I was driving to Main Street Days over the weekend and I saw something that aggravates me to no end. There was a pickup truck in front of me at a light with a dog in the bed. I hear of people losing their dogs when they’re roaming free in the back end even when there’s not an accident. You may think they are enjoying being out in the sun, with their noses stuck out in the wind, but I assure you, they are terrified and confused.

Letting a dog roam around the bed of your pickup truck is not only dangerous for the dog, it’s also dangerous for the other drivers on the road. Just one brake check or swift move, and your pup could lose his or her balance and end up on the roadway. At a high rate of speed, that would very easily be fatal. It would also potentially cause a domino effect of accidents trying to avoid that one.

Some owners claim that using a leash in the bed of the truck to secure them is a good idea. I disagree, I’ve read numerous reports of dogs being strangled when they attempted to jump out, only to leave them hanging over the side of the truck, unable to breathe.

I’ve also heard of people putting dog carriers in the bed of their truck. That may seem like a safer alternative, but the reality is, if you get into an accident, even a minor one, that cage will do no good.

The only place to have a dog travel with you is in the cab. If you have an extended cab truck, keep them in the back seat, so they will not bother you as you’re driving. Keep your dogs safe! I don’t want to hear anymore stories of people losing their beloved animals due to letting them ride in the back.

Remember when we used to get in the car on a Sunday morning and head out for a nice drive? Maybe it was to a lake or a down a curvy mountain road with the windows down and enjoying the sights and sounds. It seems that we’ve become too busy with work or too distracted with our Xboxes, laptops, iPads and other electronics.

I remember when my father would get up on Sunday mornings and have his cup of coffee and wonder aloud where we were going. We usually ended up taking a drive way out of the way of the city to a lake. Winding roads, trees as far as you could see, and the smell of nature filling up the car’s interior. It was a great feeling, just getting out of the house to spend a couple of hours with no real agenda on where we were going or what we were doing. Taking to the open road with the windows down and nothing but the road in front of us is a lost art.

What ever happened to roads like Route 66 that would curve and move with the land, instead of just a straight-shot? The curvy, 2 lane, roads that you only see in rural areas that give you the great scenic views are my favorite and I wish we had more of them here in Grapevine. Let’s bring back the Sunday drive so we can leave our electronics, and the daily grind behind for a couple of hours. Now that Spring is here, it’s the perfect time to roll your windows down, or, if you’re in a convertible, pulling the top down and enjoying the fresh air!

When’s the last time you took a Sunday drive?

It’s festival season, now that the fear of freezing temperatures is out of the way. One that I always like to go to is Arbor Daze, down in Euless, not too far from Freeman Grapevine. It takes place this weekend, April 26-27 at Euless City Hall, 201 N Ector Dr, Euless, Texas, 76039.

Every year they pay tribute to the nature-centric holiday, Arbor Day, with free trees for every attendee. With many cities in the metroplex cutting down trees to make way for construction and development, Euless plants a tree for each and every person who enters the gate at Arbor Daze.

There’s plenty of fun to be had for you and your kids, as well. Arts and crafts tents, an Arbor Dazzling Kidz Zone (with face painting, carnival games and prizes),  and Forestry Village are all geared towards entertaining your little ones. Music and dance acts are also planned. Acts include Crossing Main, Escape, Eddie Coker and Ka Pa Hula O Manulani. Stop by the Tongan Cultural Tent and enjoy authentic Tongan dancing and singing along with education about their culture.

My favorite thing to do when I’m at a festival is sample the food! I don’t know about you but I’m heading straight for the Best Bayou Bites tent. Gator balls, po’ boys, jambalaya, and gumbo. I want to try them all. There’s also a Polynesian tent, and a BBQ tent from North Main BBQ, plus tons of others. If you don’t have plans on buying a new or used car from me this weekend, definitely stop by Arbor Daze.

With warmer weather coming up in a hurry, that can only mean one thing: Gas prices are going to go up. Every time I look down at my gas meter, I hope that I’ve got enough to last me a few more days. Filling up my car takes a good $50 and if I fill up 4 times a month, that’s $200! I’ve been on the lookout for ways to curb my gas-guzzling ways and also keep my eyes out for ways to spend less at the pump. Here’s a couple of useful apps for your smartphone that I’ve found to be a great help.

GasBuddy

This is a particularly useful app when you’re trying to find the cheapest gasoline in relation to where you are. Sure, there are other apps out there like it, but I’ve found this one to be the easiest to use. Just start up the app and within seconds, it shows you how much the gas prices are in relation to where you are located. You can sort it by distance from you and by price. It’s always helpful to know that if you drive a little bit further down the road, you could save 5 cents per gallon instead of settling on the first gas station you see.

Automatic

This is a brand new app that looks promising. For $99.95, it includes a device that you plug in under the dash and it monitors your driving habits, gas mileage, even your check engine light! It’s also a parking reminder for those of us who sometimes forget where we parked. Automatic can also detect when you’ve been in a crash and will notify the authorities of your location. One of the best features of Automatic is the driving adjustment suggestions. If you tend to have a lead foot or like jumping out from a stop sign too quickly, it will recommend ways to improve your gas mileage. By keeping track of your trips via GPS and transferring them to your smartphone via Bluetooth, you can see exactly how well you’re doing and what improvements can be made with your driving habits. Here’s the video for more details:

What apps do you use in regards to driving?

Nobody wants to leave their pets with someone for a few days while you go on a road trip. Surely, you don’t want to have them boarded, that costs money and your pet will be uncomfortable going into a place with strange people and strange animals. Luckily enough, taking a dog with you on your road trip isn’t as hard as you think it is! If you follow a few simple rules, a trip with your dog will be fun for both of you.

Crate your dog

Crating your dog is the smartest option for traveling long distances with them in the car. Not only does crating help keep your dog calm, but they cannot be a distraction while you’re driving. Dogs tend to get nervous in moving vehicles and oftentimes they will try to climb in your lap for reassurance. Once they are in your lap, your focus is now on your furry friend, which is bad for your driving. Keeping them in a crate is better for everyone.

Don’t feed them

Dogs are prone to have motion-sickness and if you give them a big meal before heading out, you may have a mess on your hands (or your seats)! You may give them a small treat when you’re stopped for gas or for a meal. Otherwise, wait until you’ve reached your destination or are done for the night.

Take them for a walk

Before you head out for a few hours and you’re stuck in the car, take them for a long walk. Getting them to exercise before a long trip will help them relax and stay calm while in the crate. Also taking them for a walk during rest stops and breaks will help them stay relaxed and rest while you’re traveling.

Taking your best friend with you is always a bonus when you get to travel. Have you traveled with your dog? How did they handle it?

I’ve written at length a number of times describing the dangers of taking your eyes off the road while you’re driving a vehicle, but today AAA Texas released a report warning of the dangers of taking “selfies” while behind the wheel. For those of you who aren’t aware, a “selfie” is a picture of yourself taken by yourself. Taking your eyes off the road at any point in time while you are driving is a terrible decision. Looking for your phone, answering a text message, fooling with the radio, or even checking your Facebook news feed are all things that can wait until you’re at your destination or stopped at a red light.

In the 4 seconds it takes you to unlock your phone, find the camera icon, and snap the picture of yourself, you’ve traveled approximately the length of a football field (assuming you’re traveling at 60mph). That’s a lot of ground covered in a short amount of time and with your eyes off the road, your chances of getting in an accident go up exponentially.

I hear of minor vehicle accidents involving phones all the time, but knowing that people are focusing more on their pictures being taken than the road in front of them, is a big concern for me. In 2011, there were 385 deaths related to cell phone use on the road. I can only imagine that in the subsequent years that number has gone up.

In conclusion, doing anything that takes your eyes off of the road while you are driving is a bad idea. I’ve heard of people putting their phones in their glove compartments and locking it using the key, so there’s no way to get to it unless the vehicle is off and the key is out of the ignition. That may be an extreme example of self-restraint, but do whatever works, just keep your eyes on the road!

When’s the last time you got pulled over for running a stop sign? Maybe you were caught going a few miles over the speed limit, or forgot to put your seat belt on when you went to the convenience store. Getting pulled over for minor infractions is always a stressful undertaking and no one looks forward to it. When you do get pulled over, how you handle yourself and your attitude towards the police, can possibly get you out of a ticket!

1. Don’t lie.

When you’re nervous, you tend to tell fibs and police officers can tell when you’re lying. As a police officer, they are lied to on a daily basis and would appreciate the truth without having to ask you 100 questions.

2. Pull over when it’s safe.

Don’t stop in the middle of the road. Just because you see the flashing lights in your rear-view mirror doesn’t mean you have to pull over immediately. If there is no safe place to pull over and get out of traffic, then acknowledge to the officer that you are being pulled over and continue driving until you find a suitable spot. The officer will likely thank you for keeping traffic flowing and not causing a logjam.

3. Treat them with respect.

Whether or not you agree with me, the police are there for your safety and it takes a special kind of person to put themselves in the line of fire on a daily basis. Saying “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am” is always appropriate. No back-talking or rude comments. If you do, you’ll likely find yourself with a ticket in hand.

4. Don’t make any sudden movements.

Police officers are killed during traffic stops at an alarming rate and it likely they are just as nervous or leery as you are. If you must open a glove compartment or search through your purse or backpack for your wallet, notify the officer so they know what to expect, don’t just reach back and grab something in your bag.

Getting pulled over is inevitable, we all do it. If you follow these tips, you may be able to drive away without a ticket.

Remember back when you were a kid and you would read about the not-so-distant future? I remember comic books that had cars that drove themselves. I remember thinking that would be amazing! Well, as the technology has gotten better, that has now become a reality! California, Florida and Nevada have all passed legislation to allow driverless cars to hit the road. Google has been testing a driverless car for years and it has driven over 500,000 miles without an accident! That is a great statistic when you consider most drivers have a significant accident every 200,000-300,000 miles.

Driverless cars have thousands of sensors in the car and also use satellite guidance systems to navigate our busy streets. Just imagine the impact it could have on our drunk driving statistics. You could go into a bar and have a few too many, then safely make it home WITHOUT having to depend on someone else to drive you. Not only is it safer for you, it’s also safer for the innocent bystanders who happen to be on the road when you are.

Driverless cars also address another growing problem: elderly drivers. We are all going to be forced to make a decision to take away our parents driver’s license one day. With the advent of a car with no driver, the elderly will be able to go to the grocery store and wherever they wish to go!

There are plenty of legal problems to get through before we will start seeing them on our streets though. For example, who is at fault when there is an accident? The passenger? The owner? Will there always have to be a driver in the car who can take over in emergency situation? What are the age restrictions for riding alone in the car?
What do you think of driverless cars? Would you buy one?