DALLAS — Despite inflation and memories of past holiday travel meltdowns, millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving break.

The busiest days to fly will be Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday and 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday. Sunday will draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30.

Meanwhile, AAA forecasts that 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with roads likely to be the most clogged on Wednesday.

The weather could snarl air and road traffic. A storm system was expected to move from the southern Plains to the Northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing severe thunderstorms, gusty wind and possible snow.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a news conference Monday that the government has tried to better prepare for holiday travel over the last year by hiring more air traffic controllers, opening new air routes along the East Coast and providing grants to airports for snowplows and deicing equipment. But he warned travelers to check road conditions and flight times before leaving home.

“Mother Nature, of course, is the X factor in all of this,” he said.

The good news for travelers by plane and car alike: Prices are coming down.

A pre-pandemic Thanksgiving gridlock in Chicago in 2018. (Reuters)

Airfares are averaging $268 per ticket, down 14% from a year ago, according to the travel site Hopper.

Gasoline prices are down about 45 cents a gallon from this time last year. The national average was $3.30 per gallon on Monday, according to AAA, down from $3.67 a year ago.

A survey of GasBuddy users found that despite cheaper pump prices, the number of people planning to take a long driving trip this Thanksgiving hasn’t changed much from last year. Patrick De Haan, an analyst for the price-tracking service, said inflation has cooled but some things like food are still getting more expensive. Consumers are also charging more on credit cards and saving less.

“Sure, they love the falling gas prices, but a lot of Americans spent in other ways this summer and they may not be ready to open their wallets for Thanksgiving travel just yet,” De Haan said.

Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday travel season, and many still haven’t shaken last December’s nightmare before Christmas, when severe winter storms knocked out thousands of flights and left millions of passengers stranded.

Scott Keyes, founder of the travel site Going, is cautiously optimistic that holiday air travel won’t be the same mess. So far this year, he said, airlines have avoided massive disruptions.

“Everyone understands that airlines can’t control Mother Nature and it’s unsafe to take off or land in the middle of a thunderstorm or snowstorm,” Keyes said. “What really irks people are the controllable cancellations — those widespread disruptions because the airline couldn’t get their act together because their system melted down the way Southwest did over Christmas.”

Indeed, Southwest didn’t recover as quickly as other carriers from last year’s storm when its planes, pilots and flight attendants were trapped out of position and its crew-rescheduling system got bogged down. The airline canceled nearly 17,000 flights before fixing the operation. Federal regulators told Southwest recently that it could be fined for failing to help stranded travelers.

Southwest officials say they have since purchased additional deicing trucks and heating equipment and will add staff at cold-weather airports depending on the forecast. The company said it has also updated its crew-scheduling technology.

U.S. airlines as a whole have been better about stranding passengers. Through October, they canceled 38% fewer flights than during the same period in 2022. From June through August — when thunderstorms can snarl air traffic — the rate of cancellations fell 18% compared to 2022.

Even still, consumer complaints about airline service have soared, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. There have been so many complaints, the agency says, that it has only compiled figures through May.

The airlines, in turn, have heaped blame on the Federal Aviation Administration, which they say can’t keep up with the growing air traffic. In fact, the Transportation Department’s inspector general reported this summer that the FAA has made only “limited efforts” to fix a shortage of air traffic controllers, especially at key facilities in New York, Miami and Jacksonville, Florida.

Meanwhile, staffing levels in other parts of the airline industry have largely recovered since the pandemic. After shedding tens of thousands of workers early on, airlines have been on a hiring spree since late 2020. Passenger airlines have added more than 140,000 workers — an increase of nearly 40% — according to government figures updated last week. The number of people working in the business is the largest since 2001, when there were many more airlines.

Airlines are using their expanded work forces to operate more flights. Southwest is the most aggressive among the big carriers, planning to offer 13% more seats over Thanksgiving than it did during the comparable five-day stretch last year, according to travel data provider Cirium. United and Delta are growing 8% each. American will grow a more modest 5% but still have the largest number of seats.

LOS ANGELES — An elevated Los Angeles freeway closed for more than a week because of an arson fire reopened ahead of Monday morning’s commute, at least a day earlier than previously announced and weeks ahead of the original estimate.

“Welcome back, Los Angeles!” Mayor Karen Bass posted late Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Nov. 11 blaze, fed by flammable materials stored under the roadway in violation of a company’s lease, shut a mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown, snarling traffic as repair crews worked around the clock. Officials had said last week that all lanes were expected to reopen by Tuesday, but moved it up to Monday after significant progress.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said recent safety inspections showed the span was safe to start reopening Sunday evening and that the freeway would be “fully operational” before Monday’s rush hour.

“It wasn’t just speed that we were after. We wanted to make sure this thing was safe,” Newsom said at a news conference, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Bass.

Officials had initially said it could take about 250 workers between three and five weeks to shore up the span after the blaze burned about 100 support columns.

“This is a great day in our city,” Bass said Sunday. “Let me thank everyone who worked 24 hours to make this effort happen.”

There will be periodic closures in the coming weeks or months as repairs continue, officials said. An estimated 300,000 vehicles a day use the freeway, which runs east-west across the heart of the metropolis and connects with other major highways.

Padilla estimated the initial repairs, which are expected to be covered by federal funds, would cost $3 million.

State investigators repeatedly identified fire and safety hazards at a leased storage space under an elevated Los Angeles freeway before it burned in the fire, documents show.

The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, released the documents Friday. Investigators said Saturday they’re seeking help locating a “person of interest” and released two photos in a “crime alert notification” on social media showing a man in his 30s with a brace on his right knee and apparent burn injuries on his left leg.

The photographs were released by Cal Fire and the State Fire Marshal, whose office is investigating the blaze but did not say how he was identified.

While investigators have not said how the fire was set, the blaze was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials, hand sanitizer and other items being stored under the freeway under a little-known program that now is under scrutiny. Newsom has said the state will reassess the practice of leasing land under roads to bring in money for mass transportation projects.

Apex Development Inc. has leased the land under I-10 since 2008. Although one condition of the contract stipulated that it not allow the storage of flammable or hazardous materials there, state inspectors have visited the site six times since early 2020 and flagged problematic conditions for years.

“This is a filthy unmaintained lease,” inspector Daryl Myatt wrote in a 2022 report after a surprise inspection discovered solvents, oils, fuels and other items barred by the agreement. “This area has been utilized since the mid-1970s and looks like it.”

Owners of two of the companies that subleased the property said they also had warned of a fire danger and other hazards related to homeless people living under the freeway. Newsom previously said that while subleasing can be legal if the company received permission from state and federal regulators, Apex did not.

In September, state officials filed a lawsuit against Apex saying it owes $78,000 in unpaid rent. A hearing is scheduled next year.

The state’s most recent spot inspection, a little more than a month before the Nov. 11 fire, found “numerous lease violations,” but the documents released Friday didn’t elaborate.

Caltrans had “informed Apex Development of the need to address violations, especially those creating safety hazards,” the agency said in a statement.

Mainak D’Attaray, an attorney for Apex Development, said Wednesday that the company is not to blame for the fire, adding the company hasn’t been able to access the premises since October.

“Apex rented and improved the rundown yard and made substantial capital investments during the period that it had possession of the yard,” D’Attaray’s statement added. “Caltrans inspected the premises periodically, at least once a year, and CalTrans was fully aware of the sublessees and their operations. Even the State of California’s Fire Marshall inspected the premises.”

D’Attaray did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.

Izzy Gordon, a spokesperson for the governor, last week disagreed with D’Attaray’s statement that Apex is not to blame. Gordon said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — Cal Fire — believes it was caused by arson “in a fenced-off area that Apex was responsible for maintaining while they continued to assert rights under the lease.”

Brandon Richards, another Newsom spokesperson, reiterated the governor’s directive for Caltrans to conduct a comprehensive review of all leased sites under the state’s freeways. Richards did not address whether anyone at Caltrans is facing discipline.

No injuries were reported in the fire, but at least 16 homeless people living in an encampment there were taken to shelters.

Thanksgiving is approaching, and those of us in the Snowbelt or mountainous regions might be switching our summers or all-seasons for snow tires, putting our weekend cars on a trickle charger and trying to figure out where we stashed our scraper in the spring. Depending on where you live, you might have already gotten some snow flurries, perhaps even while your kids were trick-or-treating. Those with the driveway space may already have a winter beater, while others might be scouring used car listings for something that won’t break your heart to see covered in road salt. That’s what we’re doing with this exercise.

This week, we’ve got a limited budget of $4,500 to buy a winter beater. What that means to you depends on where you live. Around the Great Lakes, the terrain is pretty flat, but we can get serious snowfall, and the road salt will take its toll on some sheetmetal. In the Pacific Northwest, you might be preparing for just the occasional snow and ice, but have steep hills to deal with. Maybe you’ve got the worst of all worlds where you live. Either way, this car is meant to take the punishments winter driving doles out, allowing you to preserve your more beloved vehicle(s) until spring. You might also want to think about reliability, as breaking down in the freezing cold is dangerous.

So here are some rules.

1. The $4,500 budget is for the car only. If you need winter tires, we’ll pretend you’ve got some extra dough set aside specifically for that purpose.
2. If you don’t currently live in an area that gets much snow or ice, pretend you do. Or maybe you’re planning some ski weekends, or got a winter job giving tours of Bobby Orr’s birthplace.
3. The car can be anything, even a rear-wheel-drive convertible, so long as you can be convincing about a viable use case for winter driving.

Pretty simple. Now let’s see which staffers are going to survive to watch the Final Four:

Mazda2

Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder: In the winter of 2010-11, during my tenure at Winding Road, we had a multi-month loan of a 2011 Mazda2. During that time, we had a weather event the media were calling a “Snowpocalypse.” I had the Mazda2, but the Mazda2 had a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks. My wife and I had a hankering for some of Wolverine State Brewing Company’s excellent nachos, so we headed out in “The Deuce,” hoping it could manage the many inches of still-accumulating snow. It not only managed the unplowed roads, but it managed to embarrass large SUV drivers struggling for grip while our knobby, narrow tires allowed us to easily outmaneuver (and outbrake) the few drivers confident enough to brave the storm. Wolverine Brewing was open, we got our nachos, and we had the place to ourselves.

Another great thing about living with the Mazda2 in winter is the time saved brushing snow off the car. Just a few swipes, and it’s clear.

There are a number of Mazda2s currently available under $4,500, most of them of the 2011 model year and couple under 150,000 miles. Sadly, any I can find with a manual transmission are over budget, but I’ll take what I can get. See you at the nacho spot, if you can make it.

2003 Ford Focus SVT

Road Test Editor Zac Palmer: I grew up in Michigan and went to college at the second snowiest university in the country, and I did it all in a slammed front-wheel-drive hatchback. Winter tires, folks! It was hilariously good fun, and the constant hand-brake turns taught me a lot about car control from a young age. So, I present to you another front-wheel-drive hatchback in the form of this 2003 Ford Focus SVT. It’s silver over black, so nothing special from an appearance perspective, but it’s going to be covered in road grime and salt all winter anyway.

At a little over 200,000 miles, this Focus might be a little tired, but there’s still plenty of life left in this 2.0-liter four-cylinder to have some fun, and I don’t want to put a pristine example of this sweet Ford Performance car through winter slop anyway. The factory sport suspension should make it a good time no matter if snow is on the ground or not. And just like the old days, I’d slap a set of winter tires on this thing, and slide it around to my heart’s content.

1992 Cadillac Eldorado

Managing Editor Greg Rasa: I once saw a big GM front-wheel-drive car, an Olds Toronado, win a demolition derby. Its rear end was destroyed, but the front wheels relentlessly dragged it around the arena like a crawling Terminator. When I was a kid, most vehicles were Detroit-made with rear-wheel drive, so the advent of FWD was revolutionary for Midwest winters. Everyone today wants AWD, but FWD usually gets the job done.

This ’92 Cadillac Eldorado is for sale near me, and somebody’s grandfather apparently took good care of it. It has just 77,000 miles, the CarFax shows it was regularly maintained at the dealership, and it has depreciated to a mere $3,199 ask (and even that’s over KBB book). That leaves money to spare for snow tires. A mechanic’s inspection is a must, but the Cadillac 4.9-liter V8 is generally regarded as dependable.

It has big ol’ buttons across the dashboard. The steering wheel boasts of its “supplemental inflatable restraint” (that’s 1992-speak for airbag). There’s a cassette player for when cassettes make their comeback. As for snow traction, 63% of the Eldorado’s weight is over the drive wheels.

It’s 1990s teal, the body looks good, and the cushy seats should clean up. I was surprised Riswick hadn’t claimed it, as he likes big touring coupes. Turns out he’d spotted it too.

Winter beater? Unless there’s some fatal mechanical flaw, this isn’t a beater at all.

2004 Nissan Xterra

Senior Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: It’s not every day that your winter beater can also be a future classic. The fact that the Nissan Xterra doesn’t have the peerless reputation of the Toyota 4Runner actually helps us when looking for a decent set of wheels to tackle the winter. The one up above fits the bill with aplomb. It’s powered by a trusty (if not particularly powerful) 3.3-liter V6 engine and sends all 180 horsepower to the rear or all four wheels through a proper transfer case. With the right set of tires, this would be a great car for the winter, and it’d be fun to keep around for off-roading when the weather turns nice, too. It’s priced right at $4,495.

2008 Volvo XC70

Associate Editor Byron Hurd: How about a winter beater from someplace where they know a thing or two about winter? While Riswick started his search in Scandinavia, I landed here by accident. I was actually trying to track down a Magnum R/T with all-wheel drive, but that’s a rather sparse market. This will do. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: It’s a high-mileage, “modern” Volvo from the Ford era. But for $4,500, it’ll do so long as the basic stuff functions, and the wagon format makes for a handy trucklet in other seasons too. The 3.2-liter six-cylinder and six-speed are both passable by modern standards, and even a 15-year-old Volvo is bound to be reasonably safe, which is a plus when surrounded by people who have never heard of winter tires. I just realized I’m starting to talk myself into actually buying one of these. Yikes. 

2005 Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon AWD

Senior Editor James Riswick: For the record, rule No. 2 was entirely written for me. I live in Agoura Hills, Calif., where winter typically consists of chilly nights, occasional mistiness and locals griping about the indignity of chilly nights and occasional mistiness. Wimps. Any way, to follow the rules, I’m going to pick something that’s passable for trips up to the local mountains where snow actually falls in abundance (two hours away) or road trips back home to Oregon. Front- or all-wheel drive was a given, utility was preferred, I didn’t want something from somewhere rusty, and as always, the car had to be interesting.

After multiple searches for Saabs and Volvos, I eventually stumbled upon this gem: a 2005 Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon AWD. Fun fact: This was the first Jaguar I ever drove. I recall actually liking my time behind the wheel, and the thing that made it lamentable back in the day (a Ford Mondeo Wagon wrapped in Jaguar XJ styling) makes it loveably kitschy today. As a wagon, it has the utility I want, including raised roof rails. It has all-wheel drive. It’s from Virginia, so no rust concerns. And it’s definitely interesting. I like this little guy. Yet another example of doing this exercise and walking away kinda wanting my choice for reals. 

Gasoline prices are headed lower going into the Thanksgiving holiday, creating a “tailwind” for drivers, predicts one energy analyst.

“People are going to have more money to spend based on spending less for gasoline,” Tom Kloza, head of energy analysis at OPIS, told Yahoo Finance Live. 

“There is going to be a significant tailwind for consumers on their expenses for fuel,” he added.

The national average for gasoline sat at $3.33 per gallon as of Friday, according to AAA data, down from $3.58 a month ago. Kloza says drivers can expect those prices to fall even more. 

“I think we’re going to go through Thanksgiving weekend with an average price well below $3.25. And I think most people in the country, with the exception of those on the Pacific Coast, are going to be able to buy fuel for less than $3 [per gallon],” he added. 

• Try Autoblog’s Cheap Gas Prices finder tool

Earlier this week, 11 states saw their average dip below the $3.00 per gallon level. Another fourteen were in a range between $3.01 and $3.25 per gallon.

Californians are still paying the most out of any area of the country with prices sitting at $5.02 per gallon as of Friday, down 57 cents in the last month.

Prices have been on a downward trend since September amid lower seasonal demand alongside use of less expensive winter grade gas.

Oil is also moving lower, headed for its fourth straight week of declines amid concerns of weaker demand and building inventories.

Crude futures now sit about 22% off their 2023 September highs, when calls for $100 per barrel became more common.

“I think that the predictions of $100 or higher were really hyperbole,” said Kloza.

“Between the summer and the beginning go the winter you tend to see a down cycle with crude that would take Brent to probably about $72 and change,” he added.

Concerns of a broadening conflict between Israel and Hamas caused prices to spike in October, only to unwind in recent weeks.

“What this proves is that you can have problems in the Middle East and all sorts of geopolitical possibilities. But until you prove it to the market, they’re not going to pursue those higher crude prices,” said Kloza. 

West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) crude oil was trading 1% higher on Friday, just below $74 per barrel after sliding more than 4% in the prior session. Brent (BZ=F) crude oil, the international benchmark was hovering above the $78 level.

Ines Ferre is a senior business reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @ines_ferre.

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Continue reading GM’s labor deal with UAW union on verge of ratification

GM’s labor deal with UAW union on verge of ratification originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Nov 2023 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Porsche and Buick earn top honors in J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index Study

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Waze’s latest feature focuses on safety and will give you the knowledge needed to make an informed choice about the route you’re taking. The Google-owned navigation app has launched crash history alerts, which will send you a notification if you’re driving along a crash-prone road. Waze will publish a prompt that says “history of crashes” in-app before you reach, say, a curve that’s particularly tricky to navigate. That way, you can slow down or be on the lookout for anything that could derail your vehicle.

The app decides whether to show you a notification based on reports from the Waze community and an AI analysis of your route, such as its traffic levels, its elevation and whether it’s a highway or a smaller local road. It will not show you crash alerts for routes you usually take in order to minimize distractions, which suggests that its main purpose is to give you a heads up if you should drive with more caution than usual in places you’re not familiar with. 

Waze has released several protective features intended to keep you safe on the route you’re planning to take over the years. A few years ago, it started sending out real-time accident data so that you can take an alternate route if needed and first responders can get to accident sites sooner. In 2020, it also rolled out guidance prompts telling you to get in the right spot for an upcoming merge or exit before you get there. 

CHICAGO — Sophee Langerman was on her way to a bicycle safety rally in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood in June when a car turning right rolled through a red light and slammed into her bike, which she was walking off the curb and into the crosswalk.

The car was moving slowly enough that Langerman escaped serious injury, but the bicycle required extensive repairs. To Langerman, it’s another argument for ending a practice that almost all U.S. cities have embraced for decades: the legal prerogative for a driver to turn right after stopping at a red light.

A dramatic rise in accidents killing or injuring pedestrians and bicyclists has led to a myriad of policy and infrastructure changes, but moves to ban right on red have drawn some of the most intense sentiments on both sides.

Washington, D.C.’s City Council last year approved a right-on-red ban that takes effect in 2025. New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition plan called for “restricting right turns on red,” but his administration hasn’t provided specifics. The college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, now prohibits right turns at red lights in the downtown area.

San Francisco leaders recently voted to urge their transportation agency to ban right on red across the city, and other major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver have looked into bans as well.

“Drivers should not have the option to decide for themselves when they think it’s safe,” said Langerman, 26. “People are busy. People are distracted.”

But Jay Beeber, executive director for policy at the National Motorists Association, an advocacy organization for drivers, called it a “fallacy” to assume such blanket bans would make streets safer.

He cited an upcoming study by his association that analyzed California crash data from 2011-2019 and found that drivers turning right on red accounted for only about one pedestrian death and less than one bicyclist death statewide every two years.

“What’s really behind this movement is part of the agenda to make driving as miserable and as difficult as possible so people don’t drive so much,” Beeber said.

Safety advocates counter that official crash reports are often mislabeled, undercounting the dangers.

The United States is one of few major countries that generally allow right turns on red. Concerned that cars idling at stop lights could compound an energy crisis, the U.S. government warned states in the 1970s that they could risk some federal funding should cities prohibit right on red, except in specific, clearly marked areas. Although another energy-conscious provision capping speed limits at 55 mph has long been abandoned, right on red has endured.

“It’s an example of bad policy,” said Bill Schultheiss, director of engineering at Toole Design Group, which consults with public transportation agencies. “It made sense in the context of the gas crisis, but it was way oversold on what it would achieve. It’s a mandate that doesn’t consider the full consequences.”

Right on red has never been allowed across most of New York City, where large signs alert Manhattan’s visitors that the practice is prohibited there. But it was the default policy practically everywhere else in the U.S. until last year’s vote in the nation’s capital.

Safety advocates who pushed for the change in Washington, D.C., are bracing for blowback from drivers, particularly if the city also allows the so-called Idaho Stop in which cyclists are permitted to go through a red light after stopping to make sure the coast is clear.

“There are just some battles, in terms of public opinion, where you have to be content to sacrifice that for the safety of the people,” said Jonathan Kincade, communications coordinator at the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. “It doesn’t make sense to treat cars and bikes the same. They’re not the same vehicle, and we’ve seen the outcomes of that.”

Critics argue that banning right on red will not only inconvenience motorists but also slow down commuter buses and deliveries. The United Parcel Service hasn’t taken an official position on right on red but has long directed its drivers to avoid left turns whenever possible, viewing them as inefficient.

Priya Sarathy Jones, deputy executive director at the Fines and Fees Justice Center, is concerned penalties from right-on-red bans will fall disproportionately on lower-income drivers who have to drive to work because they can’t afford housing near public transit. If there’s more enforcement at red lights, more cameras are certain to follow, she said. And in the Chicago area, any discussion of red light policy often conjures up memories of the region’s vilified red-light camera program, which spurred bribery charges against public officials accused of trying to influence the high-profit contracts.

“It generates a lot of money for the city, instead of our decisions being driven by safety strategies backed by evidence,” she said, suggesting that road infrastructure improvements would be a much more effective way to reduce accidents.

There are no recent, nationwide studies of how many people are hurt or killed by right-turning drivers.

According to a national report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, more than 7,500 people walking were struck and killed by automobiles in 2022, the highest number since 1981. The spike, which included all accidents — not just those involving right turns on red, was attributed in part to an increase in larger vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks on the road.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the odds a pedestrian would be killed when struck by an automobile turning right were 89% higher when the vehicle was a pickup and 63% higher when it was an SUV, due to larger blind spots and the deadlier force associated with heavier models.

“These big, blunt front hoods, they knock people down and run over them, as opposed to before when people would crumple onto the hood,” said Mike McGinn, a former Seattle mayor who is the executive director of America Walks, a national nonprofit that advocates for pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.

Much of the research looking directly at the impact of right-on-red policies is years if not decades old, but both sides argue it’s still relevant.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a 1994 report to Congress looked at four years of crash data from Indiana, Maryland and Missouri and three years of data from Illinois, counting a combined 558 injury crashes and four fatalities stemming from right turns on red. Advocates of a ban point out that study came before the nation’s vehicle fleet grew much larger and more lethal.

But Beeber said the National Motorists Association study of California found that even when there was an accident associated with right turns on red, at least 96% of the injuries sustained by pedestrians or cyclists were minor.

“One injury or death is too many,” said Washington state Sen. John Lovick, the primary sponsor of a bill this year that would have prohibited right on red statewide near schools, parks and certain other locations. “If it were me at that intersection crossing, I would want something done.”

Lovick’s bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Seattle this year made it the default policy to prohibit right on red when new traffic signals are added.

Melinda Kasraie testified on behalf of Lovick’s bill at a legislative hearing, sharing her experience being struck by a car turning right on red in Seattle. She needed a total knee replacement, had to give up her 20-year job and moved to a small town in part due to her newfound fears of crossing the street.

“He just needed to wait 20 more seconds and he would have had a green light, and that 20 seconds made a big impact on me,” Kasraie said.

In addition to Toyota’s mind-bending simulated powertrains for EVs, the company had another unique driving prototype for us to try at its test center outside of Nagoya, Japan. Toyota calls it Neo Steer, and it was first revealed at the Japan Mobility Show. As you likely gleaned from the headline, the unique aspect of it is that all of the vehicle’s steering and propulsion is controlled from the yoke. The idea is that it could offer both interesting packaging options as well as open up driving to a wider group of people, specifically those without the use of their feet and legs. And while it may not be as unique as something like a manual EV, this one actually seems like it has more practical applications for the future.

The Neo Steer system leans heavily on the steer-by-wire steering yoke design that Toyota will be offering on the Lexus RZ electric car – we already tried that out once, but Toyota’s made some changes in between then and now. That said, the way it operates in principle is the same. Because there’s no physical connection between the wheel and the steering rack, it opens up the ability for Toyota to significantly shorten the ratio between steering wheel inputs and the resultant degree of front-wheel steering, all without resulting in super heavy steering, and with the ability to add other assists if needed. This is all important, as one of the targets Toyota wanted to hit for Neo Steer was to ensure that not only would you not have to go hand-over-hand for tight corners, but to also reduce the amount of steering lock necessary for people with limited shoulder and arm movement. And even without that in mind, with the throttle and brake controls on the yoke, Toyota wouldn’t want any driver getting crossed up or uncomfortable while using those other controls.

Those “other controls” are extremely similar to motorcycle controls. The throttle consists of a twisting, spring-loaded collar on the right side of the steering yoke. For braking, there’s a bicycle-style pull lever on the left side. Presumably, there isn’t any reason these couldn’t be swapped, or even for Toyota to put redundant controls on each side. In fact, the more finished concept designs (shown here) show brake levers on each side. Additionally, controls that usually sit on steering column stalks such as the turn signals and wipers have buttons and switches mounted to the yoke for use via one’s thumbs. This is practical, as the idea is your hands are always in the same position on the wheel.

The prototype we drove had controls that were a bit more rudimentary than the concept. The yoke was just the same unit from the RZ, and the twist throttle was a simple gloss plastic piece with a raised section to offer some leverage and reference for the amount of throttle applied. The brake lever really did seem to be taken from a bicycle, though the lever movements were translated to a brake-by-wire transmitter that would send inputs to the receiver on the master-cylinder unit that would in turn operate the hydraulic brakes.

The first impressive thing we noticed pulling away from the prototype Toyota bZ4X‘s parking space was the smoothness and comfort of the twist throttle. Certainly, having a bit of motorcycle experience makes it feel a bit more natural, but light spring tension and plenty of throttle travel made it easy to find the right amount of throttle and hold it. Plus, inputs weren’t jumpy. The entire right handle doesn’t twist, either, just the collar at the top, so you can sort of roll it between your thumb and forefinger, which helps avoid uncomfortable wrist positions as well as ensuring you maintain a good grip on the yoke.

The brake lever didn’t feel quite as polished. It didn’t have the precision or smoothness of operation of the throttle, and it was a little tricky to figure out just how much squeeze would engage the brakes. But the positioning was very comfortable, and it was easy to operate, which really is the most important aspect. There could be some very interesting potential in providing force feedback through the brake lever, too, similar to what you might find on modern PlayStation and Xbox controllers.

The steering was the biggest surprise. At low speeds and in tight maneuvers, it’s fast enough that it can be a little jumpy, with lots of steering resulting from small movements. But at quicker speeds with less steering lock needed, it was fun. The result is something that genuinely feels go-kart- or race car-like. And that shouldn’t be surprising, since that’s how those vehicles have their steering set up. But of course, the steering effort was extremely light, so you don’t need huge muscles to manage. On slightly wider corners, it didn’t take long to be smooth and steady holding the line. A little bit more weight and some of the progressive feedback from the regular RZ steer-by-wire system would be nice, but again, that’s an easy change.

So, what does this mean for the future of Toyota and Lexus? The really obvious potential of Neo Steer is as an accessibility device for people who can’t use foot pedals. And if steer-by-wire becomes more common, it could be a really easy way to offer that extra accessibility, since it could potentially only require different software and a different wheel plugged in to make a vehicle accessible. It would also eliminate bulky hand controls that have to work with existing vehicle inputs. There’s also potential for this system to play nicely with autonomous systems, since you could have all your manual controls packed away neatly in the wheel and retractable for autonomous driving, without having to fuss with pedals. It could even offer more foot room for the driver and more comfortable leg positioning for all drivers, since there wouldn’t be pedals in the way. Steer-by-wire in general, even without the hand throttle and brakes, offers the potential for freeing up space and improving packaging for car parts, people and cargo. There’s even the potential for offering a variety of different steering programs – that are much more varied than today’s common “comfort” vs. “sport” steering settings that largely just change steering effort – to adjust based on personal preference (speed, feedback, etc.).

With all the possible benefits and the fact that Toyota’s system feels well-developed as-is, we think we’ll see more about it in the coming years. And that should be good news for drivers of all kinds with all abilities.

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One of the perks of picking up a new Ford Bronco is the complimentary Off-Roadeo program, which is a 10-hour off-road school for new owners. But that was the only way to join in on the fun, until now. Ford has opened up the program at three locations with shortened programs for non-owners so that they can experience off-roading, as well as the big Bronco SUV.

The new program is shortened to four hours compared to the owner version, but is otherwise similar to the full thing. Participants get to drive the big Bronco at famous off-road locations with guidance from trail experts, and they get the same access to the main basecamp locations and provided amenities such as snacks. The other main difference is that Ford provides the Bronco for off-roading, rather than participants using the SUV they just purchased.

While participants may not have their own Bronco for this experience, Ford is definitely hoping that they might pick one up after. According to a Ford representative, just over 8% of guests to the regular events ended up buying a new Ford not long after, and 63% of those purchases were Broncos.

Since this public Off-Roadeo program doesn’t involve buying a Bronco, Ford does have a fee to join in. The company charges $795 per vehicle, and that includes the driver and up to three guests. Drivers must be at least 18 years old with valid drivers’ license to book a reservation and drive in the program. Up to three guests can come, and they must be at least 12 years old. Guests can drive also, but unless they book a vehicle separately, your time will be split up among all the drivers in the vehicle. For an extra $75, you can get a damage waiver that will limit the costs you’re liable for in the event of some crash to $3,500. And there are three locations open to the public: Mt. Potosi, Las Vegas; Moab, Utah; Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Ford is taking reservations now.

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