Railroads that haul volatile crude shipments have reached an agreement with U.S. transportation officials to adopt wide-ranging, voluntary safety measures after a string of explosive and deadly accidents. The deal signed Friday calls for oil trains to be slowed from a maximum of 50 to 40 miles per hour through major cities, more frequent track […]
Feds to Decide on Car-to-Car Communications
Federal officials are planning to announce Monday whether automakers should be required to equip new cars and light trucks with technology that enables vehicles to communicate with each other to prevent collisions. Such vehicle-to-vehicle communication could transform traffic safety. The Department of Transportation scheduled an announcement for midday. Transportation officials estimate the technology could prevent […]
Government speeds research on car safety systems
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is speeding up research on safety systems that automatically prevent drivers from operating their cars if they are drunk or aren’t properly buckled in. Officials also said Thursday that they expect to decide by year’s end how to encourage automakers to make some special safety systems already in certain high-end […]
US OKs air passengers using gadgets on planes
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. government safety rules are changing to let airline passengers use most electronic devices from gate-to-gate. The change will let passengers read, work, play games, watch movies and listen to music — but not make cellphone calls. The Federal Aviation Administration says airlines can allow passengers to use the devices during takeoffs […]
Technology for cars to talk to each other urged
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government should set performance standards for new safety technology that allows cars and trucks to talk to each other and then require the technology be installed in all new vehicles, a federal accident investigation board recommended Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board made the recommendation in response to fatal school bus […]
Aircraft automation eyed in crash
The crash landing of a South Korean airliner in San Francisco has revived concerns that airline pilots get so little opportunity these days to fly without the aid of sophisticated automation that their stick-and-rudder skills are eroding. Read: Officials: Crashed Jet Flew too Slow The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, is […]
Hands-free texting still distracting for drivers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Using voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a cellphone, a new AAA study found. Automakers have been trying to excite new-car buyers, especially younger ones, with dashboard […]
NTSB probes safety testing of Boeing 787 batteries
WASHINGTON (AP) — As airlines prepare to resume flying Boeing’s beleaguered 787 Dreamliners, federal investigators looked Tuesday at how regulators and the company tested and approved the plane’s cutting-edge battery system, and whether the government cedes too much safety-testing authority to aircraft makers. The National Transportation Safety Board is also asking how problems with the […]
Dawn of the civilian drone age promises multiple benefits, peeping-eye concerns
WASHINGTON (AP) — The dawn of the age of aerial civilian drones is rich with possibilities for people far from the war zones where they made their devastating mark as a weapon of choice against terrorists. The unmanned, generally small aircraft can steer water and pesticides to crops with precision, saving farmers money while reducing […]
Aging Drivers Present New Transportation Challenge
WASHINGTON (AP) — Baby boomers started driving at a young age and became more mobile than any generation before or since. They practically invented the two-car family and escalated traffic congestion when women began commuting to work. Now, 8,000 of them are turning 65 every day, and those retirements could once again reshape the nation’s […]