5/20/08

Cars Leave Little Room For Mistakes

By: Sara Lacey

I remember when my son was still tiny, yet was too big for his portable infant seat. Whenever he fell asleep in the car, I was pinned down with him. No more quick trips into the grocery store, coffee shop or anywhere else I needed a swift errand done — there was no more waltzing in with him napping snugly in his seat. (OK, so anyone who's carried one of those things knows there's no waltzing going on.) As he grew, I had to change my way of doing things — for the 9 millionth time since having kids, right?

I remember leaving him in the car once while I went in to grab a mocha latte, which ended in me having a freak-out because the line was really long and each cup of coffee took forever to come up. Not to mention the coffee shop had its pickup section farther from the door than I thought, so I couldn't keep an eye on the car.

Now, any time I get the inclination to leave the kids in the car, I imagine what the headline would be if something dreadful happened. The possibility of something horrendous happening to my children ought to be enough to keep me from leaving them in the car, but considering the public scrutiny of my actions reaffirms my decision. That news, by the way, would detail my upcoming public flogging.

The article would also go into detail about how www.kidsandcars.org reports that 231 kids died last year in non-traffic-related automotive incidents, including hyperthermia (heat stroke), the vehicle being set in motion and power window strangulation. Other parents would be reminded it's about that time of year when kids are out of school and running around with us more, and when temperatures begin to soar. Everyone would learn from my bad example that they need to be careful.

Don't be an example. Despite the inconvenience, NEVER leave kids alone in the car, not even for a quick errand like picking up the dry cleaning. Use a drive-thru ATM, coffee joint or restaurant even if it's a little out of the way and costs an extra couple bucks. Your child's life is worth it.

5/15/08

Nerves Just a Temporary Roadblock to Vehicular Freedom

By: Emily Hansen

It's finally happened: My teenager got his license. After months of holding my ground about him getting good grades and holding my breath about taking this giant leap, we went to the DMV to get his prized ticket to freedom.

The experience was harrowing, to say the least. I knew things were going south when a cranky guy picked up the clipboard with my son's permit attached to it. Mr. Sourpuss called Jake's name, and I watched Jake's face go limp.

Mr. Crabbypants walked outside and did a quick inspection of the car, got into the passenger seat and instructed Jake to pull out of the parking lot. That's where things got interesting. Jake slowly started backing out of his space when a small car blaring its stereo came speeding through the lane. Jake stopped quickly, but the other driver laid on his horn. Yikes! If he wasn't nervous before, he sure was now.

Jake got out of the parking spot and headed toward the street, but he pulled out when there was another car coming. I was watching, and it was a little closer than it should have been (not slam-on-your-brakes close, just I'm-driving-too-fast-for-this-parking-lot close). Next, though, he swerved to avoid a gigantic pothole, and that's where Mr. Crankybutt pulled the plug and failed Jake right there in the parking lot.

That experience helped significantly when we came back the next day to try again. Jake knew he had to be on his game, and that letting someone make him feel so nervous was counterproductive to the task at hand — a task for which he'd been preparing for about 15 months. Luckily, the next day's evaluation crew was much more cheerful and positive, and Jake passed with flying colors.

On our way home, I called our insurance company to tell them it was time to send me an outrageous new bill. The agent's response? "Congratulations to Jake and my condolences to you." I think that pretty much sums it up.

Encourage Kids Everywhere to Buckle Up

By: Sara Lacey

OK, here's my one-woman crusade: My friend's kid's friend Josh has a problem. It's not that he gets good grades, or that he plays the trumpet in both the marching band and the jazz band. It's not even that he's heading to college this fall, nor that he's funny in that dry, teen, inside-joke sort of way. His problem is that he's a terrible driver.

He's gotten into accidents, been ticketed — he even attended an Alive At 25 program (not by choice, I think). He got a pretty red-metallic Toyota pickup after he got his license, and less than a month later it was parked outside without a front bumper.

I have to confess to ratting him out once after seeing him on the road by texting my friend, "You tell that Josh to fasten his seat belt!" Imagine my surprise when I got a response from her saying he doesn't wear his seat belt on purpose. Apparently, both his grandfather and father were in accidents where — so he says — the only thing that saved them was the fact that they weren't wearing seat belts and were thus thrown from the vehicle.

Now, we all know that teens use flawed logic. For instance, in this case a non-teen would say that his family's good fortune in surviving accidents was purely luck, coincidence and some chancy physics thrown in for good measure. Teen logic, however, could have him convinced his family has some sort of rare accident-survival gene. Teen logic would tell him that because he hasn't been harmed yet, he's not really in danger by not wearing a seat belt. Teen logic might also say he's got too much going on to be bothered with learning a new good habit, like buckling up.

But I'm scared for Josh. Those scary teen-driving statistics are staggering. In 2006, 4,842 teen passengers ages 16 to 20 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., and 58 percent of those teens (2,813) were unrestrained at the time of the crash. Somehow, though, I don't think quoting those statistics to Josh would change his behavior. So what is there to do?

I know many people frown on public humiliation, but I'm just thinking this might be one of those cases where it takes that proverbial village. If you have any good advice on how I can help save Josh, please, please share it. Don't be mean, cruel or condescending. Maybe just make a bumper sticker or a T-shirt. Make a video, take pictures and send them to us at . Sing a song, hold a vigil, bake a Save Josh cake. You might not know Josh, but then you might have your own Josh. In that case, you can put your Josh's name on the cake or in the song, too. Your Josh needs to buckle up and drive safely just as much as mine does.

Laleh Seddigh Pushes Boundaries On and Off Track

By: Sara Lacey

While doing a little research on female racecar drivers, I came across a few articles about a woman named Laleh Seddigh. Read any of these articles, and your idea of the "hostile" environs that female racecar drivers face in the U.S. will be turned on its head. You see, Ms. Seddigh races cars in Iran. And she wins, too.

Besides her talent and hard work ethic, what stood out most to me were the obstacles that she and others like her have to overcome. Simply being allowed to drive is an obstacle, but another is the fact that if she wins a race, television coverage won't show her standing on a podium above a man. Oh, and she can't stand on that podium without a coat and headscarf over her fire suit. She has to get permission from the Iranian racing authority to race in other countries, which can be daunting, and she was recently banned from racing following allegations of engine tampering.

Keep reading about Laleh Seddigh and you'll delve into some deep cultural dissertations on women in Iran. I don't want to go into that too much; I know there are issues at play there that I can't relate to or understand. What I do know, however, is that Ms. Seddigh and others like her are incredibly inspiring.

In an interview with The New York Times in 2005, Ms. Seddigh said she wasn't a feminist; she just wanted to drive and compete. "I like competition in everything," she was quoted as saying. "I have to move whatever is movable in the world." It seems that as she's gotten more experienced in driving, she's also grown more into a role as a champion of women's rights in Iranian motorsports.

Click on the links below to learn more about Laleh Seddigh and other Iranian female racecar drivers.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,529173,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/mar/04/motorracing.features
http://www.mentalmayhem.net/newswire/2008/02/iran-bans-laleh.html

5/8/08

Automaker Caters to Women With A4 Preview

By: Kristin Varela

I'm so thankful we've gotten past the uber-feminist movement of the '80s that dictated men and women be treated in exactly the same manner all the time in a completely gender-squelching way. I revel in the fact that I am different from a man. To quote Faith Popcorn in her book "EVEolution," "men and women are as different shop-ologically as they are biologically."

This is why I was so thrilled when Audi hosted a women's-only weekend for lifestyle media to preview the new 2009 Audi A4. It was an honor to be included in such a fantastic and dynamic group of women, which included some of today's most powerful women in media. The weekend's agenda included learning something new in a non-intimidating environment, speaking to the female designers at Audi, and one-on-one racing instruction in the A4 at Infineon Raceway (stay tuned for more articles on that topic). I hope the rest of the automotive world follows Audi's lead of thinking outside the box to reach their target market through diverse media outlets.

It's great to see Audi being open to new ideas and doing things in a different, exciting and totally effective manner — and big kudos to the automaker for breaking out of the good-old-boys-club standard. The automotive industry is realizing bit by bit who is purchasing their cars and is working on new ways to reach those consumers. I for one think it's about time.

What Car Best Represents You?

By: Kristin Varela

It's every woman's fantasy: The sexy bad boy with a crazy hot car (Audi R8) who realizes the error of his ways and turns into a good guy superhero with enough electronic gizmos to save the world, satisfy his woman and fix her leaky kitchen sink.

OK, I made up those last two, but in "Iron Man," which came out last weekend, the rest is true. Tony Stark scored big time with the Audi R8 as his automotive soul mate; the car paired perfectly with his high-tech, high-speed, futuristic lifestyle and his big, bold personality. The R8's presence in this movie made sense and wasn't as obnoxious as I've seen product-placement be in other movies. I just wonder which Audi would be most suitable for Stark's assistant — and source of romantic tension — Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Maybe a 2008 Audi A4, batting its feminine LED eyelashes at Stark.

What is your automotive soul sister — that one vehicle that says absolutely everything about you, your personality, your style and your priorities? Let us know in the Comments section below.

Races Offer Good Times for All Ages

By: Kristin Varela

I recently took my youngest daughter to an IndyCar race in the picturesque streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Looking at this world from the outside, it appears to be riddled with machismo and testosterone (not to mention B.O. and ethanol fumes), so I was surprised to find such warmth and family-friendliness there.

Five-year-old MotherProof.com guest columnist Cade was welcomed with open arms. Strangers with golf carts offered to lighten our load and give us rides around the venue (there's a lot of walking involved at events like this). Crews working on cars paused to chat up Cade when she stopped to shoot some pics with her fancy-pants Hannah Montana camera. Tow-truck drivers stopped in the street to let Cade view the gory wreckage trailing them, and as the parade of cars moved from the paddock to the street course, Cade got up close and personal with the racecars and their drivers.

There was even an IndyCar Series interactive mobile museum, which is a loaded trailer where kids of all ages (including those of the grownup variety) can touch a fire protection suit and IndyCar steering wheels and seatbelts, as well as vote for their favorite IndyCar driver via touch-screen computers and sit in a mockup of a racecar and try their hands at virtual racing.

For a weekend outing, that's a little more exciting than yet another trip to the local indoor bounce-house franchise (boing!), try taking the fam to an IndyCar race. You'll have a blast and learn a little something too — double-layered sports bra not required.

Vandalism Has Mom Nodding Along

By: Sara Lacey

I'm one of those moms who's adamantly against any sort of toilet humor, which makes for pretty constant vigilance around my house with my 3- and 5-year-olds. I'm also adamantly against vandalism of any sort.

Knowing those two things about me, you'd think that this stop sign, which has been tagged with a disarmingly benign message, might irk my sensibilities. But after a whole winter of a bad stomach bug going around, all I can think to say is, "Amen."