High Stakes on Highways: Child Safety, Stolen Rides, and Electric Car Fire Debates

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In an age where technology meets transportation, the road can be fraught with unexpected challenges. From the unimaginable horror of child-threats during carjackings to the shock of discovering your brand-new purchase has a dark history, we tread the tangled highways of the modern vehicular world. In this deep dive, we'll also illuminate the government's teetering stance on electric car fires and the shifts in the used car market. Strap in as we navigate these turbulent roads.

Memphis Carjacker Threatens To Murder Child

We’ve been sounding the alarm on rising carjacking rates for some time. While it’s bad enough when someone swipes your car while it’s parked, having someone take it at gunpoint is far worse. And the people who steal cars are often depraved enough they don’t care who they hurt, even small children. One mother in Memphis, Tennessee learned this the hard way.

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‘Will Run’ Mustang Slams Into Family’s SUV

The brash 18-year-old behind the wheel, Marcus Burton, wasn’t just out for a joyride. He was actively fleeing from a California Highway Patrol stop when the Mustang hurtled into the SUV around 1:30 p.m., near the Mendocino Avenue exit.

Though the Instagram footage of the crash leaves viewers gasping – showing not only the moment of impact but also the subsequent arrest of Burton and another suspect escaping the Mustang wreckage – the outcome was somewhat miraculous. The three passengers of the SUV, including a child, were taken to a hospital with injuries ranging from minor to moderate.

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Louisiana District Attorney Carjacked

On the night of October 16, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams came face-to-face with a gunman and his accomplice who wanted William’s Lincoln Navigator. The DA was out with his 78-year-old mother and was helping her out of the vehicle when the carjacker approached.

Read more here.

National Car Theft Rate Punched Up 20% In 2022

This week the FBI released its annual crime report and it shows that nationwide car theft has jumped 20% versus 2021. If you think that’s not bad, consider it’s an average of the whole country. That means in high-crime areas the increase was far higher. In other words, car theft is getting worse and by a disturbing amount.

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Cop Shot Right After Performing PIT On Fleeing Suspects

Being a cop puts a target on your back with some of the worst elements of society. Unfortunately, one never knows which people during a routine situation will suddenly turn violent. But even when doing a risky maneuver like a PIT, the danger can escalate dramatically and things take an even more vicious turn. That’s exactly what this New Mexico trooper faced in the town of Edgewood after he pitted two suspects for alleged drug use in a gas station bathroom.

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Family Business Turns Into $6 Million Theft Front

Brothers, Tou Sue Vang, 32, and Andrew Vang, 28, alongside their mother, Monica Moua, 58, have been entwined in what’s fast becoming one of America’s most notorious theft rings. The allegation? An audacious scheme worth $600 million, centered around the covert theft and sale of catalytic converters.

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EV Fires Are Complicating Government Policies

The results of a government-commissioned report on electric car fires in the UK might cause waves on this side of the pond soon enough. After all, among the many conclusions was that parking spaces in parking structures must be made much wider, meaning in areas where it’s already difficult enough to find a spot it will become that much harder.

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eBay Faces $2 Billion Federal Fine For Emissions Cheats

The Environmental Protection Agency has been on a crusade against aftermarket car modifications, an effort it’s stepped up recently. Caught up in the push for punitive measures against anyone who sells what unelected federal regulators define as an “emissions defeat device” is none other than online retail giant eBay. The company is facing a staggering $2 billion in fines.

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Carvana in Hot Water Again: Atlanta Man Discovers His ‘New’ Truck Had Been Stolen

The ordeal of buying a car can be harrowing enough, but for Anthony Williams of Atlanta, it turned out to be a nightmare. A mere year after proudly parking a Ram 1500 Big Horn truck from Carvana in his driveway, local law enforcement arrived with shocking news: his new vehicle was hot property. Stolen, to be exact.

Read more here.

Ford Is Recalling Mach-Es For An Embarrassing Problem

Ford has issued a recall for about 35,000 Mach-E all-electric crossovers. Unfortunately, it’s not to remove the pony badges and stop calling the grocery getter a Mustang, but it’s almost as embarrassing. And the result is sales, which seem to already be waning along with other EVs, could take a hit.

Read more here.

Used Cars Become More Affordable While New Cars Do The Opposite

Shopping for a car is never a fun experience, unless maybe you have a million dollars to spend, especially with all the market weirdness from 2020 to now. Sanity continues to return to the used market but at the same time new car prices keep climbing.

Read more here.