Road Safety Spotlight: School Buses, Pedestrians, and Dream Cars

Road safety takes center stage in this eye-opening episode where we tackle the often misunderstood rules of school bus safety. When those yellow lights start flashing, too many drivers make potentially deadly mistakes. We break down exactly what you need to do when approaching a school bus on various road types and why following these rules is absolutely critical for protecting our children.

We uncover a concerning reality about vehicle safety technology that many drivers don't realize—while your car's sensors might detect other vehicles, older models often completely miss pedestrians. This technological blind spot creates serious risks, especially in residential areas where children may dart into the street unexpectedly. Our discussion provides practical advice for staying vigilant behind the wheel, particularly for drivers of larger vehicles with limited visibility.

The episode shifts gears to explore dream cars that became nightmares for their owners. From the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake with its endless repair bills to the eco-friendly Fisker Karma that kept mechanics in business, we reveal six prestigious vehicles that left their owners with serious buyer's remorse. Whether it's the beautiful but problematic Alfa Romeo 4C or the space-age BMW i8 that cost more to maintain than some mortgages, these cautionary tales might make you think twice before pursuing that automotive fantasy.

For those seeking unique travel experiences, our "Riding the Rails" segment showcases Texas's diverse heritage railroads. From the historic Texas State Railroad to themed excursions on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad (including adults-only wine trains!), these rail journeys offer a refreshing alternative to traditional road trips. Discover the rich history and scenic beauty of Texas from a different perspective—all without worrying about traffic or navigation.

What driving safety tips have saved you from disaster? Share your experiences and join our live broadcast every Saturday morning from 8-11am Central. Find our podcasts wherever you listen—Apple, Spotify, iHeart Radio, or Amazon Music.

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Transcript

School Bus Safety and Pedestrian Alerts

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am.

Speaker 2 0:09

Central.

Speaker 1 0:09

Welcome to the award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. We haven't talked about this School buses and school bus and children's accidents and the stop signs that are on the bus. And what do you do when you come up behind a school bus? If the lights are yellow, treat it just like a traffic signal. Time to slow down, get ready to stop because the red lights are about to go and people don't know what to do. On the divided street where there's a boulevard in the middle of it, a walking area if you will, trees, whatever. Oh, the bus is on the other side, you don't have. If you're on the other side, you don't have to stop, but if you are on that side where the bus is, yes, you do have to stop. It's not real rocket science and just to use your head.

Speaker 1 0:55

Um, you know, I was going to say that there is new technology and I did not realize this. I just read it yesterday that there is a difference in car sensors being able to see oncoming traffic, like the rear traffic alert that we have on cars these days. So you're backing out of a parking spot, it beeps at you and you know that the car is coming up from your right or your left or whatever the case may be. It's not the same sensor in front. One and number two is the new sensors can detect pedestrians, but mainly it's traffic and they miss the pedestrian. That's a movement, yeah, and so, um, there is that. So if you're driving a brand brand new car, it probably has, probably has a pedestrian alert built in, but most of the earlier models of cars that have front-end detection only recognize automobiles, big metal objects, not human beings. So that's something else to keep in mind.

Speaker 2 1:59

I mean, at the end of the day, all cars? Well, most cars have mirrors, so check them as well as relying on your sensors.

Speaker 1 2:08

And I guess the biggest thing, the biggest takeaway here this morning is the fact that if there are pedestrians and you're in a pedestrian area, man, I've always got my foot right ready to hit that brake. Because I remember my oldest daughter when she was a little little girl, we taught her not to go in the street. Well, she was small, under five, and she saw her friend across the street dashed across the street and as fast as we could react she was already in the street. So when there are children around, all bets are. You know, just got to be extra careful.

Speaker 2 2:47

Especially if you're driving a big car like a pickup truck or one of those super high-mounted Jeeps or SUVs that you can't really see children from your driver's seat. You need to be very careful, especially in residential areas.

Speaker 1 3:01

Let's talk about car insurance and pedestrian accidents and the five things to know. It's your report. I'll let you do that.

Car Insurance and Pedestrian Accidents

Speaker 2 3:13

Absolutely so. Here's the thing to keep in mind. There are significant legal and financial headaches that come with hitting a pedestrian. So, as far as possible, you don't want to hit one, but just in case you hit a pedestrian, the first thing you need to do is call the authorities, because you know injuries that may not be visible to you may have happened.

Speaker 1 3:38

Mr Morris, you just cut her off, whatever you did there. Sorry, divya, I can go again. There you go first.

Speaker 2 3:46

Thing you want to do if you hit a pedestrian is call the authorities, let the cops know, call 9-1-1 in case the person needs an ambulance, or you know the cops need to take a report. So that's the first thing you want to do. The second thing you should be doing is documenting everything. So make you know, write down everything that happened as you remember it. If you have dash cam footage, just keep it in hand. You don't want to be saying anything to the cops like admitting fault, because at that point you may not have the full information you need. Just document everything. And the third thing you want to do is file a claim in a timely manner.

Speaker 1 4:26

So, because this could be a liability claim, you need to notify your insurance company as quickly as possible and the one thing that that stuck out to me was watch your words, watch what you say and how you say them. Be forthright and honest, but don't give up too much information or assume things that you're really not too sure of.

Speaker 2 4:50

A hundred percent. You have to watch your word because, I'll be honest, in that situation we're extremely stressed out and we may have missed important things. The one thing you want to avoid is admitting that you are at fault or you may have done something that contributed to it. It's just best to remain silent as far as possible, take in everything you can and let the cops handle it.

Speaker 1 5:16

Absolutely. I was going to say one of the things.

Speaker 3 5:18

I want to go back to the street crossing. What percentage does this reflect of people using their phone? And you see people walking down the street and bumping into poles or falling into manhole covers. Is that part of this where people using their phones crossing the street? Is that part of it?

Speaker 2 5:34

Our research didn't track what pedestrians were doing at the time when they got into accidents, but I think generally it's really good advice to not be distracted while you're crossing a busy roadway or when you're driving. It's really really good advice, and by distractions it's not just looking at your phone, right, if you're behind the wheel, you don't want to be turning around and yelling at your kids for making too much noise. You don't want to be fiddling with the radio. You don't want to be eating a sandwich, like every little thing that could help you take your eyes off the road is something we want to avoid.

Speaker 1 6:08

We love talking to you. You look great. I hope things are going well for you there up on the East Coast, are they?

Speaker 2 6:15

They are amazing. Thank you so much and thank you for the compliment. We are headed out today shortly to have an amazing feast, so I guess I'll have to take some pictures and send it to you guys.

Speaker 1 6:27

Yeah, please do and if you're going to be a pedestrian, be on the Outlook. There you go.

Speaker 2 6:33

Yeah.

Speaker 1 6:34

All right, divya, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 6:37

Thanks so much for having me.

Speaker 1 6:38

Yep, you bet Lending Tree and pedestrian deaths. Today we talk about Great way to start off the show. Yeah, I like talking about death. I I had a near-death experience this morning when I left the purple ditty bag here. Hey you can't say that left the bag at home that had all the stuff in it a ditty bag. You know what a ditty bag?

Speaker 3 7:02

is. It's the one you left, that's for sure. We know that Just ahead.

Speaker 1 7:09

God help us all. Jeff's Car Culture six dream cars. Owners regret buying. Can't wait for that. And Mars has riding the rails in Texas. I guess the real story there is how you get to the rail, hobo, mike. All that and more coming up right after this break here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.

Six Dream Cars Owners Regret Buying

Speaker 1 7:29

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Speaker 1 8:34

Whether you're on the road or at home and jonesing for a different kind of car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on Sirius XM, podcasts, iheart Radio or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. Inwheeltimecom has a list and we know you love lists. Hey, in Wheel Time invites you to join us 10 to noon Central Time every Saturday for our live show. If you can hear us about all things automotive, we thank you for being with us today. I thought he was going to throw some water on me Shut up.

Speaker 4 9:15

I'm trying to slow you down there a little bit.

Speaker 1 9:17

Time now for Jeff's Car Culture. 6 Dream Cars Owners regret buying.

Speaker 3 9:22

There you go. So dream cars. We've all fallen for that dream car at some point. The glossy ad, the jaw-dropping design, promises of speed and status. But sometimes, once you've been handed the keys, reality hits hard. Breakdowns, repairs, endless bills turn these beauties into burdens. So here we go. First one is a Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake. Oh God, that's ugly. It seemed cool and adventurous, but if you own one you quickly realize that it really meant endless repairs and repair bills Air suspension failures, expensive parts, tech that didn't work more than it did.

Speaker 1 9:59

Bad roof line.

Speaker 3 10:00

All combined in the wagon as a money pit. But you know what I'd drive, that I would.

Speaker 4 10:05

How far is?

Speaker 3 10:06

the question. Well, at least to the mechanical shop, there you go, and the next one we have is a Fisker Karma who hadn't heard of one of them. It's an eco-friendly vehicle. Promises kept? No, not really.

Speaker 1 10:20

People who bought it thought they were helping the earth. The smile of the joker on the front, there you go.

Speaker 3 10:23

The car had battery failures, electrical issues, recalls upon recalls. I thought it was a Ford at first. Turns out owners weren't just saving the earth, but they also saved mechanics businesses. So people got rich off of that car and it wasn't the owner. The next one we have, michael, is an Alfa Romero 4C. It's a lightweight, exotic looks, italian passion. What could go wrong? Well, you see, it's in the shop already. A lot Owners first discovered the brutal ride cheap-feeling interior, never-ending reliability quirks. It was like dating a gorgeous supermodel who shows up late, complains constantly and eats all your money. So there you go and eats onion rings. There you go, onion rings, okay. Next one, mike, is a Tesla Roadster. It's the first generation, not the second. This was Tesla's first attempt at revolutionizing cars. While it broke ground, it also broke down. Based on a lotus elise, it had charging issues, poor build quality and repairs that took months to get it running it's not a bad look.

Speaker 1 11:24

I've never seen one before.

Speaker 3 11:25

It's the first gen I did not know that uh, I haven't seen one on the road either, but that is a good there's a reason for that. Well, you put an ls in it. That's what you need.

Speaker 4 11:33

There you go.

Speaker 3 11:34

Okay, michael, the BMW i8. The i8 looked like a spaceship. It promised hybrid supercar thrills, but it wasn't that fast. It wasn't that efficient either, was it?

Speaker 1 11:44

unpainted on the nose. No, it's just reflection, just reflection.

Speaker 3 11:49

It wasn't efficient. It wasn't even practical. Owners loved showing it off until the repair costs came in and it was worth more than their mortgage in some cases Was that a BMW?

Speaker 1 12:01

Yeah, BMW i8. You know what BMW?

Speaker 3 12:02

stands for, don't you? Well, it's British.

Speaker 1 12:04

Motor Works Break. My wallet is what it stands for.

Speaker 3 12:07

Turns out that the i8 was more flash than substance, but it's a good-looking car. It really is, mike. And the last one we've got here is a Lotus Esprit, made famous by James Bond. This car was cool, but owners quickly discovered that British electronics were questionable, build quality was poor and repair costs worthy of a secret agent's budget. It looked pretty cool, but having one meant becoming very close with friends of your mechanic. So there you go Pretty much, and then we got a bonus shot. I believe there's a bonus shot. That car is gorgeous. Look at that.

Speaker 1 12:39

David and Jeff spent all day finding that location so he could take a picture of his car. You betcha?

Speaker 3 12:47

That's out in front of your new place. Yeah, yeah, that's the county jail.

Hemi Hideout Recording Session

Speaker 1 12:52

Oh boy, there you go, there you go, perfect hey, I did want to mention to everybody that, if our background looks a little bit different today, it looks like we're at a remote well, we are kind of we're at the hemi hideout in the cool back room here, as you can tell by our background. Um and uh, we're in the midst of uh doing something new and different on the show that hopefully we will debut in another couple of weeks. We're working on it, but in the meantime we're out here. John Hovis and Shelly Gates have been very generous and allowed us to come out here. There's nothing going on here today, so we've kind of stashed away back here in the back closet and it's a big back closet too, by the way. Yeah, yeah, so it it's uh, it. We're very gracious, uh and thankful that we've got john hovis to depend on to help us continue to do the show. Why we do the show?

Speaker 3 13:49

we're still trying to figure that out after a little because it's so much fun yeah we should the stress level isn't high at all yeah, we should thank massy harris, the better built farm equipment company behind us here. We should thank them, massy harris. Yeah, better built farm equipment. Yeah, I just thanked him. Thank you, uh-huh well at any.

Riding the Rails: Texas Train Adventures

Speaker 1 14:12

so thank them for us, from us All. Right time now for Mars Driving Destinations Riding the Rail. So is this a story about going to get to the train? Nope, Because this is not a train show.

Speaker 4 14:24

Well, I understand it's not a train show and as I was putting the pictures together, I got really excited talking about the trains you get excited about things like that. This is what happens in your old age and dementia I remember when I was a kid that I got to ride on a train there in my, you know, in niederland. You went into the drugstore and you bought your train ticket and whenever the train stopped across the highway, you walked across the highway and you got on the train.

Speaker 4 14:49

Well, we just had a segment on walking across highways exactly, you did it safely obviously we're still you're still with us, so yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but that was because I had the train stopped at. Everybody stopped, did you have that?

Speaker 3 14:59

little stick and all your clothes in that little bag when you walked across the hobo, they wouldn't let you take the stick on the train oh, but put your eye out, or?

Speaker 4 15:06

something because they use it for the fire.

Speaker 1 15:08

So there was an actual passenger train that went through there. Yeah.

Speaker 4 15:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 1 15:13

East to west.

Speaker 4 15:14

Well, it went from Port Arthur and it was kind of more north-south because Port Arthur is the end of the line. I mean, you're in the Gulf of Mexico when you get to there.

Speaker 3 15:20

Okay, I'm being a chip channel. Please carry on.

Speaker 4 15:29

And you see things every once in a while in the news about these heritage runs, the people and all these trains running around. So I thought well, texas has got a lot of trains. For example, the Texas State Railroad, which is often called the Lone Star or the Eastern Railroad. It's a 25-mile heritage railroad between Rusk and Palestine. Now, this was built by— I believe it's Palestine, isn't it Palestine? Palestine depends on how far north you live?

Speaker 1 15:48

No, it depends on where you're from.

Speaker 4 15:50

Exactly what I said. But this was built by the inmates and it was started in 1883 because they wanted to haul raw materials to the smelter at the prison at Rusk. So they did that up until 1921. Then they leased it out to a bunch of private companies. Anyway, it ended up through the Parks and Wildlife Department and it was turned over to the newly created Texas State Railroad. So now it's just a scenic tourist line and you can get on it on a limited schedule. No-transcript. You've done that, david's done that. There you go. Now there's another one up in that part of the world called Grapevine Vintage Railroad. Now this goes from Grapevine to the Fort Worth Stockyards. Now this is a purpose-built railroad that's strictly for a tourist thing. It didn't start out as anything else other than.

Speaker 1 16:41

Is it a steam locomotive? They?

Speaker 4 16:42

have steam and diesel. Okay, apparently, looking through some of these things, if a steam engine goes down, it takes a couple of three years to get it built and back up. Oh boy, so some of them. They've got diesels for backups, but it started using it. The train excursions they use 1896 steam locomotive as their prime one and then they've got some 1920s-era Victoria coaches that people can ride in. They get on in Grapevine at the Main Street Station and you take 21-mile route over to Fort Worth, to the Stockyards, and then you get on it and you come back. One of the special things that they do, since this is strictly tourist. They have several special events Day Out with Thomas you remember Thomas the Train.

Speaker 1 17:22

I do Thomas the Tank Engine. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 17:25

So it's a 25 to 30-minute trip and once one week in the year they rebuild the Thomas the Tank engine. It kind of comes to Grapevine and it goes back and forth on this short train. You know, over and back.

Speaker 3 17:38

So the train looks like Thomas.

Speaker 4 17:39

Yeah, just one week in the year, so the kids can get there, you can take pictures. They have a lot of activities on both ends magic shows, live performance, storytelling, all kinds of things for the kids, for thomas train. Now for your older people they also have kiss me, I'm irish express. Now this is another round that's offered one saturday in march. You got to be 21 and over to ride the kiss me on irish. You get irish. You get two free glasses of beer and an irishstyle dessert on this train. Is the beer used as a chaser for something else?

Speaker 3 18:12

A dessert.

Speaker 4 18:12

I'm not talking. So they also have a jazz wine train for people that are more into wine and jazz. Or if you need to act like you're that way to make your wife happy, then this happens in mid-March. Again, you've got to be 21, or older.

Speaker 1 18:26

Why would you say that? Do you have some experience?

Speaker 4 18:30

in that regard. I've been married long enough to know that you've got to, once in a while, give her some wine once in a while. Yes, like a lot If you're lucky. Often, if you're lucky, you can get away with a lot.

Speaker 3 18:40

I ain't saying anything.

Speaker 4 18:43

21 and older they have live jazz music in each coach. You get meals, wine tastings and all kinds of things going on. Then you have around the holidays Thanksgiving, they have Witch's Brew Train Again 21. Halloween-themed food and entertainment. You've got two free glasses of craft beer, a souvenir stein. Costumes are highly encouraged, as well as pants, but they're not required. And then they also have several trick-or-treat trains for the kids. I like the pants-free train.

Speaker 4 19:12

Exactly exactly. Austin Steam Train Association. That's a train that runs up through the hill country. It makes different stops. It uses a 1912 steam engine to pull it. Amtrak Texas Eagle this is more modern. You can go fromago to san antonio to los angeles by train.

Speaker 1 19:30

don't ever do that oh no, because it stops. And oh my god, what does it take you five days to get there, when I was a kid we took vacation to california.

Speaker 3 19:38

we took a train out of detroit, went to northern, went to southern, route to la, and then, you know, a week later we took the one up to san francisco and took a train back back from San Francisco to Detroit, and you had a good time on that. Well, I was a little kid, so yeah, you have a good time.

Speaker 4 19:51

You got a lot of room to play Running through the train cars and all that.

Speaker 1 19:53

I was probably nine years old. I like those when you're parked in some train yard for five hours at a time, just sitting there waiting for the next diesel to come along and hook up.

Speaker 4 20:03

No, it was nothing like that no, these are a little more timely than that they have to be. But the other one I wanted to mention just real quick. Amtrak runs sunset runs across texas. You can go from new orleans to houston, el paso and if you've ever been out here, state 10 and way off in the distance you see a train out in the middle of nowhere. That's this train, and if you want to see a different part of texas, that'd be a way to go. There's more. Just look up trains in texas if you're looking for a train to ride. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 20:27

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Closing and Show Information

Speaker 1 20:43

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Speaker 1 21:29

The award winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show now reaches 5.3 million folks each year. Check us out on inwheeltimecom, the Odyssey Radio app, YouTube, Facebook and just about every other entertainment source out there, including our live broadcast every Saturday 10 to noon Central Time the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show has informative automotive guest interviews, new car reviews, along with popular features, including Jeff's car culture, the latest new cars, cruise ins and racing dates. It's InWheelTimecom. Join us. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and our InWheelTimecom website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Podcast Podcast, Addict TuneIn, Pandora and Amazon Music. Keep listening and we'll see you soon.