Transportation — Andy Arthur.org

Drunk Driving Fatalities Per 100k County Residents

Andy | August 9, 2021

Seneca County in the Finger Lakes has the highest fatality rate for drunk driver in New York State 2015. However, when you look at the five-year average, Hamilton and Lewis County edge it out for deadliest for drunk drivers. The 2011-15 average shows Yates County as third, and Seneca County for per capita fatalities in the state, due to drunk drivers. It seems like a lot of people get drunk at wineries and then go for a drive in the Finger Lakes Wine Country in New York.

Data Source: Data Fatalities by State. NHTSA. https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/SASStoredProcess/guest

Proposed federal standard would require cars to ‘prevent or limit operation’ by impaired drivers – The Verge

Andy | August 4, 2021

Proposed federal standard would require cars to ‘prevent or limit operation’ by impaired drivers – The Verge

A little-noticed provision in the infrastructure deal would mandate new in-car technology to stop drunk driving before it starts

London’s Retired Tube Trains Live on an Island – Atlas Obscura

Andy | July 25, 2021

London’s Retired Tube Trains Live on an Island – Atlas Obscura

Though it lies just a few miles off England’s southern coast, the curious, diamond-shaped Isle of Wight seems to exist in another era entirely. Once a beloved vacation destination for Victorian visitors, the island – still reachable only by boat from the mainland—remains a British family holiday favorite that capitalizes on the kitschy seaside charm of yesteryear.

But the end of an era on the Isle of Wight is approaching. The island’s train line, whose rolling stock has consisted exclusively of former London Underground carriages from the 1930s, is undergoing its biggest transformation in a generation.

From the Archives – 1979 Electrek | Hemmings

Andy | July 20, 2021

From the Archives – 1979 Electrek | Hemmings

Interest in electric cars was rekindled in the 1970s as energy prices began to soar to new heights. One of the new battery-powered cars that hit the market in the late 1970s was the Electrek Uncar, produced by Unique Mobility out of Englewood, Colorado. According to early 1980s Department of Energy data, the Electrek 2 2 wore a fiberglass and polycarbonate body, but was also available in hatchback form. Its design featured an enclosed battery tunnel running up the center of the vehicle, with a motor compartment almost completely enclosed on the underside. Propulsion came via 16 6-volt lead acid batteries, feeding a 32 hp General Electric motor via a Soleq controller. Regenerative braking was also a feature, and the car was designed to be recharged using a standard 110-volt household outlet. The listed top speed was 75mph, with a 0-30 of 9 seconds and an advertised cruising range of 100 miles at 30 MPH.

California Smog Testing Will Now Sniff Out (and Fail) Tuned ECUs

Andy | July 18, 2021

California Smog Testing Will Now Sniff Out (and Fail) Tuned ECUs

Beginning July 19, 2021, Californian automotive enthusiasts have yet another item to add to an ever-expanding list of dos and don'ts (mostly don'ts) regarding their mandatory biennial visits to certified smog facilities. Up to this point, if your car was armed with modified programming (software) on its ECU (Engine Control Unit), and as long as you passed a smog test, no one would raise an eyebrow. Come Monday, however, if your car's ECU program isn't verified as legal by a California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) Executive Order, then your car won't pass smog, regardless of its emissions output