The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "new drivers" ...
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Crash Reports
The reporter finds that a new district attorney chooses not to follow up on pending negligent vehicular homicide cases, thereby enabling many of the drivers to continue driving on the road.
Tags: car accident; manslaughter; driver; district attorney; crash report
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N.J.'s "last resort" auto policies
New Jersey has a “dollar-a-day” insurance program, which essentially gives poor drivers a legal insurance card. But this insurance doesn’t cover any costs if the driver happens to cause an accident. Furthermore, this system would leave the victims of the accidents paying for the damage they didn’t cause.
Tags: New Jersey; car accidents; insurance; motorists; program; FOIA; unprotected; drivers; damage
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Ghost Drivers
"For years, Indiana has suffered the embarrassment and dubious distinction as a "fraud Friendly" state when it comes to obtaining bogus licenses and identification cards. A new administration vowed to put a stop to it. But 13 investigates discovered the state's top agencies for prosecuting fraud weren't following through on the legal end. Investigative Reporter Sandra Chapman began tracking the case of an accused Bureau of Motor Vehicles worker accused of fraud. What she found instead was a system allowing known illegal drivers using social security numbers from decreased residents to operate free and clear of Indiana law."
Tags: identification cards; identity fraud; fake credentials; drivers licenses; driving records
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Free to Flee
For years in many states "fugitives have been let go by police, only to victimize more people. Between crimes, fugitives have used their real identities to get new drivers licenses in new states. Some have registered with police as sex offenders and still avoided arrest...The lapses mean hundreds of thousands of felony fugitives can run - and they don't need to hide."
Tags: Philip Meyer Award; felons; police; crime; warrants; St. Louis; database
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School Bus Disgrace
This investigation exposed abuse, neglect and corruption in New York City's school bus system. The reporters found cases of students being sexually abused on buses, of buses breaking down, and of special needs children being mistreated. The investigation revealed that the Department of Education had no way to track repeat offenders, and often punished misbehaving drivers with little more than a verbal reprimand.
Tags: education; transportation; FOIA; children; safety; school; crime
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City Aide Clenas Up After Storm
New Orleans' city chief techonology officer Greg Meffert was provided a driver/bodyguard/gofer to do his work at the expense of the city's taxpayers. The city had enough expenses to cover after Hurricane Katrina, and Meffert added to the list by hiring a guard who is paid more than the highest police officer.
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Teens at the Wheel
A special report by the Tribune examines the dangers of poorly trained teenage drivers. Photos of 59 Chicago-area teens who died in car accidents in the year 2006 are included in the package, which also has graphics and charts detailing the locations and numbers of deaths. Individual stories include police views, the grief of families whose children died, what some parents and young people are doing to raise awareness of the need to drive intelligently, and Illinois lawmakers' push for new laws regarding how to obtain and keep a driver's license.
Tags: Teen drivers; car accidents; teen driving deaths; seat belts; drivers license laws
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Small Town Justice
A Haitian truck driver, Jean Claude Meus, was convicted of vehicular homicide after a semi he was driving turned over and fell on a minivan, killing a mother and daughter. While no drugs or alcohol were present in his system at the time of the accident, prosecutors were able to push a conviction based on their assertion that he had fallen asleep at the wheel, and was thus driving recklessly. But WTVT-TV investigators "found convincing evidence that (he) did not fall asleep, and in fact, was trying to avoid an accident." An off-duty firefighter was a witness at the scene, and asserted that Meus was "alert and helpful immediately after the crash." Yet the lead investigator, who attended high school with victim Nona Moore, never interview Juan Otero, the off-duty firefighter. With the help of experts, WTVT reconstructed the crash, and the conclusion drawn was that Meus had turned off the road to avoid an obstruction. Further, WTVT spoke with jurors who said that with that new evidence, they would not have voted to convict.
Tags: Unfair trials; Florida Highway Patrol; quick convictions; crash reconstruction; juror bias; investigator bias; racial profiling; all-white jury
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Cybercrime, Inc.; Meth addicts' other habit: Online theft; Cyber safecrackers break into online accounts with ease; This little fob could foil a cyber bank robber; Net crooks con Americans into web of crime; Unprotected PCs can be hijacked in minutes; The rise of zombie computers -- Are hackers using your PC to spew spam and steal?; Tech industry has no unified defense system
These USA Today reporters set out to delineate the underlying economic drivers of cyber crime. On Sept. 8, 2004, Achohido and Swartz were the first to comprehensively describe how cyber crooks systematically took control of millions of home computers, turning them into zombies to carry out various fraud schemes. An accompanying cover story took big tech suppliers to task for placing an unfair burden on consumers for keeping the Internet safe. A November 30 story reported the results of a honey pot test -- designed and overseen by the reporters -- showing how simply connecting a new PC to the Internet triggers nonstop break-in attempts by intruders. They also outlined what readers can and should do to protect themselves. These findings were only the beginning of their investigation.
Tags: cyber fraud; Internet; online
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May I See Some Identification? The Real ID Act will change current New Mexico driver's license laws and could pose a serious threat to civil liberties
The author investigates the impact that the Real ID Act, which mandates a federal ID card system, could have on New Mexico. The author explores the ways that the new law could affect immigration, civil liberties, and states rights. The author focuses specifically on how the law will affect New Mexico's illegal immigrants, because the bill nullifies a current state law that allows illegal immigrants to legally receive a New Mexico driver's license.
Tags: ID; immigration; naturalization; Real ID Act. Driver's License