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If you were unaware, Alex Roy and co-driver David Maher crossed the continental U.S. in 31 hours, 4 minutes. They did it in an E39 BMW M5 that had more electronics gear than a twin-engine Cessna. Some have called the two irresponsible. Now, they're coming clean about road-trip safety. More »
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Little guy: 1. Honda: 0. That's the results from Round One of Honda v. Civic Hybrid Owner. Which isn't to say that Honda didn't make a valiant effort. And we've got the 120-page evidence packet they submitted to prove it. So how exactly did Honda try to take down Heather Peters? More »
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Yesterday, Heather Peters proved one woman can strike a blow against a major automaker when she succeeded in a landmark California case against Honda for making false claims about fuel economy.The key? Take them to small claims court. With her help, we've created this definitive step-by-step guide to how she, like a modern-day David, took on Goliath — and how you can too. More »
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The Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill currently before the U.S. Congress that would limit free speech online under the guise of protecting copyrights, which "is one of the most insidious threats to democracy in the Internet age." Strangely, one group supporting this legislation is the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, heavily represented at the Detroit Auto Show starting tomorrow. More »
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Here's the story of how a BMW owner spent the better part of a year driving around with license plates assigned to a Honda last registered in the 90s. He'd still have the "stolen" vanity plates — sent to him by the New York DMV — if it weren't for two run-ins with Johnny Law. More »
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The U.S. law allowing the importation of grey-market cars that are 25 years old or older will stand. A petition to get the government to shorten the waiting period to 15 years failed to attract the necessary 25,000 signatures. More »
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The U.S. constitution guarantees citizens the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. And who's more aggrieved than people who want to bring cool, gray-market cars into the states? Sign a petition, and we all might get our wish. More »
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Today, the top speed limit in the country is 80 mph. By tomorrow, September 1, 2011, the Texas Legislature will have upped the state's maximum speed limit to 85 miles per hour, faster than any other state in the nation. (Note: A more thorough reading of the bill reveals the Texas DOT was granted the option to raise the speed limit to 85 on the day the bill was signed, back in June. The September 1 milestone eliminated separate night speed limits.) More »
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Motorcyclists have long complained that their vehicles' size fails to trigger the automatic "loop detector" that flips on the green lights at some intersections. But proposed Illinois legislation would allow motos to treat recalcitrant red lights as stop signs. More »
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After getting a $50 ticket for not riding his bike in the painted "bike lane," this militant bicyclist went out of his way to crash into every obstacle placed in the way of New York City's bicyclists. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5810436&view=rss&microfeed=true If you're still alive, you can thank a red light camera, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. More »
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Ever wondered whether a suspiciously long (or short) traffic signal change, combined with a police cruiser hiding nearby, was an attempt to boost tickets? Could police be changing signal timing? In theory, sure. In reality, not so much. Here's why. More »
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Driving slowly in the fast lane is more than just annoying, it's also illegal in many states. Wanna know if your 45-mph, Buick-borne grandma is breaking the law on the interstate? Just consult our handy map. More »
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The Georgia legislature just passed a bill making it illegal to drive below the speed limit in the left lane without letting faster cars pass. If the senate doesn't pass this we're torching Atlanta, again. (H/T to Tony!) [Augusta Chronicle] More »
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Driving requires constant attention — yet people are seemingly spending more time staring at iPhones to text friends. It's dangerous and that's why it's becoming illegal in more states. A guide to where and how the laws work below. More »
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[Who knew the 10th amendment to the US Constitution would create the state-by-state patchwork quilt of driving laws we've got? Well, the founders did — despite their lack of cars. Fear not, interstate drivers, we here at Jalopnik have sorted through the red tape to bring you detailed guides to driving rules; everything from teenage driving, cell phone use, open containers, dehorsing and lemon laws. These are the Rules of the Road.] Previously, we provided a list of the maximum speed limit laws by state. This let you know where it would be possible to drive legally more than 70 mph on a two-lane road (thank you Texas Legislature). This week, we focus on actual enforcement by looking at how often states ticket their speeding citizens and how much those tickets may cost. More »
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(The 10th amendment of the US Constitution created a patchwork quilt of state laws related to driving, which is why Jalopnik sorts through the red tape to bring you detailed guides to driving topics such as teenage driving, speed limits, open containers, dehorsing and lemon laws.)
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It was a while before we got what the term "hardship license" meant, as we considered being able to drive when you're under the age of 16 a miracle. Later we learned to get one you generally have to be a farmer or have disabled parents, live in poverty and have a job. This all underlines the point that when you don't have a driver's license, the rules regarding how to get one are increasingly important. And while most of us have the ability to drive legally, we're all still often at the mercy of woefully unprepared and unskilled teenage motorists (some of whom are our children). More »
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With the first street legal Koenigsegg CCX arriving in the U.S. this week, we thought there couldn't be a better time to review the current status of speed limit laws. Sammy Hagar may not have been able to drive 55, but the CCX can go approximately three times faster than the highest legal speed limit in the U.S. More »
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With automakers producing hundreds of thousands of vehicles every month, there is the possibility that at least a few of them have serious problems. And with used cars there are so many things that could be wrong we couldn't possibly list them all (we'll list one: squirrels in the engine). There was a time when warranties were written to protect against this kind of thing. Then some smart lawyers got involved and there was a time when warranties were written to make it all but impossible to use your warranty. And then Lemon Laws came along. More »
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It's probably safe to assume by looking at the writing staff and reading the comments from this site that more than a few Jalopniks are driving some slightly used vehicles of various vintages in various forms of disrepair. It's in this spirit that we take a deeper look at how emissions laws work, why the exist and what exemptions your fuel-leaking, smoke-spewing vintage DeSoto might qualify for. More »
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The purchase of an automobile is one of the major financial decisions you'll make in your life. And if you're a reader of this site, it's probably one of the major decisions you make in your life, period. Unfortunately, unscrupulous car dealers are waiting to prey on ambitious consumers. The most insidious way this happens is through a process called "dehorsing" in which a customer loses both their new and used vehicle. And it's not illegal. More »
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Stickshifts and Safety belts, Bucket seats have all got to go. When we're driving in the car it makes my baby seem so far. - Cake More »
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[Knowing your rights as a motorist is as important as knowing which pedal to hit when a tree looms. In a new, weekly feature called "Rules of the Road," Jalopnik's own political and legal wonk Matt Hardigree will cover the auto-related statutes that govern operation, registration and ownership of our cars. Read it. In addition to preventing minor inconveniences, it could determine whether or not you'll become roommates with a guy named "Ashcan" who has a penchant for frottage. — ed.] No one on this site, and no decent person I've ever met, thinks drinking and driving is a good idea. That disclaimer noted, we'll move on to address a common drink-related legal area. Whether returning from a tailgate party or merely transporting boozed-up friends from one kegger to the next, winding up with an uncorked bottle of Boones Farm in your car is a common eventuality. That means you'll be walking the fine legal line. It falls under the scope of the complex maze of state-level open container laws. More »
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