Tag: cars

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2015 saw largest increase in traffic deaths in 50 years

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file photo by Boyd Loving

BY JOAN LOWY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON  — The number of traffic deaths in the United States rose 8 percent from 2014 to 2015, the largest year-to-year percentage increase in a half-century, according to preliminary estimates Wednesday by the National Safety Council.

About 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads, and 4.4 million people were seriously injured, the council said. That would make 2015 the deadliest driving year since 2008.

The council said a stronger economy and lower unemployment rates were probably among the key factors, along with lower gas prices. With driving more affordable, more people are on the road. Average gas prices were 28 percent lower last year than in 2014 and are projected to continue dropping this year.

The Transportation Department estimates a 3.5 percent increase in the number of miles driven by motorists in the United States in 2015.

The council’s estimates correspond with one from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which also found an 8 percent increase in fatalities for the first half of 2015.

Among the biggest increases last year were in Oregon (27 percent), Georgia (22 percent), Florida (18 percent) and South Carolina (16 percent). Only 13 states showed improvement, including New Mexico (a 20 percent drop), Kansas (down 7 percent) and New Jersey (lower by 2 percent).

The estimated cost of motor-vehicle deaths, injuries and property damage in 2015 was $412.1 billion, according to the council, a nonprofit organization created by Congress to promote safety. That total includes wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, employer costs and property damage.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/2015-saw-largest-increase-in-traffic-deaths-in-50-years-1.1513235

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New Jersey Last again tops nation in auto insurance rates and only lower gas prices are keeping state from most expensive place to own a car.

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file photo Boyd Loving

New Jersey Last again tops nation in auto insurance rates and only lower gas prices are keeping state from most expensive place to own a car.
March 23,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The National Association of Insurance Commissioners says New Jersey motorists paid an average of $1,220 in 2012. That’s about 49 percent more than the national average of $815.https://newjersey.news12.com/news/report-new-jersey-tops-nation-in-auto-insurance-rates-1.10103446

A lesser known fact is that New Jersey is now the 5th most expensive state to own a car , with only lower gas prices ie gas taxes keeping us from last place . ( https://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/car-ownership-costs-by-state.aspx )

Bankrate analyzed the cost of gasoline, repairs and insurance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Labor and parts data were provided by CarMD.com, while gas spending was calculated with statistics from GasBuddy.com and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Insurance costs were compiled from National Association of Insurance Commissioners statistics.( https://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/car-ownership-costs-by-state.aspx#ixzz3VDEPJ73V )

Another reason not to raise the gas tax!

 

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Study says NJ has 1.3 million recalled, unrepaired cars on roads

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Study says NJ has 1.3 million recalled, unrepaired cars on roads

FEBRUARY 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY RICHARD NEWMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

* 1.3 million autos in state go unfixed, study says

Tens of millions of U.S. motorists are driving vehicles that have been recalled because of potential safety issues but have not yet been brought to a dealership for repair, according to a new study.

Colorado-based Carfax, which sells automobile history reports, examined state vehicle registration data to determine that more than 46 million cars, trucks and SUVs in the United States have at least one outstanding recall that has not been addressed by a qualified repair service. In New Jersey, nearly 1.3 million of 6.5 million registered vehicles have been recalled but not repaired, nearly one in five vehicles.

“Either the manufacturers’ letters are not getting to the car owners, or they are being ignored,” said Christopher Basso, a Carfax spokesman. “One of the most alarming things is that minivans and SUVs, which are family-oriented vehicles, have the highest chance of having an unfixed recall.” Nationwide, one out of every three minivans and one of every four SUVs have unresolved recall issues, he said.

New Jersey ranked 11th in the country by number of vehicles with unresolved safety recalls, according to Carfax. The percentage of recalled-but-not-yet-repaired vehicles to total registered vehicles in New Jersey was 19.7 percent, the seventh-highest rate among the 50 states, Basso said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/jersey-drivers-ignoring-vehicle-recalls-1.1279441

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Economics pushes many young adults to do without cars

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Economics pushes many young adults to do without cars

December 25, 2014    Last updated: Thursday, December 25, 2014, 1:21 AM
By JANET MOORE
STAR TRIBUNE |
Wire Service

MINNEAPOLIS — Consider Jake Gau a multimodal millennial.

On chillier mornings, the 25-year-old rehabilitation aide hops on the No. 30 bus in northeast Minneapolis bound for his job at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley. On warmer days, he pedals his mountain bike westward to work.

Missing from his array of transportation options: a car. And that’s just fine with him.

Much of the millennial generation — roughly 77 million Americans born between 1983 and 2000 — is decidedly lukewarm when it comes to Americans’ century-long love affair with the automobile. They appear to prefer biking, walking, taking mass transit and sharing cars, exhibiting behavior that could have a profound effect on transportation and land-use policies for years to come.

“Transportation policy tends to be a generation behind. We’re still trying to build our grandfather’s interstate highway system,” said Phineas Baxandall, a senior analyst with the consumer group U.S. PIRG. Policymakers should not only accommodate Gen Y’s desire to drive less, but encourage it, he said.

“We’ve spent a number of years talking about millennials and how they have different sensibilities when it comes to transportation,” said Minnesota state Sen. Scott Dibble, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “Now we have to respond with policy.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/debt-laden-millennials-shun-cars-1.1179842

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Privacy concerns lead to N.J. legislation restricting access to cars’ ‘black boxes’

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file photo Boyd Loving

Privacy concerns lead to N.J. legislation restricting access to cars’ ‘black boxes’

OCTOBER 15, 2014, 11:55 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014, 11:58 PM
BY KIBRET MARKOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

A new federal requirement that automakers install black-box-type devices in nearly all new cars has been welcomed by New Jersey law enforcement officials, but the warnings of privacy advocates and others have prompted state lawmakers to call for safeguards that would restrict the use of the data collected.

The devices, called event data recorders, are already installed in most late-model cars and have been used by law enforcement authorities in North Jersey since at least 1994, said Andrew Rich, a retired accident investigator for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office who is now a consultant on collision investigations.

Back then, the devices provided information only about the change of speed immediately prior to a crash, he said. They have grown much more high-tech, and now collect information on change in speed, brake application, seat belt use and air bag deployment, among other things, Rich said.

Experts stress that although the devices are commonly called “auto black boxes,” they do not continuously record and store information like aircraft black boxes do. Instead, they record only seconds worth of data, and continuously override the recording. The boxes store data only in the case |of an incident, usually a crash, that causes the air bags to deploy, said Jim Harris, an accident reconstruction expert in Miami, Fla.

“Otherwise, if you try to download data from a random car in a parking lot, you will find no information,” Harris said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/privacy-concerns-lead-to-n-j-legislation-restricting-access-to-cars-black-boxes-1.1109979#sthash.W4tVUjug.dpuf

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Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce presents” Annual Fall Car Show!!

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Annual Car Show
Friday , September 05, 2014
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, Ridgewood NJ

Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce presents”
Annual Fall Car Show!!

FREE to the public.

For Cars:
Pre-Registration fee by August 15th is $17.00
August 18th-September 5th Registration fee is $20.00

The Car Show will be held around Memorial Park at Van Neste Square
and along E. Ridgewood Avenue.
Non Pre-Registered cars will begin registration at 5:00pm. Parking will be on a first come, first served basis. Registration fees are not refundable.

Music will keep the evening lively and there will be trophies for many categories.

1. The Ridgewood Police Department wishes to remind all participants there is no consumption of alcohol allowed at this event. Summons will be issued to violators.
2. Due to pedestrain safety, cars will not be allowed to leave the event until the
Police Depart. opens up the road.

Please print out the attached registration form
and make your reservation early.
We will fax or email your Window Registration Certificate.
Make checks payable and send to:
Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce
27 Chestnut Street
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
info@ridgewoodchamber.com
www.experienceridgewood.com
MC, Visa, AmExp accepted.

Microsoft Store

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New Jersey bicyclists could get 3 foot buffer zone from cars

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photos by Ridgewood PD

New Jersey bicyclists could get 3 foot buffer zone from cars
MAY 19, 2014

A bill attempting to make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists would require drivers to keep at least three feet between their car and a bike rider was moved out of its state Assembly committee on Thursday.

It was just one of three total bills released last week that attempt to address bicycle and pedestrian safety. Another would fine drivers $500 if they commit a road violation that causes an accident with a cyclist, and a third would require cars to slow down or move over when approaching a cyclist or pedestrian.

All three bills carry a maximum $500 fine.

These laws would be the first of their kind in New Jersey. Right now, drivers are required to be vigilant of cyclists and to observe basic motor vehicle rules, but New Jersey’s Title 39, which focuses most closely on cyclists, does not contain specific rules for drivers to follow when interacting them. These bills would provide these laws.

All three bills were moved out of the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on Thursday; Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto will next decide whether to bring them forward for a floor vote.

Assemblyman Christopher J. Brown (R-Burlington, Atlantic, Ocean), who sponsored the bill that would fine drivers for hitting a cyclist, said a constituent’s call moved him to push the law forward. The state’s congested roads, Brown said, were further impetus.

The laws are well intentioned, according to bicycle safety advocates. But they said they must be regarded as a first step.

“A three-foot (passing) rule is a good starting point,” said Trenton Cycling Revolution Chairman Dan Fatton, whose organization promotes bicycle safety and ridership in the New Jersey city. “It sounds like a positive step. But it’s not quite far enough.”

https://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/68111-new-jersey-bicyclists-could-get-3-foot-buffer-zone-from-cars