The upheaval in Egypt is raising prices at the pump, with average prices rising to $3.10 a gallon, according to data from GasBuddy. Though Egypt is not a major supplier of oil, the Egyptian-controlled Suez canal and the nearby Sumed pipeline are key pass-through points for the world’s oil supply, and there are concerns that the civil unrest could spread to other oil-producing countries. As of Tuesday upwards pressure on oil prices eased off as so far back the protests haven’t disrupted transportation. [More]
Superstreets Save Lives And Fuel By Ditching Left Turns
By January 19, 2011
When you think about it, left turns across two lanes of traffic going in opposite directions are kind of crazy. Only an admixture of luck, skill, and a collective social agreement to, as a general rule, avoid crashing into each other keeps you alive. In fact, left turns increase the potential for an accident and also waste fuel. So traffic engineers have come up with a new street design, called “superstreets” that get rid of left turns from side streets onto major roads. And a new study says they are both faster, and safer. [More]
Government May Use Tech To Stop Cell Phone Use In Cars
By December 1, 2010
People are so insistent on driving while using their cell phones that only death in a car accident will stop them from doing so. Spurred by the prevalence of fatal accidents caused by distracted drivers — 5,500 last year — the government is mulling over the concept of using technology to force drivers to put down their phones. [More]
Gas Station Chain Slapped With $30 Million Verdict For Shortchanging Drivers
By November 10, 2010
A jury handed down a $30 million verdict agains gas station chain Sun Mart for leaving their customers a little light at the pump. The Texas Department of Agriculture found in an investigation that the chain was routinely shortchanging customers with improperly calibrated pumps. [More]
How To (Maybe) Get Out Of A Traffic Ticket
By September 25, 2010
When a cop pulls you over, what you do and say in the next few minutes may well determine whether you get pounded with a ticket for the maximum fee or skate like a celebrity. It’s not so much about being able to talk your way out of a ticket — because let’s face it, the cop has probably decided your fate before he asks for your license — but avoiding digging yourself any deeper. [More]
Garmin Recalls 1.3 Million GPS Devices For Fire Hazard
By August 26, 2010
So you’re driving down the highway, looking for the exit that will lead to the secluded cabin where you and your long-lost twin have arranged to meet for the first time. The turn-by-turn directions intoned by your Garmin Nuvi are a welcome threshold to cling to as anxiety churns through your stomach. Then, there it is, the offramp, its emerald sign throbbing gently as your headlights trace over it. Relief washes through your veins, just as your GPS unit explodes into a ball of flames, instantly turning you and everything inside your car to ash!
Nothing like that has been reported in the 1.2 million Garmin Nuvi devices recalled for battery overheating that increases the risk of fire hazard affecting model numbers 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx and 7xxt where xx is a two digit number, but man, if it did, what a story that would be.
San Fran Launches Parking Meters With Supply And Demand Based Pricing
By August 10, 2010
That little love bubble known as San Francisco is at it again, introducing new “smart” parking meters that, among their many innovations, change their prices based on supply and demand. [More]
What Are The Best Smartphone Apps For Motorists?
By June 30, 2010
Maybe I can’t play Plants vs. Zombies while I drive (or maybe I can!*), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of useful apps for the average driver. In its August issue, Consumer Reports reviews a bunch of apps for motorists, both free and paid, that promise to help you remember maintenance dates, get the correct info after an accident, or find your car in a big parking lot. [More]
Hypocritical Adults As Likely As Reckless Teens To Text While Driving
By June 19, 2010
Great news, teens! Next time an adult tells you not to text while driving, call them a dangerous hypocrite. For authority, tell them about the recent Pew Internet & American Life Project, which found that being in a car could be much more dangerous than you thought. [More]
Using H2O As Wiper Fluid Might Turn Car Into Pneumonia Breeding Ground
By June 16, 2010
If you’re cheap and/or lazy and use only water as your windshield wiper fluid, you could increase your risk of contracting Legionnaire’s disease and pneumonia, according to a new study. That’s right, treat your car poorly and it will try to kill you. [More]
Angry Driver Buys Police Department's Website, Launches Anti-Speed Camera Site
By June 9, 2010
Brian McCrary in Bluff City, TN received a $90 speeding ticket in the mail earlier this year, thanks to an American Traffic Solutions speed camera the police department turned on in January. McCrary says when he looked up information to call the police department with questions about the ticket, he discovered something else: that their website’s domain registration was about to expire. So he bought it. [More]
Survey: 15% Of Drivers Getting Their Swerve On While Driving
By June 2, 2010
From cell phones to stereos to billboards to those pesky other vehicles on the road, driving a car comes with a whole host of distractions. A new survey attempts to quantify just how many people are being distracted by the various and sundry things vying for drivers’ attention. [More]
10 Tips For More Fuel-Efficient Summer Driving
By June 1, 2010
It’s the summer holiday season, which for many people means long hours on the road headed to the beach, the countryside, the mountains, the lake, amusement parks… and of course back home again. With gas prices still putting a crimp in many drivers’ wallets, the grease monkeys at AutoMD.com have come up 10 things you can do to enjoy your warm-weather ride with a few less worries. [More]
Kansas, You Are The Smartest Drivers, NY, The Dumbest
By May 30, 2010
Every year GMAC ranks the average scores of their national driver’s test by state — and this year Kansas had the smartest drivers and New York the dumbest. Here are the top 5 and bottom 5 from the ranking: [More]
What State Uses The Most Gas?
By April 27, 2010
Is your state the gassiest? This graph over at Infrastructurist compares how much each gas each state uses per person. Green is low use, blue is moderate, and red is high. What’s interesting is when you look at each state’s fuel use per capita, “High-use states like New York actually have low per-capita usage, while states like Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, and North Dakota — all states with smaller populations and large distances required for drivers — have higher than average consumption.” [More]
Augmented Driving iPhone App Gives Your Car A HUD
By April 19, 2010
The Augmented Driving iPhone app turns your car into a fighter jet. Mount your iPhone on the dash and launch the program and it starts tracking the cars around you, warning with an annoying voice if you get too close and showing you your lane so you don’t drift. Could come in handy for long road trips, as would staying alert and pulling off to a rest stop and taking a nap if you get tired. Only, don’t get so fascinated by playing with your driving app that you get into an accident. Even though it looks like a video game, there’s no replays. Here’s a demo so you can scoff or fawn for yourself: [More]
Asphalt Has Become So Expensive That Some States Are Going Back To Gravel
By March 31, 2010
Kiplinger says that in the near future, if you’re driving down a rural or less-traveled road, you might find yourself driving on gravel. Road asphalt has doubled in price over the past three years and shows no signs of coming back down, so some states–Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Vermont, and Pennsylvania to begin with–are looking for ways to cut corners. Gravel costs $20 a ton compared to asphalt’s current $400/ton price. [More]
Mercedes Shows Off New Safety Feature For Cars
By March 9, 2010
Last week, Mercedes showed a bunch of journalists some new safety features it’s working on to prevent deaths in the event of a car crash, and BNET describes them. I hope you like air bags going off all around you–the demo even has air bags for the car. Sadly, the people-scooper feature–something about when you hit a pedestrian, the car “scoops” the body onto the hood and keeps the person there, probably so that his screaming can alert you that you’ve been in an accident–will only be available in Europe. [More]
