Tag: traffic

Traffic deaths in U.S. fall to 60-year low

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

LA traffic

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of fatalities on America’s highways is at its lowest level since 1950. The number of deaths in vehicle collisions last year fell by 9.2 percent compared to 2008. As of 2009, the fatality rate has dropped to 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. NHTSA says the decrease is largely thanks to increased seat belt use and effective campaigns against drunk driving.

Interestingly enough, The Detroit News is also reporting that nationally, the number of motorcycle fatalities decreased by 16 percent compared to 2009. That fall is the first such drop in over ten years, though no one is offering an explanation for those numbers.

Despite the relatively rosy outlook, NHTSA also says that we still have a long way to go. Last year, more than 30,000 people died and over 2.4 million people were injured in traffic collisions. Be careful out there, people.

[Sources: Automotive News, The Detroit News | Image: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty]

Traffic deaths in U.S. fall to 60-year low originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China’s 60-mile long traffic jam ends

Filed under: China, Etc.

Here’s a little ray of sunshine if you happen to be traveling on the G110 expressway in China. The massive, 60-mile long traffic jam that reportedly cropped up due to road maintenance between Beijing and Zhangjiaku has all but evaporated. NBC News decided to get down and dirty by heading up the afflicted highway to see the mayhem for itself, only to find that the Chinese government had successfully dissipated the clog.

From what the news agency found, the G110 is popular among truck drivers hauling coal from illegal mines in the countryside into Beijing. There are plenty of larger, quicker roads to get goods in and out of the capital, but those highways are heavily monitored and charge drivers based on their load and the distance they travel. Until just recently, the G110 didn’t have those hassles.

But after traffic began to go stack up, the government quickly erected a series of toll booths and weigh stations to keep an eye on what’s going and coming through the area. For now, traffic is flowing freely along the road, even though the original roadwork isn’t set to wrap up until mid September.

[Source: NBC News | Image: AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan]

China’s 60-mile long traffic jam ends originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Traffic jam puppet shows an interesting way to pass the time, All Things Considered [w/videos]

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Superclogger – Click above to watch video after the jump

If you’re on an LA freeway and traffic is especially miserable, look for a white Mazda pickup – the one with the yellow dudes in the back. What you’ve got is a mobile puppet show led by Joel Kyack, a Southern California artist who wants to explore themes like chaos, control, individual will and “negotiations of agency and resignation.” With puppets. In the back of truck. During rush hour.

There’s an FM transmitter in the bed, so anyone within 200 feet can tune in to the dialogues of Alexi the Eastern European iron worker or the unnamed Party Girls. You can find a sample show in the video after the jump, or if you want the real thing and you can’t get on the 405, there’ll be a closing exhibition at LA’s Hammer Museum on September 21.

[Sources: NPR, KTLA]

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Traffic jam puppet shows an interesting way to pass the time, All Things Considered [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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