Here's what we know about autonomous cars: 1. They're coming. 2. Their arrival will be piecemeal, via a range of autonomous features, which will eventually merge into fully self-driving vehicles. 3. Autonomous technology could be accepted by the mainstream within five or ten years. 4. Autonomous...Read More»
Over the past couple of years, drivers in Florida and Texas have been ticketed for notifying their fellow motorists about speed traps. In Florida, Ryan Kintner simply flashed his high-beams to oncoming cars -- the international "Police ahead!" signal -- but in Texas, Ron Martin went so far as to...Read More»
Is warning of a speed trap ahead—by holding a sign and standing in the median of a highway—a misdemeanor? That's what Ron Martin was charged with when local law enforcement in Frisco, Texas, arrested him for alerting oncoming motorists of the discreet enforcement via a “police...Read More»
Motor-vehicle laws are intended to keep everyone safe, without unnecessarily hindering or restricting. At least in the purest intent, that's how they're supposed to work. But as you've probably found, there are plenty of driving-related laws that can push drivers to fits—whether it's for the...Read More»
In most of America, it's illegal to text and drive. Today, 39 states and the District of Columbia now have laws on the books forbidding the practice. Chances are, you live in one of them. The problem for police officers is that such laws can be difficult to enforce. Even though texting constitutes...Read More»
Here's one less thing for summer road-trippers to worry about: speeding tickets doled out by airplanes. Of course, if you're planning to hit the highway this July 4 holiday, you'll still see the familiar signs that read, "State Police aircraft used in speed enforcement". But according to at least...Read More»
Antoine Jones, a nightclub owner in Washington, D.C., was sentenced to life in prison on a drug conspiracy conviction. Prosecutors built their case around police GPS tracking of Jones’ Jeep, which was followed to a residence used as a stash house for money and drugs. Jones appealed his...Read More»
Many of the people arrested under Alabama's new immigration law--immigrants from Central and South America, documented or not--get no media attention. A state that arrests or tickets executives from foreign automakers who provide thousands of jobs, however, makes the press sit up and take notice...Read More»
Nearly all states have laws requiring occupants to wear safety belts when in a moving vehicle. Yet about 15 percent of vehicle occupants still don't buckle up. How do we get that remainder to buckle up and be more likely to survive an accident? Surprisingly, just introducing the threat of a...Read More»
As readers of the Risk Factor know, blaming the computer for any and all technical glitches is a fairly regular and convenient excuse. One of the more unusual technical problems blamed on a computer was reported about a week plus ago by the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team in Baltimore, Maryland. Apparently...Read More»
Annual crime figures were released this week by the U.S. FBI, and on the vehicle front there's some good news: For one, vehicle theft is way down. It's apparent that all the anti-theft measures—like alarms, immobilizers, and more sophisticated ignition locks—introduced by automakers...Read More»
Smashed windshields, staged accidents, and suspicious fender-benders and vehicle fires might remain relatively common tactics for deceiving insurance companies—and might be more rampant in a down economy—but insurers are definitely catching on. Last week, the National Insurance Crime Bureau...Read More»
