22nd May 2008

Slow Driving - No Driver’s License

Unnecessarily slow driving is a very annoying habit some drivers have. It delays traffic, it causes accidents, and it causes failures in road tests for many driving students. Driving slowly has its reasons, but the reality it brings is unavoidable: slow drivers can be found anywhere. During a driving test, driving too slowly can fail a student. However, slow driving has much more than that.The main reason for slow driving is fear and lack of confidence. A scared driver is more likely to drive slowly, since speed gives a feeling of losing control. The slow driving makes the driver more confident at first, but when everyone passes him, it can once again throw his confidence away. This is a cycle that leads to an extremely diffident driver.During a driving test, slow driving can annoy the examiner. Although the annoyance of the examiner is not a factor in the test results, marking a speed error on every street can ruin the test very quickly. Furthermore, driving too slowly can trigger a speed critical error, from which there is no return. Driving too slowly really ruins driving tests.On the road, slow driving is dangerous and already caused many accidents. When a fast car approaches a slow one, sometimes there is not enough space to change a lane or slow down. The result - the fast (or normal speed) driver hits the slow driver. If an accident doesn’t happen and the fast driver manages to slow down, drivers behind him will also slow down, and a chain reaction will begin. This is how “unexplainable” traffic jams occur.With all disadvantages, slow driving is not always bad. Some roads are limited to a very low speed limit, usually for good reasons. It is done to prevent accidents, crashes, and unnecessary death. Driving on these low speed areas might be boring and annoying, but it is also life saving.The only way to avoid unnecessary slow driving is practice. Not all practice drives are good. Only driving with a good guide that explains how to choose the right speed for any situation will help drivers. Every driving student should have such a guide before taking the driving test.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

22nd May 2008

Want to Learn More about Cutting Gas Costs?

Would you like to cut your gas costs and get the most out of your car? Everyone knows it, it’s no secret. The price of gas is going up, and it’s going to stay up. Sure it may fluctuate a bit, but the days of a $1 per gallon are gone. Long gone. The oil companies are not going to help you, the government will act slowly and too late, the car companies will make their vehicles more efficient only when they absolutely have to.So what’s a poor sap to do who is only looking to make it from point A to point B to earn an honest living?Alternative fuel saving technologies that can be applied to gas and diesel engines are not fancy, at least not anymore. Remember, it wasn’t the big companies that started the automobile revolution, it was guys who tinkered around in their garages and created something amazing. The same as the people who are looking beyond what the current big companies are trying to do.Let’s look at a few of our possibilities:Water Hydrogen: Water? How can water be a fuel? Heck, our planet is full of water, wouldn’t that be a great way to save money and the planet all at the same time? I’ll try to put it simply. It is a Free-energy solution which uses water as a supplement to gasoline. Using a little electricity, your car’s battery will separate water into a gas called HHO (2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen). HHO, also referred to as Hydroxy burns effectively and supplies significant energy, while the end product is just Water. HHO has the atomic power of Hydrogen and maintains the stability of Water.Sounds kind of confusing, but really what it means is that electricity helps your car convert energy from water.Moreover, you don’t need to add anything special to the water it works with plain old tap water.Bio-Diesel: You’ve probably heard of this one before; that guy on the news who converted McDonald’s french fry oil into fuel. Now wherever he goes his exhaust smells like french fries and McNuggets. Sure is a lot better than the smell of diesel, right? And a whole lot cheaper.Now on the market are guides and instructions for how regular people like you and me can do these things ourselves with a little instructional help. It will be better for the environment and better on our wallets.You owe it to yourself to check into them today. Wouldn’t it be nice to put the money you work so hard for toward something other than getting to and from work?

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

21st May 2008

Maintain Your Auto’s Cooling System For Your Upcoming Summer Vacation And Roadtrips

The purpose of a car’s cooling system is not only to remove excess heat. It is to keep the temperature of the car engine in tip top shape at that temperature to prevent excess damage and wear to your automotive engine and its components. Why chance excess wear and tear as well as expensive repairs to your motor vehicle – whether it is S.U.V., car, truck or van?Rust will fill and clog the passages of your radiator over time. Why chance expensive engine damage? Why take the chance of ruining an otherwise good vacation or trip due to little more than heat damage to your engine. Damage to your engine from excess heat is created over time. By simple routine radiator and cooling system maintained you can prevent much of these troubles, cares and concerns. Preventive maintenance is how airplanes are cared for. Why not treat your car of SUV in this same manner? It all comes down to a regular maintenance and inspections schedule.Rust may clog the passageways of your car or SUV’s radiator. Hard water deposits a scale much like the mineral scales that clog your coffeemaker, humidifier or kettle at the lake cottage. These mineral scale deposits reduce heat transfer in your radiator. Simply put your radiator will not be able to cool your car engine. Your car or SUV will overheat. Your car engine, trip vacation at least your day will be inconvenienced and perhaps ruined. Even more if two different metals touch inside your radiator system them electrolytic corrosion can and will occur. Further trouble and radiator damage is possible.If conditions are ideal or more than ideal for rust to form – rust is guaranteed to form and deposit in the waterways of your vital radiator. Rust makes up about 90 % of all solids that can choke up the water flowing areas if your radiator- including the water storage “water jacket” areas.Scale is a deposit of the solids left by the evaporation of the water and radiator antifreeze. These scales that are formed and deposited in your radiator and cooling system are very similar to the scale that forms inside a teakettle or coffeemaker after the boiling of hard water. What the solids are composed of depends upon the nature of the water itself but they most commonly include calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and magnesium oxides.Electrolytic corrosion can result from soldered seams in older style copper radiator, copper gaskets in contact with other metals, brazed joints in steel tubes and imperfect plaiting on steel or other metal parts. An electrolytic current is set up and the metal most active electro chemically slowly dissolves.What can you do to prevent all this damage to your radiator and the grief and costs involved? As always the key words are prevention, prevention and prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth kilograms of cure.Radiator saboteurs can be averted by radiator cleaners and inhibitors used properly. You will prevent most of your troubles in your car of SUV’s vital and expensive to repair cooling systems.Fall and spring cleaning of a cooling system should always include- clearing out rust and scale with a chemical cleaner. It never hurts as well to have a competent auto repair shop conduct a thorough flush of your radiator. Basically your car’s radiator is flushed “backwards” with a strong flow of coolant to remove heavily trapped sediment and that horrible scaling. Lastly and in addition during these cleaning and preventative maintenance procedures you should insist that a radiator rust inhibitor be added to your radiator coolant. A Radiator Rust Inhibitor is a blend of rust inhibitors, lubricants and biocides that restores rust- and oxidation-inhibiting properties to coolant, promoting cooling system life. Furthermore, it provides lubricant to coolant that reduces and eliminates water pump noise.After all why cause yourself needless aggravation and car maintenance costs by not applying maintenance and inspection schedule to your vehicle’s cooling system. Your summer vacation and summer road trips will soon be here. Why not make your summer vacations road trips trouble free?

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

20th May 2008

Car Safety Tips For A Safe Journey

Before you use your vehicle, it is best to observe some car safety tips before starting out. Your diligence in making sure of standard automobile safety checks before traveling is the best preventive measure to avoid motor accidents.Check the radiator water level of the car as a first step. Some car owners just assume that there is enough water in their radiators, only to be surprised when the temperature gauge in the car’s dashboard starts shooting up. Do not wait for an accident like this to come your way; it is not easy to open the hood of the car and the radiator cap, once the engine is overheated. Some nasty accidents of scalding with boiling water can hit you, if you do not take precaution in opening that radiator cap! Things could be worse if you have no backup container in the car with some water, and you are in the middle of a highway in the desert!When starting your car’s engine, do not forget to put the transmission gear to neutral. This ensures that as the engine comes to life it functions normally, avoiding any unusual “jumping” or abrupt movement, as what happens if the transmission is on first or second gear, that may cause unnecessary accidents.After the car’s engine is started and you forgot to do a task back in the house that will require you to get out of the car to attend to it, be sure to put the hand brakes on, if you leave the engine running.If there are small children with you in the car, it is best to put the engine off even if the car is on neutral, before leaving the vehicle to return to the house. This is to avoid incidents of the kids unknowingly pulling the transmission lever, as kids are wont to do, active and restless as they normally are. An innocent hand’s pull on the lever might cause the car to move abruptly, if the transmission is suddenly in first or second gear without the presence of the adult driving the car.Before you move out of the garage to start your trip on the road, see to it that everybody with you in the car fastened the seat belts properly. Adults should supervise strictly the fastening of the seat belts for the children.Make sure in locking the doors properly especially if kids are traveling with you in the car. This is to prevent the accidental opening of the car doors while the vehicle is in motion. Keep away the kids from the doors as much as possible.Ensure positioning the rear view mirrors of your car correctly to enable you to have a good view of the rear of your car, especially the vehicular traffic following you.Before picking up some speed, make it a habit to check if the car brakes are working well, by testing them as you move slowly forward.There is one other thing to re-check before you proceed with that trip. See if the fuel gauge does not indicate a need to pass by the gasoline station for some refill of your tank. That, finally, should complete your list of mandatory things to do for your journey.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

20th May 2008

Ways To Improve Gas Mileage

This has to be one of the most popular subjects around the internet today thanks to the war and rising costs of fuel. It’s funny how little things you do can give your vehicle gas mileage improvements everyday. Now, with the information we are about to provide you, don’t expect it to increase your mileage at a rate of 100% or anything of that nature. However, just keep remembering that every little bit helps.1. Gas Mileage Improvements Without Spending A PennyThere are three ways to improve gas mileage an individual or family can do without it becoming a financial burden. The first deals with simply parking your car in the shade. Sounds a little absurd right? Well, it’s not, and in fact, it can give your vehicle gas mileage improvements because the sun on hot days in the spring and summer can evaporate gas just from your car sitting there. The other two deal with keeping your tires inflated, checking them at least once week, and making your car lighter, getting rid of dead weight.2. Other Ways For Just A Little MoreYes, gas mileage improvements can be easily made, but sometimes they cost a little to reap the rewards. Something as simple as purchasing an air filter and replacing your old one is just one of many ways to improve gas mileage. If you want another 3% increase then go out and purchase radial tires. We aren’t saying today, but the next time you need new ones make sure they are radial. Then, of course, getting an engine tune-up will always improve your gas mileage and is necessary to keep your car in the best shape.Understanding The SituationThese have all been proven to help your vehicle get the best gas mileage improvements possible. There are others as well, like turning on the AC while you’re driving on the highway. Whatever the reason we need everything we can get right? If you just feel like the money you are making every week is mostly going to gas to get back and forth to work, its time to make a change. Take back the $3-$4 a gallon you are spending on gas today and instead of having to buy more in a week, make it ten days. Over time if you use these suggestions above they will help more than you know.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

16th May 2008

Car Tips To Keep You Safe While Driving

Accidents on the road are often broadcasted over the news. Many lost their loved ones because of car accidents. It is important that precautionary measures are taken before and while you are on the road to avoid such accidents from happening. Here are some car safety tips to help you arrive at your destination safely.Make sure that your car is in good condition. Car manufacturers usually recommend a maintenance schedule for their car. If you can, follow the schedule, if not, have your car checked regularly. Make sure that your car is in good shape, whether you are driving to the next block or planning a long trip.Buckle up before driving. Make sure that your passengers have fastened their seatbelts as well. Make sure that everyone securely strapped. You can never underestimate the capacity of that strip to save life.Keep both hands on the wheel. Position your right hand at the right end of the wheel’s diameter and position the other hand to the opposite side. This will allow you to have a good grip and control over the wheel just in case you need to make a sudden swerve,Focus on the road when you are driving. Look forward and that includes scanning through the traffic ahead. By doing so, you will be able to spot problems and will have enough time to avoid them. You will also be able to respond accordingly if there are risky road conditions.Before you pull into an intersection look both ways. Scan for cars and make sure that it is clear before actually pulling in. The cars in the intersection usually rush through, it may not be there the first time you looked, but you’d be surprise with its loud beep just when you are about to drive through.Avoid doing something else while you are driving. Most drivers have a habit of grooming themselves while driving. Some use their mobile phones. Others eat even read while driving. No matter how good you are in driving, doing something else while you are driving will divide your attention. This will also impair your ability to respond if there are sudden irregularities in the traffic.Be familiar with your car’s performance. Check how it reacts to certain conditions. Is it easy to maneuver when you are driving fast? Does it stop immediately once you hit the brakes? This will help you know the limitations of your car.Don’t try to beat the red light. This is one of the common causes of accidents in intersections. It’s not worth the risk at all.Be mindful of blind spots when changing lanes. It is not advisable to rely on your rear view mirror because there might be cars behind you that you cannot see. It is best to physically turn your head to make sure that it’s clear.And finally, don’t drive if you are under the influence of alcohol. You may claim that you are not drunk but that will affect your ability to pay attention on the road. It may also cause you to fall asleep.To avoid accidents, keep your eye on the road and focus on driving. Position your hands properly so that you can easily maneuver the wheel just in case a situation calls for it.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

11th May 2008

Observe Strictly Child Safety Seat Regulations

When traveling with a child in the car, parents must ensure that they follow strictly and comply with child safety seat regulations for the maximum safety of their kid. The state governments of the

US require the strict observance of these regulations, knowing that the young children can suffer the most injuries in case of accidents. Traveling with the kids without these measures strictly followed would reflect some gross irresponsibility for the children by their parents.A child restraint system secures the kid with an infant safety seat while the family is traveling on the road. There is a standard design for this used in most states with the child facing to the rear of the car. Regulations of different states differ only in terms of the penalties imposed for non-complying parents. There are some variations also in the ages of children in allowing them to face to the front from the mandatory rear-facing positions required of the smallest infants.The seating of a child, whether facing to the front or to the rear of the car, is most vital considering that the most harm can happen to the kids when they are facing in the wrong directions when accidents happen, like frontal car collisions. A small child seating in the front seat will be open to harm from a deploying air bag. Hence, parents must see to it that the child faces to the rear for as long as possible as they grow in weight and size.There are many models of these infant safety seats in the market. Parents are free to choose the types that they want. The common characteristics of these seats are that they have harnesses and straps that conform to the baby’s small body measurements, depending on the baby’s age.While some models can be of the convertible type (babies seat facing to the rear, or facing to the front), most are made and designed for attachment to the rear portion of a car seat with the baby in a position facing to the rear. Babies, especially those less than a year old, should seat facing to the rear. The rear-facing position is the safest for them.One other advantage for a rear-facing position is that it is in this type of sitting arrangement that neck injuries to the child can be avoided, since the back of the seat can be a good support to the infant’s head when the vehicle suddenly decelerates, as what happens on impact in a vehicle frontal collision incident. A child facing to the front risks the head snapping forward without any support and this could cause a severe injury to the neck.A parent should not travel/drive singly with the infant, even if the baby is in an infant safety seat. Since the baby is positioned at the back of the car’s front seat and facing to the rear, another adult must be at the back seat to monitor the baby’s condition all the time. A young infant would certainly need the care and attention of a human being, very much more than what an infant safety seat can provide.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

9th May 2008

Figuring Out Car Mileage Quickly and Effectively

You’ve heard a lot of people talking about their gas mileage and you still don’t know how to calculate it. If that is true, then you will need to follow some simple steps and you could figure it by yourself really fast.Knowing which is your car’s mileage is really important if you’re planning a long trip and you want to estimate a cost on how much gas you need for it. You could do this by using simple math and by following a couple of steps.First, you will need to fill your gas tank completely and you will have to look at your car’s gauge and check out how many miles you’ve made until then or reset your odometer back to zero if you could do that. Drive your car as you normally drive until your gas tank is almost empty. Now, you will need to check the odometer to see how many miles have you made and write down that number.You will also have to figure out how much gas you have used since you filled-up your gas tank. You could check this at the gas station when you refilled your tank. The number of gallons you will add to fill the tank again it’s the exact number of gallons you’ve used.After you will do all these steps, you will have to divide the number of miles you’ve made with the number of gallons used and that number is your gas mileage. If you want to figure out an average gas mileage for your car, you should repeat this process a couple of times and make the average.There are several differences with gas mileage. For example, the gas mileage for your car should be a lot lower outside the town than the one you will calculate for the time you’re just driving in your town.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

8th May 2008

How To Beat High Gas Prices ?

With stagnant wages, home values slumping, and job insecurity, Americans are looking for ways to save money anyway and everywhere they can. Many Americans, especially those with long commutes, are seeing larger and larger portions of their incomes going to pay for gas for their cars. They see the government stepping in to help individuals and companies that have gotten rich beyond belief while the standard of living for most Americans has declined. People need to drive to get to work, or school, to go grocery shopping, or to go to church and they are asking themselves, ‘What am I going to do if gas prices keep going up?’The best way to deal with rising gas prices is to drive less. By doing this you save money and at the same time you can stick it to those countries and companies that have been sticking it to us for years. Of course, for many of us this is not an option because we live long distances away from the places we need to get to. However, we can still cut down on the miles we do drive by planning our trips to combine errands and essential trips.We can also start walking more. We have got so used to the convenience of having cheap fuel for our cars that we drive everywhere, even to the store up the street or our neighbor’s house around the block. No wonder so many of us are out of shape and overweight. So, we can use these high gas prices as a reason to become healthier by walking more. Hey, you probably will even meet more people if you’re not in your car!Another way to save on gas is to trade in that gas guzzling truck or SUV for a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle. Back when gas was cheaper, we all convinced ourselves that we absolutely “needed” to have a big vehicle because:” We needed the room for our family and friends
” We needed to have something big enough to haul the stuff we got at the home improvement store
” When the big snowstorm came, we needed a truck to be able to get around
” Big cars were safer than smaller cars
” The only way we could see in the sea of SUV’s and trucks was to have one, too
Of course, now we realize that all these reasons that we “needed” to have a big vehicle were just excuses so we could look cool and feel powerful in our big, bad trucks. Most small and mid-sized cars have more than enough room for most families. They are also much safer than the smaller cars of the past and being front-wheel drive vehicles, they get around fine in the snow, unless there’s a blizzard, and if that’s the case having a truck wouldn’t make much of a difference. And if you need to haul large items, most home improvement stores rent trucks for a small fee or deliver to your home, which is a lot cheaper than paying for and fueling a gas guzzling SUV or pickup. A Honda Civic may not look as cool as a Hummer, but when you’re paying $100 to fill up that Hummer every week, that Civic starts looking cooler and cooler.Most observers agree that the days of gas prices below $3 a gallon in the

U.S. are gone, with $4 or $5 a gallon a strong possibility in the not too near future. We Americans can cry about this and curse the evil oil companies, or we can do what we’ve always been good at, and use a negative situation to make positive changes in our lives and in the world.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments

30th April 2008

Every Parent Must Learn Automobile Safety For Children

Automobile accidents are responsible for the injury or death or thousands of children and young adults each year. Many of these events could be prevented by proper use of seat belts and other safety features of cars.Outside of a car, it is important for children to know how dangerous moving vehicles can be. When playing outside, never chase balls or other objects into the street without looking for traffic, and never run between parked cars into the street as it is hard for drivers to see over them. Teaching children these behaviors at a young age is an excellent way to prevent accidents in the future.In the car, there are a set of effortless rules that new drivers and young passengers should always follow. The way to prevent most serious injuries is to simply always buckle up. Even if no one else in the car is wearing one and the trip is just around the block, it is important to wear one regardless. In a case like this, it wouldn’t hurt to insist that everyone else buckle up as well to ensure their safety.When wearing a seatbelt, older children should be tall enough to sit without slouching with their feet on the floor. The lap-shoulder belt system will not fit most children until they are about 4’9” tall and weigh about 80 pounds. The lap portion of the belt should fit low and tight across the upper thighs, while the shoulder portion should fit over the shoulder and chest. Although it may be more comfortable, never put the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back of the child.Reckless behavior in and around automobiles is also a large contributor to the injury and death rate. Never stick arms, legs, or any other body part out of the window of a moving car. If another vehicle is passing too close it could cause serious injury. One of the most dangerous but easily preventable behaviors is drunk driving. Never try to drive after drinking, and never ride with anyone who has been drinking. It is important to always have a designated driver, or at least someone to keep keys hidden.New and young drivers cause many of the accidents because they may have not yet learned how to handle a car properly, may drive at speeds to fast for the conditions, and are more likely to perform risky behaviors. Although they are commonly given a negative image, being a back-seat driver can save lives by telling a reckless driver to be more attentive or to slow down.Concerning very young children, there is even more information to be aware of related to accidents and safety. Generally, the back seat is the safest place in a car accident, and any child under 12 years should ride there, especially if the vehicle has a passenger side are bag. Infants should be placed in rear facing car seats in the back seat until at least 1 year of age or around 20 lbs. Forward facing seats are acceptable after this point. In either case, always read the child restraint manual for proper and effective installation and use. It is recommended that children use a safety seat until at they are at least 40 pounds and then use a booster seat that will help the lap-shoulder system fit well.It is important to remember that injury or death from an automobile accident can happen to anyone, not just children and younger drivers. Always promote safe behaviors near roads, behind the wheel, and also the lifesaving benefits of using safety belts and child safety seats correctly.

posted in Driving Tips | 0 Comments