I could be a tad biased, but we just posted what I consider a great story called Traffic Ticket Urban Legends. It's located in our Young Driver's Guide, yet this is a solid read for drivers of all ages. As much as I enjoyed seeing the myths I already knew about, it was far more interesting to learn about ones I'd never heard of.

For example, the "fool a breathalyzer with a penny" theory was new to me. And I actually thought it was against the law to drive barefoot -- it's not! It's not even against the law to ride a motorcycle barefoot, except in Alabama (makes you wonder what was going on in Alabama that made state legislators create this law...).

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Yesterday's blog post brought up an interesting (but consistent) fact of car ownership. After describing the Smart in less-than-glowing terms several readers concurred with my assessment, but a couple blog posts insisted the car was not deserving of such slings and arrows.

Not surprisingly, these glowing Smart comments came from Smart owners, and another reader noted, "It sounds like people that bought them like them."

I would submit that this statement describes 99.99% of all buyers. Think about this: When was the last time you heard someone (inlcuding yourself) say, "Boy, did I buy a piece of junk. I guess I was just totally wrong, and the car I thought was good is actually quite awful. Now I'm stuck with it -- and don't I fool like an idiot."

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Inside Line just published an excellent test comparing a Crossover vs. a Minivan vs. an SUV. When you think about it, these vehicles really just represent a history of the family vehicle (though we left the wagon out). When minivans first arrived they were seen as super functional (and super cool) alternatives to the stodgy old station wagon that could carry the family around. Then came the SUV, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman. Then came the crossover, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman without having the ride/handling characteristics that felt like a rugged outdoorsman's vehicle.

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We just posted a fabulous story on gas saving tips. With prices inching ever higher it seemd like the perfect time to re-run the old "A/C versus non-A/C" test. Or how about the "tailgate up versus tailgate down" rumor we've all heard regarding fuel mileage?

Three of our staffers (one a former automotive engineer) ran a Lexus ES 350, Buick Enclave and Toyota Tundra along a 60-mile stretch of California's Interstate 5 in the Central Valley. This region bares a strong resemblance to Kansas -- flat and straight (with miminal scenery), meaning small changes to driving conditions can yield small (or big) changes in fuel economy -- without other factors playing a role.

Does having empty roof rails on an SUV effect mileage versus removing them completely? The answer is "yes" but leaving them up there only cost us 1 percent in fuel mileage. But strap a few pieces of luggage down on those rails and guess what happens? In our testing program gas mileage dropped 21 percent! And you thought traveling light was only smart at airports.

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I worked with the folks over at Parents Magazine to pick the Top Family Cars of 2008. The magazine just hit newsstands, but if you want to save trees you can read the article at the publication's Web site. 

We focused on the items you would expect to find in a solid family vehicle, including strong safety scores, family friendly features and adequate interior space for child-related detritus (car seats, sippy cups, Hanna Montana backpacks). The usual suspects are all here, including the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Highlander and Dodge Grand Caravan. But we also picked winners in the sedan category (Fusion, Malibu), the small car category (Civic) and the value category (Kia Rondo).

So I'm driving our Long-Term 1984 Ferrari 308 home on PCH, and I'm again amazed by the disparity I see between cars and homes on this stretch of American road. While you can pick up a mid-1980s Ferrari like ours for around $30,000, the cars I see on my commute range from $100,000 Porsche 911s to $200,000 Bentley Continentals to $300,000 Lamborghini Murcielagos.

But here's the tricky part: I've seen all of these cars and more parked outside crappy little beach houses that must be at least 30 years old and can't offer more than 1,400 square feet of interior space. I'm sure plenty of people consider a beach house (or bungalow...or shack) and a sweet ride like a 911 Carrera C4S the definition of "pefect life." If that's your dream, and you attain it, more power to you.

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There's driver distraction, and then there's driver distration. On one of my final cab rides in Detroit I saw this practice raised to a true art form.

My driver had a video screen mounted in the center-stack area (right below the radio/climate controls). When I sat down in the rear seat an episode of LOST was paused on this screen, but he hit the "PLAY" button as soon as we drove off. That's not all -- at every stoplight on Woodward Avenue the driver would flip on the dome light and read from a newspaper (ironically, he did not pause LOST during these reading sessions).

Of course he wasn't completely wreckless. Whenever the light turned green he dutifully put the paper down, turned off the dome light and began watching LOST again (with a litle focus left over for that whole driving thing).

I knew nobody would believe me, so I snapped the above photo, which is not posed or staged in any way, I assure you. We were simply waiting at a red light on northbound Woodward when I took this shot.

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I don't know if any of you saw the recent L.A. Times story about vehicle trailers and the deaths/injuries associated with them, but it's a rather heart-wrenching report. Basically, the number of trailers on the road has increased by 50 percent in the past 15 years, as has the rate of carnage from trailer "accidents." I use the quotes because most of these accidents are the result of clueless drivers and/or negligent towing practices.

This gets to the heart of one of my major beliefs. See, as a certified freedom lover I hate the idea of restricting people's actions. But as a lover of logic, I realize you can't let everyone do whatever they want whenever they want to. The solution? Training-training-training.

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I recently blogged about the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Overall I liked the car, but some readers commented that they couldn't understand how Jeep could offer such a clearly high-performance vehicle without a manual transmission (even as an option). Jeep is hardly alone in their lack of manual appreciation. The latest BMW M5 and M6 models weren't available with a traditional manual transmission, at least not initially. There's no manual in Audi's S8, Porsche's Cayenne Turbo, or any version of the Mercedes-Benz SL (a model whose name comes from the term sports light).

Then there are the models that a technically available with a traditional manual transmission, but good luck finding one at your local dealer or in the classifieds. These would include such paragons of performance as the Aston-Martin V8 Vantage, Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo. Even Mitsubishi's orignal bad boy rally racer, the Lancer Evolution, will be available with only two pedals this year. And who wants to bet how the majority of them will be equipped for the U.S. market? Here's a hint: Remember when the Porsche faithful bemoaned the availability of an automatic in their beloved 911 Turbo? They wondered who would actually buy a car like that with a slushbox shifter between the seats? The answer turned out to be the majority of Turbo buyers.

What does all this mean for the long-term health of the manual transmission? Is it destined for the same fate as the hand-crank starter, points ignition and carburetor? And with the development of electro-hydaulic clutches is the death of the manual transmission even worth worrying about? As usual, I have the answer to all these questions and more.

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Well, it would appear there's some passion when it comes to the definition of "fun-to-drive." First I must say I'm glad to see this, for if nothing else it proves people are at least still thinking about the concept of fun-to-drive (the Toyota-ization of so many modern cars had me thinking it was a dying topic of concern).

Ironically (or maybe appropriately) I happen to be driving my Ford GT yesterday (versus a random test car) and as many of you can probably guess I consider the GT one of the most fun-to-drive vehicles I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. After reading through all the comments yesterday I drove it home and was more congnizant of FTD than I've been in a long time. But I can appreciate the fact that most folks haven't experienced a GT, and I would emphasize that it certainly doesn't take $150,000 to experience FTD.

Rather than argue which cars are or are not fun-to-drive, I'll describe the various components that, in my opinion, define it.

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