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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

HOT TOPICS:

▪ Editorial: Should grandpa or grandma drive?

▪ Massachusetts law requires license plates be legible, uncovered

▪ Alabama State Troopers use 18-wheelers to catch reckless drivers

Editorial…

Should grandpa or grandma drive?

The Hartford Courant

Should Grandpa Or Grandma Drive?

Some senior citizens should not be behind the wheel

EDITORIAL

7:02 p.m. EDT, August 5, 2014

A tragedy in Farmington is the latest reminder that some older people should not be behind the wheel.

Recently, an 86-year-old driver was arrested after a lengthy investigation into an awful crash in Farmington in October that caused two deaths. The driver, then 85, turned left into oncoming traffic because he thought a red traffic light had turned green. It had not. As a result, the driver's wife and a pregnant woman in the van he hit both died in the crash, as did the woman's unborn child. The elderly driver himself and a child in the van were seriously injured.

Whenever the question of restricting or testing elderly drivers comes up, however, seniors inevitably point out that they are, on the whole, safer drivers than young adults. And they're right, but just barely.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, mile-for-mile, older drivers have higher rates of fatal crashes than any group except young drivers.

Most drivers in their teens and twenties will get better behind the wheel as they gain more experience. Senior citizens, however, are likely to become more frail, forgetful and confused, and have increased problems with vision and hearing as time passes.

The problem of elderly drivers requires a two-pronged approach — public and private.

Connecticut presently has no age restriction on license renewal, nor requirements for the testing of sight or driving skills. A dozen states do.

In Illinois, those 75 and up must take a road test before a driver's license is renewed. Older drivers in Maine, Virginia, Florida, Georgia and elsewhere must pass vision tests; the exact ages vary. Some states also reduce the time allowed between renewals for elderly drivers.

Legislators here should seriously consider adding similar requirements to our motor vehicle laws.

But even without legal restrictions, families should step in when it becomes evident that Grandma or Grandpa is no longer entirely competent behind the wheel.

This will not be easy. There are not many transportation options for those who don't drive, and seniors may well fight fiercely to keep their freedom to go where they like when they like.

But the alternative is too often what happened that afternoon last October on Route 6 in Farmington.

Story on…

Massachusetts law requires license plates be legible, uncovered

Nashoba Publishing

Warning: State law requires license plates be legible, uncovered

Nashoba Publishing

Posted: 08/05/2014 03:22:20 PM EDT

State Police to enforce law prohibiting plates that are covered, obscured

BOSTON- Tuesday, August 5, 2014- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Massachusetts State Police today reminded motorists that state law requires vehicle license plate numbers to be legible and unobscured by a glass or plastic cover or other device.

Chapter 90, Section 6 of the Massachusetts General Laws requires that a vehicle number license plate always be plainly visible with the numbers legible and not obscured by the installation of any device obscuring the numbers.

A violation of the legible plate requirements carries a $35 fine for first offense, $75 for second offense and $150 for third offense.

In the first six months of 2014, state and local police have issued approximately 4,000 violations of the legible plate requirement law. The Massachusetts State Police have issued 1,900 violations and say enforcement efforts will continue.

Legible plates allowing for prompt vehicle identification are a traffic safety priority and necessary for implementation of the new All-Electronic Tolling system now in place on the Tobin Bridge and set to expand on all Massachusetts tolled roads in the next two years. For those vehicles without an E-ZPass transponder, a camera captures an image of the vehicle license plate and a Pay-By-Plate invoice for the toll is mailed to the vehicle's registered owner.

"Easily identifiable license plate information is not only critical to highway safety but also promotes the fair collection of tolls from vehicles lacking an E-ZPass transponder," said MassDOT Highway Administrator Frank DePaola. "We want to warn motorists about the legible plate requirement and also encourage everyone to sign up for E-ZPass."

Massachusetts drivers may sign up for E-ZPass transponders online at ezpassma, by calling 1-877-627-7745, or by visiting one of our E-ZPass MA Customer Service Centers or Sign-up Locations listed on the web. The E-ZPass Sign up Team is also visiting communities in Massachusetts this summer and fall to assist new customers in signing up for a transponder.

Passenger Vehicle Customers with an E-ZPass Massachusetts Transponder pay a discounted toll on the Tobin Bridge, Sumner/Callahan Tunnel, Ted Williams Tunnel and Boston Extension.

In 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) was created to unify the state's various transportation agencies. MassDOT now includes the Highway Division, the MBTA and Rail Transit Division, the Aeronautics Division, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. MassDOT is committed to providing a safe and reliable transportation system to all those who travel in the Commonwealth and works to deliver excellent customer service. MassDOT has been nationally recognized for its innovative approach to transportation, including the Accelerated Bridge Program, the "Where's My Bus and Train?" apps and "Fast 14" work. For more information, visit MassDOT at our website: massdot blog: , or follow MassDOT on twitter at and Facebook at massdotinfo.

Story on…

Alabama State Troopers use 18-wheelers to catch reckless drivers

autoevolution

AL Troopers Use 18-Wheelers to Catch Reckless Drivers

BY JEFFREY ROSS

5TH AUGUST 2014, 20:19 UTC

Alabama State Troopers recently began a program called Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks, or TACT, which like its name suggests is designed to catch bad drivers. A crackdown on bad drivers isn’t exactly newsworthy, but the interesting part of this story is the stealthy way that troopers are finding the drivers. And don’t worry, they’re not hiding on bridges or behind trees.

Instead, they’re using the ultimate undercover cars: 18-Wheelers. Troopers are riding in the passenger seats of these trucks essentially acting as a spotter for reckless drivers that are weaving in and out of traffic, following too close, texting while driving and cutting people off. From the semi truck, the trooper can radio to nearby units to pull over the offending motorist.

Right now, this program is only being used on section of interstate near Birmingham, AL that the report says is plagued with a high volume of crashes. Eventually, State Trooper could use this program along other high-traffic areas of the state. The obvious advantage this plan gives troopers is the ability to monitor traffic undetected, but the high vantage point also allows them to look down into the cars to see what drivers are doing such as texting or other distractions.

On a broader scale, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a pilot program by the same name in state of Washington with the goal of reducing aggressive driving around semi trucks and other commercial vehicles. There is no indication as to whether the nationwide campaign has reduced crashes or how many tickets Alabama’s new program has resulted in, but it definitely sounds like a good way to try to teach reckless drivers an expensive lesson. Now if only more states would start cracking down on people driving too slow in the passing lane.

The article and video report can be seen at Fox 6 Alabama.

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