Anyone who pays attention to the parking trends in the city may have noticed something different recently (or not). According to the Daily News, more New Yorkers are backing up into parking spots instead of pulling in nose first. "As one who backs in, I do notice the other cars that do so and I would say that about 20% of parkers back in," said Robert Sinclair of AAA New York. In fact, both AAA and the Army teach drivers to back into spots so you "can leave a parking spot at a moments notice." Though why anyone would willingly leave a perfectly good parking spot in the city is beyond us. more ›

A six-car crash on the NJ Turnpike has claimed at least two lives. According to WABC 7, "The accident happened in the southbound eastern spur near mile marker 116 just before 7:00 a.m. Authorities said the two people, possibly ejected, were found crushed under the vehicles." The AAA says that 90% of year-end holiday travel is by car, "The organization expects more than 85 million people to take driving trips of 50 miles or more - an increase over the 83 million holiday travelers who drove last year." more ›

Good luck to everyone who is traveling for their Thanksgiving meals today—expect delays whether you're traveling by car, train or plane. This year, the AAA believes Thanksgiving travel will be up by 11.4% due to a better economy, with car travel up by over 12% and air travel up by 3.5%. And Amtrak is also prepared for today's rush of people carrying pumpkin pies and other fixin's—the rail service will be using all of its train cars today. more ›

A new study from AAA finds that at least 40% of the lights on three of the city's busiest highways are broken or burned out. The Cross Bronx Expressway is the worst culprit, with a 46% light failure rate all around. The Major Deegan had 38% failure, while the Henry Hudson Parkway had up to 54% failure along some stretches. AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair told the Post, "Roads in our area are among the most poorly engineered and maintained in the country, making adequate lighting critical to safety." How reassuring. more ›

All those out-of-state jerks who take up the city's precious parking spots are finally getting their comeuppance. Law Enforcement Systems has provided the city with records from other states so the NYPD can track down past offenders. The Finance Department reported $18 million from Connecticut and Pennsylvania in the past six months, and now has no reason not to tow cars from over a dozen states. more ›

The General Contractors Association already pointed out that our bridges are the worst, earlier this year, and now AAA is rubbing it in with their own list. They say the Tappan Zee, Kosciuszko and Goethals bridges are the worst in the state; with subpar steel, limited sight lines and small lanes amongst the list of hazards. The Post points out that all three bridges are up for reconstruction in the next decade... so we got that going for us. more ›

It's the unofficial start of the summer and the AAA projects that 1.5% more Americans will travel over 50 miles from home this weekend than they did last year. That translates to 32.4 million people on the roads While gas prices are not near last year's expensive prices, some drivers are wary of creeping prices. Gas prices have risen 27 cents/gallon this month (average: $2.36/gallon) and a cab driver, at a Manhattan gas station, told the AP, "Uh-oh. That's the first thing I say when I pull into this gas station each day. Right now it's not that bad, but it's a lot worse than two weeks ago." An energy analyst told the Christian Science Monitor that the prices will top out soon, "Prices usually peak after Memorial Day, perhaps sometime in June." more ›

Gerritsen Beach posted this photograph of $4-and-over gasoline in Sheepshead Bay and asked, "Is this hell?" Well, for those drivers who could afford to fill up and head out of town this Memorial weekend, it might be heaven--the Daily News has two photos showing the contrast in traffic between this year's and last year's automobile rush on the Sunrise Highway. more ›