Archive for the ‘Driving’ Category

Back in the 18th century, British philosopher Jeremy Bentham came up with a nifty way to keep prisoners in line: as long as the incarcerated thought they were being watched, they behaved, even if they couldn't see the guards. The same "big brother" philosophy has been used ad nauseam since then, even in automobiles. Its newest iteration comes via GreenRoad's in-vehicle data recorder, which takes notes on unsafe driving habits like quick stops and sharp turns and records them for later review.

GreenRoad's difference, however, is that it also grades drivers in real time with red, yellow, and green lights. And the technology is...

Many police departments around the U.S. impound the cars of drivers caught behind the wheel without a license.

But starting Sunday, San Francisco plans to abolish that policy, calling it unfair to illegal immigrants.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, police chief George Gascón, and supervisor David Campos (himself a former illegal immigrant) all agree that impounding cars is particularly punitive for undocumented aliens, who are unable get licenses under California law.

Instead, police will give any license-less driver time to call a friend or relative to come drive the car away. The driver will still be cited for driving without a license, however, and...

Is technology a better way to keep us from talking and driving? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says it could be, while it also cautions that talking-and-driving laws aren't always as effective or durable as legislators think.

In a release issued today, the IIHS says it's studied how drivers react in the long term, to laws banning handheld cellphone use. The insurance industry-funded research group studied drivers in two metro areas where handheld cellphone use has been banned--the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland in one group, and New York and Connecticut in the other. In both groups, the IIHS found that handheld...