Austin Texas Auto Insurance Quotes

With a new year comes a new texting ban for Austin.

Starting Jan. 1, it will be illegal for drivers within Austin city limits to use a cell phone for most operations other than making a phone call.

The ordinance was passed by Austin City Council earlier this year.

“You won’t be allowed to text. You can’t use it for GPS, unless it’s a permanently installed device, [and you can't do] any kind of scrolling through the Internet,” Austin Police Department Commander Stephen Baker said.

To allow Austin drivers some time to get familiar with new rules, the ordinance begins with a 30-day grace period.

“If we observe these violations, we’ll be making the stops, talking to the drivers, and issuing a written warning,” said Baker.

After the 30 days, a violation of the ordinance could come with a penalty of up to $200.

The ban does not prohibit talking on the phone, and it does allow drivers to check texts while at stop signs and red lights and in emergency situations. The ordinance also applies to bicyclists.

Officers said they’ll be on the lookout for drivers and bicyclists looking down at their phones for an extended period of time.

To demonstrate why officers are gearing up to enforce the ban, APD Officer Jim Riley maneuvered a golf cart while texting Monday.

By the time Riley made it around the course, he had knocked over a few orange cones and his text message read, “Laf I meedvu tn gry?”

“I was trying to say, ‘Pat, you need to get me out of here,’” Riley said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers using cell phones are four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to hurt themselves.

Source: News 8 Austin

Every half hour the MetroRail passed through the intersection at Sixth Street and Robert T. Martinez Monday afternoon without a hitch.

The testing went well for Capital Metro, but Austin drivers didn’t necessarily pass with flying colors.

In plain view of police, several drivers took the risk of stopping on the tracks. Fortunately, no trains came through in those instances.

“We’ve been out in the community for more than three years now, educating schools, parents, neighborhood groups. We’ve been working really hard to make sure this community is going to be safe when we start service,” Capital Metro spokesperson Erica McKewen said.

Capital Metro said police are supposed to be handing out tickets. However, plenty of vehicles could be seen stopped on the railroad tracks, and police officers parked nearby did not issue citations or warnings.

“I think they should get with the program. I don’t know if it’s a matter of being lackadaisical or what, but I think that the police officers should do their job,” area business worker Cheryl Balintfy said.

From 3 to 8:30 p.m., the trains glided, at top speed, up and down the Red Line tracks. The test simulates a real working day for the commuter rail.

Capital Metro said it will continue running the train at that same time Monday through Friday until January. Cap Metro hopes to get the rail open for passenger service by the spring.

Source: news8austin.com

APD officers are cracking down on drivers who illegally turn right on red.

Three of the last five traffic fatalities in Austin have involved a driver running a red light.

Many drivers say not turning right on red is out of the question, especially at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Interstate-35.

“No, I don’t turn on a red light. But I see other people turning,” driver Jewell Patricio said.

Driver Lonnie Williams was asked if he ever turned right on red at the MLK and Interstate-35 intersection. He sarcastically answered, “‘No never there, no, no.”

There are two signs posted at the intersection at MLK and I-35, and one further down the road.

Many drivers say they simply don’t see the signs. This makes officers fearful of what other things or people drivers aren’t seeing.

“That’s scary when somebody says that because that makes you realize how many people are there on the road that just don’t see things, that just don’t see that person on a bicycle coming by,” Perry said.

One officer said that during a six hour shift he usually writes more than 20 tickets at MLK and Interstate-35.

It’s a similar situation at 11th and Congress Ave. Cameras have been placed at the intersection in hopes of reducing drivers that run red lights.

The cameras do not account for turning violations.

“I don’t know that there’s a better way to enforce it. We’re out here. There’s signs. The signs are huge,” Perry said.

Perry said the large signs have been placed at certain intersections for a reason.

“You can’t see the traffic that’s coming 40 to 50 miles per hour on this [MLK] road. You pull out right in front of them, someone’s going to end up getting seriously hurt or killed,” Perry said.

Paying closer attention to signs placed at intersections could not only save drivers a couple hundred dollars–but could also save a life.

Source: news8austin.com

The popular Cash for Clunkers program generated nearly 700,000 new car sales during the past month, giving the U.S. auto industry a badly needed jolt of activity during the deepest decline in auto sales in two decades.

The government, releasing final data on the car incentives, said Wednesday that dealers submitted 690,114 sales totaling $2.88 billion, bringing the program to a close under its $3 billion budget. Japanese auto manufacturers led American companies in new car sales through the program, which ended late Monday.

Many dealers are still waiting to be repaid for the Cash for Clunkers incentives they gave car buyers and were allowed to submit paperwork seeking reimbursement until late Tuesday.

Despite the summertime frenzy at dealerships, analysts said the growth in auto sales may be short-lived. Sales in July rose to 11.2 million when converted to an annual rate, the first month in 2009 in which sales had risen above the 10 million level. A drop in consumer confidence late last year sent sales plunging to depths not seen since the early 1980s, prompting lawmakers to create the program.

The biggest industry beneficiaries were Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan, which accounted for 41 percent of the new vehicle sales. That outpaced Detroit automakers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which had a share of nearly 39 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. led the industry with 19.4 percent of new sales, followed by General Motors Co. with 17.6 percent and Ford Motor Co. with 14.4 percent.

The Toyota Corolla was the most popular new vehicle purchased under the program. The Honda Civic, Toyota Camry and Ford Focus held the next three top spots. All four are built in the United States.

The program, which began in late July, offered consumers rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 off the price of a new vehicle in return for trading in their older, less fuel-efficient vehicles to be scrapped. The trade-in vehicles needed to get 18 miles per gallon or less.

It proved far more popular than lawmakers originally thought. Congress added another $2 billion to the original $1 billion budget when the first pot of money nearly ran out in a week. The extra money was supposed to last through Labor Day, but the funding only lasted about a month.

Hundreds of drivers are still doing it wrong in Austin when it comes to new solar-powered meters and how to pay to park.

A grace period was in effect Friday, one day after the city announced that drivers who incorrectly display a parking pay stub will first receive a warning.

Austin in late July began installing new meters, including directions on where to put the stubs indicating the driver had paid. The correct location is inside the vehicle, attached to the curb side of the windshield, for easy reading by parking attendants.

Since then more than 600 tickets have been issued to people who incorrectly displayed the stickers.

A spokeswoman says the city will refund fines, between $15 and $30, and stop issuing tickets until the operation is better understood by drivers.

Source: AP

Seconds count when firefighters are called to an emergency. That’s why the Austin Firefighters Association is concerned about a new policy instituted by Austin Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr. Under the policy, firefighters must always drive the speed limit and come to a complete stop at intersections before proceeding during an emergency.

They don’t have to wait for the light to turn green.

“When we respond to an emergency we work as a team,” said Steven Truesdell, president of the Austin Firefighters Association. “We have multiple sets of eyes surveying the traffic and the driver and officer work together to make sure they are proceeding through traffic safely.”

State law allows firefighters responding to an emergency to drive over the speed limit and to go through red lights and stop signs. Firefighters are concerned, saying the new policy is more restrictive than state law.

“We feel state law is appropriate. It requires us to use necessary caution and to be very careful,” said Truesdell.

Kerr says the policy is designed to reduce the number of crashes.

“In today’s world, there is so much going on in heavily-traveled streets. People are talking on their cell phones or texting or looking at their e-mails; we just want our firefighters to have better control over hazardous situations,” Kerr said.

Kerr says requiring firefighters to drive the speed limit won’t have a significant impact on response time.

“The average distance a unit travels is 3 to 5 miles. If you were exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph, it would make very little difference when we have so many units responding,” she said.

“In our outlying areas, we have very lengthy responses. It would make a big difference,” said Truesdell.

EMS also has policies in place when responding to emergencies. Paramedics can exceed the speed limit up to 10 mph. They must come to a full stop before proceeding through intersections.

According to a police manual, Austin police officers don’t have any similar limitations placed on them. Some motorists don’t believe firefighters should either.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Amado Contreras. “They are going to an emergency. They need to get there as fast as they can.”

Fire officials say if a motorist is stopped at an intersection when a fire truck approaches during an emergency, the driver should try to move to the right. They say only after checking for traffic and making sure it’s clear and safe should a driver go through an intersection.

Source: kvue.com

Toll roads have gotten a bad rap throughout most of the state and despite the traditional negative view of tolling by many Texans, city leaders in Seguin are excited to see a new highway being built, even if it is a toll road.

Highway 130 will connect Southeast Austin to Interstate 10 in Seguin.

The highway, which broke ground last week, is being built and funded entirely through private funds. Cintra, a Spanish toll road operator will fund, build and run the new toll road. Cintra’s contract on the road is for the next 50 years, allowing the company to make money off its investment.

In Seguin, a new North-South highway is seen as a new tool to bring in business to the city. The chamber of commerce says development along I-10 has already been brisk and with the completion of 130, more business and therefore more tax dollars will be created for the community.

With an estimated cost of $1.35 billion, highway 130 is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Source: kvue.com

A kind of sticker shock in Austin is leading some drivers puzzled over paying to use new solar parking meters.

About 500 meters are scheduled to be in place by November. The first group went up three weeks ago.

The Austin American-Statesman on Wednesday reported one lingering question seems to be where the sticker, proving payment by coins, credit or debit cards, should go.

The newspaper reports a couple of drivers did it wrong Tuesday, putting stickers on the outside of the windshield.

The correct location is inside, attached to the curb side of the windshield, for easy reading by parking attendants.

City spokeswoman Karla Villalon says there is a one-week grace period for newly installed meters, when attendants leave a warning, not a violation ticket that can cost up to $30.

Source: kxxv.com

The City of Austin might become the first city in Texas to completely outlaw texting while driving.

On Tuesday, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez said he would have an ordinance ready to go sometime in the next week or two.

Martinez said he’s been working on the issue for more than a year, but tabled the idea because there wasn’t any proof that texting while driving raised the risk of being in a crash.

That, however, all changed last week when the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released a study saying people who text and drive are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash.

“It’s really not about being punitive, or fining people or raising money. It’s really about affecting behavior and helping folks understand the severity of texting while driving,” Martinez said.

The fine for a violation would be a civil fine, which is similar to being caught by a red light camera.

But before texting while driving becomes illegal in Austin, it’ll have to be approved by a majority of city council members.

Source: News 8 Austin