VW Ends Production of the Beetle...WHAT????

~~~~This article originally appeared on The Shop Magazine website~~~~

After its multi-generational run as a brand mainstay and global automotive phenomenon, the Volkswagen Beetle is ending production. The final car produced by Volkswagen de Mexico’s Puebla plant—a Denim Blue coupe—will remain displayed at Volkswagen’s local museum in Puebla as a lasting tribute to the automobile’s rich and storied heritage.

Volkswagen de Mexico will soon shift resources to produce a North American market-focused compact SUV that fits in the manufacturer’s lineup below the Tiguan.

“It’s impossible to imagine where Volkswagen would be without the Beetle,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “From its first import in 1949 to today’s retro-inspired design, it has showcased our company’s ability to fit round pegs into square holes of the automotive industry. While its time has come, the role it has played in the evolution of our brand will be forever cherished.”

Introduced to America as the Type 1, Volkswagen sold nearly five million Beetles in the U.S., and a worldwide total of 21.5 million cars. In 1998, the New Beetle—an early automotive adopter of modern retro design language—re-introduced the familiar silhouette to a new generation of drivers, and sold more than 1.2 million cars between 1998 and 2010. In 2011, the third, and current generation of Beetle went on sale in the U.S. as a 2012 model, and more than 500,000 have been built since.

Sold in both coupe and convertible variants, the second- and third-generation of Beetles have collectively been produced in 23 different exterior colors, 32 interior trims, 13 varying engine configurations and 19 special editions, including the Dune, Denim, Coast and #PinkBeetle. All second- and third-generation Beetles have been built by Volkswagen de Mexico, Puebla, and have been sold in 91 markets worldwide. 
  
The end of Beetle production will allow Puebla’s resources to shift production to a new compact SUV tailored to the North American market, slotting into the lineup below the Tiguan.
After its celebration, the final Beetle will be displayed at Volkswagen’s museum in the city of Puebla, Mexico. The last cars built for the U.S., a pair of Kings Red vehicles with custom dashes, keys and quilted seats, will join Volkswagen of America’s collection of historic vehicles.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend -- Drive Safe!!

AAA Says More Than 37 Million Motorists Will Hit the Road this Weekend!

According to this AAA article approximately 37.6 million people will take to the roadways this weekend, driving further and longer than road trips have been in the past. This means drivers need to be more aware of their surroundings and more alert and attentive than ever!

A Holiday weekend also means that there will be more (complete) idiots out there who will be drinking and driving, texting and driving and just plain driving distracted in one way or another.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...

Pay attention out there and watch the other drivers...don't be that guy or gal who ends up being Monday's news! For a really quick and easy, fun and thorough read, check out my new book available on Amazon...Driving While Blind...available for free through Saturday night at midnight!

Enjoy the Holiday Weekend and please drive carefully!!!

Driving While Blind -- FREE through Saturday night! 

How Much is that Piggy in the Window?

Yup! That's a distraction!!

Police pull over distracted driver and find a 250 lb. pig in the driver's lap!

I get really upset when I see people with their dog in their lap while driving...how can that NOT be distracting??? I also thought that I had heard it all and seen most...but this takes the cake. Last month (#NationalDistractedDrivingAwarenessMonth) in Minnesota, police pulled over a distracted driver and found a 250 lb. pig in the drivers lap!!!

Just a moment ago I saw a sweatshirt with "I can't fix stupid" on the back....need I say more???

I found the article here at the Dodo.com

And while I can't fix stupid, I can certainly help drivers avoid stupid...check out my new book "Driving While Blind"

This is a Turn Signal Switch

THIS IS A TURN SIGNAL SWITCH

(In Boston it's a "blinkah")

This seems to me to be extremely fundamental! But I think it's worth mentioning and explaining what it is, what it does and how it effects you and other drivers.

What it is:

 - it is a universal switch lever located in the same place on virtually EVERY motor vehicle, generally behind the steering wheel on the left side.

What it does:

 - when you press down on it, it turns on the left turn signal.

 - when you lift it, it turns on the right turn signal.

 - when either action is performed a light turns on in the front and in the rear of the vehicle which blinks.

Effects on the road:

 - when used properly, this lets other drivers on the road know what you intend to do.

 - when used properly, you become predictable and avoidable (and you don't want to be Mr. UNpredictble on the road).

When to use it:

 - changing lanes on a highway.

 - when your lane ends and you have to merge right or left.

 - when you are making a right or left hand turn.

 - when in a parking lot and turning into your chosen spot

I know this sounds fundamental, but it is absolutely ridiculous how many drivers think they're either too cool or are just plain lazy! PLEASE...use your "blinkah!!!"

Read more in my book Driving While Blind

 

Don't Use Your Cruise Control!

Hydroplaning...

What exactly is hydroplaning?? Hydroplaning (Hydro: water....Plane: fly) happens when there is enough water on the road to separate your tire contact patch from the pavement, creating a momentary loss of control of the vehicle. 
Think of it like this, ever been to the beach and gone skim boarding? You wait for the surf to recede but not entirely...there's just enough water there for your skimboard to surf for a few yards...that's what hydroplaning is to your vehicle. When the tire is separated from the pavement, you lose control...even if for just a split second it can cause a big accident. It can be a terrifying feeling...but know what to do and what exactly is happening can keep you safe.
First, it's best to be aware of the driving conditions and to spot a potential puddle in the roadway ahead of time...this way you don't panic and try to steer your way out of it. Its absolutely best to hit the puddle with the wheels pointed straight (this way, when they contact the road again and regain traction, you don't end up lurching in one direction or the other). Ease off the gas so that you are not accelerating when the tires lose traction and you get that engine rev that frightens you even more.

Don't use your cruise control in the rain!!

When you hydroplane, tires lose contact with the pavement and if you are accelerating (cruise control will "think" you need to accelerate) the wheels will just spin...in the meantime, you're not just sitting still, you're moving along at 20 or 30 MPH or worse...60MPH!! Just think...your tires will eventually regain traction and "grab" the pavement...so now you're in a panic because you feel the loss of control because of the hydroplaning and then, suddenly, the tires grab and you lurch forward again...straight into the guardrail!!

What to do...

Be aware...watch for puddles and be sure to avoid them. If you can't avoid them, go as straight as possible and ease off of the gas pedal...don't panic and don't use your cruise control!

Get more tips... 

My newly released book "Driving While Blind" is now available on Amazon 

 

Preface from my newly released book:

Driving While Blind

Preface: 

Arrested For Driving While Blind-ZZ Top

Warner Brothers; 1977

When you’re drivin’down the highway at night

And you’re feelin’ that wild turkeys bite

Don’t give Johnny Walker a ride

Cause Jack Black is right by your side

You might get taken to the jailhouse and find

You’ve been arrested for drivin’ while blind

Now just the other night with nothin’ to do

We broke a case of proof 102

And started itchin’ for that wonderful feel

Of rollin’ in an automobile

You could say we was out of our mind

And let me tell you we were flyin’ while blind

Then they had us up against the wall

Hey! It’s only blood grain alcohol

And there ain’t no cause for alarm

We ain’t out to do nobody no harm

How could anyone be so unkind

To arrest a man for drivin’ while blind

I was in High School when this song came out by ZZ Top and can remember thinking it was one of the coolest songs ever to hit the FM airwaves! I went out and bought the tape (on 8-track) immediately. Those were very different times…but our actions are no less costly or worse, deadly today.

            My concerns about safer driving all started when two of my 17 (at the time) year old daughter’s friends died in a crash about a mile from my home. It opened my eyes to some very controversial issues debated by many parents and a lot of concern by a whole bunch of teen aged drivers. Unfortunately, for the teen aged drivers, that concern doesn’t last very long.

            I know when I was a teenager, I thought I was invincible…”nothing like that could happen to me; and besides…I know everything”, at least I thought I did. At 17, the one thing I wish I had known is that I didn’t know jack-shit! Unfortunately, no one can tell you that when you are a teenager; you have to learn it on your own. How many of us were told “don’t touch the stove…its hot” and went ahead and touched it anyway?

            This is not to say that I intend this book (manual) to be a frightening “Scared Straight” (look it up on YouTube…the 1978 version) approach to learning how to drive, although that approach may have some validity. I would rather take the comic approach to teaching what I feel needs to be taught and in the end, my hope is that this book will be read and recommended by drivers of all ages. In fact, I’d love to see it become required reading.

            My bet is that, anyone who picks this book up will have been affected by the tragic death of a young driver; either by way of drugs and alcohol, a distracted driver or, in the case of my daughter’s friends, by way of bad weather and inexperience. Faulty equipment can also play a part, especially in crappy weather.

            What makes me qualified to write this? Nothing…and everything, really. First and foremost I am a parent; so I am an expert worrier. Second, I have no idea how many miles I have logged as a driver, but I do know that every one of the miles I have driven is accident free. Over the course of these miles I have developed some good habits which are second nature to me and third; I consider myself a semi-professional driver; having driven a limousine for several years just prior to writing this book and having been through several of Bridgestone’s Learn and Drive training courses.  I do not claim to be an expert, just a good qualified driver with plenty of experience which I would like to pass along.

            With that in mind I hope you enjoy reading this book, but more importantly I hope you take the lessons it provides, and carry them with you, live them, teach them and practice them. My goal with this book is to make a difference in just one young driver, to the point of having saved him or her from a fatal mistake. If I accomplish this; this book will have been a success.

Bob Hazard - March, 2019

Why Would You Flip ME off...???

I spend a lot of time on the road and see all kinds of different things...today I was flipped off by a dude driving a box truck (yup, a business owned vehicle) after I leaned on my horn to let him know he almost drove into me in MY lane doing about 70 MPH...Hello????

We're Back!!! Book to be released very soon!

We are back! And we'll have a ton of great articles and posts to share with you...while we've been quiet, we have NOT been asleep at the wheel!

My new book Driving While Blind will be coming out on Amazon very soon, hopefully I will have that done before the end of February, but certainly by early March. We've partnered with some fantastic driving schools (race tracks!) and will be creating a scholarship fund for some lucky young drivers to get professional training...so stay tuned. (Some of the proceeds from the purchase of my book will be going toward funding these scholarships).

I will also be starting a podcast, or a series of podcasts. The first one being (obviously) Driving While Blind hosted on Buzzsprout...the first episodes will be available soon as well and should coincide with the book release.

In the mean time, here's a pic that my copilot took (note the pic is taken from the passenger seat) and I thought I would share...it pretty much sums several phrases; Lake effect snow, blizzard conditions, white out conditions, Driving While Blind!