From 1st July 2007 the UK bans smoking in enclosed public places with as many as 600,000 people forecast to quit smoking as a result. This article looks at if charging people to drive will have similar results for the Motor Trade.

In The Beatles classic song Taxman the lyric goes, “We’ll tax your feet”. Whilst the government hasn’t yet decided to do this it seems the introduction of “pay as you drive” schemes may soon be hitting the roads of the UK but what impact (if any) will this have on the UK Motor Trade.

Well there appears to be a few factors that road users might want to consider:

1. If you’re a driver who drives infrequently or at less busy times you could end up paying less.
2. Or you might drive an average number of miles but due to you driving at rush hours (on you way to/from work or school) you will end up paying more money
3. You may want to use public transport more often
4. You and your friends may set up a car pool scheme so you take it in turns to drive
5. If you spend a lot of time on the road travelling to see friends and family maybe you won’t be able to visit them as often as before
6. If you spend time travelling for work maybe you won’t be able to visit customers as much or worse still increased transport costs may mean your less competitive or jobs have to be cut

And what about people in the Motor Trade itself?

If the smoking ban just announced makes people stop smoking then maybe forcing people to pay more to drive will mean people will simply drive less often. Therefore less cars are needed, less people are needed to service and repair them and jobs are lost in the Motor Industry.

Of course these are all what if’s as nobody really knows what impact this decision will have on the transport system, the motor trade or indeed modern life.

If maybe a positive move with a journey to work being halved due to less vehicles on the road. It may mean a change in the opening hours for businesses or schools so not everyone is fighting to get to and from work as the same time as the school run is being done.

It may mean more money is invested in public transport so we have buses, trains, tubes and other forms of transport that are reliable and we’d be happy using.

Or of course it may mean nothing changes apart from the fact that we have less money in our pockets.

If the results of this survey conducted by Northern Counties Insurance Brokers are anything to go by.

People were asked what impact will having to pay per journey have on you?

- 40% said no impact as they couldn’t live without their car

- 13% said they would stop driving altogether

- 6% said they would drive less often

- 21% said they would use public transpoty more often

- 11% said they would car share to cut costs

- 5% said they would walk more often

- 3% said they would still drive as often but at different times

Whatever your thoughts are on the governments new “pay to drive” schemes the chances are it will happen and the impact on the motor trade could be massive
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Look sharp in cut rate auto body shop or you may lose more than you gain. A good paint job to spruce up your SUV up truck may lose you more than you gain. A good job takes time, skill and equipment.

Why should you pay big dollars to have your SUV repainted when you can get the job done for much less cost? After all for appearances if you place both of these jobs side by side they may well look fine.

In fact, one may be actually be as good as the other – and you will be in the chips with the cheaper job. A low overhead , a low margin of profit and a volume business can make it possible for one shop to charge bargain basement prices and turn out a job that will stand up for years.

But cutting pries may also mean cutting corners. If you have ever painted a car or even a fence you know that a job takes time, patience and a good degree of skill. There are many chances for cutting corners. Failing to sand off rust for instance. Or skipping various steps in the process.

Here are some defects that might show up over time in a corner cutting paint job.

The most common defect is “Peeling”. Peeling is what happens most often. Sometimes the entire paint film lifts off right down to bare metal and you can see rust that was not removed. Or the sealing has not stuck to the primer coat or finish stuck to sealer.

Next in line is wrinkling. Wrinkling is a condition that you can almost always blame on the man or women who did the job. Perhaps too heavy a coat of paint was applied. Or the painter may have used a thinner that dried too fast. In warm weather this will produce a very heavy coat that will surface dry too rapidly. Insufficient thinner is another cause of wrinkling.

Cracking and checking may come from too much haste in turning out the job. Applying finish coasts before the coats underneath dry may well have occurred. Sudden temperature changes or the movement of body panels may cause fine cracks.

Should you take back a defective job like this – the painter may tell you that that “spotting in” would fix it up. It will not. The entire panel must be completely refinished.

Blistering of paint can be caused by a variety of conditions but if it happens soon after the car comes from the auto body shop you can almost always blame the painter.

Poor preparation of the metal always causes blisters and bubbles. Perhaps various steps were missed or fudged. Grease oil or dirt may have been left on the surface before painting began. Moisture or oil in the air line of the spray gun can cause blisters as well.

But if the job is done at a time of high temperature and humidity, be cautious about blaming the shop. These conditions may blister the very best paint job. Even nearby chemical plants or pollution can cause this as well.

How can you avoid such defects and problems? True in even in a full high priced job, some of these defects some or even all of these defects can show up. But your chances of missing them are far better.

Above all, know the shop and its reputation. If you are doubtful stand around awhile and watch. You might well do this while awaiting your estimate.

After all it is your SUV. Your vehicle is the best representation of you. Being careful and thorough is always the best policy.
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Your vehicle darts along the road, continuing to speed faster and faster. You press on the brakes, and discover you’ve lost control over the vehicle’s breaking system! Seconds later, you hit a wall. Proving Newton’s law that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” your head whips back against the headrest. The airbag, which ballooned on impact, cushions your head. With your cranium buried in the inflated airbag, you feel like a dummy, and that is precisely what you are - a crash test dummy. To optimize what they could learn from you, researchers had placed a video surveillance camera on the wall. Such cameras remain useful throughout the life of an automobile.

The Production
From start to finish, the production of an automobile is a very precise and meticulous process. Video surveillance cameras are vital in ensuring that quality control is always maintained. They are mainly used for inspecting many parts, verifying that parts have been positioned properly and in 3D guidance of robots. For instance “smart” cameras are frequently used in various stages of automobile production. The camera helps robots “learn” certain parts. The robots, in turn, use a “vision processor” to verify that a correct product has been installed.

Along an automobile assembly line, video surveillance cameras are also used to monitor the totally automated installation of the windshield and rear-window. Cameras ensure that parts, such as panels, have been positioned accurately onto the vehicle’s body.

The Testing
Many tests are conducted on automobiles. These are carried out to improve their quality and safety. One example is the crash test. High speed cameras, which can capture more frames per second than other cameras, are used. The camera helps to detail what happens to the passenger and automobile during the crash. Due to the high cost of crash tests, these cameras are invaluable in helping researchers obtain as much data as possible from the test. A video surveillance camera can be used for other types of tests on cars. For example, the road test checks whether or not the car is worthy to be driven on roads. Lastly, a video surveillance camera can be used to enforce quality control at emissions test centers, where the amount of pollutants that a vehicle produces is tested.

The Protection
In addition to assisting in the production and testing of automobiles, video surveillance cameras can also be used to safeguard automobiles from auto theft, a grave problem in America. Consider the following statistics.

* Every year, over one million vehicles are stolen in the United States.
* In 2005, the 2001 BMW M Roadster was the most frequently stolen passenger vehicle in the United States.
* In 2006, more vehicles were stolen in Las Vegas than in any other metropolitan area in the United States.

Mounted in places such as driveways, parking lots, parking garages, and car alarm stores, video surveillance cameras are valuable in protecting one’s investment. In addition to capturing visual evidence against car thieves, they also serve as a deterrent for those who are thinking about taking someone else’s Jaguar, Road Runner, or Bug.

There is no doubt that from the assembly line to the junkyard, video surveillance cameras shift gears to play vital roles in the lives of automobiles.
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Vehicles that will help you save money on gas

Prices at the pump are rising steadily; more and more of the vehicles being released get very low gas mileage. This makes it really hard to get around town or to work, on a budget. Well, there still are tons of options for vehicles that can save you tons of money at the pump.

If you’re not ready to take the plunge and buy a hybrid or electric vehicle, there are many gas-engine cars that get very good gas mileage. For small cars, the mini cooper (28 city/36 highway) gets you the most miles for your gallon. If you’re looking at midsize or large cars, you should check out Hyundai. The Elantra gets 27 city/34 highway, and the Sonata get 24 city/34 highway. If you’re looking into station wagons, the Pontiac Vibe and the Toyota Matrix both get 30 city/36 highway.

If you’re looking for a car with even better gas mileage, you should check out hybrid cars. The concept of a hybrid is that its engine is actually a combination of two engines: a traditional gas engine, and an electric engine. Unlike true electric cars, the electric engine is charged by the gas engine, so there’s no need to plug it in. And while all the power is ultimately derived from the gas engine, these cars, van’s, and SUVs still get way batter gas mileage and saving you tons of money at the pump. If you’re looking simply for the best gas mileage overall, you should check out the Honda insight; it gets 60 mpg city, 66 mpg highway. Plus it’s from Honda so you can be confident you’re getting a solid long lasting vehicle. If you’re looking for an SUV, the vehicle with the best gas mileage is the Ford Escape hybrid. It gets 31 mpg city, 36 mpg highway. Imagine, getting the gas mileage of a car (or better) from an SUV.

Another option for saving fuel that will be available on the market soon is the plug-in hybrid. You’re probably thinking “why would I want to plug in my hybrid when I can just get a regular hybrid?’ One dollar to get as far as a gallon of gas, that’s why. A plug in hybrid is the same as a regular hybrid except you have the option of charging the electric engine. This means that if you only take short trips, your gas engine will rarely even have to turn on, and electricity gets you as far as a gallon of gas for about $1. And, unlike normal electric cars, you never have to worry about your battery dying so you can go as far as you want on your gas engine.

If you want to just skip the gas altogether, there have been some great advances in electric vehicles. You’ll forget everything you know about electric vehicles when you see the Tesla Motors Roadster. It’s fully electric, so you can always get a gas mileage equivalent of about $1 per gallon. Unlike traditional electric cars, this one runs on a lithium ion battery, so it can go farther between charges (about 250 miles), it can go a lot faster (top speed of 130 mph), and to be honest, it just looks cooler. If an electric car ever catches on, it will most definitely be this one.

With any type of vehicle, you should keep your car in good shape and making sure it gets regular tune ups, this will help keep up gas efficiency. Also remember that the weight of the vehicle matters. Carrying around stuff you don’t need and always having a full tank will raise your gas mileage.reverse cell phone lookup|reverse cell phone lookup| reverse cell phone lookup

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The wear and tear of seemingly ordinary, day to day driving can take its toll on even the most cautious of drivers. Nicks, scratches, dents, chips, and the like, can etch the surface of your car like an acid, marring the pristine finish it had when you drove it off the lot. These unwanted (and yet inevitable) scars are the proud automobile owner’s nightmare, but can be easily remedied by way of the talents of a professional auto detailer.

Those long bouts of highway driving we are all subjected to from time to time, can be as frustrating for the drone of the open road as much as they are for the caked layer of insects which inevitably grace the hood, bumpers, windshields, and grills of a once clean car. It’s an annoyance most easily absolved through a thorough automobile detailing. A good auto detailer can polish, buff, and wax your car back into the condition you remember it, and the condition you deserve it to be in. Of course, you might say, professional automotive detailing is not a necessity, I can scrub and polish my own car, thank you very much.” But this can be a dangerous misconception. Using the wrong equipment, or using improper techniques, or unqualified persons to work on your car can actually do more harm than good.

Cheap shampoos, soaps, scrub brushes and such, can wear down the quality of your automobile’s paint job, leaving it more spotted, tarnished, and lusterless. Even hasty, careless work with something as seemingly inconsequential as a bristly old rag can leave nearly unnoticeable scuffs, slowly wearing down the shine of a once beautiful marriage of paint and wax. This is where the talents and experience of a professional auto detailer can save the day. In the hands of a good detailer, your car can gain back the brilliance it once had, and had subsequently lost through the trials and tribulations of everyday use.

And that’s nothing to say of the interior. We all of us know how easy it is to stain, scuff, and generally wear down the carpet and upholstery of your car of truck’s interior, leaving it a paltry version of its former self. And then there’s the non-visible horrors of an unclean car: the smell. The tiniest of coffee spills or other such filth and dirt that can so easily be trudged into your car, can burrow their foul odor deep in the fibers of carpets and seat covers. And anyone who has ever taken their dog for a ride to the park knows that unmistakable canine musk lingers on well after the dog blanket and tennis ball have been removed. Such unpleasant odors area fact of your car’s life, but are in no way a death sentence. A thorough auto detailing can exorcise even the most offensive aromas from that enclosed space where, behind the wheel, we spend so much of our time.

There’s no need to go on driving a car that is slowly deteriorating away from its former glory. We can all recall that new car smell, that fresh-off-the-lot fragrance that has burned its way into all car drivers’ memories; it’s one of the saddest truths about regular car use that this smell represents cleanliness, and whose only hope of recovery can be through cleanliness. automotive detailing is your best bet to improving the look and feel of your car is by utilizing the efforts of a good detailer. A full auto detailing will appease that nagging guilt you feel whenever the sun comes out and all the blemishes of a once fine automobile are exposed for every prying eye to see. His expertise can do what the rest of us folk have neither the time nor the equipment to accomplish – and he might just have you, if not enjoying, at the very least, dreading that unavoidable rush-hour just a little bit less.
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Japanese built and designed cars have flooded the North American market for over forty years now. Over time, many nameplates have come and gone, but Japanese cars continue to gain market share and acceptance with a growing number of motorists attracted to their high quality and durability. There are nine Japanese automobile manufacturing companies in existence. Can you name them? Let’s take a look at the list:

Toyota – The second largest automaker in the world is Toyota, maker of the Camry, the Corolla, and a host of SUVs, trucks, passenger cars, and a van. Toyota’s Lexus division produces luxury cars, while its Scion division manufactures youth oriented vehicles.

Honda – The Accord and the Civic are Honda’s two most well known models, followed by the Odyssey minivan, the Ridgeline truck, the Element, and several other passenger vehicles. Acura is the name given to Honda’s luxury car division.

Nissan – Drive a Datsun and then decide. Up until the early 1980s, Nissan’s North American nameplate was Datsun, but was switched to Nissan to give it a more global name. The Sentra, Maxima, and Pathfinder are amongst the division’s best selling vehicles. Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury car division. Renault Motors of France owns a controlling interest in Nissan.

Mitsubishi – Originally imported exclusively by Chrysler, Mitsubishi began to sell cars under its own name in the 1980s. Top selling models include the Lancer, the Eclipse, and the Montero. DaimlerChrysler owns a chunk of the company.

Mazda – The Tribute, Miata, and the “6” are some of the most well known Mazda models. The Mazda 6’s platform also powers several Ford Motor Company cars including the Mercury Milan. Ford owns an important stake in the company.

Subaru – Think all wheel drive and you may just think Subaru. The Forester, Outback, and Legacy are all top selling Subaru models. Fuji Heavy Industries [FHI] owns Subaru; General Motors has a 20 percent stake in FHI.

Suzuki – 20% owned by General Motors, Suzuki is as noted for producing cars as it is for manufacturing motorcycles. The Grand Vitara is one of its most noted models.

Isuzu – Did someone say General Motors? Again, GM owns a stake in Isuzu. At one time Isuzu imported cars to the US, but those days are over. Currently, Isuzu has a miniscule presence and the two vehicles they do sell – the Ascender SUV and I Series pick ups – are simply rebadged GMC vehicles.

Daihatsu – The Charade and Rocky were two models introduced by Daihatsu when the car company started selling vehicles in North America in 1988; four years later its North American operations were closed. In 1999, Toyota assumed controlling interest over the company.

So, there you have it: there are nine Japanese automakers, two of which are still independent. Much like the American market further consolidation is likely with nameplates disappearing entirely just like the Packard, Hudson, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and a host of other North American nameplates have driven off into the history books.
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Most of us never would want to see the inside of an auto body repair shop. At the most we can often smell the solvents being emitted by automotive body vehicle repair shop as we drive by and wonder how those people can make it through a work day never being precise and accurate in both matching the color of car panels and repairing auto, truck and S.U.V bodies after vehicle collisions.

It is only by accident – car accidents that most of us end up inside the premises of our local, dealer or a chain auto body shop.

Most shops now bear little relation to the establishments you may remember as a child – dark and dusty surrounded by both piles of used and new car parts as well as a mean guard dog in the yard. There may be a few of those still around but they are a dying breed. Repairing cars now, especially with the electronics in today’s vehicles, requires both skill, education and training, sophisticated tools and an ultra clean, modern shop.

Modern body shops now seem to be uniformly clean, well laid out and well lit. As well many body shops are laid out in several distinct separate staging areas. Vehicles are estimated in one area, body work done in another, electronic repairs in yet another area, painted in a very separate area, and finally detailed and presented to the customer in a display area.

If the vehicle has major damage, then it is moved to a disassembly area and onto a frame machine. Unibody construction is utilized by most autos today. Unibody is a an automotive and mechanical body term which describes how sheet metal is stamped, formed and welded together to form the structural portion of the car or truck body.
The purpose of the “frame machine” is not to straighten the car frame now – rather it is to straighten the unibody construction of the vehicle.

Measuring the vehicle body for correct unibody alignment is more than critical. As little as one millimeter error is all that is allowed by most car, truck and S.U.V. manufacturers. Laser measuring systems are used by many body shops along with the frame machine to ensure that everything is straightened accurately to the decimal point.

With the unibody of the vehicle straight, the car, truck or S.U.V. moves to the metal work area where new sheet metal is mounted and damages area straightened. This work is still done by skilled technicians and tradesmen using hammers and dollies, but even the work done by body shop technicians has been changed by modern technologies. Overhead vacuum lines are connected to the grinders and sanders to pull dust and dirt away from this part of the shop. Modern body shops can remain very clean and dust free- indeed modern electronics , and even the most modern hi tech electronics of hybrid vehicles demand this.

With the entire metal straight, it’s on to the paint preparation area, commonly referred to as “paint prep”. Quality shops will use dust extraction systems to remove the dust when sanding and spraying the paint primers. Infrared lighting systems may be used to cure primer paint quickly and properly. These infrared lights can shorten the cure time from 24 hours remarkably to as little as 20 minutes. All of these procedures both help you to get a higher quality assured job and get you back on the road in a minimal time span.

Painting the final colors and clear coats is done in a paint booth. There are many types and brands of paint booths, however it is generally accepted the best are the “downdraft” units where fresh filtered air enters the top of the booth and any underspray is pulled downward and out through grates in the floor. The downdraft procedure of paint booths can produce the best and most consistent of paint finishes. In addition a well trained operator can make a great difference in final paint and appearance quality and consistency. A dust free paint booth of any design is better than a dirty and dusty paint booth of the highest end. Before spending your money or committing yourself to the job or repairs it is always best to ask to examine several examples of the shops work on several vehicles. In addition ask to see finished examples of several different body types – cars, trucks, vans and SUVs. Look for smooth finishes with minimal dust specs and colors that match from panel to panel. These are the signs of a quality paint job done by a skilled and professional painter.

It goes without saying that a professional paint shop will be proud of their faculties- the layout, equipment, training of their staff – and most of all their people.

Such a shop should have no trouble, barring practical logistics, of allowing you a tour of their facilities. Indeed after all of their careful efforts they should be most proud to give you a tour and point out their strong points and capabilities as well as examples of their finished product.

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If there is a paradox that meanders through automobile vehicle owners – whether it is owners of cars, trucks or S.U.V.’s is that most owners and purchasers tend to short change their vehicle’s finish and final shiny finish and presentation. This absurdity is usually two fold: either the enthusiast loses patience, is lazy or simply runs out of money. However according to automotive industry expert Riteway Strokon “Presentation and Appearance is Everything” “ Presentation, Presentation , Presentation“ is similar to the Real Estate Salesperson’s adage of “Location , Location , Location”..

What factors need to be considered in the choice of car body paint shop and technician specialists who will prepare and apply the finish to your vehicle – be it car, truck or S.U.V.? First of all a proper and a through job of preparation are essential. Once cannot skimp on a foundation of a house and once cannot skimp on proper auto body paint preparation. A paint job is only as good as to what is underneath it. The auto body surface must be absolutely clean – first by a chemical stripper, next removing any rust apparent or not apparent on the car by either by chemical means or by sandblasting. Once those two are done the surface must be washed down with a metal conditioner to in effect etch the metal surface for better adhesion of the paint.

Next the surface of the vehicle is primed with a special “primer “coat of paint. The key thing to ask and look for at this stage of the process is whether the car with its coat of primer paint will be allowed to air dry and set for a number of days or whether the paint will be slapped on after only a cursory overnight time period of primer paint drying. After a thorough drying – this coat of primer paint will next be thoroughly and carefully sanded. Again attention to detail and patience are key. You can often judge these two traits in a shop and its staff by both their attention to cleanliness and order in their shop of tools and equipment, their general demeanor as well as references from previous customers.

Next in line is the actual painting process. Here again attention to detail is key. Not enough can be stressed on the importance of this stage in the vehicle painting process.

Lastly it comes to the post presentation finishing. Ask about this step. Some shops will consider the job “done” after the simple application of the surface paint.

Others will pay great attention to detail – inspecting and applying finishing touches- in effect making sure that everything and anything of the presentation and appearance of the car is in order. The vehicle so to speak should be in better than “new condition”. Ensure that body moldings as well as the rubber door seals are placed in properly – that is tight fitting without space so that the rubber doors seals seal fit intact and tightly without gaps. There should be no wind noises. Lastly ensure that no remnants of the finished paint job are apparent in small ways on your vehicle paint job.

All in all a more than excellent paint job more than adds great value and appreciation to your vehicle – whether it is Car, Truck or Sports Recreation Vehicle .
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Winter can pose many hazards to people that must leave the confines of home and venture out into icy conditions on roadways and into cold weather temperatures that could make shopping almost impossible. To make winter outdoors shopping more bearable, many townspeople will go outdoors shopping for salt spreaders that will keep the roadways near their home free of ice. Some town governments might go winter outdoors shopping and buy snow plows to clear the roadways everywhere.

People that live in areas where snow falls most of the year will get quite accustomed to going winter outdoors shopping even if it is summer or springtime. The items that they are intent on buying are those that will winterize the house and the items that they will be intent on buying are the ones that are designed to keep the warm air inside the home during winter, and ones that keep the cold inside the house during the summer. People will purchase weather stripping to keep drafts out of any room in the house at all times of the year.

People who live in rugged terrain areas need to have certain essentials in the car when they leave the house after a deep snowfall. If the automobile has been outside for a while, there is a good possibility that the electronic jump starter bought on an winter outdoors shopping trip will come in very handy when the automobile owner tries to crank it up and leave the driveway to get more shopping done before the Christmas holiday arrive.

Some winter outdoor shopping trips will be earmarked for buying things that will keep the family warm and safe, should the car break down on an isolated roadway. Some engines might not freeze up if the automobile owner had thought ahead and purchased an engine heater when the car was purchased many years before. Even if the automobile did break down, the heated cushions on the car seats could make things seem quite cozy until help arrives in the knick of time.

The automobile is a great asset to own but some things that are purchased on winter outdoor shopping expeditions will make owning it even more enjoyable. People can find great bargains on ski racks at internet retail sites and have enough money left over to make the ski resort reservations into two rooms or more. The wintertime provides sports enthusiasts with many opportunities to own gear that makes playing in the snow a brand new experience each year.

People that love playing in the snow might use the outdoor shopping sales to buy snowmobiles, snowboards and snow shoes to keep out the chill. Every snowmobile will have its own cover because the winter outdoor sales priced them with great discounts. A recreational vehicle owner might use the sales ads in winter to buy RV covers and a new set of windshield wiper blades. These items are all essential to vehicles be ready for the road when the idea of a ski trip happens one weekend.reverse cell phone lookup|reverse cell phone lookup| reverse cell phone lookup

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It’s that time of year again, when temperatures drop and ice and snow become the norm. Here are some of the most common winter driving hazards and cautions with tips on how to avoid or prepare for them.

Be Prepared

Before winter is in full swing, it’s important to take steps to insure that your vehicle is properly prepared. This includes checking your battery, windshield wipers, tires, coolant, windshield wiper fluid, spare tire, heater, defroster, any element that you were experiencing problems with and checking for any leaks. If your vehicle is in need of a tuneup or oil change, get these things done before winter hits. If you live in a region that gets alot of rain or snow, then consider getting special tires for these conditions. Also keep a set of tire chains with you at all times.

Getting Stuck

Should you get stuck somewhere due to being stuck in snow or some roads that you need to travel on are closed, you should have some essential emergency supplies with you. These include blankets, several day supply of food, several gallons of water, rope, flashlight, first aid kit, extra clothing, shovel, cat litter for traction if tires are stuck, scraper, jumper cables and a wheel wrench and wheel jack.

Keeping Warm

One excellent tip for keeping warm if stuck in your vehicle for a long period of time is to carry a candle and some matches or a lighter. Lighting a candle in the middle of your car can keep your entire vehicle warm while it is lit. So have some long lasting candles in your car and you won’t be cold if you get stuck.

Black Ice

Black ice is one of the worst hazards you can come upon when driving. You usually can’t tell you are on it until you start sliding. Worse yet, if you hit your brakes, it can cause you to slide even more or even overturn. The best defense for black ice is simply to go slow in areas where you know the ground is frozen and it’s been raining or snowing. In addition, you can use caution when applying your brakes if you start to slide. Pump your brakes slowly if you find yourself starting to slide. Also, if you start sliding in one area, it’s likely there are more areas of the road ahead that have ice on them, so stay alert and keep driving slow and cautiously.

Unexpected Weather

The best protection from unexpected weather is to keep your radio on and stay tuned to a news and weather station. They will let you know of any hazards, whether to watch out for ice, snow, rain or fog and whether any roads are closed or require chains. You’ll also want to keep a weather band or emergency radio in your trunk at all times with fresh batteries and extra batteries.

Handy Gadgets

The right technology can save your life. Consider getting a GPS for your vehicle, or a portable GPS. A GPS can stop you from getting lost and if you get stuck somewhere unfamiliar, it will show you how to get out and find help. A cell phone is something just about everyone has in their vehicle anyway. But consider keeping either a hand crank battery generator or a battery powered cell phone generator in your vehicle. Some flashlights and emergency radios come with a hand crank on the side, which you can hook up to your cell phone and give yourself virtually unlimited cell phone power, which can be a lifesaver in itself.reverse cell phone lookup|reverse cell phone lookup| reverse cell phone lookup

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