The Straight Shift with The Car Chick
The Straight Shift is a podcast that's about cars! Car buying, car selling, car maintenance and repairs, safe driving tips, and general car-related nonsense designed to empower consumers. Brought to you by The Car Chick, the #1 trusted automotive expert for women and smart men. New episodes drop the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month!
The Straight Shift with The Car Chick
The Evolution of Car Safety Technologies
Summary:
In this episode of The Straight Shift, LeeAnn Shattuck and automotive journalist Kendra Sommer delve into the evolution of car safety technologies, including airbags, seatbelts, and modern driver assistance systems. They discuss the importance of understanding crash test ratings, the significance of features like blind spot monitoring, and the emerging technologies that monitor driver behavior. The conversation emphasizes the need for awareness and responsibility among drivers, highlighting that the most crucial safety feature in any vehicle is the driver themselves.
Takeaways:
- Car safety technology has evolved significantly over the years.
- Airbags were mandated by federal law in 1998.
- Seat belts have been proven to reduce fatalities by 50%.
- Crash test ratings do not accurately represent all demographics.
- Blind spot monitoring is the most highly requested safety feature.
- Driver monitoring systems are emerging to prevent distracted driving.
- 360 camera systems enhance parking safety and confidence.
- The driver is the most important safety feature in any car.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Car Safety and Technology
02:36 Kendra Sommer's Journey in the Automotive World
04:26 The Evolution of Seatbelts and Airbags
09:18 Understanding Safety Ratings and Crash Tests
11:48 Modern Driver Safety Aids Explained
17:33 Blind Spot Monitoring and Its Importance
21:11 Emerging Technologies in Vehicle Safety
25:09 Driver Monitoring and Alerts
28:13 The Safety and Convenience of Surround View Camera Systems
31:02 Choosing the Right Vehicle for Safety
33:00 Empowering Women in the Automotive Industry
Resources:
SS11: Driver Aids Safety Technology
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2400168/episodes/15670668?t=0
SS81: Crash Test Results Don’t Apply to Women https://www.buzzsprout.com/2400168/episodes/15670597?t=0
SS101: Is Your Car Spying on You?
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2400168/episodes/16637899?t=0
You can view a full list of resources and episode transcripts here.
Connect with LeeAnn:
Work with LeeAnn:
Copyright ©2024 Women’s Automotive Solutions Inc., dba The Car Chick. All rights reserved.
LeeAnn Shattuck (00:00)
Hey everyone and welcome back to The Straight Shift where we cut through all the BS and get real about cars. Car buying, maintenance, all the stuff that matters when you're behind the wheel. Lately I have been helping families with young children buy cars, including a family of four who plans to convert one of those Ford Transit cargo vans into a camper. They're getting into that whole van life. So we've been going back and forth on whether it's better to use a cargo van or a
passenger van for the conversion. Most people who are in this van life they prefer to use the cargo vans, the high roof extended length ones. But my clients have two young kids, so they want the children to have proper safe seats with seat belts and airbags while they're on the road. And you can't do that with one of the cargo vans. So we're getting them a passenger van.
But that has had me kind of digging down the rabbit hole of car safety technology and state regulations about transporting children. You guys know how I go down the rabbit hole of research. a 3.6 decrease in traffic fatalities in 2023, over 40,000 people still lost their lives on US roads.
You would think with all of the modern driver safety aids, things like the automatic emergency braking and the lane keeping assist and all those things I call electronic babysitters, they're standard on every new car these days. So you'd think the numbers would be going down faster than that. Yet they're not. So it's crucial to understand what safety features and technology are truly effective and what's just marketing hype. I did a podcast on this topic several years ago.
But all the technology has evolved quite a bit since then. So I reached out to my fellow automotive journalist and TV host, Kendra Sommer, to get her take on it. Kendra is the powerhouse behind the automotive video blog, Cruisin' with Kendra, and CWK Media. She has covered everything from ice drag racing in Wisconsin, which I may or may not have done something similar to in my ill-advised youth, to reporting on auto shows that were hosted by the Crown
Prince of Saudi Arabia. Literally, this woman has seen it all in the car world. But recently, she has been delving into modern car safety technology. So she's here to break down the truth about what's really saving lives out there and what is just hype and things that drive us crazy. So buckle up, we're about to take a crash course in car safety.
Kendra, welcome to the show. Thank you for being here.
KENDRA SOMMER (02:40)
Thank you so much for having me.
LeeAnn Shattuck (02:42)
You had a bit of a wild ride in the car world with this drag racing on ice and working with other race teams, hosting for Discovery and Fox Sports. How did you get into the car world?
KENDRA SOMMER (02:54)
My dad is a gear head and I grew up with a whole garage full of International Scouts. And my grandfather worked for International Harvester for 40 years. So I just feel like this automotive journey was really meant for me.
LeeAnn Shattuck (03:07)
How did you end up coming up with Cruisin' with Kendra and starting CWK Media?
KENDRA SOMMER (03:07)
They're great.
so I was actually a local news reporter and on the side, know, cause I, nine to five has never been my thing. So on the weekends I would go and cover different car events, connect with the car community in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And then on Monday I would, you know, pitch these great car stories and my news director would say, you know, nobody cares about cars and which is stupid. ⁓ And then a couple of months later I ended up.
LeeAnn Shattuck (03:35)
That is stupid.
KENDRA SOMMER (03:38)
going to the SEMA show and I asked before that, asked for time off and my news director said, you can't go. So I quit my job to go to SEMA last paycheck. And then sometimes you just have to kind of fake it to make it. And I just prayed a lot and met some really great connections. And that's how Cruisin' started. And then CWK media became my production company. And we started that because automotive aftermarket manufacturers would say, Hey, could you shoot this thing? Or could you do this?
LeeAnn Shattuck (03:46)
Wow.
KENDRA SOMMER (04:08)
and I wanted to have that more organized and then also be able to hire more women. Our staff is primarily women and it's really great to introduce them to the automotive space as well.
LeeAnn Shattuck (04:21)
I love that. We definitely need more of us car chicks in the automotive world. Well, let's talk car safety and let's start with the basics. We all know that cars have come a long way since the days of just having a lap belt. If we were lucky, and when I was a kid, we just kind of rolled around the car loosely. We could sit in the very back of the station wagon and wave to the truckers. We weren't even belted in. It was crazy. And nowadays you get all these airbags and that's almost
become a bragging point with the car manufacturers. So why don't we start there? Can you talk us through how the airbags have evolved over the years?
KENDRA SOMMER (04:59)
So I'm actually in the process of looking for a car and it's interesting how these manufacturers kind of leverage safety. So like, our car has this many airbags and all these different features, like you mentioned. But if you do, if you really look into it, most vehicles have between eight to 12 airbags, which is pretty standard. And then it depends on the trim level, packaging. Airbags were actually invented in the 1950s, but what, what is really crazy and I,
honestly could not believe this. Federal law came in into the picture in 1998 and said, hey, you have to have airbags in these vehicles. Because before that, manufacturers are just kind of willy nilly saying, hey, you know, let's put an airbag in this car. We have the budget or this is our priority. Let's plop one in here. So then the US government got involved, said we need to have this, you know, where every car has these kind of airbags. And that's really
That's kind of shocking.
LeeAnn Shattuck (05:56)
Yeah, I mean, we used to have just the front airbag for the driver and maybe the driver and the passenger, but then they started doing side curtain airbags. So if you get hit from the side, it deploys. They even have airbags in the seat belts. And that's not one I can really comprehend. And I don't think I want one of those exploding in my face. That would be really rough.
KENDRA SOMMER (06:17)
That would be rough.
LeeAnn Shattuck (06:20)
But speaking of seatbelts.
KENDRA SOMMER (06:20)
No.
LeeAnn Shattuck (06:21)
When you're talking about the government coming in and making airbags required, the same thing happened years ago with the seat belts. And the belts themselves aren't even as simple as they used to be either. So talk to me a little bit about the old fashioned seat belts versus more of modern three point belts that have the pre-tensioning system.
KENDRA SOMMER (06:40)
Well, what you mentioned about the seat belts, the government said 1968, the seat belts needed to be in vehicles and then getting people to wear them was a whole 'nother obstacle. Um, And that wasn't a law until '84. Some of these numbers are shocking.
But what's really interesting about seat belts today, they have that pre-tensioner in there. And what happens is if you get in a crash, there are sensors and the sensors send a signal to the airbag control system, which will then activate the seat belt pre-tensioner, which will get the slack out of the seat belt, pull you back.
And then the airbags will deploy and it's meant to put you back in your seat so you're not going to get hit by an airbag and injured more. So it's a very interesting setup how all these pieces play together to keep you safe.
LeeAnn Shattuck (07:28)
Yeah, the pre-tensioner system that we had when I was a kid was mom's arm shooting out as she anticipated, you know, something bad happening as if, you know, her arm would be able to hold you in the car and keep you safe.
KENDRA SOMMER (07:35)
Yes.
Yeah, no, that's great. I can relate
to that too. My mom did the same thing, you know, hold on.
LeeAnn Shattuck (07:49)
I think it's just one of those mom reactions. A little fun fact that modern three point seatbelt was created. It was invented by Niles Boland, who was an engineer at Volvo. So that's part of Volvo's culture is about safety. And Volvo could have patented this invention and made a boatload of money on it, but they didn't. Instead, they gave it to all of their rivals in the automotive industry,
KENDRA SOMMER (07:52)
Yeah, the good moms.
LeeAnn Shattuck (08:17)
because they felt that saving lives was more important than making money. Like, what a concept. Would that ever happen today? I don't think so.
KENDRA SOMMER (08:26)
Probably not, but
good job Volvo, stepping up.
LeeAnn Shattuck (08:30)
Exactly. And their engineers demonstrated that seat belts reduce car fatalities by 50%. So it makes sense that it would become a law because it's just, it's part of the common good. Cause I know everybody got all fussy about it. It's my choice. You know, I should have a choice of whether or not to wear it. Can you imagine like introducing that in today's political environment? But you know, the cost to society and our tax dollars and our insurance rates,
KENDRA SOMMER (08:53)
no.
LeeAnn Shattuck (08:59)
of these fatalities was so high and that has significantly come down since the seatbelt laws are in place. So, wear your damn seatbelts, people.
Let's talk about some of those safety ratings because that can be really confusing for a lot of people because there are different ratings. So what's the difference between the NCAP crash test ratings, the IIHS ratings? I mean, we got a lot of numbers and letters out there, and I think it's important that people understand the difference.
KENDRA SOMMER (09:27)
Of course, the NCAP, which is a new car assessment program that is funded by the government, and that is overseen by the national highway traffic safety administration, and it's going to be more bare minimum, just kind of your run of the mill testing. And it's, it's not as thorough as the IIHS and
LeeAnn Shattuck (09:48)
That's the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety. So the insurance, I guess, has a little more skin in the game because it's the money out of, you their profits out of their pocket when a car isn't safe. And they need to know exactly how much to charge you on your insurance premiums based on how safe that car is and how much damage it can cause or cause to itself or to another thing that either way they're going to have to pay for it.
KENDRA SOMMER (10:03)
Yes.
Yes.
Well,
and exactly that and their testing is more real life. It's more real world scenarios and it's just tougher as far as it more intense testing, which is really interesting.
LeeAnn Shattuck (10:24)
You know, I did a podcast a while ago and I'll actually put a link to that one into the description if folks haven't heard that. But crash test ratings don't apply equally to every type of person. They were never designed for women or short people or children, or even as Americans have gotten larger, that crash test dummy that they came up with, back in the 60s and 70s was like a 5'6", 130 pound man. Like, does that really represent American society? I don't think so.
So you kind of have to take those crash test ratings with a grain of salt, but I think it's gonna be interesting to see how those tests evolve because in China, they do those testings purely on the computer and they're using more more AI. They don't actually do the physical tests, which allows them to get to market faster, but they also don't have to worry about the real world results because you're not allowed to sue car manufacturers in China like you can here. But yeah, it is. And I think it's gonna be interesting to see how AI
KENDRA SOMMER (11:19)
interesting.
LeeAnn Shattuck (11:24)
comes into playing a role with a lot of these crash tests and being able to predict results.
KENDRA SOMMER (11:29)
Yeah. definitely something to watch. That women note that you mentioned about, you know, crash ratings are not reflective of women. NBC news has had a big article on that and they did a big segment about a girl who's actually really trying to get Congress to make it so the crash dummies are reflective of women, which is just insane.
LeeAnn Shattuck (11:48)
Let's get into some of the modern technology that's becoming standard in these cars, because I think it's important to go over again for people that either haven't listened to my old podcast or they have, but these things have changed. Let's start with the automatic emergency braking. How exactly does that work these days?
KENDRA SOMMER (12:08)
So how I like to describe it is having a co-pilot with anxiety. So it's weird.
LeeAnn Shattuck (12:12)
Sort of like the parents
in the car with the teenager, but if they had the brakes like your driving instructor did on the passenger side.
KENDRA SOMMER (12:21)
Yes, 100%. 100%.
It's where the car can break for you, the car can slow down, and it can, it really helps you out. So it's able to stop, if it sees a vehicle, it will avoid a crash by slowing down and stopping, which is amazing.
LeeAnn Shattuck (12:38)
And one of the things that need to be aware of, and it's great to have these different technologies, but they are called driver safety aids, not driver substitutes. So there's a lot of things that can hamper them from working. I used to do some tire testing with Michelin and one of the most eye-opening things was just how much the environment
and the tires make a difference in your ability to stop in time versus ending up in someone's back seat. And we tested in the dry and in the wet, and we tested with brand spanking new tires, and we tested with tires that were 50 % worn. And it was amazing.
Four times the stopping distance in the rain. And these are things that the sensors and the computers in the car that are behind this emergency braking system, they don't know these things. They don't necessarily know how wet the road is. Is there oil on the road? Is it extra slippery? Is there mud on the road? Is there ice underneath that snow?
Yeah, it might know how worn your tires are, but it doesn't know what kind of tires you put on the car. Are they the OE tires that the system was calibrated for? Or did you cheap out and buy rubber donuts for your car that don't have the same performance? So you really have to be careful that these systems are not always going to work.
KENDRA SOMMER (14:11)
Exactly. But I do think what is interesting about this system is it, I was reading it has reduced 50 % of crashes and there was a stat that said if this system was in every single car, it would prevent over a million accidents, which is amazing.
LeeAnn Shattuck (14:28)
That is amazing. And that just goes to tell you that even when the system doesn't work, it still works better than people, which is really kind of sad. Another one that's popular that can be very confusing to people is the lane departure warning versus the lane keeping assistant. And not only is that confusing on its own, but
KENDRA SOMMER (14:36)
Yeah. Well, it totally is.
LeeAnn Shattuck (14:53)
What you get can depend on the trim level or the packages in the car. So you have to be careful what you're getting. So can you explain the difference between those two things?
KENDRA SOMMER (15:03)
Well, it's much better to have it in your car than not. And it can be annoying. I've been test driving a lot of vehicles. But when you start to lane departure warning kicks in. When you start to drift out of the lane, it will alert you. It will start to beep. It might even vibrate your steering wheel. In the Subaru, I think there's a visual as well. ⁓ And then the lane keep assist will make sure that you're always in the center of the lane.
And that one takes a lot of adjusting too, especially in the Subaru. It's kind of like the car is fighting you when you have it turned on. It freaked me out at first. I was like, what is happening? I'm on the 405 here in LA and the car's like, you know, we're fighting each other. So it's a bit of an adjustment getting used to, but once you adjust, it's great.
LeeAnn Shattuck (15:50)
Different manufacturers implement these things in different ways. And there's actually now three separate categories that sometimes the technology does both of these things at the same time. But like you said, the lane departure, it's more like the car just like, hey, dummy, you're getting out of your lane, pay attention. And then if you don't follow its instructions, then it says, fine. And it wrench it back into your lane. It's like, And then there's the, I'm going to keep you dead centered
KENDRA SOMMER (16:06)
Yep.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
LeeAnn Shattuck (16:19)
in this lane, which can be tied also to the adaptive cruise control and is all these technologies are what make up the self-driving cars. So it can be confusing and sometimes they call it different things. So when you're trying to research different cars from different manufacturers, just be aware they all use different terminology. So be sure you understand what the terminology means in that specific car, because it might not mean what you think it means.
KENDRA SOMMER (16:25)
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
LeeAnn Shattuck (16:49)
none of those things really like my driving style, Kendra. You know, I'm in a little Mini Cooper, right? And so I can't see around anybody else on the road. So I'm constantly getting to that very edge and putting a tire right on the edge of that lane marker, just so I can see around to know what's going on on the road ahead of me. And those systems would be like, what are you doing? No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that.
KENDRA SOMMER (16:56)
I'm the same way.
LeeAnn Shattuck (17:17)
So I'm kind of glad I personally don't have them, but I do look around and see a lot of the other people on the roads around me and like, please tell me you have that technology because you're looking at your phone or you're looking over here and the car's going.
Let's talk about one of the most popular safety aids and that is blind spot monitoring or blind spot detection. This is actually one of the first technologies that they've developed and it's been around for about 20 years now in various forms. Toyota was big on it. Ford was one of the first ones that came out with it. And it's one of the things that is the most requested feature with car buyers, my clients and just the car world in general. This is one of the things that people want.
Which is why during the chip shortage, a lot of the German manufacturers, that was something that they deleted from the cars. I'm like, really? You're going to delete the one piece of technology that people wanted? I can see living without massaging seats, but hello, we need blind spot monitoring in this country. So tell me a little about what your experiences with blind spot monitoring have been during your test drive shenanigans the last few weeks.
KENDRA SOMMER (18:11)
Mm-hmm.
Yes. It's important.
It has been very interesting. I've driven every trim level of the Forester's Subaru Forester, which I love. ⁓ But I had, I got the base model and I'm, you know, getting a little cocky on the highway here in LA and I'm like, well, I guess I can get over, you know, the car will tell me. Yeah, some, some do not have it. So it's been a very interesting learning curve, but it is, it is definitely something I feel like you need to have on your car
from a safety standpoint, especially if you live in a very populated area. And it's really neat how it works. It's made up of cameras and radar on the side and rear. And it's kind of like a bat in nature. And it's able to see vehicles that enter into your blind spot and either alert you via audio or pop something up into the mirror. And I drove the Mazda CX-5, because I thought that was going to be the car. It was pretty
LeeAnn Shattuck (19:22)
Another one of my
favorites.
KENDRA SOMMER (19:24)
Good, it was
so good, except the seats hurt. The seats, it felt like, I felt like a bleacher, like I was sitting on a bleacher. The car was literally perfect, except the seats.
LeeAnn Shattuck (19:28)
⁓
I have a saying Kendra, comfort is in the butt of the beholder and that is exactly what you experienced. I'm sorry it wasn't comfortable for you.
KENDRA SOMMER (19:43)
Yes, it is. It was terrible.
I had other people in the car and they said the same thing. So they must have, they were thinking the same thing, but it is just like, I was so bummed out about that.
LeeAnn Shattuck (19:55)
And again, that's something that varies by trim level. So, you know, and with just going back to that blind spot monitoring, it can work differently in different vehicles. And one of the things that annoyed me with Honda for years was it was only on the passenger side. I argued you shouldn't have any blind spots. And I actually have a video called how to set your mirrors to teach you how to set your mirrors properly to eliminate all blind spots. I'll put a link to that in the description as well.
KENDRA SOMMER (20:15)
Yeah.
LeeAnn Shattuck (20:20)
But Honda only put the blind spot monitoring on the passenger side for years. That's ridiculous. You really need it on both sides because people are equally bad at looking. I know in LA traffic... So many things are happening when you have six lanes on each side of the freeway.
KENDRA SOMMER (20:34)
Yes.
LeeAnn Shattuck (20:41)
And because California is the only state where
it is legal for the motorcycles to white line. They don't have to stay in their lane. And, and the highway patrol does it all the time. So can have a motorcycle coming up on you so fast.
KENDRA SOMMER (20:49)
yeah.
LeeAnn Shattuck (20:55)
any technology that you have to have that extra eye on those just anywhere around you is gonna potentially save lives. And it just, freaks me out with the motorcycles. Cause of course my husband rides and I get extra worried and I try not to think about it.
Let's talk a little bit about some of the emerging technologies, some of the newer stuff that didn't exist when I did the original podcast. I know Subaru is one of the brands that has done a lot. They are now not just monitoring things, allowing us to watch what's happening around us. They're actually babysitting us
and monitoring the driver to make sure you're not doing anything extra stupid like, ⁓ nodding off or looking at your phone. Did you get to experience the driver facial recognition, hey, you're doing something stupid technology when you were test driving?
KENDRA SOMMER (21:51)
Yes, I rented the car for about a month, the one that I really want. And I wanted to try out all the features, so I wasn't going very fast and I just wanted to see if it worked. But it's really neat, it definitely alerts you if it thinks that your head is going down or your eyes are closing or if you're looking away, which is really cool.
LeeAnn Shattuck (22:12)
How did it alert you? Does that one, the one that like vibrates your butt or was it audible?
KENDRA SOMMER (22:18)
I believe this one was audible. One of the other things that I noticed on Subaru, depending on the trim level of the Forester, it does project like a light ahead of you as well in your, ⁓ like kind of the windshield area, will have like some lights and they'll flash, which is really interesting depending. Yes.
LeeAnn Shattuck (22:35)
So they use the heads up display technology to
put a warning right in front, like, hey, hello, this is where you're supposed to be looking, not over there, not down there.
KENDRA SOMMER (22:42)
Yes. Yeah, it'll happen
depending on the trim level. It will do that for like, if you're getting out of the lane as well. So it's interesting. That's by trim level. I've driven all the different trim levels of the Forester. Yeah.
LeeAnn Shattuck (22:55)
Okay. Yeah, that was
one of the first ones that had that technology with Subaru and it's neat. And I've done some podcasts on how your car is kind of spying on you and the data that it's collecting. it's a little bit scary that your car is like taking pictures of your face, but you know, this is just the new world that we live in. But I'm glad it's doing it to keep safe because the number of people that I see every freaking day on the road that are looking at their phone.
KENDRA SOMMER (23:23)
Mm-hmm.
LeeAnn Shattuck (23:23)
They're literally driving,
look at the phone. I literally was out this morning and in the Harris Teeter parking lot, there was a guy in a cargo van and he didn't even have either of his hands on the wheel. He had both of them holding his phone and he was driving through the parking lot like this. No hands on the wheel, not looking, I'm like, hello. It was really frightening. It is terrible. Do not look at your phone when you're in the car, people. It's just scary.
KENDRA SOMMER (23:45)
It's cerebral.
Maybe as a society we do need self-driving cars just with how we're going.
LeeAnn Shattuck (23:57)
Honestly,
I really think we do. But it's terrifying. But I like to see the advancements in this technology. And one of the things that I really like that I have seen come out in the past few years, going back to that automatic braking, you know, depending on the trim level, the package of the car, most of them have it on the forward collision. But now sometimes they'll have them like backing up. So looks like you're going to back into someone in that grocery store parking lot because you weren't using the
blind spot monitoring with the cross traffic alert that tells you when someone is coming. And that's one the things that I hate because again, driving a Mini and no matter where I park, by the time I come out of the store, I am between two SUVs or trucks. It just always happens. And so I'm like creeping out, because I don't even have a backup camera in that car. So I'm like creeping out and I'm looking over my shoulder and I'm like, please don't hit me, please don't hit me. But now those systems can not only detect cars approaching in that
KENDRA SOMMER (24:39)
Mm-hmm.
LeeAnn Shattuck (24:54)
cross traffic way, but also forward cross traffic alert and pedestrian detection. So did you test out some of those systems and how is it, how are you able to test that? Did you like have one of your people walk in front of a car?
KENDRA SOMMER (25:09)
I took it on one of our productions, actually, a Forester, and I forgot the car had this because my car, I drive a Ford Edge normally and it's older and I'm backing up and I almost hit our photographer's car and all of a sudden the Subaru just violently stopped and I freaked out because I thought I had actually hit his car. But it was, it will stop you and it's able to do that very similar to blind spot monitoring as well.
LeeAnn Shattuck (25:23)
you
So it doesn't just apply the brakes. It slams on the brakes like a panicked parent or driver's ed teacher.
KENDRA SOMMER (25:48)
Yes, it's very
aggressive. It's almost violent. My partner drove it too and same thing happened to him and he thought he had hit something because it just the way it stops you, it's so violent.
LeeAnn Shattuck (26:01)
Maybe that's by design and I'm gonna have to ask my Subaru folks that I know, but if it jolts you that much, maybe you'll remember that this was a negative experience, just like hitting someone and you won't do it again because if it does trigger that, my God, I hit someone, maybe you'll learn to look next time. ⁓
KENDRA SOMMER (26:19)
West.
Yeah,
maybe, maybe. I'm just glad I didn't hit his car. I was really nervous. Yeah, I think I was.
LeeAnn Shattuck (26:28)
I'm sure he was glad you didn't hit his car too.
Even better, you know, you didn't hit any pedestrians, you didn't hit any bicyclists and yeah, I would rather cars today because I don't think with our society, we are not getting any less distracted as you know, more and more mobile devices are taking over our lives and we've just got so much going on and we have an attention span shorter than a sound bite. So.
I really guess I have no faith that we're going to get better as drivers and our drivers ed classes for the 16 year olds are terrible. It's, not like it is in Europe. So I think I would rather for my own safety have this technology in the cars. Cause I was rear ended a number of years ago sitting at a traffic light and there were like five cars in front of me and a red light. And did the lady behind me in the Corolla look? No, she was looking down at her phone and unfortunately
KENDRA SOMMER (27:06)
Yes.
LeeAnn Shattuck (27:26)
It was an old enough Corolla that it did not have this. Granted, it was raining, so the chances that would have stopped in time to prevent her from slamming into me, it might have been less of an impact. But all I can think of was like, why did that chick not have this technology? And she was like, oh, I didn't see you. You weren't freaking looking, lady. I'm like, you didn't see the bright pink Mini Cooper, the six SUVs in front of me and the red light. Really? You didn't see us.
KENDRA SOMMER (27:57)
It was, and that was Maggie, right? Maggie, gosh.
LeeAnn Shattuck (27:59)
That was Maggie. Yeah.
Yeah. So I got pushed into the Acura in front of me, you know, which barely even felt it. But of course, you know, poor Maggie got squished on both ends. Urh.., It broke my heart. It really did.
But ⁓ one of my favorite technologies that they have now are the 360 camera systems because I used to, before I was a car chick and I had a real job, I worked uptown Charlotte in the little tight parking garages where the parking space
is exactly a quarter of an inch wider than your car. And those 360 cameras are so fantastic for parking. Did the Foresters or other cars you drive have the 360 cam?
KENDRA SOMMER (28:43)
The Forester did not, but the Volvo did. I drove, ⁓ I don't remember which Volvo it was. It was like X something. Yeah, they all sound the same. I miss the days when cars had fun names, like, you could remember them. Now it's like, they're all the same. They all just sound like robots, but.
LeeAnn Shattuck (28:46)
Of course.
Probably the XC40.
Thank you.
Tell
me about it, I have to remember all of them. But how did that 360 camera system work and when did you find it the most helpful when you were just driving?
KENDRA SOMMER (29:05)
Yeah, well, I'm impressed.
Definitely parking was great ⁓ here in LA. It's a lot of tight spaces and you know don't want to hit the wall or hit somebody else's car and it's just it's nice to have that confidence when you're parking.
LeeAnn Shattuck (29:25)
And especially if you're you have a new car and you're not used to it yet. You I've been driving Maggie for so long and plus part of the training as a race car driver. We know exactly where every millimeter of that car is. You know, I can put my tire, you know, within a hair's width of any place I want to. But that just comes with so much seat time and experience. But when I have to drive my husband's car, which I hate doing.
Or, because he has a Mitsubishi Eclipse. It's a great car, but it's really long. It's like literally, I think twice as long as my Mini. And I'm like, I can't see over the hood. And I hate driving that car. Or I'm driving the minivan, and it's just completely different. And it's weird. I'm like, okay, I kind of do wish I had these camera systems because I'm not as confident where the corners of those cars are. But yeah, if I had to park in a parking garage, I would probably
somehow put a camera like on top of Maggie. I mean, she's really small and I can fit her into tiny spaces, but just that confidence is so good.
KENDRA SOMMER (30:24)
It's
at one time though that you park too close to the wall. ⁓ Yeah, I've done that and you skin the car and that is literally the worst sound and worst feeling. When you hear it, ⁓ the sound is worse. So, those 360 cameras I think are really good.
LeeAnn Shattuck (30:30)
Ha ha!
⁓ yeah, that's that scrape. ⁓ it is.
And these are also
great things to preserve the resale value of your car, because if you don't wreck it, you don't have to repaint it, nothing shows on the Carfax, you're going to get more money on resale value. It's all good. Well, what was your favorite car of everything that you drove? Just out of curiosity.
KENDRA SOMMER (30:47)
Yes.
Exactly. It's all good.
Well, I've been to a lot of dealerships. My partner said, I can't believe we're at this many. Because it was like Subaru went to Porsche, we went to Volvo. I did the whole Mazda thing. And I love the Subaru because I think it is just it is safe. And that is really important to me. The Forester, it looks halfway okay. I didn't like the body of the Volvo. I thought it just looked kind of clunky and not cool for the price point.
And the Forester is affordable. I'm not going to be upset if somebody keys it or dings it or something, because it's like driving a Porsche where you're making a major investment.
LeeAnn Shattuck (31:40)
Well, that's great. Now, did you drive the the new hybrid Forester that just came out or the regular one?
KENDRA SOMMER (31:46)
I didn't, like gas cars. I'm like, just, yes. But yes, yes. I just wanted, I just want traditional. I want something that I know it's easy to use. You know, I'm here in LA and I just want to make sure it works. I know where the gas stations are and it's not too complicated. So.
LeeAnn Shattuck (31:50)
The hybrid's still technically gas, it just uses a lot less of it.
Well, that's great. And I will be doing a review of the new Forester Hybrid that just came out because it is a little bit different. It's going to be the Toyota Hybrid technology, but it is married to the Subaru powertrain, that boxer engine that has been so reliable in the Foresters. But this will be the first time those two technologies are going to try and plate nicely together. So we're going to kind of have to see. But I'm excited to get my butt in the seat of one of those and test it out. But
I hope you're able to find the perfect Forester for you. And thank you for joining me and actually making talking about car safety stuff fun. That's normally not fun. Where can people go to follow you and see the latest crazy fun thing that you're working on and what crazy fun thing are you working on next?
KENDRA SOMMER (32:46)
Thank you. I think it's so important.
So actually be in Charlotte in a couple of weeks. Yes. Yes, the Queen City. And I will be at the HPX Expo. I'm on a panel for women in the industry and speaking about how we need to get more girls involved in our space, which is so important.
LeeAnn Shattuck (33:03)
Yay! We are so having drinks,
Well, I will definitely have to get my butt to that and we will get together for some more fun car talk over some adult beverages. But folks, if you want to learn how to research cars, figuring out what bells and whistles, including these safety features, they come with at what trim level, because it can be very confusing. But I explain how I do that type of research for my clients in my online car buying course, the No BS Guide to Buying a Car. So I'll put a link to that in the description below as well.
KENDRA SOMMER (33:25)
Yes.
LeeAnn Shattuck (33:47)
And don't forget to subscribe to The Straight Shift and definitely check out Cruisin' With Kendra to see all the fun things that she is doing with cars.
So Kendra, remember what is the number one most important safety feature in any car? Thank you. The nut behind the wheel. There is no substitute for paying attention to your driving. Keep your phone in your purse, in your briefcase, in your man bag, in your pocket for all I care, but pay attention to what's going on around you because your life, the life of your loved ones,
KENDRA SOMMER (34:02)
The driver!
Of
LeeAnn Shattuck (34:23)
and the life of someone else's loved ones may depend on it. So drive safe y'all. Kendra and I are out of here.