It may be true that some of these parking rules are merely outdated, but it’s also possible that there exists an underlying spirit of the law that needs to be upheld. Read more

Smart Fortwo is 106" long (the original 1997 model was 98.4"). Your 80" rule would ban all Smart cars from parking perpendicular to the curb...

It looks great but I’m content admiring it from afar. I never want to have to deal with trying to color match something like that. Read more

On the contrary! David’s quite familiar with getting those kind of results out of a Jeep through a HEI mod:

Depends on the snow. Quarter-inch dusting of dry powder? Meh, just use the wipers to clear the windshield and let speed blow the rest away. Couple inches of packing snow? Brush it off. Ice layer? Brush what you can, then scrape the glass. A foot of snow? Just stay home, and work on clearing the car and driveway… Read more

Google street view confirms- no bollards, and no signs explicitly prohibiting motor traffic, either. The sidewalk is raised, though. So the driver would have had to jump the curb to wind up there. An obstacle like that should have been enough of a hint. Read more

...my hair has proved a disturbing and triggering element for our readers and viewers before

Well, it appears that the answer has already been found. FWIW, I was going to guess that it was some sort of weird clunky baffle setup to minimize oil vapor issues. ...I may or may not have also been planning to weave in a pun about the mystery being truly “baffling”. :P Read more

The fact that Brown was in a dedicated turn lane, leaving no room for doubt about his trajectory, makes the lack of a turn signal seem kind of weak as a reason for pulling him over. But it still holds up, and I’m ALL FOR pulling people over for failing to signal properly. Read more

Hey, that one looks familiar... Pretty sure that’s what was on my old ’84 Delta 88.

The only difference between swerving/failing to maintain your lane, and intentionally merging/turning out of it, is the use of a turn signal. Change my mind. Read more

Ok but why the leprechaun mascot? Would a hobbit have been too on-the-nose? Read more

Neutral: I have two lighting issues to nominate here, but I dunno if they’re new to the past decade or not. At any rate, they sure have gotten popular lately... Read more

Holy Grail Grand Cherokee: $700
Plane tickets: $200
Tools/parts bags check-in: $110
NOT having to pay for plane tickets or checked bags for the return trip: Priceless! Read more

Y’know, it’s bad enough that I can’t help but hear “plai-mawth” instead of “plimith” whenever I see the name Plymouth. But NOW, I have to deal with not being able to unsee those Omni grilles on the old S-vans. Thanks a lot, Torch. Read more

Seattle Police will conduct limited “emphasis patrols,” according to SDOT, which will include plainclothes officers attempting to cross the street to find drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. Read more

Looks like the lighting kit he used was a Blazer C6304 or similar setup. The lights are powered independently by AA batteries, and receive signals wirelessly from a transmitter plugged into the truck. Read more

Requirements for driverless testing include certifying Level 4 or 5 autonomous capability, having a remote operator, and having a “law enforcement interaction plan,” among other things.

Can’t recommend this book enough. There’s so much to say about robo-cars, I can see why Jason didn’t try to fit it all in one post here. It should be required reading for anyone involved in the development of autonomous cars. Read more