Feel Free to Flash Your Lights, It’s Legal! (At Least in One State)

Posted on Aug 27, 2018 in Safety | 3 comments

Flash ’em if you’ve got ’em We’ve touched on this topic before, but it’s time to revisit it: Should flashing headlights to warn motorists of a speed trap be illegal? A Florida man has won his First Amendment case against the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, which ticketed him for flashing his lights to warn other drivers of a speed trap. The...

Quality? Don’t Care. Performance? No. Safety? Pass. Fuel Economy? Yes Please!

Posted on Jul 22, 2018 in Safety | 1 comment

Fuel economy, at least temporarily, has become the single most important factor to new-car buyers. I say “temporarily” because we all know it won’t last. Americans have a tendency to overreact to things. Remember in 2008, when gas prices jumped and folks traded in their SUVs en masse for more fuel efficient rides? Remember, later that year, when prices dipped...

Audi and VW Push Web-Enabled Cars

Posted on Jun 21, 2018 in Safety | 2 comments

Wisconsin introduced seat belt legislation in 1961. Not until 1984 did the U.S. mandate seat belt use. The same protracted battle is taking place with infotech in cars, and by most accounts, the safety guys are losing. Audi has proudly announced it was the first luxury brand to offer Wi-Fi and Google Earth access in its cars. Nissan, GM and Ford have followed...

Automotive Madness: Three Stories

Posted on May 19, 2018 in Safety | 1 comment

1. You may already have heard that a few dealers are upcharging for the upcoming Subaru BRZ (above)—to the tune of $5,000 over MSRP. Some have called this price gouging, which, of course, it is. Anyone paying this price is a turkey. One imbecile argues that this is owing to the immutable law of supply and demand. Since the BRZ is in high demand and deliveries...

Obese Cars… and Obese Drivers

Posted on Apr 15, 2018 in Safety | 2 comments

The subject of obesity is often a very sensitive one. I have a close relative who is enormous and who gets very upset if you mention diets, exercise or heart conditions. Imagine how fat car owners feel. If they think about it, they might realize that cars have gotten very much bigger and heavier over the years, in part to accommodate them. One study now reveals...

Tax Day Blamed for Driver Deaths

Posted on Mar 12, 2018 in Safety | 2 comments

Do taxes early, stay alive! We all know the bit about the certainty of death and taxes. While cliche, it’s absolutely true that both are darn near impossible to avoid. We should, however, be able to avoid death and taxes happening on the same day. At least death by car accident. A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and...

Absurd Texting-While-Driving Stories

Posted on Feb 19, 2018 in Safety | 1 comment

Here she is, folks, the texter of the week, maybe of the year. Her name is Shawndeeia Bowen, and she got pulled over on an L.A. freeway after texting with a baby on her lap while driving. Two small kids were in the back, unsecured and without seatbelts. Over the past three years, Ms. Bowen has had two accidents and numerous citations, including not using child...

It’s Finally Happened: In-Car Coffee Brewing

Posted on Jan 6, 2018 in Safety | 3 comments

Yes, it’s real… So it has come to this. Our cars serve many purposes in our lives. In addition to the intended purpose of transportation, our cars often serve as makeshift restaurants, makeup studios, kitchens, offices, music players, romantic bedrooms and traveling movie theaters. If there’s a human function in life, somebody somewhere has figured...

Using Smartphones in Cars

Posted on Dec 11, 2017 in Safety | 4 comments

The NHTSA is currently trying to figure out how or whether to ban handheld devices like smartphones from use in cars. And the automakers are supporting such a ban or at least some restrictions. But they are also very concerned that such a ban might force them to redesign their built-in systems. What a shame that would be. No one should be surprised that a...

Fisker Karma Breakdown Leads to Lesson in Recalls

Posted on Nov 9, 2017 in Safety | 1 comment

Like many auto writers, I was quick to jump on the recent story of the Fisker Karma breaking down during a Consumer Reports test. Yes, it was big news and a huge embarrassment to Fisker. Yes, the timing was terrible, and it was an incredibly hurtful public introduction to the Karma. But the breakdown might not have been Fisker’s fault. Automotive News reported...

Unintended Acceleration’s New Victim: Ford Taurus

Posted on Oct 5, 2017 in Safety | 3 comments

I’ve never been in a car that accelerated on its own. Well, this one time, I was in a Dodge Viperthat leaped to 100 miles per hour faster than I could buckle my seat belt, but I was a passenger. The driver giggled in glee as I tried to hide my panic. Yes, that was an episode of unintended acceleration from my point of view, but not one that would cause any...

Fisker Karma Belonging to Consumer Reports Breaks Down

Posted on Sep 26, 2017 in Safety | 1 comment

List of things you don’t want to happen: Have spinach stuck in your teeth for the duration of a first date. Buy a new car and have it break down on the way home. Have the car you built and sold to Consumer Reports break down even before it’s checked in. A positive Consumer Reports review can make or break a new car. Even established cars can suffer when the...