure out which roads are congested...

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