Winter is over and Spring is finally here! You’re excited the sun is out and you can’t wait to go on a road trip and take in some beautiful views. You’ve taken your car into the shop, packed your favorite snacks, and planned out where you are going. Do you think you’re already? Think again! You’re missing the most important part, the playlist! Your Spring road trip playlist should be upbeat, exciting, and keep your spirits high through the entire drive. The first playlist you should download is a no brainer, it’s called Classic Trip Songs. It’s full of songs about driving including Rascal Flatts “Life is a Highway” and “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf. This playlist will get you excited about your car and driving down the highway. Another great playlist is called ... read more

Gummies! Everyone loves a tasty snack while traveling. Sometimes planning your snacks can be the most exciting thing about an upcoming trip. Hopefully not, but the right munchy can turn around the worst of travel days. If you are the driver on this trip, then take that aspect into consideration when choosing just the right tasty treat to pack! Picture yourself trying to eat a cup of yogurt while driving. Hmmm… not so much.  Something else to consider is distracted-driver laws. A lot of places you can get a ticket for eating while driving. Make sure you know the rest stops along your journey. Or be good at being sneaky, but we didn't suggest that option. There are distracted driving laws in Indiana. Those mostly revolve around cell phone usage, but it does discuss eating and driving as one of the ways you are distracted on the roads.  Eating exacerbates the degree of distraction when combined with other distractions, of which things like being tired or upset. Ther ... read more

  Even if you have no children or a single pet, it’s still so easy for the interior of your vehicle to get, well… you know… kind of gross. And no one likes gross, but also no one likes to fork out a lot of money in order to get it really clean. Guess what? You probably don’t have to if you’re willing to put in a little time and some good old fashioned elbow grease. If you’re a millennial (or newer), you may not be familiar with that phrase, but I know you can Google it!   Make up brushes work great to clean out the vents, but use a new one. And don’t “borrow” one from the female of the house. She won’t be pleased. Pet hair or people hair: either one tends to get left behind and add to the unnecessary debris. Easy peasy fix: spray bottle with just water, lightly spray surface, use a squeegee to wipe the upholstery down. The hair, with the help of the slight moisture, will cling to the squeegee. And wa la! Aft ... read more

If your 2019 goals include more fun-filled, family adventures with the kids, we have some excellent wintertime road trips to consider. We love our families, and we know how busy life can get during the work week. But sometimes, short weekend road trips are a great way to spend quality time with the family. Here are a few suggestions: Drive to Koteewi Run Seasonal Slopes in Noblesville, IN, go sledding, and make snow angels. Drive to Fort Wayne and hit the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo or visit the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Drive to Summit Lake in Henry County where you can go ice fishing. Take a weekend trip anywhere in the region to visit longtime friends. Go camping in the great outdoors at Shakamak State Park in Jasonville, IN. Go “glamping” and skiing at Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN. Hit your favorite sports arenas in Indiana and root for your teams. We hope you found this list of road trips useful. Before you head out, we encourage yo ... read more

Indiana boasts friendly locals, Midwestern charm, and lots of festive holiday activities. The Hoosier State always offers something to do. Check out some of the best places to see Christmas lights while you’re in Indiana. 1. Charlestown "The Christmas City" is the loving nickname of Charlestown and it indeed is one of Indiana's jolliest cities. The main street turns into a magical Christmas Village during the holidays. The annual festivities include an incredible light show and activities that include mini-golf, ice skating, and other activities for the whole family to enjoy. Take a ride on the Charlestown Express holiday train and enjoy some hot chocolate and apple cider. You can even get a picture with the one and only Santa Claus. If you want to keep the celebration going, go across the street to Greenway Park’s Winter Wonderland light display. 2. Santa Claus How can a town called Santa Clause not be "the place to be" during the Christmas seaso ... read more

With winter approaching, it’s smart to be mindful if your car has tires that suit the weather conditions that you live it. A general rule of thumb is that’s it’s seriously worth getting winter tires if you reside in a region that drops below 40 degrees in the winter. Mast Service Center wants you to be prepared and safe in a car for the colder season. Below is some information on snow tires VS regular tires that can guide you in making a choice that is right for you. Having winter tires can enhance braking performance in snowy & icy conditions. They work well in an array winter condition – ice, snow, slush, sleet and even on roads that are dry and cold. They have tread designs made for winter conditions because it has a special tread rubber that stays flexible at freezing temperatures for better car control. Also, it reduces the build-up of snow. Many drivers are at ease knowing that they have tires designed to handle the challenging winter weather conditi ... read more

Packing a trunk doesn't need to be a daunting task. Whether it's a minivan, a sedan, or a vehicle in between, it's possible to put your items in the trunk in an organized, straightforward fashion. Here are some tips to pack in your essential cargo: 1) Get your bags organized Believe it or not, the best way to have an organized trunk is to be sure the items in your bags are arranged. Compression bags are helpful to store things inside a suitcase. To get more into your trunk, it makes sense to first get more into your bags. Rolling your clothes not only creates space, but it also keeps your pants, shirts, and dresses wrinkle free. Packing your socks in your shoes and placing your shoes along the edges of your suitcase is a good place to start. 2) Allow everyone to have 1 bag In addition to everyone traveling in the car to have one bag, they should also be the same size. It's good for the children to determine what is essential. This allows for uniformity in the trunk, a ... read more

Experts say self-driving cars, aren't that far off. Autonomous cars, also known as driverless cars or self-driving cars, can obey traffic laws, sense the environment, work around obstacles, and reach your desired destination. Welcome to the future! Experts are saying that we're just a few years away from this reality. Many significant car manufacturers already have semi-autonomous technologies in their cars, providing features such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and parallel parking capabilities. Google has been testing driverless cars and started allowing people to try out autonomous vehicle vehicles in Phoenix. Tesla’s electric vehicles are already on the autonomous bandwagon with cars with autopilot features. The automobile can automatically steer down the freeway, adjust speed, and change lanes. it can even search for that perfect parking space. Toyota has presented the e-Palette concept car, a driverless automobile that the business sees being used for r ... read more

In 1914, the first electric traffic signal in the world was put on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue and in Cleveland, Ohio. Navigating the roads used to be chaotic with streetcars, bicycles pedestrians and horses all competing for the right of way. Before the first World War, it became clear that there needed to be some type of regulation put in place to keep traffic moving and people (and animals) safe. This system installed on August 5, 1914, in Cleveland was based on a design by James Hoge, who was given a patent for his “Municipal Traffic Control System” in 1918. This system had four pairs of green and red lights mounted on a corner post that acted as stop-go indications. They were queued by a manually operated switch that was located inside the control booth. The design was configured in a way that made signals that conflict impossible. The first four-way and three-color traffic were introduced in 1920 by William Potts, the main police Detroit, Michig ... read more

When you're on the road for an extended amount of time, it's common to become drowsy. It's extremely dangerous to drive your car when you're unable to stay awake so take precautions to make sure that you're rested enough to keep you, your passengers, and other drivers on the road safe. Here are some suggestions that will help keep you alert and aware while on the road.   Eat some healthy food Healthy food gifts your body energy which is crucial to sustaining itself. Before the drive, eat a healthy meal of energizing foods that will keep your body healthy and awake. Protein and complex carbohydrates are the best things to eat to guarantee alertness. Stay away from high sugar foods that will rob your energy leaving you fatigued behind the wheel. Stay away from fast foods!   Vitamins Certain vitamins help you from dozing off at the wrong times. Taking a vitamin B or C tablet after a meal can be beneficial. Be sure to chat with your doctor if you ... read more