Car Owners

TOKYO -- When the capital of the country that got rich by tearing up the auto markets announced the world's highest parking fine, at $1,400, Tokyo made front pages everywhere last summer.After that news came waves of worldwide publicity about a virtual high-tech war on urban car owners -- a new, improved version of "The Clamp," fiendishly "smart" parking meters, tough rules against issuing license plates for even a two-cylinder microcar without a certificate proving you have a place to park it overnight.

I smiled when I read Susan Reimer 's column about locking one's car doors to prevent thieves from stealing valuables from inside ("Hey Annapolis car owners: Lock it up!" March 7). It seemed so small-town 1950s America, so different from the reality of people who have to park their cars in Baltimore, where locking your car door is completely irrelevant. Here, thieves will smash your side windows and grab your personal items - even out of the glove box, where they know you've stashed your GPS - in less time than it takes to open an unlocked door.

Hundreds of vendors, car owners and enthusiasts converged on Churchville this weekend for the eighth annual Big M Spring Bash. The car show is held every May on a field behind Kroh's Nursery, next to the Big M property on Route 22. The Big M restaurant is part of the Bel Air Drive-In. The restaurant, which has been in business for 42 years, sponsors car shows from April to November. The spring bash also includes musical performances and a fireworks display that was scheduled for last night.

Cash on the center console. GPS devices on the windshield. Laptops. Smart phones. iPads, iPods. Digital cameras. XBox 360 headphones. Bose iPhone speaker docks. Credit cards, lose change. Wallets, purses. And a spare car key. These are the kinds of things people leave in their cars in my town of Annapolis. Their unlocked cars. Since the first of the year, pricey items have been stolen from 56 unlocked cars - 27 in the last 30 days and up from 40 during the same period last year.

Once upon a time, the choice of what gasoline to put in your gas tank was relatively easy. Not any more.Today, consumers are faced with economic pressures, ecological concerns and slick slogans that can leave car owners confused at the pump.Consumer advocates suggest starting with octane ratings.As many as 30 percent of car owners nationwide are paying an additional $3 billion a year for extra-octane gas they don't need, says Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington.

British Car show The lowdown -- MG's on the Rocks British Car Show and Parts Market aims to bring together hundreds of MG and British car owners and enthusiasts from the Mid-Atlantic region. Expect numerous vendors of new and used parts, a selection of cars for sale, expertise on technical problems, and food and drinks. Open to all British car owners, the show will also feature an awards presentation and dash plaques for all preregistered cars. If you go -- MG's on the Rocks begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Rocks State Park, 4-H Camp, Harford County.

THE FOURTH AMENDMENT says a police officer can't pull you over unless he has reason to believe you have committed a crime or are a danger to public safety. At least, that is how courts have interpreted the law. Unfortunately, car thieves benefit from the Fourth Amendment as much as law-abiding citizens.As long as thieves follow traffic laws they can expect to drive right past police cars unless the vehicle has been reported stolen. And if the auto was taken at night, it might be morning before the owner misses it.The Baltimore City Police Department has come up with a way to keep car thieves from hiding behind the Fourth Amendment.

Responding to complaints that some area tow truck drivers are using aggressive tactics to snatch up illegally parked cars, Anne Arundel County officials passed legislation yesterday giving more protection to car owners.The new law, approved on a 6-0 vote of the County Council last night, requires businesses to post detailed signs explaining restrictions at their parking lots and compels towing companies to notify police within one hour if they remove a car without the owner's consent.The law, which takes effect in 45 days, also forbids the use of "spotters," who earn commissions by scouting for illegally parked cars and notifying towing outfits, even if no nearby business has complained about the vehicles.

SINGAPORE -- One in six cars on the road in Singapore is a Mercedes-Benz, but that may change -- fast.As in many parts of Asia, a posh car is seen as a key status symbol in the affluent island nation, where image-conscious Singaporeans pony up to $200,000 ($126,000 U.S.) for the cheapest new Mercedes and a head-turning Ferrari can break the bank at S$700,000.Turmoil in Asia's financial markets may change all of that, though, as currency devaluations make swank cars more expensive and an economic slowdown cools the big spenders.

The wry observation of society grande dame Mrs. August Belmont - "A private car is not an acquired taste. One takes to it immediately" - was certainly evident on a recent evening when invited guests and friends were able to tour vintage rail cars at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum. About 30 of the classic private cars, once the preferred conveyance of U.S. presidents, industrial moguls and the stylish, were parked on the museum's tracks for the annual three-day convention of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners Inc. The late author and historian Lucius M. Beebe once observed that when a private car rolled into town, it gave its occupants two things: "Instant social status and instant credit."

The Baltimore City speed camera ticket alleged that the four-door Mazda wagon was going 38 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone - and that owner Daniel Doty owed $40 for the infraction. But the Mazda wasn't speeding. It wasn't even moving. The two photos printed on the citation as evidence of speeding show the car was idling at a red light with its brake lights illuminated. A three-second video clip also offered as evidence shows the car motionless, as traffic flows by on a cross street.

One man's arrest on an Annapolis street became another's opportunity to steal his car. Howard E. Durley, 29, left his Chevrolet Tahoe idling late Monday in the middle of the intersection of Juliana Circle and Newtowne Drive. City police officers, patrolling the area, spotted Durley assaulting a woman at the location and pursued him. He dropped suspected drugs on a chase through the neighborhood. While they were arresting Durley for possession and other charges, Barry J. Butler, 31, hopped into the driver's seat of the Tahoe and sped off, leading officers on a second chase, this one by car. Both city residents are now incarcerated at the Jennifer Road Detention Center.

Clarence Cromwell Boyle Sr., a Harford County automobile dealership owner who served in World War II, died of heart disease at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center on March 27. He was 85 and lived in Bel Air. Born at home on his family's farm in the Level section of Harford County, he was the son of Howard Benjamin Boyle, a county roads supervisor, and Ethel Bowman, a homemaker. Family members said he learned to fly an airplane before he had a driver's license. He practiced at Aldino Airport near his home.

Clayton Miller has 13 antique cars in the garage on his Woodbine property, a testimony to a lifelong passion that began when he purchased a Model T Ford from his uncle for $25. But when Miller goes to an antique car show later this month in Johnson City, Tenn., he'll tow one of his two remaining Model T's in a trailer attached to his RV. "Unless it's a dire emergency, I won't get on the interstate," Miller, 74, said. The safety of antique cars in Maryland came tragically into the forefront recently when a 62-year-old Laurel man and a 73-year-old Gambrills man were killed in separate accidents involving their antique Fords less than a week apart.

The owners of the Champ Car World Series have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection just two weeks after agreeing to an open-wheel unification plan with the Indy Racing League. The filing in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, dated Wednesday, states that Champ Car has spent tens of millions of dollars in the past four years to maintain the series and that its takeover by the IRL is in the best interest of the sport. The bankruptcy filing will not affect the IRL deal, said Jeff Hokanson, a lawyer representing Champ Car. The filing indicates debts of up to $10 million.

BETHESDA -- Like most restaurants, the Barking Dog tavern fills up a metal drum with grease that has fried its share of wings, then pays to have the old oil hauled away by a rendering company. But the Barking Dog also siphons some of the used oil back into 5-gallon jugs and leaves them by a rear exit, hoping someone will pick the oil up and pour it into his car. It's not a prank, but part of what is believed to be a first-in-the-nation government effort to link up restaurants that want to dispose of waste oil with enthusiasts who need it to fuel cars modified to run on the grease.

I smiled when I read Susan Reimer 's column about locking one's car doors to prevent thieves from stealing valuables from inside ("Hey Annapolis car owners: Lock it up!" March 7). It seemed so small-town 1950s America, so different from the reality of people who have to park their cars in Baltimore, where locking your car door is completely irrelevant. Here, thieves will smash your side windows and grab your personal items - even out of the glove box, where they know you've stashed your GPS - in less time than it takes to open an unlocked door.

NOW THAT MARYLAND is using the LoJack electronic homing device to locate stolen cars, can we all sleep a little easier?It works like this: When an owner reports the theft of a car equipped with the LoJack system, police send a radio signal that turns on the transmitter. This enables them to track the vehicle if it is in an area where police cars are equipped with receivers.The service will be used by a handful of state police agencies -- at no charge to them. The cost is to car owners, or potential victims.

British Car show The lowdown -- MG's on the Rocks British Car Show and Parts Market aims to bring together hundreds of MG and British car owners and enthusiasts from the Mid-Atlantic region. Expect numerous vendors of new and used parts, a selection of cars for sale, expertise on technical problems, and food and drinks. Open to all British car owners, the show will also feature an awards presentation and dash plaques for all preregistered cars. If you go -- MG's on the Rocks begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Rocks State Park, 4-H Camp, Harford County.

Since Joe and Sue Carlozo bought their first Corvette five years ago, the Fallston couple has traveled from car show to car show, racking up a resume of awards, like proud parents tagging along with a talented Little Leaguer or elite gymnast. At the Corvette Annapolis car show yesterday in Gambrills, the scene resembled a bizarre family reunion as car owners gathered to brag about their Corvettes' new spoilers and ramped engines as if they were part of their children's stellar report cards.