Short skirts, low necklines drive drivers to crash

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The end of summer is fast approaching – can you believe it’s August already! – and that means a last-minute road trip is bound to be on your list. Well, if you’re planning to load the car, thrown in some music and put the pedal to the metal, it pays to keep your eyes on the road, especially for those of us who happen to be men. There is danger everywhere, especially above the knee.

A study by an insurance company in the United Kingdom, Sheilas’ Wheels, found that men’s car accident rates are about as high as “women’s summer hemlines,” according to an article on MSNBC. Twenty-nine percent of confessed that short skirts and low-cut tops make traffic, stop signs and other aspects of driving without killing someone less appealing (what would you rather look at?). I’m still wondering what the other 71 percent were looking at.

As usual, the fact that “[m]en are more visually oriented” is proffered as the reason why we are distracted more easily than women, on the road or anywhere else. And, testosterone gets some blame, too.
Said a spokesperson for Sheilas’ Wheels, which specializes in selling auto insurance policies to women:

“Men are significantly more likely than women to claim during the summer months – often as a result of wandering eyes.

“We urge all motorists to keep their eyes on the road – regardless of outside distractions – and keep cool behind the wheel,” Sheilas’ Wheels said.

I suspect this will be particularly tough if you’re road tripping out to the beach. My advice: take a drive out to a buffet. Keep your eyes off the hotties and on the road!

[thanks, @BrokingLiz, photo by nesta eber]

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Vatican, Vespas & Rome’s Nightlife

by Stephen Greenwood on

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 25 – Click above to watch video after the jump

For the final installment in our series on Rome, we’ve saved the best for last & are satisfying our thirst for adventure. Watch as we tour the Vatican, rent Vespas, and check out Rome’s impromptu night life.

On the couch, we’ll dissect the differences between the Vatican & the Holy See, and show you the one place in Rome to peer through a keyhole and view 3 separate countries. Tune in to see just how crazy Roman driving actually is, what the best place public place to go after hours is, and what else the Vatican has to offer beyond the Sistine Chapel.


If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links
Want to find the ‘magic keyhole’ of the Piazza del Cavalieri di Malta? Look no further.
Rent your own Vespa in Rome! Check out Eco Move Rentals.
Read more about the Holy See right here.

Hosts: Aaron Murphy-Crews, Stephen Greenwood

Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea

SkyMall Monday: The Drib

by Mike Barish on

An awful lot of attention is being paid these days to the dangers of texting and driving. Heck, even Oprah has a No Phone Zone pledge on her website. If Oprah’s covering it, it must be big. However, there’s a much more pressing issue facing drivers that is often overlooked. It destroys lives. It tears apart families. It creates awkward situations. I’m referring, of course, to food spills caused by driving while eating (DWE). SkyMall Monday is the only media outlet drawing attention to this critical issue. In our hectic work-a-day lives, the car is the last bastion of solitude, privacy and ambiance needed to enjoy a quality meal. Whether it’s a fast food hamburger, a shepherd’s pie or a steaming hot bowl of ramen, there’s simply no food that isn’t perfect for eating in the car. But what happens when that a-hole in front of you stops short and forces you to slam on the breaks? Your skirt steak quickly becomes steak on your skirt. You can’t go to work like that. That’s why you need to protect yourself and your loved ones who do your laundry. SkyMall understands how serious DWE is and answered America’s cry for help. From now on, when you’re considering DWE, be sure you also have The Drib.It’s not surprising that SkyMall chose to address this issue. Virtually every food that SkyMall sells is perfect for eating in the car. From cheesesteaks to wings to sausages of every variety, food just makes more sense (and tastes better) when you’re weaving through traffic on the interstate. The mix of adrenaline, drive-time radio and some cheese fondue sitting in your cup holder really lets you know that you’re alive! But, to keep your tie clean and your blouse pristine, you need to drape yourself in a lengthy bib reminiscent of the lead aprons that your dentist uses while taking x-rays.

Think you can eat a sloppy joe drip-free down Lombard Street? Believe that eating while driving is just as dangerous – if not more – than texting while driving? Well, I bet you’ve never eaten goulash in a Yugo. For you non-epicurean motorists, check out The Drib’s product description:

If you’re one of those busy people who frequently grab a quick meal or snack in the parking lot or at your desk, you know how annoying drips and spills can be. Protect your appearance (and your car’s) with The Drib. This foldable, washable, shoulder-to-knee bib was designed to be worn in the car. An absorbent fabric front and moisture-resistant back keep spills in check and large pockets on the bottom catch food spills. Shoulder weights allow for easy use without the need for awkward ties and clips. Folds into its own pocket for compact storage.

You know those times when you put on a jacket, stick your hand in the pocket and find a five dollar bill? Well, imagine putting on The Drib and finding an old turkey leg in there? Talk about a lucky day!

Sure, you could eat at home or when you get to the office, but you spend enough time with your family and your co-workers. Your car is your fortress of solitude. Your dress shirt and pleated khakis are your tights. That means you need a cape. The Drib is that cape…worn on the front…with pockets…and lots of BBQ sauce stains.

So, stop texting in the car and start masticating. That turducken isn’t going to eat itself (but it will allow you to drive in the carpool lane).

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Verizon Wireless HTC Droid Incredible review

by Scott Carmichael on

In this (brief) review, we’ll show off the Verizon Droid Incredible. The Incredible is the Verizon answer to the Nexus One – both phones have very similar specifications, but Verizon managed to add a couple of tasty treats to their device.

On the outside, the Droid Incredible is a sleek looking Android powered phone – a red speaker grille, flush optical joystick (instead of the trackball found on the Nexus One) and a side mounted MicroUSB jack (more on that later).

By far the biggest difference between the Nexus One and the Droid Incredible is the addition of the HTC Sense interface. While Google opted for a pretty plain vanilla user interface on the Nexus One, Verizon got a huge serving of eye candy.

One of the best design features of the Droid Incredible is found on the rear – by layering the back cover, the appearance is created of a very thin phone with a bulge where the battery is. It is actually a very nice effect. On the back is also the camera lens and a dual LED flash.

Inside the Droid Incredible is a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8GB of memory, a MicroSD memory card slot and EVDO Revision A support on the Verizon CDMA 3G network. The phone offers local connectivity through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The support for Verizon is important – because it is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing comes from the fantastic coverage in the US – seriously, I’ve taken this phone all over the country, and it has not let me down once. Even in an area with zero GSM coverage, I was happily surfing away on 3G speeds on Verizon.

The curse comes when you take a CDMA phone to Europe. Unless you invest in a global CDMA phone with GSM support, you’ll be stuck finding Wi-Fi in most foreign countries.

In addition to the HTC Sense interface, Verizon added a fine lineup of other apps – Quickoffice, Skype Mobile, VCast Tones, My Verizon (account management) . In fact, Verizon has such a large assortment of their own Android apps, that they have their own section in the Android Marketplace, along with some other hand picked Android apps.

(Photo taken with the Droid Incredible camera)

The 8 megapixel auto focus camera in the Droid Incredible is pretty good – colors in daylight are bit washed out, but that is sadly the price you pay on most camera phones. Video quality is acceptable, but the phone won’t replace your HD camcorder any time soon.

Some of the other goodies I previously mentioned are fantastic for travelers – the Droid Incredible supports video output through its USB connector. You’ll need to invest in a $30 video cable, but once you plug the phone into your TV, you’ll be able to watch movies on a large screen, providing some decent in-room entertainment. Another nice bonus, is an FM radio, though you’ll need to keep your headphones plugged into the phone as they act as the antenna.

All in all, one of the things that make the Droid Incredible, well, incredible, is the coverage from Verizon. Granted, unlike on a GSM based 3G phone, you won’t get voice and data at the same time, but to be honest – despite the TV commercials attacking CDMA networks, I can’t even remember the last time (or any time) that I was on the phone and had to access data. Coming from the Nexus One, I also found that the design of the Incredible was “cutting edge” (even though I hate that term).

As the choices of Android phones grow every week, it is becoming increasingly hard to pick the best one – but in my opinion, the Droid Incredible offers the best of all worlds – a compact phone, great user interface and fantastic battery life.

The Droid Incredible is available from your local Verizon Wireless dealer, Verizonwireless.com or most online mobile phone retailers. Prices start at just under $200 on a new two year agreement.

Australians travel 150 miles across the Outback for beer

by Kraig Becker on

How far would you be willing to travel for a beer? If you’re anything like the residents of Marble Bar, located in Western Australia’s Outback, the answer is “pretty far”.

According to the Daily Mail the Ironclad Hotel, which was located in Marble Bar, closed down last month, taking the town’s only pub with it. As a result, many of the locals have been making the 150-mile round trip journey to Nullagine just to enjoy a frosty pint at the Conglomerate Hotel. By Outback standards, Nullagine is practically right next door.

It is estimated that more than a quarter of the residence of Marble Bar have been making the commute to Nullagine on a regular basis, and as a result, the amount of beer being consumed at the Conglomerate has tripled. In fact, the situation has gotten so dire, that the pub may run out of beer before they can get resupplied later in the week. If that were to happen, residents of both towns would have to travel an additional 125 miles to get a taste of their favorite beverage.

The Daily Mail is quick to point out exactly why the Marble Bar locals are in such need of a cold drink. The town holds Australia’s record for the most consecutive days above 100ºF. Set back in the 1920’s, the record still stands at an astounding 160 days of triple digit temperatures.

There is hope in sight however, as plans are already afoot to reopen the Ironclad very soon.

[Photo Credit: Alamy]