Results tagged “driving”

Watch out, folks! As always, never, never, never, never drink and drive. Halloween weekend is no exception and the LAPD is keeping an eye out. Over at Sunset and HIghland, a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint will be set up tonight between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 127 driving under the influence-related and 989 hit and run traffic collisions in the Hollywood area.

Books on tape? Podcasts? Daydreaming? Favorite albums? Drivers who commute out of the Inland Empire have the most time on their hands to fill while making long treks to their workplace, according to recent census data. "The data said the commute is almost 42 minutes for workers from Lake Elsinore. For Riverside County, the commute is 31.6 minutes...

TMZ caught pop-singer Brandy yesterday illegally using her cell phone while driving. And then they called it pulling a Shriver, thanks to Califonia's First Lady who last week was caught a number of times breaking the law her hubby signed into law.

After being caught not once, not twice, but thrice, California's First Lady Maria Shriver apologized today for breaking the cell phone while driving law. Her brief statement:

Her husband may have signed the no driving while holding a cell phone law, but the message apparently hasn't hit home for California's First Lady Maria Shriver.

Yesterday, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed two bills into law, both of which focus on restricting operation of a motor vehicle to previous DUI offenders, reports the Daily News. Assemblyman Mike Feur (D-Los Angeles) has authored AB 91, calling for the implementation of a pilot program in four counties that will put an ignition interlock device in "every vehicle owned or operated by a first-time DUI offender."

We see it everyday on Los Angeles roads. Drivers eating, reading, illegally talking on a cell phone, checking Google Maps on their iPhone, painting nails, etc. So much for paying attention, not to mention the lack of turn signals used in by L.A. drivers (annoying!).

It's the last holiday weekend of the summer and that means more drinking and driving than usual. Last year Labor Day, 40 people died on California freeways--half of those killed were not wearing a seat belt, according to the California Highway Patrol. That said, the agency will begin a Maximum Enforcement Period statewide at 6:01 p.m. through midnight on Monday, meaning every available officer will be on the road keeping a vigilant eye out for errant drivers, mainly for violators of the three major causes of highway deaths: speeding, drinking and driving and not wearing a seat belt.

As mentioned last week, the LAPD tonight will hold a DUI Checkpoint in Hollywood at on Highland Avenue at Willoughby from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. After 66 driving under influence-related and 662 hit and run traffic collisions in the area just in 2009, police say they are using this checkpoint to "educate the community to use designated drivers and not drink and drive." Also, there will be a saturation patrol in the Newton Division, which covers the southern parts of downtown (Fashion District, Pueblo Del Rio, South Park-Entertainment). "These DUI saturation patrols are being deployed in response to an increase in DUI-related traffic collisions in the Newton geographic area of the Los Angeles Police Department," a police statement read.

Tonight and tomorrow night, the LAPD will be conducting a couple DUI checkpoints around the city. "Our Message is simple: If we catch you drunk, you will be arrested," they say.

The 2009 Urban Mobility Report was released today, and the study gives us insight into how much time and gas we waste in traffic, according to abc7. Published by the Texas Transportation Institute, the study uses 2007 data to compare to earlier years, and while we may want to cheer that we shaved one hour from our "stuck in traffic" time from 2006 to 2007, we are still the worst in the nation when it comes to traffic.

It's been one year now since a California law went into effect making it illegal to drive while using a hand-held cellphone. The Automobile Club of Southern California has released the findings of "observational roadside surveys of drivers on Orange County roads," and have determined that the "use of hand-held cell phones by drivers declined sharply from pre-law levels."

If you can't seem to understand that you shouldn't drink and drive, this weekend you might learn your lesson. In fact the LAPD is conducting a DUI checkpoint in such a high traffic and popular spot tomorrow evening, we're sure it's going to end with a lot of people in jail for the evening (hint: take the Red Line). And tonight in two South LA and in the Harbor area, the LAPD will be conducting sobriety saturation patrols. Point being, stop the tomfoolery, the LAPD is on the look out, even in areas not mentioned here.

In just the first two days of the Memorial Day long weekend, authorities made more than 420 arrests for "suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Los Angeles County," the Pasadena Star-News reports, up from the 387 arrests in the same time frame last year. The count began at 12:01 a.m. Friday and these figures represent arrests logged until midnight Saturday. Motorists may have noticed the upped presence of patrols and checkpoints, which is thanks to the "Avoid the 100" campaign; 100 county law enforcement agencies working together as a "task force target[ing] intoxicated drivers" are the ones you'll want to avoid. Better yet, avoid any problems and either be the or designate a sober driver.

Today marks the start of more vigilant enforcement of the state's "Click it or Ticket" campagin, which focuses on motorists breaking the law and endangering their safety by driving with their seatbelt unfastened. Although our state is one of the top in the nation for belt-wearing, about one million Californians neglect to spend the two seconds it takes to "click" their belt in place. "Tickets for seat belt violations went up on Jan. 1 to $132 for adults and $435 for children under age 16," explains the Daily News. Local law enforcement officers intend to get serious about the law during the next few weeks: "If stopped and found to be in violation, law enforcement will issue citations without warning. Additionally, children age 12 and under are required to ride properly restrained in the back seat and those under age 6 or 60 pounds must be in proper child safety or booster seats."

Ever wonder what Anaheim tastes like? Tonight from 5:30-9:30 pm, the 14th Annual Taste of Anaheim takes place at the Gardenwalk on Katella. It’s an evening of music, wine and food -- from purveyors like Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Naples Ristorante, Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar, Tortilla Jo's, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine, Mr. Stox Restaurant, and Alcatraz Brewing Co. Tickets are $35-$40.

                            

Along with the world-class Indy Cars there were other races, including the Firestone Indy Lights, Team Drifting, Speed World Challenge and the American Le Mans Series that pits state-of-the-art BMW's, Acuras, Porsches etc. against one another. Huge crowds filled the stands on Sunday for the final event and were treated to some beautiful weather and intense competition as Dario Franchitti's Target car took the big prize.

Good news for folks with empty tanks: Gas prices in the Los Angeles area have been declining steadily for four weeks now, and are expected to continue to move down, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. Prices are descending "by about half a penny a day over the past week as more and more Southland gas stations posted prices under $2 a gallon."

There will be a sobriety checkpoint set up tonight from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. on Harbor Boulevard between 5th and 1st Street, run by the South Traffic Division’s Crime Task Force/Driving Under the Influence Enforcement Detail. Why? Well, besides the fact that drunk driving is as dangerous as it is lame, the authorities would like to say that: "This operation will be conducted in an effort to reduce the incident of injuries, death, and property damage associated with the intoxicated driver at this location. Harbor Division has experienced an 11 percent increase in Driving Under the Influence related traffic collisions in the year 2008 as compared to 2007. The checkpoint will serve as a reminder to the community of Harbor Division to use designated drivers and not drink and drive." Need to hear this in more basic terms? "Our message is simple: if we catch you driving drunk, you will be arrested!"

Drivers, take note of this important closure that could affect your drive around Los Angeles International Airport: "CalTrans Traffic Management has notified LAX operations that the eastbound I-105 on-ramp from southbound Sepulveda Blvd. will be closed all weekend due to the possibility of intermittent rain. This may delay motorists exiting the LAX Central Terminal Area." They say Angelenos don't know how to drive in the rain, so is just not letting them drive in certain places the solution?

Brace yourselves, and bundle up: Another storm's a-comin'!

21-year-old Jeffrey Woods was indicted this week by the Orange County Grand Jury over the death of a 14-year-old teen he hit with his truck in August 2007. Woods was apparently texting about a drug deal at the time of the crash in Huntington Beach. He also was allegedly on Vicodin and Xanax. The teen, Danny Oates--also known as "Oatie"--was riding his bicycle to pick up his middle school schedule. Woods' arraignment for felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated and felony driving under the influence causing bodily injury is on December 5th. Texting while driving will be illegal beginning January 1st, 2009.

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It's a weekend packed with festivals and sporting events that are sure to take a toll on traffic. The LA Times reminds us that things could get pretty snarled up on the roads around town: "USC plays Oregon at the Coliseum at 5 p.m.; the Cubs are at the Dodgers at 7 p.m.; Washington State plays UCLA at the Rose Bowl at 7:15 p.m.; and singer Neil Diamond performs at Staples Center at 8 p.m."

Although Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze of Visalia introduced a bill that would fine people driving with animals on their laps $35, the Governor is giving it the ol' veto.

Or, if there are, they opted not to drive where the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's deputies had set up a DUI checkpoint on Friday night. The checkpoint, which was "set up at the westbound side of Lyons Avenue just west of Avenida Dorena from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m." had 704 cars pass through, but only three drivers were taken off the line for additional sobriety tests. At the end of the night, though, there had been no arrests made. But while there might not be any drunks driving around Newhall, there were four people among the 704 who were driving sans valid licenses. Lest the whole set-up be a wash, the deputies got to impound all four of the drivers' vehicles and issue citations.

Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill today banning texting while driving in California. It will go into effect on January 1st, 2009.

Advertisers will do just about anything to create a cool ad spot that will get their product noticed. That kind of thinking is probably what led American Honda to take over a stretch of Avenue K in Lancaster and set it up so that cars driving on it pass over grooves tuned to emit the notes of the "William Tell Overture."

A total of 5 members of the public showed up to last night's Metro congestion pricing, or fast lanes, meeting for the 10 and 110 freeways last night in South LA.