Toyota put the brakes on because their cars won't

Toyota has been fighting tooth and nail to avoid any liability for injuries and deaths caused by their cars.  Toyota has wanted the plaintiff to prove their cars are faulty.  However, Toyota is conceding defeat because the judge in that case has ruled that circumstantial evidence will be considered.

There are a huge number of unrelated incidents, with drivers who have no history of reckless driving nor suicidal behaviour, and they all suddenly decide to drive at 160 km/h through cities?  Sorry, Toyota, that's not plausible.  The judge has made the right call.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-16/toyota-enters-settlement-talks-over-sudden-acceleration-lawsuits

The War On Cyclists and Pedestrians: Father arrested for walking to his kids' school

How ludicrous has the US become where parents are NOT allowed to walk to schools and pick up their children?  Or that parents are REQUIRED to have cars in order to do so?

"Just doing his job" is second only to "disorderly conduct" on the list of make-it-up-as-you-go-along police work.  It's not about "laws", it's about demonstrating and exerting authority (read: bullying the populace).

Libertarian clowns are trying to get mileage out of this story, but the real issues are parents having the right to see their own children at any time, and that cars are prioritized over pedestrians.

http://www.wate.com/story/24005228/cumberland-county-parent-releases-video-of-his-arrest-by-a-school-resource-officer

Cumberland County parent outraged by his arrest

A Cumberland County father didn't want to wait in a long line of traffic to pick his kids up from school. That led to a series of encounters last week at South Cumberland Elementary, and now the dad's facing charges.

Assaulting and/or killing cyclists is a "minor" offense

In the New York Times on November 9, writer Daniel Duane asked, "Is It O.K. to Kill Cyclists?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/opinion/sunday/is-it-ok-to-kill-cyclists.html

The anecdotes mounted: my wife’s childhood friend was cycling with Mom and Dad when a city truck killed her; two of my father’s law partners, maimed. I began noticing “cyclist killed” news articles, like one about Amelie Le Moullac, 24, pedaling inside a bike lane in San Francisco’s SOMA district when a truck turned right and killed her. In these articles, I found a recurring phrase: to quote from The San Francisco Chronicle story about Ms. Le Moullac, “The truck driver stayed at the scene and was not cited.”

In stories where the driver had been cited, the penalty’s meagerness defied belief, like the teenager in 2011 who drove into the 49-year-old cyclist John Przychodzen from behind on a road just outside Seattle, running over and killing him. The police issued only a $42 ticket for an “unsafe lane change” because the kid hadn’t been drunk and, as they saw it, had not been driving recklessly.

"Go bags" are a good idea

I like to have a "go bag" ready at all times.   Yes, it's mainly in case of an emergency, but it's nice not having to pack if a friend says, "Hey, let's go to __________ tomorrow!"  I can grab and go at a moment's notice.

(Take note: Being prepared and being a "prepper" are not the same thing.  The former hopes a disaster will end.  The latter hopes it never does.)

If you live somewhere that a disaster could happen (i.e. you live on the Earth), it's a good idea to be prepared, even if it's just the basics.  I don't want six months of food and water in my apartment, but I do have six days' worth at all times.

BMW says, "Pedestrians cause car accidents"

BMW has created a "pedestrian safety" website, "instructing" children (read: blaming children who are hit) to wear fluorescent vests or armbands when walking on the sidewalks and when crossing streets.

http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/sots06/default.asp

On the face of it, this sounds like something responsible.  In reality, this is victim blaming.  The goal of the website is to say, "They should have been more visible," to children who are injured or killed by speeding drivers.

Religion kills: Indian pilgrims murder train driver

A group of pilgrims in India deliberately walked onto the tracks of a high speed train line and expected their presence to stop the train.   News reports have erroneously said "Thirty seven pilgrims were killed by a train".

Wrong.  Trains take almost a kilometre to stop, they don't stop on a time.  The train drivers are blameless, doing their jobs and obeying rail signals and driving in a safe manner, unlike the Spanish train driver who was speeding and crashed a train.  Drivers should not have to expect people breaking the law and endangering themselves.

After the trespassers were killed and bodies sent everwhere, the train drivers stopped the trains to help those injured.  In response, the mob of religious fanatics proceeded to attack the drivers and killed at least one, if not more of the drivers, and the mob set the train cars on fire.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-19/india/41424531_1_train-driver-express-train-khagaria