In Athens, GA, in the time it takes to purchase a gallon of milk or loaf of bread, a hot car could turn into a death trap for a
small child. Even as summer comes to an end, experts say that within the first 10 minutes, the temperature in an enclosed vehicle will rise an average of 19
degrees. Even when the outside air temperature is only 70 degrees, the interior of a car can reach 120
degrees, and a baby cannot handle the heat.  They have a very immature respiratory system and they don’t have the ability to repel heat.

Consequently, their organs shut down fast. It’s a recipe for disaster. In fact, there is no safe length of time to leave a child alone in a car.

The hints from the video for reminding you that your child is in the back seat are good ones. I wonder when the automobile industry will address this by engineering sensors to alert you that your baby may still be in its car seat?

On a side note concerning the car seat, if you are in the area, swing by and we’ll show you how to install and anchor the car seat properly. Improperly secured car seats are also a leading cause of injury among children.

1929 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK - $7.4 million

That’s right, there are Mercedes-Benz forgeries out there. No, they aren’t your everyday C,S, or M class you buy from your Mercedes-Benz dealer here in Athens. These are the pillars of the Mercedes-Benz brand and culture. In fact, Mercedes goes through great lengths to verify the veracity of collectors claims. What might appear to be very real could, in fact, be a fake. Check out the video below to see Mercedes-Benz team in action and how meticulous their detective work is.

Kind of like “CSI”, huh? Now the next question is, “How much do you think that SSK is worth?”

I’m not one to revel in the misfortunes of others, but sometimes it’s just impossible not to snicker at idiocy.
Nothing brings you back to driving-reality quite as effectively as good a ol’ cold shower, or in this case, a puddle bath. The sinkhole incident involving this new Toyota Land Cruiser reportedly happened during a test-drive event organized by a fan club (I’m assuming it occurred somewhere in Russia)
Toyota off-roading + poorly scouted terrain = mud bath.

Now of course, it is a Toyota, a Nissan owner is a little more thoughtful and cautious which coincidentally really helps to avoid driving into sinkholes.
Does anyone have a off-roading story to share? I promise, we’ll try not to make too much fun of you.

I’ve always liked Volkswagens. Great cars with a great history. Well, history is being made again (we hope). In Volkswagen’s quest for greatness, there’s a new sheriff in the front office of Volkswagen of America and his name is Jonathon Browning. The company officially announced the arrival of their new CEO who will take over on October 1st of this year.

Browning is no new kid on the block. He was recently the manager of the national sales team of all the Volkswagen brands, including Audi and Lamborghini. Browning has also worked at General Motors and at Ford. He will try to push the company forward in the U.S as VW tries to become the world’s largest automaker by 2018.

The automaker recently dumped a boatload of cash into the Chattanooga plant, $1 billion in fact. There will also be a new marketing campaign for the new Jetta on your TV screens very shortly. Congratulations Mr. Browning.

Of course if you really want to see what Volkswagen has to offer right now, you can always swing by for a test drive! I’m sure Mr. Browning would greatly appreciate it…so would I, of course.

Now this is interesting. I don’t recommend you trying this, it can be quite dangerous and severe injury can occur. Really, I’m not kidding. That being said, is there nothing fire can’t do?

Off road guys use this technique a lot out in the field when they have a tire that’s become unmounted. The only problem is that you must have a compressor handy too, because as the air cools off it contracts and the tires sidewalls move from the rim’s lip.

Now if you’re in Athens, just swing by and we’ll do your tires for you. There’s no need to invoke your primal caveman instinct, just give us a call and we’ll make sure you keep your eyebrows from being singed off.

This post is for all of you “do-it-yourself-ers”. Not really sure how to spell that, but you know what I’m talking about. You are the guy that wakes up early Saturday morning and heads to the garage to “tinker” and is seen 14 hours later covered in grease proclaiming, “I did it! I finally changed out that brake switch!” Good job, now have a hand at changing your own oil. This is a fairly good step by step video to follow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nng2Ey3z8to

Here’s something to remember, every time you change your oil, go ahead and check the pressure in your spare tire. This is just some extra advice FREE of charge from the lady sitting over my shoulder reading as I write. Thanks Mary, great advice.

This is just a sleek and really cool video of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. I liked it. I thought you would too.

Wanna see one up close? Yeah, we all wanna see one up close. In all seriousness, if you are ever in Athens and want to take a Mercedes-Benz for a spin, don’t hesitate to stop by. It will be the most exciting test drive you’ll ever take!

Wait. What’s that you say? Most of the evidence is actually pointing out that Red Light Cameras actually do more harm than good? “But that can’t be true, Brad”, you say. “We’ve been told that they are stopping accidents and making people more aware at intersections.”
Well, I hate to burst your Police department’s bubble of safety, but it has been recently reported in Beaumont, TX that Red Light Cameras actually are putting us in danger.
“Really, Brad?”
“Yes, Really.”

This was reported by the National Motorists Blog:

The report is in from Baytown, TX, on the results of the city’s red light ticket camera program.

The camera proponents are going to be hard pressed to lavish praise on the results:

• 40 percent increase in total accidents
• 75 percent increase in injury accidents
• 37 percent increase in “t-bone” right angle crashes
• 83 percent increase in rear-end collisions

These disastrous results should really be no surprise. Independent studies (no financial interest) of the automated intersection ticketing programs have repeatedly shown an increase in rear- end collisions, more injuries, and contrary to the claims of ticket camera proponents, no reduction in right-angle crashes.

But, tomorrow, just as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west there will be a government official or clueless reporter making the claim that red light cameras improve traffic safety.

Baytown officials are being presented with a petition to put ticket cameras to a vote in November.

If these officials are really concerned about the well-being of their constituents they won’t wait until November to put the cameras down the road.

If they do wait until November, the voters would be well served to treat incumbent officials as they do the red light camera program and put them down the road too.

Does anyone want to weigh in on this topic? Better yet, if you’re in Athens, swing by and we can talk about it over a test drive.

Believe it or not, Drowsy Driving is almost as dangerous as driving intoxicated. In fact, in my opinion, I’d say that it is as dangerous. Driving while drowsy is an issue we’ve all experienced. We’re all guilty of being a little sleepy behind the wheel. Maybe even enough so that we drift between lanes a little. I was curious about how much of a problem it is and here’s what I found…excluding 1,000 more articles.

I pulled this from the New York State Board of Health.

Drowsy Driving Awareness

Drowsy driving is dangerous and often results in injury or death. Falling asleep at the wheel or the inability to pay adequate attention while driving may be a result of being sleep deprived. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that every year there are 100,000 drowsy driving crashes reported to police costing $12.5 billion.

When Is It Most Likely To Happen?

Most drowsy driving crashes happen at predictable times. We are most likely to feel fatigued, and our risk of being involved in a drowsy driving-related crash increases between 1 pm and 4 pm and 2 am and 6 am.

Who’s At Risk?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of adults reported that they have driven while drowsy, and 17% reported falling asleep at the wheel in the past year. Working late night shifts, taking care of young children, or managing hectic schedules can all be risk factors for drowsy driving. In addition, those who stay awake through the night, such as those who are working, driving, or students who stay awake studying for an exam, are at an increased risk for being in a crash.

Warning Signs of Drowsy Driving

Yawning, inability to keep eyes open and head raised, not remembering the last few miles traveled, drifting out of the lane, or hitting rumble strips are all indications that a driver should pull over in a safe area to nap or switch drivers.

What Can Be Done?

If you begin to feel drowsy, find a safe rest area to pull into and take a nap. This is more effective than opening the window, turning up the radio, or using caffeine to stay awake. It takes approximately 30 minutes for caffeine to take effect, and the relief is temporary. If fatigued after a shift, try to find a quiet place to sleep before getting on the road or ask someone to pick you up.

The only long-lasting solution is to get adequate sleep.

Getting Better Sleep

On average, Americans have a sleep cycle that requires 8 hours of sleep. In today’s fast-paced world, it can be difficult to get adequate sleep; however, we all need to make this a priority. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps to promote good quality sleep. The following can improve sleep quality:

• Regular exercise — promotes sleep when done at least 3 hours prior to bedtime.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine around bedtime — alcohol increases the number of nighttime awakenings while caffeine and nicotine act as stimulants, which disrupt sleep.
• Consistent sleep patterns – waking up and going to bed at the same time daily, even on the weekends, encourages healthy sleep.

Still not enough to get your attention? This Cabbie is what has been called “Road Hypnotized”.

He was banged up, but survived…notice something else? NO SEAT BELT!

Listen folks, if you are feeling sleepy or drowsy, please pull over and either take a nap or stop for the night. Remember, you aren’t just responsible for your safety, but also for those you share the road with.

Leave me a comment or two. and if you’re ever in Athens, swing by and say, “Thanks for waking me up, Brad!”

Can it be true? An all electric Mini-Car from Volkswagen? According to Motor Authority: Yes.

I reprinted the article from MA below for your convenience. Click on the link above for more pictures.

An all-electric minicar, a New New Beetle, and a sporty convertible–the Volkswagen Up! platform, which will be the basis for the next-generation Lupo, could spawn all of these, and more. Today we have the first spy shots of the prototype testing in Death Valley, revealing little, but confirming much.

The car in the photos appears to be the basic three-door hatch variant, which is expected to be among the first to reach production. A five-door/microvan is also expected at launch. A sporty convertible could follow shortly after, while the all-electric Up! isn’t expected until 2013.

For the combustion-powered models, the car is expected to share the three-cylinder gasoline engine found in the new 2011 Polo, earmarking it almost certainly for non-U.S. sale, though if the Polo makes it stateside, the Up! could, too.

The all-electric Up! is expected to get a 60-horsepower motorand a lithium-ion battery good for at least 65 miles. That’s not much on the scale of U.S. distance driving, but it should prove more than adequate in its intended environment: urban centers.

As always, we’ll keep you posted on the latest 2012 Volkswagen Up!/Lupo news as it breaks.

As usual, we’ll see how all of this pans out. I for one still think we have a long way to go until we see a truly viable source of alternative fuel. However, if we have to start somewhere, I’m glad Volkswagen is stepping up to the plate. If you’re ever in Athens and want to check out VW’s amazing lineup, don’t hesitate to come and see me!