Back in February, President Obama proposed changing the credit for plug-in vehicles over to a point-of-purchase rebate, a move that would likely speed up the $7,500 payment. Under the proposal, dealers would reduce the sticker price of eligible plug-in vehicles and apply for r
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced new tour bus safety measures that could make it a lot more difficult for companies to operate their fleets in an unsafe manner. Among the sweeping changes are a requirement for tour bus companies to pass a safety audit before receiving permission to operate. The audit will include a safety exam of both the drivers and vehicles, in addition to an interview with the owners of the company. Current laws permit companies to operate for up to 18 m
Declining Highway Death Rate Challenges Distracted Driving Fears
United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that traffic deaths in 2010 were the lowest they've ever been, falling three percent from 2009's record low. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projections, traffic fatalities fell from 33,808 in 2009 to 32,708 in 2010.
It took ten months. It involved the best brains in the nation. They conducted exhaustive tests. And Lord knows what it all cost. But when it was over, the results were totally predictable. The U.S. Department of Transportation could find nothing wrong with Toyota vehicles that would cause them to suddenly accelerate out of control.
What price a reputation? That's what Toyota will be learning in the months and years ahead as it struggles to recover from the safety scandal that has enveloped the company since it announced the first recall for unintended acceleration in October 2009.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration got a wee bit busier this year. As of December 14th, the agency reported that it had received over 64,000 complaints. Edmunds' calculations, which remove duplicates, pegs the figure at more than 40,000 complaints – thanks in no small part to the spate of massive recalls from Toyota.
When we look to America's past, it can be easy to forget that America was never predestined to have the world's best highways. Progress only became possible because generations before us dreamed big and built big - because they imagined, invested and sacrificed for the infrastructure on which we rely to this day.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking into a full-on mobile phone ban for commercial drivers while behind the wheel as part of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's initiative to curb distracted driving. According to Reuters, the move would further impact the four million drivers who are already forbidden from texting while driving.
Faces of Distracted Driving – Click above to watch videos after the jump
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wants to make our roads a safer place. Distracted driving is arguably his number one issue, and LaHood is waging a concerted campaign to try and curb it. Is he taking things a step too far, though? According to Automotive News, LaHood has now stated that he believes motorists are distracted by any use of a mobile device wh
Click above for safety ratings of all 30 vehicles tested under NHTSA's new crash test rating system
Recaro ProSeries child safety seats – Click above for high-res image gallery
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that in 2009 alone, 5,500 fatalities and half a million injuries occurred as a direct result of distracted driving. The problem is so severe that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (above) recently felt compelled to address Autoblog readers directly in an effort to spread the word about how dangerous it is to multitask while d
Japan Transport Minister Seiji Maehara stopped by Washington D.C. late last week to discuss several issues with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, including Toyota and the future of high speed rail here in the States. The Detroit News reports that Maehara admitted the Japanese automaker made some mistakes in handling its recall issues, adding "Toyota has on its own recogni
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration appears to be busier than ever. Beyond the federal agency's upcoming visit to Congress to explain its actions leading up to the Toyota recalls, it also needs to prepare for 2011 changes to its New Car Assessment Program Five-Star Safety Rating System.
$16.4 million. That's the maximum amount the Department of Transportation (DOT) can fine an automaker for failing to recall a defective vehicle in a timely manner. And according to a recent report, the Feds could be pursuing a multimillion-dollar fine – the sum, yet to be disclosed – due to the Toyota recall.
