Summer has finally arrived in Southern California and that means temps well over 100 in some spots. I ran out to the store this weekend and I could hardly breath between the heat and the bad air. I immediately thought about my son, out driving in his truck and I had this awful parent moment where I saw him overheating on the freeway!

Just last month, when it wasn’t anywhere near this hot, he and a friend got stuck in Los Angeles when the car they were driving over heated. They were in a terrible neighborhood and he was hours from home, late at night. It was a nightmare.

But you know what, I didn’t have to worry about him or me having engine trouble because we’re both driving Toyotas. Yeah, I know, it sounds like a commercial, but it’s true. Ever since I started writing these little pieces for Toyota I’ve been reminded of how insanely reliable our cars are compared to what we had before.

Regular maintenance is still required, and I do need to pop in for an oil change this week. But I’ve never had to worry about being stuck on the side of the road since I started driving my Toyota Yaris or my Corolla before that.

Hokey sounding or not, I’m no longer afraid to drive in the heat since I got my Toyota.

I’m participating in a Toyota/TwitterMoms campaign, which inspired this post. My opinions, thoughts and feelings are my own. As a TwitterMom, I’m eligible for a courtesy gift of $50.