Jalopnik: Washington

Car Thief Gets Parking Ticket, Owner Gets Fine

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:15:00 EDT

A victim of car theft in Washington DC is being pestered by a collection agency to pay up on an 18-month-old parking ticket written while the car was on it's leave of absence from its rightful owner. Steve Steinberg has vowed never to pay the $205 fine and is wondering why the car didn't come up as stolen when the ticket was being written — a fair question if you ask us. Of course the local officials are blaming the fine on Steinberg's lack of action on the ticket, but of course that doesn't stand up when the old boy waves a fist full of letters he sent to the DMV on the subject. [WUSA9]

D.C. Street Sweepers Giving Out Parking Tickets

Travis Hudson — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Think it's embarrassing getting a parking ticket from the sweet old meter maid? Soon you'll have a new foe. Street sweepers in the Washington, D.C. area will be equipped with the means to scan and photograph cars parked in street sweeping zones. The bill to equip the street sweepers was passed unanimously in the D.C. city council. A final vote will happen next month that will make the tattle-telling street sweepers a reality.

We always thought it was pretty obvious when a car was parked in a street sweeping zone. You know that line of trash that perfectly outlines the car from the sweeper going around—yeah, that's a pretty obvious clue. Regardless, keep track of the signs and times in D.C., or you will soon be busted by a tractor sized broom vehicle. [Washington Times] (Image)

Maryland Street Racing Crash Leaves 8 Dead, One Crumpled Crown Vic

Ray Wert — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:03:11 EST

A white Ford Crown Victoria plowed into a group of street-racing fans on a highway about 20 miles south of Washington, D.C. on Saturday, killing eight people and scattering bodies in the early morning darkness. In addition to the fatalities, at least five other spectators were injured of the 50 or so people gathered before dawn along Route 210 in little Accokeek, MD to watch cars drag down the usually quite deserted stretch of blacktop. Here's what happened according to the AP:

"Fans had spilled onto the smoky, dark road to watch the cars drive away when a white Ford Crown Victoria unexpectedly came up from behind and smashed into them.
"There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," said Crystal Gaines, 27, of Indian Head, whose father was killed.

Police interviewed the Crown Victoria driver, but no charges were pending, Copeland said. Authorities were looking for the drivers of the two cars involved in the race.

The combination of the smoke and the dark morning likely meant the unsuspecting driver could not see the crowd, police said. A tractor-trailer that came by shortly afterward may also have struck someone on the roadside as it tried to avoid the crash scene, according to investigators."

Oh, the humanity! Oh, the horror! Oh, how they shoulda rented some track time. (Hat tip to Mark!) [via AP]

Photo Credit: AP Photo

Texting While Driving Law Goes In Effect Today In Washington State, Teenagers Not LOL

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:45:00 EST

OMG! Whatever you have to tell your BFF Payal better wait as the police in Washington State are now empowered to ticket your ass. A law designed to curb composing text messages went into effect on Tuesday. Penalties range from $124 for a driver texting or emailing to $175 if that texting leads to an accident. IMHO, it's not a bad law as you should probably be looking at the road and not your crackberry.

As discussed in our Guide To Cell Phone Usage Laws, these kinds of laws are often secondary, meaning that you can only get pulled over if you committed a primary offense such as speeding or running a stop sign. The good news is the offense will not appear on your driving record and thus impact your insurance. [Mobile Messaging]

World's Best Dad: Kids Repo'ed With Car While Dad Snacks

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST

This sort of reminds us of an episode of CHiPs where a kid gets accidentally kidnapped when someone steals a car, except this is much funnier. A Spokane man left his kids locked in his 1996 Ford Explorer momentarily while he ran in for doughnuts, which is a good reason to abandon kids. It apparently takes dad a while to order, because in that time a quick handed repo man was able to tow the car away with the kids inside.

Dad did the right thing by calling the cops right away, which is how he found out that the repo driver also called the police when he realized he'd towed away a couple of tots. So let this be a lesson to all the bad dads out there: if you're afraid your car is going to get repossessed don't leave the kids in it while you get your snack on. [AP via Seattle Times]

Shotgun Proves Sub-Optimal For Busting Nut

Murilee Martin — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST

You know how it's always the last lugnut you can't remove when you're in a hurry to get the Lincoln rolling again? You try every leverage trick known to Archimedes, hose everything down with Liquid Wrench, the works, but that obstinate nut just won't turn. Now, most of us would probably get an impact wrench involved at this point, but this gentleman in Southworth, Washington, figured he had a better idea: grab his trusty shotgun and start blasting away at the offending fastener. Quicker than you can say "Steel is harder than lead," it was off to the emergency room for some fun with X-rays and scalpels! [Associated Press]

Cops Keeping $277K Seized From Traffic Stop, To Buy Darkest Glasses Ever

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:00:00 EST

If you're driving around with hundreds of thousands of dollars in a briefcase you might want to come up with an excuse before you get on the freeway. A 35-year-old British Columbia man was stopped by Washington State Troopers in Seattle and was unable to explain where the money came from. We're going to go out on a limb and say it has to do with the non-British Columbia. Since no one claimed the money, 90% of it goes to a drug enforcement fund and the rest goes to the state's general fund. See, the War on Drugs is working! [News Tribune

Holy Cow! Flying Cow Crushes Minivan

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:30:00 EST

It's been a while since we've taken a physics course, so we can't be sure what the total force of 600 pounds of live beef falling 200 feet is, but we're fairly certain that we don't want it falling on us. A Spokane, Washington couple had this exact experience while driving their minivan near the popular Lake Chelan tourist area yesterday. Apparently, the cow had wandered away from home (possibly distraught) a few days earlier and made it five miles before the jump. The vehicle's passengers weren't injured, but the cow had to be euthanized. Dinner that night in the Chelan County Sheriff's Department mess was somber but delicious. [Reuters]

Not Quite "Good To Go" for Tacoma Toll Users

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EDT

Transit officials in Tacoma thought they were at the forefront of technology when they initiated the unfortunately named "Good To Go" electronic toll system on one of their bridges. Turns out they're actually on the forefront of annoying people. Instead of the system automatically deducting the toll amount from their patrons' accounts, it's apparently popping 18 out of 100 compliant drivers. One family got nailed to the tune of $2,500. But of course, the toll operators are in no hurry to fix the problem. Said the director of toll operations: "We're always looking to continually improve, but the system is working well. I can't see of any major changes that are coming along in the near future." We can think of a minor one. [KING-TV]

Car Sharing to Get More Tax-ing in Washington State

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:15:00 EDT

Flexcar/Zipcar users around Washington State are going to see the price of their car sharing rise this week as a nearly 10% car rental tax is going to be applied to their services. The rental car companies were displeased with the exemption for car sharing since they consider their services comparable, and the state's tax collectors agreed. There's an interesting balance at work here. On one hand, car sharing services (like rental car companies) utilize public roads and benefit from many public entities and should therefore pay taxes. On the other hand, the company does pay taxes on its income, gas, payroll, et cetera and helps the city lower its congestion by allowing numerous people to use one car. In the end, what happens will be a matter of who is willing to fight harder for/against the exemption. [Marketplace]

The Chevy Volt Goes To Washington

Ray Wert — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:00:00 EDT

As we told you earlier this week, the Volt made its way to the District of Columbia. And look, it can move in reverse. We hear the next iteration of the alt-fuel concept car will be able to move in forward gears. At least we're hoping so for the General's sake.

Mukilteo Ferries: Ship Containing Cars, Passengers, Crashes

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:30:00 EDT

Okay, we admit that we essentially chose this story as a chance to make a totally obscure reference in the headline, but what is Jalopnik but a wanton vanity project that we're attempting to bring y'all along on? That aside, a ferry with a capacity of 124 cars and 1,200 passengers smacked into a piling at a higher-than-average rate of speed on its way into Mulkiteo, Washington from Whidbey Island. Near as we can tell, one passenger was mildly injured due to a fall down the stairs induced by the impact. The Cathlamet apparently suffered a puncture above the waterline. The Trail of Dead guys are bummed. – Davey G. Johnson

Wash. state ferry rams dock; 1 injured [Houston Chronicle]

Related:
Cougar Ace Mazdas Not to Be Sold, After All [Internal]

Drunk Blows 0.47 On Breathalyzer, Breaks Washington State Record

Murilee Martin — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:45:12 EDT

Talk about the award you don't want to win! Ex-cop Deana F. Jarrett of Woodinville eliminated all contenders for the Washington's Drunkest Driver Ever record by registering an embalming-fluid-esque 0.47% blood-alcohol reading. She'd been in a couple of hit-and-run collisions immediately prior to being busted (plus she'd been popped for DUI just the previous week). Doctors estimate a person her size would have to drink about 25 ounces of hard liquor- say, a fifth of Wild Turkey- in a very short time in order to hit 0.47; any level above 0.40% is considered potentially lethal. – Murilee Martin

Blood-alcohol level of Woodinville driver breaks state record [Seattle Times]

Seattle Supra Owner Gets "GOT MILF" License Plate Ganked By State

Ray Wert — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:49:49 EDT

Why would someone ever want to take away the Stiffler-esque vanity plate of this young lad from the Seattle area? And seriously, who would ever marry a guy who had this license plate? – Ray Wert

Fast Blast to Seattle Circa '88

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:30:00 EDT

Steve over at Finkbuilt (a site we don't visit nearly enough) posted this little film clip he produced back in 1988 by sticking a cheapo Super 8 camera out the sunroof of his car and shooting individual frames all the way from Oly to Seattle. The quality of the footage is roughly the inverse of any given Top Gear clip, but the ragged DIY aesthetic takes us back to simpler, slower more analogue times. We like that. – Davey G. Johnson

Olympia to Seattle in 2 Minutes [Finkbuilt]

Van? Or Astro Van? Electrician Cracks it Up on Track, Either Way

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 12 May 2006 15:53:48 EDT

A 33-year-old electrician decided to brush up on his hoon skills by taking his '93 Astro (or was it a Safari? The report calls it a GMC Astrovan, which, of course, doesn't exist) around Pacific Raceways near Auburn, WA. Without authorization. And with a dog in the vehicle. While possibly inebrious. Say hello to Armco, mofo. Thankfully, the dog was uninjured. The driver, however, wasn't so lucky. He ended up a medevac flight to the hospital in serious condition. As for the Astro? Birdstuff is undoubtedly pissed. [Thanks to Kevin for the tip.]

Race Car Driver Wannabe Seriously Injured In Racetrack Crash [KOMO]

Holy Small-Displacement V-8! WWU's Viking XXX Formula SAE Car

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 19:13:30 EST

Reader Alex tipped us off to this fully awesome carbon-fiber monocoque Formula SAE car that a friend of his worked on while at Western Washington University. While the chassis is impressive, the best part of it to us is the engine: .554L, Kawasaki 250 heads, custom machined-from-billet block and crank, and oh, eight freaking cylinders. We can't wait to see what they'll come up with for an encore. a quad-turbo W-16 125, maybe?

Western Washington University Formula SAE

I Learned It by Watching You! Boy Sees Dad Burgle Cars

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 14:00:41 EST

A Seattle-area 10-year-old boy was subjected to a crash course in automotive B&E by his dad and a couple of associates earlier this month. A 3am phone call by an apartment complex resident brought law-enforcement officials where they nabbed three men ranging in age from 30 to 19, along with a couple of stolen vehicles. Authorities declined to state which one was the father of the young whippersnapper, but confirmed that the kid knew what the criminals were up to. It's all fun and games until somebody calls Child Protective Services.

Boy Watches Dad, 2 Others Burglarize Cars [Forbes]

Related:
One More Reason to Stop Auto Theft [Internal]

One More Reason to Stop Auto Theft

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 20:46:45 EST

The terror-types apparently like our cars a bit too much. Vehicles stolen in the US have been discovered in both bomb factories and at sites of car-bomb explosions in the Middle East. Who has the most to worry about? Southern Californians, Texans and Washington-staters, as the cars tend to be shipped out of LA (San Pedro!), Houston (a source of much heartbreak for us) and Seattle, (a site of peripheral Houston-related heartbreak).

Cars stolen in US used in suicide attacks [Bellaciao]

Italians Invade Washington: Alfa 159 Spotted!

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 21:22:11 EST

Reader Chris was minding his own business after work when he happened upon an Alfa Romeo 159, rumored to be the vehicle that'll spearhead the brand's return to the US market. Take it, Chris.

"Saw a new Slfa Romeo 159 in Redmond, WA about an hour ago on the Microsoft Campus. i was leaving my office to take my '88 Trooper (2nd car ... great ski/dog hauler) to Novus for windshield repair when i spotted a new, grey Alfa 159 with white tape on bumpers/lower doors cruising slowly through the MS campus. Unfortunately it was two lanes away and I fumbled the camera phone and dropped it on the floor, so no accompanying pic. I know Spinelli's a bit of an Alfa freak so thought you'd like to know. Wonder if this is any indication that alfa is a bit closer to returning to the US?

We'd take that as a yes, Chris. But then, we're Alfoptimists, as opposed to Alfoptometrists, which is a whole 'nother field.

On Alfa Romeo's Return to the US Market [Internal]

Carry On My Wayward Cow: Bovine Totals Two Cars

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 20:23:16 EST

One motorist was injured and two vehicles were totaled when a cow wandered onto I-90 in George, WA. Yes Virginia, there is a George, Washington. Laurence Stockton rolled his Caravan while swerving to avoid the cow, and Larry Loth, who'd been following Stockton, plowed straight into the cow, leaving him uninjured, but less one 1993 Chevy pickup. Predictably, the cow was dead meat.

Cow injures one person, wrecks two cars on I-90 [Columbia Basin Herald]

Related:
Runaway Funeral Horses Hit by Cars [Internal]

33 Percent of All Cars in US to Fall Under CARB's Rule in 2009?

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 18:37:49 EST

Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington are expected to adopt the policies of the CARBies today, following the lead of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont in adopting California's set of stringent emissions standards, putting the number of states under the California Air Resources Board's authority by 2009. The combined 11 will make up 33% of the United States' automotive market, which gives the Golden State's agency a truly unique power.

While some groups are saying that this will pressure the Feds to adopt more stringent standards, we're not so sure. What it will do is pressure automakers into making cleaner cars across the board by creating a share of the market too large to simply ignore, as well as push speed-parts manufacturers to pursue CARB certification. Listening, Audi? Now if CARB could just do something about the gunk pumped out of the ships and trucks at the Ports of LA and Long Beach, we'd be happy campers.

TrafficGauge Aims to Salve Commute Wounds

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:37:11 EST

If a full-boat GPS system is overkill for you, the harried commuter, TrafficGauge might just be solution. The service, which uses a basically buttonless device that only displays freeways, is just rolling out in the Bay Area after being deployed in Seattle and LA. While it displays the roads that are running wild, running free; the byways that are backed up, and conditions in between, we think the main problem with the device is the lack of major non-freeway arteries, which in places like LA and the Bay, anyway, are becoming more and more viable as the fruits of Eisenhower's dream fall victim to vehicular arteriosclerosis. [Thanks to CTE for the tip.]

TrafficGauge not fancy but it does the trick [SFGate]

Sucasas in Trouble With Gov't?

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:54:23 EST

Henrique Sucasas, the man behind the Sucasas Motor Company, is in trouble with the State of Washington to the tune of 2,500 samoleons for offering shares of the company as an unlicensed broker. How did our dear Sucasas manage to run afoul of the law? He was including free shares of the company with the purchase of t-shirts and hats. Man, getting busted for adding a little value to your merch sales sure does suck asses, don't it, Henrique? [Thanks to Derek for the tip.]

Statement of Charges [State of Washington]

Related:
Sucasas HS1: A New American Supercar [Internal]

Over The Rail: Caprice Cruiser, PT Cruiser Fall 20 Feet Onto Sidewalk

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 08:26:45 EDT

We're a sucker for a good car crash story, as long as nobody gets seriously hurt, and this one in Seattle was quite a doozy, as doozies of this type go. A woman left her elderly father in her '80s-vintage Chevy station wagon on the second floor of a parking garage and supposedly stuck the car in park. What happened next isn't entirely clear, but it resulted in the wagon smashing into a parked, unoccupied PT Cruiser and sending both vehicles plummeting through a steel-and-concrete barricade, over the edge of the parking garage and onto the sidewalk below. Amazingly enough, the 88 year-old man survived the ordeal with only minor injuries.

Two cars plummet off parking garage to street below [KATU]

If the Kids are United: Oregon and Washington to Follow California Emissions Standards

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:40:19 EDT

Understand him, he'll understand you/For you are him, and he is you.
- Jimmy Pursey

Oregon and Washington have something to say; they're gonna say it now, for now is today: they're planning to follow California's stringent pollution control laws, making the entire Western Seaboard (hey, if the East's got a Seaboard, why can't the West?) its own little anti-emissions bloc. Automotive lobbyists are in a tizzy about this, and especially about Cali's extra-strict new smog laws. On the other coast, six states are also contemplating the implementation of California standards, the first time any Eastern state has publicly adopted anything Californian since Soleil Moon Frye.

West Coast states unite on cleaner car regulations [Detroit News]