Home » 2010 » April (Page 2)

Archive for April, 2010

Winter Survival Driving Tips to Keep You Safe

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Winter Survival DrivingAs winter comes upon the country it’s vital to you and your family’s safety that you are prepared with the proper equipment and kits to be ready for driving and emergencies. A great place to begin with winter survival tips for driving is to check your car’s tires and fluids. Check to make sure that your tires are inflated to the proper pressure level. If in doubt as to that number, it is written on the side panel of your tires. Make sure the treads are good and that they are capable of handling snow and ice conditions. Many of the new tires on the market work very well but some people like to add extra traction with snow chains, snow shoes or tire coatings.

In addition to your tires and fluids winter driving tips include making sure you inspect all your hoses and belts for any wear indications, verify that your battery is in good condition and fully charged, inspect the wipers, switch to a thinner oil that performs well in cold weather and always keep your gas tank at least half full. Once your vehicle is ready, your attention to winter survival tips for driving should focus on what items to carry for any emergencies. Your trunk is the perfect place to keep an emergency kit which includes flares and a first aid kit along with other items such as blankets, sweatshirts, a shovel, flashlights, water and snacks.

Winter survival tips for driving would not be complete without discussing precautions that can be taken for actual driving. Begin with making sure that all the snow and ice is cleaned off your windshield and tires before you shift the car into drive. To keep the wheels from spinning it is helpful to accelerate very slowly. Make sure you decrease your normal driving speed and allow at least twice the distance when you need to use your brakes. Remember that things you normally do without thinking such as accelerating, braking and turning must now be done one at at time slowly and with caution. Winter driving tips will always remind you to make sure to never take any sudden actions and be ready to correct in case of any sliding.

Winter driving can be made quite safe as long as you are aware of winter survival tips for driving. By preparing your vehicle, keeping emergency supplies and learning defensive driving techniques you will find yourself among the safest of winter drivers. Education and knowledge empowers people and puts safety first.

Are Women Bad Drivers?

Monday, April 19th, 2010

 Women Bad DriversWomen and steering wheels is a never ending story; so are the arguments about gender driving skills. The myth about lousy driving skills of women apparently started about seventy years ago. Somewhere in ’40s, a woman took her car to the mechanic. He wasn’t able to diagnose the car until he noticed something. It seemed that the motorist woman was driving with her bag hung on the manual choke.

From that bag on, women are bad drivers. Or at least that’s the belief (…males’ belief). I just realized that there aren’t or I haven’t seen so far stickers about men drivers. Need I remind you about ‘beware, blond driver” or ‘woman driver’ sticky signals? Blond women have such a good reputation that they have their own joke category.

But there is one thing that stands behind the feminine part of the traffic. Studies show men are behind more accidents. Driving statistics show that reckless driving is 3.41 in a ratio male to female. Women hit the speed pedal too, but men win with 1.75. Seat belt is often forgotten by men, up to a 3.08 ratio. Signal violations have a record of 1.53 against men. Is it too soon to ask who the bad driver is here? A reason women are considered bad drivers is because they use the cell phone while driving. But this is not a gender-based habit. This is, nonetheless, equally dangerous.

Hormones might have a contribution to the myth. With less testosterone in the womb, spatial skills of women are affected. Parking and map reading may be difficult for them. Men seem to have better spatial abilities. They can keep the route in mind and find much easier the car in a big parking. Women need to use landmarks to find the way around.

Practice makes it perfect and that goes for driving as well. And statistics show that women are less likely to get into car accidents. In United States, for instance, 73% of people who died in car accidents are male. The number of women is three times lower. Risk-taking and aggressive behavior is men’s attribute. They are less patient and tend to exceed speed limit and change traffic lanes with no signals. Statistically, they cut other drivers off three times more than women. When it comes to alcohol, among men involved in fatal crashes, 27% had been drinking. The percentage of women is 12.5.

Bad driving is not necessarily a matter of gender. But women have better emotional skills and prudence is one of them.

How to Make Money at Auto Auctions

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Make Money at Auto AuctionsThe trick for making money at auto auctions is to buy at minimum and selling at maximum (as in real estate and stocks). However, to achieve success in this field, you have to take the job as a mission making it a point that time is as important as investing money.

You need to be familiar with the prices. You should have a solid idea and knowledge of the market, prior to bidding at a car auction. The “blue book,” is the most widely known and popular resource for pricing used and new autos. You can find it supplemented by a host of Internet sites that can provide you realistic pricing on cars of all makes and models.

Try to research the market thoroughly. Read auto magazines for fully understanding the market and the industry. You can find auto sales sections in the newspapers and magazines such as Auto Hunter, which particularly specializes in auto sales.

Grasp and try to comprehend demand. You can gain enormous profits if you have proper knowledge for the types of cars that can be sold best in your region. You can test the market by checking sales volume at area dealerships and auctions so that you can gain idea about selling. Besides this, economy is another major factor you need to take into consideration.

Research the auctions. Many auto auctions are “dealer only,” while there are several others open to the common public. Before bidding, attend a few auctions and study the process.

Primarily auctions commence with a viewing time prior to the actual sale. Test out the autos you are interested in and find out all that you want to know about cars and its history.

Bid on the cars you are interested in. Do not overpay.

Price the car. As the point is to make money, and not holding the inventory, you should price it accordingly. You should be able to sell the car and make a profit based on your research. This way, you can use to buy the next model up and enhance your profit margin.

Market the car. The magazines you used to research prices can now be used to place your ads for your cars. Do not; ignore online websites such as Craigslist and eBay.

Be willing to negotiate. Negotiation is almost a deal accomplished.