No matter where you live, bellyaching about potholes and road quality is an American tradition. It’s not hard to find people in every state who claim their roads are the worst, but Pennsylvania pesonal injury firm Munley Law recently studied data from the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine which have the highest average rates of acceptable road quality.

Bad roads aren’t just an annoyance. They can wreak havoc on tires, suspension systems, and can cause vibrations that loosen cosmetic components. With 94.78 percent of its roads meeting the acceptable quality standard, Idaho was found to have the best roads in the country. Georgia wasn’t far behind, with 94.5 percent, and Tennessee came in third at 94.17. The complete list appears below.

The states with the best roads likely invest more in highway maintenance. Tennessee, for example, funds its highway improvements with vehicle excise taxes, and the burden of paying for roadwork is shared by federal, state, and local governments. The state has managed to go 45 years without needing to borrow money for road construction, indicating that its funding is stable and robust. Of course, there are exceptions in every state, such as my hometown of Knoxville; Tennessee’s roads have seen better days, despite I-40 seemingly being under construction since the early 1980s when I was born.

On the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey had the worst roads, with just 50.71 percent meeting the standard. Rhode Island had 51.51 percent and Connecticut landed at 58.14 percent. The law firm blames heavy traffic and bad weather, saying they contribute heavily to potholes and deteriorating road surfaces in those Northeast states.

Ranking states with the best and worst roads:

There’s a lively debate right now around consumers’ desire to own and drive EVs, but data from the federal government shows that diesel reigns supreme when it comes to annual average miles driven. Energy.gov recently published the 2022 National Household Travel Survey, which found that diesel miles dwarf gas and electric vehicles. And if that weren’t surprising enough, the second-most-driven fuel type will be.

Diesel vehicles averaged 17,500 miles in 2022, while gas and electric only managed 14,100 and 12,400 miles, respectively. The annual average for plug-in hybrids was just over 16,000 miles, making them the second-most driven vehicles that year. Traditional hybrids saw around 15,000 miles driven.

It’s important to point out that we’re talking about household miles driven, not commercial miles, so these averages don’t include large trucks and similar vehicles. That suggests a large number of diesel pickup trucks, as Americans haven’t really ever been hot on diesel cars, especially after VW’s Dieselgate scandal.

This study is also from two years ago when EVs weren’t quite as common as they are in early 2024. Cox Automotive noted that the EV market share of the U.S. vehicle market was just 5.9 percent in 2022. It rose to 7.6 percent last year and will likely grow further in 2024, but sales didn’t crest 1 million units until 2023.

Plug-in hybrids are the real shocker here, as EVs have outpaced their sales for a decade. There’s also a decent amount of anecdotal data that Americans don’t take full advantage of their PHEVs, using them more without charging them than using their modest electric range. Jeep has sold a ton of Wrangler 4xe PHEVs since it debuted in 2021, so it’s possible they’re propping up the miles numbers a bit.

That said, the government’s data doesn’t define how the miles are driven and only breaks them down by fuel type, so there’s no way to guess if any of them were traveled on battery power alone.

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Continue reading 2025 Buick Enclave revealed with new looks, technology

2025 Buick Enclave revealed with new looks, technology originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 9 Apr 2024 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Base GMC Hummer EV2 reportedly dead for the planned 2025 launch year

Base GMC Hummer EV2 reportedly dead for the planned 2025 launch year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 8 Apr 2024 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plus, we review the Lexus LC500h and Lexus TX 350

Continue reading Driving Volvos on ice, and the 2025 Toyota 4Runner is almost here | Autoblog Podcast #826

Driving Volvos on ice, and the 2025 Toyota 4Runner is almost here | Autoblog Podcast #826 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 5 Apr 2024 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BIG SUR, Calif.  — Motorists crept along one lane of a scenic stretch of California’s iconic Highway 1 on Monday after a giant chunk of it collapsed into the ocean following heavy weekend rains, stranding as many as 1,600 people in the coastal community of Big Sur.

Convoys of vehicles resumed at 8 a.m. Monday for one lane of the highway, although most of the people trapped in Big Sur were allowed to leave when a single lane was reopened Sunday after being closed overnight, said Kevin Drabinski, a spokesperson for the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans.

“During the time the convoys are passing, we physically have observers on sight to put eyes on the condition of the roadway to make sure it’s still safe to travel,” Drabinski said.

The collapse occurred Saturday near Rocky Creek Bridge about 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Monterey, and traffic backed up for miles in both directions.

Kirk Gafill, the manager of Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur, said about a dozen of his employees who were working that day were trapped in town and had to find friends or family members to spend the night with.

“That’s probably true for every business in Big Sur,” he said.

The Big Sur Lodge opened its conference room to offer some trapped motorists a place to stay, while others spent the night in their vehicles.

Linda Molinari of Hollister, California, told Fresno’s KFSN-TV that she and her boyfriend ended up sleeping in his van after they went to lunch in Big Sur on Saturday.

“It was really hard when the firefighters said, ‘Oh, you get to sleep here tonight,’” Molinari told the station on Easter Sunday after they returned home. “It’s amazing to get home, but still bittersweet. You missed a holiday from just trying to go to lunch on a random day.”

Another convoy of vehicles was escorted through at 4 p.m. Monday, but motorists were urged to avoid the area. The next convoy was scheduled for 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Caltrans said crews will start installing concrete barriers to provide a safe lane for vehicles and to protect construction workers. Engineers will focus on stabilizing the edge of the roadway, but it’s not immediately clear when the road will be ready to reopen.

The famous route has seen frequent closures because of collapses, mudflows and rockslides during severe weather.

Road workers got a break from the heavy rains that fell over the weekend, with dry conditions expected for the next several days and just a chance for light rain on Thursday, said Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly shut down almost every part of American society overnight, emptying roadways and making many areas feel like ghost towns. At the same time, many people took advantage of the open roads with reckless driving and extreme speeds. So, while there were fewer people on the roads, more people died in traffic accidents than before, with fatalities reaching almost 39,000 in 2020. The numbers continued climbing through 2021, reaching a peak of 42,915, but they’ve fallen for two years in a row, according to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The NHTSA noted that traffic deaths fell 3.6 percent last year to 40,990. That’s down from 42,514 in 2022 but still higher than any year pre-pandemic since 2008. Greater numbers of intoxicated drivers, speeding, and people driving without seatbelts significantly contributed to the totals.

Though traffic deaths fell between 2022 and 2023, the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths grew in 2022. A total of 7,522 pedestrians and 1,105 cyclists were killed, the most since 1981 for pedestrians and 1980 for cyclists. More drivers 65 or older also died in 2022, up 4.7 percent to 7,870, the most since the NHTSA started record-keeping in 1975.

The agency released the numbers while kicking off its “Put the Phone Away or Pay” safety campaign, which aims to remind drivers of the dangers of distracted driving. It noted that 3,308 people were killed and an astonishing 289,310 people injured due to distracted driving. So, while traffic deaths are on a slow decline, distracted drivers remain a significant threat to “vulnerable road users” such as pedestrians, cyclists, and others.

The NHTSA recorded 621 such deaths in distraction-related crashes in 2022. Deputy administrator Sophie Shulman said, “Distraction comes in many forms, but it is also preventable. Our rebranded campaign reminds everyone to Put the Phone Away or Pay, because distracted driving can cost you in fines – or even cost your life or the life of someone else on the road.”

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Continue reading 2024 Buick Envision debuts with family styling, massive interior screen

2024 Buick Envision debuts with family styling, massive interior screen originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 2 Apr 2024 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews on Friday can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city’s vital port from operating. As the sun rose Friday, a crane could be seen at the site.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the large crane, which was to arrive by barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, will be one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the cargo ship that hit it this week.

“The best minds in the world” are working on the plans for removal, Moore said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District told the governor that it and the Navy were mobilizing major resources from around the country at record speed to clear the channel.

“This is not just about Maryland,” Moore said. “This is about the nation’s economy. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America.”

He warned of a long road to recovery but said he was grateful to the Biden administration for approving $60 million in immediate aid. President Joe Biden has said the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.

“This work is not going to take hours. This work is not going to take days. This work is not going to take weeks,” Moore said. “We have a very long road ahead of us.”

Thirty-two members of the Army Corps of Engineers were surveying the scene of the collapse and 38 Navy contractors were working on the salvage operation, officials said Thursday.

The devastation left behind after the cargo ship lost power and struck a support pillar early Tuesday is extensive. Divers recovered the bodies of two men from a pickup truck in the Patapsco River near the bridge’s middle span Wednesday, but officials said they have to start clearing the wreckage before anyone can reach the bodies of four other missing workers.

State police have said that judging by sonar scans, the vehicles appear to be encased in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris.

Federal and state officials have said the collision and collapse appeared to be an accident.

The victims, who were part of a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge, were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Butler said. At least eight people initially went into the water when the ship struck the bridge column, and two of them were rescued Tuesday, officials said.

The crash caused the bridge to break and fall into the water within seconds. Authorities had just enough time to stop vehicle traffic, but didn’t get a chance to alert the construction crew.

During the Baltimore Orioles’ opening day game Thursday, Sgt. Paul Pastorek, Cpl. Jeremy Herbert and Officer Garry Kirts, of the Maryland Transportation Authority, were honored for their actions in halting bridge traffic and preventing further loss of life.

The three said in a statement that they were “proud to carry out our duties as officers of this state to save the lives that we could.”

The cargo ship Dali, which is managed by Synergy Marine Group, was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and was chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.

Synergy extended sympathies to the victims’ families in a statement Thursday.

“We deeply regret this incident and the problems it has caused for the people of Baltimore and the region’s economy that relies on this vitally important port,” Synergy said, noting that it would continue to cooperate with investigators.

Of the 21 crew members on the ship, 20 are from India, Randhir Jaiswal, the nation’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters, saying one was slightly injured and needed stitches but “all are in good shape and good health.”

Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333, said the union was scrambling to help its roughly 2,400 members whose jobs are at risk of drying up until shipping can resume in the Port of Baltimore.

“If there’s no ships, there’s no work,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can.”

The huge vessel, almost as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall, was carrying nearly 4,700 shipping containers, 56 of them with hazardous materials inside. Fourteen of those were destroyed, officials said. However industrial hygienists who evaluated the contents identified them as perfumes and soaps, the Key Bridge Joint Information Center said, and there was “no immediate threat to the environment.”

About 21 gallons (80 liters) of oil from a bow thruster on the ship is believed to have caused a sheen in the waterway, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said.

Booms were placed to prevent any spreading of oil, and state environmental officials were sampling the water and air.

Containers are hanging dangerously off the side of the ship, Gilreath said, adding, “We’re trying to keep our first responders … as safe as possible.”

The sudden loss of a road that carried 30,000 vehicles a day and the port disruption will affect not only thousands of dockworkers and commuters but also U.S. consumers, who are likely to feel the impact of shipping delays.

The governors of New York and New Jersey offered to take on cargo shipments that have been disrupted, to try to minimize supply chain problems.

From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

___

Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland. Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield in Washington, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi, and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed.

The folks at Zutobi, a driver-education resources website, did some calling around recently on the topic of parking in U.S. cities — where it’s abundant, where it’s scarce, where it’s cheap, and where it most definitely is not. The results are in some cases not surprising. Boston, an expensive place to live all around, and which was a major city long before there were cars, is an expensive place to park. Cleveland? Park where you like, using pocket change.

If you sense that $20 to park for 3 hours in Boston, or $10 for the same period in Seattle, or $17 in NYC feels a little low, well yeah, it struck us that way, too. But Zutobi’s methodology states that they’ve listed the cheapest parking they could find in each of these downtown locations. So sure, there might be some lonesome little lot where you can get a screaming deal. What’s probably more important than actual dollar figures — and whether you could get such prices in real life — is how these cities stack up against each other.

Most expensive cities for parking (3 hours)

1. Boston, $20
2. New York City, $17
3. Philadelphia, $15
4. San Francisco, $15
5. Chicago, $14
6. Long Beach, $13.50
7. Washington, $11.95
8. Buffalo, $11.03
9. Seattle, $10
10. Charlotte, $10
11. Las Vegas, $10

Cheapest U.S. cities for parking (3 hours)

1. Cleveland, $1.50
2. Tulsa, $1.63
3. Houston, $2
4. El Paso, $2
5. Memphis, $2.50
6. Louisville, $2.50
7. Dallas, $3
8. Tucson, $3
9. St. Paul, $3
10. San Antonio, $3
11. Scottsdale, $3
12. Phoenix, $3.50
13. Colorado Springs, $3.50
14. Columbus, $4
15. Milwaukee, $4
16. Cincinnati, $4

The Zutobi report slices the topic of parking pretty fine. The cost rankings in particular caught our eye, but if you want to know more about parking in general — cities with the most available parking, or the cities where valet parking isn’t that much of a thing, for example — it’s all in there. May good parking karma be with you wherever you go.