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After LA synchronizes all stoplights traffic moves a bit better but the road war endures

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - It seems that the impossible has occurred: The nation's most congested city has become a model for traffic control. Yes, gridlock still prevails and drivers' blood pressure still spikes as LA's traffic arteries seize up during every morning and afternoon rush hour. Yet, with the flip of a switch earlier this year, Los Angeles became a worldwide leader by synchronizing all of its nearly 4,400 stoplights, making it the world's first major city to do so.

Truck crash may have caused Washington state bridge collapse

By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A bridge collapse that sent cars and drivers tumbling into a frigid river in Washington state appears to have been caused when a semi-trailer truck carrying an oversize load struck a bridge support beam, officials said on Friday. The truck crossed the bridge safely before a portion of the structure collapsed, sending two vehicles and a mass of concrete and steel into the Skagit River Thursday evening. Three people had to be rescued, officials said.

General Motors recalling Cadillac SUVs; wheels can fall off due to loose lugnuts

DETROIT - General Motors Co. is recalling more than 27,000 Cadillac SUVs worldwide because the wheels can fall off. The company says the recall affects the 2013 Cadillac SRX with 18-inch wheels. Canadian safety regulators say the wheel nuts may not have been tightened enough at the factory. GM says the problem hasn't caused any crashes or injuries, and no wheels have fallen from vehicles. Dealers will rotate tires and tighten the nuts at no cost to the owners.

Ski-Doo maker's IPO price values BRP at about $2.5B, prices shares at $21.50

MONTREAL - The maker of Ski-Doo snowmobiles says its initial public offering has been priced at $21.50 per share — giving the company a market value of about $2.5 billion. BRP Inc., whose shares are expected to begin trading May 29 under the TSX symbol DOO, expects to raise at least $262.3 million in gross proceeds from sale of the 12.2 million subordinate voting shares through the IPO. The gross proceeds could rise to more than $300 million if an option for 1.8 million additional shares is exercised by underwriters.

Wildcat strike hits Mercedes South African plant

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Car maker Mercedes Benz <DAIGn.DE> said on Monday workers at its South African assembly plant had gone on an illegal strike at the end of last week but had agreed to resume operations on Tuesday. "Scheduled production will resume on Tuesday 21 May," company spokeswoman Lynette Skriker said in a statement. She said production had been affected by the two-day walkout. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Ed Cropley)

Correction: Drunken Driving-Zero Deaths story

WASHINGTON - In a story May 17 about a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation on a blood alcohol threshold for drivers, The Associated Press incorrectly reported the definition of a drink. The standard definition of a drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof alcohol. A corrected version of the story is below: Tougher drunken driving threshold recommended US officials recommend lowering drunken driving threshold to .05 blood alcohol to save lives By JOAN LOWY Associated Press

China's government says Cadillac recalling SUVs to fix problem with wheel nuts

BEIJING, China - China's product safety agency says General Motors Co.'s main Chinese joint venture is recalling Cadillac SUVs to correct a problem with nuts that hold their wheels in place. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Friday that Shanghai GM will recall 2,653 imported Cadillac SRXs. The agency said torque might cause nuts on the wheels to loosen. It said the nuts will be adjusted and tightened. It was not immediately clear if the problem was limited only to such models in China.

Most small SUVs do poorly in frontal crash tests

Only two of 13 small SUVs tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety scored well on a front-end crash test. IIHS crashed the SUVs into a 5-foot-tall barrier at 40 mph and measured how the structure held up, how the air bags and seat belts worked and the potential for injuries to the head, neck, torso and other parts of the body. The test hits only about 25 per cent of the front-end, and that often misses structures set up to absorb crash impacts.

Only 2 of 13 small SUVs perform well in insurance institute front-end crash tests

DETROIT - Only two of 13 small SUVs performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group, with several popular models faring poorly in the evaluations. Subaru's 2014 Forester was the only vehicle to get the top "good" rating in the results released Thursday. The 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport was rated as "acceptable." But fast-selling models such as the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Jeep Wrangler received only "marginal" or "poor" ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Remade Mercedes S-Class can help steer, give hot-stone massage

FRANKFURT - Daimler AG has unveiled the newest version of its S-Class model from luxury Mercedes-Benz brand, a key part of the company's effort to restore its earnings performance. The new S-class sedan was shown off Wednesday at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany. It has a taller grille that changes its exterior appearance, but the major emphasis was on the technology added to increase driver comfort and safety — and underline the Mercedes' image as an advanced vehicle for the well-heeled.
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