Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Big on speed, short on brains, caught on film

This Lexus rolled over in Estonia as its driver tried filming the car reaching its top speedvia Carscoops Have you ever wondered why the speedometer goes all the up to those huge numbers if it seems like your car could never go that fast? And I don’t just mean in your little Elantra; they increase the numbers accordingly in, say, a Porsche. Like dangling a little something-something just in front of your nose. Or better yet, daring you to test it out. This Estonian gentleman was simply doing what we all yearn to do in our hearts: seeing if his car could go as fast as advertised. Let anyone here who hasn’t considered it throw the first wrench. But – there’s always a but – he ran into a few problems, of course, as Carscoops reports. Like how it’s not enough to simply tell your friends, Hey, dudes, I got the Lexus all the way up to 260 km/h! because someone will always say, Sure you did, Jakob. I’ve heard Estonians can be a tough room. The upside is we no longer have to strap our best friend into the death seat to film our antics; we have dash-mounted cams that can record our stupidity up close, though they are admittedly mostly used to capture the dumbass-ery of others. Thankfully, our video star passed up the passenger-cameraman option (or all his friends did); unfortunately, he also passed up the dashcam method. He chose instead to hold his phone to record himself, because when you’ve announced you are going to hit 260 km/h, you only need one hand and a little bit of focus. This video should be more horrifying, actually, than it is. Estonia must produce some pretty cool customers, because according to the story, shortly after hitting that speed, however, he lost control of the car and can be seen applying opposite-lock to help correct a slide. It doesn’t work and, for approximately eight seconds, the Lexus can be heard sliding down the road before it slides into an area of grass and rolls onto its roof. As the Lexus skids to a stop on its roof, all our Speed Racer does is hunt around for his phone. If he pooped his pants, he doesn’t mention it. Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Big on speed, short on brains, caught on film

Porsche’s augmented-reality app lets you put a custom 911 in your living room

Ever wondered what a brand-new customized Porsche 911 Carrera S in racing yellow would look like in your living room? Of course you have. We all have. What about in your bedroom? Now, Porsche is giving daydreamers the chance to glimpse what their ideal car would look like in their home without having to fork out over $100,000 for the car and $120,000 for the renovations to the new kitchen/garage. The Porsche AR Visualizer app uses augmented reality to add another dimension to its existing online vehicle customization tool by setting your custom car in your home and allowing you to see under its skin in X-ray mode. With our new app, the configuration of a Porsche will be even more of a digital experience, said Oliver Hoffmann, Director Marketing Communications at Porsche, in a press release. Now, before making the purchase decision, everyone can virtually park their dream Porsche in their own driveway, marvel at it in their own living room, or show a photo-realistic version to their friends. First users build their dream car – selecting colour, wheel style and more – in Porsche’s online configurator, and then upload it to the AR app using a code. Once their custom build is in, they can see a “photorealistic representation” of it in basically any location. And the Internet being what it is, we can’t see people limiting that to the driveway. The X-ray mode provides a look at some of the technical specifications, and there’s even a driving mode that lets users cruise the vehicle around the environment, lower the spoiler or make some noise with the engine. The app currently supports new models of Porsche 911 Carrera S, Carrera 4S and the Mission E concept, but Porsche plans to introduce the rest of its models by the end of the year.
Origin: Porsche’s augmented-reality app lets you put a custom 911 in your living room

Your Corner Wrench: Don’t be overwhelmed by tire choices and prices

2018 Dodge Challenger HellcatNick Tragianis / Driving When shopping for a new (or new-to-you) ride, we know the last things to grab your attention are those black rubber rounds on which it sits. It’s understandable. Compared to the rest of the package, with all its modern styling, shiny paint, and loads of high-tech gizmos, tires are just dull and boring. But missing a few points on a vehicle’s boots can cost you dearly down the road. No matter how well you take care of a car, and no matter how carefully you drive, you will have to replace tires every 50,000 to 75,000 kilometres, on average. It’s inevitable, but whether or not this becomes a wallet-busting nightmare or an easy routine depends on your shopping skills. Years ago, automakers learned dressing up tires can greatly increase their desirability. Execs demand a lot from tire manufacturers in terms of performance specs on tires, but unfortunately, at the bottom of the list was tread longevity, purchase price, and sometimes even availability. After all, automakers want tires to run quiet, smooth, and provide acceptable grip — not last forever. The move that ends up costing us the most is low-profile tires. But before we go any further, this is a good time for a brief refresher on tire sizing. On every tire’s sidewall is size depicted in letter and numbers — for example, P225/65R17. P stands for passenger vehicle (as opposed to LT, which means light truck). The number 225 is the tire’s tread width in millimeters, and 65 indicates that the tire’s side wall height is 65 per cent of the tread’s width. Finally, 17 refers to the wheel size in inches, just because tire sizing shouldn’t make complete sense. When it comes to pricing, once you go past the 17-inch wheel size and/or below the 65-series sidewall height — also referred to as the aspect ratio — costs go up dramatically. Grab a ride with 50-series fitted on 20-inch wheels, and you can be entering the stratosphere of rubber prices. Take Canada’s most popular car, for example — the Honda Civic. The entrly-level Civic DX comes with P215/55R6 tires, which run about $145 before installation and taxes, for a set of Goodyear Assurance tires. But if you step up the Sport Touring level, those P235/40R18 boots will set you back $215 on average for the same tire. That’s a whopping 48 per cent increase. Some driving enthusiasts will tell you it’s money well spent, as those wider tires have better grip during aggressive cornering, and their shorter stance combined with lightweight alloy wheels provide better steering and suspension response. In reality, you’ve got to be pushing it past legal limits to appreciate the difference. So, how can you protect your wallet? First, consider models with a more affordable tire size from the start. If the particular vehicle on the dealer lot you’re considering is shod with platinum-level shoes, ask if a downsize is possible. If a retailer can simply swap a set of wheels and tires between another lesser-trim model already in stock, they’ll usually be more than happy to be stuck’ with the more expensive set, while you drive off on something you (and your wallet) can live
Origin: Your Corner Wrench: Don’t be overwhelmed by tire choices and prices

Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Crossing the street shouldn’t be this hard

In Etobicoke last week, a woman properly using a pedestrian crosswalk was hit by a minivan and thrown several metres. A controlled crosswalk. There is video—she properly activates the overhead signal to stop traffic, she pauses, she raises her arm to increase being seen. The intersection near The Queensway and Milton Ave has a 50 km/h speed limit. The minivan carries right on, hitting her as she’s halfway through the crosswalk. Warning: this video may be disturbing to some viewers. WARNING: Disturbing content. NEWSTALK1010 has obtained video of a pedestrian getting hit by a van in Etobicoke, thankfully with non-life threatening injuries. But residents say it’s been a dangerous intersection for years and want change. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/E9zd8SARdh NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) May 23, 2019 News stories can be misleading. Sure, she was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, which is great news. But don’t tell me that getting hit by a minivan going 50 km/h (undetermined) and thrown isn’t going to give you injuries. Soft-tissue damage is real, and there is absolutely no good outcome when steel meets flesh. Dude has been charged with careless driving causing bodily harm. Anyone who blisters into a pedestrian crosswalk with lights activated should also have a search done for where their phone was at the time. That is just my opinion. Locals have weighed in that it’s long been a dangerous intersection; politicians are making noise about decreasing speed limits and increasing signals. In the meantime, shall we judge? Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Crossing the street shouldn’t be this hard

Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Where do we draw the line on clickbait headlines?

In the U.S., 751 children have died of heatstroke in cars since 1998.iStock Our JudgyPants pieces are mostly for fun and ridicule. Do something stupid, you too can end up here! Sure, it generates some traffic to the site, but it’s mostly to let readers take a pop quiz and have a laugh. Hopefully. What isn’t cool? When news sites jump to push out something noisy without pausing to think what they are really doing using a headline as bait. I hesitated over just such a story today, spreading a dire warning that leaving your sleeping infant in a car seat could lead to their death. Well, I love kids. This might be important. But a quick follow through to the study in debate quickly eroded the possibility that this was Big News or a Dire Warning. A commenter on the LifeHacker site, where the story originally appeared, summed it up perfectly: What this research actually seems to be saying is that if you leave your child with a crappy babysitter who restrains them in a car seat for hours instead of actually caring for them, then there’s an increased risk they might die. Letting your baby sleep in their car seat next to you in a restaurant is not going to kill them. Care to judge? Take Our Poll
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Where do we draw the line on clickbait headlines?

Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Unexpected reaction to being rear-ended

A classic Plymouth involved in a rear-end collision in Saskatchewan, caused by the 69-year-old drivers collapse.Wayne Duquesne / CBC Saskatoon Is this a perfect example of when you should suspend your Judgy Pants? A Saskatchewan couple were on their way to a family dinner when they were suddenly rear-ended by a mid-’60s Plymouth. Contrary to most first reactions, driver Wayne Duquesne realized the driver who had struck his vehicle had slumped over, in the throes of a medical emergency. Duquesne jumped into action, telling his wife to call 911. A former lifeguard, he removed the 69-year-old man from his vehicle and began performing CPR. A woman witnessing the event ran to a nearby gym, and the owner also sprang into action with aspirin and a defibrillator. Between them, the two men kept the older man alive until emergency services arrived. We usually pivot to anger, especially when we’re surprised by something like a collision. Full marks to Duquesne for instead doing what we all should do: make sure everybody is okay, and assess property damage second. But that doesn’t mean we can’t look for takeaways from this event. Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Unexpected reaction to being rear-ended

You now have to buckle your seatbelt to start your Chevy Traverse

Chevrolet’s industry-first Buckle to Drive feature is available when the vehicle is in Teen Driver mode. If the vehicle is on and the driver’s seat belt is not buckled, the feature is designed to not allow the driver to shift out of park for up to 20 seconds. When the brake pedal is pressed, the driver will hear an audible alert and see a message in the driver information center that reads “Buckle seat belt to shift.” (Photo by John F. Martin for Chevrolet)Chevrolet Chevrolet’s new Buckle to Drive feature is an industry-first aimed at teenage drivers who forget to use their seatbelt. You’d think we wouldn’t need this, but the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says the majority of teens involved in fatal car crashes in the U.S. weren’t wearing seatbelts. Teens have the lowest rates of seatbelt use, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of the people killed in vehicle crashes in 2017, 47 per cent weren’t wearing seatbelts. Needless to say, Chevrolet hopes its system reminds drivers to be safe while driving. “Buckle to Drive is Chevrolet’s latest feature designed to encourage young drivers to develop safe driving habits right from the start,” Tricia Morrow, Chevrolet’s safety engineer, said. “Buckle to Drive is embedded in Chevrolet’s Teen Driver system and is aimed at helping remind teens to buckle up every time they get behind the wheel.” Here’s how it works: first, Teen Driver has to be enabled. When the vehicle is turned on and the seat belt isn’t buckled, you won’t be allowed to shift out of park for 20 seconds. If you press the brake pedal to shift, the car will sound an audible alert and display a Buckle seatbelt to shift message in the instrument cluster. Once the seatbelt is buckled, you can shift into the desired gear. Buckle to Drive will be standard on the 2020 Chevy Traverse, as well as the Malibu and Colorado, starting this
Origin: You now have to buckle your seatbelt to start your Chevy Traverse

Report: Rideshare vehicles’ back seats are dirtier than your toilet

2018 Toyota Corolla iMCosta Mouzouris The back seats of taxis and vehicles booked via rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are, on average, much ickier than your average toilet seat, according to tests conducted by insurance aggregator website Netquote. The tests focused on three areas: the window buttons; door handles; and seatbelt of three randomly chosen taxis, and three randomly chosen rideshare vehicles, Autoblog reports. They also swabbed the seatbelts, steering wheel and gearshift of three rental cars. These spots were chosen because they are the most-touched points in most cars. The grossness of the results of the test is measured in CFU numbers, which stands for colony-forming units. A typical toilet seat has around 171 CFU per square inch. The amount of germs isn’t actually as big a deal as how bad the individual germ can be; however, the more germs, the greater the possibility one of those pretty bad ones is in the mix. On the scale, the tests showed taxis netted an average CFU of 27,000 per square inch, with the worst offender areas being the seatbelts, followed by the door handles and window buttons. Rental cars are much worse for wear, somehow. The steering wheel and gear lever get the worst of it, with over 1 million CFU per square inch, while the seatbelts remain almost unscathed, with only 403 CFU per square inch. You would think the vehicles would be hosed down after some filthy bum has returned it after 1,000 km, but nope. The rental cars aren’t as bad as the rideshare vehicles, however. With people constantly jumping in and out of them from various venues, it really isn’t a surprise that the seatbelts and window controls scored over 5 million CFU per square inch. Somehow, the door handles remained cleaner at 1,810 CFU per square inch. So maybe next time you ride in an Uber, wear a hazmat suit. That’s the only logical thing to
Origin: Report: Rideshare vehicles’ back seats are dirtier than your toilet

This app will help you if you crash your Volvo

Volvo Car Accident AdvisorVolvo Crashing your car isn’t fun, and the worst part about doing it is the uncertainty of what to do afterward. Luckily, Volvo is taking some of the guesswork out of car accidents with its new mobile app. The app is aptly called Car Accident Advisor, and is designed to guide you through the first steps you need to take following a minor fender-bender. First, you must confirm to Volvo Customer Care that you are uninjured and that emergency services are not needed; then you will receive a text with a link to the advisor. The app requires that you have a data or internet connection, and then it will guide you through the next steps. The app will prompt the driver to take photographs of the damaged areas and the scene around the vehicles, as well as record facts about the scene. The app can also compile a report to send to your insurance company, and search for repair shops. The whole system should amount to a less stressful experience, as well as a faster repair time for the vehicle and quicker claim response from the insurance company. Obviously, if you are in a larger accident, the app might not be the best thing to use, but for small accidents with other drivers or even with objects, the step-by-step instructions make the whole process less disorienting. The service is available for vehicles model year 2015-and-a-half and up automatically, and via the in-car SOS communications system in newer
Origin: This app will help you if you crash your Volvo

Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Charged for using a phone while in a drive-thru

A McDonalds employee assists a customer at its drive-up window August 8, 2003 in Chicago, Illinois.Tim Boyle / Getty Images An RCMP officer in Surrey, B.C. is offering us up a nitpicky Judgy-Pants. It seems a driver at a McDonald’s drive-thru was using his phone when an officer issued him a warning about using a handheld device while behind the wheel, reports News 1130. Though the officer says he was in the area on an unrelated matter, when he spied a driver in the drive-thru using his phone, he approached him. The pushback against the incident only made the RCMP remind the public that parking lots and drive-thrus are considered part of the roadway, and are subject to enforcement of the BC Motor Vehicle Act, which prohibits the use of electronic devices while driving. Sure but—in a drive-thru? #RCMP is actually out here ticketing people for using their phones at a drive thru. Is this a joke? This is harassment. pic.twitter.com/N4i59bS7AP Tej Dhaliwal (@DrDangles87) May 8, 2019 I know where your brain is instantly going with this. Yes! Finally! Cell phone police to nab that idiot who has his face buried in his phone when it’s his turn to pull up to pay! That woman who is carrying on two conversations at once – one on her phone, one with the voice in the magic-speaker order-box – and confusing everyone! Charge them all! I’m kidding. Sort of. Mostly I’m thinking that if people were just more considerate in general, especially in their cars, our rage levels might be a little more subdued, and we certainly wouldn’t have cops wasting precious resources policing stupid things. McDonald’s wasn’t particularly helpful; their Twitter response was to parrot the law: We do not encourage the usage of our app while operating a vehicle. Driver’s responsibility is to operate the vehicle in a safe manner and obey all motor vehicle laws. Drivers should always switch off their vehicle’s engine and apply the handbrake when using a mobile device. Imagine every driver ahead of you now having to turn off their car – and apply the handbrake – in order to pay if they’re using their phone. Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Charged for using a phone while in a drive-thru