traffic fatalities

Stories 21 - 34 | << Prev 

6 Dead, Many Injured in Calif. Greyhound Bus Crash

Driver swerved to avoid earlier minivan pileup

(Newser) - A Greyhound bus carrying 35 people heading to Sacramento from Los Angeles crashed on a highway in California's Central Valley early this morning, killing six and injuring many others. The bus driver swerved to avoid another crash involving an overturned minivan, slammed into the concrete center divider, and then hit...

Toyoda: 'We Pursued Growth' Over Safety
 Toyoda: 'We Pursued 
 Growth' Over Safety 
CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

Toyoda: 'We Pursued Growth' Over Safety

Toyota CEO is 'deeply sorry' for accidents that may have killed 39

(Newser) - Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is on Capitol Hill today to make amends for the safety issues that have plagued his company’s cars and are tied to 39 traffic fatalities. Toyoda told the House Oversight Committee that the automaker’s priorities had become confused. “We pursued growth over the...

Toyota: We're Sorry for Slow Response

Driver of runaway car says 'shame on you' to company, feds

(Newser) - The president of Toyota's US operations insisted today that electronic problems did not contribute to sudden acceleration of its cars, drawing sharp criticism from lawmakers. "We are confident that no problems exist with the electric throttle control system in our vehicles," James Lentz told a House panel. Rather,...

States Roll Out Bans on Texting While Driving

23 states mull laws against practice already banned in 19

(Newser) - Alarmed by the dangers of driving while text messaging, legislatures in 23 states are considering outlawing the practice, which 19 states already ban. Lawmakers “often get involved because there's a high-profile accident that had to do with texting,” an expert tells USA Today . “Also, because everybody has...

Pols, Drivers Dial Up Cell Phone Danger

It's just as bad as drunk driving, and millions do it

(Newser) - Driving while talking on the phone—regardless of whether you're using a hands-free device—impairs your attention and reflexes as much as a blood alcohol content of .08, according to studies. With 81% of drivers admitting to gabbing in traffic, it might seem that stricter laws are inevitable, writes the...

Rookie Angels Pitcher Dead in Car Crash

(Newser) - Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car crash early this morning, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hours after the 22-year-old rookie delivered six shutout innings against Oakland, his car was sideswiped by a minivan running a red light. Two others in Adenhart’s vehicle were dead at the...

NFL Player in DUI Crash Faces Manslaughter Charge

(Newser) - Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth will likely be charged today with DUI manslaughter for a March 14 crash that killed a Florida pedestrian, the Miami Herald reports. Stallworth hit Mario Reyes early in the morning as Reyes was running for a bus after work. Stallworth had a blood alcohol content...

Storm Kills 19, Cuts Power to 600K in South, Midwest

Winter bears down (again) on Northeast, trigger travel troubles, and worse

(Newser) - A storm sweeping from the middle of the country into the Northeast today has left at least 19 dead and cut power to 600,000 people, the AP reports. In hard-hit states like Arkansas, where power companies warned service might not return for days, 3 inches of ice weighed down...

High Gas Prices Mean Fewer Traffic Deaths

People are changing where, when, and how they drive

(Newser) - The number of traffic deaths may drop this year to their lowest since Kennedy was president—thanks in large part to higher gas prices, the AP reports. As they rose above $3.20 a gallon, fatalities plummeted 22.1% in March and 17.9% in April, a study found. The...

Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%
 Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%

Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%

Overall traffic deaths down but motorbike deaths up for 10th year in a row

(Newser) - The number of motorcyclist deaths rose in 2007 for the 10th year in a row, the New York Times reports, jumping 6.6% even as the overall number of vehicle deaths continued to drop. Motorcycle deaths now account for one in eight traffic fatalities, totaling 5,154 last year—a...

Funny Car Racer Killed in NHRA Crash

Kalitta's car erupts in flames at 300 mph

(Newser) - Drag racer Scott Kalitta was killed yesterday after his Funny Car burst into flames as it crashed in an NHRA race, AP reports. The Toyota Solara driven by the 46-year-old former Top Fuel champ had been going 300 mph in a race to qualify for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals...

8 Killed in Street Race Crash
8 Killed in Street Race Crash

8 Killed in Street Race Crash

At least 3 more injured, including driver, on Maryland speed strip

(Newser) - A driver skidded into a crowd of street-race spectators in Maryland this morning and killed eight people, but later told police he was not part of the race, the Washington Post reports. The driver and at least four others were injured in the crash, which also killed the car's passenger....

Cartoonist Killed in Car Crash
Cartoonist Killed in Car Crash

Cartoonist Killed in Car Crash

Kudzu creator Doug Marlette dead at 57

(Newser) - The Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and creator of Kudzu died yesterday when a car he was riding in hydroplaned in heavy rain and crashed into a tree in Mississippi. Doug Marlette, 57,  worked for a series of newspapers, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and was known for his dead-on caricatures...

Halberstam Dies in Car Crash
Halberstam Dies in Car Crash

Halberstam Dies in Car Crash

Prize-winning writer who blended journalism with history was 73

(Newser) - David Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who wrote definitive annals of everything from the Vietnam War to pro football, was killed in a car crash in Menlo Park, Calif., today. Halberstam, who wrote 21 books, was on his way to interview former New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle when...

Stories 21 - 34 | << Prev