U.S. Department of Transportation News

Federal Transportation Officials Want Self-Driving Cars Sooner

Federal transportation officials are rethinking their position on self-driving cars with an eye toward getting the emerging technology into the public’s hands, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Just two years ago, the agency struck a …

New Mexico Police Use Software to Stop Distracted Driving

Farmington police may be the first in New Mexico to crack down on distracted officers who try to use a patrol computer while driving. New software to prevent distracted driving has been installed in most of the department’s vehicles in …

New Mexico Gets Federal Grants to Help Fight DUI

The New Mexico Department of Transportation will be getting four grants worth more than $365,000 to help prevent drunken driving and improve safety on the state’s roads. The funding will be awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s State Traffic …

U of M, Carmakers Fund Research Toward Communicating Cars

A group of companies, including several large automakers, have joined a public-private research initiative to lay the groundwork for a system that wirelessly connects vehicles and helps smooth the flow of traffic, the University on Michigan said. The university’s Mobility …

Southern California Bus Company Ordered to Cease Operations

The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered a Los Angeles-based bus company to cease operations after federal safety investigators said they discovered its vehicles were allowed on the road with serious safety defects and its drivers were not regularly screened for …

San Francisco Cable Car Accidents Costs Millions

In this city of innumerable tourist attractions, the clanging, hill-conquering cable cars stand out as a top draw. The quaint conveyances also stand out for the inordinate number of accidents and the millions of dollars annually the city pays out …

Yellowstone Oil Spill-Violations $1.7M Penalty Proposed In Exxon Spill

Federal pipeline regulators have proposed $1.7 million in penalties against Exxon Mobil Corp. for a pipeline rupture that spewed crude oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River. The U.S. Department of Transportation said in a notice sent to the company Monday that …

New Mexico Gets Nearly $1 Million For Highway Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding New Mexico nearly $1 million to reduce deaths and injuries on the state’s highways. The annual grant funding was made available through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act. U.S. Sen. Tom …

Pipelines at Risk of Failure in Montana, Wyoming

Federal safety regulators disclosed problems Tuesday with oil and other hazardous liquid pipelines at seven major river crossings and hundreds of smaller crossings in Montana and northern Wyoming, problems that could put the lines at increased risk of failure. Problems …