How to Stay Sane When You're Stuck in Traffic

Traffic during your commute to and from work can be a nightmare. It'll go much easier the less stressed you get. This article from eHow.com will help you stay sane and safe while you're stuck in traffic.

Things You'll Need
•    Music
•    Books on CD
•    positive attitude
•    coffee
•    alert mind

Instructions
1. Before you get in your car brew a good cup of coffee and pour it in a to-go mug. Stopping in traffic is stressful, and this way you won't have to think about stopping to get your caffeine fix.

2. Get online and go to a website that will tell you what routes have traffic jams. Sigalert.com is a good choice and makes it easy to see which freeways are experiencing traffic jams through a five color system. Red means severe traffic jams, orange means moderate traffic jams, yellow is minor traffic, blue means traffic is going around 30 mph, and green you're in the clear!

3. Once you get in your car, roll down the windows to get some fresh air on your face. This will help you stay awake and alert in traffic. If it's cold outside, put the heater on and direct it at your feet and roll down the windows just a little so you still get fresh air.

4. Make sure you have traffic maps or a good set of directions if you are going somewhere for the first time. Concerns of getting lost or getting delayed because you don't know where you are going only add to the stress of driving in traffic.

5. Turn on your local radio and find out relevant traffic information- if any traffic jams have cleared up or changed while you have been driving you can take alternate routes.

6. Put in a CD of upbeat music to keep you positive and energized while driving. If you are sick of all your music, invest in some books on CDs. They provide an incredible distraction from the traffic around you and also provide an opportunity to catch up on the good literature you haven't read because you've been stuck in traffic!

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Famous Cars: Where Are They Now?

Rosa Parks' bus? Kennedy's limousine? Bonnie and Clyde's death mobile? These are some of the most famous American cars, but whatever happened to them? These cars are almost as legendary as the people who drove them - but unlike their owners, the cars still reside in different locations all around the world. Some of them went through very interesting to journeys to get to their current resting spots.

AOL Autos explores the stories behind these legendary vehicles and lists where you can find them today, just in case you'd ever want to go on a journey yourself to see these famous vehicles.

Bonnie and Clyde's Death Car
When Bonnie Parker met Clyde Barrow it was, by all accounts, love at first sight. The love resulted in three years of haphazard robbery, kidnapping, murder and shootouts across the country. The pair met their end when police sprayed the stolen 1934 Ford Deluxe they were riding in with 130 rounds of bullets on May 23, 1934.

First, the car was towed to the local furniture store and funeral parlor in downtown Arcadia, La. The car was bought and sold by various promoters for use in sideshows at county fairs and circuses. There were many imitators, but the original car had various proofs of authenticity, including Barrow's torn and bloodstained shirt signed by his sister and several letters attesting to its authenticity. Theses items are on display, along with the bullet-riddled Ford, at Whiskey Jack's Casino in Primm, Nev. The casino operator bought the car, bloodstains and all, for $175,000 in 1973.

Elvis's Pink Cadillac
To say Elvis was a fan of the Cadillac is a bit of an understatement. The King gave away countless Cadillacs to family, friends and hangers-on. At his funeral, a 1977 Miller-Meteor Landau Traditional Cadillac hearse transported Elvis' body, with a silver Cadillac limousine leading the procession and 16 white Cadillac limousines behind filled with mourners heading to the Memphis Cemetery.

His favorite Cadillac of all was a pink 1955 Fleetwood 60 Special, which replaced a pink 1954 model after it caught fire due to faulty brake lining. Elvis would own his pink Cadillac for the rest of his life. He originally bought it for his mother, but she never drove it. The pink paint was mixed just for Elvis and is known as 'Elvis Rose'. The Fleetwood has been on display since 1982 at the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum at Graceland.

Rosa Parks' Bus
The bus that helped Rosa Parks launch her role in the Civil Rights movement survives to this day. On December 1, 1955, the 42-year-old Parks boarded the bus after a long day as a seamstress. When the "whites only" seats at the front of the bus filled up, a white man asked her to get up so he could sit. Parks refused, resulting in her arrest under Jim Crow laws. Her arrest helped sparked the famed Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first of many nonviolent protests staged by marginalized black populations in America.

The General Motor's bus rusted in a field for 30 years before The Henry Ford Museum spent $300,000 restoring it. The bus is currently on display at the museum. Visitors are welcome to sit in the bus, which is filled with interactive displays and teaching tools.

Kennedy's Limousine: SS-100-X
SS-100-X was the Secret Service name given to President John F. Kennedy's navy blue 1961 Lincoln 74A Convertible. The Lincoln featured $200,000 worth of modifications, but no bulletproofing. There were several domes that fit over the top of the convertible, but it made the cabin extremely hot and was also not bullet proof. It was in this Lincoln that Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the Texas governor and his wife sat in on November 22, 1963, when three shots fired from a book depository ended the President's life.

Surprisingly, the Lincoln was kept in service another eight years after the Kennedy's death. After the assassination, a company called Hess & Eisenhardt added reinforcements and safety measures that were missing when Kennedy rode in the car. The Lincoln was outfitted with titanium armor plating, bullet-resistant glass, and a permanent bulletproof roof. The Lincoln was also painted black by incoming president Lyndon Johnson, who thought the original navy blue paint would be too reminiscent of the assassination. In 1967 the presidential limo was replaced, but the 1961 Lincoln was kept in the fleet, doing less important duties until it retired to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., in 1978. The car is still on display there and is rumored to be haunted.

Click the link to read the full article from AOL Autos and learn what happened to other legendary vehicles: http://aol.it/11G6oQR

How To Keep Your Car Organized

Is your car overrun with clutter? It doesn’t have to be that way! This article from eHow.com will show inform you how to organize your car in a few simple steps.

1. Empty everything out of the vehicle and trunk, discard the obvious garbage, and return coffee cups to the kitchen.

2. Sort the remaining items into piles, such as maintenance supplies, kids' stuff, music and videos, manuals and maps.

3. Clean all interior surfaces. Vacuum the floors and seats, wipe down the dash and doors, clean windows and shake out the floor mats.

4. Keep a trash bin on the floor of the back seat, or hang a trash bag from the dashboard.

5. Stash kids' toys, small books and travel games in a behind-theseat organizer (a hanging shoe bag works, too), within reach of backseat passengers. Periodically rotate items in and out to keep kids interested.

6. Stow tapes and CDs in visor organizers. Separate kids' tunes from adult music.

7. Store the following in the glove compartment: owner's manual, maps, vehicle registration information (if required), auto club information, accident report form, notepad, pen, disposable camera, flashlight, list of emergency contact names and numbers, tire gauge, paper napkins and any other frequently needed or essential items.

8. Purchase or make an emergency kit for your vehicle and store it in the trunk or rear of the car. Include booster cables, a tire gauge, flares, reflective tape, a help sign, a screwdriver, pliers, a first aid kit, work gloves, a blanket, an old towel or rags, a jug of water and motor oil. See 466 Assemble Emergency Kits.

9. Put together a survival kit, especially if you live in a cold-weather climate. Include candles, waterproof matches, energy bars or candy bars, large plastic garbage bags and rubber bands. Keep larger items, such as cat litter (for slippery roads), a collapsible shovel, an extra blanket and heavy socks, hats and mittens (enough for several passengers), in a duffel bag or tub in the trunk or rear of the car. See 470 Survive if Your Car Breaks Down.

10. Tackle the car again every season. Restock all your kits; check your maintenance schedule to see when servicing is needed.

Click the link to read the entire article from eHow.com: http://bit.ly/9wfaWj

How Temperature Extremes Affect Your Car Battery

There’s one thing that every car hates – weather extremes. Hot and cold weather affect different parts of cars in different ways. Batteries don’t normally freeze, but they’ll have trouble starting in extremely cold weather. On the other hand, they do work better in warmer climates, but it will have a hard time recharging during extremely hot weather. Batteries work the best when the temperature is moderate.

This article from eHow.com explains exactly how extreme temperatures affect your car battery. Now you’ll know what to expect during this summer’s scorchers!

Temperature Extremes
•    Batteries exposed to temperature extremes can begin to act up in ways outside of normal operations. Most people don’t realize this when purchasing a battery and don’t purchase the right one for their region’s weather conditions. Batteries continually exposed to extreme temperatures on either side of the spectrum may expand, contract, crack, bubble over or damage the inside of your vehicle. In extreme cases, they may even explode.

Affect On Battery Chemicals
•    A battery is a device that uses chemicals to create electricity. Batteries contain reactive plates immersed in sulfuric acid that gather an electric charge with one side being negative and the other positive. Battery draw causes the electrons inside a battery to flow to the positive side, and the electrochemical reaction inside helps to replenish the electronics. Temperature changes affect the electron’s movement inside the battery. Warmth excites the electrons, while cold suppresses or inhibits their actions.

Charge Release
•    The temperature also affects how the battery retains its charge or releases it. Because the cold inhibits the flow of electrons, less charge is released in colder temperatures, while more charge is released in warmer temperatures. Garaging your vehicle in colder climes allows the battery to stay warmer and start quicker.

Choose the Right Battery
•    You can find batteries rated for use in extreme temperatures, especially cold ones where it is important that the battery deliver the cranking amps needed to start the vehicle. Most batteries have a “Cold Cranking Amperage” rating on the battery or CCA that indicates the amperage the battery delivers at zero degrees Fahrenheit while cranking for 30 seconds. Choose the battery suited to your climate to ensure optimum operation when you need it.

Click the link to read the entire article from eHow.com: http://bit.ly/14cCYaP

Fun Car Facts

Start your day off with a little humor and check out some fun car facts that many people rarely know about!

Americans have been driving for over 100 years now. The United States is currently ranked first worldwide in cars per capita.  Along the years, there have been an abundant of funny facts on cars and the culture. Keep reading to see the most outrageous true facts!

The Early Days:

·         The first speeding tickets were given out in 1902.  The top speed of most cars then was approximately 45 miles per hour in that time.

·         Some of the first cars used a pair of levers to steer the automobile.  The invention of the steering wheel was not introduced for several years later.

·         Before the 1920s, cars were not equipped with gas gauges.  This forced the drivers to estimate their fuel level. 

Drivers:

·         In 1914, Cleveland, Ohio was the first city in the United States to incorporate a traffic light for their roads.

·         On average, Americans will spend a total of two weeks of their life at red lights.

·         In order to drive on all paved roads in the United States, you will have to drive nonstop at 100 miles per hour for over four years.

Miscellaneous:

·         Most car horns play in the perfect pitch in the note of F.

·         The average car contains over 3,000 feet of electrical wires.

·         One out of every 7 seven cars sold in the United States were bought in Southern California.

Read more funny facts from the eHow article by clicking the link: http://bit.ly/hHH1RC