Broken Bridges, The Enduring Legacy Of The School Bus And A Solar Eclipse In This Week's Beyond Cars Roundup

It’s a big day for America, for a few minutes this afternoon it’s going to get dark before the sun sets. That’s not because of witchcraft, it’s instead because the moon will pass in front of the sun in the first total solar eclipse to be visible in the U.S. since 2017. After that happens, there’s going to be a lot of traffic as everyone heads back home. - Owen Bellwood Read More

It’s a tough time to be a bridge designer right now, with a span in Baltimore collapsing after a ship crashed into it and New York’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge coming dangerously close to a similar fate. Now, a bridge collapse in Norway has been blamed on designers spending too much time focusing on the way it looked. - Owen Bellwood Read More

While car design has changed radically over the decades, school buses look almost the same as they did nearly 100 years ago. Sure, they now carry more safety tech, but the big yellow bus with the bulbous front end has endured since 1939. It turns out, it’s not lack of imagination or nostalgia that have kept school buses constant, but standardized guidelines that have proven incredibly effective in keeping American children safe. As a result, school buses are one of the safest vehicles on the road. The standardized guidelines that require school buses to be painted in their classic yellow and black theme, have big flashing lights, and fold-out stop signs have made school buses immediately recognizable to everyone on the road, and drivers know to drive carefully around big yellow people movers. - Logan Carter Read More

Customs officials in Hong Kong seized 146 kilograms of gold late last month, worth an estimated $10 million. They discovered the gold on a cargo plane scheduled to leave for Japan, and officials now say the value of the seizure makes it the biggest gold smuggling case in Hong Kong’s history. What makes this case especially interesting, though, is that Business Insider reports the gold was disguised as machine parts. - Collin Woodard Read More

We’ve been telling anyone who will listen about how the U.S. needs better train travel options as flight alternatives, especially between major cities on the west coast at a quicker-than-leisurely pace. It seems like we might be getting close to such an option, as Newport Beach–based startup Dreamstar Lines is gearing up to start a luxurious overnight service between San Francisco and Los Angeles as soon as next summer. - Daniel Golson Read More

Total solar eclipses don’t happen every day, so when they do you’ve got to take advantage. That’s exactly what a group of scientists did from the inside of a Concorde back in June of 1973. These folks were able to spend 74 minutes in total darkness as they raced at Mach 2 against the sun. - Andy Kalmowitz Read More

Did you get out and see the eclipse yesterday? It was quite the site to behold, or so I’m told as I’m nowhere near the path of totality. It looked mighty spectacular on the hundred of photos I’ve seen on Instagram in the last few hours, but those cell phone snaps have nothing on the view astronomers got from space yesterday. - Owen Bellwood Read More

Checked bags are big business for airlines. In 2022 airlines made nearly $30 billion just off checked bag fees alone. Apparently those billions in fees aren’t enough for some airlines, as JetBlue announced that it’s introducing surge pricing for checked bags, and it’s all because the company says it has to pay more for wages and jet fuel. - Lawrence Hodge Read More

Starting at $3,799, the Orbea Diem 30 is powered by a 540Wh battery and can reach up to 28 mph.

Traveling with pets can be a hassle, no matter how much you love your animal companions. A United Airlines flight was diverted last Friday after a dog pooped in the aisle onboard. Flight 422 from Houston, Texas to Seattle, Washington was forced to land in Dallas after only an hour in the sky. The ground crew then spent two hours fruitlessly trying to clean the carpet. The incident isn’t the first time this year that a dog has caused chaos in the skies. - Ryan Erik King Read More