Virginia law provides for “minimum speed limits”, establishing a minimum speed at which all vehicles must travel on certain roads. For example, on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, there is a posted “Maintain 55″ minimum speed limit. Opinion columnist William Melgaard writes about the failure to enforce this minimum speed limit and the traffic it causes. Should more roads have minimum speed limits to keep traffic moving?
According to a new study by the University of Utah, drivers on cell phones are clogging up traffic. Motorists on cell phones drive slower, pass less often, and take longer to complete their trips, according to the study released Wednesday by psychology professor Dave Strayer.
A reader to the Kitsap Sun newspaper writes, “This is probably an age-old question, but I haven’t seen it addressed. I try to follow the speed limit, but my husband tells me that I need to speed up with the flow of traffic for safety. So, how strictly should I obey the speed limit?” she asks.
What is the exact law when it comes to turn signals? Is it mandatory to use them each time you make a turn?
What is the meaning of a red arrow for right turns? Can you make the turn if the arrow is red or do you treat the red arrow like a stop sign?
Allan Roberts of the Sun Sentinel addresses these questions and more in his column.
Florida: Signal required every time you turn, shift lanes
Note that in New York, home of STOPandGO.org, some of the advice doesn’t apply. There are cases in New York where you are not required to use your turn signal, for example, when you make a turn in the direction indicated by a “turn only” lane. Also, New York requires that drivers stop and wait at right-turn red arrows. However, acknowledging the confusion caused by this type of traffic control, New York has instead began use a red ball and “No Turn on Red” sign instead of a right red arrow.
Aiming to deal with growing problems caused by the sheer number of vehicles and pedestrians flooding its roads, the Chinese government has adopted a new set of traffic laws that emphasize “respect to life”. The new rules provide for minimal liability for persons involved in accidents that are not their fault. The new rules go into effect May 1, 2008.
China adopts amendment to road traffic law, emphasizing “respect to life”
New York state police say that they’re not crying - or issuing tickets - over a tractor-trailer crash that spilled more than 1,000 gallons of milk onto a highway ramp. Milk and diesel fuel spilled onto the road and into the Mahwah River in Hillburn when the tanker overturned Sunday afternoon on a state thruway ramp heading toward Interstate 87. The driver suffered a minor concussion and was treated at a hospital. Crews trained to handle hazardous materials cleaned up the spill, and the ramp was closed for about eight hours.
2007 marks the end of one of the largest civil engineering projects in the history of man, and the largest highway project ever in the United States. The project was rife with inefficiencies, mismanagement, and even some deaths. After staggering in cost from a projected $2.6 billion to $14.8 billion, the Big Dig is finally done.
U.S. Representative Joseph Knollenberg, R-MI, spoke out against a proposal for mandatory speed limiters on big trucks in Ontario in a letter to Ontario Transportation Minister James Bradley, expressing concerns that a proposal could possibly violate the intent of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
U.S. Representative says speed limiters will hurt Michigan’s trade
Atlanta’s Dawson Times posted this article about eight ways they believe can help control neighborhood speeding. They range from effective methods involving coordination with law enforcement to hilariously ineffective methods including driving slow with a “neighborhood pace car” sticker on your car. We certainly don’t recommend that you play pace car.
