Houston woman warns motorists of speed trap with sign, gets thrown in jail

 

This story is irritating on so many levels. It involves a dreaded police speed trap, a good samaritan warning motorists of the potential fine and a 12-hour stint in a Texas jail cell.

Houston-area resident Natalie Plummer, who was riding her bike on the way home from the grocery store, noticed that cops were pulling over speeders with what looked like a speed trap, so she decided to turn her bag into a make-shift warning sign. That sort of action seems to be covered by the Constitution, but Plummer was still arrested for allegedly standing in the street when there was a sidewalk present. For the record, Plummer tells KRTK that she never left the sidewalk, and she claims that the arresting offer threatened her with an arrest for obstructing justice, which is a felony offense.

5 DIY tips to save you money

 

As cars have become more advanced over time, it has been increasingly difficult for enterprising owners to perform basic maintenance and repairs. While some jobs do require professional expertise and pricey tools, there are still many things that a handy owner can do to keep a car running in top shape and save money in the process.

Below are a few tips from our automotive experts.

 1) Treating hazy headlight lenses. Modern headlight assemblies usually have clear plastic covers that can grow hazy over the years from exposure to the elements. To save the expense of changing the whole headlight reflector assembly, you can use a restoration kit, usually consisting of abrasive cloths and a special finishing liquid. Some kits are applied with elbow grease, while others call for an electric drill.

2) Windshield wipers. You can extend the life of wiper blades by keeping them clean. Wipe off the rubber edge with a paper towel moistened with glass cleaner, or water and a little dish soap. Wiper blades don't last long. In our tests we've found that six months is about the best you can expect a set of wiper blades to stay in top form.

3) Wash and wax your car. Giving your car a good cleaning helps preserve the paint by removing road grime and residues that can eat through the finish. The time spent hand washing a car gives you a close-up view of every body panel, so you can spot scratches, chips, and dings you may not have otherwise noticed. To maintain a quality shine, periodically apply car wax. A spray wax is best suited to weekly or special-occasion applications. Other waxes can be used less frequently, every 2-3 months.

4) Light bulbs. Changing a light bulb isn't difficult—most these days have a twist-and-pull bayonet base or they simply pull out and push in. Bulb specifications are usually found in the owner's manual. However, accessing a bulb (usually called a lamp in industry parlance) can be a real chore. Consult a service manual or look online if access to the bulb isn't obvious. Auto-parts stores and your franchised dealer carry good selections of replacement bulbs. If you're replacing a halogen headlight bulb take care not to touch the glass with your bare fingers. Skin oils on the quartz glass are said to shorten its life.

5) Touch-up paint. Touching up paint flaws early can save a heap of money down the road. You can touch up small scratches and chips with touch-up paint, available for a few dollars at your car dealership and at some auto-parts stores. Make sure you get an exact color match. Touch-up paint usually comes in a small bottle with an applicator brush in the lid. Otherwise, use a small, pointed artist's brush and cover the scratch by going over it in tiny dabs. Let this paint dry for at least a day or two before polishing the car.

Toyota 4Runner still drives after being crushed by tree

 

Disaster can strike just about anywhere, but the likelihood – and severity – often increases the further you are from civilization. That's what one couple in Washington State found out when they went camping with their Toyota 4Runner along the Barlow Pass in the northern Cascade mountains.

When a storm approached they sought shelter, but fortunately didn't hide inside their Toyota. A hundred-foot-tall hickory tree fell on it, crushing the back portion of the SUV. With emergency and park services apparently refusing to help, it took them a while to get a few friends out their with chainsaws to cut the tree away from the Toyota. But once they did, they were astonished to find the truck not only started, but drove them back into town where they were able to call for a tow.

Of course, the truck was virtually irreparable, but the very fact that it got them to safety after being crushed by a giant tree has the owners looking at another 4Runner – and with good reason. Are we surprised by the Toyota's fortitude? After that now-legendary Top Gear Hilux abusefest, nothing surprises us.

These cars collect the most bird droppings

 

Bright red cars attract more bird droppings than vehicles of any other colour, according research from Halfords.

A study recorded the frequency that birds left their mark on cars in five cities around the UK, and found crimson motors were targeted the most.

Green cars were found to suffer least, followed by silver, while white vehicles escaped more often than black in the analysis of 1,140 cars in Brighton, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol over two consecutive days, to see whether colour made a difference to birds.

During the study, drivers were also asked how quickly they removed droppings from their cars. Only 17 per cent, one in six, said they wiped off deposits immediately when they saw them, 20 per cent said they took action "within a couple of days" while 55 per cent waited until the next car wash. The remaining 8 per cent never washed their cars or left it to others to organise.

As well as being unsightly, insurance industry figures show bird droppings on vehicles can be an expensive problem and estimate the damage caused by bird-poop-stained paintwork costs motorists ?57m a year in unnecessary repairs.

Halfords car cleaning expert David Howells said: "This research does have a serious side because the problem annoys drivers, causes damaged paintwork and affects the value of vehicles. To protect your bodywork from damage, droppings should be carefully cleaned off as soon as possible."

Theories abound on motoring and social networking websites as to why birds are attracted to pooping on some cars more than others. A Lexus driver reckoned newly polished cars suffer because birds see a reflection of themselves. A Ford Focus owner agreed and said the darker the colour the deeper the reflection and the more violent the reaction. An Alfa Romeo owner said it depends where you park and a Mercedes driver said blue was the worst as it reminded birds of water.

Others thought birds saw red as a danger or birds went for similar colours to their own plumage, such as in seaside resorts seagulls went for white cars, while in cities pigeons go for grey.

The Halfords study found little difference between cities and the seaside in the colours that specific species of birds apparently aim for.

Researchers who compiled the results found 18 per cent of red cars were marked with droppings, blue 14 per cent, black 11 per cent, white 7 per cent, grey/silver 3 per cent, and green 1 per cent.

Leading car polish experts Autoglym said the damage to vehicle paintwork arose not from the acid or alkali in bird faeces, but from paint lacquer softening and expanding to form an uneven mould around the dropping which produced a dull patch. Grainier textures from seed eating birds produced the most blemishes, so pigeons are worse for motorists than seagulls.

Autoglym says that bird dropping damage can only be prevented by owners removing the poop as soon as possible.

The British Trust for Ornithology was more circumspect on the role of colour in the "drop zone" for birds. "We do know that birds can be attracted to certain colours during display but it [droppings on cars] is probably more to do with where you park; if you park where birds roost, then you are going to get more droppings on your vehicle," said a spokesman.

Notes to Editors:

Halfords study carried out in June 2012 on 1,140 cars in Brighton, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol.

Advice on removing bird deposits from vehicles

1. Remove at the earliest opportunity

2. A moist cloth should be used - Autoglym Bird Dropping Wipes are ideal - to gently lift the deposit from the vehicle surface.

3. If the deposit is dry or doesn't lift easily, place a moist cloth over it for ten minutes to soften the deposit

4. Dispose of any cloth or wipe used to remove bird droppings immediately and carefully wash your hands, as bird lime can harbour diseases

Would you stop speeding if you were getting paid not to?

 

Parents know that sometimes the chance for reward is a more powerful child obedience method than the threat of penalty. "Clean your room or your grounded" can be less effective than, "Clean your room and we'll go get ice cream."

A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study shows that when the stick is combined with the carrot, drivers behave much better. The study placed GPS trackers to measure speed in eight cars loaned to 50 different drivers for a week each. The drivers were told that, at the end of their week, if they kept their speed within the posted limits, they would be paid $25 each. Every time a driver went over the speed limit by five to eight mph, he would lose three cents. If the driver's speed exceeded nine or more ticks above the posted limit, he lost six cents.

If the drivers were caught speeding by the cops they got speeding tickets as usual.

Each time the car's ignition was switched off, drivers got a report showing how much their lead feet had reduced their rewards.

The results were promising, with one driver saying he had made a game out of trying to keep his $25. NHTSA officials involved in the study say insurance companies might be very interested in implementing the program for their customers.

"We found that the incentive system was incredibly effective in getting drivers to reduce their speeding," Ian Reagan, a traffic safety researcher at NHTSA tells NPR. "Egregious speed limit violations were almost eliminated – that's driving nine or more [miles per hour] over the speed limit."

Check out the great deal on this Jeep Commander

 

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Watch out for deer! Even race car drivers hit them.

A good ol' fashioned car chase

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This weekend is all about Dad? Here's 5 of the top Father's Day activities. Can you guess which is the most popular?

Have you ever used duct tape on your car?

Duct Tape comes in handy for many things and can be called a miracle material. The Mythbusters have built boats, hammocks, and much more with the grey fiber tape for mostly scientific purposes. Unfortunately some people have turned the tape into an obsession like the person pictured above. We want to know; have you ever used Duct Tape to fix your car?

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Guinness World Record Title for Tightest Parallel Parking Returns to China

 

For the fifth time in the past two years, the Guinness World Record title for the tightest parallel parking job has changed hands.

Previous titleholders include Ronny Wechselberger from Germany, who parked a VW Polo in a space measuring 26cm (10.24-inches) longer than that of his car, Zheng Da Zong from China, who did the same but with a gap of 24cm (9.45-inches) and Patrik Folco from Italy who broke the record at 22cm (8.66 in).

The latest record was achieved by Han Yue from China, who was able to neatly drift a MINI Cooper S into a space of just 15cm (5.91 in) longer than his vehicle during an attempt at the Beijing launch of a new special edition of the British hatchback named "The Chinese Job".