When noise is a problem, it’s usually in the “too much” rather than “too little” category. The opposite is true of ultra-quiet electric and hybrid vehicles, who emit so little noise that pedestrians and bicyclists may not be able to detect their presence, thus increasing their chances of an accident.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it will test 54 2013 passenger vehicle models as part of its 5-star safety ratings program.

Since first being introduced in the U.S. for agricultural use in the early 1980s, ATVs have grown increasingly popular recreationally and more recently, for work. There are currently more than 10 million ATVS in use in this country.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is hailing a decision by Massachusetts to offer drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles special license plates, to easily identify them to first responders.

OSHA has issued a Request for Information* (RFI) that seeks comments on how to prevent injuries and deaths from reinforcing concrete activities in construction, and from vehicles and mobile equipment backing into workers in construction, general industry, agriculture and the maritime industry.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has developed the first-ever federally proposed guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices.