Appearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee on transportation this morning, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that Toyota owners should "stop driving" their recalled vehicles until they're fixed.
Reports from multiple news outlets cite sources within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who claim the government is now looking into electrical problems as the source for Toyota's recall troubles. The unnamed agency employee reportedly told CNN that the government is investigating whether electromagnetic interference might cause the electronic throttle control system t
Cash-for-Clunkers was among the more watched auto-related story lines of 2009. With the industry hurting, the government provided cash vouchers of between $3,500 and $4,500 to anyone who turned in a vehicle that was eight (or more) years-old and with between two and 10 miles-per-gallon worse fuel economy numbers than the new car or truck with which it was replaced. The program went from fledgling
Cash-for-Clunkers was among the more watched auto-related story lines of 2009. With the industry hurting, the government provided cash vouchers of between $3,500 and $4,500 to anyone who turned in a vehicle that was eight (or more) years-old and with between two and 10 miles-per-gallon worse fuel economy numbers than the new car or truck with which it was replaced. The program went from fledgling
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show kicked off this morning with a positive little speech by United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. Speaking about the coming electrification of the automobile, he said that "this is what the American people want." When asked how much money the government would pay over the next decade for a plug-in vehicle infrastructure, all he would say is that the costs would be shared between industry and governm
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show kicked off this morning with a positive little speech by United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. Speaking about the coming electrification of the automobile, he said that "this is what the American people want." When asked how much money the government would pay over the next decade for a plug-in vehicle infrastructure, all he would say is that the costs would be shared between industry an
When Cash for Clunkers Version 1.0 hit the ground running like Hussein Bolt in the 400 meter relay, the U.S. government was caught a little flat-footed by the sheer volume of demand. As a result, after only a few days after C4C was started, the government was looking to shut down the program, and dealer ad dollars were twisting in the wind. Customers were confused, too, as many were unsure if the in
A recent study from Virginia Tech showed that texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely to get into a crash and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is looking to address the problem head-on with a September summit to study distracted driving. LaHood plans to to use the summit with law enforcement, safety advocates and transportation officials to come up with a series of concre
Earlier this year, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood briefly became an Internet comment piñata by suggesting the U.S. think about instituting a mileage tax. The idea went nowhere, but this doesn't mean that a mileage tax is unworkable anywhere. In fact, Oregon bega
While Congress passed the first increase in corporate average fleet fuel economy (CAFE) in 32 years way back in 2007, there was a lot left undeclared in that bill. Two years ago, the agreement was made that CAFE would rise to 35 mpg by 2020, but just how and when that would happen was not set in stone. This past January, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the Obama Administration and
Over the weekend, we heard that the new Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood (R), was considering implementing a tax on the number of miles people drive each year to raise the funds for road infrastructure. The idea was solidly rejected by our readers - and very quickly by the Obama Administration. One problem with a mileage tax, as Sebastian Blanco
For years, the federal gas tax has funded the development, repair and improvement of our nation's highways, but for the last few years, there has been an ongoing debate about whether it's a better idea to tax drivers based on the number of miles traveled or to continue taxing the purchase of fuel.
