If you’re from the New Jersey area, you display the fact that you know how to navigate ‘circles’ down the shore, with pride. The concept of traffic circles, while not totally nonexistent, is somewhat of a rarely implemented one in America. Ironically enough though, while europe undoubtedly perfected the concept, it is one that is very American in its invention.

There is a movement in this country now, according to Detroit News, to re-introduce the concept as Ann-Arbor Michigan has begun to install these traffic contraptions in their less populated residential areas, and with a decent level of efficiency.

Roundabouts installed in those locations where where stop signs or traffic lights previously stood have been shown to reduce all crashes by 39%, and serious ones by 76%, according to a study by the Institute for Highway Safety.

Source: eGMCarTech

While both can result in death, drunk driving may be safer only because your eyes are glued to the road. Recently Car & Driver did some testing and found out that texting is very, very unsafe. Duh! Full read in the jump!

A road test run by Car & Driver magazine showed dramatically slower reaction times by two test drivers who tried to brake while reading and, separately, writing text messages. Previous studies on DWT have typically been run in car simulators. The magazine believes its study may be the first conducted in a real vehicle on a stretch of road.

To cover different age ranges, two separate tests were set up on a road course--one with 22-year-old Jordan Brown, a Car & Driver intern, the other with the magazine's 37-year-old editor-in-chief, Eddie Alterman.

Using a Honda Pilot as the test vehicle, both drivers first drove a straight line and were told to hit the brake in response to a light that flashed on the dashboard. That measured their baseline reaction time. The second test had the drivers read a text message while driving; the third asked them to type a message while behind the wheel.

An additional test also compared the effects of DWT with driving while intoxicated, on the same day under the same road conditions. After downing enough alcohol to become legally drunk, the test subjects took to the road again.

The results showed that at 35 mph, it took a sober Brown an extra 21 feet to hit the brake while reading a text message, and an extra 16 feet while typing a message.

At 70 mph, it took him 30 extra feet to jam on the brake while reading a text, and an extra 31 feet while composing.

Those figures compared with an extra 7 feet at 35 mph and an extra 15 feet at 70 mph while intoxicated. However, in his drunken condition, Brown had to be told twice which lane to drive in--a dangerous scenario if he had been in actual traffic.

At 35 mph, a sober Alterman took an extra 188 feet to step on the brake while reading a text, and an extra 90 feet while typing a message.

At 70 mph, he took an extra 129 feet to hit the brake while reading a message, and an additional 319 feet while writing one.

While intoxicated, it took him at extra 7 feet at 35 mph and an extra 15 feet at 70 mph.

"In our test, neither of us had any idea texting would slow down our reaction time so much," said Alterman. "Like most folks, we believe we are good drivers, but the real key to driving safely is keeping your eyes and your mind on the road. Text messaging distracts any driver from those primary tasks."

Car & Driver also noted the relatively safe conditions of its test, compared with driving in the real world. The two subjects drove down a straight line without other cars, signals, or pedestrians.

Source: Car and Driver via CNET

California drivers chafing at the ban on holding cellphones can soon forget about texting, too: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has banned motorists from sending, writing or reading messages on electronic devices starting Jan. 1. Schwarzenegger signed legislation Wednesday that imposes a $20 fine for a first offense of texting while driving and a $50 fine for any subsequent violation.

As he works against a Tuesday deadline to act on more than 800 bills passed by the Legislature, Schwarzenegger also signed a measure barring companies that do business with the Sudanese government from bidding on state contracts. Schwarzenegger said in a statement that he was "happy to sign" the prohibition against text-messaging, which surveys show is widespread among drivers.

"Banning electronic text messaging while driving will keep drivers' hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, making our roadways a safer place for all Californians," said Schwarzenegger.

Microsoft Corp. will make its Live Search Web search engine available as part of its Microsoft Auto software. Live Search is a service similar to Yahoo! or Google.

It would be up to individual automakers and suppliers to decide whether to implement Live Search in vehicles, navigation units and radios and to decide how drivers would access the information.

"Part of this should be voice-driven," said Tom Phillips, newly named general manager of Microsoft's automotive business unit. "Part of it may still require a glance or some other textual type of information."

Phillips said the search engine should start appearing in vehicles in 12 to 18 months, as portable or in-vehicle equipment.

Ford Motor Co. spokesman Alan Hall would not say whether Live Search would become part of Sync.

"We're always looking to add new applications" to Sync, he said. "Our plans have always been to leverage the platform approach of Sync and add new features and capabilities as we see fit from a customer perspective."

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group plans to introduce an infotainment product based on the Microsoft Auto software in 2010. "We'll have the capability to offer" search, said spokesman Jim Trainor, but the carmaker "can't say yet" whether it will.

Microsoft says drivers and passengers could use Live Search to find local attractions such as restaurants. Directions, reviews and menus might be available. Search results could be narrowed to the driver's ZIP code.

Source: Automotive News

Actor Shia LaBeouf was at the Troubadour club watching the Lemon Son band on Santa Monica Blvd in L.A. Saturday night before the crash that flipped his truck and resulted in the star needing extensive hand surgery.

"He was dancing around and acting really crazy," a source commented. "He kept doing shots of whiskey. He stayed until the band was done and then stumbled out of the club by himself."

Who was riding shotgun? "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Aussie-born co-star Isabel Lucas. Yeah, google her. She's hot, but still stupid for getting into the car with him.

This picture was NOT taken after the accident but I can see how it could be mistaken as such. Ooh, low blow.

A car has plowed into a bike race along a highway near the US-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others.

Police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez says the 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race. A photograph taken by a city official shows bicyclists and equipment being hurled high in to the air by the collision.

Hope this guy gets a kick to the grill! Very sad.

Source: Yahoo

We hate to single out one state's drivers, but the facts speak for themselves: A recent survey conducted by GMAC Insurance found that of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, New Jersey drivers were the least knowledgeable about the rules of the road.

The results were based on test questions taken from the Department of Motor Vehicles driving test, and Jersey drivers averaged a D+ with a 69.9%. Our things to blame include Bon Jovi, acid-washed jeans, and of course long-feathered hair (see photo).

Source: Kicking Tires

GTA IV fever is far from over, and the controversies are still pouring in. But for one organization, it’s not the sexual content or graphic violence of the game that they find objectionable, it’s the in-game drunk driving. MADD, or Mothers Against an Average Weekend, released this statement today:

True enough, but does it really qualify — over the other, more obvious questionable material in the game — as something that should have a dreaded AO rating?

Source: CrunchGear

The upper Midwest has the worst drunken driving rates in the country, according to a government report that says 15 percent of adult drivers nationally report driving under the influence of alcohol in the previous year.

Wisconsin leads the way. The federal government estimates more than a quarter of the state's adult drivers had driven under the influence. Rounding out the worst five are North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. More after the jump.

Utah had the lowest incidence of drunken driving. It was the only state where fewer than 10 percent of adult motorists reported driving under the influence. Following closely behind were a slew of Southern states that often fare poorly when it comes to government health statistics. This time, however, they're serving as models. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina all had drunken driving rates for the prior year of less than 11 percent.

The report on drunken driving relies on data obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey, based on a scientific random sample of households, asked 127,283 adults in 2004, 2005 and 2006 whether they had driven under the influence in the past year. Health experts say the state-by-state breakdowns support other surveys showing that residents in northern states are more likely to engage in heavy alcohol consumption.

Source: Yahoo

BMW has made its navigation system faster, more convenient and easier to use with the introduction of the new ‘MyInfo’ address input service. The new addition to the BMW Assist Safety Plan allows subscribers to send business locations and street addresses as well as their associated phone numbers found online using Google Maps directly to their cars. They can then immediately start route guidance by a simple push of a button.

More after the jump..

To use MyInfo, owners simply search online for a business or street address on Google Maps and then click the ‘Send’ button and choose a car. Once inside their car, the driver only has to push the MyInfo button within the BMW Assist menu and the desired destination and associated phone number will automatically load.

It essentially means drivers will no longer have to write down or print address information and manually enter them into the navigation system. It also allows up to ten different destinations to be added.

The service has already been launched in Europe and Canada and is now available on all 2009 model-year BMW Assist-equipped X5, X6, 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series vehicles.

Source: Motor Authority

Researchers at the University of South Florida Public Health have released a study that shows a significant spike in accidents at intersections that use cameras to catch light runners. Why? Drivers are more likely to slam on their brakes when the signal turns yellow, causing tailgaters to ram into them.

The spike is not insignificant. The USF study focused on Florida, and found that traffic fatalities caused by red-light running were not increasing. In fact, they account for less than 4% of the state's yearly traffic deaths. From the study:

"The injury rate from red-light running crashes has dropped by a third in less than a decade, indicating red-light running crashes have been continually declining in Florida without the use of cameras."

Is this study applicable only to Florida--with its high number of elderly drivers? No, similar studies in Virginia, North Carolina and Ontario found similar increases in crashes at intersections where cameras were installed. As for studies that show a decrease in accidents, many were funded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a trade group for the insurance industry. Insurers tend to profit from red light cameras, because revenues go up with increased citations and accidents.

Source: Wired

Sean Combs, alias P Diddy, alias Puff Daddy, alias Puffy, P Jiffy Pop, whatever the hell else he goes by.. is launching a car service to make sure drunk celebs get home safe after a night of hard partying.

A rep for Diddy says, "He wants to make sure everyone's partying responsibly."

No word yet if regular folks like us are allowed to use his services. It's probably going to be a rip off anyway, a cab will be a fraction of the price.

Source: HollyScoop

According to Consumer Reports, at least.

It seems that if money were no object, these are the most fun to drive if you were a normal human-being. I think us FQuick users are a bit "different" so take this list at face value.

Consumer Reports' top fun-to-drive models in order of ranking:

• Porsche 911 Carrera S


• Porsche Boxster


• Honda S2000


• Mazda MX-5 Miata


• Chevrolet Corvette Z06


• Mercedes-Benz SLK350


• Infiniti G35


• Mazda RX-8


• Volkswagen GTI


• BMW 328i


• MazdaSpeed3


• Subaru Legacy GT


• Mini Cooper S

Shocked? Stunned? Appalled. I'm a little of each. I won't name names.

Source: Consumer Reports