Oil Changes Have Changed
By Chuck Mai, AAA
Here in Oklahoma, we love our oil. So do our cars – especially fresh, clean oil. But knowing when to change your oil can be slippery business.
To get an idea, consult your owner’s manual, probably one of the least-read books ever printed. (Hint: it’s in your glove compartment.) The OM will tell you what’s best for your particular model vehicle. Bear in mind, those recommendations are for normal driving conditions. If you regularly drive in stop-and-go traffic, at prolonged higher speeds, in extreme temperatures or in dusty or muddy conditions, you may need to change your oil more frequently.
The motor oil lubricates the moving parts in your vehicle. Without it, these parts would rub together and eventually melt due to the friction. The oil also helps clean off the buildup that commonly occurs in a combustion engine and suspends contaminates and residue.
Oil viscosity is the extent to which oil resists the tendency to flow at different temperature ranges. This varies from vehicle to vehicle, so it’s important to use the correct oil viscosity to operate your engine at optimum efficiency.
Premium conventional motor oil is the industry standard with the typical recommendation for oil changes ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 miles.
Synthetic blended oils are designed for vehicles driven in extreme conditions because it holds its viscosity better. While used most often in high-tech engines, synthetic oil can actually be used in any vehicle. It provides superior protection and contains additives that prevent the buildup of the sludge that accumulates after lots of severe driving.
Without a doubt, changing your oil is the single most important thing you can do for your engine.
Racing was in their blood, families and friends in their hearts
John Saucier, of Midwest City, was a legend at the Ponca City Grand Prix, among the best to ever compete there in its more than 25 years.
Bill Stengle, of Enid, didn’t run at Ponca, but he did make build and drive midget racers, and he enjoyed motorcycles. He raised a son, however, who DID race at Ponca City.
I saw John race many times while growing up in Ponca. But it wasn’t until years later, when I returned to The Oklahoman, that we became friends, all because of one column I wrote recalling the PC Grand Prix. He thanked me “for the memories” and gave me an update on some of the drivers I had mentioned.
I never met Bill, but I saw his son, Jim, race a few times in Ponca City. Jim and I became close friends while I was living in Enid. We met through my association with others in the Sports Car Club of America and we both were members of the Enid A.M. Ambucs.
Jim was the only guy I ever knew who had a Corvette … in his attic. Disassembled, of course. I wouldn’t have believed it if his wife, Dixie, hadn’t gotten him to show me when my wife, Becky, and I visited them one night. Dang if it wasn’t true.
John died Jan. 25 at age 74, I’m sad to say. Scott Munn of The Oklahoman noted that John won 28 SCCA championships and was a member of the organization for 55 years. Scott said John was the only person to race in each of the 26 Ponca City Grand Prix events.
Jim’s dad, Bill, died Jan. 11 at age 95. His obituary included points about his innovative, mechanical abilities, such as this: “For extra income, he began drilling water wells with a rig he built himself.” That takes some skill, for sure.
Both men had served in the military, both men had loving families, both men were well respected and both were extremely talented.
I’m proud to say I knew John and I know Bill’s family. All because of shared interested in racing that has circled the track for many years.
New Cars – Cool New Electronic Features
By Chuck Mai, AAA
As car-makers add more and more electronic distractions to new cars (giving traffic safety folks fits), they are also, thankfully, making cars safer.
Cameras and Sensors
John Paul, AAA’s Car Doctor, reports Subaru has introduced something they call the EyeSight system that uses a 3-D camera mounted at the top of the windshield, giving drivers a panoramic view of the road.
Honda has a device that gives the driver a view of the right side blind spot of the vehicle when the right turn signal is activated.
Mercedes-Benz has a new system called Collision Prevention Assist, available on M-Class SUVs, that uses radar sensors which monitor the distance from the SUV to a vehicle in front of it as well as to stationary roadway objects. If CPA detects an imminent collision, it sounds a warning and flashes a light.
Volvo has taken this idea a step further by autonomously hitting the brakes if it detects a low-speed crash is about to occur.
And don’t think it’s just the luxury cars offering these exciting new technologies. The latest Chevy Malibu has a forward collision alert and lane departure warning system.
Sleepy?
About a quarter of a million people fall asleep at the wheel every day in the U.S. Good thing car-makers have systems in development that can watch us. Most use in-car cameras that keep track of what your eye lids are doing as well as absence of steering wheel movements. If they note something wrong, it sounds an alarm, vibrates the seat or tugs on the seat belt to alert the driver.
Lights
Here’s an idea from the past – from the 1948 Tucker Torpedo to be exact: headlights that move in the direction the car is turning. A growing number of vehicles have what they’re calling adaptive headlights. Good for illuminating dark curves.
Some car-makers are adding light amplification and infrared cameras that not only allow drivers to see more at night, they also identify and warn drivers of pedestrians and critters by the side of the road.
Talking Cars
One of the most exciting new technologies is vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The idea that cars can talk to each other, while monitoring the roadway and overall driving environment, will make driving safer and less stressful. Car doc John Paul says these systems could warn drivers of slow-moving traffic, roadwork, traffic lights, school zones and weather conditions.
And by now, you’ve probably heard about Google’s driver-less cars that have received the go-ahead in several states. But wait – maybe a Massachusetts company is on the right track … or maybe the right altitude. They have created a flying car.
New Website Examines Rural vs. Urban Roadway Safety
By Chuck Mai, AAA
Anybody who follows Oklahoma’s motor vehicle crash reports with any regularity knows that rural roads are more dangerous than urban ones.
I have a distinct desire to be around this old earth long enough to see the Chicago Cubs win the pennant, so traffic risks are things I pay particular attention to. It’s all about surviving driving, which is no mean trick. Traffic crashes are still the leading cause of death for those 25 and under in our state. Numero uno. In fact, far ahead of whatever’s in second, third and fourth places.
So, when Fred Storer of Bartlesville sent me a study he had done of Oklahoma roadway collisions, I was all ears. Using information from NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fred’s contention is that “Oklahoma’s county roads and state number highways are three times as dangerous as the balance of the state roads combined.”
He examined the 3,006 highway fatalities in Oklahoma for the five years 2007 through 2011. The results? Twenty-eight percent of them occurred on urban roads and 72 percent on rural roads. See Fred’s website, www.saferight-of-ways.org.
You have to ask yourself, “Why?” Why are so many more of us dying in collisions on rural roadways than on urban ones? The answers are many: narrower roadbeds, limited shoulders, lack of medians, inadequate lighting, speed, tight curves, older bridges, and as Fred says, too many hazards placed too near the roads, hazards such as mailboxes.
But what’s happening inside the vehicle to cause these things to be final factors, that one last element that causes the fatal crash? Alcohol, certainly, plays a role in many of these wrecks, as does fatigue. But probably the number one facilitator of fatal crashes is distractions: other passengers in the car or pickup, reaching for something in the glove compartment, fiddling with an iPod, eating, drinking, smoking – and using a cell phone to either talk or text.
We have it within our power and abilities to save our own lives and those of others on the highway, whether rural or urban. You know how, it’s just common sense – limit distractions, pay attention to the road, drive refreshed, avoid alcohol and buckle up. And encourage your loved ones to do likewise.
Golden Oldies
By Chuck Mai, AAA
Statistics show that car thieves prefer older vehicles. Surprised?
People tend to think that older cars are of little interest to those sneaky ol’ car thieves because of their low retail value. But there are two reasons why older vehicles are so often on the bad guys’ hit parade: 1) Most vehicles are stolen for their parts, not for the vehicle itself, and used auto parts that many vehicles can use are in big demand, especially now that so many of us are keeping our cars longer; 2) older cars typically aren’t equipped with the sophisticated locks and security systems of newer models.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the top ten stolen vehicles in Oklahoma are:
1) 1994 Chevy pickup (full size)
2) 2006 Ford pickup (full size)
3) 1996 Honda Accord
4) 2001 Dodge pickup (full size)
5) 2000 Honda Civic
6) 1994 GMC pickup (full size)
7) 2002 Ford Explorer
8) 1998 Chevy pickup (small size)
9) 1995 Ford Mustang
10) 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
So, you might want to consider keeping comprehensive insurance coverage (covers theft) on that 1988 Dodge Horizon you’re driving. You’ll at least have some payout if your car is stolen, and the coverage isn’t likely to alter your insurance rates dramatically.
It’s only money
There are lessons to be learned. No matter how much you try to school them, regardless the advance warning, despite all the “when I was your age” comments, young people have to learn for themselves.
And when the time comes during their teen years that they have to make decisions that can cost them money, they learn just how costly those decisions can be.
A family I know well enough to be related to (and am) is about to get a double dose of the money game. Two teenage daughters, with two months difference in their ages (they’re stepsisters) are entering into the world of higher learning.
It can be a great time, it can be a tough time. It all depends upon the decisions you have to make and how you do so.
Their dad has set them up to learn, with a little room to fail. They get an allowance, a decent one. OK, very decent. Each receives 40 times what I got at the best level I ever had. I won’t deny that times were much different and items much cheaper. It’s all relative.
Now comes the adjustment.
Until now, others have made many of their purchases for them. Food on the run, cosmetics, trinkets, or whatever usually has been more of a “gift” from others. They’ve been told that now that those expenses will be their responsibility. But the biggest change will be in transportation.
Now, they will both have a driver’s license. Their dad bought them a car to share, fixed it up with some nice added features and got them both a set of keys.
But he told them they would be responsible for handling the cost of fuel with their allowances. I suspect there will be a steady decline of some other purchases, beginning pretty soon.
So what comes next? A little exercise in budgeting, he says. They’re going to have to learn how to budget their money, because he added a stipulation when he set up their allowances: don’t ask anyone for money; you have your own, until it runs out.
I also suspect there will be some employment considerations, along with a push for an additional vehicle.
The lessons are just beginning.
Check the resources in KNOWIT.NEWSOK.COM/MONEY-OKLAHOMA to help you with your personal finances. There’s some pretty sound advice there, no matter your age.
Advice for the Stranded
By Chuck Mai, AAA
When AAA roadside assistance technician Tim Griffin came to the aid of a stranded family on I-75 in Atlanta late one night, he assumed it would be a routine call. But, in fact, Griffin’s road service vehicle ended up being the life-saving barrier between a speeding car and the family of six he was assisting.
With his truck’s safety lights flashing and safety cones in place, Griffin was helping the family with their disabled mini-van when a passing car slammed into his vehicle. “If I hadn’t positioned my truck behind the family’s van to protect it and its occupants, that car would have struck it. And as fast as it was going, I know it would have injured those kids sitting in the back,” said Griffin.
Unfortunately, incidents like this occur all too frequently. Stranded motorists as well as roadside first-responders are faced with the danger of passing vehicles swerving into them each day.
You can take some key steps to protect yourself along the roadside.
• Pull off the road. Try to exit onto the far right shoulder as far off the road as possible while remaining on level ground. On an interstate or multilane highway with medians, you may consider the left shoulder, again pulling as far away from the traffic as possible.
If you cannot pull off the road, switch on emergency flashers, and do not risk danger to yourself by attempting to push your vehicle to a safe location. If you think your vehicle might be struck from behind, do not remain in it. You should proceed carefully and watch for oncoming traffic while exiting the vehicle; never stand behind or directly in front of it because other drivers may not see you.
• Alert other motorists. Make sure your vehicle is visible to other motorists by turning on your emergency flashers. If your vehicle is along the roadside, raise your hood and tie a brightly colored handkerchief or scarf to the antenna or door handle. Flares or warning triangles can also be placed behind your vehicle to alert other motorists.
• Communicate your situation. Once you and your passengers are in a safe location, call for assistance. If you have a cell phone, call for help from inside your vehicle if you are safely out of traffic. Otherwise, call from a safe distance from the vehicle and roadway.
• Remain with your vehicle. Under most circumstances, if you have a cell phone, it’s best to remain with your vehicle until assistance arrives. If there’s no telephone available within a safe walking distance, try to get the attention of other drivers and seek out law enforcement if possible.
If you choose to leave your vehicle, exit through the side of the vehicle facing away from the road. If you remain inside, keep the windows almost closed and the doors locked.
• If you just have a flat tire, go ahead and drive slowly on it to a place of safety away from traffic lanes.
Highway Characters
By Chuck Mai, AAA
All the world may be a stage, but Shakespeare never had to share the road with the jesters and clowns you and I encounter every day.
Maybe we should give awards to these characters: “Worst Performance by a Driver on an Urban Highway,” “Most Blatant Display of Distracted Driving,” “Dubious Achievement in Visually Terrifying Effects” – that sort of thing.
My list of actors and actresses is a who’s who of road-worthless evil-doers:
• Lane-jumping Johnny. This is the guy who is determined to get there seven seconds before you do. To him, driving is a game to be won at all costs. Or, to be fair, maybe he’s a doctor rushing to an emergency at the hospital. At any rate, give Johnny a wide berth.
• Tail-gating Terry. What’s scary is that sometimes Terry’s not even aware he’s doing it. He just wants to get there so bad, he gobbles up every available square foot of real estate between you and him and constantly wants more. Pull over, let him have it.
• Left-lane Louie. This guy lays claim to the left lane (the “passing lane”) of a divided highway, whether he’s passing anybody or not. Sometimes I think Louie’s just asleep.
• Blind Spot Doggers. Here’s an interesting personality. There’s tons of unoccupied divided roadway in front of this joker yet he persists in driving a car length behind me, one lane over, right in my blind spot. I figure he has a fear of passing (doesn’t want to appear to be speeding) or perhaps driving in synchronicity with me affords him a certain degree of security. Or maybe, like Left-lane Louie, he’s just asleep.
• Cruise Control Connie. This driver seems loathe to switch off her cruise control on the highway, so it takes her seven minutes to overtake a vehicle going in the same direction. It’s like she has found that perfect cruise control setting – within the speed limit – and she’ll be darned if a lawbreaking speeder is going to make her have to reset it.
• Cell Phone Charlie. It’s as if Mr. Multi-tasker is so important, he has to yak on the phone while driving. Many women do this, too. And the teenagers who text-message while driving? Well, I am at a loss. Where are the parents? Who’s coaching these kids on the dangers of risky driving? Text-messaging requires that you look at the phone a lot. Glance up at traffic for a second, look down at your phone for three seconds. Glance up at traffic for a second, look down at your phone for three seconds. Glance up at traffic for a second, look down at your ph . . . crash! No wonder teens pay more than anybody else for car insurance.
Pledge for roadway safety
A recently released analysis found a 1.9 percent decrease in total fatalities since 2010, officials of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
Any decrease is good new. Any drop is progress.
But the same analysis found some bad news. There was an 8.7 percent increase in cyclist fatalities and a 3 percent rise in pedestrian deaths in 2011. That is substantial.
“We are still concerned about the numbers of cyclists and pedestrians at risk on our roadways,” said Paul Oberhauser, Traffic Safety Coalition co-chairman. “As the holiday season approaches, we must obey basic traffic safety laws to ensure the safety of those inside and outside of a vehicle.”
The issue is personal to Oberhauser. His daughter, Sarah, was killed in 2002 when a driver ran a red light and crashed into her car.
The numbers in the report show a need for increased education relating to the shift in the types of transportation the public is now using, highway safety officials said. They say it is important to continue to keep overall traffic fatalities down and educate the public on driver distraction, red light running and speed in our intersections.
“The latest numbers show how the tireless work of our safety agencies and partners, coupled with significant advances in technology and continued public education, can really make a difference on our roadways,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a release from NHTSA.
“As we look to the future, it will be more important than ever to build on this progress by continuing to tackle head-on issues like seat belt use, drunk driving, and driver distraction.”
So, to keep roads safer for those traveling this season, the Traffic Safety Coalition is encouraging drivers to take its holiday pledge (http://www.trafficsafetycoalition.com/holidaypledge) to commit to safe driving behavior. The pledge reads:
“During this holiday season and every day throughout the year,
• I pledge to buckle up when driving and as a passenger.
• I pledge to obey traffic signals and always stop on red.
• I pledge to obey the speed limit.
• I pledge to never text and drive.
• I pledge to never drink and drive.”
The TSC works with more than 250 partners nationwide, including local chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Safe Kids USA and other local community organizations throughout the country.
It’s an effort we all can join.
REAL ghost stories
I’ve always loved a good ghost story.
When I was a boy growing up, we would go on Scout camp outs, or have friends over and sleep out in the back yard under the summer stars. When I was older, we sometimes would have a camp out on vacation. And when I became a parent, we would do Scout camp outs (you’re never too old to be a Scout), or fishing trips.
But ghost stories always “livened” things up. Occasionally, what was supposed to be downright scary became downright funny.
On one Scout camp out (earlier version), a few of my fellow minicampers, armed with pocket knives for protection, sat around a fire at night and tried to outdo each other with the scariest story.
There were tales of headless spooks roaming the woods, bloody warriors looking for body parts lost in combat, drowning victims, hanged criminals and many others, whose mutilated forms were so aptly described by the storyteller that they best not be here.
Usually, the narrator would toss in a groan or moan for good measure. Sometimes, two or more would work together to add an element of surprise, such as tossing a stick or rock off in the distance when no one was looking to make a startling sound.
All in good scare; sometimes with funny results, especially if someone actually did react in terror.
I don’t scare easily these days. But I do still like a good story. That’s why reading what paranormal Tonya Hacker comes up with in her adventures catches my attention. As author of Paranormal Eyes, she details events and examines what has been reported to have occurred in and around Oklahoma, as well as elsewhere.
If you know of such an item, location, or sighting, she would love to know about it. Just give her a heads-up.
Read her Paranormal Eyes at KNOWIT/NEWSOK.COM/UNUSUAL-WEIRD-OKLAHOMA. And while you’re there, check out odd-but-true stories elsewhere in the country and around the world by clicking on the buttons directly below the title of the page.
