public safety

Aircraft dumps fuel on elementary school playground in Los Angeles

By Associated Press

Firefighters were assessing "multiple patients" at the school in the suburban city of Cudahy, Calif.

Police face new challenges when determining if someone is too high to drive

By Sam Weber, Connie Kargbo, Hari Sreenivasan

As states across the country legalize marijuana, efforts to determine whether someone is too high to drive is becoming a thorny public health issue. From brain functioning analyses and phone apps to training police officers on looking for signs, Hari…

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Where are the nation’s worst drivers? This data may hold the answer

By Tim Henderson, Stateline

A new study finds drivers' behavior can be tied to particular U.S. regions and the stringency of states' laws on cellphone use in cars.

Local police departments restore peace of mind by phoning senior citizens once a day

By Jenni Bergal, Stateline

Advocates for older adults say telephone check-in programs can help seniors remain independent in their homes and give them — and their family members — peace of mind.

Traffic deaths rise when cities remove red-light cameras, study says

By Joan Lowy, Associated Press

Red-light cameras are widely hated, but a new study says getting rid of them can have fatal consequences.

People want self-driving cars to value passenger safety over pedestrians, study says

By Julia Griffin

Researchers find a moral inconsistency around self-driving vehicles that could present roadblocks to greater public safety.

High court puts limits on drunk driving test laws

By Sam Hananel, Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Thursday placed new limits on state laws that make it a crime for motorists suspected of drunken driving to refuse alcohol tests.