Click here to view the new motor vehicle, highway, and travel laws for 2011.

"Rip-off" or "business as usual." What you call the latest action by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority depends on whether you’re a driver or a revenue-hungry official.

As we go to press, the Turnpike Authority plans to eliminate off-peak toll discounts to drivers with E-ZPasses issued by other states.

We're all well aware of the sorry state of New York's roads and bridges, but the extent of the financial crumbling of the state's Dedicated Highway & Bridge Trust Fund rivals any pothole-ravished road or rust-eaten span.

According to Gov.

It’s back. “Congestion pricing” is rising from the grave like a character in a grade-B horror movie. This time around, however, proponents aren’t pretending it’s about anything but the money. Charging vehicles a fee to enter Manhattan’s Central Business District during peak periods is the newest old idea to bail out the MTA at the expense of motorists.

We’ve heard it—and fought it—before.

Weary air travelers might be surprised to learn that that the cure for New York’s intractable air-traffic ills already exists. NextGen, the GPS-like technology-based system could significantly reduce flight delays by allowing planes to fly shorter distances between cities and increasing precision during takeoffs and landings.

The compulsory use of rear seat belts should be law. Not only is it common sense to do so for those sitting in the rear of a vehicle as much as it is for those in the front, statistics support this need.

If Mayor Bloomberg has his way, as of July, anyone in a vehicle crash in New York City will pay handsomely for the privilege. According to the mayor, this “crash tax” will take the financial burden off taxpayers and onto drivers, who rather thought that they already paid for emergency services in their taxes. Immediately, cries have echoed through the city that this is a case of double taxation.

In New York, the statistics are eye-popping: Drunk drivers kill about 400 people every year, a number that has remained constant for about a decade. According to a recent report from the University at Albany, each day an estimated 85,000 drivers choose to drive while drunk in New York State.

Lawmakers have largely done their part.

In an unconscionable move that threatens public safety, state officials at the Depertment of Transportation and the Division of the Budget have ordered the closing of six interstate rest areas across New York State to save money.

One year ago, New York State legislators had the good sense to make it illegal to text while driving but failed to give the law any teeth by making it a primary offense. This means that a police officer can observe someone violating the ban but cannot pull them over unless they are also violating another law.