Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Print/Digital Subscriptions
    • Gift Subscriptions

You are now logged in.

Forgot your password?

Create new account

Driving

chicagopolicecar_1161x653

Excessive Fines

Illinois Appeals Court Rules Chicago Slapped Drivers With Illegally High Fines for Years

A plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit says he had to declare bankruptcy after Chicago dumped $20,000 of ticket debts on him.

C.J. Ciaramella | 5.9.2022 4:33 PM

topicslifestyle

Automobiles

Driving Means Freedom

Rising expenses and regulatory hurdles limit Americans' mobility.

J.D. Tuccille | 4.19.2022 6:00 AM

denny-muller-PulU3AxfJtQ-unsplash

Speed Cameras

Chicago's More Aggressive Speed Cameras Issued 2.8 Million Tickets Last Year

The city's army of 160 speed cameras issued a ticket every 11 seconds during 2021 and generated $89 million in revenue.

Eric Boehm | 4.6.2022 12:50 PM

dreamstime_xxl_117166668

Fourth Amendment

Every Year, Police Pull People Over To Give Out Turkeys Instead of Tickets. That Could Be Illegal.

There are better ways to build trust in the community than by violating the Fourth Amendment.

Billy Binion | 11.26.2021 4:50 PM

dreamstime_m_16541567

Nanny State

Your Next Car May Refuse To Start if It Thinks You've Had a Drink

Get ready to pay for new nanny-state technology and for bypassing the unwelcome intervention.

J.D. Tuccille | 11.15.2021 7:00 AM

grabbed_1161x653

Canada

Brickbat: What's in a Name?

Charles Oliver | 9.6.2021 4:00 AM

mauro-sbicego-PnhEJJ6lwvo-unsplash

Transportation Policy

How Louisiana Perfected the Speed Trap

Want to fight your ticket? Welcome to mayor’s court, where your accuser is also your judge.

Daryl James | 7.19.2021 2:20 PM

DUI-Marijuana-sign-AAA-enlarged

Safety

A Study Finds That Crash Injuries in 5 States Rose After They Legalized Marijuana Use but Not After They Allowed Marijuana Sales

Adding to the puzzle, another study from the same organization found "no increased crash risk" associated with cannabis consumption.

Jacob Sullum | 6.23.2021 4:00 PM

carjacking_1161x653

Crime

Brickbat: Grand Theft Auto

Charles Oliver | 5.11.2021 4:00 AM

motorcyclecops_1161x653

Police

Brickbat: I Don't Think Jon and Ponch Did It This Way

Charles Oliver | 4.30.2021 4:00 AM

arizona-drivers-license

Criminal Justice

Arizona Legislature Votes to End License Suspensions for Ticket Debts

Advocates say the legislation would restore an estimated 30,000 driver's licenses.

C.J. Ciaramella | 4.6.2021 2:48 PM

DUI-Marijuana-sign-AAA-enlarged

War on Drugs

These DUI Laws Are an Irrational Hangover From Pot Prohibition

States should stop treating sober cannabis consumers as public menaces.

Jacob Sullum | 10.28.2020 12:01 AM

byrd

Criminal Justice

Chicago City Council Votes To Partially Reform Its Notoriously Harsh Vehicle Impound Program

A 2018 Reason investigation showed how Chicago's impound program ensnared innocent owners, stripped them of their cars, and soaked them in debt.

C.J. Ciaramella | 7.23.2020 10:25 AM

chicago-building

Criminal Justice

Chicago Mayor Introduces Major Reforms to Punitive Vehicle Impound Program

Reason showed how Chicago's impound program traps innocent owners in thousands of dollars of debt in 2018.

C.J. Ciaramella | 6.18.2020 6:16 PM

10ways1

Supreme Court

10 Ways a Roadside Police Stop Can Go Wrong

What could happen—and what to do about it—if you get pulled over by the cops

Jacob Sullum | 5.17.2020 6:00 AM

drive-baked-get-busted-FDHSMV-bigger

Medical Marijuana

After a State-Authorized Medical Marijuana Patient Had an Epileptic Seizure and Crashed Her Car, Police Arrested Her for Driving With 'Marjuana in Her System'

The case illustrates the injustice and irrationality of Pennsylvania's "zero tolerance" approach to stoned driving.

Jacob Sullum | 3.13.2020 6:30 PM

topicslaw

Fourth Amendment

The Supreme Court's Next Fourth Amendment Showdown

In November, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Kansas v. Glover.

Damon Root | 1.30.2020 6:30 AM

driverslicenses_1161x653

Privacy

Brickbat: Your Data Are Safe with Us

Charles Oliver | 12.5.2019 4:00 AM

traffic-stop-flickr

Supreme Court

Cops Don't Need Another Excuse To Hassle Innocent Drivers

The Supreme Court should not let police stop cars solely because they’re registered to people with suspended licenses.

Jacob Sullum | 10.30.2019 12:30 AM

drive-baked-get-busted-FDHSMV-bigger

Criminal Justice

Sober Cannabis Consumers in Utah Already Can Be Convicted of Stoned Driving. This Legislator Thinks the Law Is Too Lenient.

His bill would authorize felony prosecutions of drivers with THC in their blood even when they are not impaired.

Jacob Sullum | 9.16.2019 7:23 AM

Screen Shot 2019-07-30 at 3.24.06 PM

Criminal Justice

New York Dad Should Not Face Homicide Charges for Accidentally Killing Twin 1-Year-Olds in a Hot Car

Laws criminalizing the act of leaving children in cars are misguided.

Lenore Skenazy | 7.30.2019 3:29 PM

filingcabinets_1161x653

Massachusetts

Brickbat: Filed Away

Charles Oliver | 7.10.2019 4:00 AM

drive-baked-get-busted-FDHSMV-bigger

Criminal Justice

New Car Crash Study Highlights the Irrationality of DUI Laws Based on THC in Drivers' Blood

The researchers found no statistically significant relationship between testing positive for THC and contributing to accidents.

Jacob Sullum | 5.31.2019 1:35 PM

redlightcamera_1161x653

Police

Texas Poised To Ban All Red Light Cameras

The oft-abused tool is used more to raise revenue than to protect public safety.

Scott Shackford | 5.20.2019 1:35 PM

topicslifestyle

Teenagers

Kids Aren't Rushing To Get Their Driver's Licenses—and That's OK!

Eric Boehm | 5.14.2019 6:00 AM

byrd

Automobiles

Chicago Impounds Innocent People's Cars and Soaks Them in Fines. Now It's Getting Sued

Following a Reason investigation into Chicago's punitive vehicle impound program, a new lawsuit alleges the practice violates Chicagoans constitutional rights.

C.J. Ciaramella | 4.29.2019 10:45 PM

earbuds_1161x653

Canada

Brickbat: Forget the Hands, Here's a Finger

Charles Oliver | 4.17.2019 4:00 AM

Large image on homepages

HomePage

Chicago Seized a Disabled Woman's Van. Now It's Scrap Metal.

The city decided her van was an abandoned vehicle, even though it clearly wasn't.

Joe Setyon | 10.26.2018 4:15 PM

Large image on homepages

Hit & Run

Federal Judge Says Tennessee Shouldn't Punish Poor Drivers for Being Poor

The state can no longer suspend poor people's driver's licenses over unpaid traffic tickets, Judge Aleta Trauger ruled.

Joe Setyon | 10.18.2018 12:15 PM

Large image on homepages

Hit & Run

Brickbat: Scoot Along

Charles Oliver | 8.6.2018 4:00 AM

Large image on homepages

Nanny State

More and More of What We Do Depends on Government Permission

The granting or withholding of that approval is a powerful lever over our lives.

J.D. Tuccille | 7.24.2018 12:00 AM

Large image on homepages

Hit & Run

Saudi Woman Rapper Drops the Mic on Driving Ban Repeal

Leesa buckles her seatbelt across her abaya to celebrate the end of the female driving ban.

Zuri Davis | 6.29.2018 5:00 PM

Large image on homepages

HomePage

Chicago Has Raked in $114 Million in Vehicle Impound Fines Since 2012

Drug violations generated more than $36 million of that.

C.J. Ciaramella | 6.28.2018 1:30 PM

Large image on homepages

Hit & Run

Punishing Low-Income Drivers for Being Poor

A judge says Michigan's license suspension scheme is probably unconstitutional. But the state government wants to keep it.

Alec Ward | 1.8.2018 1:10 PM

Large image on homepages

HomePage

Stop Pretending Sober Drivers Are Stoned

States with legal pot should not define DUI based on a "mythical link" between THC blood levels and impairment.

Jacob Sullum | 1.3.2018 12:01 AM

Large image on homepages

Police

Cops Who Claim They Know When Drivers Are Stoned

Even when blood tests say they're not

Jacob Sullum | 12.28.2017 5:45 PM

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason FacebookReason TwitterReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeReason ItunesReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2022 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use