Austin City Council unanimously passed a ban last week on text messaging while driving, though a few speakers raised concerns that the ban is too broad and urged council members to spend more time refining it. The ban was supposed to take effect November 2; instead, it will take effect January 1. Council Member Mike…
Austin City Council members will vote next week on an ordinance that would prohibit text messaging while driving. If approved, it might be the first such citywide texting ban in Texas, officials said. Drivers could still text while a vehicle is stopped. But the ordinance would ban writing, sending or viewing electronic messages on a…
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…
