In Bremerton, Washington, a state trooper who had stopped a man for suspected DUI grew suspicious when he observed a white power falling from a crumpled $100 dollar bill in the man’s wallet. When the state trooper asked the man what the substance was, the man reportedly replied, “That’s cocaine.” The state trooper later went on to testify that the man further explained that he “buys the cocaine for prostitutes” and “he only uses the cocaine when he is with the prostitutes.”

As reported by Autotopia, Oregon-based SeaPort Airline has become the first entirely green airline to offer enviro-friendly air travel between the Portland International Airport and Seattle’s Boeing Field. First opening its doors back in June, the fledgling airline is a small operation with a fleet only 3 planes large, and it’s leaving an even smaller carbon footprint. Using planes assembled by Swiss aeronautic company Pilatus, SeaPort ferries passenger’s in turboprop PC-12’s. The 47 ft long, 14 ft high, single engine PC-12’s are only able to accommodate 9 passengers at a time [plus 2 crew], and have a maximum altitude of 30,000 ft. Suitable for the short local commute, the PC-12’s reach top cruising speeds at 300 mph - and only consume an average of 51 gallons of fuel per flight.

Last November, Scott Ralston of Glasglow, Scotland was fired from his position at Cooperative Funeral Care after he was observed by senior management burning rubber in the company hearse. During this particular incident, the hearse was loaded to maximum capacity carrying 6 total passengers, only two of whom possessed functioning respiratory systems. According to Ralston, while maneuvering the weighty hearse over the funeral home’s polished concrete drive, he inadvertently squealed a wheel. “It was a smooth concrete floor,” said Ralston, “[Tires] squeal there about 40 times a day and I was doing no more than six or seven miles an hour.”

Apparently receiving a thumbs-down on their idea for roadhead simulation devices, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to introduce new technology designed to keep drivers awake and attentive behind the wheel. After conducting internal research, Mercedes Benz revealed that about 25% of serious traffic accidents are caused by exhausted drivers and that drowsy driving causes more accidents than drunk driving. Aiming to reduce those numbers, in March 2009, the new Mercedes E-Class will offer “Attention Assist”, a driver monitoring system that follows in the footsteps of Volvo’s Driver Alert Control system [which, we would like to note, Volvo has been offering since 2005]. Merc’s technology will take cues from Volvo’s, which currently uses advanced Delphi camera systems and MobilEye image recognition software to monitor minor steering errors followed by larger corrections, lack of response to other vehicles, and changes in eye movement.

Fed up with traffic congestion, seemingly endless construction, and poor quality roads? Why not take David Friedman’s advice and sell the streets as he says in his book The Machinery of Freedom?

Privatization of the streets isn’t such a crazy idea. A company that owns a road wants to make a profit and please his customers. That company has more incentive to eliminate gridlock than any urban planner.

On Wednesday, engineer and London native Andy Pag lead his 8-team caravan on the final leg of their 10-day “Grease to Greece” road rally. Throughout the course of the 2,500 mile long trip from London to Athens, Pag and his teammates spent approximately nothing on fuel, relying instead on the donations of used oils from restaurants. According to a statement Pag made to Reuters [as later printed by the Daily Mirror], it was incredibly easy to find eateries willing to donate for the cause, “Whenever people have had oil they have been really, really willing to give it,” he explained, “It’s a waste product for them so we are taking away their rubbish.”

On Friday, the Milwaukee District West Line’s last “bar car” will celebrate happy hour for last time. Crowded and noisy, the bar is a hometown favorite with most of its passengers. Unfortunately, the number of commuters traveling by rail is growing at a rapid rate, and Metra has decided they need the saloon space to accommodate the overflow. In the Chicago Tribune, Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet explained, “We know at times the bars can be very crowded. If we eliminate them, we can allow people to get through [to less crowded cars] more easily. Some people avoid going into the bar car.” Missing the larger issue entirely, Metra was apparently absent the day Human Resources covered, “How To Cope With A Thankless Job And/Or Sexless Marriage.”

On Friday morning, a freight truck traveling on Interstate 35 through Dallas, Texas held up traffic for more than an hour. The truck, which was carrying a load of marbles, jackknifed and sent its contents rolling across the asphalt. No serious injuries were reported.

Link to full story after the jump

Does anyone else think he looks like that kid from Growing Pains?

Serving to further validate preliminary studies published by both Harvard University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham [Covered by RideLust back in July, "Silver Lining To Escalating Gas Prices?"], the United States Secretary of Transportation announced last week that the number of highway fatalities hit record lows for 2007 - while oil prices hit record highs. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, the number of traffic fatalities for 2007 totaled 41,059, the lowest overall number since 1994. Simultaneously, the rate of traffic fatalities has also achieved a record low, averaging for 2007 1.37 fatalities per 100 vehicle miles traveled, the lowest number on record to date.