How To Handle Holiday Traffic And Aging Drivers
In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
How To Handle Holiday Traffic And Aging Drivers
In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show · Jun 30, 2026
Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
30:15
Person
Steve Woodard
A Texas State Trooper sergeant who joins the show to share safety tips for driving during busy holidays.
Car
Chevrolet Malibu
A common mid-sized four-door family car made by Chevrolet. It has been around for decades and is known for being a sensible, everyday vehicle.
Term
lane-keep assist
A safety feature in newer cars that gently steers the car back into the center of the lane if you start to drift over the painted lines without signaling.
Concept
Cars and Coffee
A casual weekend morning meetup where people bring their cool, unique, or classic cars to show them off in a parking lot while drinking coffee and chatting with other car fans.
Brand
Tesla
An American car company that only makes electric vehicles, famous for popularizing electric cars and building a massive network of fast-charging stations.
Car
Tesla Model 3
A popular, fully electric four-door sedan made by Tesla. It is one of the best-selling electric cars in the world and is known for its high-tech features and quick acceleration.
Car
Tesla Model Y
A fully electric compact SUV made by Tesla that looks like a taller version of the Model 3 sedan. It is highly popular for its spacious cabin and cargo room.
Term
American-Made Index
An annual list that ranks which cars sold in the US are actually the most "American" based on where they are built and where their parts come from.
Concept
software-defined vehicle
A modern car whose features and performance can be changed, updated, or improved through software updates over the internet, much like a smartphone.
Term
over-the-air updates
Wireless software updates sent directly to your car over the internet, allowing the manufacturer to fix issues or add new features without you having to take the car to a mechanic.
Term
advanced driver assistance systems
A collection of safety technologies in modern cars—like automatic braking, blind-spot warnings, and adaptive cruise control—that help the driver avoid accidents.
LIVE
It'stheUnwheelTimeCarTalkShow.
Justahead,StateTrooperSergeantSteveWoodardfromtheDepartmentofPublicSafety,Texas,USA.
July4th,thingstowatchoutforonyourtriptoAuntMary's.
Uh-oh.
Jeffhasthecruiseinandeventscalendars,plusthisweek'stopautonewsstories.
Howdy,alongwithMikeOutofthisworldMars,rightoverthere.
JeffZekerighthere.
DonArmstrongrighthere.
DavidAinsleyinthebedintheback,justlikeBarneyFox.
He'stextingplenty.
Andrightherebehindus,whodowehavebehindus?
Rightherebehindus,wehaveuhKatieandMarcoandthefamousvanthatMarcoboughtfortheirbigroadtripthattheytook,uhactuallyinthedeadofwinter,believeitornot,fromDenverallthewaytoToronto.
Anduhitmadeit,andtherewerenoproblemswithitwhatsoever.
What'dyousay,Mars?
It'sallinthetiming.
It'sallinthetiming.
Uhyouknow,it'samazing.
Thething'sgotlike200,000milesonit,andit'spainteduplikeyouknowa1970svan,whichitis.
Anduhtheywentupthereandhe'dneverfinishedtheinside.
It'sit'sclose,justlikeeveryotherguythathasavan.
Aproject.
UhI'mgonnafinishit.
Oh,yeah,I'mgonnafinishit.
Soit'sgotsomereallynice,um,Idon'tknow,quarterinch,maybehalf-inchthickplywoodinit.
I'veneverseenit.
Sowecouldhanghangthelampsorwhateverbackthere.
Butanyway,theyhadagreattimeanddidn'thaveanyuhproblemswithit.
IsStevewithus?
Well,hewas.
Ithinkwelosthimallofasudden.
Hewasthereinallhisuniformglory.
Yeah.
Letmeuhsayletmeletmeworkonthat.
I'llberightback.
Okay,well,yeah,youworkonthat.
UhIdon'tknowhowyouworkonthatbecauseuhIthinkhecallsit.
Yeah,isthatwhatitis?
Okay,yeah.
Um,yougotplansforthe4thofJuly?
Uhwe'llprobablydosomething.
Yeah.
Well,uhnorealatthehouse.
Yeah,well,noreal.
Wedon'tdofireworksoranything.
We'llgoprobablywatchthemififthey'reinthearea,butwedon'tlightanythingoff.
We'llprobablygrillsomething,youknow,theusualstuff.
II'matapointinmylifewhereIdon'tIdon'tseekoutfireworksanymore.
No,Imeanyoucanseethemintheneighborhood.
Ifsomebody'sintheparkdowntheroadorthey'renotgonnabelike,Well,rememberIcoveredthoseuhinthehelicopterformany,manyyears.
ThankgoodnessIdon'thavetodothatthisyear.
Weusedtodoitasakid.
We'dallgodown,theparentswouldtakeyoutogowatchthefireworks.
Well,Itakethatback.
Mysisteralwaysusedtotakemetothefireworks,andthefirstonewasinWaukeshaw,Wisconsin,becauseonthissideoftheFoxRiverwehadthecarnival,andontheothersideoftheFoxRiveriswheretheyblewoffthefireworks.
Gotcha,gotcha.
Safetyfirst.
Speakingofsafetyfirst,didhepopbackin?
No,Idon'tseeit.
Ithoughthedid.
Ithinkthatyou'reIthinkthatyou'redreaming.
I'mhere,Ithink.
Somygod.
Oh,I'mhere.
Sergeant.
I'mhere.
Isitsomefellas?
It'sSergeantMonte.
He'sonlocation.
Onlocation,whereareyou?
Yougottheradargunout?
Iboys,Iamin.
Imean,Imean,ifyoulookaround,IaminGod'scountry.
Um,andyoucomeonoverthisarea.
I'minbetweenMona,I'mrightinbetweenMonaville,andHempstead.
Andman,itisuhthisIgottwocomersgettingreadytopass.
ThesearethefirstcomersI'veseeninthepasttwominutes.
I'minGod'scountry.
Well,maybethesprayoutthere.
I'lltellyouwhat,I'mI'mgladyou'reonbecausewe'vebeentryingtocontactyouaboutyournewcarwarranty.
UmSteve,Steve,youknowwhat?
Here'stheproblemwherewhereyouare.
Thereisnocellservicethere.
SoSteve,Steve,yeah.
YouwanttocallusbackandmaybereconnectwithsomethingcalledATTorsomething,asopposedtothestringandcupuh,youknow,uhcompanythathandlesyourinternet.
Ithinkhe'smovingsomuchasalotofthings.
Yeah,he'svery,veryquickonhisfeet.
No,that'snotit.
Allright,Imean,heevenIIcouldhearthemosquitoesgoing.
Allright.
Let'stryitagain,please,sir.
Yeah,Iwanttoletyouhandlethat.
So,anyway,uhIwasgonnatellyou.
So,thatwasthatwasmyfirstadventurewithwithfireworksininWisconsinwhenIwasakid.
Well,uhthattransferredhere,andbackintheday,thereweren'tasmanyfireworksdisplaysaroundtown.
Butbackintheday,SharpstownCenter,whichwasrelativelynew,wasfantastic.
Andthetrafficwasterriblebecausetheyhadthishugeparkinglotandeverybodygotinitandtheyblewthefireworksoff,andthentryingtogetoutoftherewasanabsolutenight.
Andthen,ofcourse,alongcomesAstroWorld,andtheyhadfireworkseverynight,likeDisneylanddoes.
So,fireworksarenotreallythathardtofindanymore.
Well,thebaseballteam,thetheuhSpaceCowboysisuhyouknowacouplemilesawayfromthehouse,andtheyhaveFridaynightfireworks.
Ifyou'reusingtheiPhone,makesurewehearthat.
Wecanseeonthebackyard,youcanseesomeofthis,yeah.
Butuhyeah,IthinkthatthemostfunIhadwaswithbottlerockets.
Oh,no,wenevertheywerecheap,anduheverybodyhadaCokebottle,andwefoundoutthatyoudidn'tactuallyhavetousetheCokebottle.
Yeah,youyou'dlightit,yep,andthenthrowit,anditwentdanger.
Andthenthere'sathere'sathere'savideothatI'msurethateverybodyhasseenthat'sonlinewheretheguyandhiswife,he'sthey'realwaysplayingpranksononeanother.
Andshegoesintotheladies'roomandhelightsabottlerocketandgoesrightunderneaththebathroomdoor,andyoucanseeitpow!
Andshescreamsandcomesoutandyouknow,beatshimwiththewiththebedroomslipperorwhatever.
It'sabsolutelyhysterical.
IIIIstillwatchitandlaughatit.
It'sfun.
Butuhfireworks,ofcourse,youknow,backintheday,theyweren'tnecessarilyillegalinthecityofHouston,andhouseswouldburndownbecausebackinthatdaywehadwoodshingleroofs.
Doyourememberthewoodshingleroofs,Mr.
Morris?
Yeah,there'safewofthemstillaround.
Well,I'msureIdon'tknowhowthey'vesurvivedthis,butuhthey'reouttherewithWoodardwherethere'snothingaroundandnobodyprobablythat'sthat'sprobablyit.
Yeah,thebarnsareuhuhcoveredupwiththat.
Butuhatanyrate,sotheyoutlawedthewoodshinglesroof,sonowyoucan'tfireorshootfireworksinthecity.
Well,goodluckwiththat.
ButumIIrememberwhenwefirstgotreal,honesttogoodness,hugestands,andyougointhereandyouwaitinline,andyougo,I'lltakethatone,thatone,thatone,thatone.
Allyouhadwaslikefive,tenbucksatthemost.
Soyoudidn'tgetalot,butuhneverdidthat.
Youneverdidthat?
Neverdidthat.
No,Ididn't.
DidyoudidyouhavethemupinMichigan?
No.
Well,theytheyI'msuretheydid.
Wejustneverdidthat.
Itwaspartofwhatwedid.
Interesting.
Yeah.
Well,wedidbottlerockets,thatwasmything.
Gobottlerockets.
Basically,theywerefirecrackersthathadoneendopenedupandalittlepropulsiononit.
Yeah,exactly.
Sotonsoffun.
Well,souhwell,thatwasanadventurewithuhSteveWoodardoutinthemiddleofnowherewithnocellservice,andhe'sgotabrandnewtruck,unmarkedtruck.
Yeah,prettynice.
Oh,wesawit.
Sowe'vegottheskinnyonthat.
Butthegiveawayforridingit.
Iknowintheback.
Uhthegiveawayonthatisthefrontbumper.
It'sgotthatbigpushbumperonthefront.
Yeah,thelittlecattleguardbushthing.
Yeah.
Butuhitlooksprettycool.
Itdoesn'thaveanymarkingsonitwhatsoever.
ButIbetit'sgotsomehiddenlightsonit.
ButhedidkindofgiveyouauhuhGPSonwherehe'sat.
Youknow,hesaidhe'supinHempstead.
Yeah,yeah.
Andhesaid,Oh,herecomethefirsttwocarsthatI'veseenallmorning.
Yeah,butbecareful.
Yeah,there'sthat.
Seeguypulledoverwithhisblacktruckonthesideoftheroad.
You'regoing,isthatSt.
Trooper?
No,it'snot.
Allright.
WellMike'sback.
Mike'sback.
Idon'tthinkhe'snottalkingtous.
UmIIhadsomesomethingthatIthoughtI'dthrowoutthere.
BecauseIdon'twanttoblowallofthestoriesthatI'vegot,okay?
UmIseethat.
Buthe'snottalking.
Thereheis.
I'mhere,I'mhere,boys.
I'mjustuhI'mjustcaptivatedonthebeautyouthere.
How'sitgoing,Mike?
Mr.
Mars?
It'sdoingwell.
Verygood,verygood.
Uhlet'slet'slet'sgetlet'sgetprofessional,guys.
Let'sgetbackontrackandgetserious.
Umplease.
FourthofJuly,Steve.
Yeah,4thofJuly.
Iwilltellyou,uh,we'reinfullgear.
Uhrightnow,obviously,FIFA.
HaveyougotheardofhaveyouheardofFIFA?
Uhyeah,thetimertoo.
Yeah,sowehaveahundred-plustroopersthatarehelpingoutdoingalltheFIFAuhfestivities,whichwillbleedovertoourfourthtoJulyuhenforcementperiod.
Wejustwantfolkstodrivesafe,andwejustwanttominimizethefatalitiesandcrashesrighthereinthestateofTexas.
Youwouldn'tbelievethis,buttherearemorepeoplevisitingthestateofTexasbywithsurveythanprobablyanyotherstateherewithintheUnitedStates.
That'sobviouslybecauseofFIFAfestivitiesandeverythingthatwehaveherewithinthestateforfolkstodo.
Andit'sourresponsibilitytomakesurethatthatisdonenotonlyuhswiftlyandquickly,butwedoitwithasaturationoftroopersfromalloveruhalloverthepointsofourregion.
UmthismorningIhadtheopportunityofspeakingtoagroupupinPrairieView,andoneofthequestionswas,whatdoIdo?
Nooffensetoyou,umnooffensetoyou,BrotherMars,butwhatdoIdowhenIfeelthatI'mreachinganagetowhereI'mtoooldtodrive?
Whatdoyouthinkmyanswerwas?
Don'tdrive.
Yeah.
Well,yeah,yeah.
Don'tdrive.
Butalotoftimesit'seasiersaidthandone.
Iwilltellyou,ifyouwanttofightonyourhands,trytotakeawaymama'slicense.
Ifyouwanttofightonyourhands,trytotakeawayyourdad'slicensewhohasalzheimers.
Look,thesearethesearegonnahavetobeconversationsthatwehavetohavenotonlywithourparentsorourcommunity,butIbringuhthatquestioncameupbecauseofarecentfatalityinthecommunity.
ButIdidsomesomedigging.
Youuhyouguyswouldbeextremelysurprisedhowmanyindividualsthatreachthatgoldenage,uh,whenwe'retalkingaboutneartheir80sorwhatever,they'restilldriving,butthosecognitiveskillsarenotthereanymore.
Thenextthingyouknow,wehaveafatalityofamajorcrashonourhand.
Solet'skindofuhwegetinthemodeofcheckingourselves,makingsurethatwecheckonourfamilymembers.
Andhey,ifsomebodyisprobablyinthatwindowtowheretheyshouldn'tbedriving,weprobablyneedtohavethatconversationtotakethatlicense.
Um,Iwilltellyouthetemperaturerightnow,lookingatthetemperaturegaugeinthebeautifulcountyofWallachCounty,it'salreadypeakeduhat89degreesandclimbing.
Boys,weneedtohydrate.
Um,themajorproblemthatwe'rehavinginFIFA,ifyoucoverpeople,isthatthepeoplecanhydrate.
We'relosinghimagain.
Hey,Steven.
Steve.
Yeah,we'vewe'reyourcellsignalsdroppingoutagain.
Yeah,weyeah,sorry.
Ithinkweneedtoreconnect.
Yeah,youneedtostaysafeoutthereandbecarefuloutthere,andyouneedtorehydrateandmakesureyoudrinkplentyofwater.
Yeah,weloveyou,man.
Besafe,Godbless,anduhyoutakecareoutthere,besafe.
Nexttime,takeDonforarideinyournewtruck.
Yeah,absolutely.
Iwantthatnewtruckride.
Allright.
Well,that'sashame.
That'sashame.
Yeah,hewasontheroll.
Yeah.
Uhspeakingofwhich,andyou'retalkingaboutuholdpeople,youknow.
Um,ofcourse,bothmyparentshavebeengoneforquitesometime,butuhwhatendeditwithmydadwasumIusuallycalledhim,especiallyonaSundaynight,Dad,howareyou?
Andhewouldn'tanswerthephone.
SoI'mpanicking.
SoIgetontheroad,goovertothehouse,andhe'sinthere.
AnduhIsaid,Dad,what'sgoingon?
Well,um,justgettingreadytogobowling.
Isaid,Dad,youcan'tgobowling.
Howareyougonnagetthere?
Um,car?
Isaid,Youdon'thaveacaranymore.
Andthereasonbeinghedidn'thaveacar,becausehedidthesamethingacouplemonthsearlier,anduhthiswasaroundmidnightorso.
Hegetsoutinthecar,headedtothebowlingalleyinarainstormandhitsatreeheadon.
Iwentandsailedthecarafterthiswreck,anditreallymesseduphisfacewiththeairbagsandeverything.
Anduhitwasitwasterrible.
Thethefrontendofthecar,itwasaMalibu.
Frontendofthecarwasallthewayuptothedashboardofthecar.
Anduhhowhesurvived,Iguessjusttheseatbeltandtheairbagsavedhim.
Butuh,atanyrate,sotherecomesatime.
Sohekindoftookthekeysawayfromhimself,andhedidn'taskforanothercar,andheknewthat,andsoIwoundup,youknow,doingthegrocerystoreruns,takinghimtothedoctor,takinghimthehot,whateverheneeded.
Butum,it'sacommitment.
Mr.
Marsknowsallaboutitwithhismom.
Howoldisyourmomnow,Mike?
97.
She's97.
ButIhadthatsameconversationwithmyfatherwhenhewas90,buthehaduhaphysicalissuecameup.
Wemadehimuhgetsomehandcontrolsforthevan.
Youknow,eithergiveusthekeysorweputthehandcontrolsin.
Andweputthehandcontrolsin,andhedroveanotheryearortwowiththat,andthenitwasfinally,okay,thatthatyou'redone.
Sorry.
Youknow,itwasatoughcall,justlikewhatittalkedabout.
Yeah,yeah,exactly.
Souhit'sagoodpointtobemade.
AnduhIknowthatwe'vegotviewersthatuhhaveelderlyparents,andyougo,atwhatpointdoyouevenbegintotalktothemaboutthat?
Becauseforyou,me,forallofus,we'reallcarlovers,andIenjoydriving,andIdon'tlikeuhIdon'tlikeuhsteeringwheelthattriestodriveforme,itdrivesmeinsane.
SoIusuallyturnthatfeatureoffifthecarhasone.
Um,butIenjoydrivingandI'vebeenveryfortunateinthatI'veneverhadamajoraccident,andI'mprettygoodwhenitcomestoavoidingtickets.
Sowhatever.
Notonlydoweenjoydriving,butImeanthere'salsothatsenseoffreedomasyougetolder,andthelessyoucangetoutandaboutandgodothings,youstartlosingyouryourabilitytogoacrosstowntoafriend'shouse.
Makesitevenworse.
Youjustfeelmorerestricted.
Soit'soneofthosethings.
Yes,itis.
Allright,comingup,Jeffhasthecruiseinandeventscalendars,andI'llhavethestoriesmakingautomotivenewsheadlinesthisweek.
That'swhentheIn-WheelTimeCarTalkShowcontinuesafterthis90-secondbreak.
Staywithus.
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It'sbeenagreatride,andwehopetobringyoumorefunandadventurerighthereontheInWheelTimeCarTalkShow.
Andifyoulistentoapodcast,youcanusethisasanalibi.
Figurethatout.
Yeah.
Yeah,mymindjustwentthereforaminute.
Whichisunusual.
Itdoesn'treallygoanywhereanymore.
You'vegottowritethatdown.
Yeah,yeah.
Iwaswiththatforanexcuse.
You'vebeenkindoflyingtoBecky.
Nowyou'vegotarealhonestexcuse.
It'scalledtheJeffZekeexcuse.
Yeah,ofcourse,youmissedtheliveshow.
Youcancatch30-minutepodcastsofthisshow.
That'syourfavoritepodcaststore.
Thanksforjoiningustoday.
Timenowforthecruiseinandeventscalendars.
AndJeffreydoesthat.
Alrighty.
Thesearefornextweekend,4thofJuly.
Now,anythingwe'retalkingabout,ifaraindelay,I'msurethat'syouknowcouldbepossible.
Someofthesethingsjustraininthearea,butit'sallbasedonweather.
Soyou'vegottheNorthamptonFourthofJulygolfcartparadeandcarshow.
ThisisattheNorthCrestonGlenGlenHill.
It'sacarandmotorcyclelineup.
It'sinHouston.
Andwhatitis,it'suhbicycles,tricycles,it'sforthekids,wagons,golfcarts,uh,alongsidesomeofthetheygotmotorcyclestaticshowsandthingslikethat.
Uh,sogetonoutthereandenjoyit.
Uh,again,it'sfortheNorthamptonresidentsandcallittheresidenceday.
AndthenyougottheLasLasHaciendaCarsandCoffee.
Thisisat2951MarinaBayDriveinLeagueCity.
Itgoesfrom8a.m.
to11a.m.,
rightinthesweetspot.
Uh,it'sforcarsandcoffee.
TheeventiseveryfirstSaturdayofthemonth,andthere'suh5%offyourbillifyouattendtheshow.
Soit'sfreetoattend.
Youget5%offyourcoffeebill.
That'sprettygood.
Uh,thenwegotCrossroadsCruisersCarClub,CarsandCoffee.
That'slikethethreesaidthat'slikethefivesixC's.
SixC's.
Nevermind.
Waitaminute.
Crossroadscruisers,carclub,carsandcoffee.
Yeah,sixsixC's.
Jeez.
That'satFrida'sCafe.
Figuredthatout.
PlusdowninVictoria.
Victoria.
Youwouldgetit.
I'msurethatMayorBobby,MayorBobbydownthere.
He'sallpartofthat.
IttakesplaceeverySaturdayfor11a.m.
It'sonNavarroStreet,NorthNavarroStreet.
Well,that'sthethestreet,theStreetandVictoria.
ThenyougottheWoodlandsCarsandCoffeeforCruiseCharityCarDisplay.
Saythatfast.
It'sinspring.
It'sat95956PinesDrive.
Itgoesfrom6a.m.
to10a.m.
Itisinthewoodlandsandit'suhsponsoredbytheinthespringandthewoodlands.
Itsaysspring.
Sothey'reabigevent.
Theyactuallymovearound.
Theyhaveitinthewoodlandsandthentheydoitinthespringtoo.
Okay.
Sothisistheirevent.
Uhit'sa501c3nonprofitsupportingfamiliesuhforaffectedthingsofuhlossofparents,suicide,andstufflikethat.
Sogetoutthereandandandsupportthemifyoucould.
AndthenyougotuhJuly5th,theSunday.
It'saboatandcarshow.
Checkthisout.
It'sinAtascasita,it'suhAtascasitaRoad,Ishouldsay,10614.
It'sinHuffman,Texas,anduhittakesplaceLakeHoustonBreweryinHuffman,whichisnortheastoftheroom.
Ididn'tknowthat.
LakeHoustonhadabrewery.
Yeah,wellit'snortheast.
Theygotplentyofwater,yeah.
Theydo.
That'swheretheygettomakethebrewfromthewater.
Uhtheeventnotreally.
Theeventfeaturesclassiccars,modernbills,customboats,alongwithlivemusic,food,andcoldbeer,Mike.
Cool.
Uhtrophieswillbereuhawarded,andit'sa$20entryfee,andyougetaraffleticketuhtowinatowtube.
That'dbegreat.
WhatuhwhatwasthenameofthatbeerthattheyhadinNewOrleans?
It'sitdoesn'texistanymore,andtheymadeitfromthemuddyMississippi,andittastedawful,tastedlikemud,yeah.
Prettymuchtastedlikeschlitz.
Matteroffact,Ithinkthatthere'sashoppingmallorsomethingintheoldbrewerythere.
Theydon'tmakeschlitzanymore.
No,no,Ithinkwhathappened,theyleftthewindowandtheschlitzhitthefan,iswhatitwas.
Yeah,youknow,it'sfunnybecausewhenIwaslivinginWisconsin,Schlitzwaslikethebeer.
It'sliketheitwasn'tMiller,itwasSchlitz.
It'slikeuhwhat'stheoneuhRGB?
Oh,umuhblueribbon.
Blueribbon,PapsBlueRibbon.
Yeah,PPRGPBRPRPRlikethat.
You'regettingthere.
Iknow.
There'sacouplemorelettersinthealphabetyouhaven'tgot.
XYZ,M-O-U-SE,allofthat.
ItisaBMF.
That'sabicycle,isn'tit?
Yeah,itis.
Allright.
Howaboutsomenewsheadlines?
Allright.
Youguysready?
Allright.
TeslaagainhasthemostAmerican-madevehicle.
Letmesaythatagain.
TeslaisthemostAmerican-madevehicle.
Thesixthstraightyear,theelectricvehiclemanufacturerhastoppedtheannualCars.com
rankings.
TheModel3SedanandModelYcrossoverheldthetoptwospotsinthe2026Cars.com
American-MadeIndex,buoyedbyTesla'shigherpercentageofdomesticpartscontentandU.S.
assemblyemployment,researcherssaid.
Yet,evenasTeslacontinuesitsdominance,oneofitsvehicleshasledtheindexeveryyearsince2021.
ThepresenceofEVsgenerallyisshrinking,though.
ThenumberofEVsthatmadethe2026listfellbymorethanhalftofivefrom11.
Thenumberofhybridsonthisyear'slist,however,isjustonefewerthanayearago,eventhoughcarsalesoverallaredown.
Ayearago,sixofthetop10wereEVs.
ConsumersoftenassumeAmericanbrandswilltopAmerican-madelists,accordingtothespokesperson,butmostnowareinternationalbrands.
Japan'sToyotaandHondahadthemostvehiclesonthe2026indexat14and13,respectively.
Uhhuhthisweek,July1st,unlessthestatedelaysvehicletechnologyrulesthataimtopreventperpetratorsofdomesticviolencefromtrackingsurvivors.
Whathowconvoluted.
Igetit,butreally?
TheAllianceforAutomotiveInnovation,whichrepresentsGM,Toyota,Hyundai,andmostotherautomakers,saidunlessalegislativeproposalissignedintolawbyJuly1st,thereissubstantialriskthatautosalesinCaliforniawillbesuspended.
JackNierad,whatareyougonnado?
Idon'tknow.
Thegroupsaidautomakersareimplementingthedomesticviolencevictimprotectionsrequiredunderthe2024law,butcompliancewithsomeelementsofthelawisimpossiblethisyear.
Becauseyouknow,yourcar,allthesenewcarsthatIdrive,theyknowwherethecarisallthetimebecauseit'sconnected.
Andyoucanseeitunderthehood,it'salittlegreenlight.
Yeah,yeah.
Uhmypreviewthisis.
That'spartoftheGPSsystemthatthathelpsthetheguidancesystemsthatarebuiltintothecar.
Youknow,whereareyouat,whereyou'regoing,andallthat.
Yeah,yourGPS.
Yes,exactly.
Andandifyoustartturningoffstuff,youyou'regonnaturnoffmorestuffthanwhatyouwant,atleastmyunderstanding.
Andyou'llyoufoundthatoutthroughAVG,andyou'llfeelyou'llyoustartturningoffstuff,it'sgoingtoaffecttheperformanceofthevehicle,too,becauseuhIwastoldthatdon'tmesswithit,uhyouknow,throughthedealer,ofcourse,becausetheywanttotrackthatandtheywanttoknowallthisotherstuff,speedandit'sIdon'tlikeit.
Well,bigbrotherswatchitnecessary,butIdon'tlikeit.
Yeah,butIdon'tknowhowyoucanyoucangoinandsaythisonecaroutofthemillionsofcarsthatareontheroad,we'regonnaturnthisoff.
Sooneperson,thisthisphysicalviolencepersonthatyou'vegotacourtorderagainstcan'ttrackyou.
Well,myquestionwouldbehowcanyoutrackthemtobeginwith?
Well,they'recuttingoffankleminers.
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Well,butthere'soneyoukindofputitinthere,butIdidn'trealizethat,likeDon'tsay,hecouldtakethatappandputmyphonenumberinit,andhecouldwatchwhereI'mgoing.
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I'mDonArmstrong,invitingyoutojoinusforourliveshoweverySaturdaymorningonFacebook,YouTube,Twitch,andourInWheelTime.com
website.
PodcastsareavailableonApplePodcasts,Spotify,Stitcher,iHeartPodcast,PodcastAddict,TuneIn,Pandora,andAmazonMusic.
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About this episode
Texas State Trooper Sergeant Steve Woodard joins the crew to discuss navigating heavy July 4th holiday traffic and the influx of drivers from FIFA events. The conversation takes a poignant turn as Woodard and the hosts tackle the difficult decision of when aging drivers should hand over their keys. The hosts share personal, eye-opening stories about their own parents' struggles with driving in their later years, alongside lighter discussions about a successful road trip in a project 1970s van and nostalgic fireworks memories.
Original notes
A holiday road trip can flip from fun to dangerous in seconds, and that is why we wanted a real-world Fourth of July safety check from Texas Department of Public Safety. We finally reach a trooper out on the roads, talking enforcement, summer traffic, and what it looks like when Texas is packed with visitors and major-event crowds. We also hit a detail that sounds small but gets people in trouble fast: extreme heat and dehydration, especially when you are driving long stretches or spending hours outside before you ever get behind the wheel.
Then the conversation takes a heavier turn. We wrestle with the question families dread: how do you know when someone is too old to drive? We talk cognitive decline, reaction time, and the emotional reality that a driver’s license is more than permission to drive, it is freedom. We share personal stories about taking the keys, what happens when a parent forgets they no longer has a car, and how “don’t drive” only works if you have a plan to replace independence with real support.
We keep the car-lover energy going with our cruise-in and events calendar for the July 4 weekend, then dive into the week’s automotive news. Tesla tops the Cars.com American-Made Index again, while EV representation shifts and hybrids stay competitive. We also unpack a California vehicle technology rule tied to preventing domestic violence tracking, which opens a wider debate about connected cars, location data, and whether drivers should get a true off switch. Finally, we look at how the AI boom is driving DRAM memory chip prices higher and reshaping the supply chain behind software-defined vehicles, infotainment, ADAS, and over-the-air updates.
Subscribe for more straight talk on cars, share this with a friend who is driving for the holiday, and leave a review with your take: what is the fairest way to handle an aging driver in the family?
Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!
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In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan
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