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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: drivers

drivers stories: 15 news summaries

GPS Will Track Dutch Drivers for Per-Mile Tax

Those who drive on congested roads at peak hours will pay more

Nov 14, 09 3:03 PM CST
(AP) - The Dutch government plans to bring the polluter-pays principle into the home garage. Rather than an annual road tax for their cars, drivers will soon pay a small sum for every mile on the road—a plan aimed at breaking chronic traffic jams and cutting carbon emissions. GPS devices installed... More »

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taxes • Netherlands • GPS • Dutch government • drivers

Drivers Call LA Commute Nation's Most 'Painful'  

City tops IBM's 'commuter pain index'

Sep 4, 09 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Los Angelenos may have fun in the sun, but they suffer the worst commutes, Reuters reports. An IBM survey of 4,446 motorists found that LA commuters ranked their morning drive highest on a "commuter pain index," which measures traffic, stress, anger, and other factors. Though Los Angeles... More »

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Minneapolis • San Francisco • Chicago • Atlanta • New York • Dallas • Miami • Los Angeles • commute • commuting • drivers • Minneapolis-St. Paul

 Road Rarity: 
 Samoan Drivers 
 Moving to Left Side 

Drivers will stick to left as country becomes first in 40 years to change

Aug 14, 09 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - There’s upheaval in Samoa as a cultural shift changes the country’s direction—on the road. On September 7, Samoa is set to become the first country in 40 years to switch the side of the road used for driving, writes Tom Vanderbilt in Salon. The Pacific island nation... More »

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traffic • Sweden • political demonstrations • protesters • drivers • Samoa

Texting Boosts Driver
Crash Risk 23 Times

Texting while driving found to be
deadliest distraction 

Jul 28, 09 1:49 AM CDT
(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... More »

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cell phones • text message • texting • road safety • drivers • driver distraction

Battle Over Big Rigs Pits Efficiency Against Safety

Measure would extended federal limits on big rigs

Jun 6, 09 7:02 AM CDT
(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... More »

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highway safety • trucks • road safety • drivers • 18-wheeler

Driver Polishing Nails Charged in Fatal Crash
 

She hit a motorcyclist yielding at a signal

May 4, 09 4:46 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Chicago • car accident • Illinois • motorcycle crash • drivers • driver distraction

'Cash for Clunkers' Plan
Hits Skids With Auto Experts

Critics call green scheme misguided, too narrow

May 2, 09 5:00 PM CDT
(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.... More »

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environment • fuel efficiency • miles per gallon • vouchers • drivers • cars • US Senate • Cash for Clunkers

 Huge Pipe Break 
 Traps DC-Area Drivers 

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

Dec 23, 08 9:46 AM CST
(AP) - 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... More »

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water • motorists • flood • Bethesda, MD • rescue • Washington, DC • drivers • pipelines

California Bns Txtng
While Driving

Reading, sending texts will cost motorists $20

Sep 25, 08 1:55 AM CDT
(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. More »

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California • cell phones • Arnold Schwarzenegger • driving • text message • texting • drivers • driver distraction

 Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%

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

Aug 15, 08 8:54 AM CDT
(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... More »

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highway safety • accident • driving • motorcycle crash • road safety • traffic accident • drivers • traffic fatalities

Under the Hood, Size Does Matter

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

May 31, 08 2:39 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Toyota • Honda • Ford • gas prices • Chevy Malibu • drivers • cars

Gas Prices Drive Americans
Off the Road

Motoring takes record drop: 11B fewer
miles in March

May 27, 08 3:31 AM CDT
(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... More »

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gas • driving • gas prices • Department of Transportation • drivers • cars

ANALYSIS

High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache

Main Street and Wall Street finally admit financial pain

May 24, 08 3:52 PM CDT
(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... More »

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United Airlines • Ford • American Airlines • US economy • gas prices • oil price • drivers

SUVs Plunge in Value as Drivers Turn to Smaller Cars

Downsizing is in as pump prices start to pinch drivers

May 24, 08 8:21 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Ford • SUV • gas prices • auto industry • vehicle • SUVs • drivers • pickup trucks

GPS Network Aims to Beat Traffic Jams

New unit pools data from cars to warn
of congested roads

Mar 25, 08 8:22 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Microsoft • Washington DC • traffic • GPS • highways • Dash Navigation • drivers • Sunnyvale • INRIX

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