Commuting during peak travel times along I-275 in Wayne County just got easier with the opening of all travel lanes on the north end of the project. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is removing northbound lane restrictions north of Joy Road, while southbound lane closures now begin at Ann Arbor Road. All work on this $23.5 million project is expected to be completed in November. The project includes repairing 34 bridges between Hannan Road in Van Buren Township and 6 Mile Road near Northville Township. Work also involves resurfacing both directions of I-275 between Hannan and Ford roads. While the north end of the project is opening two weeks ahead of schedule, work to the bridges at Ann Arbor Trail, Ann Arbor Road and 6 Mile Road will continue, but with lane closures scheduled during off-peak hours. MDOT reminds motorists that a separate project to repair northbound I-275 at Nine Mile Road in Oakland County still has work remaining; however, that work is restricted to weekends continue 
Overall, deaths resulting from alcohol and/or drug-related crashes decreased by 10.6 percent, from 357 in 2010 to 319 in 2011, while injuries fell from 6,175 to 6,086. Drug involvement in traffic fatalities fell almost 17 percent, from 153 deaths in 2010 to 127 in 2011, while alcohol involvement declined 3 percent, from 283 to 274. In many cases, deaths involved both alcohol and drugs and are counted in each category. Prior to 2011′s decrease, drug-involved traffic fatalities had increased by nearly 30 percent over the past five years. As part of an effort to address this issue, Michigan trained 15 Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) last year. DREs are trained to recognize signs of impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol and to identify the category or categories of drugs causing the impairment. A second group of 13 officers completed training in 2012, and a third class is planned for 2013. Drug-involved deaths and injuries have been increasing across the country,” said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the Michigan State Police (MSP). “Officers in Michigan will continue 
In response to requests from the public, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has installed a temporary traffic signal on M-40 at northbound I-196 in Holland. The signal is expected to be operational today. MDOT began the $11.5 million project in June to reconstruct 9 miles of northbound I-196 from 130th Avenue to US-31 in Allegan County. The project requires closing the exits at Blue Star Highway and northbound US-31. A detour has been established at M-40 in Holland, but high traffic volumes led to unanticipated congestion on the northbound I-196 interchange at M-40. “The decision to install a temporary signal was made after motorists expressed their concerns about congestion at M-40,” said Michelle O’Neill, MDOT traffic operations engineer at the Kalamazoo Transportation Service Center. “Our staff did traffic counts and discovered traffic volumes at that interchange were much higher than anticipated, so a temporary signal was warranted for the duration of this project.” The temporary signal will improve traffic flow and safety and remain active continue
The traffic authorities are looking at the possibility of issuing a driver’s licence in a phased manner with a view to curb reckless driving and road accidents. If the move is approved, a motorist may first be issued a learner’s licence, then a temporary one and finally a permanent driver’s licence. In some neighbouring countries, a learner’s licence is issued for three months, followed by a temporary licence for a year. A permanent licence is issued after a year provided the driver has not been found involved in a major traffic rule violation. Brigadier Mohamed Saad Al Kharji, director of the Traffic Department, said in response to a question that his department might introduce the ‘gradual licensing system’. He was participating in a roundtable discussion held yesterday in collaboration with the Social continue 
NEW measures to toughen up getting a driver’s licence have been welcomed by driving school owners and instructors as “a good thing”. As part of the act, after passing a driver’s test a new driver would first receive a provisional licence for 12 months. In this time, should road rules be broken, the provisional licence could be suspended for two years. The owners of driving schools will be taken to task as authorities ensure instructors are licensed and cars roadworthy. He & She school director of operations Joyce Goosen said the law would benefit driving schools. “With this law, people would have to go to a driving school to learn how to drive properly. Also, while having the provisional licence, a driver has to stick to the rules of the road. If you can drive correctly for a year, you would continue 
According to the report, teenagers living in states with the most restrictive driving laws were less likely to drink and drive or ride in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking than teens in states with less strict driving laws. According to Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg, one of the report’s authors, teens in states with the most restrictive driving laws were sometimes half as likely to drink or drive or ride with drivers who had been drinking than teens in states where driving laws were less restrictive. The biggest difference we’re observing when we compare states that have the most strict policies with states that have the least strict policies,” Dr. Cavazos-Rehg told Youth Today, “[is that] based on our analysis, states that have the most strict policies, they are experiencing the highest benefits continue
A 29-year-old woman drove into a man and a boy in Allentown on Friday and then used a stun gun on the man’s son when he came to help, according to court documents. Yardley Joy Frantz of Allentown was trying to flee the collision at 6:55 p.m. in the 700 block of Clay Street, near N. Seventh Street, when Pedro Gonzalez Jr. confronted her and she zapped him in the chest with the stun gun, police said. Allentown police were able to track down the woman by her personalized license plate, which read ZOMBIE. Police were dispatched to Clay Street on a report of a hit-and-run pedestrian collision. Pedro Gonzalez Jr. told police a car hit his father, Pedro Gonzalez Sr., and his nephew Carlos Correa, who was riding a toy car. Gonzalez Jr. confronted the driver when she tried to leave and she used the stun gun on him. Other witnesses reported seeing the hit-and-run collision and the stun gun attack. They described the driver as a woman in pajama pants and took down her license continue 
“Tennessee has about 120 specialty license plates, and this is the only one with a highway safety message,” said Skelley, community action site leader for the Upper Cumberland chapter of MADD. “For the last 15 years, Tennessee has been the only state in the country to have a MADD license plate.” But now the plates are in jeopardy — unless 67 new orders are made by the end of the month. “Our numbers are down, and we’re in danger of losing them,” Skelley said. “We need to have 500 in circulation statewide at the end of every fiscal year, which is June 30.” MADD plates cost an extra $35 at the county clerk’s office, with MADD receiving $30.75 from each sale. More than $15,000 is generated each year to support free services for victims of impaired driving crimes. “The state uses this money to produce materials we need for victims’ services,” Skelley said. “We do court accompaniments, go to parole hearings, provide referrals for civil attorneys or counseling services, and offer support continue 
Giants offensive lineman David Diehl flagged himself tonight for making a “poor decision” following an overnight jail stint for alleged DWI. A judge released Diehl from custody, after he spent last night locked up for allegedly being under the influence and smashing into parked cars in Queens. iehl had a blood-alcohol level of .18, more than twice the legal limit, authorities said. I made a poor decision that I sincerely regret, and, as always, take full responsibility for my actions,” Diehl Tweeted. I apologize to my family, my fans, my teammates, the New York Giants, and the NFL.” Diehl, who has been with the team since being drafted in 2003, won the Wellington Mara NFL Man of the Year Award on May 22 at the annual Boys Hope Girls Hope Dinner at The Pierre hotel. I’ve worked hard during my career to set a positive example, and yesterday I fell far short of this standard,” he tweeted. He jumped into back of a black BMW and made no comment as he left continue
Judge Ian M. O’Flaherty of Fairfax County General District Court dismissed the charges against J. Randolph Babbitt, the former F.A.A. administrator, who resigned in December after he was arrested and accused of driving while intoxicated and driving the wrong way on a highway in Northern Virginia. Cutting the trial short on Thursday, Judge O’Flaherty said that the police officer who arrested Mr. Babbitt lacked reasonable suspicion for stopping him, Mr. Babbitt’s lawyer, Peter Greenspun, said Friday. Video from the officer’s dashboard camera that was played in court showed Mr. Babbitt crossing over double lines and into a northbound lane as he made a left turn, but not driving more
Florida polo mogul John Goodman, who notoriously adopted his girlfriend to shield his assets, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for killing a 23-year-old motorist while driving drunk, according to news reports from West Palm Beach. Goodman, the 48-year-old, multimillionaire founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, was also fined $10,000. He was convicted in March of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of the February 2010 crash in Wellington, Fla., that killed Scott Wilson, an engineering student. The judge said that the sentence should not be a form of retribution and that he did not consider Goodman’s wealth. The maximum sentence for the charges was 30 years; the prosecutor asked for 20 more
A Judge in Fairfax, Va., Thursday dismissed the drunken driving case that had led J. Randolph Babbitt to resign as head of the Federal Aviation Administration. Babbitt, who had been head of the FAA since 2009, resigned in December after he was arrested in Fairfax. Fairfax City General District Court Judge Ian O’Flaherty dismissed the case after viewing a video of the traffic stop in which Babbitt was arrested and finding that a Fairfax City police officer had pulled Babbitt over on a “mere hunch,” The Washington Post reported. Babbitt’s lawyer, Peter Greenspun, had argued an initial sobriety test indicated Babbitt’s blood-alcohol level was 0.07, below Virginia’s legal limit of 0.08. A prosecutor said subsequent tests would show Babbitt was above the limit, but the judge threw the case out before those test results weremore
The following is an excerpt from the Reading Police Department log. Where charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction. The following is an excerpt from the Reading Police Department log from Friday through Monday. The information is open to the public. At 3:16 p.m. on Friday, as the result of a motor vehicle stop, Manuel Caguana, 22, of 2 Huntington St., Brockton, was arrested on John Street for the unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. At 12:15 a.m., an officer summonsed a man for operating a motor vehicle after his license was revoked on Haven Street. 8:41 a.m., a Winthrop Avenue resident reported that a bottle of vicodin was taken from his residence. He believes it may have more
A former beauty queen was arrested over the weekend after a report said she was driving under the influence of alcohol in California. Miss Arizona Teen USA 2010 Tori Vance reportedly came onto law enforcement’s radar after she made an illegal U-turn in Los Angeles on May 5. The website reported that Vance, of Ahwatukee, Arizona, was arrested for misdemeanour DUI after she recorded a blood alcohol content of just over the legal limit of .08. Vance won the Miss Arizona Teen title at the age of 16, and said she will be competing for Miss California 2013, according to a ‘Tori Vance for Miss CA 2013′ Facebook page. Her arrest is the latest in a spate of ill-advised behaviour by more
Every year, drivers in the Charlotte area have their licenses suspended and may not even know about it. And if a person if driving with a suspended license is pulled over for another offense, he or she can face a serious ticket or even be arrested. Eyewitness News discovered how it happens from a DMV error or a driver mistake. After getting a DWI about eight years ago, David Gaskin was required to put a lock on his ignition. He had to blow into it to drive. He said he never takes a minute behind the wheel for granted. But in February of 2011, he got a warning letter from the DMV. It said his license would be suspended because of what he says was a machine more
When the first, and revived, Dodge Dart rolled off the assembly line in Belvidere, Ill., last week, it joined three other new or redesigned models from Detroit companies being assembled in the U.S. rather than abroad. The Chevrolet Sonic, Buick Verano, and Ford Focus all are being produced in reopened, renovated U.S. plants. Companies have been able to bring production back to the U.S. because of an agreement negotiated with the United Auto Workers during the 2009 bailout and bankruptcies of General Motors (GM) and Chrysler. Under that contract more
Orr was charged Monday with knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, according to Alachua County court records. The first-degree misdemeanor comes four months after he was arrested for marijuana possession. The sophomore agreed to pay $50 in court costs and either pay a $150 fine or serve 12 ½ hours of community service. He also had to stay out of trouble for six months. He is scheduled to appear in court June 6. The latest citation is his second driving offense. He was charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license on more
The repair of a landslide on I-75 in Campbell County, which closed both southbound lanes last month. This project also includes the resurfacing of the northbound lanes of I-75 between mile markers 141 and 144 in Campbell County. During repairs, contract crews will excavate the unstable ground underneath the southbound lanes of I-75 South. readmore….. Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer today released the 3 year transportation program, featuring approximately $1.5 billion in infrastructure investments for 96 individual project phases in 55 counties, as well as 10 statewide programs. The 3 year multimodal program funds improvements to the interstate system, including the addition of truck climbing lanes, ramp enhancements, and interchange reconstruction projects. readmore…..
The Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) is again working across the state to crack down on traffic safety violations including impaired driving, seat belt use, distracted driving, and speeding. State and local law enforcement will be out in force to remind all drivers and passengers to never drink and drive, always buckle up, obey the speed limit, and eliminate all distractions inside their vehicles while driving. readmore….
