Car Sharing

Things parents can do to help reduce the costs of car insurance for teens:

According to a 2004 study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly a third of all traffic-related fatalities are represented by teenagers. Further studies have shown that teen drivers are far more likely to commit errors behind the wheel, make poor decisions, and drive at unsafe speeds than any other age group. This is the main reason why car insurance companies attach high premiums to teen policyholders. Their business model is based upon risk management strategies, and teenage drivers clearly represent a significantly higher level of risk.

Fortunately, there are steps that parents can take in order to reduce their teen’s auto insurance rates. Below, you’ll learn 5 ways to control the costs of car insurance for teens while helping to ensure that your teenager also remains safe on the road.

#1 – Watch Their Grades

Auto insurers use profiles to determine the potential risk of underwriting a policy. Good grades usually reflect responsibility and good decision-making skills. As a result, carriers often reward teens – and their parents – with a rate reduction. Each insurance company has varying guidelines regarding discounts on premiums for good grades. Ask your car insurance company about their GPA requirements.

#2 – Encourage Traffic School

Teenage drivers tend to speed, attracting more than their fair share of traffic tickets. Unfortunately, traffic tickets cause their insurance rates to rise. The good news is that their driving record can remain clean if they agree to attend traffic school (if/when the judge offers them the option). However, left to their own devices, a lot of teenagers will avoid spending an entire Saturday in class. Make sure they attend. Not only will it give them the opportunity to reflect on their mistake, but a clean record helps keep premiums manageable.

#3 – Choose A Practical Car

Your 16-year-old son may want a red Corvette, but buying one for him will likely cause his insurance rates to rise. Car insurance companies consider teenagers with sports cars to represent a higher potential risk than otherwise. Opt for a 4-door vehicle that is safe to drive, fuel efficient, and comes equipped with safety features (i.e. airbags). Your teenager’s insurance premiums will be lower.

#4 – Add Them To Your Policy

It’s usually more cost-effective to add your son or daughter to your family car insurance policy than it is to open a new policy for them. If you can have them categorized as a “part-time” driver, you’ll enjoy lower rates. Carriers consider full-time teenage drivers as a higher risk; the premiums will reflect that increased risk.

#5 – Cultivate The Right Attitude

Despite what a lot of parents think, their teenagers often become involved in traffic collisions because of their attitude toward driving, not a lack of skills. Young adults develop a sense of invulnerability. As a result, they often neglect to drive safely. This lack of concern while behind the wheel leads to traffic tickets and accidents.

Ride along with them. Take note of their driving skills, decision-making ability, and attitude. If you can nurture the right perspective in your son or daughter, they’re more likely to drive safely and keep their record clean. And remember, a clean driving record leads to lower car insurance premiums.

Parents, Teenagers, and Premiums

Teenage drivers are at an immediate disadvantage. They’ve already been profiled by auto insurers as a high-risk group and are instantly saddled with higher insurance rates. That said, parents can take a few savvy steps in order to help manage the costs. By encouraging good grades, traffic school (when available), buying a practical car, and adding them to a family policy, they can keep the premiums at a reasonable level. Finally, they should invest time to cultivate the right attitude toward driving. By doing these 5 things, parents can significantly lower their – and their kids’ – auto insurance rates.

Kade Phillips
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/car-insurance-101-for-teenage-drivers-and-their-parents-1087958.html

There’s few investments that will cost you so little and deliver so much than a car bike rack.

If you’re a bicyclist, you already know the pleasures and advantages of bike riding. Biking is an excellent way to lose weight, or more importantly to maintain once you’ve lost that weight. And it’s also a most enjoyable way to see the sights of a city. But biking is a lot more enjoyable if you can get out to the parks or out into the suburbs where you can enjoy the quiet of nature.

If you hesitate to bike because you don’t like being on your own, there are plenty of biking clubs eager for members. By joining a bike club you’ll meet people who share the same kind of interests. You’ll have an incentive to go out biking on a regular basis. It’s a win win situation.

The whole wide world is before you – at least, the parts of it that you can reach with your car. By taking advantage of your mechanical wheels you can get out to the trails in the mountains, woods, or even on the beaches.

But if you’re going on a long distance journey, you’ll need to transport your bikes somehow, and the perfect way to do that is with a car bike rack.

You’ve spent a lot of money on your bike – whether it’s one designed to take you over hill and dale, or one designed to take you careening down mountain trails – and you don’t want it damaged or scratched before you even get it out onto the trails.

You’ve also spent a lot of money on your car, truck or SUV, and you don’t want that unnecessarily scratched, or stained with dirt or grease.

So you need to invest in a car bicycle rack as well.

The Car Bike Carrier for Every Vehicle

There is a bike rack out there that will fit any car, any truck, any SUV.

There are three types of bike rack on the market. The most common rack you see is the rear-mounted rack, which is attached to the trunk of your car. This type of rack generally only holds up to 3 bicycles.

Also available is the hitch rack, sometimes called the receiver rack. This type of car bike rack fits over your car hitch, which keeps the bikes further away from your trunk, and you can generally hold up to five bicycles.

Those two racks are the most popular, but some people worry about being rear-ended in an accident, which would of course do a considerable amount of damage to their bicycles. So they elect to get a roof rack.

The roof rack, also called a top rack, is just what it seems – a rack that fits on the top of your car. Bikes are safer up there if you’re afraid of a casual fender bender. But you do have to have the strength to lift the bike up or down from its perch.

There are so many styles of car bike racks, so many manufacturers of quality, that you’ll be sure to find something that fits your needs at the price you can afford, and it will protect your investments in car and bike as well. So don’t delay, go out and get a car bike rack today.

Alastair Hamilton
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/the-car-bike-rack-a-good-investment-93069.html

There are proposals in the UK to try out car sharing, where lanes are to be used only for cars with two or more people in, to cut down on congestion.
Should this be made compulsary for all car journeys during rush hour?
There would be half the number of cars on the road, which should speed up journeys. It would also be cheaper, as costs could be shared.
Could it work?

they already do it on the ring road in Bristol and it works well. I makes good sense. if two people work in the same place and live close then why not travel together. I’ve always said that. Even in the moderately small town where I live we get jammed right up at rush hour, its a nightmare.

There are many different types of car clubs to be found on the internet. From mechanical knowledge to auto enthusiast shows, a car club provides a great number of benefits and perks to car owners. An online car club may not seem like something you would expect to be popular. However, they continue to grow in popularity all the time as more people join online car clubs. Virtually every make and model of vehicle has some kind of web club devoted to it. For some people a car is just a means of transportation but for others it’s an entire lifestyle.

An online car club allows car owners to interact with one another no matter where in the world they happen to be located. It’s a great way to connect with others who share an interest in fine cars. The internet has made it an everyday ability to touch base with those nowhere physically near you. Interacting with fellow car lovers is just another way to use the World Wide Web to your advantage.

If you happen to be interested in the purchase of a certain type of car, consulting one of these web clubs can help with your decision. Most of these sites have discussion forums where you can find information on the vehicle in terms of engine specs, maintenance and the best price to bargain for. Likewise, if you have a problem with your vehicle, fellow owners of that same car may be able to help you out with it.

Most of these web based car clubs are strictly not for profit organizations. This means they should never ask for fees to join. There may occasionally be the option to pay a fee for additional membership perks but the option to join free is always there. Advertisers often use the site to sell features or parts for the car the club is focused on so there is never any need for members to have to pay anything to be part of an online community.

Many car clubs involve themselves in charity work and fundraising events. It’s a fantastic way to use your love for your vehicle to bring some positivity to others. Often fundraising will be done at a car show or event where people are invited to donate whatever they feel comfortable donating. Sometimes donations can be made through the club’s website.

Members of online car clubs tend to schedule meet and greets so that members can meet up in person. Those who live within a certain radius of one another may organize meet ups at a local track where it’s safe and legal to race or have a public barbecue. Car enthusiasts seek to share their passion with others who understand it. That camaraderie can be found easily with online car clubs.

Whether you drive an inexpensive car with limited horse power or a sleek, expensive racy model, there is a web based car club for your vehicle. Browse the site for some helpful information or jump into the conversation. There is no end to the ways you can enjoy being part of this type of car club.

Levi Quinn

Today, the latest hobby on the road is Remote controlled cars and trucks that give you the experience of the road, race and tracks but without the traffic cops, speed limits and red lights. If you are the one driving the Remote controlled car or truck then you decide how fast you want to go.

There are a range of options you could choose from. Just as in the real world of automotive cars, the world of radio controlled cars also offers are range variety of new and futuristic concept cars, off road and on road cars, monster trucks, entry level buggy, nitro powered cars and mini cars.

The endless options are open to everyone and all sorts of people of all ages can operate RC trucks and cars. The choice rests entirely on your hands and on your preferences. And if you need any information, you can always depend on fellow enthusiasts to share their knowledge and expertise on the subject.

RC vehicles need the same amount of maintenance and upkeep as the real world vehicles and for the same reason too- to ensure that the vehicle remains in top condition and does not experience any failures.

Maintenance includes everything from powdering either through nitromethane based fuel or electricity, to replacing accessories and parts. You will have to have a stock of specific standard RC equipment required for maintenance.

Additionally, there is an assortment of accessories that you can purchase for your remote controlled car. Remote controlled car accessories will help you if you want your car to be aggressive and aesthetically pleasing or if you want to higher your level of road experience.

Here follows a list of common RC accessories that you should not forget to include in your RC car:

1. Starter boxes:
When a new vehicle is started, the engine needs to break in which could be a difficult process initially. With a starter box, this process is made simpler by eliminating the requirement to perform a pull start. It provides the boost required by the engine to break in and the car gets going in hardly any time.

2. Fuel:
Without fuel of course, the possibility of you going anywhere with the car is zero. The owner’s manual will recommend a specially formulated fuel kind for you, which varies from car to car.
And if you’re doing the refueling job yourself, you will probably require a fuel filler bottle. You can choose from number of sizes, with angled, long tips that prevent spills.
Additionally, rags and a fuel cleaner will prove handy in case of spills and drips.

3. Glow plugs:
Keep spare glow plugs in case your glow plug fails and spoils the fun. They can be easily changed along the course. The best idea would be to stash your box with a small kit which includes glow plug igniter, spare glow plugs, a charger and a glow plug wrench.

4. RC tools:
RC tools are specialized tools that keep the vehicle going. A magnetic balancer, temperature gauge, gear puller, glow plug wrench and tool pouch are standard tools included in an RC tool kit.

5. Air Filter Oil:
It is mandatory to replace the air filter at regular intervals. It is convenient if you carry a special air filter oil along with you which can improve the air filters function and increase the engines life.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/needlework-articles/rc-car-accessories-tips-to-make-your-rc-car-function-well-739760.html

Car sales in Australia are improved last year 2007, but this year its quiet flipped because of some global problems like the increase of fuel price in International market in the previous quarters of 2008. Australia have a more than 15 million motor vehicles on the road which is about 77% are passenger vehicles. Last year over 1 million vehicles are sold in Australia which is 60% of that was passenger vehicle cars and the remaining percentage are sold SUVs.

According to the car sales from November, 2007 to November, 2008, the car sold are seasonally adjusted depends on every month of the year. And it depends also into the car sales of every city in Australia. Because some of the cities have decrease each sales and some are increase. But In general, the sales are depreciate this year because of fuel price. But it doesn’t mean that car sales are totally lowered in percentage, there’s a little bit adjustment only. Because of this quarter of the year, the car sales are on the go for booming it again. Due to the lowering of fuel price in international market, many of car buyer are on the go again to buy some cars.

The most car model sold are Toyota which have an about 22.5 percent share. Next car model sold are Holden who has 14%, and Ford that has 10% market share in Australia. Because of the number of passenger cars in Australia, the most sold car are Toyota corolla which is often to be a passenger car. So, you can notice the depreciation of private vehicles sales. In that matter, the fuel turmoil during the previous quarters of the year is the main reason why the car sales are low. That’s why, car industry are still on recovery in this quarter.

About the sales of used cars versus the new cars, used cars are more sales than new cars. No wonder because all over the world. In car industry, used cars are most in retail because of the economical price of it. If you compare of the new cars, used car price are almost half of the price of the new car. When it comes to the quality of the engine, new car is advantage. But when it comes to the price, used car is advantage. But you need to check the quality of the used car you want to buy. Since it was used already, you are not assure of the quality of it. You need to check the parts of it (Engine, Body, Chassis). Unlike the new cars that you don’t need to check it because it was surely on the good condition. In Australia, used cars are greater in sales because of the lower price of it than the new cars. The best example or used cars great sales are this year 2008. Because or the fuel hike, car buyers are made their own choice to buy used cars in order to get a lowest price. In generalization, the win-win situation when it comes to the car sales this 2008 was in favor of used car dealers.

jabo

The World Wide Web (www) is popular mostly owing to the fact that people can join discussions and seek information on any topic that they might wish to. These are known as public message centers. These forums provide a wide range of information on any topic that people might want to discuss, make inquiries or give information on. In this case, let us look into a typical remote controlled car forum.

You can find all the information you need on your favorite model to your hearts satisfaction, as there are indefinite sites that will give you exactly what you want. At any given point of time, there will be innumerable topics you can participate in, give suggestions on or just post your own articles about, and share them with the world.

The best thing bout a forum is the convenience and the terrific support extended by the RC car lovers community. There is also facility to trade items of your choice online. Considering the number of people who will be viewing what you post, you will probably get instantaneous response in as much as minutes. There are messaging facilities on the forum system, so that you can get the information that u seek instantaneously.

There are broadly two categories of RC cars- hobby and toy grade. While toy grades are almost entirely powered by electricity, hobby grades use either electricity or fuel. Information on both the grades can be found in the forums where you can pose questions that will be answered by the masses. very often there are clashes of opinions on the forums, which results in pages and pages of useful information and insights.

Let us review the most used discussions or topic headers in a typical remote controlled cars forum. There is a polling station where you can vote on everything related to RC cars. Other popular discussions are on electric types, off and on-road types and nitro boosted vehicles. There are also options to post paint detailing of a vehicle. The threads have support for mini cars, micro cars and monster trucks.

A very good reason for visiting a forum is to update yourself on the ongoing projects undertaken by people that can encourage you to perhaps make or upgrade your own kit. You can also compare records and check up on stat details and stories behind them.

There will also be a section dedicated to the tuning of your chosen model. Forums provide extensive help, as they are a culmination of the best in that particular topic. There are also posts that monitor and compare the stats of every vehicle for reference.

Whichever your RC forum may be, in all likeliness there will be plenty of help as well as information available and a number of friends you could make in the bargain. This virtual niche has a vast amount of information and it wouldn’t hurt to add some of your own to it. So go ahead, post your opinions and share your ideas with world and community of enthusiasts. A wonderful sense of community and belonging springs when people share common ideas, views and interests and one is always benefited when one pursues ones hobby with the support and enthusiasm of others.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/needlework-articles/rc-car-forums-great-source-of-tips-for-rc-car-enthusiasts–739761.html

Pssst – Want To Know A Secret That Banks and Car Insurance Companies Don’t Share With You

Every single driver in the U.S. is required to have Car Insurance. And most of us drive around confident that we have adequate coverage to protect us should we ever be involved in an accident.

Yet, almost 97% of all drivers are not adequately protected….and don’t even know it. Here’s what I mean.

Let’s say you’re involved in an accident and it’s serious enough that the car is considered a “total loss” by your Insurance Company. Or, maybe your vehicle gets stolen. A few weeks later, you get a check from your Insurance Company.

When you look at the amount, you’re shocked. It’s thousands less than what you owe on your car. How can that be, you ask?

Well, like most, your policy has this short clause buried somewhere in all that legalese -

“In the event of a total loss, the policy holder will receive the actual cash value of the vehicle, minus any deductible.”

Did you catch the 3, very important words in that clause? The three words are – “actual cash value.”

Actual Cash Value means you’re going to get a get a check for….

“What it’s worth” not “What you owe.”

Isn’t that a nasty little surprise.

And like most, you owe quite a bit more than what the car or truck is worth. What would you owe your Bank or Credit Union if your car was totaled today?

So, how do you avoid this situation?

Well, when you buy a new or used vehicle, add a “rider” to your policy or purchase a separate “rider.”

If you have Homeowners or Rental insurance, a “rider” might sound familiar. For a homeowner’s policy, if you own expensive items, like fine jewelry, you need to add a rider to your policy. The reason – Insurance Companies won’t cover those types of items as part of a regular insurance policy.

So, you pay an extra $5 or $6 a month to have those items fully covered by the “rider.”

If anything ever happens to the jewelry, it gets replaced.

A rider for your car or truck is called GAP Insurance or GAP Protection. It’s just like the rider for your Home – except it’s only for cars, vans, trucks or suv’s.

It covers “What You Owe”, not “What its worth.”

It doesn’t matter what the reason is – if it’s ever totaled due to theft, fire, accident, flood, tornado, vandalism, hurricane, it’s covered – and paid-in-full!

You can protect yourself four different ways.

1. Put at least 20%-30% down on any new or used car purchase to erase any gap;

2. Purchase a “Rider” – AKA GAP Insurance from your Car Insurance Company or Bank;

3. Purchase Gap Insurance from another Insurance Company;

4. Buy Gap Insurance from the Dealership you’re buying at.

Any one of these options is great way to protect yourself. Whether you’re getting ready to purchase a new car or truck, or purchased a vehicle in the last 12 months, make sure the “gap” between what your vehicle is worth and what you owe is covered.

Tom O’leary
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/pssst-want-to-know-a-secret-that-banks-and-car-insurance-companies-dont-share-with-you-133494.html