What civil engineers are reading this week

• Civil engineers must be aware of potential pitfalls when using new, innovative products

  When using products that have not been thoroughly researched or field-tested, civil engineers have the right to demand detailed information from manufacturers. See how a court ruled in one such case.

• Drivers of EVs more likely to cause accidents, research shows

  Do electric vehicles pose a greater risk? Comparing driving behaviors and insurance claims among internal combustion engine, hybrid, and electric vehicles.

• How would California skyscrapers survive huge earthquake? LA County is about to find out

  The earthquakes of the last half-century haven’t been true tests of the kind of shaking that’s possible where California’s tallest buildings reside. 

• Beware of liability for a deformed underground plastic stormwater detention system

  A civil engineer is found responsible for a flawed drainage installation in spite of the contractor's failure to follow instructions. Learn how to avoid that scenario in this case study.

• Tennessee plastics factory staff killed in Hurricane Helene reportedly told not to evacuate

  Several employees at a plastics factory were killed during the hurricane or are missing, amid warnings that the storm’s current death toll of more than 130 is likely to rise substantially

• More than 200 killed: What caused devastating floods in Nepal?

  Working-class communities bore the brunt of Kathmandu’s floods, worsened by climate change and poor urban planning.