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...).

Continue reading...

I spent last Thursday and Friday at the California Superbike School, riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R around the Streets of Willow racetrack. I've wanted to take this school for almost 20 years, after first seeing the advertisements for it in motorcycle magazines around 1990. The idea of getting personalized instruction in a safe environment, and from an accomplished motorcycle racer like Keith Code, sounded almost too good to be true.

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.

Continue reading...

Today's blog will be slightly shorter and less "automotive" than usual, simply because I was distracted yesterday by having a laser shot into my eye.

Yes, I just received wavefront-guided Lasik from the Maloney Vision Institute in Westwood. Beyond scoring these killer shades, I've also lost the need to wear glasses or contacts. "Great Karl, but did it hurt?" Come on, no pain-no gain. Plus it's really not that bad (though there was some burning as the initial pain-killers wore off on the ride home...). Now I have to keep nasty particulates from getting in there while my "flap" of cornea re-attaches itself (thus the free diver goggles). I only needed this procedure on one eye, so my cost was one-half the usual price -- a cool $3,300.

That's almost twice what I paid for my Saab Sonett, but a mere six hours after the procedure I'm sitting eight feet from my T.V. and watching Olivia Munn on Attack of the Show in high-definition sharpness -- without the aid of corrective lenses.

I'd call it a bargain.

I remember when OnStar first hit the market. The advertisements (they had a Batman theme back then) showed how OnStar could help drivers find a local business or the closest ATM. I tried it once in my own neighborhood in a Cadillac test vehicle. This was back around 2001, and I dutifully obeyed the driving instuctions as the OnStar operator directed me right past my local bank -- and ATM -- (about 8 blocks from my house) and on to an ATM about three miles away. I haven't used OnStar for directions since, but I'm willing to believe it's more accurate these days.

Other OnStar selling points include airbag deployment notification, remote door unlocking and even on-the-fly engine diagnostics. All of these features are interesting, but they also follow a common theme -- having somebody, somewhere, know as much or more about your vehicle than you do. Now comes the latest in OnStar "features" -- remote engine shut down. If you follow this link you can learn more and even see a video (crash footage included), but suffice to say OnStar can now disable your engine at will.

Continue reading...

Well, just had my day in court to fight my July speeding ticket in the long-term Mini Cooper S. To dispense with the suspense: I lost.

But I must admit it was one of my more rewarding trips to traffic court for two reasons.

First, before the trial started Officer Williams appeared and asked me if I "really wanted to go through with this." Then he handed me a -- BUMM-BUMM-BUMM -- copy of my blog post related to this ticket. He exuded this "I have you now!" attitude, but I told him I was of course going through with it. He had highlighted various comments in the blog that, at least in his opinion, bolstered his case against me. Comments like, "I didn't intend to do 72, but I was playing with the radio..." Of course he didn't highlight other statements, like, "This is assuming that it was really me doing 72 mph. There were three cars in front of me..."

So reason number one I enjoyed my court date? I know Officer Williams read the original blog post regarding this traffic stop, and I made some great points in it regarding public safety and revenue generation that all police officers should hear.

Continue reading...

Well, she wasn't really Jennifer Aniston, but if she wanted to cause havoc by visiting local L.A. starlet clubs she easily could. Yet it wasn't a government employee resembling a mega-star that freaked me out when I started the process of fighting my latest speeding ticket yesterday. What surprised me was that she was sincerely pleasant and helpful in the process (I can handle attractive government employees, but nice ones???)  

This is on top of the unexpected news that Ventura County actually has a "Help Center" for its citizens. While no official legal advice is offered (obviously) the help center has resources like a "Fight Your Ticket and Win in California" book and computers where you can type up your motions for discovery to get all the notes the officer wrote down regarding your traffic stop. "Jennifer" went so far as to help me type up all the necessary forms. Maybe every county offers a similar service and I've just been too dumb to know about them.

Regardless, imagine saying "My tax dollars at work" in a non-sarcastic tone.

Weird.

There are those folks out there, cynical types mostly, who think the system doesn't work. They feel like the government and the police have gone too far in the direction of "revenue generation" and lost sight of other, basic goals -- like public safety and prosecuting real criminals.

Well these people obviously weren't in Malibu this past Sunday, where a battery of police vehicles (cars, motorcycles and even a big RV with "CHP" painted on the side) were stopping every car and motorcyclist on Mulholland just west of The Rock Store. Yes, every motorist that passed -- at least until their ability to process folks was maxxed out, then they'd let a few vehicles slip by until the next slot in their mobile prosecution center opened up. Your speed didn't matter, nor the operating condition of your bike or car (though they were gunning people as they came up the hill, so if they could get you for speed they would).

Continue reading...

...arrived right on time last week. Though maybe I should have titled this post "My Latest 'USE YOUR RADAR DETECTOR!' reminder."

I'd gotten lazy about mounting and plugging in the Valentine One ever since the CHP blanketed PCH with all those "Your Speed" digital signs that use radar to display your rate of travel. Of course they set off the Valentine One with a constant "BRAAAAAAAP!" tone as I drive by each unit, even the ones pointing the other direction (and there are literally, like, eight of them between Santa Monica and the Ventura Country line). Yeah, I can hit the "mute" botton on my radar detector 16 times a day, but it's not the most enjoyable way to spend my 100-mile, round-trip commute.

Continue reading...

It's the start of Memorial Day Weekend, and you know what that means. Uh-huh, too many scary drunk drivers taking people out with there 2-plus ton lethal weapons. Normally I avoid the "Don't Drink and Drive!" rant because, well, who among us hasn't already heard it? Of course, I ask myself that question and then I listen to the news reports every Monday night at the end of this weekend and am surprised to find that, apparently, some people haven't heard it. Or else they have but think the chemical reactions between alcohol and their blood/brain are somehow different from the rest of the human race.

Continue reading...