There are many ways of showing dissent but here is one that should be a bit more endearing for the policemen, who are often tasked with maintaining order during such protests. The photo captures the policeman clearly in the moment, even with his visor down! Love stoned, perhaps? :) Why can’t more of this happen instead of tear gas canisters and stones!

Image Courtesy: MARCO BERTORELLO / Getty Images / AFP via TIME.com

Story behind the photo: An Agence France-Presse photographer Marco Bertorello snapped this image of a protestor during a demonstration over the construction of a high-speed rail in Susa, a tiny town in northwestern, Italy near the French-Swiss Alps. The rail line is expected to connect Milan and Paris, which critics say is too expensive and comes at great environmental cost. You can read more from the source: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/11/20/photo-the-best-protest-tactic-youve-ever-seen/#ixzz2lQEuETco

via Mashable

• Tech startup NeXt built a product called HeadsUP!, a visual display that projects often-used cellphone features, such as texting, voice calls, and email, onto the windshield of a car. This allows users to engage with their smartphones without needing to look down, or fumbling with them while driving.
• HeadsUP! enables voice dictation and touch-free swiping to let users interact with the screen.
• NeXt is seeking a patent for the technology, and is asking donors on Indiegogo to pay $299 for the earliest version of its HeadsUP! device.

Click here to read more.

Of course, the biggest question is how much of this new tech will add to driver distraction, a hot topic that often pits tech/gadget makers against the regulators and policy-makers who fret about road safety.

via Journal of Commerce

Did you know?

• Truck driving is the eighth most dangerous occupation in the U.S., based on fatality rates per 100,000 workers.
• For all workers, transportation was dangerous. Transportation incidents accounted for two out of five workplace deaths in 2012.
• Truck drivers had a 22.1 fatality rate in 2012, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Image courtesy: Journal of Commerce

via Huffingtonpost

Apparently this is how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (covers U.S. Customs and Border Patrol) takes care of imported vehicles with falsified documentation.. As Huffingtonpost notes,  this Land Rover Defender reached the Port of Baltimore with falsified identification numbers, claiming to be an older model.  But when the USCBP folks found out that this model is in fact newer and tinkered with to look “vintage”, they decided to junk it because it does not comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency regulations.  The seized vehicle — estimated to be worth $25,000 overseas but as much as $150,000 in the U.S. — was considered “illegal and unsafe,” officials said. Such a non-compliant vehicle cannot be imported unless it is at least 25 years old, officials said.   It seems that dozens of similar Defender vehicles have been seized in recent months at ports around the country and one can only imagine the rivers of tears shed by the owners when they learned the fate.

FHWA Traffic Incident Management Position Available
The FHWA is currently seeking a senior-level Transportation Specialist to serve as a National expert in Traffic Incident Management (TIM).  The ideal candidate will have a proven track record as a leader and influencing stakeholders and senior executives from transportation operations and a variety of non-traditional disciplines, such as law enforcement, fire, EMS, public works, towing and others. In addition, the candidate best-suited for this position will also have operational and tactical expertise in TIM, especially in developing and sustaining programmatic institutions (e.g., State or local TIM Teams), building practitioner capacity through training and other methods, and conducting public awareness and education on how motorists should respond when involved in or affected by traffic incidents.

FHWA encourages all candidates that fit the qualifications in the linked advertisements to apply for this exciting position.  Most candidates will come from local, regional, Tribal, State or Federal governments, the private sector or association partners serving the public safety community.

FHWA.HOP-2013-0026 External, open to all US Citizens: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/348535400

 Note: Deadline for application is Friday, August 09, 2013

Yeah.. Seems like a sound transportation advice but one that can get you in a lot of trouble with the law..Nevertheless, it is funny and fitting for the environment in which it is spotted.

Sound advice but one you better NOT try. Image Courtesy: Imgur via Reddit

A Learjet Model 60 was tagged by graffiti artists, in a picture posted to Twitter/KCBS/The Aviation Writer. (via News.com.au)

Wow.. A gang snuck into Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles undetected in the early morning hours and tagged a learjet parked in the tarmac with words “flame” and R.I.P. It is estimated that the cost of fixing the plane is going to be around $110,000.. That’s some good chunk of change for the jet’s owner to undo this creative expression. The biggest question is –  How secure is the airport complex to permit something like this, which should have taken at least a couple of hours to get done? Click here to learn more.

An awesome infograph from the George Washington University’s Face The Facts USA shows how the federal gas tax hasn’t changed in 20 years, effectively reducing road repair revenue by 35 percent. – Learn more here

Image Courtesy: Facethefactsusa.org

Spotted this image in the “In Focus” photo series by The Atlantic, covering protests from around the world.  Might be a bit too much for the American sensibilities but the Spaniards are not bothered by all the skin on display.  Apparently, more than a hundred cyclists gathered in the Spanish capital as they took part in the city’s 10th Naked Bike Ride aimed at highlighting the dependency on oil and road safety issues for cyclists.  Here is one of them riding naked in a public fountain in front of the Royal Palace as others bathe in Madrid, on June 15, 2013. More pics (NSFW, obviousy) from the protest can be seen here.

Image Courtesy: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki – Naked Cyclist Protesting for better & safe biking infrastructure in Madrid, Spain

Image courtesy: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki via The Atlantic

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