Speed Limit: 80. Who’s Ready?
Posted on Aug 22, 2020 in Safety | Comments Off on Speed Limit: 80. Who’s Ready?
We all do it anyway. With many Interstate speed limits at 70 miles per hour, it’s easy to push that to 75 or even 80 when cruising the vast spaces between cities. On a recent trip from Washington to Oregon, I had my cruise set at 75 and still got passed by cars that had to be going 85. Upon entering Oregon I experienced the pain of a sudden decrease to 65 and...
Read MoreCan You Trust Your Fuel Gauge?
Posted on Jul 26, 2020 in Safety | Comments Off on Can You Trust Your Fuel Gauge?
I’ll just get gas when I go out later tonight. Sure, the gas light came on and I’m 12 miles from home, but I’ll make it and I have to go out later anyway and will be closer to a gas station tonight. That’s not an uncommon thought for me, and it’s one of the problems of living in an area that’s at least 15 miles from a gas station. Earlier this week it happened...
Read MoreGM Recall Poses a Serious Safety Issue
Posted on Jun 13, 2020 in Safety | Comments Off on GM Recall Poses a Serious Safety Issue
Sometimes topics in the auto world get pretty serious. We like to have some fun and make light of certain situations, but there are times when humor is off the table. The fact is, building cars is a dangerous business. A lot can go wrong when putting together the pieces of these metal capsules that hurl us down traffic-filled roads at upwards of 70 miles per...
Read MoreBad Gas Mileage or Lack of Common Sense?
Posted on May 20, 2020 in Safety | Comments Off on Bad Gas Mileage or Lack of Common Sense?
I have a family member who doesn’t know anything about cars. I mean that quite literally, so the fact that she routinely sits behind the wheel of one is more than a little frightening. Allow me to correct myself: This is a person who knows one thing about cars. She knows that they go. She knows how to make them go, how to make them “not go” (her words for stop)...
Read MoreBe Honest: Are You a Distracted Driver?
Posted on Apr 17, 2020 in Safety | Comments Off on Be Honest: Are You a Distracted Driver?
I’m guilty. I’ve spent a lot of time on these pages preaching about distracted driving and the dangers therein. I think we all admit that it’s a huge problem, but very few of us willingly admit that we are guilty. Today, I’m saying it: I’m guilty. I had my moment of truth when I pulled up next to a truck at a stoplight. Inside was the familiar glow of a phone...
Read MoreA Scary Experience in a Brand-New Car
Posted on Mar 24, 2020 in Safety | 2 comments
I had a terrifying experience in a brand-new car last night. The story begins with yesterday’s blog about the demise of auto parts stores. The universe played a very cruel joke on me by causing my car to overheat last night and become undriveable at a seriously inopportune time. Think rainstorm, far from home, dead phone battery, groceries in the car… you get...
Read MoreUsed Buyer Beware: GM Recalling 200,000 Vehicles
Posted on Feb 11, 2020 in Safety | 1 comment
Imagine buying a used car, getting it home, parking it in the garage, then waking in the middle of the night to flames caused by that car. It’s not a likely scenario, but it is possible. If you recently purchased, or plan to purchase, a used GM SUV, be sure to check for recalls before signing on the dotted line. Fires caused by a defect in a car are rare, but...
Read MoreMost Popular Excuses for Speeding, and One That Could Avoid a Ticket
Posted on Jan 8, 2020 in Safety | 1 comment
Speeding is bad. Don’t do it. That said, I know we all have been guilty of pushing the speedometer’s needle a few ticks above the posted legal limit. Most of us have even been caught and felt the adrenaline rush that comes with seeing the flashing red and blue in the rear-view mirror. Sometimes people panic and try to talk the officer out of writing a ticket....
Read MorePedestrian Airbags: Next Big Thing or Full of Hot Air?
Posted on Dec 6, 2019 in Safety | 1 comment
It’s not enough to be safe *inside* a Volvo. Maybe the interior safety threshold has been met, or maybe engineers just wanted a challenging new project. Whatever the case, it seems pedestrians who might end up on the unfortunate end of a Volvo’s grille will be protected, too. Yes, starting with the new V40, Volvo will introduce the first pedestrian airbags....
Read MoreWhen Is Tire Siping a Good Idea?
Posted on Nov 13, 2019 in Safety | 2 comments
My parents recently leased a new 2012 Subaru Legacy. They wanted a vehicle to replace their2000 Honda CR-V, which served them well through many harsh Pacific Northwest winters. This being their first winter with the car, they were interested to see how it did once the snow started piling up. Well, this week, they got their wish. With temps well below freezing...
Read MoreShould Electric Vehicles Make Noise at Low Speeds?
Posted on Oct 10, 2019 in Safety | 1 comment
Imagine walking toward the entrance of your local grocery store when, as you pass the row of parked cars, you hear the clip-clop of an approaching horse. Surprised, you stand still and wait, not wanting to get run over by a Clydesdale. But instead of a majestic animal, a diminutive Nissan Leaf glides by, emanating the sound of hooves on pavement. It seems...
Read MoreCars Coming Soon: Volvo’s “Crash Proof” Car
Posted on Sep 9, 2019 in Safety | 1 comment
Volvo’s head of government affairs, Anders Eugensson, thinks cars should be more like horses: incapable of crashing into stuff. Eugensson said, The car of the future will be just like the farmer’s horse. The farmer can steer the horse and carriage but if he falls asleep the horse can still take him back home…. And if the farmer tries to steer the carriage...
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