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.

The New and Improved Prius Plus

5 money-saving DIY tips for car owners

 

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.

A Toyota can take anything you, or Nature can throw at it!

 

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.

Come in and check out the most durable vehicles in the world. Period.

People getting paid not to speed?

 

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."

Here's a quick video if you're having trouble connecting your Droid to Entune.

Parking the Scion iQ, part 1

Are you tired of trying to park your HUGE car? You can probably drive right into the grocery store in the Scion iQ. (please do not attempt)

Watch Toyota racer Anthony Davidson's terrifying airborne crash at Le Mans

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

The track bred FR-S in full drifitng action

Toyota converts all-electric 'Ring racer to Pikes Peak hill climber, check out the prep video below.

Check out our amazing used specials

 

Everyone loves the RAV4! ! Come in and save a ton on this used model! Check out our pre-owned specials HERE http://bit.ly/KddfJ2

Congrats on your new FR-S!

Click HERE to check out all of our reviews and become a fan of our Facebook page.

 

"The people that I dealt with at this dealership deserve the highest rating possible. They went out of their way to find me the car I wanted and have it delivered ASAP. They found a way to get me the new Scion FR-S in the color and transmission of my choice. I called and wrote every other day for two months bugging them about when would my car come in. They answered all my calls and messages cheerfully and I never got the impression that they were annoyed with my persistence. When the car arrived there were no surprises. The price was exactly what was quoted. There were no add-ons at the last minute. I was offered extended warranties and the like which I declined. I never felt any pressure to buy any of these. My car was ready and delivered on time in perfect condition and the final paper work was quick and painless. One more thing, I feel like I made friends with the people I dealt with. You can't feel any better than that when buying any large purchase from someone. I am recommending this dealership to everyone I know that could possibly want a Toyota/Scion. AND .... I love the car!" - 2001z06

25 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Cars

 

This list was compiled from various sites around the web:

1) The first cars did not have steering wheels, so drivers steered with a lever.
2) The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.
3) The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.
4) In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords.
5) The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.
6) In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported among these were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.
7) The first car radio was invented in 1929.
8) Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.
9) The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.
10) Most American car horns beep in the key of F.
11) On average there is about 3,000 feet of electrical wiring in every car.
12) If you drove at 100mph for four years you would still not cover every stretch of road in the USA.
13) Car airbags explode at 200 miles per hour.
14) British Petroleum makes a profit of £3,800.00 per second!
15) On average a human being spends two weeks of their entire lives waiting for traffic lights to change.
16) The first person to be killed in an auto accident in the United States was Henry H. Bliss, a 68-year-old real estate broker. On September 14, 1899, in New York City, Mr. Bliss stepped from a streetcar, turned to assist a woman passenger, and was hit by a cab.
17) The 1st automobile racetrack in the US was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which consists of 3 million cobblestones.
18) In 2003, 17,013 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in the United States. This amounts to one death almost every half-hour.
19) The city with the most Rolls Royce’s per capita is Hong Kong.
20) The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At the time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
21) The number of cars recycled in 1997 alone – nearly 13 million – would cause a traffic jam circling the Earth more than one and three quarter times.
22) Recycling just one car saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone.
23) Virtually every car taken off the road today is recycled – thanks to the steel and iron content!
24) It takes about 45 seconds to shred the average automobile into fist-sized pieces of steel for recycling.
25) The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today.