What's going on here?  Are these cars possessed by demons?  According to the New York Times, "Federal regulators said Wednesday that they had received 10 reports of Toyota vehicles accelerating unexpectedly after they were repaired at dealerships." It seems that Toyota has an even longer road ahead of them if reports like these keep coming out.  See the full article here.

If you are wondering if your Toyota vehicle is listed under all the new recalls try the Toyota recall finder tool.  It uses your VIN to do an official lookup.  Also check out the official statement from the COO of Toyota USA.

If you are a high profile target, be it drug dealer, politician, seedy owner of a strip club, bar, check cashing joint, coin operated car wash, or laundromat (or all of the above), CIA agent, CIA agent supporting a revolutionary upstart, deposed leader in (insert war torn country), simply have the stones to think you need protection from bullets, or if you live in Texas and are a democrat, then you might be interested in these websites that sell Armored vehicles. 

Interestingly enough, I didn't see options for machine gun mounting.  I guess the best offense is a good defense...but still...no machine guns? 

http://www.armoredcars.com/

http://www.alpineco.com/

http://www.armormax.com/

http://www.customarmoring.com/

http://www.execarmor.com/

I don't know about you, but I have the most difficult time installing car seats.  I can never get my meat hooks to negotiate the little holes that the straps have to go through.  This video, while not making my hands any smaller, is helpful in simplifying things, especially for new parents. 

Of course no one ever expects to get into a car accident.  In the event that you do, here is a good list of how it will all go down, and how you can prepare.  

In a day where color is not supposed to make a difference, that apparently is not the case when it comes to cars.  According to researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, "silver cars are 50 percent less likely to be involved in a crash resulting in a serious injury as compared to white cars."  Find out some more interesting research about car colors here. 

The Washington Post released an article entitled Car Seats Save Young Lives.  This may seem obvious, but such an article is important, not because we are unaware that car seats save young lives, but because of the fact that our children are so precious to us that we can never hear enough of this kind of thing.  It is good to be reminded. 

We have all seen the teenager texting with both hands while driving with his knees.  And before we throw stones some of us should probably admit that we have done it ourselves a time or two.  For some reason, we need to get that text out, because if we wait the 5 more minutes until we get home, our heads might explode.  The reality is, this is a problem.  Driving and talking/texting makes the road a MUCH more dangerous place.  But how do we deal with it?  Of course the first step lies in obeying the annoyingly self righteous yet accurately wise bumper sticker that tells us to "Shut up and Drive!"  Fair enough.  But what about those in our charge?  What about our children who will be getting behind the wheel strapped with hormones and a blackberry?  AP writer Paul Foy has a good article looking at the options and notes that, as the articles title indicates, "technology to stop phone use in cars isn't perfect." 

The article surveys 3 different technologies designed to stop cell phone usage in the car, all of them revolving around disabling the cell phone while driving.  While each of these work, they turn out to be a scorched earth approach to the situation, sometimes working a little too well.  There are certain situations where disabling the cell phone is desirable, but others that are not (riding as a passenger, in a bus, train, etc.). What is so helpful about the article is this paragraph, quoting Parry Aftab, who advises families on technology and safety: 

"More and more, we see any solution is, in large part, education and awareness, parents getting involved," said Aftab, executive director of WiredSafety.org. Driving and cell phone use can be a bad combination, "but so is putting on makeup and eating a three-course meal," Aftab said. "I wish technology providers would look hard at the problems before coming up with a knee-jerk solution."

And here is what he is saying.  These solutions simply don't get to the heart of the matter.  Why?  Because by the time you are doing damage control on something, the damage is already done.  Preventative measures don't change behavior, because behind behavior, at least this kind of behavior, is the fact that kids and adults alike are underneath the tyranny of the urgent to communicate NOW.  It is this impulse to stay connected that leads everyone to disobey the no cell phone laws, and for tech saavy teenagers to find a "workaround" solution to the GPS devices mentioned in the article.  

The responsibility, as always, first and foremost lies with parents and how they approach the situation with their kids.  Of course they are going to do what they are going to do when they get behind the wheel.  We just need to do our best to help them make wise decisions.  With that in mind, here are some ideas for helping your kids be responsible with cell phones while driving.  Not all of them will work for everyone, but maybe you can find a fit. 

1. Don't get your kid a cellphone.  Seriously, I didn't have one until I was 25 and survived fine.  I realize that this is an old crumudgeon argument, and that being so detached from prevalent technology is much more difficult than the surface suggests.  It also doesn't really teach responsibility, but it might work best for your situation.  
2. Slow down!  Your life is busy, and you feel, like Bilbo Baggins, "like butter spread over too much bread."  This of course is what is driving you to yuck it up while on the road.  The reality is, most of us are so busy out of habit, because we think we need to be.  Slow your life down and throw on some Classical music while in the car.  This will show your kid a. that you can relax without being a slave to your job, and b. that you are willing to drive without talking on the phone.
3. Be honest about your addiction to talking on the phone while in the car, or if you actually don't, try to sympathize with your kid about it.  Condemnation helps little.  Come alongside your kid and and be firm yet understanding about the situaiton.  Ask your kid to hold you accountable.  Be open to rebuke.  
4. Work together to find a solution.  Giving them ownership over an idea will help it sink in. 
   
5. Hold them accountable.  If you catch them talking on the phone, take the phone, the car, or both away for a time.  You are in charge!

I fully realize that all of this goes up in flames the minute you do all of this, and then your kid cheerfully gives you the bird and continues talking/texting and driving anyways.  Of course parenting is never this simple.  The above tips don't fix anything, but encourage a change in heart and therefore behavior.  At the end of the day, your kid has to make the decision.  You can only equip them the best you can. 

These may seem a bit obvious, but helpful reminders nonetheless.  And also from the desk of Captain Obvious, they apply to every day of the year, not just holidays.  Drive safe and have a merry Christmas! 

We all shrink back in horror when we hear about people leaving their kids in the car.  We even tend to look down on such people.  But it is easy to have our self righteousness squashed when our cars begin to fill up with little humans.  This article gives some good pointers, as well as some good product recommendations, for avoiding something that could be truly disastrous.  The writer speaks from experience, and is bold enough to share that he is not always the perfect parent.  Still, it only takes one mistake, and as well intentioned as we might be, there is no second chance when it comes to the lives of our children.  My hope is that all of us will slow down enough to constantly think about what is important, even if doing so seems tedious to our blow and go schedules. 

See here for some info on the Childminder System mentioned in the article.