Law and Order

Remember the " Kia Boyz"? Well, thanks to car theft caused by those folks and others, and thanks to accusations of failure to properly address the problem, Hyundai and Kia are on the hook for half a billion dollars.

Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian who is currently wanted by the American FBI for murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, and other crimes, is on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list.

While the FBI has raised the reward for his capture to $15 million, a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR was seized as part of the investigation.

See, their is a connection to cars after all.

According to the New York Times, lead that's being recycled for car batteries is poisoning people.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Policing Lab to test America’s first autonomous patrol vehicle. Dubbed the “Police Unmanned Ground (PUG) Vehicle Patrol Partner,” the vehicle will be part of a year-long evaluation to see if it’s fit for service.

I was out of the office most of today doing my obligatory civic duty -- jury duty.

I did not get picked to be on a jury for a trial. So you're stuck with me again.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has issued a report on car crime and the numbers are optimistic. Vehicle thefts in the United States have fallen by 23 percent during the first six months of 2025 and criminals seem to be getting less inclined to nab performance vehicles.

Tricolor Holdings, a subprime lender for auto loans, has collapsed.

Creditors are now scrambling to recover assets and minimize losses.

Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) recently livestreamed the destruction of a 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat that was confiscated during a “street takeover” event. The SUV was crushed to send a message to drivers participating in illegal street racing or vehicular showboating.

An enterprising dad in Canada got put in the pokey for DUI because he was operating his daughter's toy car while intoxicated.

A Canadian man was arrested for driving a — get this — Barbie-themed Power Wheels while under the influence of alcohol last week.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has reportedly been forced to suspend production and and even sales while it restarts operations following an assumed cyber attack.

Flock Safety has taken some stiff criticism over its license plate readers in recent weeks. The national network of cameras has been faulted with warrantless surveillance and encouraging potential breaches of the First and Fourth Amendment. It’s also been revealed that its cameras do quite a bit more than simply read a vehicle’s license plate.

Yesterday we reported on busses being disabled by catalytic converter theft.

When I was in school, classes would sometimes be canceled for snow or if it was too cold for the buses’ heaters to keep up, but this is a new one for me. An Indiana school district recently had to cancel in-person classes after the catalytic converters were stolen from several buses.

The Roadkill Nights event in Michigan brings drag racers, fans, and cars from all over the country, but this year’s event also created a good deal of friction between Ram and local law enforcement. Earlier this week, CEO Tim Kuniskis claimed that someone had stolen the automaker’s “Bucking Hemi” mechanical bull ride, but now, the local sheriff says the company never lost the bull and may pursue criminal charges over the stunt – if it was a stunt.

HOV lanes are a foreign concept to me -- we don't have them in Chicago, at least as far as I can tell. Not that I'd often be eligible -- probably 80 percent of my driving is sans passengers. Well, OK, maybe if EVs got an exemption in these hypothetical lanes, since I do test EVs about 20 percent of the time.

High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, known to many as “carpool lanes,” were introduced to minimize traffic congestion and reduce overall fuel consumption during the oil crisis of the 1970s. However, they’ve since become vectors for the government to promote certain fuels and automotive technologies. This has resulted in all-electric vehicles being given special privileges in certain parts of the United States. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has had a change of heart and no longer wants to see lone EV drivers in the carpool lane.

Drivers in the Nutmeg State may soon have fewer impediments in freeway traffic, at least if a new law works as intended.

A Florida sheriff, known locally for promoting aggressive crackdowns against street racing, has reportedly been caught in a video where he’s racing a Chevrolet Corvette while driving a Lamborghini Huracan. But the allegations go much deeper and involve claims that he may have obtained the Italian supercar via questionable means.

We hear stories about the most stolen cars and why that might be, but a recent list of models stolen in 2024 has a few vehicles that haven’t gotten a lot of attention before. Visual Capitalist's list of the most stolen cars in each state last year shows that one model was far and away the most popular for thieves, but some of the most commonly talked about vehicles didn’t make an appearance.

Many new cars come with traffic sign recognition tech. The gauge cluster in my GR Corolla loves to blink a red speed limit sign as soon as the car travels even one mph above the posted limit, but it does not actively limit the vehicle’s speed. Some states are passing legislation that could change that behavior, however, as Washington state recently joined Virginia with a law that punishes speeding drivers with speed limiting technology.

The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is currently engaged in a pilot program to conduct research along two particularly hairy stretches of interstate. The study includes utilizing speed cameras to assess the roads, presumably before the state decides whether or not make them a permanent fixture. While Washington has been using the devices to track and even contact speeders by mail, the state has held off on issuing any fines.

Earlier this week, a fourth-generation Toyota Supra was intentionally wrecked by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) at a claimed 100 miles per hour. The driver and passenger of the now-destroyed JDM import were reportedly hospitalized after the car left the road, collided with a light pole, and subsequently caught fire.

The news out of North Dakota has me thinking about an evergreen question -- what's a reasonable highway speed limit?

On Monday, North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong officially finalized provisions to raise the interstate speed limit to 80 miles per hour. However, the passing of House Bill 1298 is accompanied by new speeding fines.

We’ve seen stories of enterprising thieves stealing cars right off of factory storage lots, but this most recent incident might take the cake. Thieves hit the Chevrolet Corvette factory in Bowling Green, KY, last week, taking eight cars on a short-lived expedition.

Ford will make some F-150 owners partially whole again if their truck gets stolen.

Following a horrific crime spree in April 2020, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police put a temporary halt on selling its retired vehicles via public auction. Problem is, they never got the green light to resume sales – and now overflowing holding lots are leading to numerous machines being sent to the crusher.

Now it's your turn. What say you?

Depending on where you live, a suspended driver’s license could be a significant problem. Washington state aims to soften the blow with a recently introduced bill that would let drivers with suspended licenses continue driving – with some limitations.

News from the Great White North: the province of Ontario is increasing speed limits on its major highways to 110 km/h (~70 mph). Road safety groups are surely firing up their press machines, gearheads are nodding in agreement, and most drivers will probably continue driving 20 over the limit like they always do.

The Carlos Ghosn saga kicked off several years ago now, but the case is far from being settled. Several years after the disgraced auto exec fled to Lebanon, the British Virgin Islands High Court ruled that he must surrender a superyacht allegedly purchased using funds he siphoned away from the automaker.

An independent foundation in the Netherlands has filed a class action lawsuit against Stellantis, alleging emissions test cheating by one of its predecessor companies, Fiat Chrysler.

I am a firm believer that while excessive speeding is dangerous and bad, not all speeding is.

For example, driving 11 mph over the limit on the freeway in a well-maintained car when you're dead sober and paying complete attention isn't that dangerous. Driving 60 mph in a school zone is.

I also firmly believe that speeding enforcement is often more about revenue collection than safety.

Ford Motor Co. has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a system that would effectively convert modern police vehicles into mobile surveillance platforms designed to autonomously track and tattle on speeders. However, the tech doesn't look as though it would have to be limited to the vehicles driven by law enforcement.

Some extended auto warranty and service contract providers have earned a bad rap over the years for deceptive business practices and harassing potential customers. One of the most well-known names in the industry is now facing a significant fine for its deeds. CarShield has agreed to pay $10 million to the Federal Trade Commission over claims that it deceived customers with its advertising.

I said my piece about a proposed California law that, if passed, would lead to a mandate that cars sold in the state would have to come with speed-warning systems installed

The California Senate has passed a bill that, if signed into law, will require all new cars sold or build in the state to have "passive speed limiters" installed by 2032.

This is a horrible idea.

Legislators have accused several automakers of betraying their customers by going back on an earlier pledge to protect their data. The brands stated during a congressional inquiry that they would provide information to government officials upon their request, despite having previously signed onto the Consumer Privacy Protection Principles in 2014 where they vowed only to hand over customer data when given a formal court order or search warrant.

This has resulted in Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Edward Markey (D-MA) asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch a formal investigation on the grounds that the companies have engaged in deceptive tactics that misrepresent what they’re actually doing.

While there are absolutely exceptions, the days of the super-sleazy used car dealer seem to be behind us here in the States. Anyone ripped off by one of them probably wishes we had laws like those in England, where a shady dealer recently got jail time for his actions.

Of all the stupid vehicle modification trends over the last few decades, “squatting” has to be one of the worst. People giving their trucks the “Carolina Squat” by raising the front end but leaving the rear alone will hopefully be a thing of the past soon, however, as officials in South Carolina will start handing out tickets for the utterly ridiculous practice beginning on May 10.

Aftermarket car parts are a huge business, with hundreds of niche companies selling vehicle- and application- specific upgrades and merchandise. They can be pricey, though, and like anything expensive, there can be a dark side to the business. Broader Performance, a company manufacturing Ford transmission parts, recently found itself on the wrong end of that cycle, as it discovered a counterfeit of one of its products being sold on Summit Racing.

There are so many well-documented accounts of people doing dumb things in high-powered cars that it’s become satisfying to see some of them suffering the legal consequences of their actions. That’s exactly what happened to a Seattle-area Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT driver, who was recently charged with reckless driving and banned from driving the car.

A significant percentage of new car buyers want Apple CarPlay in their next vehicle, but that popularity has the government on high alert. As part of its recent antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant, the U.S. Department of Justice listed CarPlay, saying that it stifled the development of technologies that could work with a phone while residing in the vehicle’s interface.

While car crime has been up generally in recent years, some North American cities have seen staggering increases in automotive theft. Toronto estimates that it has endured a nearly 150-percent in automotive crime over the past six years and local authorities are rolling out a new tactic to cope with the situation — police have advised the public to just let thieves take their vehicle.

Don’t expect to see many SUVs in the background of future photos of the Eiffel Tower. Results of a weekend referendum have tripled parking rates for some types of vehicles in Paris, France. Based on weight, the new rules target out-of-towners who bring SUVs into the City of Light.

Every new car has a limited top speed programmed in at the factory, but for most, it’s usually deep into triple-digit numbers that most people never see. A proposed bill in California could drastically change the way automakers limit vehicle speeds, as one state senator wants to keep vehicles traveling within 10 mph of the speed limit.

While most car dealerships are honest, legitimate businesses, some don’t hold their customers in such high regard, charging more than they should without the right disclosures about what the fees are for. Hidden fees aren’t just annoying and shady, though, they can be very expensive, and last year, a Federal Trade Commission ruling aimed to shut the practice down.

The National Automobile Dealers Association protested the decision, joining the Texas Auto Dealers Association in filing a petition in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, leading to a pause on the FTC's rule.

Buying things from private parties can be risky. Even if you’re sure that you’re purchasing a legitimate, genuine product, exchanging any amount of money with a stranger is no fun. One Texas man recently had a terrible experience buying what he thought would become his dream car, only to discover his new purchase was a stolen vehicle.

Having a visible license plate is a big deal in most places, but the paint and coatings on the plate can wear and become hard to see over time. Here in Maine, it’s a common sight, as the road salt and sand can quickly shave off the more visible parts of a license plate. Colorado receives similar winter weather, and lawmakers in the state want to change the type of plates allowed to be more durable and visible over time.

Ford is now four years deep into an alarming lawsuit that highlights alleged sexual harassment and what the plaintiff described as a very hostile workplace. The Detroit News reported that DeAnna Johnson filed the suit over her experience working at Ford’s Dearborn Truck plant, and the details are disturbing, to say the least.

As if tagging drivers in a questionable speed trap wasn’t enough, it is being alleged troopers in the Nutmeg State have falsified thousands of traffic tickets.

A new study from the American Automobile Association (AAA) has suggested that raising vehicle speed limits offers negligible benefits to drivers while decreasing overall safety for all travelers.

“Our study analyzed before-and-after data on a dozen roadways that raised or lowered posted speed limits and found no one-size-fits-all answer regarding the impact of these changes,” said Dr. David Yang, president and executive director of the AAA Foundation. “However, it is critical to consider the safety implications when local transportation authorities contemplate making changes with posted speed limits.”