The Labor Day holiday weekend, traditionally the end of summer vacation, is one of the deadliest periods for drinking and driving, according to a study by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The end of summer means celebration and one last chance to kick back and have fun before school starts and the weather cools down.
Drinking and driving becomes a large problem during the summer months, but especially during Labor Day weekend. One study in the state of Ohio "shows that one in every three traffic deaths between 2001 and 2005 was alcohol related." That same study also showed that "in the past five years, the Labor Day weekend has seen more people killed than any other holiday."
Here are some other scary statistics: • Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and nonfatally injure someone every two minutes (NHTSA 2005). • More than two-thirds of child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-related crashes during 1997–2002 were riding with the drinking driver; only 32% of them were properly restrained at the time of the crash (CDC). • About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives (NHTSA, 2000)
When you are having fun with friends and family it is
easy to forget your limits when it comes to alcohol. Make sure you are
aware of how much alcohol you are consuming and watch out for your
friends and loved ones as well. If you aren’t sure just how many you
can have before being too impaired to drive, check out this handy chart showing blood alcohol levels (BAC).
Monica Thompson is currently Junior Web Producer for the custom truck sites of Primedia’s digital Truck Group. She focuses on Sport Truck Magazine and Mini Truckin’ Magazine, as well as Truckin’ Magazine when needed. During the day, she works on original content, putting magazine articles online, posting show coverage, forums, newsletters, blogs, and anything else that viewers will hopefully enjoy.
ASK PATTY: What are the challenges for you as a women working in the automotive industry?
Monica: Primarily, there is just so much to know, so I am realizing that there is no way to know everything. I have to re-align my expectations of myself, and take it one day at a time. A second challenge is that the automotive industry is primarily guys, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. While most of the time they think a girl in the industry is a good thing, I do come across some who are completely opposed to the idea and really don’t dig it at all. So really it can be hot and cold – just because you’re a girl they’ll like you, or just because you’re a girl they won’t like you. It can be hard sometimes to completely ignore gender differences and just focus on the job, because when it comes down to it, I don’t want to be treated like “just anther guy.” I am a woman, and I want to be respected and treated like a woman. But at the same time, I don’t want the extra attention, pressure, and expectations of “being a girl.” So when guys look at me like a “dude” or “bro,” I think, “hello, I’m a girl.” But when they make any reference to anything sexual, I think, “Eww, you sicko.” I see how ironic this is, and really, I’ve just learned to recognize it and just keep a sense of humor. Speaking of humor, there is a joke that I got a kick out of: “Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.” -Charlotte Whitton. Along these same lines, I get disgusted by the exploitation of girls in the automotive industry, and how receptive guys are to this. It’s frustrating when you could have an “automotive” magazine, with no cars and all girls, and it would probably be a bigger hit. I don’t want to see girls everywhere, because I don’t think it’s good for guys. That’s just my belief.
What is a Blog Carnival, you ask? A compilation of like topic blog posts from all over the bloggersphere posted right here on Ask Patty for your reading and viewing pleasure.
Write a 'female friendly' automotive-related post on your blog and go to the sumission form on Blog Carnival we'll add to the Ask Patty Carnival? Come join the fun!
Examples of topics to consider:
• Advice or experiences regarding car • Advice or experiences with service and repair • Personal anecdotes or stories about your own car-related purchases or research • Car safety information • Fun stories from your life involving cars • Anything else you can think of involving cars and trucks! Go ahead and submit a post! It will be fun!
You can submit your own post or nominate someone else's. Fill out the sumission form on Blog Carnival by Thursday August 31st at 3pm PST for consideration.
August 21, 2006 -- AskPatty.Com, Inc. announced the launch of an enterprise business center version of the AskPatty.com online community for women to get expert automotive advice to improve their car buying experience with car dealers. Car dealerships can subscribe to the AskPatty.com online service by completing the Ask Patty ‘female friendly’ certified dealer training program. Women consumers can search for certified dealerships in the newly launched version of Ask Patty.
What do classic cars, women and church have in common? For Lynda Sweet, 50, of Pleasant Ridge, ending the Woodward Dream Cruise, held in Southeast Michigan Saturday August 19th, on a
religious note with a sermon titled " "On the Road Again" was perfect for her -- though she said she still has to
work on her coveting. She pined for the red 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle
with white striping she spotted Thursday night.
The pastor of this unconventional service, Bud Miller says, "God is the god of second chances," said Miller. "I took a side road.
Some of you did, too. Men oftentimes don't ask for directions. If Moses
were a woman, they wouldn't have been wandering around for 40 years in
the wilderness."
The Chicks with Classics car club cruised the Woodward Dream Cruise in style, Chicks with Classics is an all-ladies club that helps members spend time
together and network to find aesthetic, body work and mechanical
resources for their cars.For more
information on Chicks with Classics you can contact Marianne Maisano via e-mail: mmmaisano@wowway.com
The Garage Blog is featuring a GIRLS,INC. charity auto auction, check this out! Warren Buffett’s philanthropic efforts recently made headlines when he pledged to donate the bulk of his fortune, nearly 32 billion dollars, to five foundations. In addition to this generous gift, Mr. Buffett is divesting himself of his 2001 Lincoln Town Car to benefit Girls Incorporated (Girls Inc.), the premier youth-service organization that reaches millions of girls, ages 6 to 18, throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Over at the Automotive.com Blog there is a great write up on “Back-Up To School Safety Program” returns: According to the non-profit organization Kids and Cars, over 2500 children are injured or killed each year from backover accidents with 60 percent caused by a family member driving the vehicle.
We are receiving so many emails and letters about automotive careers from women, I wanted to share some tidbits for women interested in checking out what careers are available:
These wonderful posters were developed by David Niedzielski, a Tech Prep Counselor and former technology instructor of Mason-Lake ISD in Scottville, Michigan. These large, colorful posters are perfect for your school’s classrooms, counseling offices and the hallways. Or give them as a present to your daughter or niece. Sold in a set of 7, we have printed these on the highest quality poster paper and they will ship to you in sturdy Uline tubes.
Dara DuBois Energy Specialist & Automotive Technology Instructor, 44 years old, Caucasian, $36,000 to $100,000 Dara Dubois was the first girl in her high school district to take auto shop, and now, 25 years later, she not only teaches Automotive Technology, but she also works to develop more efficient and environmentally sound vehicles.
I bought my first car, a twelve-year-old white 1971 SuperBeetle, from my granddad. I loved that car. It was me. It even survived six winters in Chicago, diligently keeping my left ankle warm in below zero weather. My next car was a three-year-old 1991 Pontiac Grand Am. I got a good 10 years out of that Grand Am. The eleventh year, however, wasn’t so good. An un-diagnosable radiator problem sent me looking for another car.
I decided on another Volkswagen, a classic, going-back-to-my-roots car. A convertible. The perfect California car. I even picked out the one I wanted. A hot tamale red 1973 convertible in near pristine condition I spotted in an underground parking garage in downtown San Diego. I turned to my friend, pointed and said, “That’s my car!”
When I actually found this car for sale online, the actual car I had spotted just days earlier, I was convinced it was fate. Unfortunately the owner of the car didn’t see it that way, stringing me along until a better offer came through. Every other Volkswagen convertible after that looked like junk: ragged roofs, crusty edges, strange aftermarket steering wheels and bad Mexican paint jobs. And the ones that lived up to my expectations were well over my budget.
“How about a new Beetle?” my sister asked. Sure, it was cute, and yes they came with amenities like heat throughout the entire car, and air conditioning not to mention power steering, but I resisted. It wasn’t a “real” beetle, but rather a retro mod version of a classic. And the thought of car payments scared me.
By Breanne Boyle - eMarketing Manager - AskPatty.com
Cars have somehow always been a part of my life. My grandfather built custom T-bucket hot rods and my father has owned every cool old car imaginable, so from the day I was born I was destined to be around automotive. Even my brother builds cars and works in the industry.
I started out working for Primedia, one of the largest publishers of automotive magazines, where I spent time working on Import Tuner, European Car, Automobile and Motor Trend. I learned an immense amount about cars and aftermarket parts and repairs. And it really deepened my already-ingrained enthusiasm for cars. Working with brands like Motor Trend allowed me opportunities to manage marketing programs and special projects.
Along the way, I discovered Ask Patty. I was working as a freelance writer for the above magazines and wanted to add AskPatty.com to my list. After a few phone calls with Jody DeVere, Ask Patty’s President, I decided I wanted to be more involved with such a great tool for women. So I accepted a position as eMarketing Manager with Ask Patty and here I am!
Besides working for a living with cars, I have had my own experiences with car buying, car repairs, etc. And they haven’t always been easy. My first car was a 1979 VW Beetle convertible. I bought it in high school with babysitting money for roughly $2000. I guess I babysat a lot! My dad and I fixed it up and had it running in enough time for me to sell it and move away to college in Ohio. An old Bug with a cloth top wasn’t going to fare well in the Midwest winters. Instead I bought a used Oldsmobile 'boat of a car' and took that back with me.
Here is my current ride 'Sapphire', an Acura RSX Type -S.
Your turn to be an Automotive Expert by answering questions posed to the Ask Patty advisory panel of Automotive Expert women. Post your answers using the comment link on the bottom of this post.
Question from Christiha: My ex-hus
band left me with a car note 'I cannot afford. It is $564.00 per month.He was driving it for nine months and decided to give to me against my wishes and he gave to me with bad brakes and tires. He paid the payments on time, FYI. The car has to much negative equity in it and I can't sell it outright (cars.com). I don't know else to do but filr banktuptcy and not keeping that car. I am swamped an don't know what to do!
Question from Barbara: Time for a convertible. I want a 4 seater and liked the 2007 Solara conv until I saw the 2007 C70 Volvo, which is more than I want to pay. Have owned 3 Volvos in the past and now have a '98 Camry. The Volvo seems safer and not so bulky; but toyota has this reputation for reliability. What's the latest on the C70 reliability, and will the hydrolics in the hardtop have lots of problems. In other words, tell me its OK to go for the Volvo!! Thanks.
Hurricane sufferers of Katrina and Rita who have already been displaced from their homes and lives, are now being further victimized by swindlers who are looking to take advantage of them, especially women, by an illegal car selling scam that involves flood damaged cars.
The scam involves selling flood damaged cars, especially to a large percentage to women that are supposed to be crushed or shredded due to unrepairable water, ecoli and mold damage. These scam artists are looking to take these individuals limited funds and in return provide them flood-damaged vehicles that are an unsafe to drive.
These vehicles have damaged components like seat belts, airbags and the electrical systems. The flood damaged automobile also poses a health hazard, because they contain ecoli, mold and corrosion which is unhealthy to breathe and touch. Children are at the most risk from ecoli.
Do these cars really get into the marketplace? Oh yes they do! State Farm Insurance recently settled a $40 million lawsuit when it was disclosed that the insurer had dumped almost 30,000 totaled cars at auction without bothering to have them retitled as salvage vehicles. Many of the vehicles will be shredded into little metallic pieces. However, other will end in auctions or sent to other states before it gets to your state. This is called washing titles. And then there are the cars owners that didn’t have insurance coverage, they will sell off their vehicles to attempt to recoup the losses.
The best thing would be for all the states to adopt a uniform title form that would spell out in plain language if the car was flood-damaged, fire-damaged, junked, scraped or whatever.
New Ask Patty.com Website Launch includes 'Female Friendly" Dealer Search
Car dealerships can subscribe to the Ask Patty.Com,Inc. newly launched online service by completing the Ask Patty ‘female friendly’ certified dealer training program. Women consumers can search for certified dealerships in the newly launched enterprise business version of AskPatty.com,Inc. Women will benefit from the information and expert advice on Ask Patty.Com,Inc. and car dealers will benefit by becoming "female friendly" after completing the Ask Patty.Com,Inc. dealer training and certification program.
Paul Gillin's soon to be released book "The New Influencers" includes a chapter on Small is Beautiful featuring AskPatty as a business blog case study.
About Paul Gillin
Paul Gillin is a content marketing consultant specializing in technology and new media. His company advises business-to-business marketers on strategies to optimize their use of online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively at different stages of the buying cycle. He specializes in social media and the application of personal publishing to brand awareness and business marketing. He is a veteran technology journalist with more than 23 years of editorial leadership experience. Paul was founding editor-in-chief of TechTarget, one of the most successful new-media firms to emerge on the Internet. Previously, he was editor-in-chief and executive editor of Computerworld, the newsweekly for IT leaders. His website is www.gillin.com.
Want to know who the up and coming female race car drivers are? ...Edmunds Driving Woman Blog put together great article on up and coming female race car drivers to watch!
With women influencing 80% of buying decisions, purchasing 50% of new cars and 48% of used cars it’s no wonder that the automotive industry is taking notice. Manufacturers are reaching out to the fastest growing automotive market with initiatives aimed at attracting the attention of the female shopper by bringing in women engineers, re-working their models and establishing programs designed to understand and accommodate the needs of women.
The fact that automotive manufacturers are acknowledging and responding to women as important consumers is a good start; however, to understand the totality of the female automotive consumer, the manufacturer and more importantly the dealer must look further than just what the woman wants in her car. They must also look at what she wants in her car buying experience. How a woman is treated before and during her purchase is still a relevant concern that too few dealers have addressed; and what constitutes remarkable customer service when it comes to a women’s experience at the dealership is often overlooked.
This site, its contents and all related content, formats and documents are copyrighted property of AskPatty.com, Inc and are not to be reproduced or republished without the written consent of AskPatty.com, Inc.
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by Ask Patty Staff
When you are having fun with friends and family it is
easy to forget your limits when it comes to alcohol. Make sure you are
aware of how much alcohol you are consuming and watch out for your
friends and loved ones as well. If you aren’t sure just how many you
can have before being too impaired to drive, check out this handy chart showing blood alcohol levels (BAC).
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