Tag: lane

Washington State Troopers remind motorists that the left lane is for passing

Filed under: Etc.

police in side view mirror

The percentage of motorists who really understand the basic tenets of driving vary from state to state. In some areas of the country, hogging the left lane is a vile offense, yet drivers in other parts of the country use it as they see fit. This is incorrect, and it’s also quite frustrating to the other motorists that understand the rules of the road. In an effort to remind drivers that the left lane is for passing, Washington state troopers pulled over 223 left-lane ignorati for ignoring the law.

The police ended up letting 199 drivers off with just a warning. We hope that warning serves as a lesson to make the driver more aware of the rules of the road. Now, if they could just start enforcing this more stringently throughout the rest of the country…

Washington State Troopers remind motorists that the left lane is for passing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi R18 TDI to debut at Spa while Aston Martin watches from the pit lane

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Aston Martin, Audi

Audi R18 TDI

Audi R18 TDI (above) and Aston Martin AMR-One (below right) – Click either image for high-res galleries

There’s plenty to be excited about in this year’s Le Mans racing season, and the new Audi R18 TDI arguably ranks chief among them. Audi’s new fixed-roof racer will make its debut at the Spa 1000km race next weekend, showing for the first time what it can do against a competitive field ahead of June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Although we tested at Le Mans recently, we’ll learn a lot more about the new Audi R18 TDI and also how it fares against the competition at Spa,” said Audi’s double champion Allan McNish Aston Martin AMR-Onein preparation for the Belgian endurance race. “The 20-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon will be the first time when we’ll see the true performance of all of the new cars because it will be the first time when everybody is on the same playing field together at the same time.”

That may not exactly be the case, however, because while Audi’s chief rival Peugeot is sure to be mounting its own challenge, word has it that Aston Martin will sit this one out. The British team is also fielding a new racer in the AMR-One, but rather than take the opportunity to put its new LMP through the paces in a real racing scenario as Audi will, Aston’s focus is on testing the car before the main event at La Sarthe. Follow the jump for official press releases from both teams.

Gallery: 2011 Audi R18 TDI (final livery)

Gallery: 2011 Aston Martin AMR-One

2011 Aston Martin AMR-One front three quarter2011 Aston Martin AMR-One2011 Aston Martin AMR-One side2011 Aston Martin AMR-One rear2011 Aston Martin AMR-One close

[Sources: Audi, Aston Martin]

Continue reading Audi R18 TDI to debut at Spa while Aston Martin watches from the pit lane

Audi R18 TDI to debut at Spa while Aston Martin watches from the pit lane originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 May 2011 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Citroën

Fast Lane Daily 1000th Episode

Fast Lane Daily hits 1,000 episodes and goes to the ‘Ring – Click above to watch video after the jump

Fast Lane Daily has been running for some time now. The Next New Networks show first hit the internet back in 2007, and over the course of the last few years have produced quite a bit of content. In fact, the newest episode marks number 1,000 for the FLD crew. To celebrate the occasion, Fast Lane Daily creator Emil Rensing has sent host Derek DeAngelis to Germany so he can drive the Nürburgring. Sounds pretty amazing, until Derek D. realizes his entire trip has a budget of $1,000.

Regardless of the lack of funds, DeAngelis is still able to get to the Green Hell and spend time on the track. It may be behind the wheel of a Citroën C4 but the entire trip clearly has a strong effect on the host. Though the 24-minute clip is longer than the typical Fast Lane Daily segment, we think it’s worth it to watch this one all the way through.

Hop the jump to watch FLD’s 1,000th episode.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000

Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Volt will not be eligible for HOV-lane access until mid-2012

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Nissan, Electric

Prospective owners of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf shouldn’t get too excited about driving in California carpool lanes as soon as they take delivery. Late Tuesday night California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 535 into law, extending access to the high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes to certain very low and zero emissions vehicles. This new class of vehicles known as Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (enh-ATPZEVs) and includes plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles like the Leaf and Toyota’s Prius PHEV.

Unfortunately, there are some caveats. SB 535 doesn’t take effect until January 1, 2012 and even then only 40,000 of the special stickers needed for HOV access will be made available. In order to qualify, the vehicle has to be rated as an enh-ATPZEV, which brings up the second problem for Volt drivers. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed that the 2011 and 2012 Volt will not be enh-ATPZEV certified. The requirements to earn the enh-ATPZEV label are significantly tougher than the standard ATPZEV. Given the escalated development of the Volt, GM didn’t have enough time to calibrate and verify that the plug-in hybrid would meet the standard over a 10-year/150,000-mile period.

That’s also why the Volt battery only has the eight-year/100,000-mile warranty required for the non-enhanced ATPZEV. GM spokesman Rob Peterson verified that the Volt will be updated to enh-ATPZEV in mid-2012 when the 2013 model is introduced. In the meantime, you’ll just to make sure to bring a friend if you want to ride in the carpool lane.

UPDATE: We just got word from Nissan that the Leaf is eligible for the All Access stickers under a previous bill passed (AB 1500) earlier this year. That means if you take delivery of a Leaf today, you can be flying in the HOV lanes tomorrow.

[Source: General Motors]

Chevrolet Volt will not be eligible for HOV-lane access until mid-2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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