Car Insurance

There are a great number of reasons why you might be considering
vehicle transport instead of simply driving your car or riding
your motorcycle. Perhaps you’re a vintage car collector or you
have an antique motorcycle that’s worth a lot of money, or maybe
you just want to transport your vehicle from one end of the
country to the other and would rather not spend a week driving or
riding. Regardless of why you are looking into vehicle transport
there are a number of factors you need to know before entrusting
your vehicle into the capable hands of the transport
professionals.

The different methods of vehicle transport.

There are basically three ways to transport a car from one point
to another; ship, rail or lorry. Each way has its advantages and
depending on the circumstances you will need to choose the
correct method. The distance you want to transport your car will
be the main determining factor that determines which of these
methods you decide on. Transporting your car by ship is ideal for
transporting from one country to another and with the increase in
the number of imported cars this is becoming an increasingly
popular choice.

Many transport companies who are moving your vehicle between two
locations in the same country will do so using an open vehicle
transporter similar to those used when taking new cars to the
showroom, however if you have a very old car or a particularly
rare one and you don’t want it to have to face the elements then
you shouldn’t have any difficulties finding a company that will
offer you the same service in a closed transporter, thus avoiding
the potential damage that not only the wind and rain can do, but
also loose chippings that fly up when on the road.

The insurance implications of vehicle transport.

As with any type of purchase you should always shop around to
make sure you are not only getting the best deal but are getting
everything you need from the company you use. For instance many
shipping companies will only offer a very minimal level of
insurance and if you are shipping an extremely valuable car from
one side of America to the other you will undoubtedly want a
little extra cover to give you that peace of mind.

The most important aspect of selecting a company to deal with
your vehicle transport.

The most important thing is to read through the terms and
conditions from the company you intend to deal with. Check
whether the deposit is refundable, if they will deliver to your
door or nearest terminal and hunt for hidden fees and charges. If
you do this and you know exactly what to expect you want get any
nasty surprises that are sometimes associated with vehicle
transport.

In years past American citizens decided for themselves if they wanted to buckle up their seat belt as they got into the car. Now states are enforcing either primary or secondary laws which allow you to be ticketed for not being buckled up. There are good reasons for these laws to put on the books and enforced.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for the 1 yr olds to 34 year olds. That is a wide range of ages that car crashes encompasses. The most effective way to reduce motor vehicle accident fatalities is the use of a safety belt.

Statistics such as this is why state laws regarding safety belt usage have increased and become stricter. There are 22 states plus the District of Columbia that have primary safety belt laws. A primary law means that a law enforcement officer can stop the motorist and give out a citation solely for occupants not being properly buckled up.

In another 27 states there are secondary laws which allow for safety belt citations to be written up if the occupants are not wearing their seat belts when stopped for a different violation. So in these states a driver cannot be pulled over for being unbelted but can they can get a ticket if they are pulled over for a violation such as speeding and are found without their safety belt on.

The NHTSA would like more states to move forward and have primary laws regarding safety belts since they are more effective in making occupants of a vehicle buckle up when they are in a car or truck. Wearing the safety belt increases in the states with the primary laws as the fatality number decreases.In primary law states around 78 percent of motorists use their seat belt on a regular basis while in states with only a secondary law it is only 63 percent.

The part of the country that needs the most help wearing seat belts is the rural areas. People are in rural area are generally working class people, such as farmers. They do not use their seat belts while in their farm equipment or fork left or whatever vehicle they use on their job so they forget or choose not to buckle up in their street vehicle. This is why it has been determined only 35% of rural area residents use their safety belts. That is unfortunate since 60% of all traffic fatalities occur out on rural roadways.

States with their primary and secondary safety laws are bumping up the number of Americans that are using their safety belts. It is now around 85% when only a few years ago it was around 70%. The NHTSA predicts this has saved nearly 16,000 lives each year and stopped over 300,000 injuries from occurring a year. These new laws are thus doing their job. The idea of a ticket for not buckling up is scaring people into using their safety belt. Or maybe an even better thing has occurred and people want to use their seat belt to possibly save their life or someone else’s life.

Getting behind the wheel just amps some people up. They need to be first or fastest or the most aggressive person on the roadway. People get road rage when traffic does not work in their favor. Cooler heads need to prevail when dealing with road rage motorists.

Here are ten tips on how to ward off road rage situations:

1. Remember to always use your turn signals with switching lanes. Be careful not to cut someone off when you change lanes.

2. Travel with traffic while trying to stay within the speed limits. If you are going slower than the flow of traffic do not stay in the fast lane. Move over and let faster traffic pass by.

3. Drive at a safe distance from the car in front of you. Give yourself stopping distance and most certainly do not tailgate anyone.

4. Try to stay in one lane. Changing lanes frequently or erratically can annoy other motorists. An aggressive driver might think you are playing games with them and need to “win” the game by getting in front of you and teaching you a lesson.

5. Concentrate on driving. Do not become distracted with doing your makeup, reading the paper or talking on a cell phone. This can cause you to drive poorly and frustrate other drivers.

6. Stay away from aggressive or erratic drivers. Let them pass you and continue on down the roadway.

7. Do not honk your horn unnecessarily.

8. Stay calm and in control even if a person in another automobile is trying to intimidate you. Keep your emotions in check and do not lose your temper or else that could lead to you having a confrontation.

9. Do not make eye contact with an angry driver. This may make the road rage driver think you are trading dirty looks and want to “play their game.”

10. Be polite and courteous. It may be hard but it will allow you to be the better person. If you have kids showing this calm side will be a good example of how they should be when they learn to drive.

Do not endanger yourself or your passengers if you encounter a motorist displaying road rage. Concentrate on your own driving as you try to move away from the irritated driver. Be a good role model on the road for other motorists that have aggressive tendencies. If everyone would calm down and give themselves plenty of time to get to their destination, drivers as a whole could nip this road rage epidemic in the bud.

With the rising price of oil so too does the price we pay for gas at the pump continue to go up. While wanting to get better gas mileage we do not want to harm our vehicle. The question is then asked are there really any devices out there that can help with a vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

When reading through magazines or watching commercials on television you will notice a lot of “gas saving” devices being offered up. These devices are talked up and some advertisements even have so-called experts claiming how great they are. Some commercials are so long they are considered info-commercials. Does the info part of this phrase mean they are giving you real information? Do these devices actually help your car? A more important question might be do these devices harm your car?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an article titled “”Gas-Saving” Products: Fact or Fuelishness?” on its website detailing their opinion on “gas-saving” devices. The publication states that “although there are practical steps you can take to increase gas mileage the FTC warns you to be wary of any gas-saving claims for automotive devices or oil or gas additives.” The article goes on to say that there are a few gas-saving products that have been found to work. It is then up to you to decide if these devices are worth the amount of savings they do give you in regards to fuel efficiency.

You should always be skeptical of any advertising assertion for fuel-saving devices that declares their device can improve your fuel efficiency by an unreasonably high amount. Some product makers claim they can save you 15 to 20 percent. While this sounds good studies show that if the device does work it usually will save you nowhere that much in fuel consumption.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tested or evaluated more than one hundred hypothetical gas-saving devices and has not found any manufactured item that saved any significant gas mileage. Though the EPA has not been able to evaluate every gas-saving device produced it has examined no less than one product from each category.

The EPA evaluations are only done to determine if the product will cause any significant improvement or detriment to fuel efficiency. The downside to the EPA studies is that they cannot tell what effect the gas-saving devices might have on a vehicle over a lengthy time period because they have not performed any durability tests. The EPA does warn that some of the products that are available could in fact affect an automobile’s performance adversely. Some devices can cause problems with systems such as the emission control which is very complex in modern vehicles.

The EPA has clearly categorized the various types of gas-saving items that are found in the marketplace. At the EPA website listed at the end of this article you can get more detailed information on the various product names and how they are used. The categories of these various products are:

Air Bleed Devices - So named because they bleed air into the carburetor.

Vapor Bleed Devices - These products allow induced air to bubble through a container that contains a mixture of water and anti-freeze.

Liquid Injection - These devices add liquid into the fuel or air intake system.

Fuel Line Devices - There are different types under this category heading.• Heater or Coolers - These items heat the fuel before it enters the carburetor. • Magnets - Magnet devices are clamped to the outside of the fuel line.• Metallic - These products contain several dissimilar metals resulting in ionization of the fuel.

Mixture Enhancers - There are different types under this category heading as well. • Under the carburetor - mounted between the carburetor and intake manifold to enhance the vaporization of the air/fuel mixture.• Intake systems - General modification of the intake system

Internal Engine Modifications - Mechanical changes to the engine.

Fuel and Fuel Additives - Materials added to the gas tank

Oil and Oil Additives - Materials poured into the crankcase.

When reading about “gas-saving” devices or watching a commercial on them do not believe the manufacturer if they say their product is approved by the Federal government. There is not one government agency that has approved or endorsed any gas-saving product. If the producer claims that they have been evaluated by the EPA make certain to verify this by researching the device on the EPA website, www.epa.gov .

Many products have testimonials by consumers that have used their product. This is certainly not scientific testing. Also you do not know what other gas saving techniques might have been used in conjunction with the device. If the consumer had a tune up at the same time as installing a certain device it could be the tune up that gave them better fuel economy and not the device.

After reading about the various types of gas-saving devices the conclusion is that there is not a universal remedy to getting better fuel efficiency. If that device existed it would be well known and probably already incorporated into your vehicle by its manufacturer.There are many devices out there that claim and possibly do give you better gas mileage. Is it worth the price of the device? That is a question you will have to answer for yourself by doing research before buying any item. You might realize you could save more by just getting a tune up or changing your driving style.

As you are well aware the price of gasoline continues to rise. This means we are spending more money on gas then ever before. One reason for the rising gasoline prices at the pump is that people are driving larger vehicles thus burning more and more fuel.In a world where trucks and sport utility vehicles reign supreme it would be helpful to find a way in which to spend less on fuel costs. One way to save money on fuel costs is by owning a diesel engine vehicle.

Starting at the end of 1998 American drivers started to buy more new pickup, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and vans than passenger cars for the first time in history. This so-called light truck segment of vehicles made up for over 50% of the new vehicles sales in November of 1998 and has only risen since then.

The trend in America is toward bigger, more functional and gasoline guzzling SUVs. The continuing higher cost of a barrel of oil affects us by raising the price of gasoline and it is putting a crunch on this large SUV driving segment of the population. There is something that can be done though. It will mean changing out a gasoline powered SUV for a diesel driven one but the change will be a way in which to save money.

If the idea of a diesel powered vehicle brings to mind a clattering, loud rumbling engine with smoke blowing out the tailpipes you need to update that vision. There is a new generation of clean burning diesel engines. Western Europeans have been enjoying this new style of diesel vehicles for some time now. It is finally time for us Americans to see the benefits of the new diesel engine as well.

Many leading car experts have stated that they believe if consumers would test drive a new diesel vehicle that they would be turned on to the whole experience and be ready for a change. The car manufacturers must also believe we are ready for diesel trucks and SUVs because they are giving us a diesel option that was not available before.

Ford’s largest SUV is the Excursion and it is also the first SUV in their lineup to receive a diesel engine. This engine option is called the 6.0L Power Stroke. It is a V8 with direct injection and has a 32 valve diesel with a cast iron block and cylinder heads. It has a 5 speed automatic transmission that gives the driver 325 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. No one can say this SUV is not ready to pull a serious load. The diesel engine option also has a power-train that has a tow/haul mode to help the driver safely tow large loads when on a steep grade.

Jeep has also found that their drivers are also diesel enthusiasts so they have come out with an option for them. A diesel powered Jeep Liberty was a new feature for their 2005 model lineup. This is the first diesel engine in the U.S. for a mid-sized SUV. This particular vehicle has a 2.8L common rail diesel with an estimated 160 hp with 295 lb-ft of torque. It is available on both the sport and limited Liberty models.

A car manufacturer that is very familiar with diesel engines is Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a favorite diesel car builder over in Western Europe. They have now progressed to having an SUV with diesel power. They also got a jump on the competition in America by starting in 2004 with a diesel powered Touareg.

The VW Touareg has a 5.0L V10 twin turbo direct injection (TDI) diesel engine. It gives the driver 310 hp and a very impressive 554 lb-ft of torque. The 5.0 TDI has been found to be extremely clean running as long as it is fed clean fuel. VW engineers have worked hard to make this engine even cleaner than their own 4.2L gasoline V8 engine. Amazingly enough, the diesel engine runs quieter than the gasoline engine.

Anti-diesel fans will claim that diesel engines are loud and do not accelerate as quickly as gasoline engines but engineers (especially VW) have been working hard to make these accusations untrue. The Touareg TDI features a drive by wire control that allows the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5. That is quite quick for a sports utility vehicle of any type. Test drivers have found this diesel SUV to be extremely quiet and smooth to drive.

There is little incentive for car manufacturers to change the design of SUVs. Even with the numerous fuel inefficient features consumers continue to buy them at a frantic rate. The heavy suspension and large engines cause the vehicle’s weight to be considerable. Their tires are built for off road conditions instead of normal roadways thus causing more friction. Then there is the high profile that increases wind resistance.All of these factors add up to poor fuel efficiency.

What can you as a consumer do if you want to drive an SUV without paying so much for fuel costs? Follow the lead of Western Europe and go for a diesel. It has been speculated that America would save about 9 billion in oil imports and 5 million ton of CO2 emissions if the auto industry would embrace the diesel engine.It is also believed with the cleaner more efficient diesel engines that the auto industry would be able to get 28 miles per gallon. Once the diesel engine is able to give you this get fuel efficiency it could save drivers of diesel cars about 50% on their fuel fill up bills. Now that is a big way to save money on a big car.