#33 A falling giant - Go Hypermiling!

Go Hypermiling Podcast

Type: Audio
Hosts: Kacey Green and Manuel Santos
Recorded: March 8, 2010
Music: They Might Be Giants - Am I Awake?
Runtime: 37 min : 48 sec
Moderating: Kacey Green
Technique: Winterizing your car and your driving style
Main Topics:Closing of Rest Stops Stirs Anger in Arizona | New York Mother files wrongful death suit against Toyota
Sponsors: CleanMPG, Hybrid Canada, & Midlands Hybrid | Enginer PHEV kits, Midlands Honda, & CleanMPG Scangauges

Our Technique segment is Winterizing your car and your driving style

As with most things in life Kacey, a bit of upfront diligence and preparation can do wonders later on.  And on this note, nothing is more true than preparing your vehicle for the challenges of our northern winters.  We’ll start with the perennial favorites:

- Block your front grill. After all, a warmer engine is an efficient and cleaner running engine.

- If possible, invest in an engine block heater and use it diligently.

- Make sure your tires are properly inflated as their pressure will be lower with lowering temperatures.

- Consider a good set of winter tires as safety should never take a back seat to anything else.

- Change your oil and choose the lowest viscosity oil recommended for your vehicle

- Do not warm idle your car as that will not only shorten the life of the emissions control package and related components, but also give you 0 MPG in addition to polluting a whole lot for very little in return.

- Finally, drive carefully and sensibly even if your vehicle has the latest safety systems like stability assist and traction control.

Arizona closes rest stops in an attempt to slow their budget problems.

The rest stop on U.S. 60 near Wickenburg, Ariz., is among 13 the state closed in a cost-saving move. Many people are not happy. But then the state took away their toilets, and residents began to revolt. 

“Why don’t they charge a quarter or something?’” said Connie Lucas, who lives in Pine, Ariz., . “There was one rest stop between here and Phoenix, and we really needed it.” 

Arizona has the largest budget gap in the country when measured as a percentage of its overall budget, and the state Department of Transportation was $100 million in the red last fall when it decided to close 13 of the state’s 18 highway rest stops. 

A young lady looses her life in a car Toyota dealer claims was not at risk for unintended acceleration.

This week’s story concerns yet another fatality attributed to the unintended accelerations issues that has been plaguing  some Toyota vehicles.

As it turns out, Sandra Livingston of Roosevelt, NY, filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking general and punitive damages against Toyota for the death of her daughter Tyrene Livingston. Tyrene’s 2007 Toyota Yaris “suddenly accelerated and crashed” while she was driving on U.S. Route 30 in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tyrene was wearing her seat belt while she was driving to her teaching internship at a local high school.

As she traveled down the highway, the Yaris suddenly accelerated out of control and Tyrene was unable to stop the vehicle by braking. The Yaris crossed four lanes of the highway at a high rate of speed, went over a curb, crashed through a guardrail, and collided with the trees at the bottom of an embankment, which sadly resulted in Tyrene’s death. She was considered a safe driver with an excellent driving record.

Just four days prior to the fatal accident, Tyrene brought her Yaris to a Toyota dealership and complained of problems with the vehicle, including what she perceived to be issues with braking. The vehicle was inspected and tested, and Tyrene was assured that nothing was wrong. Her car is one of those Toyota’s with mechanical linkages to the throttle as opposed to the newer Drive by wire systems found in other Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Sad as it is, many believe that this lawsuit may be another case of ambulance chasing. 

What do you think?

Please feel free to post a comment or to leave an audio comment using the button on the sidebar of this site.

Kacey Green
Go Hypermiling! 
“Hypermiling in today’s world”

#33 A falling giant - Go Hypermiling!