Drive Safe this Halloween

Halloween is a much-loved fall tradition for kids and adults alike. But irresponsible celebrating can quickly spoil the fun. With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, more drivers will be on the road with a costume party as their destination. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), Halloween is one of the worst nights for impaired driving accidents. Impaired driving is one of America’s most-often-committed and deadliest crimes. In 2008, 3,434 people in California were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

Halloween is a particularly deadly night due to drunk drivers. In 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6 pm Oct. 31 to 5:59 am Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or higher. 

We don’t want revelers taking the party to the roadways, putting trick-or-treaters and responsible motorists at risk.  Real-life nightmares can be prevented by taking simple precautions.

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  Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
  
  
  
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  Before drinking, please designate a sober driver;
  
  
  
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  If you’re impaired, and haven't designated a sober driver, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;
  
  
  
  
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  If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement
  
  
  

Drunk driving has frightening consequences. Not only do you risk killing or injuring yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can be significant. 

Drunk driving violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off from work.  Refusing to take a sobriety test in many jurisdictions may result in the loss of your license on the spot and the impoundment of your vehicle. Not to mention the added embarrassment, humiliation, and consequences after informing family, friends and employers.

More information can be found on http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/.

What to do immediately after a car accident

On my way to work on Monday morning, I passed 3 car accidents, and I live less than 15 miles away from work! Monday is usually a hectic day on the roads, but 3 accidents within 5 miles of each other, that was something else. If you were in an accident (knock on wood), would you know what to do?

I asked the President of Patrion Insurance, Mari Rezinas, for the steps she suggests to take right after you get in a car accident, regardless of who is at fault.

1. If you think it was your fault do not admit so to the other party, your insurance company will determine fault.
2. If anyone is injured call 911 and ask for the police to come to the scene. In the event of a major injury, ask for the police and ambulance. Once the police arrive, ask for them to complete a written accident report and ask for that report number. You will need to provide this number to your insurance company. NOTE: If no one is injured, and if both cars are drivable, calling 911 is not necessary.
3. Find out if there are any witnesses to the accident and if so, get their name, address and phone number.
4. Most importantly, obtain the following information from the other driver:

• Name, address and phone number.
• Drivers License number. NOTE: If the address is different on the license than what they gave you, write it down.
• Insurance Card information showing Insurance Company name and phone number and Policy Number.
• Complete license plate number and year, make and model of their car.
• Ask to see the registration and if the name on registration is different than the driver, write down the information off the registration. In addition, double check to be sure the License Plate number on the registration matches the car.

5. After leaving the accident scene, contact your insurance agent. If you do not have an agent, go to your insurance company's web site and get their toll free number for reporting a claim. Usually within 24 hours you will be assigned an adjuster who will contact you.

The above information is great if it was the “perfect accident”. However, the only accident I was in was a hit-and-run. It wasn’t a horrible accident; the person wasn’t paying attention and hit me from behind at stop light. Of course, I proceeded to pull to the side of the road, when they zoomed right past me! I managed to catch up to them and get their license plate number and “nicely” gesture to pull over. They just kept zooming away. In this event, I contacted my insurance company who informed me to issue a police report. My insurance company assigned an investigator to my case and searched and finally found the other party’s insurance company, who covered the damages to my car. Lesson learned, ALWAYS get the license plate number, otherwise you don’t have a case and you’ll likely have to cover the damages.

Honda's concept car for 2011

Honda’s brining back the Honda CR-X, sort of. At the 2009 Tokyo Motor show, Honda introduced a new concept car, the Honda CR-Z, a hybrid powered sports coupe. The car is set to be available for the 2011 model year. In the late 1980’s, Honda designed and produced the CR-X, an economy hatchback sports car, leaving room for only 2 passengers.
The Honda CR-Z is a mix between the Honda CR-X and Honda Insight.

The rather homely first-generation CRX morphed into a beautiful, elemental sports coupe with a 1988 redesign, and the Si version was a riot to drive—lightweight, just enough power to cause trouble, and razor sharp handling…Honda cancelled the CRX after the 1991 model year, replacing it with an odd little car called the Civic del Sol.

Staying true to fuel efficiency and a coupe, the Honda CR-Z will only have room for two passengers, not four. The Honda CR-Z will make its production version debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, scheduled for this January.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z’s exterior design clearly shows the influence of the CRX and the first-generation Honda Insight, the company’s first production hybrid model. The profile and overall proportions are similar to the second-generation (1988-1991) CRX, while the roofline bears a resemblance to the Insight.

Information about the Honda CR-Z is available at JDPower.com.

Auto theft hits a 20-year low

Is vehicle theft a thing of the past? Not likely, however, technology is making it harder for auto theft. Auto manufactures are developing more sophisticated anti-theft technology for new makes and models. USA Today reported that 

vehicle theft has fallen to a 20-year low even as the number of vehicles on the road has doubled, as manufacturers install sophisticated anti-theft technology in cars and police target organized car-theft rings.

Many vehicles come standard with factory alarms, ignition immobilizers, and GPS tracking devices. However, not all autos include these standard luxuries, especially base models and older vehicles. Read our post Older cars still valuable…to thieves to find out what the top 10 vehicles are being stolen today.

If you don’t have some type of anti-theft or tracking device for your car, consider one. At minimum, an alarm system is the cheapest way to go because it can help deter a thief.  If you have a little extra to spend, there are satellite tracking systems that can help police track your vehicle (and hopefully, before it’s stripped into a bare frame). These systems include Sat Track and Guidepoint and both will help police locate your vehicle anywhere in the United States, Mexico and Canada. A cheaper version of a GPS system is Lojack. And instead of satellite tracking, Lojack uses radio frequency technology. This limits the area of the signals reach. Just think of your cell phone as Lojack and a GPS system as satellite radio, like XM radio.  And, in my experience, my cell phone won't work when I need it the most.

In addition to keeping your vehicle safe, most insurance companies will provide discounts on your premium for having a theft-deterrent or auto-recovery system. Contact your insurance provider for more details on applicable discounts.

If you’re interested in investing in a product listed above, contact Auto Expert for more information at 1-800-359-4567.

Start your car with iPhone's new app

Viper Smart Start is a new app that you can download for your iPhone to control your car.  With over 75,000 applications for iPhone, including apps for ordering take out, navigating and map questing, a vehicle control feature is a natural evolution.  According to Viper's website,

With SmartStart, you can use your iPhone to pre-warm your car’s cabin in the winter, pre-cool it in the summer, lock and unlock your doors, arm and disarm your vehicle’s security system, open your trunk, and even find your car in a parking lot, all using your iPhone.

The application is free, however the hardware and service comes with a cost.  This product is exclusively available at Best Buy and they're selling the product for $499, which includes the first year of service.  Thereafter, the service is $29.99 per year.  Unlike most factory remote keyless entry or starters, this application works pretty much anywhere and at any distance from your car, as long as you're in the 3G cellular network or over Wi-Fi.  And, all your vehicles can be accessed by your one application, however the hardware would need to purchased and installed for each vehicle. 

With this product, you can share the same features as a luxury model in your economical, older model car, truck or SUV!  Who say's you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Is it really all that simple?  The application, yes; the installation of the hardware, no.  Professional installation is required by authorized retailers, which is Best Buy, as of now.  In addition, like all new technology, the Viper Smart Start being sold is the first version.  There will be more upgraded versions to come.  After the New Year, Auto Expert will be able to offer this product, including mobile installation.

For more information about this product, visit www.viper.com/SmartStart

Contest - Looking for the funniest bumper sticker, personalized license plate or license plate frame

Auto Expert wants to challenge you in finding the funniest bumper sticker, personalized plate or license plate frame.  Submit your picture of either one (or all three if you're up to it) by Tuesday on our facebook page, and we'll have our facebook fans vote on the funniest one.

The winner will receive a $20 gas card!  Gas isn't cheap nowadays, this will be a great opporunity to score some!

Have fun!

2010 Green Car of the Year finalists announced, diesels vs. hybrids

 2010 Green Car of the Year finalists announced, diesels vs. hybrids

Last year, Volkswagen's new Jetta TDI was named the 2009 Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show, which means that the Volkswagen Golf TDI has a bit of baggage if it wants to win the 2010 award. Regardless, the Golf was named one of five finalists today, along with the Audi A3 TDI, the Honda Insight, the Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Toyota Prius. Odd that the Mercury would be chosen above the Ford Fusion Hybrid, but so it goes. That makes it two diesels and three hybrids vying for top spot.

The Green Car of the Year award is given out by Green Car Journal, which narrows the field of green cars down to five and then turns over picking the winner to "jurors such as Jay Leno, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Carroll Shelby, Matt Petersen of Global Green USA and the Sierra Club's Carl Pop."  Read more...

Helpful website to help manage traffic and your traveling plans

I despise traffic, especially Monday morning traffic. I normally don't carpool because it seems that the two people I can potentially carpool with have fluctuating schedules, so having 1 car for 3 people just doesn’t work for us. And, I don’t have a hybrid vehicle. Therefore, the carpool lane is out for me. When sitting on the freeway, stuck in traffic, I’m always tempted to break the law and cross the double yellow lines. But, I stay true and sit tight in the frustrating lines of red! At least once a month, I travel to Orange County and LA for early morning meetings. In my experience, the 91 and 5 freeways always seem to be parking lots, even on a mid-week afternoon.


Luckily, my husband informed me of Sigalert.com a very cool and interactive website. On the homepage, a map of the southern California freeways and main highways are displayed in primary colors of red, yellow and green. The colors indicate traffic traveling in a specific range of speed - red for less than 30 mph, yellow between 42-50 mph and green for speeds above 55 mph. There are also diamond symbols to signify any notices of collisions, hazards, lane closures, etc.


On Sigalert.com, you can plan your route with either the fastest or shortest routes. And, you can access the site on your phone and, for iPhone users, there’s a web application just for you. The site also offers My Sigalert feature that saves personalized routes in which you can view up-to-the-minute speeds on your most traveled freeways. My Sigalert also has Traffic Alerts, in which the site will notify you via text or email when a problem arises on your route. This feature is only $19.95 per year and their offering a 2 week free trial.

Hope you enjoy this helpful site.  Thanks to my hubby for this tip of information!

Older cars still valuable...to thieves

Older cars are still susceptible to being stolen.  According to MSN autos, Hot Wheel’s top 10 most stolen cars include: 

1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 2000 Dodge Caravan
7. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee
8. 1994 Honda Integra
9. 1999 Ford Taurus
10. 2002 Ford Explorer

Overall auto theft is declining five years in counting, however vehicles like Hot Wheel’s top 10 are eye-catching, and not because of their look, but for their substance.  

According to MSN auto, the parts on these vehicles, especially headlights, tire, catalytic converters and anything made of copper, is highly valuable on the black market.

In addition, owners are less likely to protect an older vehicle, thinking a newer version of their vehicle is more susceptible to theft. On the contrary, new makes and models include standard theft-deterrent systems such as a factory alarm, kill switch, fuel cut-offs, OnStar (standard feature in GMs) and smart keys.  

Does this mean you have to go out and buy a brand new car if you have an older vehicle, especially one listed above? The answer is no. If you don’t have the funds to make a payment and/or comfortable with your current vehicle, take precautions to protect your vehicle. This best defense, and at no cost is you, is lock your doors. And, don’t leave the car running or the key in the ignition just to step away to the ATM, drug store, to pay for gas, etc. Don’t leave valuable items in the car or, at least, have them out of sight, including your purses, bags, and loose change. And, if you’re willing to invest in an anti-theft or theft-recovery system, do! This doesn’t mean buying The Club anti-theft device…I don’t even think they make those anymore. This simple can be an alarm. If you would like more information regarding Auto Expert’s theft-deterrent and/or theft-recovery systems that are installed at your home or work, please contact us at 1-800-359-4567.