While state law requires cars to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, marked crosswalks have shown time and again to be more dangerous than unmarked crosswalks. In 2006 a pedestrian in Millbrae, California suffered extensive brain damage after being struck by a passing car while she was in a marked crosswalk at an intersection without…
Volvo, Ford and other car makers have said they will accept “full liability” in the future when a car crashes in autonomous mode, because the technology will be that good. An accident involving a fully autonomous vehicle, with or without a driver behind the wheel, will then be an issue of product liability, assuming the…
In the coming weeks, Winter is due to grace the Pacific Northwest. The stretch between Halloween and Thanksgiving weekend usually marks the opening of the winter ski season as a few resorts open their doors and welcome ski enthusiasts. Although peak snowfall won’t come around until at least December, avid skiers are eager to bring their…
If you’re an avid cyclist in the Portland area, you have likely had some close calls with cars or known people who did, or maybe you are reading this right now because you or someone you know has just been seriously hurt by a car-on-bike accident. For many Portlanders, cycling is a way of life….
In October 2016, beer maker Anheuser-Busch made the nation’s first commercial shipment by self-driving truck, completing a journey of 120 miles through Colorado with a driver on board but not behind the wheel. US Not First with Autonomous Trucks Six months earlier, a “platoon” of six convoys of two or three semi-automated “smart” trucks, linked…
Forget drinking and driving. The government has a new type of impairment to think about plaguing the entire country. It’s called Pokémon. Well, Pokémon Go to be more exact. The strange creatures are now a hit mobile game that has people of all ages stumbling around like zombies trying to “hunt” the virtual cartoons, which make appearances…
It seems asinine that a drug less toxic and less responsible for deaths than alcohol ever made it to the drug category deemed most dangerous by the federal government. While marijuana reform is gaining ground across the U.S., the federal government still classifies it as a Schedule I controlled substance, on par with dangerous substances like heroin…
While automakers rush to get totally driverless vehicles on the road, many believe that full autonomy may not be the best approach. For over a decade car manufacturers have been trying to develop driverless cars, claiming that fully autonomous cars would be safer than regular cars and might make traffic flow smoother. They cite the…
Just how bad are Portland drivers again? If you’ve been following along you probably know that PDX was ranked poorly in a recent traffic report released by Allstate last year. Despite efforts to improve transportation, we keep outdoing ourselves. Just two years ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) felt the need to remind local drivers just…
Living in Oregon, we’re used to rain in all its forms, from mist to drizzle and downpour. Drivers here need to be aware of the hazards each rainy weather condition presents and be prepared. Driving Hazards of First Rain While a refreshing change, a summer or fall light mist is one of the most dangerous…