The Number of Women Driving Under the Influence Has Increased June 28, 2007

 Okay, the latest news about Hollywood young female celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears driving under the influence and eventually crashing their cars into something is really alarming.

The more alarming thing however is that everyday normal women are also doing pretty much the same thing.

It has been recently reported that the number of UK women found to be driving while under the influence of alcohol has increased.

Figures from the Liberal Democrats reported in the Daily Mail in showed that there has been a 58 per cent rise in the amount of females committing the crime of drunk driving since 1995.

The party added that there was an increase of close to 4,000 in the number of women convicted, which could lead to an increase in the price of female car insurance.

Liberal Democrats transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael suggested that instead of focusing drink-driving campaigns only on men, these figures show that women also need to be targeted.

Sheila Driving Heel June 27, 2007

 Sheila’s Wheels, an insurance company in the UK has created the “Sheila Driving Heel.” This elegant stiletto that folds away into a flat sole for driving is gaining a lot of attention.

According to Jacky Brown, Sheilas’ Wheels spokesperson, it’s astonishing that so many women are putting themselves, their passengers and other drivers at risk by wearing the wrong shoe or no shoe at all whilst behind the wheel.

A research done by Sheila’s wheel showed that more than 11.5 million women drivers in the UK are putting themselves and other drivers at risk by wearing the wrong footwear when behind the wheel and that 80% of female drivers wear inappropriate footwear when in control of a car – choosing style over safety.

The “Sheila Driving Heel” is for women who want to be safe and still stylish at the same time.

Fore more information on the “Sheila Driving Heel”, click on http://www.newcarnet.co.uk/Auto_news.html?id=6944

 

Stylish Fashion For Female NASCAR Fans June 26, 2007

According to Mark Dyer, NASCAR vice president of licensing, they have been aware for some time that now that NASCAR has a strong female fan base. But it was only about five years ago, he says, that they realized these women had nothing to wear.

A female NASCAR fan basically had no other choice on NASCAR apparels than a small size men’s T-shirt. Every year however, NASCAR fans spend about $2 billion on licensed goods plastered with drivers’ numbers or the NASCAR logo, everything from clothes and key chains to vacuums and mailboxes.

Now, everything is about to change with the wide range of NASCAR apparels for women. Track Couture offers a a collection of fitted tees, fleece hoodies, skirts and track pants adorned with drivers’ numbers or the company’s own checkered flag logo. Track Couture’s co-creator Lisa Heros attracted people’s attention with a baby tee she had hand-decorated which she wore during a NASCAR event in 2004.

Motorsports Authentics offers women’s market, with race jackets, stretchy tees, glittery hats and bags. PitStopShop.com offers sassy tank tops, boy shorts, panties and boxers (some even for guys) adorned with clever, race-inspired slang, like “Bump ‘n’ Run” and “Let’s Trade Paint.” Genius Fashions also offers pumps, sling-backs, vivid sandals with tiny steering wheels, chunky platforms and boots embroidered with checkered flags. A new shoe line, too, takes inspiration from NASCAR.

For more on this story, click on  http://origin.mercurynews.com/style/ci_6162792

 

 

Melanie Troxel: Fastest Woman Driver in NHRA History June 21, 2007

 “It’s not a big story within our sport,” said Melanie Troxel, one of two women who competed in the Top Fuel Torco Racing Fuels Nationals at Joliet’s Route 66 Raceway. “Women drivers are a normal, everyday thing, and no one thinks anything of it. It’s one of the things I love about the sport.”

Melanie Troxel is one of the seven female drivers in drag racing’s pro ranks. However, she also happens to be the quickest and fastest female driver in NHRA history, clocking a 4.458-second pass and top speed of 330.31 mph!

Melanie began her professional career in 1997 when she raced a Top Alcohol dragster. Her first driving opportunity in a Top Fuel dragster came in 2000 with Don Schumacher Racing. In her ten events that year, in which she also drove for another Top Fuel team, she had one runner-up finish at Dallas.

 

Given an opportunity by Don Schumacher Racing, Melanie sped down the quarter mile in the 13th event of the 2005 season. In 2005, after 11 races, Melanie had eight round wins and concluded the season with a runner-up finish at Pomona.

In 2006, she received various awards such as Speed Magazine’s “2006 First Quarter Driver of the Year,” United States Auto Club’s “Kara Hendrick Spirit Award,” the prestigious Women’s Sports Foundation’s “2006 Sportswoman of the Year” award. Melanie was also nominated for two ESPN ESPY awards for “Female Athlete of the Year,” and “Driver of the Year.” This marked the first time in NHRA history that a driver was nominated for two ESPY awards in two categories.

 

The First Lady of Drag Racing June 20, 2007

Shirley Muldowney became the first woman to break the gender barrier in the male-dominated sport called drag racing by being the most successful woman in drag racing’s fastest category, Top Fuel.

Shirley Roque first unleashed her passion for drag racing in 1958 at Fonda Speedway in New York, at the wheel of a 348-powered ‘58 Chevy. After campaigning doorslammers for several years, she married another former street racer, Jack Muldowney, who built her first dragster.

In 1965, she earned the license to drive a gasoline powered dragster in the largest sanctioning body, the National Hot Rod Association or NHRA as it’s known. She was the first woman to do so in an NHRA professional category. From that time on, she knew that there was no turning back.

For 40 years, Muldowney has been known to “kick their collective ass over the track.” She won three NHRA Winston Top Fuel championships and 18 NHRA national events.

 

Muldowney was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in America in 1990 and into the International Motorsports Hall O Fame in 2004.

Erin Crocker: Woman in Sprint Car Racing June 19, 2007

 Sprint car racing is a sport for rugged and muscled men. But today, this is no longer the case, huge thanks to Erin Crocker.

In October of 2004 Erin Crocker became the first woman to ever win a World of Outlaws feature at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California. And she’s only 24.

As early as seven, Erin has been racing in quarter-midgets wherein she won numerous races. In 2002, she drove eight-time champion Mike Woodring’s back-up sprinter—with Rensselaer sponsorship. By 2003, in World of Outlaws, she was the first woman ever to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals—fifth quickest of 120 in her first drive with a full-load 410-cubic-inch engine.

 

Aside from her achievements on the race track,Erin also recently graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York where she received her bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Management Engineering.

In December, Erin signed a development deal with with Evernham Motorsports whose owner, Ray Evernham, is in the business of running NASCAR teams. I guess this means that Erin is going to make another history in NASCAR.

 

Are Women Not That Concerned To Mother Nature? June 14, 2007

This news is really disappointing for women like myself.

Women place the environment towards the bottom of their priorities when buying a car, a survey has found.

According to the poll published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), women drivers were less bothered about environmental factors.

But the survey, which looked at women’s attitudes to motoring, showed there was more concern among the under-40s.

SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: “The ever-frugal motorist has helped limit climate change through reduced tailpipe emissions by purchasing more cars with fuel-efficient diesel engines.

“The survey indicates that the environment is gradually becoming more of a hot topic for new car buyers – especially with the younger motorist.

“Hopefully, campaigns will make more motorists aware of both the cost, and climate change advantages, of modern, cleaner engine technology.”

First Woman Chauffeur June 13, 2007

Cora V. Taylor was the first woman in the United States to be issued a chauffeur’s license.

With her husband, she founded Indian Trails in 1910 as a delivery service that specialized in moving passengers and freight from the local railroad depots to points around Shiawassee County. The Taylors soon expanded this service to Flint and their company became known as the Owosso-Flint Bus Line.

Cora Taylor ran the company during World War I and into the 1930s. It was officially incorporated as Indian Trails Bus Lines around 1935, about the same time that the Federal Highway Act brought bus operations under the control of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Today, Indian Trails operates some 54 coaches from facilities in Owosso, Kalamazoo and Metro Detroit.

Women Truck Drivers June 12, 2007

It’s inspiring to know that in a male-dominated job like driving trucks, women are now making huge progress.

In an article in the Daily Telegraph, it revealed that women are surprisingly better truck drivers than men.

At the Cadia Hill Gold Mine near Orange, women truck drivers are being saluted for their good work.

“We’ve found that women tend to be more cautious, shall we say, when operating the trucks; they are softer on the equipment,” Mining manager Jason Grace says. 

“These trucks are very expensive and it is possible to over-rev them and we find the women are a bit more cautious,” he further added. 

As well as saving the company money on exceedingly expensive mechanical repairs up to $30,000, the female operators – who earn from $70,000 a year right up to six-figure incomes – have turned out to be quite expert at reversing, which may come as a surprise to some men.

See more on this story at http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph

Fisher, Patrick and Duno: Disappointed June 7, 2007

 INDIANAPOLIS -: Danica Patrick, Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno were all disappointed after the Indianapolis 500.

Patrick worried she had squandered her best chance yet to finally win an IndyCar race Sunday. Fisher fumed about pit miscues that kept her from running closer to the front. Duno kicked herself for losing control after starting better than expected.

For more of this story, check out http://autos.canada.com/motorsport