"No Exit!": A "CBS Sunday Morning" primetime special devoted to our car culture
Don't miss our primetime special, "No Exit!," driven by our love of the automobile, from the perils of commuting and gridlock, to future technologies behind the wheel. AIRS FRIDAY, MAY 17, AT 9 P.M. ET/PT, 8 P.M. CT, ON CBS.
Thank you to the Riverfields Estate in Rumson, New Jersey, which hosted taping for our "No Exit!" special.
Thank you also to:
- Rolls-Royce Owners' Club (Atlantic Region)
- Vanderhall
- Sickles Market, Little Silver, N.J.
OPENING: Mo Rocca on the dilemma of traffic (Video)
Stuck in gridlock, like millions of other drivers? Mo Rocca has suggestions on how to get away from it all, none very practical.
TECHNOLOGY: Gridlock - Seeking 21st century solutions to an age-old problem | Watch Video
As Americans spend an estimated 97 hours a year stuck in traffic, costing tens of billions in lost productivity, answers to our traffic nightmares are being explored, both high-tech and old-school, from a Hyperloop magnetic transportation system reaching speeds of hundreds of miles per hour, to gondola rides above congested city streets. Lee Cowan reports.
For more info:
- Seattle Center Monorail
- Traffic Alerts on KNX 1070 Radio, Los Angeles
- Robert Cervero, University of California, Berkeley
- Virgin Hyperloop One
- SCJ Alliance
TECHNOLOGY: The road to self-driving cars | Watch Video
A few years ago there were many headlines about self-driving cars – cars that would never get drowsy, never get impaired by alcohol, and never be distracted by cell phones. Well, the future of self-driving vehicles is closer than you think, as David Pogue finds out when he surveys a landscape in which the drivers are not people.
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: Lyft co-founder on why your car is expendable
Self-driving cars may reshape more than our streets. In this web exclusive, correspondent David Pogue talks to David Zimmer, co-founder and president of the Lyft ride-sharing service, about the future of transportation, and what will change as new technologies make us less and less dependent on owning a car.
For more info:
- Tesla Autopilot
- Lyft Self-Driving Program
- Aptiv
- "Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving" by Jason Torchinsky (Apollo Publishers), in Hardcover and eBook formats, available via Amazon
WORK: Crazy commutes: Employing alternative methods to beat traffic | Watch Video
Traffic engineer Sam Schwartz, who's credited with the dubious honor of coining the term "gridlock," believes the current traffic situation has never been this bad. So, is it any surprise that some commuters have turned to more imaginative methods of transportation to work, like a unicycle, or a self-built, foldable boat? Susan Spencer reports.
For more info:
- samschwartz.com
- Sam Schwartz's "Gridlock Sam" columns in the New York Daily News
- Mill City Museum, Minneapolis
MUSIC: Tuning in to the evolution of car radios | Watch Video
From pop hits to preachers, and pretty much everything in-between, the car radio has been part of our lives for almost 100 years. Nancy Giles talks with a familiar radio voice, "Cousin Brucie," and historian Donna Halper about the evolution of entertainment on the road.
For more info:
- iHeartMedia
- Donna Halper, Lesley University, Cambridge Mass.
- Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow on SiriusXM
- Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Brookline, Mass.
- Classic Car Club, New York City
DRIVER'S SEAT: In the slow lane with Jay Leno | Watch Video
Traffic during rush hour in Washington, D.C., is among the worst in the nation – so lethargic that even a venerable Model T Ford, driven by comedian and car aficionado Jay Leno, would have to slow down to keep up. Special correspondent Ted Koppel joins Leno as he slowly makes his way through the nation's capital, while offering a discourse on America's transportation history.
For more info:
- Follow Jay Leno on Twitter and Facebook
- "Jay Leno's Garage" (NBC)
POSTCARD FROM JAPAN: Street art: Japanese manhole covers | Watch Video
On the streets of Japan, you may find remarkable artwork right under your feet. The Japanese have turned black metal manhole covers into well-rounded works of design. Nearly every city and town now has its very own manhole covers, usually based on a local claim to fame, drawing fans (called "manholers") in search of photos or copies of these unique pieces of public art. Ben Tracy reports.
For more info:
TECHNOLOGY: Flying cars: Ready to take off | Watch Video
After decades of promises, flying cars are finally becoming real. Richard Schlesinger looks at what may soon be taking off on the highway, which look more like helicopters than what "The Jetsons" promised.
For more info:
- PAL-V
- Nexus: Bell Air Taxi
- AutoGyro
- Boeing's autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype
- Airbus: Urban Air Mobility
- Terrafugia
- Paramount Miami Worldcenter Skyport
TRAVEL: Traveling America's scenic byways | Watch Video
It's easy to get caught up in getting to where you want to go, while missing all the beauty and intrigue you pass along the journey. Conor Knighton explores America's national scenic byways.
For more info:
- America's Byways (Department of Transportation)
- National Scenic Byway Foundation
- Columbia River Highway, Oregon
- Creole Nature Trail, Louisiana
- Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway, Utah
- Robert Hadlow, Oregon Department of Transportation
- Julia McHugh, Museums of Western Colorado
COMMENTARY: Jim Gaffigan on that unavoidable certainty of life: Traffic | Watch Video
The comedian will do anything to avoid coping with traffic, especially commuting (which is just a gentle renaming of traffic).
For more info:
- jimgaffigan.com
- Follow @JimGaffigan on Twitter
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. Follow the program on Twitter (@CBSSunday), Facebook, Instagram (#CBSSundayMorning) and at cbssundaymorning.com.
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