FILE – A food delivery worker rides down a sidewalk after a pickup from a restaurant in New York on Jan. 29, 2024. DoorDash is stepping up efforts to stop delivery drivers who are breaking traffic laws. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, FILE)

DoorDash said Tuesday that it’s stepping up efforts to identify dangerous delivery drivers and remove them from its platform after a flood of complaints from cities.

In a letter sent last month to DoorDash and other food delivery companies, Boston officials said they were seeing an increase in the unlawful and dangerous operation of motorcycles, mopeds and motorized scooters by delivery workers.

The city said riders were running red lights, traveling the wrong way on one-way streets, exceeding posted speed limits and driving on sidewalks.

San Francisco-based DoorDash said it has created a dedicated point of contact for the Boston Police Department to make it faster and easier to process requests for drivers’ records. The company said it would also consider removing drivers from the platform if police report they have broken traffic laws.

DoorDash said it was starting the effort in Boston but may expand it to other cities.

DoorDash said it’s also partnering with Boston and other cities to share guidance on vehicle registration requirements in multiple languages. It will also warn delivery workers about activities that break local laws, like driving on sidewalks.

“We will remind Dashers that failing to comply with local laws or our standards could lead to removal from our platform,” the company said.

Officials in Boston, New York and other cities have said that in many cases, drivers are using unregistered vehicles for deliveries. Some drivers may also share accounts, so a person with multiple traffic violations might be using a vehicle registered to someone else.

In New York, authorities have seized 13,000 scooters and mopeds so far this year that were unregistered or used to break traffic laws.

“They have terrorized many of our pedestrians, particularly our senior and older adults,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said last month at an event where 200 motorized two-wheeled delivery vehicles were destroyed. “Riders who think the rules don’t apply to them, they’re going to see an aggressive enforcement policy that’s in place.”

In response, DoorDash said it will more frequently prompt drivers to submit a real-time selfie to prove their identity while they’re making deliveries. The selfie is then compared to previously submitted government identification.

DoorDash said it would remove drivers who fail to confirm their identities.

DoorDash wouldn’t say Tuesday how many drivers it typically removes from its platform each year for breaking traffic laws.

FILE – Logo of BMW is seen displayed at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida, near New Delhi, India, Feb. 8, 2018. BMW of North America is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles in the U.S. because an airbag inflator could possibly explode, leading to a potentially serious injury or death. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, file)

WASHINGTON (AP) — BMW of North America is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles in the U.S. because they are equipped with airbag inflators that can explode, leading to a potentially serious injury or death.

The original steering wheel may have been replaced with a sport or M-sport steering wheel equipped with a Takata inflator, the agency said.

If the inflator explodes, it may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants of a vehicle, resulting in serious injury or death, the NHTSA said.

BMW has not received any reports of any accidents or injuries in the U.S. that may be related to this issue, according to the latest report.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday that the recall of 394,029 vehicles includes certain 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (324i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi), 2006-2012 3 Series Sportswagon (325xi, 328i, 328xi), and 2009-2011 3 Series Sedan (335d) vehicles.

BMW dealers will inspect and replace the driver’s air bag module as necessary for free.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on Aug. 23. Vehicle owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 10, 2024 1:11 P.M.

(Ambridge, Pa) Lauren Lin was hired at Tuesday night’s Hopewell School Board meeting. She will begin her duties on August 15, 2024. Her salary will be $63,420 a year. Long time athletic trainer Don Short retired last month. Assistant high school principal Jeff Miller resigned effective June 26,2024.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 10, 2024 1:10 P.M.

(Ambridge, Pa) Ambridge Borough received a $124,200 Beaver County Community Development block grant to improve the Melrose Avenue and Seventh Street parking lots. The borough signed an agreement with Duquesne Light to install 4 more charging stations at the Melrose Avenue parking lot.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 10, 2024 1:07 P.M.

(Center Township, Pa) Center Township Police Chief Aldo Legge reported Wednesday morning that Matthew Stewart Hottensteller, 28, of Chapel Road was arrested on a warrant Tuesday night at 10pm. Police were assisted by the Beaver County ESU. Drugs, money, and a weapon were confiscated when they took the suspect into custody.
The criminal complaint on Hottenseller was filed in District Justice Joseph Shaffer’s office this morning and Hottenseller is lodged in the Beaver County Jail.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing work to inspect the bridge that carries Route 18 (Frankfort Road) over Raccoon Creek in Potter Township, Beaver County, will occur Thursday and Friday, July 11-12 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on the Route 18 bridge between Raccoon Creek Road and Pleasant Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

Crews from Mackin Engineering and the Sofis Company will conduct routine inspection activities.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) urges motorists to always check the back seat of your vehicle before locking it and walking away.

Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash related fatalities for children 14 and younger according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Within 10 minutes, the temperature in a car can rise by 20 degrees, creating dangerous conditions for a child. According to noheatstroke.org, there were 14 pediatric vehicular stroke deaths in 2023.

NHTSA offers the following tips to ensure the safety of your child this summer:

• Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time. Rolling down the windows or parking in the shade does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle.
• Make it a habit to check your entire vehicle before locking the doors and walking away.
• Place a personal item such as a purse or briefcase in the backseat as a reminder to look before you lock it.
• Write a note or place a stuffed animal in the passenger seat as another reminder that your child is in the back seat.

  If you happen to see a child left unattended, be sure to take immediate action. If the child is not responsive or in distress, call 911 immediately and get the child out of the car. If a child is responsive, stay with them until help arrives while someone else searches for the driver.

  Pennsylvania Law provides civil immunity for damage done to a vehicle when forceful entry is necessary to rescue a child.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 10, 2024 7:56 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) Aliquippa police were called to the scene of a shooting in the 1000 block of Irwin Street at 4:56 a.m. this morning. State Police were called in to take over the investigation and remain on scene, according to a state police official.
No other details are available at this time.

Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Connection

Pennsylvania’s landscape is being transformed through billions of dollars in federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which support numerous large-scale projects.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., emphasized the multifaceted benefits Pennsylvania has reaped from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He pointed to record-breaking investments in roads, bridges, water systems and transportation across the state.

Casey pointed out $13 billion was allocated to Pennsylvania for roads and bridges.

“For example, in Pittsburgh, raising the flood wall that protects the Parkway East and in downtown Pittsburgh, including the so-called bathtub section of interstate 376,” Casey outlined. “That often floods during heavy storms. That’s a $6.6 million project that will help ensure that it can stay open and allow for traffic to flow through.”

According to Casey’s website, progress has been made on key provisions in the Senate’s initial fiscal year 2024 funding bills. The provisions cover a range of issues, from anti-drug efforts to economic development, and include more than $172 million for Pennsylvania community projects.

Casey noted a significant investment in the infrastructure bill provides funding for removing and replacing aging lead service lines in the water system in Pennsylvania.

“In Pittsburgh, that amounts to, in terms of the current funding, amounts to 4,900 homes and businesses in the city or surrounding communities,” Casey explained. “That funding level is over $30 million.”

Casey emphasized the infrastructure bill allocates significant funding to improve internet connectivity across Pennsylvania, particularly in rural areas where up to 30% of residents lack access. He added the investment in high-speed internet will also address urban dead spots and is expected to be one of the most transformative aspects of the legislation.

MONACA, July 8 – State Rep. Rob Matzie will host a license plate replacement event on Friday, July 19 to help motorists learn whether they need a new license plate and, if so, to help them apply for a free replacement.

Matzie, D-Beaver, said the event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 19 in the parking lot of the Community College of Beaver County Dome, located on Campus Drive.

“We’re teaming with local police to help folks address an important but sometimes overlooked issue,” Matzie said. “State law prohibits driving with a license plate that is illegible – meaning that it’s blistered, peeling or discolored; has lost reflectivity; or has at least one number or letter that can’t be recognized from 50 feet away. Plates with any of these problems qualify for free replacement, and our event will make the whole process easier.

“I encourage anyone who suspects their plate might qualify for replacement to stop by.”

Matzie said motorists must bring their unexpired PA driver’s license and current vehicle registration card in order to apply for a replacement plate.

The new plates will not be distributed at the event. Matzie said that after PennDOT has processed the applications, his office will notify motorists that it is time to pick up their new plates and surrender their old ones.