BRIEFS

BRISTOL, Ind. (AP): Seven people in a minivan full of relatives were killed when their vehicle hit a deer on an Indiana, USA, highway and slowed down or stopped just before a semi-trailer slammed into them from behind, state police said Friday.

None of the minivan's 10 occupants were wearing seatbelts when the crash happened Thursday night state police Sgt Trent Smith said. An infant who was in a car seat, but not been buckled in, was among those killed.

The minivan had Illinois license plates, and police believe at least some of those on board were Ecuadoran immigrants living in the Chicago area.

Family members were coming about 100 miles from the Chicago area on Friday to help identify the victims, Smith said.

Investigators were able to speak with the least-injured victim, who said everyone inside the van was related. "Not all direct family members, but cousins and other relatives," Smith said.

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No smoking in gov't vehicles

TOWSON, Md. (AP): Baltimore County is planning to ban employees from smoking in police cars, maintenance trucks and other government-owned vehicles.

A county health official confirmed the change in policy to The Baltimore Sun. The paper reports that the county health officer recommended the move last week. The change is being made after some non-smoking employees complained about lingering cigarette smoke and because of health concerns.

The county owns about 1,500 vehicles, including about 800 public-safety vehicles such as police cars. The county's current policy is that employees may only smoke in a vehicle if they are riding alone.

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GM recalls SUVs

DETROIT (AP):' General Motors (GM) is recalling more than 36,000 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossover SUVs to fix tyre pressure monitors that don't work correctly.

The company says the systems in the 2012 vehicles should warn drivers when tyre pressure drops 25 per cent below the recommended pressure. But in the recalled vehicles, the warning light doesn't come on until the tyre pressure falls more than 25 per cent. The recalled vehicles were built between July 18 and September 6 of 2011.

Federal safety regulators say underinflated tyres can overheat. That could lead to a blowout and a crash. But GM says it knows of no crashes or injuries caused by the problem.

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Honking conviction overturned

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP): The state Supreme Court has struck down a Snohomish County car-honking ban as an intrusion on free speech rights.

The court ruled 6-3 on Thursday to overturn the conviction of an Arlington woman for honking her car horn in front of her neighbour's home at 6 a.m. The woman was upset after learning that the neighbour had complained about her chickens.

Justice Debra Stephens wrote for the majority, that Snohomish County's law prohibits all honking except for purposes of public safety or as part of sanctioned parades or public events. She says that would bar drivers from honking in support of American troops or to celebrate a wedding.

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Car production up in Central Europe 

NOSOVICE, Czech Republic (AP) : If it's true that the global economy is grinding to a halt, carmakers in Central Europe seem to have not heard about it.

Assembly lines continue to hum and some are even increasing production and hiring new workers as the automotive sector shifts to a higher gear in what seems to have become a safe haven region for many companies.

South Korea's Hyundai introduced last month a third shift at its plant near the northeastern Czech town of Nosovice to be able to produce SUVs and sedans for European markets 24 hours a day.

Despite the painful financial turmoil that has engulfed the eurozone and cast uncertainty over world economic growth, there is still plenty of demand for new cars from low-cost plants like the one at Nosovice. 

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Nine-year-old 'designated driver'

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP): For the second time this month authorities have charged a father with allowing his nine year-old child to be a designated driver.

Nathan Walter Sikkenga, 31, of Gillette, Wyoming, told troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol in Orlando recently that he and his wife "were under the influence of alcohol" and instructed their son to drive the van, according to an arrest report released onTuesday.

The van crashed into a security gate arm bar. An Orange County Sheriff's deputy who witnessed the crash told responding troopers that a child was behind the wheel and the father was sitting in the front passenger seat, the report stated.