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5 tips to survive emergencies on the road

Keep calm and drive on

Most fatal single-vehicle crashes involve the vehicle running off the road. Here's what happens in many of them: An inattentive or distracted driver allows the car's right tires to drop off the pavement or onto Interstate rumble strips. The loud noise suddenly alerts the driver that he's drifting to the right, causing him to yank left on the steering wheel. The wayward front tire regains grip while one or both rear tires are in the loose stuff. With little or no rear traction, the vehicle spins out and leaves the highway—and could even flip.

The way to avoid this fate is to stay calm and not overreact. If you find yourself drifting off the road, let off the gas and allow the car to slow down, and gently ease back on the road. Do not depress the brake unless you see an obstacle approaching and need to get back in your lane faster. Whatever you do, be smooth with the steering; a little goes a long way at high speeds.

Put It in Neutral

(Photo: narvikk/Getty Images)A stuck throttle is an automotive mugging: It's unexpected, petrifying, and what you do in the next few seconds may change your life forever. The solution is easy: Slap the shift lever into neutral. In the vast majority of cars, the passenger can do this as easily as the driver. Almost all modern cars have physical or electronic devices that prevent the transmission from going into reverse or park while you're driving down the road, as well as electronic limiters to preclude engine damage, so you don't have to worry about hurting the car by putting it in neutral. A manual transmission car might take a little bit more force to put into the neutral gate, but it'll go as well.

I've experienced stuck accelerators caused by faulty cables, misplaced floor mats, and panicked driving-event students who mistakenly mash the throttle pedal rather than brake. I've always quickly cured the problem by bumping the shifter into neutral or, when driving a manual-transmission car, depressing the clutch.

Get a spotter

(Photo: Image Source/Getty Images)Every car has blind spots. And today's cars increasingly have thick, airbag-filled A-pillars (the vertical post that connects roof and body) that can hide cars around you. If you're riding with a passenger, then, employ him or her as your spotter. I ask my passengers to say, "clear right" or "traffic right," when I'm trying to turn left. I'm also happy to have them point out things I might have missed, such as "bicyclist ahead." Stay away from saying "no" and "go." (At ages 6 and 8, my kids said, "clear, high!" when I passed a car on a two-lane. The things that happen when you're a race driver...)

This might take some getting used to. Most of us don't like back-seat (or front-seat) drivers, nor are we accustomed to offering advice or watching the road with care when we're not driving. But having a little help from the passenger seat will make everybody's ride a little safer.

I can't see clearly now

(Photo: Jim Doberman/Getty Images)"I can't see," the driver shouted at me. As he ineffectively batted at the suddenly fogged windshield, I switched the heating system from "recirculation" to "fresh air" and engaged the air conditioner. Within seconds the windshield was clear, except for the smudgy patch left by his fingerprints.

Engaging the air conditioner (regardless of the temperature setting) and allowing the system to suck in fresh air lowers the humidity inside the car. Many vehicles now automatically engage the air conditioner and disengage recirculation when you select the defroster to avoid a fogged-up windshield.

Speaking of poor visibility, there's probably been a time in your life that you've forgotten to change your wiper blades soon enough and have been caught out in a rainstorm with blades that did more smearing than clearing. You might be able to revive them for one last storm with a quick cleaning. Rub the wiper blade with the sponge side of a gas-station squeegee (or the sponge from the office coffee room) and a clean, dry towel. Get the windshield, inside and out, while you're at it. Don't procrastinate about buying new blades the next day.

Make a plan B. And C. And D...

Recently I was following someone who was driving while texting who almost ran off the left side of a two-lane, as a car approached from ahead. Watching this unfold just in front of me, I had to figure out how to avoid it. Plan A was to pound the brakes. Plan B, backing up, was not a great option because I couldn't see far enough around the previous curve of this heavily traveled road to know whether other cars were coming. I crossed out Plan C, escape routes, because of earthen banks on both sides of the road. Plan D was to employ Plan B and go into reverse if the oncoming driver veered around the errant driver and into my lane.

Source: Popular Mechanics

Kia teases a Superman-themed Optima Hybrid for Chicago

Kia has already shown off five Justice League-inspired automobiles, but that doesn't mean the party is over as the company has just released a teaser image of an Optima Hybrid in Superman livery.

Set to debut at the Chicago Auto Show, the one-off model appears to have an aerodynamic body kit, unique alloy wheels and a reduced ride height. We can also see a Superman logo as well as a blue and red accents.

The car was jointly developed with DC Entertainment in support of the "We Can Be Heroes" fund which gives assistance to women, children and families that have been affected by drought and famine in the Horn of Africa.

-Courtesy of WorldCarFans.com 

Heated and Cooled Front Car Seats in the 2013 Kia Optima

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DC comics inspired Kia’s on display at auto show

DC Comics and Kia Motors teamed up to help stamp out hunger via the “We Can Be Heroes” campaign which is working to end hunger in Africa.

The companies paired up to create eight, one-of-a-kind vehicles to help get the charities message out. the vehicles, each a different model from Kia, sport characters from “The Justice League” comic books. Two of those cars are currently on display at the North America International Auto Show in Detroit.

The cars eventually will be auctioned off, with the money going to support the charity.

Each vehicle contains the custom artwork of legendary comic artist Jim Lee. Lee is also the co-publisher of DC Comics.

“It was a thrill to see custom cars based upon my Justice League artwork and sketches,” Lee said in a statement. “I have to tip my hat to the teams at West Coast Customs, ‘Rides’ and ‘Super Street’ on their innovative work creating cars that represent iconic characters like Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman and The Flash – all to benefit a great cause.”

The cars that are on display in Detroit include a Green Lantern inspired Soul, and a Batman inspired Optima.

The Soul sports a dapper green and black two-tone exterior paint scheme complete with green mirror-chrome tint on the windows.  Super Street’s build team lowered the Soul to improve its stance and applied widened wheel wells with one-off 18 x 10.5-inch deep-dish wheels.  Traditionally a four-door vehicle, the Soul’s back doors have been welded shut to streamline its appearance.  Blacked out headlights feature projector beams that glow green. Customized Green Lantern-logo fog lights in the widened front fascia, and green LED lighting further enhance the overall appearance

A custom rear cargo compartment houses the Green Lantern power battery with his signature lantern logo etched into a clear panel displaying the superhero’s oath lit by LEDs.  The rear deck also holds a video monitor to display the “We Can Be Heroes” promotional video.  Up front, the Soul’s steering wheel and front seats were reupholstered with green and black leather and includes the Green Lantern logo stitched into the seat backs.  Other interior touches include various dash pieces painted in the green and black scheme.



The Optima sports a matte- and piano-black paint scheme, a dramatically lowered coilover suspension and muscular ground effects kit, huge Ksport performance brakes for extreme stopping power, custom-designed 20-inch black wheels with one-of-a-kind Batman-logo center caps and a performance exhaust system.  Other exterior modifications include a custom front grille shaped like a batwing that took over 40 hours to create, yellow LED lighting accents throughout the vehicle and the iconic bat signal etched into the SXL’s HID headlights.

Moving beneath the cape, the Optima‘s seating surfaces are costumed in custom black leather and suede with bold yellow accent stitching. Gotham City‘s streets  — the place that Batman calls home  — are full of villains, and this Optima is ready for action at a moment‘s notice with crime-fighting elements like utility throwing stars installed in the center console.

The other cars in the fleet include a Cyborg inspired Forte, an Aquaman inspired Rio, and a Flash inspired Forte Coupe.

There are still three cars in the fleet yet to be unveiled, they are set to feature Superman, Wonder Woman and a special vehicle with all 7-members of the team.

“We are proud to be raising awareness for the ’We Can Be Heroes’ campaign and look forward to unveiling three more crime-fighting Kias at future auto shows,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing for Kia.

We Can Be Heroes supports the efforts of three humanitarian aid organizations working in Africa—Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps—as part of the global effort to fight the current hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. The region is suffering its worst drought and famine in over 60 years, with 13 million in need of critical assistance.


Source: Press and Guide

Remember last year's Super Bowl ad?

What will Kia have in store this year? Stay tuned!