Avoiding Traffic Tickets, Celebrity Cars And Good Mechanics In This Week's QOTD Roundup

We asked readers for their go-to plan for getting out of a traffic ticket earlier this week. The responses were a little surprising, to say the least. There was little to no consensus on anything. Some argued that drivers should never apologize for anything while someone else recommended getting misty-eyed in front of the officer. Please don’t consider any of this as legal advice. Without further ado, here are our readers’ go-to strategies for dealing with traffic tickets: - Ryan Erik King Read More

Celebrities sure have it rough; they have to star in blockbuster movies or top the music charts and all they get out of it is guaranteed harassment by paparazzi and a few million dollars. They have a public image to uphold and they know everyone is staring, and the car they drive makes a statement to their fans and their haters alike. - Logan Carter Read More

A great mechanic will always have your back. They’re not in it to milk every cent out of a repair—people and functional machines are their passions. But how can you be sure you’ve got a mechanic with a heart of gold? - Lawrence Hodge Read More

Not everyone likes the same thing. Some of us are chocolate fans, while others are perfectly happy with vanilla. Cars are the same way, but some generate an unreasonably strong response deep in the cockles of the enthusiast heart. We asked you what is the most controversial cars on the market today, and you delivered. These are cars you either love, hate, or love to hate. In the case of a Hemmings auction, it might be a car built and used by the most hateful organization in modern history. - Erin Marquis Read More

Car design is constantly changing as automakers try to play catch up with the latest trends and emulate what they think customers want. Basically, they’re following the pack. However, a select few cars do something completely different: Influence everything else. That’s what led me to today’s question. - Andy Kalmowitz Read More

I don’t know a single driver who’s glad to be pulled over by an officer of the law for a roadside chat. We all hope to just get away with a warning after handing over our license and registration, but the numbers aren’t on our side. According to New York City Police Department data, 62 percent of traffic stops resulted in a summons between January 2022 and June 2023. Over that 18-month time span, the NYPD conducted over one million stops. - Ryan Erik King Read More

American roadways are increasingly more dangerous every year, and our lackluster driver education system isn’t helping. Drivers are seemingly ever more checked out and aggressive with each passing day. Cars are easier to drive and require less engagement to get where you’re going as technology improves, but drivers are relying on that tech to a higher degree. Not only that, but cars are getting faster, heavier, and more deadly. It’s maddening! - Bradley Brownell Read More

Every year hundreds of local teens will barely pay attention to their geometry teacher providing summer driving instruction courses. From my personal experience all those years ago, Drivers Ed is mostly concerned with the dangers of drunk driving and what to do at a yellow light. There are so many everyday topics that get completely left out of the process of learning how to drive. There is practically nothing involved in the driver education process about car control or what unexpected things to expect on the road. Better driver education could create better drivers, but what is missing from the formula? - Bradley Brownell Read More

It’s finally happening: the days are getting warmer, the evenings are getting longer and the scent of spring is wafting through the air. That means it’s time to roll your project cars out and get to work once again, but is there anything you’re dreading tackling on your cars? - Owen Bellwood Read More