Be Car Chic

Editor’s note:  As part of our partnership with AT&T on distracted driving, I invited AT&T’s Consumer Education and Safety Director, Andrea Brands, to share more about the ‘It Can Wait’ campaign. This is the second in a series of guest blog posts by AT&T. Enjoy. BY Andrea Brands | Director, Consumer Education and Safety at [...]

I recently had the pleasure of hearing from generational expert Jason Dorsey at the American International Automobile Dealers Association’s 2013 Auto Summit. Dorsey is the most energized data-spewer I’ve ever witnessed, making listening to and learning from him easy and enjoyable. He joined Sheryl Connolly of Ford Motor Company on CNBC’s Closing Bell with Maria [...]

Parents of teenagers have plenty to focus on. There are so many conversations that have to be had at that age – under-age drinking and texting and driving are just two of them. A 2012 State Farm and Harris Interactive survey of 650 teens compared their views on texting while driving versus driving drunk and [...]

Cadillac has long been known for the details it includes inside its vehicle lineup, but the company recently stepped up its game to meet its customers’ high-end taste in style. The 2013 Cadillac XTS interior takes cues from the fashion and furniture industries, packing in as many luxury materials as possible. Watch this short video [...]

BY Liza Smith, Automotive Ads Contributor | @Homadge The distracted driving print ads campaign below comes from Brazil for Fiat Linea. While the second cow ad is a little humorous, the tree, truck and cement wall are all too real. Credits: Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett Brazil Creative Director: Ruy Lindenberg Art Director: Alessandro Bernardo Copywriter: João Caetano Brasil [...]

BY Owen Bergwall, Green Car & Technology Contributor What new sedan looks like an Aston Martin, can handle a 10-20 mile commute without burning any gasoline, and then comfortably waft you and three friends 600 miles to the mountains for skiing and back? The 2013 Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid is the answer. Ford recently handed [...]

BY Liza Smith, Automotive Ads Contributor | @Homadge Above the “fold,” the ad below could be for almost anything; however, look closely at the text in the following green speech bubbles. The ads are simple, written just like last minute text messages would be typed (can you find the misspelling?), but they do the trick. PUT YOUR PHONES [...]

Following the announcement that Cellcontrol and Esurance will provide teenagers a benefit for taking action to drive distraction-free, I wanted to know more about the technology behind the solution. The companies are teaming up to give teenage driving policy holders a free Cellcontrol unit free of charge. I caught up with Cellcontrol CEO, Robert Guba, [...]

BY Liza Smith, Automotive Ads Contributor | @Homadge The line (from focusdriven.org): “Nothing you have to say is that important.” This art direction is so powerful. No smiley faces here… Credits: Advertising Agency: Team One, El Segundo, USA Creative Director: Chris Graves Art Director: Steve Hanlon Copywriter: Phil Henson Photographer: Sam Comen Digital Artist: Ban Tat Published: [...]

Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile are officially joining AT&T and its ‘It Can Wait’ anti-texting while driving campaign. The leading wireless carriers, among more than 200 other organizations, have joined forces to support a multi-million dollar advertising blitz that aims to curb this bad behavior once and for all. Be Car Chic has supported AT&T’s effort [...]

BY Matthew C. Keegan | Editor, Auto Trends Magazine Are elderly drivers unduly called out for their behind-the-wheel antics? Some may think so, but a recently published university study reveals that there is some truth and much concern about the way some elderly drivers comport themselves while driving. Distracted driving by novice drivers may indicate cell [...]

National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) will be joined today by federal, foundation and corporate leaders from around the country to kick of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. Global Youth Traffic Safety Month (GYTSM) aims to empower youth to engage in traffic safety projects in their communities. The month-long campaign celebrates and highlights the work being [...]

A friend passed along an article from Australian publication The Age, where transport reporter Adam Carey highlights a recent study on distracted driving and the impacts this behavior has on drivers in Victoria. Upon reading the article, my reaction was “We’re not the only ones dealing with the realities of this issue.” I encourage you [...]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently brought together stakeholders at its first-ever distracted driving symposium. We just wrapped up National Distracted Awareness Month, but the turn of a calendar page doesn’t have to mean you forget the importance of this issue. Check out this quick video I recorded for Rob Richardson of DRIVE SMART Virginia, a [...]

BY Liza Smith, Automotive Ads Contributor | @Homadge “Delete Text Driving” is the final copy in the ad below called “Windscreen” (produced by Leo Burnett Chicago a few years ago). This commercial is so powerful that I think about it whenever I see Melanie’s #DFF posts. I’m sharing it with you so it can make an impact [...]

Editor’s note:  As part of our partnership with AT&T on distracted driving, I invited AT&T’s Consumer Education and Safety Director, Andrea Brands, to share more about the ‘It Can Wait’ campaign. This is the first in a series of guest blog posts by AT&T. Enjoy. BY Andrea Brands | Director, Consumer Education and Safety at [...]

Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released visual-manual distraction guidelines for automobile manufacturers to limit drivers’ distraction risk connected to electronic devices already built into their vehicles, including original-equipment communication, entertainment and navigation features in the car’s center stack. “Distracted driving is a deadly epidemic that has devastating consequences on our nation’s roadways,” said Secretary LaHood [...]

I was getting ready to leave the house for work today, when I heard a commercial on TV that kept making this bubble sound and stating facts. I paid a little closer attention and noticed it was Nissan’s latest consumer ad for the all-electric LEAF. The bubbles pop up with a aquatic sound reminiscent of VH1′s ‘Pop [...]

The 40th anniversary of the mobile phone and the beginning of Distracted Driver Awareness Month coincided at the start of April. It got Andrew Stoy, digital editor of autoweek.com, thinking about how cars and the mobile phone are changing everything. Originally meant to provide convenience, the combination is proving deadly for some drivers. The following is an elaboration of [...]

Did you know that you’re 23 times more likely to crash your car when texting and driving? Those are pretty high odds for any driver. Now think about a novice driver, who has logged few hours behind the wheel, staring that statistic in the face. In a 2011 survey of 6,000 young drivers over the [...]