ray lahood

Anthony Foxx, labeled by President Obama as "one of the most effective mayors Charlotte [North Carolina] has ever seen," has been nominated by the President to be the next Secretary of Transportation. Foxx would take over for Ray LaHood, who announced that he would be stepping down a few months ...

In its continuing battle against distracted driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued voluntary guidelines covering the use of in-car infotainment and communication devices. It is NHTSA's intention that the proposals, which have been in the works for a year and are ...

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has announced that he will not serve a second term in President Obama's Cabinet, but will stay on until a successor is confirmed. Of his and the Department of Transportation's many initiatives, the one LaHood will perhaps be remembered for most is his ...

It looks like we don't have much longer to wait to find out if rearview cameras will become the next safety device to become standard on new cars. Ray LaHood and the US Department of Transportation could put this legislation to the vote by the end of the month to require all new vehicles in 2014 ...

So far, 39 states have some form of law against texting while driving, but it is a hard thing to enforce. Many drivers continue to text on the road, confident that the local smokies won't spot their sins. That time might be over for Massachusetts and Connecticut, as the National highway Traffic ...

Increasing the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for model year 2017-2025 cars to 54.5 miles per gallon was first proposed in July 2011. Since then, there has been a lot of back and forth, a lot of positive and negative responses, and, lately, a delay for unknown reasons. Since the CAFE ...

Representatives from the Republican Party have asked President Obama to delay pushing through strict new automotive fuel economy regulations. The trio of top GOP legislators consists of auto dealer Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Jim Jordan (also of PA) and House Oversight and Government Reform ...

The more things change, the more they stay the same. According to a report at carinsurance.com, Department of Transportation chief Ray LaHood isn't the first person to take on distracted driving. In 1930, George A. Packer, then the Massachusetts registrar of motor vehicles, wanted the state to ...

Everyone needs a plan, and now Ray LaHood and his people at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have released their Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving. The blueprint calls for: Getting the last 11 holdout states to pass laws banning distracted driving. Challenge the ...

Turns out the federal government's attempts to create enforceable oversight of cellphone use in vehicles has hit a Swiftian snag: it seems there isn't a government agency specifically empowered with the authority to do so. The legislative boundaries of the Federal Communications Commission end at ...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced plans to update the agency's current vehicle safety standards. In order to protect drivers in the event they depress both the accelerator and the brake pedal at the same time, automakers will be required to install a bake-throttle ...

Distracted driving is a topic that's on everybody's minds these days, and for good reason. Every new car and truck sold today is packed with more technology than every before, from touchscreen LCDs that offer myriad audio and infotainment options to voice-controlled applications and various forms ...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed the Obama administration didn't ask the government agency to delay announcing potential safety issues with the Chevrolet Volt. According to The Detroit News, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was briefed about Volt fires that ...

When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood thinks a ban on drivers using electronic devices is a flawed, you know it's a bad idea. But that's exactly what the Good Secretary told David Shepardson of the Detroit News during a recent interview. Citing the recent recommendation by the National ...

If your nearest stop sign is looking a little worse for the wear, you should reach out and let your local government know. Up until recently, that sign was one of the hundreds of thousands that were set to be replaced by 2018, according to a mandate formerly on the books. Now, however, the Obama ...

Back in February, President Obama proposed changing the credit for plug-in vehicles over to a point-of-purchase rebate, a move that would likely speed up the $7,500 payment. Under the proposal, dealers would reduce the sticker price of eligible plug-in vehicles and apply for reimbursement from ...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced new tour bus safety measures that could make it a lot more difficult for companies to operate their fleets in an unsafe manner. Among the sweeping changes are a requirement for tour bus companies to pass a safety audit before receiving ...

Declining Highway Death Rate Challenges Distracted Driving Fears

My weekend nearly got off to a disastrous start when a driver, busy texting, suddenly realized he was going to miss his exit. At the last possible ...

United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that traffic deaths in 2010 were the lowest they've ever been, falling three percent from 2009's record low. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projections, traffic fatalities fell from 33,808 in 2009 to 32,708 in ...

The Department of Transportation has released data revealing that American drivers clocked over 2.9 trillion miles traveled in 2010. According to DOT, that's a .7 percent, or 20.5 billion-mile) increase over 2009, and the highest rate since 2007. The area between Texas and Kentucky saw the ...