Safety | Reason Archives (original) (raw)
SCOTUS Case Involving Cannabis Fraud Highlights the Illogic of Federal Drug Testing Mandates
A trucker lost his job because he tested positive for marijuana after consuming a supposedly THC-free CBD tincture.
Jacob Sullum | 10.23.2024 3:00 PM
California Bill Requires All New Cars To Beep When You Speed
Drivers in the state narrowly avoided an even harsher restriction on their automotive freedom.
Jack Nicastro | 9.6.2024 10:35 AM
The Best of Reason: The Fragile Generation
Bad policy and paranoid parenting are making kids too safe to succeed.
Lenore Skenazy and Jonathan Haidt | 8.20.2024 6:21 PM
KOSA Moves Forward in Congress, Threatening Free Speech and Encryption
Only Sens. Paul and Wyden are expected to vote "no" on Tuesday. Power to stop KOSA now resides with the House.
Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 7.29.2024 11:34 AM
A Law Professor's Beef With a First Amendment 'Spinning Out of Control': Too Much Speech of the Wrong Sort
Even as he praises judicial decisions that made room for "dissenters" and protected "robust political debate," Tim Wu pushes sweeping rationales for censorship.
Jacob Sullum | 7.2.2024 4:35 PM
Brickbat: All Things Must End
Charles Oliver | 6.17.2024 4:00 AM
American Manufacturers Need Tax and Regulatory Reform, Not Tariffs
Despite both presidential candidates touting protectionist trade policy, tariffs do little to address the underlying factors that make it difficult for U.S. manufacturers to compete in the global marketplace.
Veronique de Rugy | 5.23.2024 2:40 PM
San Diego Is Cracking Down on Groups Exercising Outside Without a Permit
A revision to the municipal code made it illegal for groups of four or more people to convene in public spaces for commercial recreational activities without a government stamp of approval.
Billy Binion | 5.20.2024 5:15 PM
How California's Ban on Diesel Locomotives Could Have Major National Repercussions
No technology exists today to enable railroads to comply with the state's diktat, which villainizes a mode of transportation that is actually quite energy efficient.
Veronique de Rugy | 5.2.2024 2:02 AM
Remy: It's Raining Men (Boeing Parody)
Boeing throws conventional wisdom out the window, among other things.
Remy | 3.29.2024 11:00 AM
'15 Days To Slow the Spread': On the Fourth Anniversary, a Reminder to Never Give Politicians That Power Again
In the name of safety, politicians did many things that diminished our lives—without making us safer.
John Stossel | 3.20.2024 9:45 AM
Self-Driving Cars Have Arrived. They Will Make Us Safer.
The good news: Regulators have exercised unusual restraint.
John Stossel | 12.20.2023 11:40 AM
Gas Tax Revenues Decline as Cars Get More Efficient. How Will Government Pay for Roads?
Lawmakers should consider a user-fee system designed to charge drivers by the mile.
Veronique de Rugy | 12.7.2023 5:10 PM
Lawmakers and Unions Defend Burdensome Airline Regulations With Bogus Statistics
The world's largest union of pilots says this requirement is necessary for safety and not unduly burdensome, but its data are misleadingly cherry-picked.
Joe Lancaster | 10.23.2023 11:00 AM
9-Year-Old Kidnapping Victim Charlotte Sena Recovered Safely
Let's celebrate her return without exaggerating the relevant dangers; stranger abductions are rare.
Lenore Skenazy | 10.9.2023 3:28 PM
Federal Judge Blocks California Online Age-Checking Law as Unconstitutional
Shielding children from “harm” shouldn’t come at the expense of speech protected by the First Amendment.
Scott Shackford | 9.19.2023 12:50 PM
Don't Bring Back COVID Authoritarianism
People should be free to choose how cautious to be. Mask mandates, lockdowns, and closing schools won't stop the virus.
John Stossel | 8.30.2023 12:30 AM
Federal Safety Regulators Say 43 Percent of Tested Fireworks Are Illegal. God Bless America.
Fireworks consumption is at record levels even as fireworks injuries fall.
Christian Britschgi | 7.3.2023 10:00 AM
Don't Shame the OceanGate Crew for Taking Huge Risks
But don't expect taxpayers to rescue adventurers when they fail, either.
Christian Britschgi | 6.21.2023 5:45 PM
The Rail Safety Act Is About Union Handouts, Not Safety
The legislation—which was introduced in response to the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio—pushes pet projects and would worsen the status quo.
Veronique de Rugy | 6.15.2023 12:01 AM
Do 'More Guns Lead To More Deaths'?
No, and that good news needs to be front and center in all discussions of gun control, especially after school shootings.
Nick Gillespie | 4.5.2023 1:35 PM
New NTSB Report Highlights Useless, Premature Regulatory Push After East Palestine Derailment
Plus: Ex-felons and the right to vote, Gavin Newsom's plan to cap oil company profits collides with reality, and more...
Christian Britschgi | 2.24.2023 9:57 AM
Ohio Train Derailment Is Another Excuse for Mudslinging and Conspiracy Theorizing
Plus: Did the Pentagon shoot down a hobby radio balloon?, Kentucky abortion ban can be enforced, and more...
Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 2.17.2023 9:35 AM
Is Texas About To Use Expired Drugs To Execute Death Row Inmates?
Defendants say this practice violates the state’s own laws. The attorney general is pushing onward anyway.
Scott Shackford | 1.6.2023 2:20 PM
Elon Musk Kicks Tech Journalists, Mastodon Off Twitter
Plus: Sen. Mike Lee wants to remove First Amendment protections for porn, IRS doxxes taxpayers, and more...
Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 12.16.2022 9:31 AM
Brickbat: Lesson Learned
Charles Oliver | 11.25.2022 4:00 AM
ATF, Enforcer of Gun Laws, Lost 'Thousands of Firearms, Firearm Parts' to Thieves
The agency should be abolished and its employees sent to seek jobs in the private sector.
J.D. Tuccille | 10.31.2022 7:00 AM
Federal Government Still Tells Kids To Wear Masks on Halloween, For COVID-19 Safety
"Keep safe from COVID by following CDC advice to wear a mask."
Lenore Skenazy | 10.24.2022 8:00 AM
You Do Not Need To Store Your Kids' DNA in Case of Emergencies
Fearmongering about mass school shootings leads to some dumb, privacy-threatening ideas.
Scott Shackford | 10.21.2022 12:50 PM
A School District Cancels A Beloved Halloween Parade Over Stranger-Danger Nonsense
School officials also cited concerns that the parade excludes children whose families do not celebrate Halloween, or whose parents cannot attend the event.
Emma Camp | 10.12.2022 1:10 PM
Not Even the FDA Trusts the FDA To Regulate Food Safety
The FDA has effectively thrown up its hands over its most important food-related role.
Baylen Linnekin | 7.30.2022 8:00 AM
Politicians Should Resist the Urge To 'Do Anything' in Response to School Shootings
While that impulse is understandable, it can lead to policies that do more harm than good.
Jacob Sullum | 6.1.2022 12:01 AM
The Sex-Ad Law FOSTA Was a Mistake. Some Lawmakers Want to Fix It.
The SAFE SEX Workers Study Act would look at the impact of FOSTA and the seizure of sites like Backpage and Rentboy.
Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.9.2022 3:06 PM
Philadelphia's D.A. Sees Little Value and Much Injustice in Gun Possession Arrests
Larry Krasner also questions the effectiveness of "supply-side" measures aimed at reducing criminals' access to firearms.
Jacob Sullum | 2.16.2022 4:55 PM
How Drug Cartels and Federal Import Restrictions May Cancel Your Guacamole Plans
Almost all of America’s avocados come from a single Mexican state. A threatening message threw it into disarray.
Scott Shackford | 2.16.2022 1:50 PM
Unreliable Speed Cameras Line Government Pockets
Someone should tell Pete Buttigieg that local governments use speed cameras more for revenue than for safety.
Julian Verdon | 2.3.2022 4:20 PM
Last Year's 'Staggering Increase in Traffic Fatalities' Reflects Increased Driving After a Pandemic-Related Drop
While the fatality rate rose substantially in 2020, it remained essentially the same in 2021.
Jacob Sullum | 2.2.2022 3:40 PM
Don't Believe OSHA When It Threatens To Turn Its Rescinded Vaccine Mandate Into a Permanent Rule
That process takes a long time, and the result would face the same legal objection cited by the Supreme Court.
Jacob Sullum | 1.26.2022 6:05 PM
OSHA's Vaccine Mandate Illustrates the Perils of Reflexively Deferring to Government Experts
The question for the Supreme Court was not whether the policy was wise but whether it was legal.
Jacob Sullum | 1.19.2022 12:01 AM
In the Case That Blocked OSHA's Vaccine Mandate, the Justices Disagreed About When COVID-19 Counts As a Workplace Hazard
The crux of the argument is the distinction "between occupational risk and risk more generally."
Jacob Sullum | 1.14.2022 1:35 PM
Defending OSHA's Vaccine Mandate, Sonia Sotomayor Says 'I'm Not Sure I Understand the Distinction' Between State and Federal Powers
The justice's reference to a national "police power" raised some eyebrows.
Jacob Sullum | 1.10.2022 2:55 PM
The Supreme Court Seems Inclined To Block OSHA's Vaccine Mandate
Most of the justices appear to be skeptical of the argument that the agency has the power it is asserting.
Jacob Sullum | 1.7.2022 5:25 PM
The Biden Administration Is Asking an Appeals Court to Lift the Order Blocking OSHA's Vaccine Mandate
The government argues that the 5th Circuit erred in concluding that the rule "grossly exceeds OSHA's statutory authority."
Jacob Sullum | 11.23.2021 7:20 PM
Extending Its Stay, the 5th Circuit Says OSHA's Vaccine Mandate Is 'Fatally Flawed'
A unanimous three-judge panel concludes that the decree "grossly exceeds OSHA's statutory authority."
Jacob Sullum | 11.14.2021 3:45 PM
Dueling Dictionary Definitions Figure Prominently in the Legal Dispute Over OSHA's Vaccine Mandate
Is the COVID-19 virus an "agent"?
Jacob Sullum | 11.11.2021 3:00 PM
The FDA Warns That Hand Sanitizer 'Can Cause Serious Injury' If You Put It in Your Eyes
"These are the same people who could not approve an at-home COVID-19 test for a year."
Lenore Skenazy | 11.9.2021 2:34 PM
The Details of OSHA's Vaccination Rule for Private Employees Suggest Several Ways It Could Be Vulnerable to Legal Challenges
Federal courts will have to decide whether the rule is "necessary" to protect workers from a "grave danger."
Jacob Sullum | 11.4.2021 2:20 PM
Derailment Investigation Leads D.C. Metro To Pull 60 Percent of Its Rail Cars From Service
D.C. transit officials have known since 2017 about a safety defect in its 7000 series cars that caused a derailment last week.
Christian Britschgi | 10.18.2021 4:20 PM