Wired [unpaywalled]: “…License-plate-recognition systems, broadly, work by first capturing an image of a vehicle; then they use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to identify and extract the text from the vehicle’s license plate within the captured image. Motorola-owned DRN sells multiple license-plate-recognition cameras: a fixed camera that can be placed near roads, identify a vehicle’s… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Transportation
License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of Political Lawn Signs and Bumper Stickers
Wired: While people put up signs in their yards or bumper stickers on their cars to inform people of their views and potentially influence those around them, the ACLU’s Stanley says it’s intended for “human-scale visibility.” not to that of machines. “They may want to express themselves in their communities, to their neighbors, but they… Continue Reading
Google Flights now uses Amtrak data to show ‘trains to consider’ alongside flights
9to5Google: Google Flights has started showing “trains to consider” alongside flights in a new partnership with Amtrak. First announced earlier this year, Google Flights is offering train routes as an alternative to airlines. This functionality allows customers to find a more sustainable transportation option as well as perhaps finding something less expensive or closer to… Continue Reading
Vehicle Thefts Surge Nationwide in 2023
“Vehicle thefts continue to surge nationwide, challenging vehicle owners and law enforcement agencies hoping to curb this growing crime trend. A new report released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the nation’s leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to identifying, investigating, preventing, and deterring insurance fraud and crime, shows another record-breaking year for vehicle thefts… Continue Reading
GM’s ‘crappy’ privacy statement is getting some changes after backlash and a lawsuit
Quartz: “…The Detroit automaker has been accused of failing to adequately disclose its relationship with a number of data brokers, including LexisNexis (RELX-0.33%) and Verisk according to a lawsuit filed last month by Texas officials. Data collected by GM vehicles, often through the company’s OnStar Smart Driver feature, was then shared by the brokers with… Continue Reading
Why car companies might finally have to care about pedestrian safety
Fast Company: “Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unveiled a significant change to car regulations that delighted safety advocates, annoyed automakers, and surprised pretty much everyone. In a first, NHTSA proposed forcing car companies to limit the risk of pedestrian head injuries in a collision. If the proposal becomes law, models… Continue Reading
The State of VMT & Congestion: How Rising Trends Impact U.S. Metros
When pandemic stay-at-home orders caused a dramatic decline in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), many hoped the rise of remote work would reverse the trend of rising congestion, making way for cleaner, quieter, and more open streets. But VMT quickly bounced back from pandemic lows. Now 2024 sees new record highs in metros across the U.S.… Continue Reading
Visualizing Ship Movements with AIS Data
Beautiful Public Data: “As we run, drive, bike, and fly, humans leave behind telltale tracks of movement on Earth—if you know where to look. Physical tracks, thermal signatures, and chemical traces can reveal where we’ve been. But another type of breadcrumb trail comes from the radio signals emitted by the cars, planes, trains, and boats… Continue Reading
Huge study from The Economist about car bloat in the US
The Economist [unpaywalled]: “…For all the safety features available in cars today to help them avoid crashes, the laws of physics are cruel. When two vehicles collide, it is usually the heavier one that prevails. This advantage has changed little over time. Thirty years ago when a passenger car crashed with a pickup truck or… Continue Reading
One of the Nation’s Largest Auto Lenders Told Customers We’re Here to Help Then It Took Their Money and Their Cars
ProPublica: “…Exeter is one of the largest auto lenders in the nation, specializing in high-interest loans to people with histories of not paying bills or defaulting on debt, a practice known as subprime lending. The company, which has more than 500,000 active loans and a partnership agreement with CarMax, the country’s largest used car retailer,… Continue Reading
Traffic safety for all road users
Traffic safety for all road users: A paired comparison study of small & mid-sized U.S. cities with high/low bicycling rates – Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research Volume 2, December 2024, 10001. “Cities with high levels of bicycling tend to be some of the safest cities for all road users. This paper investigates why this… Continue Reading
Canada’s Record-breaking 2023 Wildfires
World Resources Institute – Released Nearly 4 Times More Carbon than Global Aviation– “Canada’s 2023 wildfires made international headlines, causing billions of dollars in property damage, displacing thousands of people from their homes, and spewing air pollution that traveled as far as Europe and China. A new analysis shows that the wildfires also had a… Continue Reading
