It's still pretty summery in most places but soon enough fall and winter will be here, which means instead of cranking the A/C on your way to work you'll be hitting the seat-warmer switch.

Or maybe you'll want to think twice about that...

A recent study in Germany found that the heated seats found in more and more vehicles as a luxury option are not only heating people's chilly bums but they're also essentially cooking men's privates and causing them to have significantly lower sperm counts.

Of course this is really only an issue for guys who are trying to have a baby, in which case experts recommend wearing loose undies, making frequent stops on long trips, and trying to use the heated seats as little as possible.

Via Autoblog

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A big part of watching out for your health is watching out for your own and your family's safety. There are many dangers out in the world, but one of the biggest safety risks involves something you do everyday without even batting an eyelid: jumping in the car.

Making the decision on which car to get for your family is a big one that involves a lot of factors, but one of the most important is safety. According to Forbes this is the top 10 list of the safest in family cars:

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The airbag is a wonderful invention, and it saves countless lives every year. But airbags can also be dangerous in their own right, because they need to deploy so quickly and with such force. It's already a well-known fact that young children are at risk for injury from airbags, but some adults are too?

A new study shows that although airbags do a good job at decreasing injuries for adults of average height, they actually increase the risk of getting hurt for very short and very tall individuals. People under 4'11" run a 4% greater risk of getting seriously hurt, and those over 6'3" run a 5% greater risk.

That's got to be stressful for people who fall into those more dangerous height ranges. Airbags come standard on most vehicles these days, so it's not like the minority of very short or very tall people have the choice to pass on that option when buying a new car.

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I once had a friend who liked that "new car smell" so much he actually found an air freshener scented like it and put it in his old beater car. He loved it. But have you ever thought about why new cars smell the way they do? And they usually smell that way for weeks, if not months to a year or more (depending on how many fast food meals and to-go coffees you spill!). Unfortunately, it's due to chemicals used during the manufacturing process like bromine, chlorine, and even lead that give off harmful fumes for up to 3 years.

Suggestions for limiting your exposure include avoiding sunny parking spots whenever you can, using a screen on the windshield when you park, and then letting the car air out before you get in. Click here for a listing of the 10 worst cars tested, and the 10 best.

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If you drive a car, and most of us do (except maybe you New Yorkers out there), you probably spend a great many waking hours in that tiny space traveling to and from all kinds of places. Your car really is a big part of your life -- some of us even name our cars like they're people, or pets, or something.

But a good question to ask yourself next time you're getting comfortable in that cushy seat is what kind of germs are lurking nearby? And how many are there? More than you think, I'd be willing to bet.

What area is the worst? Obviously, anywhere you've ever spilled food and not cleaned and sanitized properly ranks #1. Some other places, though, surprised me a little. Like the dashboard -- the dust on the dashboard -- harbors a LOT of bacteria. And some places you might think would be full of germs, like the radio knob or door locks, are actually some of the cleanest on the list.

I guess I need to make another entry on the "Spring Cleaning" to do list.

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The University of Michigan recently took a look at the habits of about 3,500 young people, and what they found is that people with friends who drink and drive are much more likely to do so themselves. It's less about peer pressure, and more about social circles and what people think when they consider the risks involved -- apparently many aren't thinking things through very well.

The study is prompting policy-makers to take a new look at how they approach the issue, with new efforts focused on changing perceptions of just what the risks of drinking and driving are (it involves so much more than just getting a ticket or losing your license!) and attempting to lessen the social pressures that encourage excessive drinking in the first place.

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