A recently released report from the UK's Ministry of Justice has inspired some organizations to predict the imminent demise of the speed camera. Speaking to The Times, the RAC foundation's executive director claimed a victory for vox populi— even though camera-issued speeding tickets declined by just 40k. "This shows the outcry by millions of drivers has finally paid off and forced councils and police to exercise more discretion," Edmund King pronounced. "There is no doubt that enforcement was getting out of hand, particularly with the use of speed cameras." Yes well, "ring fencing" (letting councils keep the fines to pay for "safety camera" programs) ended the following year. One might also surmise that the 2.1 percent drop can be attributed to motorists losing their license, or learning how to avoid speed cameras, or rising gas prices, or administrative cock-ups, or the margin of error, or something. At least the Times remains skeptical about the fall in the number of drivers disqualified on penalty points (down 2k to 29k). "It is unclear whether this was because drivers slowed down or because they persuaded someone to take the points for them." Oh, and The Newspaper reports that the UK's number one traffic cop, South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, faces a driving ban after a speed camera clocked his Audi A8 doing 90 in a 60mph zone on the A5 at Halton in North Wales.  

At a Ferrari Owners Club (FOC) track day at the California Speedway, Lamborghini owner Corey Rudl is sidelined by his car's cooling problems. When Rudl admires Ben Keaton's Porsche Carrera GT (CGT), Keaton offers to show Rudl what the German supercar can do. As the Porsche speeds around the track, a flagman waves a Ferrari onto the front straight. The driver hesitates. The flagman tries to stop the Ferrari. Keaton CGT swerves to avoid the slow-going Italian exotic. The CGT hits a concrete barrier at approximately 145mph. Both men are killed. Rudl's widow files a lawsuit against various parties. Sports Car Market reveals the $4.5m settlement, as follows. Ben Keaton's estate (49 percent): "Keaton was warned about the handling problems with the CGT, ignored his mechanic’s advice, and invited Rudl for a ride without mentioning the problems. California Speedway and the track organizers (41 percent): "The pit-out design… brought the drivers onto the track in the middle of the straightaway and the pit-out driver’s view of the straightaway was completely blocked by a guardrail." The FOC "allowed [Keaton] to sign his own tech inspection form stating that the car was fine." Porsche (eight percent): "…one engineer testified that Porsche did not think that its PSM system would work on the CGT because the car’s frame structure and suspension mountings would create strong vibrations that would interfere with its operation. The other engineer testified that PSM was not offered because the customers didn’t want it." The Ferrari driver (two percent): "the Ferrari entered the track too slowly, forcing Keaton to evade him."

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Senate voted yesterday to cut $2m from the Office of Labor Management Standards' (OLMS) budget. That's the federal agency in charge of collecting and checking LM-2 forms, which force unions to disclose their income and expenditures. Amongst the revelations contained therein: the Food and Commercial Workers Local Union 1 spent $26k on golf, another (unnamed) union forked-out $3m on hotel bills and Don Hunsucker, President of Local 1288 of The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, pocketed a $679,949 annual paycheck. The OLMS also flags corruption; with their help, the Labor Department announced 13 indictments and seven convictions last month (raising their yearly total to 97 indictments and 115 convictions). With over $30b heading for a United Auto Workers-controlled VEBA health care superfund– that's GM alone– you'd think that our representatives would want to beef-up enforcement, rather than pull the rug from under the watchdog's feet. The Senate's 47 to 46 vote to trim the OLMS' budget was almost entirely along party lines; 45 Democrats voted to cut the funding. Make of that what you will.

OK, so the UK hasn't banned smoking in cars– with or without kids in situ. But changes to the Highway Code– the rules and regulations governing all road users– have empowered police to ticket puffing motorists for "not allowing proper control of a car" (allowing?). Although police pedants have previously cited UK drivers for drinking from a water bottle in slow-moving traffic and other petty distractions, a survey from the esure auto insurance company reveals that 45 percent of smoking motorists have a simple response to the new prohibition: piss off. esure surveyed a thousand UK motorists to discover than a little less than half would ignore the rule change entirely. To ensure esure's survey adopted the correct line on the matter, their research company winkled-out some "worrying" statistics: a "massive" 80 per cent of smoking motorists admit to taking their hands off the wheel to fire-up a fag; 75 per cent of them think smoking whilst driving on a motorway is acceptable and poses no risks; 46 per cent admit to dropping their cigarette in the car (26 per cent said they took their eyes off the road to retrieve it); and 45 per cent admit to throwing fag ends out the window. esure's Head of Risk and Underwriting sounded the appropriate note: "At esure, driver safety is our top priority and so the risky habits carried out by some smokers are a cause for concern. We advise drivers to always pay the road their full attention." That's it then. Carry on. 

The Evening Leader (Wrexham, Wales, UK) reports that a road safety-oriented theatrical production called "Wasted" has kids swearing off cars. After watching the multi-media production designed to warn children about the dangers of drug driving at the Ysgol Clywedog school, "One pupil was heard to say 'I'm not getting into anybody's car again', a statement many others echoed." In a telephone interview with TTAC [below], the head of the Walking Forward Theater Company, says the play's message is not anti-car or anti-drugs. "We're trying to get people to use cars in a responsible way," asserts Gavin Payne. "and indeed, if they have to use drugs, [to] use drugs in a responsible way and not mix the two." Payne's Walking Forward theater company claims to have exposed millions of UK theater goers to road safety dramas, including thousands of British soldiers, and welcomes any U.S. or Canadian campaigners interested in setting-up a similar program across the pond. 

Surprise! California has become the third U.S. state to ban smoking in cars with kids– in their own special way. Newsmax.com reports that Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an anti-motorized second hand smoking bill yesterday that doesn't allow officers to pull over kid-carrying cigarette-puffing motorists. Nope. "The traffic stop would have to be made for another offense, such as speeding or an illegal turn, before the driver could be cited for smoking." Oh, and did we mention that the ban applies to minors, as in any child under 16? That's 10 more years of clean lungs than Arkansas, which bans smoking in cars with children age 6 and younger, and three more years than Louisiana, which protects children 13 and under. Coinciding with New Year's resolutionists, Kali-fornia's new law takes effect on January first. Offenders face a $100 fine and, we reckon, a guilt trip courtesy of the protect and serve people.  

We have long argued that anti-drink driving campaigners are wrong to ignore the problems of drunk pedestrians. No, really. For reference: Grand Rapids TV station WTOL carried a report on a District Court Judge who struck down a ruling that allowed Michigan police to breathalyze pedestrians without a warrant. Needless to say, the ACLU was at the forefront of this effort, which negated law enforcement's ability to get tough on teenage drinking and drunk and disorderly conduct. And, we'd like to point out, could help prevent drunk pedestrians from stepping in front of hapless motorists. Although sobriety wasn't mentioned in this morning's Atlanta Journal Constitution report on a recent pedestrian fatality ("GSU law student Paul Brady, 26, died of injuries he suffered after he stepped in front of a Georgia Building Authority truck. The truck had the green light, witnesses told police. The truck driver said she tried to stop but couldn't before she hit Brady."), the paper's report on jaywalking offers a sobering look at a lethal problem.  

Heard of Carbon Motors? Relax. You're not alone in your ignorance. The Atlanta-based automotive concern believes the law enforcement community deserves more than clumsy Crown Vics and cramped Dodge Chargers. To wit: a suicide-door'd, diesel-powered macho sedan with none of the manufacturing constraints plaguing the Big 2.8's masculine metal. Carbon's recent collaboration with Lotus Engineering sounds promising on paper, but the CGI-intensive website is distinctly DeLorean-esque in its lack of a business plan.  No matter, the digitally rendered, Walrus-nosed prototype makes Carbon's pie-in-the-sky venture a hypothetical breath of fresh air. And not much else.

GM's OnStar system is a regular little Yenta. It already helps owners decide where to go, tells them how to get there, remotely unlocks doors for forgetful PGA golfers, runs remote diagnostics on the car (and emails the results), summons first responders in an accident, helps police track the vehicle if it's stolen and finds you a nice Jewish girl to marry (well, almost). If that wasn't intrusive helpful enough, The AP (via the Miami Herald) reports the next step in OnStar's eNannyism: Robocopping car thieves. First, they'll advise the miscreant that the police are watching. If the crook isn't prone to paranoia (do you hear voices?), OnStar's helpful representative will cut engine power until the vehicle slows to a stop– provided police deem it safe to do so. OnStar says owners can opt out of the engine kill switch program, but also claim 95 percent of their subscribers are down with it. Yes but– I doubt they raised the possibility that the technology could also be used as a speed limiter. Anyway, it's only a matter of time before plans for an OnStar jamming device hits the web.

Safe Speed is one of our favorite monomaniacal websites, dedicated as it is to fighting the good fight against the UK's superabundance of speed cameras. Saying that, crusader/publisher Paul Smith takes semi-regular excursions off-topic to address wider road safety issues. PR546 (but who's counting?) criticizes The Highway Code for ballooning to 133 pages, as the weightier tome causes "essential safety messages to get lost." In its stead, Smith proposes a 100-word code, as follows: "Drive on the left. Make sure you can see and be seen. Keep a constant look out all around. Be aware of signs and regulations and why they are there. Be predictable. Recognise and anticipate danger and keep clear space from it. Always ensure that you can stop within the distance that you know is clear. Develop your skills. Give courtesy, co-operation and space to others. Don't obstruct them. Never take risks, drive unfit or compete with others. Safety is paramount and far more important than priority. Take personal responsibility for your safety and the safety of those nearby. Enjoy."

KVOA TV reports that police in Oro Valley, Arizona have joined the legions of law enforcement agencies using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems. Oro’s taken delivery of LPR Systems’ Mobile Plate Hunter 900 . When the Plate Hunter was rolled out in Utica, NY in August, the ACLU claimed the system violated “every motorist’s civil right to avoid police surveillance unless a law has been violated.” The ACLU’s executive director of the Central New York Chapter says the police need a new business model: “Police really should be in the business of investigating crimes, not tracking law-abiding citizens,” Barrie Gewanter pronounced. “When we are driving and we are always having our licenses plates examined, then everybody on the road is being treated as a suspect.”

Connecticut, New York and New Jersey all prohibit drivers from yakking on a cell without a hands-free device. A new study of 902 tri-state drivers commissioned by Parrot, a Texas-based manufacturer of said technology, reveals that 72 percent of these mobile mobile users now own a hands-free device. Now the bad news: only 14 percent of them use the equipment religiously (regardless of denomination). Jersey drivers are the worst offenders; 43 percent of their in-car calls are held via the handset. "The challenge of hands-free compliance is not only perception but also reality,” says the irony-loving Ed Valdez, president and COO of Parrot. “The reality is that the majority of tri-state drivers are still using their hand-held cell phones because they don't perceive that the law applies to them.” Reflecting the “it’s the other guy who’s driving sucks” gestalt, the debate over the statistical danger of cell phone distracted drivers (as opposed to tiredness, children, food, etc.) continues. Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence of cell-related tragedies– such as this morning’s report in the Houston Chronicle— sustains the momentum for outright bans against drivers using hand-held cells.

I'm not quite sure why police and members of the judiciary consider anyone driving above 100 mph the automotive equivalent of a child abuser– when speeding per se doesn't top the list of accident causation (unless the stat gatherers lie), but they surely do (both lie and consider 100mph+ speeding beyond the pale). The Associate Press (via the Coshocton Tribune ) carries the SHOCKING NEWS that Buckeye State Troopers cited 1416 motorists for speeding offenses above the toxic ton in '06. "Most of those ticketed were driving high-performance automobiles such as BMWs, Audis and Acuras. However, troopers say even compact family cars like Kias can reach triple digit speeds." The poster child for this speedo-related recklessness: a motorcyclist clocked at 167 mph. Municipal Court Judge David Picken threw the book at the bad boy biker. Luckily for the miscreant (if not road safety), it was a relatively slender tome: a $440 fine, six-month license suspension and a court-ordered driver's safety course. The scofflaw should count himself lucky he wasn't caught in Virginia, which, like the UK, is quite happy to jail drivers cresting the ton. Or Hawaii, which also offers a little alone time with Bubba in the hoosegow or community service for any driver caught driving over 80mph. 

What Car? [via The Daily Record] says premium petrol is a rip-off, providing neither extra power nor superior gas mileage. The UK consumer magazine paid a lab to test various premium grades against their lowly counterparts. The lab concluded that premium petrol purchasers may eke out a few more miles to the gallon, but the cost (up to 30p more per gallon) outweighs the benefit. In specific, they claim that Shell's V-Power petrol couldn't quite match the mileage provided by regular: 22.9mpg to 23mpg (which is well within the margin of error). The article fails to mention that certain car manufacturers require premium unleaded for a reason; the knock sensor will smooth things over, but you'll get pitiful gas mileage and probably damage your engine over the long run. 

The controversy surrounding the decision to allow Mexican trucks free access to US roads, and vice versa, rolls on. After howls of protest greeted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) pilot project, the Department of Transportation and its Mexican equivalent decided to install no-cost (to anyone but the taxpayer) satellite transponders in all participating trucks. The Associated Press reports that Qualcomm has been awarded the contract to source, install and monitor the bugs tracking the trucks' location, speed, cargo and trip details, and mileage. BUT the project has been cut-off at the congressional knees, as the Teamsters (surprise!) successfully lobbied their elected reps to veto funding for the technology. And yet, even without the chips, the project is already underway; there are currently 12 domestic trucks in Mexico, and seven Mexican trucks stateside.