I’ve just driven six hours in a conventional, petrol-swilling car to attend a press event showcasing a gaggle of high-mileage vehicles. Yes, I see the irony. Tomorrow, the Northwest Press Association (NWAPA) hosts its first-ever green-car event. The 20 or so cars we’ll test will…
There are two common forms of tailgating. One is a celebratory gathering occurring on game day at a sporting event — that’s usually a good thing. The other is a practice of following the vehicle ahead at a distance too close to insure accident-avoidance during…
I’m uncertain who’s responsible for it, but I thank whoever is. As I made my way through the intersection at 37thand Grand Avenue on the last day of school, I was pleased with the extra margin of safety and order afforded by the relatively new…
I stated last week that good discussions often bear repetition. Even though I may have covered certain driving topics over past years, there are regular readers who’ve missed them and new readers who have not seen them. Besides that, occasional reminders help all drivers, and…
Thanks for your email messages. Whether I call them rants, grievances, or concerns, I always enjoy seeing your points of view on driving topics. Here are a few of those recent reader comments. Bicycle commuter B.S. sent a timely note, since the presence of the…
Of the countless Internet videos featuring rednecks endangering their lives with amateur truck jumps, only one deserves to be dubbed the most extreme. I took the liberty to sort through hours of the grisly footage in an effort to find the backwoods man, woman or…
The 40-plus hours spent in my vehicle during a recent round trip to San Diego allowed my thoughts to meander much like the roadway. As with driving near home, topics of thought are often initiated by the behavior of other drivers. Upon return, an email…
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is evidently very receptive to regulations placing safety innovations in our automobiles. Over the years, they’ve allowed and mandated such safety-conscious items as seat/lap belts, anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control and even TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems), among…
Many of our driving frustrations involve time and our real or perceived lack of it. I say this because when readers or I express displeasure with others’ driving behavior, it’s often because those drivers are unfairly, illegally, or unnecessarily detaining us. Whether the offending irritation…
A couple of local drivers have sent me their peeves and thoughts. G.B. groused, “I have three pet peeves at the top of my list. First off are drivers who refuse to turn on their headlights until there is a 99% loss of daylight. Second…
When I wrote of U.S 195 traffic “parades” last month, resulting feedback spawned a second column — now here goes a third. I regularly try to guess what is causing the driver mistakes I see, and possible medical conditions are among those guesses. Reader J.D.…
When local businesses set out to make a crappy low-budget television ad they have two basic options. Most opt to stick with a safe run of the mill spot that features narration from a voice actor that may or may not be a robot, and…
When the United States put a man on the moon in 1969 it might not have seemed naïve to assume we’d be living like the Jetsons by now. But for all the science-fiction lore that’s become reality since then, being able to make the daily…
After this column addressed the lengthy strings of traffic held up by slow drivers on U.S. 195, several readers shared their comments and opinions. J.F. noted and questioned, “After reading your column…on drivers blocking traffic on highway 195, just wanted to comment on a few…
Hats off to Lexus. They turned us loose in the new IS sedan on an autocross course yesterday -- and supplied a batch of competitors’ cars for comparison. From the Lexus family, we drove the IS 250 ($35,950), IS 350 ($39,465) and IS 350 F…
Lexus throws down the gauntlet today. We’re in San Francisco for the introduction of the third-generation 2014 IS, which is meant to do battle with BMW’s mighty 3 Series. Though it won’t be in showrooms until summer, Lexus hopes to gin up interest early by…
If a new technology co-developed by Intel and Carnegie Mellon University catches on, modern cars could soon have the ability to render nighttime rainfall invisible from a driver’s view. CNET reports the optical illusion is achieved by headlights that ditch the old bulb design for…
Driving a 1998 Subaru wagon with 205 thousand miles on it doesn’t put me in a hurry to get anywhere. I find keeping a lackadaisical throttle foot to be an effective survival technique designed to milk every remaining mile out my noble Japanese steed. It’s…
Kids are growing up faster and faster these days, especially when their parents encourage them to do so. Take Mohammed Nisham for example, who was arrested by Indian police this month and charged with endangering the life of a child and allowing a minor to…
Every so often a car rolls down the pike that helps people just say no to minivans. The Ford Flex is one of those rare examples that aren’t burrowing out a new genre of soccer mom-mobiles in the crossover segment. With the utilitarian chops to…
When Ray LaHood announced early this year he would not return to serve a second term as the Department of Transportation Secretary, a door opened for Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Anthony Foxx. President Obama nominated the second-term Democrat Monday to pick up where LaHood will leave…
A boot to the groin is rarely well-received in a sporting event, especially when it’s perceived to be intentional. After the conclusion of a Nationwide race at Richmond International Raceway Friday, driver Brian Scott approached Nelson Piquet Jr. in the pits to exchange unpleasantries over…
Of all the bad reasons to commit a crime in Seattle, getting to ride in the back of this fully-restored 1970 Plymouth Satellite police car might be at the top of the list. Officer Jim Ritter not only uses the car as a community relations…
The classic remote control car is a simple, battery powered plaything small enough to fit on the shelf of the kids’ aisle at a grocery store. The latest RC project of the crazy people at Mammuth Works would have a hard time fitting through the…
My neighbor J.B. recently asked why all states don’t perform safety inspections as a condition of vehicle registration. I don’t have a definitive answer for the “why,” but I’m happy to share my opinions and thoughts on the topic. First, every state is grappling with…
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