Category «Transportation»

Bicyclist safety must be a priority – Report

Findings from a year of fatality tracking, May 2014. Every Bicyclist Counts – A memorial to the cyclists by the League of American Bicyclists. “From February 2011 to February 2013 we proactively gathered information for Every Bicyclist Counts from monitoring media and public outreach. We captured 628 fatalities overall and 552 in 2012 alone. In 2012, FARS …

Subjects: Legal Research, Transportation

Usage-Based Insurance and Telematics

National Association of Insurance Commissioners: “Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) is a recent innovation by auto insurers that more closely aligns driving behaviors with premium rates for auto insurance. Mileage and driving behaviors are tracked using odometer readings or in-vehicle telecommunication devices (telematics) that are usually self-installed into a special vehicle port. The basic idea of telematic …

Subjects: Privacy, Transportation

Tenth Annual Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

“Allstate is committed to helping people across the nation protect their cars and families. Allstate America’s Best Driving Report® is an annual ranking that identifies which of the 200 largest U.S. cities has the safest drivers. Sharing this data every year can highlight the importance of educating people about the importance of safe driving.” Washington, DC …

Subjects: Transportation

DOT Launches Free, Online Search Tool for Recalls Using Vehicle Identification Number

“Every year, millions of vehicles are recalled in the United States due to safety defects or noncompliance with federal safety standards. To help car buyers, owners and renters know that their vehicles are safe and their safety defects have been address, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today unveiled a …

Subjects: E-Government, Transportation

Pseudo-Classification of Executive Branch Documents

Pseudo-Classification of Executive Branch Documents: Problems with the Transportation Security Administration’s Use of the Sensitive Security Information Designation, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. May 29, 2014. “Under the Air Transportation Security Act of 1974, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created a category of sensitive but unclassified information, frequently referred to as “Sensitive Security Information” (SSI), and …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Transportation

New GAO Reports – CFPB, Drinking Water, Media Ownership, Railroad Retirement, Security Clearances

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU: Opportunity Exists to Improve Transparency of Civil Penalty Fund Activities, GAO-14-551: Published: Jun 26, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 28, 2014. DRINKING WATER: EPA Program to Protect Underground Sources from Injection of Fluids Associated with Oil and Gas Production Needs Improvement, GAO-14-555: Published: Jun 27, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 28, 2014. MEDIA OWNERSHIP: FCC Should Review the Effects of …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Transportation

Apples and Oranges: Iceberg Trade Costs

Lashkaripour, Ahmad [Pennsylvania State University, College of the Liberal Arts – Department of Economics] Apples and Oranges: Iceberg Trade Costs (May 23, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2470765 “The iceberg trade cost assumption is embodied in all major models of International trade. However, empirical evidence to support this rather conventional assumption is lacking. This paper …

Subjects: Copyright, Economy, Transportation

Obama Drone Order Fails to Safeguard Privacy

EPIC – “According to reports, President Obama is set to issue an executive order on drone privacy. The order would call for the development of voluntary best practices for the commercial use of drones. Senator Markey and Representative Welch immediately responded to the reports with a letter to the President urging “strong, enforceable rules – not voluntary best …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Privacy, Transportation

DOT Proposes Rulemaking for Safe Rail Transportation of Flammable Materials

“The U.S. Department of Transportation today released the details of its comprehensive rulemaking proposal to improve the safe transportation of large quantities of flammable materials by rail – particularly crude oil and ethanol – in the form of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and a companion Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM). The NPRM proposes …

Subjects: Energy, Government Documents, Transportation

New GAO Reports – Aviation Safety, Fair Labor Standards, Indian Gaming, NTIS, Patient Protection, Small Business, Space Launch System

AVIATION SAFETY: FAA’s Efforts to Implement Recommendations to Improve Certification and Regulatory Consistency Face Some Challenges, GAO-14-728T: Published: Jul 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2014. FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT: Department of Labor Needs a More Systematic Approach to Developing Its Guidance, GAO-14-629T: Published: Jul 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2014. INDIAN GAMING: Preliminary Observations on the Regulation and Oversight of …

Subjects: E-Records, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Transportation

“Black Boxes” in Passenger Vehicles: Policy Issues

CRS – “Black Boxes” in Passenger Vehicles: Policy Issues – Bill Canis, Specialist in Industrial Organization and Business; David Randall Peterman, Analyst in Transportation Policy July 21, 2014. “An event data recorder (EDR) is an electronic sensor installed in a motor vehicle that records  certain technical information about a vehicle’s operational performance for a few seconds immediately prior to …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legislation, Transportation