Posts Tagged ‘ cars ’

Tech Soapbox Rant : American Car Use

Tech Soapbox Rant : American Car Use

It may have taken a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to direct the general public’s attention to automobile use and how it affects everything from the environment to obesity. But some people study it—and how to change that habit and its impacts on energy consumption, air quality, climate, physical activity and more—every day. A study featured in the summer issue of the Journal of the American Planning Association, and released in advance this week, aims to make decisions easier for those charged with designing and building cities that use less carbon in the future. “There has...

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Read Between the Lines While Driving

Read Between the Lines While Driving

Take a guess — how long are the dashed lines that are painted down the middle of a road? If youâ’re like most people, you answered, â’Two feet.â’ The real answer is 10 feet. Thatâ’s the federal guideline for every street, highway, and rural road in the United States, where dashed lines separate traffic lanes or indicate where passing is allowed. A new study has found that people grossly underestimate the length of these lines — a finding which implies that weâ’re all misjudging distances as we drive, and are driving too fast as a result. Dennis Shaffer, assistant...

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