Big Brother: Traffic Cameras and How They’re Making Us Paranoid

I know you’ve seen these inconspicuous little buggers on top of stoplights, on street corners, and in your nightmares.  They record your movements through traffic with the flicker of a flash, causing paranoia that could lead to a citation in the mail, with a photo of you disregarding the law.  A smile planted on your face as you cruise through a stoplight is all the evidence they need. 

Red light cameras are made to deter running red lights. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2007, almost 900 were killed and nearly 153,000 were injured in crashes that involved red light running. About half of the deaths are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles who are hit by the red light runners. The IIHS has reported huge decreases in red light running in several cities in which the cameras were used.  Since they’re working, the cameras have been installed in more major intersections. 

Some drivers ask if this is an invasion of privacy.  Nope. Driving is a regulated activity on public roads.  When you receive a license, you must obey the laws of the road, which contains nothing to prevent local governments from documenting violators.  According to an article appearing in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the city of Lilburn, GA issued about 1,500 citations in January 2008. The citations dropped by 80 percent to around 300 in January 2009, after a new Georgia law mandated a longer yellow light duration. The extra second on the yellow light may have reduced the problem of red light running for the driver, but it almost worked too well for the city. Red light cameras were no longer issuing enough citations to keep them "profitable" and as a result, Lilburn and four other cities in the same county suspended their red light programs.

The red light camera system looks like it’s here to stay, for mow.  For more info on how they work, visit: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/red-light-camera1.htm

Some Solid tips on Car Air Fresheners

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Other than masking the odor of your automobile what good are Car Air Fresheners?  Can you re-use them? Do they have other significant uses? Why do we use these scent avengers? This week’s blog might enlighten you more about the heavily perfumed ornaments that you never knew before.  If anything you can impress your friends at your next party with this incredible knowledge you are about inquire.  First let’s look at the history of the Car Air Freshener and then we can touch base on the rest..

The little tree car air freshener was created 60 years ago in Watertown N.Y. by Julius Samann.  Samann, was listening to a milk  man complain about the stench of spoiled milk.  It just happened to be,  Samann was also a chemist who was studying  tree smells in Canada.  He patented his invention known as “Little Trees” and before you knew it every Lucky Strike smoker in the late 50’s had a tree dangling from the rear view mirror.   The scented trees have been dancing around happily in front windshields everywhere.  Other than the obvious rear view mirror with the foil string how else are these gadgets placed?  Perhaps your laundry room needs a bit of an uplift? Why not place them in a closet? No matter where you put them there are so many types to choose.

The great thing about these marvelous breeze  smelling items is that you can find one just right for you almost anywhere.  Every chain store sells them.  The car was sells these doodads. And there is a variety of places to display them. They can be clipped in front of a vent or kept in a tin pot inside a cup holder.  They can also be sprinkled on your carpet or stuck on your dash.  However way you display them look out for two things 1.) Make sure they are not going to damage your car  2.) Make sure they are safe for your environment.  

One of the reasons that Car Air Fresheners may not be safe is due to the chemicals that they are made with.  They can be made with Aerosols or they can be oil based.

Be sure to read what they are made of.  Basically they could be polluting the air in your cabin so be sure to read your labels.  A.F.’s could be toxic so read your labels!  Look for organic air fresheners that are oil based and provide more of an aromatherapy instead of a gas chamber of smells. Also make sure you aren’t leaving them somewhere a child or animal can ingest them. They can be very deceptive to a child or a dog by looking like Hello Kitty or candy.  Think about it!

The other thing to think about is there longevity of smells.  Below is a chart that can help you determine the best for your buck when it comes to your cars essence.

Hopefully this gave you some additional points on Car Fresheners.  Contact us for more information.

                                                           

The 2015 NSX will be built right here in the U.S.!

Currently Honda/Acura is seeking a total of 100 skilled technicians and engineers to work at the 184,000 square foot facility in Marysville, Ohio.   These individuals will possess the highest qualifications to assemble and engineer this precision machine.   It’s also nice to know that the NSX will have a come back right here on American soil.

The older model’s production started in Hong Kong  in 1990 and was created up until 2005.  Some of the vehicles were assembled in North America within that time.

 Since that time there have been concept cars that have kept us intrigued.  However, a decision to produce the new model has been made and will roll out in 2015.

The older model NSX machines were somewhat of a collector’s item for sports car enthusiasts.  Only 200 vehicles were built per year on the previous model sports car.  It will be interesting to see how many will be built in two years from now.  

In the next 24 months the highly qualified personnel will perfect what they are considering a driver and car unison experience.  The precision detailed car has a 1000 point focus on allowing the driver and the machine to perform as one. 

The vehicle will continue to be built with the Aluminum V-6 engine. However,

this mean machine will have 2 electric motors that power the front wheels and a separate motor for the dual clutch system.  There is a prediction that the NSX will have approximately 458 horsepower and will be able to hang with the Ferrari crowd.

These units have a base price of $130,000 which is not bad for a High Tech Super car.

Not only is it great to see that the facility will create jobs and careers, they will also be making another high technology super car right here in the good ole U.S.  

To find out more contact us at Bernardi Honda of Natick.