Sacrament California will test requiring that drivers convicted of drunken driving install devices that block vehicles from starting if alcohol is detected on the drivers’ breath. The bill requires installing an ignition interlock device on every vehicle owned or operated by a first-time DUI offender in four counties: Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare. The…
The risk of dying in a traffic crash has dropped nearly 18 percent since 2005, according to preliminary statistics released by the Transportation Department, although experts say they are not sure why. The recession and gas prices have reduced the number of miles traveled, and perhaps cutting average speed, at least for part of the…
New legislation would spur states to outlaw text messaging while driving, considered a growing threat in a nation reluctant to put down its cell phones and hand-held devices even behind the wheel, the Obama administration said. The Transportation Department reported that nearly 6,000 people were killed last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction,…
After years of trying to make cars sound as if they were riding on air, engineers are considering how they might make them noisier. They’re trying to make hybrids and electric cars more audible to pedestrians. A team of engineers developing the Leaf, the forthcoming electric car from Nissan, has been presenting ideas for artificial…
Toyota Motor Corporation said it will recall 3.8 million vehicles in the United States, the company’s largest-ever U.S. recall, to address problems with a removable floor mat that could cause accelerators to get stuck and lead to a crash. The recall will involve models such as the Toyota Camry, the top-selling passenger car in America,…
The federal safety agency that investigates transportation accidents is banning text-messaging and talking on cell phones by its employees while driving on government business. National Transportation Safety Board’s 400 employees will no longer be able to text or talk on cell phones while driving during work hours nor while driving during off-hours if they’re using…
Austin firetrucks now must drive the speed limit and come to a complete stop at intersections while responding to calls, according to a new city policy that has upset the firefighters union. Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr said the policy is intended to improve safety for firefighters and motorists. But Steven Truesdell, president of the…
The seat belt law is one of several driving that take effect Sept. 1. Others include: Children under 8 have to be in a child safety seat or a booster seat unless they are 4 feet 9 inches tall. Under the current law, only children under 5 and shorter than 36 inches have to he…
Texas law already requires buckling up in the front seat, and starting September 1, it’ll be the law to do so in the back seat, too. The change affects people 17 and older; those 16 and under are already required to wear a seat belt in the back seat. Getting the measure passed into law…
