When Shakespeare wrote about Italians and Spaniards, he tended to make them a little crazy. Too much sun makes the blood boil, went the thinking at the time. Four-hundred years down the road, we know that most Renaissance medical theories were pure hogwash, but could a new study about driving in...Read More»
On the evening of June 15, 2013, 16-year-old Ethan Couch and his friends stole two cases of beer from a Texas Walmart. They made their getaway in Couch's Ford F-350. A few hours later, Couch slammed that truck into a group of pedestrians who were trying to fix an SUV stranded on the side of the...Read More»
Americans love playing pranks. We may be overweight, we may not have the world's highest scores in math and science, but no one can accuse us of not loving an elaborate practical joke. (There's a reason the Jackass phenomenon started here.) We also love stories about disorientation: comas, returns...Read More»
Police officers don't have it easy. Many risk their lives every day. Few get paid what they're worth. And much of the public eyes them with suspicion, as if the police are the bad guys instead of the guys hired to catch the bad guys. Reports of police corruption don't make things any easier. A...Read More»
UPDATE: See below YouTube is not for the timid. It's a cacophony of crap, most of which consists of (a) shaky cell phone footage of stadium concerts shot from nosebleed territory, (b) 12-year-old vloggers yelling inarticulately into their webcams about how their parents just don't understand, and...Read More»
For several years, traffic fatality rates in the U.S. have been falling, reaching historic lows. Though there's some disagreement about the reasons for the decline, most credit improved safety features on automobiles (e.g. electronic stability control) and improved driving habits (e.g. wider...Read More»
July 4 is many things to many people. To most U.S. adults, it's a day off. To the gregarious, it's a day to spend around the grill with friends and family. And to pyrophiles, it's a little slice of heaven on Earth. July 4 also marks the start of car-theft season. And according to the Insurance...Read More»
The Abstainer, the Chosen One, the Schmuck Who Drew the Short Straw: designated drivers are known by many names. According to a recent study, however, one name that many designated drivers don't live up to is "sober". The study was conducted by Adam Barry, an assistant professor of health education...Read More»
Do not click "play" on the video above just yet. First, clear the surrounding area of all liquids. Half-full coffee cups, entirely full water bottles, bowls of soup: whatever you've got, put it aside. Next, if you wear adult diapers or pads, please ensure that you're wearing the proper gear. If you...Read More»
Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board urged states to lower the blood alcohol content limit for motorists from .08 to .05. Doing so, the NTSB argued, would reduce the number of drunk driving incidents and the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Reducing traffic deaths seems...Read More»
Drunk driving is a big problem in many parts of the world. In France, for example, it's the leading cause of traffic fatalities, accounting for about one-third of all roadway deaths. Accordingly, last year France passed a law requiring motorists to carry breathalyzers in their cars. That law went...Read More»
As a percentage of the U.S. population, the number of teens who drive has been declining. However, there are still 13,000,000 licensed drivers under the age of 20 -- and according to a recent study, over one in ten of them will drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol tonight. The study was...Read More»
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its annual report on traffic fatalities in the U.S., and the results for 2011 were encouraging. Not only did the total number of deaths on U.S. roads decline (from 32,885 in 2010 to 32,367 in 2011), but the ratio of fatalities...Read More»
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its 2013 "Most Wanted List". But unlike the FBI photocopies pinned up at post offices, the NTSB isn't looking for criminals: the agency wants improvements to make U.S. transportation safer. In a press release, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman...Read More»
If you're the parent of a teenage driver, your biggest fear may be letting your kid drive alone. But according to AAA, there's a bigger danger: letting your kid drive with other teens. In advance of Teen Driver Safety Week (October 14 - 21), AAA has released some startling statistics uncovered by...Read More»
Fixing the problem of drinking and driving isn't easy. Though alcohol-related traffic fatalities are on the decline in the U.S., there were still 10,228 such deaths on our roads in 2010, which is 10,228 too many. Efforts by law enforcement can go only so far in addressing the matter. To really...Read More»
Today at High Gear Media, we drove the 2012 Mitsubishi i electric minicar and Fisker talked to us about its future models. Dodge recalled the 2013 Durango and Chrysler stopped giving dealerships bonuses for good customer service. All this and more in today's car news, right here on The Car...Read More»
Tea leaves, crystal balls, goat entrails: humankind has a huge arsenal of crazy tools for seeing into the future. But a new study from the data-crunchers at LexisNexis says that there's a much more accurate way to learn someone's fate: just relax and look deep into his driving record. The nuts and...Read More»
After a long, grueling slog through both houses of Congress, the highly anticipated, two-year surface transportation bill has finally passed. But now that it's been hacked to shreds by the House and the Senate, then stitched back together in joint committee, what, exactly, is in it? Hard to say...Read More»
