Articles by John Crawley and Roberta Rampton

Congress Agrees on Multi-Year Flood Insurance Extension, Reforms

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a massive bill on Friday combining funding for transportation programs, low-interest student loans, and the National Flood Insurance Program. On a 373-52 vote, the House sent the measure to the Senate which passed it, …

Feds Seek Limit on Vehicle Electronics to Curb Distracted Driving

The Obama administration wants automakers to put limits on vehicle technologies that permit texting and cellphone calling when a car is moving, as part of a broader effort to stop driving behaviors that could be distracting and cause crashes. U.S. …

Obama Administration Decides Against Lowering Trucker Daily Hours

The Obama administration decided against a cut in truckers’ daily hours behind the wheel, to the dismay of safety advocates, but made other changes aimed at fighting driver fatigue. The rule issued last Thursday continues to permit drivers to be …

Toyota Still Has Internal Problems to Fix, Says Commission

Toyota Motor Corp. has a way to go to fix crisis decision-making and other shortcomings in its corporate culture that played a key role in last year’s safety debacle, a report by an advisory panel commissioned by the automaker said …

U.S. Plan Would Restart Mexico Trucking

Long-haul trucks from Mexico would be allowed to operate throughout the United States for up to three years under a pilot plan aimed at reviving a politically sensitive trade program stalled for years. The U.S. Transportation Department released a proposal …

U.S. Probe: Toyota Throttles Not Cause of Acceleration Accidents

A U.S. government investigation showed no link between electronic throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles, a victory for the world’s top automaker battered by recalls over runaway vehicles. The encouraging result for Toyota stems from a 10-month …

U.S. Findings on Toyota Throttles Due Today

The Obama administration will release Tuesday the findings of its long awaited review of Toyota Motor Corp.’s electronic throttles over complaints of unintended acceleration. The Transportation Department said in the early stage of the investigation that it had not uncovered …

United States Proposes to Open Roads to Mexican Trucks

The Obama administration on Jan. 6, 2011, proposed a new inspection and monitoring regime to permit long-haul trucks from Mexico on U.S. highways after years of delays over safety concerns and political wrangling. The Transportation Department’s compromise seeks to revive …

United States Proposes to Open Roads to Mexican Trucks

The Obama administration on Jan. 6 proposed a new inspection and monitoring regime to permit long-haul trucks from Mexico on U.S. highways after years of delays over safety concerns and political wrangling. The Transportation Department’s compromise seeks to revive efforts …

New Regulation Aims to Reduce Deaths in Rollover Crashes

Automakers must develop new approaches to reduce the number of people ejected in U.S. rollover crashes, which are blamed for 10,000 deaths annually over the past decade. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expects manufactures to modify existing side …