Autoblog

A very short clip that says so much, there's really only one thing to add: be very, very careful out there. You never know who you're driving next to... Follow the jump to see the vid.

[Source: Break via Geekologie]

Research International USA's TRU branch has polled the youth of our country and discovered that they'd like a fun, stylish car more than anything (duh) -- namely the Mustang. Twenty-somethings posed the same question picked the Honda Civic above all else, mainly because they've had a dose of reality, and are now paying their own insurance and fuel.

So what exactly does this study say? As you mature, your experience leads to more practical decision making, perhaps? That there's a whole subset of spoiled brat high schoolers who have their insurance and fuel paid for and also expect that being handed the keys to a 3,500 pound wheeled liability is a birthright? Probably a bit of both, we suppose, but the fact remains that the Mustang is a flashy, fun car that even non-car people could point out in a crowd and undoubtedly has decent youth appeal.

The rest of the teens choices weren't earth shattering. Besides the Mustang, the cars that young drivers most desire are posted below the fold.

[Source: KickingTires]

Have teenagers gone nuts? The Federal Highway Administration is reporting that the percentage of teenagers with driver's licenses is going down. Yeah, decreasing! What is up with that?

When I was growing up, my teenage years focused on just one objective... driving. All I wanted was to get my driver's license. That little card with your picture on it was the golden ticket. You could borrow your parent's car, fill the tank (and grab a candy bar) for $20, and nobody could reach you until you returned. We didn't have cell phones, text messaging or GPS tracking. A driver's license represented freedom.

So, what happened? Experts aren't blaming unmotivated teenagers. Instead, they point the finger at the environment in which we are raising our kids. In today's world, parents are much more likely to chauffeur their teenagers from place to place. Tighter state laws govern when kids can drive, and in many cases legislation has pushed the driving age limit higher. Fewer high schools are offering driver's education classes, forcing parents to pay for more expensive private instruction, and steeper rates are making insurance cost-prohibitive for the high-risk teen-age category. Top it all off with gasoline at more than three-dollars per gallon, and maybe a driver's license just doesn't represent what it used to.

[Source: New York Times]

If you're of the opinion that the religious right has too much influence on American politics, you should check out Saudi Arabia. The royal family has relied for decades on the support of fundamentalist Wahabi clerics who, in return for their support to the ibn Saud regime, have insisted on ever more stringent laws. Among those measures has been a strict ban prohibiting women from driving that has been in effect for 75 years since the founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932, but the Saudi government is finally preparing to lift the ban.

The government decision reportedly stems from an effort to placate a mounting women's lib movement, whose activists have been mounting rolling demonstrations by leading convoys of women driving around in the kingdom despite the law prohibiting them from obtaining driver's licenses or automobile insurance. According to the Saudi government, the ban will be lifted by the end of the year. Critics point out, however, that previous government commitments towards reform have not been met.

[Source: The Daily Telegraph via Instapundit, Photo by HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty]

With the 2008 Lisbon-Dakar Rally confirmed to proceed, a star-studded roster of drivers is shaping up for what promises to be an exciting event spanning two continents over the course of two weeks.

Robby Gordon will be returning for the fourth time to fight for America's glory in, what else... a Hummer (pictured above). The NASCAR star will be competing against a host of rally champions, including double WRC champ and 2007 FIA Cross Country Cup winner Carlos Sainz (VW Touareg), and Monte Carlo rally winner Bruno Saby who will be driving the late Colin McRae's BMW. Two former F1 drivers, Ukyo Katayama and Tiago Monteiro, will be also competing, along with Vanina Ickx, daughter of famed grand prix and Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx.

All these drivers will be aiming to oust Mitsubishi, which has dominated the dunes and won the rally every year since 2001. Mitsubishi will be fielding no less than four Pajero/Montero this year in the event, which is set to depart from Lisbon, Portugal, on January 5 and finish in Dakar, Senegal on January 20. Watch this space for coverage.

[Source: Autosport]

With the majority of F1 teams gearing up to unveil their new cars, all but two have confirmed their drivers for the upcoming season. The only seats still up for grabs are with Force India and Super Aguri, and while the former was expected to confirm its drivers before the end of the year, that date has now been pushed off until January 11.

Adrian Sutil is all but completely confirmed to take one of the seats at the team formerly known as Spyker and before that as Jordan since its founding in 1991. But a number of drivers remain hopeful to take the second seat, including Renault refugee Giancarlo Fisichella, former Toro Rosso driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, former Jaguar/Red Bull/Honda pilot Christian Klien and Roldán Rodríguez, currently slated as Force India's test driver. Veteran racer Ralf Schumacher, as we previously reported, tested for the seat, but previous reports that the German driver would have to sit out the 2008 season have now been confirmed.

Once Force India confirms its drivers in two weeks, only Super Aguri, recently confirmed by Honda for another season, will be left to announce its roster. Takuma Sato is expected to take one seat and the second remains a wild card likely to be contested by whoever doesn't get the second Force India seat.

Follow the jump to view the confirmed drivers for the 2008 Formula One World Championship.

[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]

We're sure that policemen in Holland have seen plenty of strange things. The tiny country gets people from all over the world who can't wait to do all kinds of stuff that they'd never do at home. And we suspect that the Dutch wish they wouldn't do them in Holland, either. This time, though, the noteworthy behavior came from one of their own: at a random police check, an 84-year-old Dutchman admitted that his car was uninsured, that it had never had a vehicle safety test, and that he hadn't had a license for 67 years. The reason he'd never been caught: even though he's been driving since before Pearl Harbor, he's never had an accident or a ticket. So maybe he shouldn't get an honorary license, but perhaps some kind of award is in order...

[Source: Reuters]

A couple of years ago I was motoring down the highway at something above the speed limit, when I noticed in my rearview mirror that a Kenworth had snuck up on me. It's not easy for an 18-wheeler to sneak up on anything, but he was simply going so fast that one moment he wasn't there, and the next moment he was. The other surprising thing in the mirror, beyond that giant grill inches from my bumper, was a little sign just below the Kenworth logo that read "Move Over." Which I did. Quick smart.

Well, the "Move Over" movement isn't just for truckers anymore. It's gone mainstream with the Left Lane Drivers of America, whose mission it is "to get that left lane back!" from the slowpokes, cowpokes, and any other pokes who might be using it to do something other than pass the cars on the right. There are states where using the left lane only to pass is a law. However, like laws against jaywalking, it often, frustratingly, goes unheeded. Left Lane Drivers offers "Move Over" windshield stickers to let folks know what they need to do when you rock up behind them. It's even got an arrow so people know exactly where they're supposed to go. While we're all for anything to reduce road rage and the frustration of having to do 2 mph under the speed limit, we have a sinking feeling that some might see it as more automotive bullying and drive even worse out of spite. Maybe a "Move Over Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top" sticker could work better?

[Source: Left Lane Drivers via Winding Road]

The highlight of the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the 1.16-mile hillclimb. Nearly 200 cars in various classes, grouped by theme, race up the incline 9-turn incline and then parade down the hill in groups to line up for the next assault. The Festival is no stranger to Formula 1 cars or drivers (Nick Heidfeld holds the record for the hillclimb in a Mclaren MP4/13 at 41.16 seconds), but this years event will feature F1 drivers on bicycles. The bicycle challenge is called the Goodwood Organic Milk Race, and celebrates Britain's cycling event called the Milk Race, and the fact that the Goodwood Estate at Home Farm has introduced its own brand of organic milk. The uphill time trial will feature F1 racers paired with professional cyclists in 2-man teams. Former drivers will include Damon Hill and Allan McNish. Anthony Davidson, Jensen Button, Mark Webber are among the current pilots participating. And based on the state of their respective F1 teams, Goodwood could be the best chance for them to take home some silverware for a while.

[Source: Fourtitude]

Only in Vegas. Madame Tussaud's unveiled their latest ghastly likenesses; we're not sure if the fact that the subjects are still alive makes it more creepy. The work is uncanny in its accuracy and lifelike look, and if you're in Vegas, Tussaud's is a veritable family attraction. The reason for the paraffin-ization of the left-turning legends was the kickoff of this weekend's races at Las Vegas's own Motor Speedway. The flesh and blood Petty and Earnhardt were on hand for the debut of their inanimate doppelgangers at the Neon Garage, though we're not sure if they'll be paying any visits to the exhibit's permanent home at the Venetian. They could roam the exhibit halls and catch glimpses of such luminaries as John Holmes (we're not sure if it's all of "Wad," or a partial model) Siegfried and Roy (before or after the mauling, again, not sure), and of course Fat Elvis. Good times, good times. Now, where's that buffet...

[Source: TCC]