8 Ways to Avoid Distracted Driving

Distracted driving can be dangerous for more than just your car. When you allow distractions to take you away from the process of driving, you can put yourself and your family at risk. Unfortunately, there are many things today that can cause distractions in the car, from cell phones and mp3 players to children and food.

The next time you’re driving, make sure you avoid distracted driving by following these tips from eHow:

1. Avoid talking on your cell phone. Some states require you to pull over when using your cell phone while driving.

2. Never multi-task while driving. Do not do things like adjusting your radio, compact disc player or GPS unit.

3. Do not read while driving. When you need to read or use a map, pull off the road.

4. Avoid taking your coat off or changing clothes while driving.

5. Put makeup on, comb your hair and shave before leaving your house or office. These things should never be done while driving.

6. Avoid eating or drinking while driving.

7. Keep music at a reasonable level. Listening to music that is too loud or using headphones or earplugs while driving can be distracting and can prevent you from hearing emergency vehicles sharing the road with you.

8. Avoid lighting up or putting out cigarettes, or dealing with falling ashes while driving.

Read the entire article here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2043250_avoid-distractions-driving.html#ixzz2IGgJ0A1Tqx4M

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4 Tips for Great Fuel Economy

It’s no secret that everyone is always looking for ways to save money on gas. A vehicle with good fuel economy not only gets more miles per gallon but they also tend to have longer engine lives. The folks over at cartrade.com have outlined a few ways to increase your car’s fuel economy.

1. Ensuring The Correct Pressure of Tires: Not only for the engine, the right pressure in tires have a huge impact over the fuel efficiency of a car. Keep a regular check over the tyre pressure of your vehicle. Remember that your engine will engulf around 10 per cent extra fuel if the tyre pressure is below recommended PSI. So, all those looking to minimize their fuel bill should always maintain right tyre pressure.
2. Driving The New Car At Right Gear: Every specific speed level asks for an optimum gear level. Following the right gear for right speed will help in sufficiently decreasing your fuel bills and will also extend your power mill’s life.
3. Always Keep Fuel Efficiency In Mind: Whenever and wherever you are driving, always devote a part of your attention to the fuel economy of your vehicle. Always accelerate the car very gradually after starting the car. Sudden acceleration often leads to loss of fuel economy and also puts extra exertion on the engine. Also, whenever the speed crosses 60mph speed mark make sure you are shifting to 5th gear.
4. Avoid Frequent Throttling Of Brakes, Sudden Acceleration, and Gear Shifts:Remember these three points as the sole pillars of fuel efficiency of your vehicle. A single one falls out of place and your fuel bills will shoot steeply. Step as lightly as possible over the brakes and try not to stop your car whenever you need to slow down its speed.

For more tips on how to increase your vehicle’s fuel economy, check out the full blog post from cartrade.com here: http://bit.ly/1YKu3dt

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How to Properly Check Your Tire Pressure

Checking your tire pressure and adding air seems like such a simple task that you don’t even need to think about it. But keeping your tires at the proper pressure and knowing how to fill them correctly is a very crucial task. It will help your tires last longer and make your ride smoother.

This article from Cars.com lists tips for checking your tire pressure as well as instructions for how to fill your tires in order to keep them in the best shape possible.

Before starting

To find your tires' proper inflation level, look for a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb. It displays the vehicle weight restriction and tire information. The info is also found in the maintenance or car-care section of your vehicle’s owner's manual.

Don't refer to the sidewall markings on your tires, which in part specify the maximum tire pressure — not the recommended pressure.

Unless your tire is visibly flat, don't judge tire inflation just by looking at it; you have to use a tire pressure gauge to get the correct pounds per square inch reading. There are three types of tire-pressure gauges: digital, internal slide and dial. Prices range from $5 for a basic gauge to more than $30 for one that is digital, has an air-release button — or even talks. All will do the job, but you may want to consider the conditions in which you'll be using your gauge. "We've found that low-cost digital pressure gauges are very accurate and maintain the accuracy longer, but in extremely cold temperatures the gauge may not show up properly," said John Rastetter, Tire Rack's director of tire information services.

Tips for checking and filling your tires

Tire manufacturers suggest checking tires when they're cold for the most accurate reading. Outside temperatures can cause tire pressure to vary by as much as 1 psi per 10 degrees; higher temperatures mean higher psi readings. "Tires are black; what does black do? Attract heat," Rastetter said, noting the importance of finding a shady place to check and fill all four tires.

Temperature plays a huge part in tire psi, Rastetter said, adding that the most crucial time of year to check pressure is in fall and winter when days are shorter and average temperatures plummet.

Check your tires in the morning before going anywhere, because as soon as you get behind the wheel for an extended amount of time, psi will rise. Rastetter said that if you've been on the road a long time and notice higher psi in your tires, don't let the air out, as the increase in pressure has built up due to the warm, constantly-in-motion tires

What to do

1. Pull your car onto a level surface in the shade.

2. Remove dust caps from the tires' valve stems.

3. Using your tire gauge, firmly press the tip of the gauge straight on to the tire's valve stem for a brief moment.

4. The tire gauge should provide a psi reading; if the number seems unrealistically low or high — for example, 85 psi or 1 psi – you will need to repeat the previous step, ensuring that the tire gauge's tip is properly making contact with the valve stem.

5. If the tire gauge's recorded reading is higher than the manufacturer-recommended rating, press the gauge tip on the valve stem until you hear air leak out. Check the tire pressure again.

6. If the reading is lower than recommended, fill the tire with air by firmly pressing the air-hose tip onto the valve stem. You will hear air quietly enter the tire. If you hear air leaking or spraying out, you need to double-check that the connection between the air hose and the tire’s valve stem is secure.

7. When you think you've added or let out enough air, check the pressure a few times with the gauge.

8. Replace the valve dust caps. Rastetter emphasized the importance of keeping dust caps on during winter driving because if water gets into the valve stem and freezes inside the tire, it could cause a flat.

While you're at it, check your spare tire's pressure. You don't want to have a flat tire and then find out your replacement is flat, too.

Make these steps part of your routine. It will benefit your vehicle and your wallet.

Click the link to read the whole article from Cars.com: http://bit.ly/18LONXi

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3 Crucial Reasons to Change Your Oil

From that very first time you sat behind the wheel of a car, there has always been that little sticker in the top left of the windshield that tells you when to get your oil changed. Often the sticker will say the name of the company that last changed the oil, as well as at what mile this company suggests you get the oil changed. While yes, it is a very informative sticker, what the sticker fails to inform us about is why. Why is it so important to get the oil changed every few thousand miles?

To begin we must first know what oil does.

Oil Lubricates. Motor oil is used to prevent the wear and tear of an engine due to metal on metal friction. Oil seeps into the different tiny nooks and crannies in the metals, allowing for the now frictionless engine to run efficiently.

Oil Cleans. Oil cleans the engine by catching dirt and tiny pieces of debris that can damage bearings and other parts of the car.

Oil Cools. Oil absorbs the heat from the different frictions and combustions happening in your car. Oil helps cool the underside of the pistons, the crankshaft, bearings, rods and more.

Now that you know what oil does, what happens if you never choose to change your oil? If you refrain from changing your oil, dirt and debris will build up in the oil and eventually, when this mixes with the different detergents and additives already in the aging oil, the oil with become thick and sludgy, no longer working as a lubricant and ultimately leading to the demise of your car. Yikes!

So, keep an eye out for that sticker on your windshield and don’t forget to change your oil!

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5 Tire Tips You Didn't Know

Some of the best advice we’ve ever heard: Invest in what goes between you and the ground. That means good shoes, a good mattress and good tires. People often neglect their tires or just don’t pay too much attention to them in general. It’s important to check your tires’ PSI once per month and have them rotated every 5,000 miles.  

Here are a handful of tire tips from caranddriver.com we bet you didn’t know :

1. Skinny tires, much taller and narrower than the norm, are coming back. BMW’s i3 electric/plug-in hybrid, which relies on minimal rolling resistance to achieve acceptable driving range, is leading the charge. The i3’s Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 tires have aspect ratios ranging from 55 to 70 (narrow tread, tall outside diameter) to reduce energy loss as the tire rolls into and out of its footprint. This shape also reduces the car’s frontal area and aerodynamic drag. To compensate for a reduced air cavity and a smaller-than-normal footprint, Bridgestone uses an elevated inflation pressure to deliver the desired acceleration, braking, and cornering traction.

2. In the strictly theoretical sense, increasing just the width of a tire does nothing to improve acceleration or braking traction. A wider tire will have a shorter contact patch, which is precisely what you don’t want when the goal is maximum longitudinal grip. Jamie McNutt, the replacement-tire development manager at Bridgestone Americas, says that a longer, not wider, contact patch helps you climb faster to maximum braking grip.

3. Wider tire treads do, however, increase cornering grip. Again, though, tire engineers are always working with multiple variables. See our first point about the modern Corvette, which uses skinnier tires than its predecessor yet increases its roadholding with a stickier compound. To maximize traction in all directions, tire engineers aim for an even pressure distribution throughout the contact patch.

4. Static electricity build-up is an old concern that has returned to haunt modern tires. An inadequately grounded vehicle is an issue during refueling and when occupants slide out of the car’s interior. Modern tire compounds have become less conductive as manufacturers have greatly reduced the amount of carbon black in rubber compounds to cut weight and rolling resistance.

5. A run-flat tire can roll for more than 100 miles after it loses pressure. Tire manufacturers typically claim that a deflated run-flat can cover 50 miles at 50 mph, but if you slow down, you can stretch that distance much farther. Lee Willard, a product development engineer at Michelin, says the range roughly doubles if you drop your speed to 40 mph. Slow down more, and the range continues to grow. It’s all about reducing the amount of heat generated in the tire.

For the full list of tips head over to Car and Driver’s Blog: http://bit.ly/1IKbyxg

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Top 10 Excuses People Used When Being Pulled Over

“Well gosh officer, I didn’t see the speed limit sign!” – the most common excuse police hear when pulling drivers over, according to an article from Cars.com about a survey done by Insurance.com. The comparison pooled licensed drivers 18 an older. More than a fifth of the drivers polled said when they gave an excuse to the officer that pulled them over they said they couldn’t see the sign that told them not to do something.

There were 10 other popular answers given among drivers polled. They are listed with their percentages below:

1. I couldn’t see the sign telling me not to do it :20.4%
2. I’m lost and unfamiliar with the roads: 15.6%
3. I didn’t know it was broken: 12.4%
4. Everyone else was doing it: 6.4%
5. I’m having in emergency situation in my car (for instance spilled a hot drink on your lap): 5.4%
6. I missed my turn/exit: 4.8%
7. I had to go to the bathroom: 5.6%
8. I didn’t do anything dangerous: 4.2%
9. I was on my way to an emergency (for example, to help someone who was ill or injured): 4.0%
10. My GPS said it was the right thing to do: 2.2%
11. I’m just helping out; I wasn’t even supposed to be driving (for example, your friend is intoxicated): 2.0%

To read the full article from Cars.com, click the link : http://bit.ly/15XAT5U

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Driving in The Rain: 3 Tips to Stay Safe

Getting caught in a rainstorm while driving can be a scary thing. You’re not only worried about yourself but those driving around you as well. Defensive driving techniques should always be applied to the road, but even more so when driving in the rain. There are around 707,000 automobile crashes each year due to rain, resulting in approximately 3,300 deaths and 330,200 injuries.

Statefarm has offered a few tips for driving safely in the rain:

1. Turn on those headlights. It’s the law in all states to turn headlights on when visibility is low, and many states also require having the headlights on when the windshield wipers are in use. Praeter says that well-working wipers and relatively new (not threadbare) tires also are must-haves when driving in rain.

2. Beware of hydroplaning. That’s the technical term for what occurs when your tires are getting more traction on the layer of water on the road than on the road itself—the result is that your car begins to slide uncontrollably. It’s easy enough to hydroplane: All you need is one-twelfth of an inch of rain on the road and a speed of more than 35 miles per hour. If you start to hydroplane, let off the accelerator slowly and steer straight until you regain control.

3. Turn off cruise control. Ironically, on rain- or snow-slick surfaces, cruise control may cause you to lose control. You might think it’ll help you stay at one steady speed, but if you hydroplane while you’re in cruise control, your car will actually go faster.

Read the full article from Statefarm here: https://learningcenter.statefarm.com/auto/safety/5-tips-for-driving-safely-in-the-rain/

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How Much Auto Insurance is Enough?

Your auto insurance plan is a collection of policies that cover various things in the event of an auto accident. It’s illegal to drive without auto insurance and the bare minimum you must hold is a liability insurance policy.

Wall Street Journal has laid out other various policies and what is covered under each one. Some drivers may need more insurance than others so it’s incredibly important to review your policy before choosing one.

• Liability coverage – These policies help cover liability and expenses when you’re at fault in an accident. The money will go to the people you hit, but it won’t cover the people in your car.

• Bodily Injury Liability (BIL) – This policy pays for the medical expenses of people injured in a crash in which you’re at fault. You’ll often see BIL policies described as a “20/50” policy or a “100/300” policy. These numbers describe the maximum dollar amount the policy will pay for a single person’s injuries and the maximum for all the injuries sustained by all the occupants of the other car. For example, a 20/50 policy will pay a maximum of $20,000 for a single person’s injuries, and up to $50,000 total for the injuries of everyone in the car you hit.

• Property Damage Liability – This policy pays for damage done to the other car if you’re at fault in an accident. Property liability is sometimes referred to alongside BIL as a third number, so a 20/50/10 liability package will cover up to $10,000 for damages to the other car.

The following policies cover you and your card in an accident:

• Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – This covers your and your passengers’ medical expenses after an accident. If you lose time at work because of your injuries, this policy may also cover lost wages.

To see the other types of policies including uninsured motorist, collision and comprehensive coverage, check out this link: http://guides.wsj.com/personal-finance/insurance/how-much-car-insurance-do-you-need/  

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6 Summer Tuneup Tips

It may feel like summer is winding down but there are still another 2 months of this glorious season left. You should paying extra special attention to your car as we enter the hottest part of the summer. Fluids tend to drain more quickly and engines are known to overheat easier.

Bankrate has provided 6 tune up tips for you car this season. All you have to do is remember the acronym SUMMER.

S: Scrub the battery

Long drives and hot weather can put a strain on your car battery. To keep your battery healthy, sprinkle some baking soda onto the battery terminals, and then lightly spray with water. Let the mixture sit for an hour, and then wipe it off with a wet sponge.

U: Use a sunshade

When you park in direct sun, not only does your car's interior heat up, you are putting strain on the dashboard and upholstery, which can accelerate wear. Use a sunshade to protect your car interior and lengthen its lifespan.

M: Maintain proper fluid levels

All fluids are important to your car's operation, but antifreeze, also known as coolant, should be your top priority. A low coolant level can cause your car to overheat. Check your antifreeze level and add more if it's low. Do not open the coolant tank lid while the engine is hot.

M: Make sure tire pressure is correct

Check your tire pressure regularly and before any long trips. Inflate tires to the recommended pressure listed in your owner's manual for the number of passengers and the amount of cargo you'll be carrying. Proper tire pressure will help prevent a blowout and can improve your fuel economy by up to 3.3 percent.

E: Expect an emergency

Like a good Boy Scout, you should be prepared for an emergency. Make an emergency kit that includes jumper cables, roadside flares or reflective triangles, a flashlight, old towels or paper towels, a first-aid kit, nonperishable snacks and water.

R: Replace your wiper blades

Summer means the dry season for many areas, but storms can occur unexpectedly. Make a note to remind yourself to replace wiper blades every six months or sooner if they are unusually squeaky or you notice decreased visibility.

For the full article from Bankrate please follow the link: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/summer-car-tuneup-tips-1.aspx

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5 Tips to Prevent Hot Car Deaths

It’s a tragedy that’s in the news too often: a young child is left in the car for a short period of time and they pass away from heat stroke. These senseless deaths can easily be prevented and are often caused by a brief moment of negligence.

From law enforcement officers to celebrities, everyone is doing their part to spread awareness about leaving your loved ones in a car on a hot day. Whether it’s your pet or your child, “don’t leave for a minute with your loved ones in it.”

Here are 5 tips from the Today Show to prevent hot car deaths:

1. Look before you lock. Open the backdoor and look in the backseat to assure that everyone is out of the car (even if you think you are childless).

2. Keep something you need in the backseat. Put your cell phone, briefcase, computer, lunch, ID badge, left shoe, or anything essential to your daily routine beside your child.

3. Travel with a furry companion. Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When baby is in the seat, the stuffed animal rides shotgun. The furry passenger serves as a reminder that baby's in the back.

4. Always lock the doors. Even if the car is in the garage, keep the doors locked to prevent curious children from getting into the car.

5. Put the keys and fobs away. Kids might want to play with keys and be able to get into the car without parents knowledge.

Remember these 5 tips and you could possibly save a life. Be sure to check out the rest of the tips over at today.com: http://www.today.com/parents/7-tips-preventing-hot-car-related-deaths-children-t31551

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The First 3 Steps to Sell Your Car

Unless you prepare on selling your car to a close friend or family member, you’ll have to put some time in planning on how to sell your car. If you want the most value out of you car, it’s not as easy as just looking up your car’s value and posting a craiglist ad.

Edmunds has compiled a list that covers everything from pricing to advertising to negotiating. Check out the easy-to-follow process below:

Step 1: Know the Market

Your first step is to check on-line classified ads to see how much other sellers are asking for your type of car. Keep in mind that dealers will have different prices than private party listings. The eBay.com classifieds and other Internet sites allow you to search with specific criteria. For example, select the year and trim level of your car and see how many similar cars are currently on the market. Take note of their condition, mileage, geographic location and selling price so you can list your car at a price that will sell it quickly.

Step 2: Price Your Car Competitively

There are always some exceptions to the rules of pricing, so you should follow your intuition. And be sure to leave a little wiggle room in your asking price. Ask for slightly more money than you are actually willing to accept. If you want to get $12,000 for the car, you should list the car at $13,500. People tend to negotiate in big chunks ($500-$1,000) rather than small increments ($100-$200). That way, when a person makes you a lower offer, it will be closer to your actual price, rather than below it.

You may have noticed how creative used-car dealers get in pricing cars. Their prices usually end in "995," as in $12,995. Are we not supposed to notice that the car basically costs $13,000? There is a lot of psychology in setting prices. A product that doesn't sell well at $20 might jump off the shelf at $19.95.

Step 3: Give Your Car Curb Appeal

Before you advertise your car for sale, make sure it looks clean and attractive. This goes beyond just taking it to the car wash. Here is a to-do list to help you turn your heap into a cream puff:

• Wash and vacuum the car and consider having it detailed.
• Make sure your car is both mechanically sound and free from dents, dings and scrapes.
• Consider making low-cost repairs yourself rather than selling it "as is."
• Shovel out all the junk from the inside of the car. That way, when a prospective buyer goes for a test-drive, they can visualize the car as theirs.
• Wipe the brake dust off the wheel covers and treat the tires with a tire gloss product.
• Thoroughly clean the windows (inside and out) and all the mirrored surfaces.
• Wipe down the dashboard and empty the ashtrays.
• Have all your maintenance records ready to show prospective buyers.
• If the car needs servicing or even a routine oil change, take care of that before putting it up for sale.
• Have your mechanic check out the car and issue a report about its condition. You can use this to motivate a buyer who is on the fence.
• Order a vehicle history report from Autocheck.com and show it to the buyer to prove the car's title is clean and the odometer reading is accurate.

To see the six remaining steps head over to edmunds.com where they lay out their list to help you get your car sold at it’s highest value: http://www.edmunds.com/sell-car/10-steps-to-selling-your-car.html

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