San Francisco and Los Angeles are known for their fog and smog, respectively, but at least the some folks representing the state of California want to make sure the view is crystal clear for plug-in drivers looking to juice up their vehicles.
Back in January of 2012, Steven Spriggs was cited for using a cellphone while driving in California, violating the state's Vehicle Code Section 23123 that makes it illegal for someone to drive "while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving." In this case, though, while Spriggs did have the phone in his hands, he was using it to check directions on Google Maps, not
Aceh, a province of Indonesia, is the only one of the island nation's areas to have adopted Sharia law. Over the past few years the region of 4.5 million has passed laws to bring its populace, native and otherwise, more into line with its interpretation of Sharia, opening a Sharia court and instituting a Sharia police force, passing a Jonathon Ramsey
The Midwest has lately been at the center of battles between unions and the politicians contesting them, and the union side hasn't been doing so well. Michigan is the latest rust-belt state to lob a legislative grenade into union ranks, the state governor signing two right-to-work bills that prohibit mandatory union dues in the state's workplaces.
For 50 years, residents of Coral Gables, Florida weren't permitted to park pickup trucks in their driveways due to a local ordinance aimed at preserving the community's classy aesthetic. As you may recall, police began en
The more states allow people to ride motorcycles without helmets, the more people die, according to a study discussed in TheDetroitBureau.com today.
Thankfully, Truck Nuts have proven to be more fad than fashion, but that hasn't stopped a few truck owners from donning the hitch-mounted clock weights. Those who continue to hold their Truck Nuts near and dear should keep in mind that South Carolina law enforcement is having none of it.
A new law is going on the books in Texas that will simultaneously eliminate the state's lower nighttime speed limits and raise the potential maximum speed limit to 85 mph. The 85 mph limit will be limited to rural areas, while most places will see a max of 75.
If you've ever ridden on two wheels, the following scenario might sound familiar: You pull up to a red light on your motorbike, scooter, bicycle, what-have-you, and you wait for it to change. And you wait, and wait and wait. The problem is likely that your wheels haven't triggered the sensor embedded in the pavement. So what do you do? Sit and wait some more, knowing that the light won't change? Or go through the red light and risk getting a ticket?
Satellite navigation systems - click above for high-res image gallery
Few issues out on the open road are as divisive as helmet laws for motorcycle riders. On the one hand, you have individual liberty advocates – many motorcyclists among them – insisting that the government can't tell riders what's best for them. On the other are safety advocates, armed with evidence of increased fatalities where helmets aren't mandatory. Now the Missouri state legislature has sent a bill to the governor that would, if signed into law, repeal the state's mandatory helm
After wiping the egg off his face for approving legislation earlier this year that banned cell phone use yet still allowed texting behind the wheel, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger hurriedly signed legislation today banning drivers from sending, writing, or reading messages on electronic devices. If you are one of those text-messaging morons in th
The House of Representatives passed the energy tax bill yesterday. The White House has threatened to veto the bill, but this one probably won't make it as far as the president's desk. Other bills similar to this energy tax bill died in the Senate but with $102 barrels of oil and $4 gallon of gas not out of the question, some extra political support might be behind the bill this time.
California bill SB 1374, if passed and signed into a law, would allow any car to join the HOV sticker program as long as that vehicle is carbon neutral. This would mean someone driving alone in a Hummer could legally be allowed into the HOV lane, if the Hummer's emissions were offset. Senator Jim Battin officially proposed the legislation but his press release - which includes lines like "eve
By law, if a pump in Iowa provides gas that contains ten percent ethanol (an amount that is safe for almost all cars), the pump must have a label stating that the fuel contains ethanol. This can turn off some buyers who might be worried about the alcohol's lower energy content, and that equals lower sales of ethanol. This might change thanks to Iowa State Senator Jack Kibbie, who introduced legislation that would allow gas stations to remove the ethanol identification stickers. Sen. Kibbie says<
The Orlando Sentinel reports that administrator John Drury (above photo) is excited that the Tavares City Council is lifting restrictions on NEVs [neighborhood electric vehicles] and even putting in some charging stations. John says, "Wouldn't it be a fine day when people are driving NEVs to the train station, then take a train to downtown Orlando?" Corey Lamb of O-Cartz, which rents electric vehicles in Orlando for $3 a ride, says, "This is the way
California Assemblyman, Ira Ruskin has withdrawn a bill that would have put a one-time fee of $2,500 on the sale price of new gas guzzlers. If it made it into law, it would have been American's first feebate law, which would also provide a rebate of $2,500 for green cars. Ira has tried to enact a similar bill into law with even with considerable industry opposition. He says he will try again but, for now, his Lascelles Linton
If you're of the opinion that the religious right has too much influence on American politics, you should check out Saudi Arabia. The royal family has relied for decades on the support of fundamentalist Wahabi clerics who, in return for their support to the ibn Saud regime, have insisted on ever more stringent laws. Among those measures has been a strict ban prohibiting women from driving that has been in effect for 75 years since the founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932, but the Saudi government
The Jerusalem Post is reporting that the Israeli government passed a "green tax" on cars Sunday. The tax was first proposed by Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On (pictured) and constructed by Boaz Sofer of the Tax Authority. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says "the state of Israel is doing its utmost to be a leading country in the field of alternative energy, which is the energy of the future
