The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Eating while you’re driving is dangerous

I admit it. I eat when I drive. It’s a busy person habit.

One time after visiting my mom in Wenatchee, Wash., I was merging onto the freeway just after I left Cle Elum. I’d purchased a whole chicken.

Anxious to reach home, I was trying to pull pieces of chicken off with a fork when I was driving. As I was merging, a semi was barreling up on my car. Needless to say, I had to put both hands on the wheel and pay attention to what I was doing. Chicken juice and sauce splattered all over.

I’ve also put an open cup of tea in a grocery bag, only to have it turn upside down; dumped soup in my lap; and dripped a chicken salad sandwich down my front.

In a recent analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, eating and driving was found to be more dangerous than using a hand held cell phone while driving.

According to the administration, 26 percent of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. is caused by driver distraction. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety also states that distracted drivers cause at least 4,000 to 8,000 accidents per day.

Hagerty Classic Insurance publishes this list of driving and eating dangers:

1. Chocolate – Whatever you touch – steering wheels, stick shift, clothing, or hair – will carry distinctive fingerprints. Drivers' instinctive reactions are to clean the offending candy stains immediately, which distracts them from the road ahead.
2. Soft drinks – Suddenly wearing your soda as you pull out to pass could be a deadly distraction. Open containers holding liquids – hot or cold – can cause a lack of driver concentration when spilled across a shirt or lap.
3. Jelly and Cream-Filled Donuts – Imagine the disaster as messy jelly oozes onto drivers' clothes, and they become more focused on the spill than the highway.
4. Fried chicken – Greasy hands are a sure distraction as drivers tend to constantly try to clean them while driving. Grease on a steering wheel is almost impossible to get off.
5. Any barbecued food – Barbecue sauce may be delicious, but drivers should remember that "If it can drip, don't eat it while you drive."
6. Juicy hamburgers – The same goes for foods that contain messy or greasy extras. A $5 hamburger deluxe could turn into $500 worth of repairs if dripping condiments, special sauces, or greasy meat juices distract the driver.
7. Chili – Anything containing chili like a chili dog, sloppy Joe or Coney dog is a problem. Steering chili-covered foods to your mouth while steering a car around a corner requires more dexterity than humans possess.
8. Tacos – Here's a foodstuff that can disassemble itself without much help while being consumed. One good road bump and the seat of your car looks like a salad bar.
9. Hot Soups – Eating soup while trying to manipulate a gearshift isn’t sensible. It's the equivalent to a circus juggling act; a sure recipe for disaster.
10. Coffee – Coffee is the most hazardous food drivers can consume. Uncovered drinks generally are the greatest offenders for unexpected splashes and spills. Nobody wants to look soiled or messy, especially on the way to work, and coffee spills are the worst because drivers invariably try to make instant clean-ups while still driving. In addition, hot coffee is often served at temperatures near scalding, and can cause serious burns that also divert a driver's focus.

Hagerty also learned:

• More food-related accidents happen in the morning hours than in the evening because people are concerned about their appearance on the way to work.

• The odds of having a food-related accident can double if the vehicle has a stick shift since eating, shifting, and steering requires increased dexterity and adds one more variable to the equation.

• The most hazardous situation combines eating and cellular phone use. When the phone rings, the "driving distraction" increases significantly and in a rush to answer, drivers forget they're driving.

So, avoid eating in your car. If you do so, make sure containers have tight-fitting lids. It’s important to concentration on your driving so that you don’t put other drivers at risk.

If you spill something, pull over to the side before attempting to clean up the mess.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide Recall of the Week: Yamaha Rhino off-road recreational vehicles

A free repair program to address safety issues with all Rhino 450, 660, and 700 model off-highway recreational vehicles is underway.

Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A., of Cypress, Calif., also has agreed to voluntarily suspend sale of these models immediately until repaired, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Consumers should immediately stop using these recreational vehicles until the repair is installed by a dealer, the commission recommends.

The commission staff has investigated more than 50 incidents involving these three Rhino models, including 46 driver and passenger deaths involving the Rhino 450 and 660 models. More than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers and many involved unbelted occupants. Of the rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, some of which were serious, many appear to involve turns at relatively low speeds and on level terrain.

About 120,000 of the 450 and 660 model Rhinos have been distributed nationwide since fall 2003. Some units have been equipped by Yamaha with half doors and additional passenger handholds, either before or after sale.

Yamaha’s repair includes the installation of a spacer on the rear wheels as well as the removal of the rear anti-sway bar to help reduce the chance of rollover and improve vehicle handling, and continued installation of half doors and additional passenger handholds where these features haven’t been previously installed to help keep occupants’ arms and legs inside the vehicle during a rollover and reduce injuries.

Owners of the affected Rhinos should stop using them and call their dealer to schedule an appointment to have repairs made once they are available and to take advantage of a free helmet offer, the commission said in a statement about the recall.

Yamaha is also voluntarily implementing the same repair program and suspension of sale for the Rhino 700 model, in order to ensure customer satisfaction. Consumers should stop riding in the 700 model until it’s repaired, the commission said. About 25,000 Rhino 700s are part of this repair program.

When repairs have been made to their vehicles, Rhino users should always wear their helmet and seatbelt and follow the safety instructions and warnings in the on-product labels, owner’s manuals, and other safety materials, the commission advises.

The Rhino is only recommended for operators age 16 and older with a valid driver’s license. All passengers must be tall enough to place both feet on the floorboard with their back against the seat back.

For additional information, contact Yamaha at 800-962-7926 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.yamaha-motor.com.

For more information on recent recalls, see www.Recalls.gov.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Consumer Reports selects top 2009 cars

Each spring, Consumer Reports announces the results of its tests on the latest new cars in an annual auto issue.

Here are its “Top Picks: Best Models of the Year in 10 Categories”:

• Best overall vehicle – Lexus LS 460

• Green car – Toyota Prius

• Family sedan – Honda Accord

• Small sedan – Hyundai Elantra SE

• Upscale sedan – Infiniti G37

• Fun to drive – Mazda MX-5 Miata

• Small SUV – Toyota RAV4

• Midsized SUV – Toyota Highlander                             
  

• Minivan – Toyota Sienna

• Pickup truck – Chevrolet Avalanche

General information on these cars can be found in the online article. Full Ratings and reliability data on all top picks are available to online subscribers of Consumer Reports. You can also visit your local library to read a copy of the April 2009 auto issue or purchase it at bookstores and newsstands.

Other articles in the auto issue include “Best and Worst: The Highs and Lows from Our Testing and Reliability Survey,” “Who Makes the Best Cars?” “Most Bang for the Buck,” “Guide to Great Gear,” “Save Hundreds on Maintenance,” “Ratings: The Best and Worse in All Categories,” “Profiles: Ratings, Reviews, and Specifications,” “Safety: Compare the Best and Worst Models,” “Used Cars: The Most Reliable Models and the Ones to Avoid,” “How Used Cars are Holding Up: Asian Makes Tend to Age More Gracefully,” and “Reliability: Detailed Data on New and Used Models.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Flickr Photo

Baby boomer consumers need to know about product recalls

What you don’t know about product safety could kill you.

When I began writing for consumers in 1977, I was on the mailing list of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. I received a news release about a shop light that had killed people and was being recalled.

I showed the information to a family member. Sure enough! It was the recalled light. It was returned to the store for a refund.

It’s important for boomer consumers to regularly obtain information on consumer recalls for their safety and the safety of others in the household.

The question is “How do you keep up with recall information?”

It’s a big task. I’m going to blog weekly about a recall, and include a link for the federal government’s recall site at www.Recalls.gov.

The site offers information on consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, cosmetics, and environmental products. You can search by type of product, company, or a specific product.

You can also sign up to receive e-mail recalls from five government agencies.

This week’s recall is stuffed animals and creature toys sold at Old Navy whose eyes can detach and pose a choking hazard for young children. Children should not be allowed to play with the toys. The toys should be returned for a refund.

See the news release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission for details.

My next post will be on "What Do You Need to Do About the Peanut Recall?"

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Thinking of buying a car at the President’s Day sales?

President’s Day sales are usually a big event for car sellers as people have time off, and they may roam car lots and ogle the offerings.

This year, however, car sales are down 25 to 35 percent. U.S. auto makers, unions, and businesses tied to the auto makers are in intense negotiations in Washington trying to figure out what to do about the crisis in the auto industry.

News reports indicate consumers wouldn’t be interested in buying a car from a company that has filed bankruptcy, even if it’s a Chapter 11 which is a reorganization plan.

It’s all part of these Great Recessionary times.

However, if you do have the money, and you’re looking for a car, be sure to take steps so that you’re an informed consumer and can protect yourself. Because of the tough economic times, you may be able to get a good deal. However, dealers and used car lot owners aren’t making nearly the money that they normally do. You can bet they’ll be using their usual techniques to squeeze every cent they can out of you. And, they may even have developed some new antics.

Here are some tips from the Consumer Protection Bureau of the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office on purchasing a new car:

• Shop around to get the best possible price, and be aware that negotiating for the best price is always an option.

• Know the terminology: Invoice price is the manufacturer's initial charge to the dealer, and the base price is the car's cost without options included in the price.

• Determine the trade-in value of your car. Call your bank or credit union to receive an estimate.

• Don't leave a deposit with the dealer if you are still shopping around. Unless the paperwork you’re asked to sign states that the deposit is totally refundable, you are likely to forfeit that money if you choose to purchase from another dealership.

• Make sure any “warranties” that are part of the agreement are fully explained, are necessary, and what they cover is clear.

• Test drive each car you’re considering.

• Compare financing resources in order to get the best rate. Check with credit unions and/or local banks.

• Be aware that verbal representations made by a seller may not be enforceable. Make sure that all the terms of the deal are in writing.

• Consider carefully your two basic payment options, paying cash, in full, and financing. Be aware that you’ll pay more when financing your purchase, depending on the amount of interest. Before signing your name to the purchase agreement, be certain of: what the increased cost of the car will be; the number and amount of monthly payments; the length of the payment; the annual percentage rate; and whether the payments are affordable for your budget.

• Fine out whether there is a “cooling-off period” in your state for car purchases.

If you have a plan, it’s likely that you’ll do much better than shoppers who rely on instinct, impulse, and verbal promises.

For more information, see my article "Watch Out for These Top 10 Auto Scams."

Other resources on President’s Day car sales are:

“How Not to Buy a Car” – Consumer Affairs.com

“February: Best New Car Deals” – Consumer Reports.com

“Uncle Sam Wants You to Buy a Car” – CNN.com

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What states kill the most pedestrians?

Where are pedestrians the safest?

During a recent visit to Miami, I wondered about it. I’ve begun walking for my health, and on walks in Miami, drivers didn’t wait for me to get through the crosswalk. When they had a free right turn, they’d dash through the crosswalk to see if they could beat me. Of course, they always did because they’re bigger. I’d pause so I wouldn’t get hit.

In Washington state, drivers are more polite. They usually wait for pedestrians to walk across the street when they’re in a crosswalk.

States with more than 150 pedestrian deaths or a fatality rate above 2.5 are Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas, according to “New Focus on Highway Safety” by A. George Ostensen on the Federal Highway Administration’s Web site. Cities in that category are Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, and Phoenix.

About 6,000 people die each year in pedestrian crashes.

Here are some pedestrian safety facts from Federal Highway Administration’s Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System.

• Pedestrian crash rates – crashes per 100,000 people – are the highest for 5- to 9-year-old males, who tend to dart out into the street.

• Males are more likely to be involved in a crash than females; in 2003, 69 percent of pedestrian fatalities were male, and the male pedestrian injury rate was 58 percent higher than for females.

• Rates for older persons – age 65 and older – are lower than for most age groups. This may be due to greater caution by older pedestrians – for example, less walking at night, fewer dart-outs – and a reduced amount of walking near traffic.

• Older adult pedestrians are more vulnerable to serious injury or death when struck by a motor vehicle than younger pedestrians. The percentage of crashes resulting in death is more than 20 percent for pedestrians age 75 or older, compared to less than 8 percent for those under age 14.

• Pedestrian crashes occur most frequently in urban areas where pedestrian activity and traffic volumes are greater than rural areas.

• Rural pedestrian crashes have a higher fatality rate. This is due to increased vehicle speeds found on rural roads and the fact that many rural areas have no sidewalks, paths, or shoulders for pedestrians to walk on.

• Sixty-five percent of crashes involving pedestrians occur at non-intersections.

• For ages 45 to 65, pedestrian crashes are about equal for intersections and non-intersections.

• Pedestrians age 65 and older are more likely to be injured or killed at intersections – 59 percent – compared to non-intersections – 41 percent. Older pedestrians tend to cross at intersections more often than younger ones.

• Most pedestrian crashes occur during morning and afternoon peak periods, when the traffic levels are highest.

• Fatal pedestrian crashes typically peak later in the day, between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., when darkness and alcohol use are factors.

• Nearly half of all pedestrian fatalities occur on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday – 16 percent, 18 percent, and 13 percent, respectively.

• Crashes where older pedestrians are hit are more evenly distributed throughout the days of the week than those for younger ones. Older pedestrians are more likely to be struck during daylight hours.

• September through January have the highest number of nationwide pedestrian fatalities, with these months typically having fewer daylight hours and more poor weather. Child pedestrian fatalities are greatest in May, June, and July, due to an increase in outside activity.

• Speeding is a major factor in crashes of all types. In 2003, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes.

• Of the 4,622 traffic crashes that resulted in a pedestrian fatality in 2003, 34 percent involved pedestrians with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or greater. More than half of the pedestrian fatalities in the age groups of 21-24, 25-34, and 35 to 44 involved intoxicated pedestrians – 55 percent, 57 percent, and 55 percent, respectively.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Watch out for these top 10 auto scams

It’s difficult to buy a car these days.

Deciding what you want. Scraping up the money. Trudging through all the car lots in town. Dealing with rude, overbearing salesmen. Getting a no, no, no from the manager when you want to negotiate a price reduction.

All these are tough and stressful, but as the transaction goes down, you also need to be aware of scams the dealer, used car lot, or private seller may have up their sleeves.

The Utility Consumers’ Action Network, a public interest consumer advocacy organization, offers a listing of scams in its article “Top 10 Auto Scams.”

Scam 1. Negative equity/trade-in overestimate.

Scam 2. Inflated monthly payments called packing.

Scam 3. Rewritten contracts/backdating.

Scam 4. Obligations contained in more than one document.

Scam 5. The deferred down payment scam.

Scam 6. The advertised price is changed.

Scam 7. Not providing a contract in another language is the lease or purchase is primarily negotiated in it.

Scam 8. Not providing the whole truth about used cars.

Scam 9. Used cars sold as new cars.

Scam 10. “Certified” used cars don’t meet the standards the seller advertised.

See the article for details on each type of scam.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Most ticketed, least ticketed cars

 

Today I was stopped by a policeman for going 49 in a 35-mile-an-hour zone. Fortunately, I only received a warning.

I was lucky. I was visiting with a friend about the Consumer Movement and how consumers need to take action to help each other during this Great Recession. I wasn’t paying attention to my speed.

When I saw the article “Is Your Car a Cop Magnet?” on Yahoo Autos, it caught my attention, having just been pulled over by the flashing lights.

Here are the 10 most ticketed cars, according to a survey conducted by ISO Quality Planning:

• Hummer H2

• Scion tC

• Scion xB

• Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG

• Toyota Solara Coupe

• Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG

• Scion xA

• Subaru Outback

• Audi A4

• Toyota Matrix

These are the survey’s 10 least ticketed cars:

• Jaguar XJ

• Chevrolet Suburban

• Chevrolet Tahoe

• Buick Park Avenue

• Mazda6

• Buick Rainier

• Oldsmobile Silhouette

• Buick Lucerne

• GMC Sierra 1500

My car, a Honda Accord, isn’t on either list.

See the article for details on why these cars made the lists.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Super Bowl's best, worst ads

If baby boomers were one of the target audiences for the Super Bowl ads this year, it must have been the baby boomer male companies and ad makers were pitching to. Ads for beer and cars seemed to predominate.

Of course, upcoming movies and NBC shows were also heavily advertised.
 
Steve Johnson rated the ads as follows for his blog on the Chicago Tribune:

• The Best – Monster.com, with an Honorable Mention to Career Builder.

• The Worse – Teleflora, with an Honorable Mention to Doritos.

• Best Proof That 3D Is Not Advertising’s Future – “Monsters vs. Aliens” movie ad.

• Best Animal Ad -- Budweiser’s Clydesdales.

• Should Have Been in 3D – Coke.

• Best Deadpan in Super Bowl Ad (Ever) – Hulu.com.

• Most Cringe Inducing – Cash$Gold.com.

• Nice Try, But… – H&R Block.

USA Today rated these ads for how they matched recessionary times:

• Bud Light: Corporate bean counter proposes no Bud Light at meetings to cut budget – 7.49

• Career Builder.com: When you know it’s time to get a new job – 7.37.

• E-Trade: Babies discuss "brutal" economy and E-Trade -- 7.27.

• Monster.com: Old job gets the wrong end of the moose – 6.95.

• Denny’s: Tweaks rival’s fancy pancakes, offers everyone free Grand Slam breakfast – 6.62.

• Cash4Gold: Ed McMahon and M.C. Hammer trade gold mementos for added cash – 5.58.

• Hyundai: Assurance program lets buyers return car without credit penalty if they lose job – 4.68.

I thought the Super Bowl ads were often too violent. Bill Swain, writing for Associated Content, agrees:

Super Bowl commercials have become as much a part of the celebrated game as the actual game itself. Super Bowl XLIII was no exception to the rule; although the year 2009 might go down as the year of violent commercials and lame remakes. Almost every commercial, from Cheeto's with the attack of the birds, to Doritos with their crystal ball and the Diet Pepsi commercial with the lightning had violent overtones mixed in with bad comedy.

A recent study by Common Sense Media – a group that provides ratings and reviews of TV shows, movies, and video games to parents – reported half of the commercial breaks during NFL telecasts show at least one advertisement featuring sex, drugs, or alcohol,

Almost 500 of the ads from showed an increased form of violence, including murders, explosions, and gunfights. The CSM staff watched 50 NFL games this season and logged more than 5,000 commercials.

Among the study’s findings:

• 40 percent of games showed ads for erectile dysfunction drugs.

• 46.5 percent of the sexual or violent advertisements were promotions by the broadcast networks for their own programs.

CSM wants ads of this type to be shown when children aren’t watching.

Meredith Lopez, blogging on the Huntington Post.com in the article “Super Bowl? Yes Please! Sexist Ads, No Thank You!” wants football ads cleaned up so kids who watch football will receive a better image of women.

What bothers me is the prevalence of sexism in football ads. In the 21st century, how can anyone be O.K. with this? How do these ad companies – and the companies they represent – even do it? Sexism in ads, to me, is not only offensive, it's beyond outdated to the point of being pathetic. Do we really still need half-naked women in bikinis to increase beer sales? Or dancing supermodels in mini-dresses to sell some vitamin drink?

I agree. 

I’d like to see better quality ads on TV that are less violent and sexist.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What President Obama and Congress need to do for American consumers

In my last post, I looked at what President Obama said in his Inaugural address about consumer issues and discussed the challenges he faces in corralling the country’s strong special interests.

Here’s what I think Obama, working with Congress, needs to accomplish for American consumers:

• Find a solution to the country’s massive financial problems.

• Help consumers who are facing foreclosure of their homes.

• Find effective ways to create jobs.

• Establish a health care system that works and provides coverage for all Americans.

• Curb the excesses of the pharmaceutical industry by putting a lid on their profits, investigating the harmful side effects of prescription drugs that are injuring and killing people, and fostering the use of less harmful alternative medicine techniques.

• Act quickly to halt the excessive fees and interest rates being charged by banks and credit card companies.

• Stop poor lending practices by banks and mortgage companies.

• Establish better regulation of financial services.

• Fund nonindustry-sponsored research on approaches for clean energy and implement programs based on the research.

• Reestablish the White House Special assistant for consumer affairs and/or create a federal consumer protection agency.

• Restore the budgets of federal regulatory agencies including the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and Drug Administration, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Enhance the regulatory functions of these agencies so that our food, consumer products, and drugs are safe.

• Develop creative and effective ways for citizens to be involved in the decision-making of these agencies.

• Restore trust in the work of the federal government and its processes.

• Insist on transparency in all the work of the federal government including the regulatory agencies and White House staff.

• Ban the direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs on television, in magazines, and on the Internet.

• Ban, establish a moratorium, or least require the labeling of genetically modified food.

• Require irradiated food to be labeled.

• Work with Congress to develop regulatory processes that will prevent the excesses under the George W. Bush administration that caused the collapse of the housing market and the stock market.

• Enhance environmental protections.

• Adequately fund programs for seniors including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

• Assist local and state governments in preparing for the needs of baby boomers as they age.

• Work to eliminate poverty and homelessness.

• End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so that money will be available for domestic programs.

• Support a congressional investigation of the crimes of the George W. Bush administration that will lead to the filing of charges against those who broke the law.

• Review recent telecommunication laws in terms of how they meet the needs of consumers.

• Figure out whether cell phones are safe to use and, if they’re found to be harmful, mandate that they be safe.

• Improve mass transportation throughout the nation.

• Work with local governments and the states to create compact, walkable communities so that Americans can walk to work and shopping areas.

I know this is a huge agenda, but American consumers are in need of drastic assistance after the gutting of consumer and environmental protections during the George W. Bush administrations.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist