America's auto insurers will push for new driver monitoring systems, such as in-car video cameras, as a way to cut costs and crashes. Who needs driverless cars when all drivers could soon get an electronic nanny?

The U.S. government proposed a new mandate today requiring backup cameras on all new vehicles by 2014. It's the latest front in Ray LaHood's war to protect us from ourselves. You know what else works? Paying attention. [AP]

"They are trained to be careful," transportation secretary Ray LaHood told a caller on NPR when asked if it was OK for cops to use cell phones while driving. They're not, but what could cops be texting each other?

The Highway Loss Data Institute says texting bans in four states did not reduce crashes, and in three states crashes actually increased. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood erupted on his own blog labeling the report "misleading."

The top auto safety expert for the nation's insurance companies says U.S. Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood is getting "irrational" about the dangers of distracted driving. His explanation: Texting and talking may just replace other bad driving habits, like reading newspapers.