Hang up the phone and drive!

In today's world it is expected to be able to be reached 24/7. Texting, calling, and e-mailing friends, relatives, and coworkers helps us to feel connected and in the loop. With the beep of the phone everyone is tempted - even at the wheel - to answer. Studies show, however, that that is a bad move to make safety wise.

Not only is your brain power lowered because you are so distracted, you are four times more likely to get into an accident while on the phone. So why take the risk? Missing one phone call is not worth the risk of damaging your car or worse.

Teenagers need to be particularly wary because they are four times more likely than an adult to have an accident while using a mobile device.

Be safe out there everyone!

Statistical information provided by:
http://www.teendriversource.org/stats/teen/detail/64

How to change your own tire

Nothing puts the damper on a road trip like a flat tire. Many of you out there have AAA or some form of roadside assistance, but what happens if your stuck on the side of the road with no cell reception? Unfortunately these scenarios don't just happen in horror flicks. But never fear, we're here to teach you a few easy steps to change your own tire.

First, pull safely off the side of the road, giving your call every sign of distress. Put your car in park, preferably with the emergency brake on and put on your hazard lights. Make it obvious you are there to give yourself the most amount of safety precautions. Next, get out all the tools and spare tire from car. If you do not have emergency tools or a spare tire, invest in that ASAP!!! The most basic tools you need are lug nut wrench and a jack. Remove the hub cap and loosen lug nuts without actually removing them. Jack up your car far enough off the ground so that the fully inflated tire can replace the old flat one.

Now comes the actual change. Remove the lug nuts and flat tire and place the spare tire in alignment with the holes with the air valve facing you. Secure the flat tire with the lug nuts and replace the hub cap. Lower the vehicle with the jack.

Now that wasn't so bad was it??

For more information go to:
http://automotive.hardwarestore.com/learning/how-to-change-a-tire.aspx

Night Driving Made Safe

Now that daylight savings has taken effect we are all driving in the dark just a tad bit more. Some say they would rather drive at night, but that can be more dangerous. Traffic fatalities are actually 3 times higher at night due to several different obstacles not faced during daytime driving.

Humans are not built with night vision, therefore we need to rely on technology to be able to see in the dark. Unfortunately, technology fails us sometimes so we need to be vigilant and ensure that headlights are all working properly. As a courtesy to other drivers, make sure that your head lights are not too bright and turned on before its pitch black in those hours that the sun is setting. To avoid glare keep internal lights off and dash lights dim.

Do not be a deer in headlights! Instead of looking directly into the headlights of an oncoming vehicles look a little bit to the side to avoid seeing spots and getting distracted. Depth perception is a little bit off at night, so make sure that you leave an even bigger distance between you and the car in front of you than you would during the day.

We can all be creatures of the night if we just follow a few extra safety guidelines. For more information on night time driving safety, please visit: http://www.roadandtravel.com/safetyandsecurity/safenightdrivingtips.htm

Check Out a Hybrid Car Today!

With the new movement to "go green" the popularity of hybrids is spiking. Investing in a hybrid car is a smart decision for many reasons.

Hybrid cars are definitely the way to go as far as environmental friendliness. Combine the fact that the tires on these cars are made with a special rubber that reduces friction on the road and the cars themselves are built more aerodynamically, hybrids waste a lot less fuel. This makes hybrid cars emit much less pollution.

Hybrid cars may be a little more expensive on the forefront, but in the long run they can actually save you money. With gas prices not exactly being low these days, filling up less definitely helps the wallet. These cars are designed with smaller, more efficient engines to make the car waste less gas by shutting down the engine when the car is stopped. The electric motor gets powered automatically by utilizing the energy to charge the batteries that is typically lost through braking.

You should definitely check out a hybrid car today!

For more information, check out: http://www.learnmechanic.com/why-buying-a-hybrid-car-makes-you-feel-better.html

Clean Out Your Car and Improve Safety!

Life gets busy and we forget to clean out our cars because you never know if you'll need that empty bottle or soccer cleats, but the truth is we just need to do it. Extra debris lying around the car can in some instances be fatal. Add in environmental factors and other drivers and sometimes you will need to slam on the brakes, so eliminating the excess that could potential fly around in your car and prevent injury is important.

Make sure the area around the drivers seat is especially clear. That empty bottle I mentioned earlier? It can get stuck under the brake or gas pedal and cause a much bigger problem than little Johnny getting thirsty and needing a water bottle in case you can find a water fountain.

That little bobble head garfield is really cute on the dashboard, but he needs to be secured down and in an area that he won't impair your vision. He may be talented kitty, but he can't prevent car accidents from occurring.

Even though your vehicle is built to protect you as much as it can from the dangers of the road, sometimes these dangers are just plain unavoidable. But you can help eliminate any extra dangers such as ensuring that your car is free of any unnecessary clutter.

Get a History Check on Used Vehicles

When purchasing a used vehicle you should definitely get a vehicle history check. All cars made after 1980 have these history reports that will tell you everything you want to know about the vehicle in question from who owned the car to when the vehicle was serviced.

What does this mean you need to do? Just ask! You can either search online or call to see if the vehicle dealer you are looking to work with offers free vehicle history reports. Different dealerships may have different policies about this reports, so it doesn't hurt to do a little bit of research first. Some dealers may offer free history checks but don't just hand them out, you need to request them.

To make the process easier on yourself and the dealer find a car you are interested before asking for a history report. Don't waste your or the dealer's time on a car you don't actually have any intention of purchasing. Get all the info you need and get the vehicle of your dreams!


Read more: How to Get an Absolutely Free Vehicle History Check at eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7349839_absolutely-vehicle-history-check.html#ixzz13arEHbt3

Will Your Car Be the New Smart Phone?

A week long series by CNN on smartphones and their effects on society makes us ask ourselves, will your car become your next smartphone?

The notion really makes sense looking at new technology evolving for automobiles. Electronic companies are developing ways to enable talking and texting through the dashboard of your car. Eventually you will be able to surf the web and update facebook through voice commands while driving. Talk about multi-tasking!

Now the big question is whether or not this technology will make for safer roadways. On the one hand, this may reduce drivers from using their actual mobile phone while driving. Usage of phones while driving provides many dangers including not having both hands on the wheel. On the other hand, will people realistically embrace the new hands-free technology? Some may argue that even hand-free surfing the web and texting while driving is a huge distraction.

For more information, check out http://11thr.com/blog/?p=1332.