What a Mysterious Car Fire Reveals About Electric Vehicle Technology

Tesla Model S. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors.

Just over the weekend, a car at a Ken Garff dealership in Orem, Utah mysterious caught fire. It was given a little mention on the news here, with people wondering if someone was trying to vandalize vehicles on the lot. According to the news, the local police don't think it was a case of arson, and that's where the whole issue gets interesting.

Acura Releases Amazing Safety-Centric Commercial

Image courtesy of Acura.

I'll be honest, even as a "car guy" I find most car commercials to be... well, boring. How many times do I have to see a vehicle power around the turns on a sweeping California coastal highway? Why do I care what a luxury SUV looks like powering down a somehow-empty Manhattan street? When will I ever be using a pickup truck to round up wild horses in the Texas desert?

Then I saw the latest commercial from Acura, and it really got to me.

Avoiding Car Fires

Experiencing a car far is something nobody wants to go through. Your vehicle at any given time carries a tank of several gallons of highly combustible fuel, plus other fluids and materials that can be consumed by a fire rather quickly. Getting out of a car that has caught fire without receiving any bodily harm is harder than it might sound, so the best thing to do is take steps to avoid the possibility that your car will catch fire in the first place.

This Is Why School Buses Should Have Seatbelts

When I was a kid, I learned that buckling up saved lives. Before then, quite a few cars didn't even come with seatbelts, which today is pretty much unthinkable. I remember using lap belts, something I today know are actually pretty dangerous.

Watch This Before You Buy the Mazda5

2015 Mazda5, image courtesy of Mazda

People ask me for car shopping advice all the time. One of the biggest questions I get asked is what car a person should purchase. The longer I work in the industry, the more I understand that there are pluses and minuses to any vehicle choice, and they go beyond factors that most people think about upfront.

Brace Yourself: Toyota Has Found That Teenagers Drive Like Crap When Their Parents do the Same Thing!

You might want to pay attention while driving this! Photo credit Toyota.

Brace yourself, because I'm about to break some shocking news: Toyota through its Collaborative Safety Research Center, has concluded that there is a correlative relationship between bad teen drivers and their parents driving like crap as well.

Tips for Driving Defensively

Always be aware of cyclists and pedestrians. Photo courtesy of Volvo.

Every day there are car accidents, with far too many ending in a serious injury or fatality. While nobody really wants to be in a wreck, the way you drive most definitely affects the chances that you will crash your car sometime in the future. Of course, there is no way to completely avoid getting into an accident since you cannot control how other drivers behave on the road. If more people would behave defensively on the road, there would be fewer dangerous situations and fewer wrecks.  Here are some tips on how you can start driving defensively.

Habits That Will Help Reduce Your Car Insurance Rates

Photo courtesy of Volvo

Drivers everywhere are trying to find every reasonable way to decrease their insurance rates. Each day ads run on television, radio, billboards, newspapers, and just about everywhere else, encouraging people to switch insurance providers and save money. Besides switching services, everyone knows that not receiving traffic citations or getting into accidents for long periods of time will help lower insurance costs. For that reason alone drivers should adopt some safety-minded habits to use every time they get behind the wheel. Incorporate these practices into your driving routine and you should enjoy savings on your insurance policy over the long run.

Halloween Trunk-or-Treating

1953 Cadillac Eldorado trunk. Photo courtesy of GM.

I know that to some people I might seem paranoid, but I would just say I'm vigilant. When I was a teenager I wanted to be an FBI agent, until I found out how often I could be moved all over the country. Still, I have a sense for how criminals work, and since have done volunteer work with people who are incarcerated. This sense for how the criminally deviant work is one of several reasons why I truly believe the trunk-or-treat phenomena is a bad idea.

Urgent: Takata Airbag Recall

Photo courtesy of Chrysler.

This news could very well save your life, and I'm not being dramatic. In case you aren't aware, there is a massive airbag recall that has been issued. The airbags in question were made by Takata, a popular supplier, and can be found in 7.8 million vehicles of makes from BMW to Honda, Chrysler, Ford and more.

The 2016 Volvo XC90 is Incredibly Safe and Nobody is Shocked

Images courtesy of Volvo

When most people think about car safety, Volvo inevitably comes to mind. Why not? The Swedish automaker has pushed for increasingly safer vehicles over the years, creating the three-point safety belt and other technologies that have saved numerous lives. Even though recently some people have accused Volvo of slipping when it comes to how safe its vehicles are in relation to the competition, the company has gone out and flexed it safety muscles once more with the all-new 2016 XC90 crossover.

Blogging From A to Z Day 10: J is for Just Hang Up and Drive!

Yes, this a real product! What if the airbag deploys? 

For the month of April I will be participating in the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. Learn more about the challenge by clicking here. Each day (except Sundays) I will be posting a theme based on each letter of the alphabet. This blog is covering automotive topics for the month. To read my other blog posts for the challenge, click here.

Humans seem to be getting dumber, because in recent years we think we can safely pilot a 4,000 pound vehicle while not looking or even keeping our hands on the steering wheel. Why? Because we're too busy fiddling with phones, tablets and other things that have absolutely nothing to do with driving, that's why!

Zero Fatalities Super Bowl Commercial Controversy

I have to admit I didn't watch the Super Bowl this year. Maybe it was because neither of "my" teams made it all the way (although Bronco fans probably wish theirs hadn't). Maybe it was because I don't have live TV anymore (I usually don't have time to watch it). Whatever the reason, I missed out on some interesting commercials.

Keep Baby Car Carrier Handles Folded Down!

Photo copyright: Dmyto Samsonov, stock.xchng

I'm a parent and I vividly remember the time I brought my first child home from the hospital. I think I read through the installation manual for the car seat a few dozen times and checked that the base was cinched down as tight as possible. I was incredibly worried that something would happen to my baby, and my worry was completely justified.

Why So Many Vehicle Recalls These Days?

Some people dread finding this in their mail. Photo credit: Steven Symes.

Yesterday I received in the mail the dreaded recall letter for my Honda. I had read in the news not too long ago that the NHTSA was looking into complaints about a safety problem, something I myself had encountered with the vehicle before. So it wasn't really a surprise when I opened the mailbox and found this notice sitting inside. Instead I was glad Honda was owning up to the problem (whether by choice or force) and I will get a remedy free of charge.

The Ten Most Annoying (And Dangerous) Driving Practices

Photo credit: Bud Adams, stock.xchng

Everyone who drives around a city for any period of time knows there are other drivers who do things that are damn annoying. I'm sure we can all list off our driving pet peeves, especially after a long rush hour commute. The problem is that some of these annoying habits are actually pretty dangerous, for the person doing them as well as any occupants in their car and in other cars around them. These are the ten most annoying driving habits (according to yours truly) that everyone should work hard to avoid.