But what if your vehicle could become part of the Halloween fun?
How Data Privacy Laws Affect Connected Cars
The modern vehicle knows a lot more than how fast it is traveling.
Depending on the vehicle and the connected services a customer chooses to use, today's cars and trucks may be capable of processing information involving location, vehicle performance, maintenance needs, driving behavior, navigation, smartphone connections, software versions, diagnostic trouble codes, charging activity, and dozens of other vehicle functions.
That connectivity can be incredibly useful.
For drivers in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, the decision can be especially interesting because life here doesn't fit neatly into one category. A vehicle may spend Monday through Friday commuting toward Liberty or Kansas City, Saturday morning hauling kids and sports equipment, Saturday afternoon picking up supplies for a project at home, and Sunday pulling a boat or carrying the entire family to visit relatives.
A worn highway gets resurfaced. An aging bridge gets replaced. A busy intersection receives a new turn lane. Drainage is improved. Shoulders are widened. New developments require new roads, utilities, and traffic patterns.
For communities throughout Excelsior Springs, Kearney, Lawson, Liberty, Smithville, and the surrounding Kansas City Northland, infrastructure improvements can make everyday travel safer, smoother, and more convenient for years to come.
It doesn't seem possible.
On September 11, 2026, America will mark a quarter century since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
For those old enough to remember that Tuesday morning, 25 years can somehow feel both incredibly long and impossibly short.
We remember where we were.
We remember who told us.
We remember learning about a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
We remember watching the towers fall.
And perhaps most of all, we remember the feeling that the world had changed before lunchtime.
Monday morning can tell the whole story.
Driving on Missouri highways can mean traveling through a wide variety of conditions in a relatively short distance. A trip may begin on a rural two-lane road, continue onto a busy interstate, pass through a construction zone, and end on streets filled with commuters and local traffic.
For drivers throughout Excelsior Springs, Liberty, Lawson, Kearney, Kansas City, Smithville, and surrounding Missouri communities, safe highway travel begins before the vehicle ever enters the roadway.
Communities are constantly changing. New neighborhoods are built, schools expand, businesses open, families move into the area, and transportation patterns evolve. In growing communities throughout Missouri, those changes influence more than housing and local development. They also affect the kinds of vehicles people choose to drive.
One vehicle category that often benefits from community growth is the SUV.
Small businesses are a major part of what keeps Excelsior Springs moving. Contractors, landscapers, repair companies, retailers, restaurants, farms, service providers, delivery businesses, real estate professionals, and many other locally owned companies depend on transportation every day.
For some businesses, a vehicle is simply a way to get from one appointment to the next. For others, it is one of the most important pieces of equipment the company owns.
Across Missouri, local trade businesses help keep homes, farms, commercial properties, construction sites, and entire communities running. Electricians restore power and install new systems. Plumbers respond to emergencies. HVAC technicians keep homes comfortable. Landscapers maintain properties. Carpenters, roofers, concrete crews, welders, excavation companies, and general contractors build and repair the places where people live and work.
