Last night we got the chance to live out a lifelong fantasy of sorts when we attended The 15th Annual Petersen Automotive Museum Gala. The theme this year was California Dreaming, and along with several woodys and Cal-cool hot rods, there were tons of Hawaiian shirts around to support the cause. This year's fundraising event honored Tom McKernan of the Auto Club of Southern California (aka AAA), with a private concert by Brian Wilson and his band. While the party was being staged upstairs, we were free to wander around the downstairs exhibits in near isolation. It was almost like that childhood dream of being locked in a museum overnight by ourselves. Fortunately, Ben Stiller never showed up, but we did get a chance to say hello to Ashley and John Force, Rita Moreno, Tom Selleck and Billy Gibbons, among others. Follow the jump to read the rest of the story and don't forget to check out the gallery as well.


All photos copyright ©2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

One of the greatest automotive museums in the world is celebrating its 15th birthday this year. The Petersen Automotive Museum was founded in 1994 and instantly became pilgrimage for car lovers of all ages. Right in the heart of Los Angeles, it proudly took its spot among the dozens of museums, architectural masterpieces and cultural attractions along the city's Miracle Mile.

Besides its large permanent collection, the Petersen also hosts revolving exhibits and special events. Their annual Gala charity fundraiser has turned into a must-attend event for anyone who's anyone in the car biz. This year's theme is "California Dreaming" and the Gala will honor Grammy-award-winning musician Brian Wilson and Tom McKernan, Chief Executive Officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California. Past honorees at the Gala have included Carroll Shelby, Barry Meguiar, and Chip Foose, among others.

To show just why he's truly deserving of this honor, Brian Wilson and his band will perform some of his best known hits including "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Fun Fun Fun." Meanwhile McKernan is being honored because of his many contributions to the automotive industry and Southern California motorists over his forty years of service. He also happens to be an avid car collector.

NHRA racing commentator, David McClelland, will reprise his role as master of ceremonies during the Gala, which will include a cocktail reception, an auction, and dinner. Individual tickets and tables are still available. This year's Gala will take place at the museum on Thursday, May 7. For additional info, check out the press release after the jump.

The pains many automobile owners are feeling at their local service station isn't just at the pump -- prices for general maintenance is also increasing. Petroleum based products, such as oil and tires, are heading north with the price of gasoline. Demand for steel has also pushed up prices on various automotive parts. That means consumers are seeing larger bills from their auto repair specialists, even when their exhaust doesn't require three people to install. Instead, many are choosing to squeeze pennies and skimp on elaborate repairs in order to stay on the road. AAA says in 2008 the average vehicle owner will spend $8,121 to operate their automobile. That is up nearly $300 from last year. The only ease in operational expenses could come from the insurance industry. As costs increase, people drive less and less, which should subsequently lead to fewer accidents and lower premiums.

[Source: Detroit News]

Nobody would argue that the potential for lost-life is the worst thing about teen crashes, but the related monetary expenses are also rather staggering. AAA estimates that teen crashes ended up costing more than $34 billion annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs in 2006 alone. According to AAA, fifteen to seventeen year-old drivers were involved in nearly a million crashes in 2006, injuring 406,427 people and killing 2,541. Each fatality carries an average cost of $3.841 million while injury accidents post an average of $50,512.

According to their research, AAA suggests that states should take up graduated driver licensing strategies, which they say are proven to reduce fatal crashes involving teen drivers by an average of 38 percent. Browse through the press release after the break for the whole set of sad statistics.

[Source: AAA]

Automobile accidents frequently result in a large bill for the offending party. AAA wants us to know that it doesn't stop there, either. The automotive service group has released the results of a study indicating that vehicle wreckage costs the average American more each year than traffic congestion. The research was conducted by Cambridge Systematics, which drew the $1,051 yearly cost per person total from a combination of medical expenses, emergency and police services, property damage, and lost productivity. Compared to the annual congestion report issued by the Texas Transportation Institute, the price is nearly 2.5 times the $430 yearly expense one incurs due to clogged roadways. AAA's aim with the report is to direct more focus on increasing vehicle safety. It is no surprise since they are in the business of auto insurance, and if accidents are costly to anyone, it is the insurance companies.

[Source: CNN Money]

Buyers guides always tend to be controversial, mainly because the selection criteria might not coincide with your own. Therefore, you have to take the target audience into account when viewing any kind of recommendations. We'll remind you heading in that this was Parents magazine doing this particular list. They teamed up with Triple-A to pick the top three vehicles for families from each of five categories. Not to generalize about families because we were part of one ourselves at one time, but things like economy of operation, safety and reliability tend to take precedent over acceleration, handling and styling in this market segment.

So for the fifth year in a row, Parents has made their selections based mainly on safety. They chose according to performance on government and industry crash tests, and whether or not the vehicles offer the latest safety technologies. They also road-tested their picks looking for a "perfect mix of performance, reliability, comfort, and bang for the buck." Also factored in were how easily car seats fit and how much room there was for all that stuff parents find themselves hauling around on a daily basis.

The five categories are crossovers, SUVs, minivans, sedans and economy cars, with bonus mentions for the top three generally-too-small-for-families-but-affordable-and-cool subcompacts. They even spent some time discussing hybrids and dealer pricing strategies. Pretty good, albeit safe choices in each category. Nothing should come as much of a surprise and none are offensive selections. Follow the jump for the list then click the read link to see a lengthy discussion of each choice.

[Source: Parents]

According to the AAA, it costs an average of 52.2 cents/mile to operate a new vehicle, which is about the same it was last year. On average, the association figures you'll be spending $7,823 to drive 15,000 miles. While you may have noticed that gas prices have been a little lower lately, any savings at the pump are offset by higher insurance rates and the increase of financing when buying a new vehicle.

The AAA also breaks it down by vehicle type, so where a small car may cost you $6,219 a year to drive, a large sedan would force $9,373 out of your wallet. A minivan demands $8,639 a year, while the SUV remains the consuming king, gobbling up $9,997 per year. Ownership expenses that fit into the calculation include fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, license, registration, taxes, depreciation and finance charges. What, no car washes?

[Source: Detroit News]

We've all done dumb things in the car before. Eating, talking on the phone, looking at a map, or even reaching for a dropped CD while driving a car will increase your chances of getting into an accident. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute teamed up with the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to study driver behaviors and determine what we're doing behind the wheel. To capture driver behavior, 240 drivers in and around the Washington DC area drove 100 specially equipped vehicles that contained five cameras that captured the driver's every move. You'd think with big brother you would be a little more aware of what was going on around you. Amazingly, the cameras captured 82 accidents and 761 near-crashes.

At the conclusion of the test, AAA narrowed down the biggest risks as driving while drowsy, speeding, aggressive driving, and taking your eyes off the road for more than two seconds. Speeding and driving drowsy TRIPLED the chances of a resulting accident, and distracted driving and aggressive driving doubled the chance of a crash. AAA's message is clear: if you're late for a meeting, tired, and your tie needs adjusting, catch a cab. You're an accident waiting to happen.

[Source: Business Week]

According to AAA, our friends in the Buckeye State are benefiting from the end of the summer driving season by registering the lowest gas prices in the nation. Ohio residents are enjoying a 30-cent discount on fuel, compared to the national average, partly due to seasonal demand and increased competition between the purveyors of the go-juice.

The average cost of tank of unleaded in Ohio is $2.29 a gallon, which in comparison to this writer's residence in the Golden State, is a full 58 cents less than the fill-up station down the road. Fine, we'll see your cheap gas and raise you our ability to go skiing in our shorts.

[Source: NewsNet5.com]

A team from Paris High School in Texas took the top spot in this past weekend's Ford/AAA Auto Skills Challenge. The goal of the yearly competition, which pits the top 50 two-man teams against each other, is to accurately diagnosis and repair a vehicle that has been deliberately disabled. The teams are given a maximum of 90 minutes to complete the task, and Bradley J. Bolton and Aaron Clay were able to get their Mustang GT convertible started in less than 30 minutes. For that half-hour of work (which, to be fair, was preceded by several months of preparation), they walked away with $2,500 in scholarships and a nice accomplishment to add to their resumes.

Including the many regional competitions, Ford and AAA distributed a total of $6M in prizes and scholarships to this year's competitors.

[Source: AAA; complete press release posted after the jump]