A tip for aspiring sign thieves: don’t post photos of your exploits on Facebook with captions like “I steal signs when I’m drunk.” One teen from Omaha learned that lesson the hard way. Since he was already being charged with vehicular homicide, stemming from an alcohol related accident that happened prior to the discovery of his immense cache of signs, it’s unlikely he is too worried about a misdemeanor charge of possession of stolen property.
To bring New York State code in line with federal highway design standards, the state has decided to move forward with requiring thousands of “stop ahead” signs at intersections that previously had none, even at intersections where you can see the stop sign ahead of you. But the change is actually required because federal standards now require a graphic “stop ahead” sign in lieu of signs with the equivalent text. Residents of Syracuse were adopting the new code, but grudgingly. Dave Cooper, with the Onondaga County Transportation Department says, “It’s definitely necessary for liability reasons, we have to conform to the codes.”
Jalopnik, another automotive blog, posted an interesting article on speed limit enforcement by state, including a nifty graph showing the states issuing the least (and most) tickets. Washington, D.C. tops the list with 78.5% of tickets per-capita. Anyone who has ever been to Washington D.C. knows how easy it is to be ticket, not to mention how expensive a ticket can be. To further compound the matter of the voluminous amount of speeding tickets, Washington D.C. also notably is one of the few places that prohibits passenger vehicles from having radar detectors.
Your local government constructs a stop sign in your neighborhood. You’re infuriated. Do you write letters to your town council? Contact your local traffic engineer and voice your outrage? Or do you run over the stop sign every morning? One driver in Texas has apparently opted to do the latter. This is the story of the stop sign he hates.
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.
