Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.

We post an all new idea every day. If you find an idea you like... do something about it. Make it happen.

Our Latest Posts About: Automotive

Dash-Cam With a Tattle Tale Button!

Sunday, July 9, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Wouldn't it be great if you could hit a button on your dash-cam whenever you see somebody doing something unsafe?

There are a lot of unsafe drivers out there. Whenever I see somebody doing something unsafe, the first thing that comes to my mind is hoping a police officer saw it too. That's where today's idea of the day comes from.

I'd love to see a dash cam that could automatically send the last minute of footage to the police, so they'll have evidence of unsafe drivers. All you'd have to do is hit the button within a minute or so of the incident. Ideally, if the system was anonymous, everyone would be willing to use it whenever you see something wrong. Think of it as a roaming Big Brother. If enough people have this system, there would be a lot fewer people driving like... [More]

Continue...Dash-Cam With a Tattle Tale Button!...

Big Brother... Rear Bumper Cameras

Thursday, June 29, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Rearview bumper cameras are a great idea. Here's how to make them better.

I love the rear view bumper camera on my new truck, but it's a shame it's only turned on whenever I'm backing up. This made me think about other uses for it. For example, why not use the camera to make full-time recordings of whatever's behind you... in case you need evidence after somebody hits you from behind?

This would be super easy for car makers to implement. All they need to do is keep the camera on the entire time, and continuously record whatever is behind you on an endless loop. In the event of an impact, the recordings would be frozen, so they aren't automatically erased.

Better Car USB Ports

Saturday, June 24, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Most of today's cars have USB ports. They just need better locations.

Since most of the devices people use are placed ABOVE the dashboard, why are most of the USB ports located at the bottom of the dash? That means the wires end up dangling across the dash.

What car makers need to do is add some additional ports above the dash, such as above the windshield of behind the rear view mirror.

Tire Changing 101

Friday, May 12, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why do so many people risk their lives changing tires on busy highways and bridges?

The other day I saw somebody in the middle of a bridge changing a flat tire. Can you imagine that? Right in the middle of a bridge! Why on earth would anyone do that?

As I passed the driver, dozens of questions rolled through my mind. When did he notice the flat? Didn't he notice it before getting on the bridge? Did he think something bad would happen if he waited until he reached the other side? Doesn't he realize he could get killed doing this?

Simply stated, you should never change your tire on an active roadway... Ever. The safest thing to do is to slow down, turn on your hazards and slowly drive until you reach a safe place, preferably off the highway and away from busy traffic.... [More]

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Do We Need MORE Traffic Cameras?

Friday, April 21, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I think we need more traffic cameras, as long as they're used in strategic places.

We all hate traffic cameras... 99% of them are nothing more than traps designed to catch a driver who think's they can make it across an intersection before the yellow light turns red. Clearly their only motive is making money, but I would love to see this technology used for something far more important... catching JERKS who try to cut past traffic by driving on the shoulder.

Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic sucks... but what's even worse is watching a bunch of jerks cut through the traffic by riding in the shoulder. Not only is it frustrating watching them cut ahead of you, but knowing that when they eventually reach the front of the line, they'll only add to the delay as they merge back i... [More]

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The Car Window Problem

Sunday, February 19, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Sometimes car makers overlook simple problems.

Don't you hate when you get into your car in the morning only to realize you left the window open the night before... and it just rained?

Most cars today will warn you if you leave the headlights on, and they'll warn you if you leave the keys in the ignition... so why on earth don't they warn you when you leave a window open?

Hey Car Makers... Shut the Lights!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Who's fault is it when your battery dies because you left a light on?

Most cars sound an alarm when you leave your headlights on by mistake, because it could drain your battery, but for some reason, there is no alarm when you leave an interior light on. Why is that?

This little oversight is responsible for countless dead batteries over the years, but the solution is pretty simple.

The easiest solution is to use electronic switches that automatically turn off 5 minutes after you turn them on, so they don't stay on all night. This eliminates the problem entirely because every light, including both interior and exterior lights will shut off long before draining the battery.

A second solution is to simply treat the interior lights the same as headlights, so that if you lea... [More]

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Dash Cams Should Be Standard

Friday, January 13, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why aren't Dash Cams a BUILT-IN option on new cars?

Just minutes after an accident takes place, the facts of the accident start changing. The driver in one car says one thing. The driver in the other car says something completely different, and passengers and witnesses all say something else.

By the next day, each of those stories change even more.

The only story that doesn't change is the one recorded on a Dash Cam. It's the only account of a traffic incident that stays exactly the same, day after day, yet in spite of the popularity of Dash Cams, there are very few drivers who have one. That's because none of the major car makers even offer one as an option. That's a shame. I think they should not only offer them as a built-in option, but they should make them stand... [More]

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Car Radios Should Always Start Off at Low Volume Levels

Wednesday, September 7, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Don't you hate when you get into the car and the radio blasts way too loud?

We've all done it before. You're in your car and one of your favorite songs come on, so you crank up the volume to the max. You shut off the car, close the door and head inside without realizing you forgot to lower the volume before you shut it off.

Unfortunately the penalty for forgetting to lower the volume when you shut the car takes place the next morning, when you get a sudden blast of the latest boy band song that's loud enough to wake the neighborhood. When this happens, it's hard to even imagine that you had it that loud the night before, but there's a big difference between cranking up your favorite song while driving full speed, versus listening to some lame top-40 nonsense while parked in... [More]

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A Hotline For Sleepy Drivers, To Keep Them Awake

Thursday, April 7, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

One of the best ways to stay awake behind the wheel is to have somebody to talk to, which isn't easy if you're driving alone... at night.

For some people, driving at night is a real challenge because they risk falling asleep at the wheel. That's why I think it would be a great idea of there was a service people could call to help keep them awake.

Obviously, your first choice should be to call a friend or family member, but when it's late at night, that may not be a good idea, so calling a dedicated hotline would allow drivers to talk to somebody who's not only available 24/7, but allow them to call somebody who was specifically trained to keep drivers awake.

The conversation itself isn't important. Even a short call about the weather can be all it takes to stimulate the... [More]

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Headlights Should AUTOMATICALLY Turn On When Wipers Are Turned On

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Most states have a law that requires headlights to be turned on whenever you use your windshield wipers.

I'm not questioning the law itself. When it's raining, visibility is low, so it's critical that every car have it's headlights on. That's not the point here. What I find interesting is that most cars still don't do this automatically.

If a driver turns on his windshield wipers, but forgets to turn on his headlights, he not only risks the burden of getting a ticket, but he may cause an accident.

While there may be some cars that do this automatically, the majority of cars produced today still don't do this, and they should.

Built-In Dash Cameras as a Factory Option

Monday, January 18, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

It's time car makers finally offer dash cameras as a factory option.

It happens every day. A car travels down the road and reaches an intersection with a green light when suddenly another car crosses it's path. The result is a T-Bone collision where both cars sustain extensive and potentially life threatening injuries.

It happens in a flash and within minutes the police arrive at the scene and ask both drivers what happened. Most of the time, the officer will get two totally different stories. One driver will claim that he had the right of way, the other will claim the opposite. Unless there are impartial witnesses on the scene, the officer is forced to split the blame 50-50... unless one of them has a dash cam.

When the facts of an accident or traffic violation are in... [More]

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Alerts When You Leave ANY Car Light On

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why don't cars remind you when you leave the interior lights on?

For drivers with kids, one of the most frustrating things is when the car won't start, because one of the kids left an interior light on. In an earlier idea, I talked about why Interior car lights should use momentary switches so you don't forget to turn them off, but if car makers don't do that, the least they can do is make sure the car warns you when one of the lights are left on.

It's pretty strange that in this day and age, people still manage to drain their batteries because one of their lights were accidentally left on overnight.

Warning drivers that they left their headlights on is a great start, so why not change the system to warn you

... [More]

Continue...Alerts When You Leave ANY Car Light On...

Alerts When You Leave Car Windows Open

Sunday, January 3, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why don't cars warn you when you leave your windows open?

It's nice to know that most cars today have an alarm warning you when you leave your headlights on by mistake. That simple little alarm has saved quite a few batteries over the years. In fact I saved my battery just the other day. I got out of the car around dusk and forgot I even turned them on in the first place. That's the reason they created the option in the first place. They didn't realize they were on.

For the same reason, car makers should do the same thing for windows. It's easy for people to forget they left one of the windows open, especially when they have 4 windows. When child sitting in the back seat opens a window, odds are the driver won't be able to see it.

To eliminate the risks of leaving

... [More]

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Bumpers With Thicker Clear Coat

Tuesday, July 28, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why don't they use thicker coatings on car bumpers?

In the old days, bumpers were made of chrome, and they had big rubber pads so scratches didn't show. Once car makers started using painted bumpers, they were mandated to have bumpers that didn't cost too much to fix for any accident under 5 miles per hour. The trouble is, they still get scratched, and for some people, that's a big deal.

I've written in the past about how much I hate seeing cars with those big rubber protectors hanging from them... to me they look worse than any scratches you would get without them. It boggles my mind that somebody would rather make their new car look like it's held together with duct tape than live with the fact that their preci... [More]

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Cars Should Have Built-In Cell Phone Holders

Sunday, May 3, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why don't cars have a place for your phone?

It took a long time for manufacturers to start making cup holders in car. Even after Drive Thru restaurants became popular in the 80s, there still weren't many cars that had cup holders. Some say the tipping point was when a woman sued McDonalds after a cup of hot coffee spilled on her lap. She didn't have a cup holder, so she just kept it where many people put their drinks back then... between her legs. What choice did she have? There wasn't anywhere else to put it.

Fast forward a few decades, and we have a similar problem. In spite of the fact that car makers have added support for connecting with phones by using Bluetooth, people still don't have a place to put the phone itself. This is a particularly difficult problem for... [More]

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Why Do Cars Still Use Cigarette Lighter Ports?

Wednesday, April 22, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Cigarette lighter ports are just plain stupid.

Isn't it strange that cars still have the same cigarette lighter ports as cars from the 50's had... even though they don't even come with actual cigarette lighters anymore?

When you think of it, do you know of anyone who actually uses their 12V cigarette lighter for anything other than plugging in a 5V USB power adapter? So, why do they still use them? After all, cigarette lighter ports are not only bulky, but they're frequently unreliable, because the plug pops out.

The original design was made specifically to accommodate the spring loaded cigarette lighter coil, and every plug that's been made since then uses some form of awkward spring loaded contraption that easily breaks or makes poor contact.

Since the only thing p

... [More]

Continue...Why Do Cars Still Use Cigarette Lighter Ports?...

Tailgater Triggered Bumper Camera

Sunday, December 28, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Bumper cameras come in handy parking cars. Why not use them for evidence if somebody hits you from behind?

Big Brother meets Big Bumper, always on the alert, just waiting for you to... Park the car? That's a lot of down time.

Instead of simply turning the bumper / license plate cameras off when you are driving, why not turn them on whenever somebody gets too close while you're driving? This creates a perfect "Black Box" to prove beyond any doubt that somebody was driving too close... for too long.

The trigger to turn on the camera could be a combination of the motion sensors and the current speed, where a safe distance increases in direct proportion with speed. The faster you go, the bigger the distance. This is based upon the two second rule, which states that a drive... [More]

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Idea for car makers... Add USB / Power ports ABOVE the mirror too.

Sunday, September 21, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

They always say "Necessity is the mother of invention". I need this, and it bugs me that car makers don't realize how useful this would be.

A lot of us mount USB powered devices like cell phones and GPS units in our cars, but we tend to want to power them while we drive so they don't drain the battery.

This means the stupid wires hang in front of our center console.

That's not only ugly, but it's a potential hazard if somebody knocks into the wire, and yanks the cell phone or GPS from the windshield.

All it would take to avoid this is for car makers to put a couple of mini USB jacks above the mirror.

While I'm on the subject... why not standardize an OEM mounting port that securely connects to the top of the dash or the window frame? I'm tired of using t... [More]

Continue...Idea for car makers... Add USB / Power ports ABOVE the mirror too....

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* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

The authors make no claim that any of the ideas are safe, practical, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are responsible for the results of trying, developing, patenting or using any of the ideas on this site.

For some people, our ideas are just an interesting read, but our goal is to encourage you to take action. If you see an idea that you like, do something with it... Take action.

- Joe

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