Autoblog

Around Memorial Day, the chances are good that either you or somebody that you are sharing the road with today has been out and about, spending the day with family or just enjoying their time off. There have surely been many hours spent behind the wheel for drivers across the country. Hopefully, drunk driving is kept to a minimum. But, there is another possible problem-driver on the road: the drowsy driver. It's likely that most of us have had that feeling behind the wheel, where we struggle to keep our eyes open. A new study from the National Road Safety Foundation, which is a non-profit group that produces driver aids, suggests that those drowsy drivers are equally as dangerous as drunk drivers. According to its research, a third of drivers polled admit to falling asleep behind the wheel in the last year alone. Suggestions for combating drowsiness behind the wheel include the obvious: pulling over, drinking a coffee or two and waiting about half an hour for the caffeine to hit your bloodstream. Consider this a friendly reminder to be safe out there.

[Source: National Road Safety Foundation]

Swedish researchers have discovered that a low-calorie diet can register a false positive on certain in-car ignition interlock devices that disable a vehicle if alcohol is detected on one's breath. The anomaly was discovered when a non-drinking airplane pilot reported the incident. Turns out the man was on a very restrictive diet that had him losing weight rapidly, which is what may have caused the false reading. As reported in the latest issue of the International Journal of Obesity, motorists on very low-calorie diets may release certain ketones that could be converted into a secondary alcohol known as isopropanol.

Police officials point out that false positives are eliminated in the field as breathalyzer tests are used in conjunction with secondary tests that focus on the type of alcohol and other factors. No citation for drunk driving would be issued in those situations. However, if you have one of these interlock devices on your car, your low-cal diet could spell the demise of your travel plans.

[Source: drive.com.au]

Ouch. A 21-year-old woman who was allegedly driving too fast apparently lost control of her Mercury SUV and skidded through a yard before going airborne and landing in the garage of another home next door. When the Mountaineer came to rest, it had inadvertently unpimped the rides of one Frank Taylor. Taylor's beloved 1980 Corvette and his brand new BMW were parked inside the garage at the time. The cars were given a custom body makeover courtesy of the Merc's undercarriage. Police suspect that drugs and/or alcohol may have played a part in the incident. Although the driver wasn't injured, the passenger was, and the young lady behind the wheel will most likely be hurting in a different way when charges are filed.

Thanks for the tip, Jeremy!

[Source: KMOV TV]

Imagine you're motoring along and you see a fellow motorist stuck by the side of the road. You think about just driving on, but something about the scene grabs you and you decide to pull over to lend some assistance. You jump out and rush over to see if you can help, and you promptly find yourself under arrest. This isn't a story of the law run amok, though.

You see, this particular Good Samaritan was drunk. So drunk in fact that he didn't recognize that the "stranded motorist" he had offered to aid was in fact a car being inspected by police officers for a minor violation. This was the scene in the northwest German town of Bremen. Police arrested the 37-year-old man and banned him from driving. "Obviously his optical assessment of the situation as he drove past was that this was a vehicle breakdown," the police said in a statement.

With the New Year's weekend about to kick off, we felt like we had to share this warning about the types of people you might be sharing the roadways with. Granted this happened in Germany, but we know there will be more than a few of these types on our roads as well. If you think you might be one of them, use a DD. This PSA brought to you by ABADD (AutoBloggers Against Drunk Driving). Have a Happy and Safe New Year.

[Source: Reuters]