highway safety news stories on Newser

Alaska Grapples With Starving Moose Emergency

Rob Quinn — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:29:00 CST

Heavier-than-usual snowfall in Alaska this winter has created what officials are calling a moose crisis. Starving, weary moose are heading for roads and railroad tracks to escape the deep snow—up to 6 feet in some places—and the number of vehicle-moose collisions is soaring. The state has given the...

Chain-Reaction Crash Triggers Priciest Pileup Ever

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:50:00 CST

A chain-reaction crash of some of the priciest driving machines in Japan triggered the most expensive pileup in car-wreck history. Millions of dollars of luxe metal were crumpled when eight Ferraris, three Mercedes Benzes, and a Lamborghini Diablo slammed into one another on the Chugoku Expressway in southwestern Japan yesterday...

Traffic Deaths Hit 61-Year Low

Rob Quinn — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:28:00 CDT

Some 32,788 people died on American roads in 2010, the smallest number since Harry Truman was in the White House—and there were a lot fewer people on the roads back then. Last year saw the fewest traffic accident deaths since 1949, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...

Streetwalkers Ordered to Wear Neon Vests

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 09:35:15 CDT

The prostitutes of one Spanish town are about to get a little more clothed. Women looking for customers on the rural highway outside Els Alamus in Catalonia will have to wear neon yellow bibs or pay a $55 fine. Police say they're just trying to protect the women's safety by...

Digital Billboards 'Weapons of Mass Distraction': Foes

Harry Kimball — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:25:00 CST

Digital highway billboards can change their display every few seconds, serving multiple advertisers and even aiding law enforcement in finding fugitives and missing children—which is terribly unsafe, critics argue. The “television on a stick” is dangerously distracting to drivers, they say. “The billboard gets your attention whether you want...

Feds Ban Texting by Truck, Bus Drivers

M. Morris — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:20:28 CST

Drivers of trucks and buses who text behind the wheel will be subject to thousands of dollars in fines, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today. The federal prohibition, which takes effect immediately, applies only to commercial vehicles. But distracted driving is one of LaHood's top issues, CNN reports. "This is...

US Squelched Data on Car Phone Danger

Jason Farago — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:53:39 CDT

In 2003 a federal agency compiled hundreds of pages of research on the dangers of using cell phones while driving, but suppressed the findings because of pressure from Congress. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, also planned a long-term study of the risks of...

Battle Over Big Rigs Pits Efficiency Against Safety

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:02:09 CDT

Bigger is not only better—it’s also safer and greener, say trucking-industry advocates who would like to see limits on the size and weight of big rigs on interstate highways lifted. One tells USA Today bigger trucks are more fuel-efficient and minimize pollution. But if truckers are successful, one opponent...

Pellet Gun Sniper Targets Calif. Freeway

Ambreen Ali — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:08:01 CDT

A sniper who has been using a San Francisco-area freeway for target practice has hit nearly a dozen cars over the past two weeks, KGO-TV reports. Police are trying to find the perpetrator—who they say may be using an air-powered rifle from nearby hills or parks—before someone is...