Whether you are a driver that has recently passed, or an experienced driver, travelling in the snow can greatly affect the way you need to drive the car and also how your car behaves.

Regardless of whether your car has the best braking system available, it is often not the car brakes that will cause an accident in such conditions, but the lack of grip between the road surface and the tyres. This is fairly apparent, nevertheless many people believe that their vehicle is safer to driver in snow as it is high-performance or has the latest stability control technology, which may not be the case.

The cornering ability of the car is almost non-existent, and it may feel like you can not control the vehicle and might slide sideways slightly. It is essential to remain focused and refrain from any sudden braking, sharp acceleration, and travelling at high speeds. Be aware of what is around you and allow plenty of time to react to any situation, such as moving traffic. Before reaching the turn, ensure that you have slowed down long before taking the corner, and also make certain that you do so in a straight line so that you avoid loss of control.

When pulling away from a stand-still; try and do so a higher gear such as in second as opposed to first. This will limit the degree of wheel spin you could encounter. Likewise, whilst travelling, drive in as high a gear as possible to also limit wheel spin.

A remarkable point to make is that most drivers, however experienced they are at driving in typical conditions, will in fact have driven fewer miles in the snow than they will have in normal driving conditions when they were learning to drive. This shows the amount of drivers on the road that may be unproven drivers in snow.

When braking, avoid any sudden slowing down as this will cause the car to skid if you are on ice or snow. Should you find yourself skidding, release your foot from the brake and reapply (you may remember this from your driving lessons, although with ABS technology doing this for you in the dry, this may not have been the case). Additionally, you can also use the gears to help slow down the vehicle somewhat. Change to a lower gear carefully and allow the engine help the car lessen its speed.

Although there is a lot to consider when driving in the snow, it is also highly important that you bear in mind that other drivers may not be experienced in the snow. Consequently, do not assume that other drivers are going to do something; in other words, expect the unexpected. One example would be to assume that a driver is going to stop and give way whilst you are manoeuvring around a roundabout, although this may not occur if the driver has not applied their brakes early enough.

Importantly, before setting off on your journey, consider the following: - Do you have to take the journey, and if you do can it wait until the roads are clear? - Do you have a mobile phone with you in case of an emergency? - Have you informed someone of where you are going? - Have you checked that your destination is accessible by road? - Do you have a blanket or appropriate clothing in case you become stranded in traffic?

About the author:

Justin Brown is the owner of the site http://www.idealauto.co.uk where you can find information on a variety of automobile related subjects, and also sell any used cars in the UK.

Technorati Tags: automotive, autocare, auto care, car care, auto repair

Many factors affect the premium you will pay for auto insurance. Each is a statistically based risk for a specific population. The higher the risk associated with a person, the more he or she is likely to pay for coverage. We have elaborated on some of the risk factors below, but there are numerous others, including driver’s gender, miles driven per year, purpose for using the vehicle (commuting to work, using for work, leisure only), etc.

Factors you CANNOT easily change that affect your car insurance rates:

. Age
Statistically, drivers under the age of 25 are at greater risk of being in an accident than those over age 25. Drivers between the ages of 50 and 65 generally have the safest records.

. Gender
Women are statistically safer drivers.

. Marital Status
A married person will pay less than a single person with an identical driving record. Factors you CAN change that affect your car insurance rates

. Geography
Where you live makes a difference. Folks living in areas with little or no traffic are likely to spend less on insurance than those living in congested cities or suburbs because areas with a lot of traffic tend to see more accidents. Some neighborhoods also have a higher rate of vehicle thefts, which can result in a higher premium.

. Driving Violations
Having an accident or moving violations on your record (speeding tickets, DWI, reckless driving, etc.) put you at a higher risk for accidents and will likely mean a higher premium. Some insurance companies will penalize you for your record for as many as five years from when the incident occurred. However, keep in mind, as your record improves, your premium will get lower.

. Vehicle Type
El cheapo car will cost less to insure than that status symbol SUV sitting on 24″ rims baby.

. Accident Claims
A driving record that is clean and free of accidents will hold fare better for you than lots of tickets and/or accidents.

. Credit Rating
Many insurance companies view having a poor, or even no credit history as suggestive of higher risk and thus, charge you a higher premium.

. Occupation
Insurers have statistically found a correlation between your occupation and risk. For instance, a newspaper delivery person is most likely a higher risk than the personal banker sitting at their desk all day.

Other factors that help determine premiums:
. Driving distance to work
. Miles driven each year
. Years of driving experience
. Business use of the vehicle
. Whether or not you currently have auto insurance
. Theft protection devices (often results in discounts)
. Multiple cars and drivers (another opportunity for discounts)

What can I do right now to make sure I have the lowest premium?

Shop around and compare quotes from different insurers. They base their premiums on their claims experiences, which naturally differ. One company may see your area as a higher risk than others may. Another may charge more because of your occupation. Shopping at http://www.carinsurance.com makes it easier because you can quickly see multiple companies and their rates for your particular situation.
Where do I go for quotes?

One stop can take care of it all. Go to www.carinsurance.com where you can receive multiple quotes, pick the best price, and then purchase. Get covered immediately on-line or over the phone. It REALLY is the easiest way to purchase car insurance.

Visit http://www.carinsurance.com For Your Low Premium Quote

About the Author

Jon Register is a representative of CarInsurance.com. You can visit CarInsurance.com at http://www.carinsurance.com or contact them at 1-877-327-8728.

CarInsurance.com offers the ability to shop for car insurance online. Consumers can receive quotes from many insurance companies, in some states you are able to purchase your insurance instantly, online. You don’t have to drive your car to buy car insurance. Buy online…anytime!

Technorati Tags: automotive, autocare, auto care, car care, auto repair

Do you know Why your car meter reading is Might Not show the correct fuel mileage?

You may be trying hard to increase gas mileage of your car but when you don t know how to get the best possible mileage reading of your car, then everything else is useless.

With these tips, you ll be sure to get the best possible gas mileage reading to tell when something is amiss with your car. This article will give you some tips you can use to better keep track of your car fuel mileage consumption.

On one fine evening, a subscriber of mine wrote me the following,

“Dear Sunny,

I bought my first car, a Nissan Sunny 130Y, three months ago, It runs extremely well and I’ve had no major problems since. But I’m curious as to its actual fuel consumption. Can that be measured without sophisticated electronic devices so I could learn to start increase gas mileage of my car in more efficient way?

What are the methods a layman like me can use to measure fuel consumption?

Janice”

To be frank, fuel consumption varies widely. It all depends on the way you drive your vehicle, your car make, and the type of traffic condition it encounters. These circumstances affect the actual fuel efficiency of your car.

For instance, if you drive mainly in urban areas where you’ll see lots of traffic jam, you are likely to lose up much more gas money compared to when you are cruising along the highway.

Enough said, your fuel economy will suffer when you are stuck in the jam. Jack rabbit starts and heavy braking of your vehicle may contribute to your increased fuel consumption as well. All these factors may not contribute to your ways to save fuel.

Here’s my tip to measure your fuel consumption of your vehicle and to get the best possible gas mileage reading of your car.

First, you would start by filling up your vehicle tank to the brim and then adjusting the trip meter to zero. You could do that just by resetting the meter.

Next, drive the vehicle until at least two-thirds of the tank has been used before you fill up again. During this time, please take note of the amount of fuel you are filling up against the distance that you have travelled since the last time you topped up.

Fuel consumption, in kilometres per litre, is calculated by dividing the reading on your trip meter by the amount of fuel that you have filled up.

Based on my experience, it is best that you average out the results by repeating the same procedures and take measurements over a few weeks to obtain the average of the best consumption figure for your vehicle.

Some car manufacturers will state the fuel consumption figures of the cars in the manual. Please be aware that these figures were obtained under strict test conditions and surveillance and also on an almost perfect road surface.

So don’t be alarmed when you notice the variance of the actual fuel mileage result you get against the manufacturers’ figures.

To really find out your actual car fuel consumption and to diagnose any sudden drop of fuel efficiency, you should keep track of your fuel consumption regularly as it is the best and surest way to tell when something is going on with your car.

Once you’ve realized how easy it is to keep track of your car fuel consumption, you should be on your way to seriously consider some of the ways you could do to increase gas mileage even when you are pumping gas in the gas stations.

Believe me, not everyone is aware of some of the stuff you could do to top up additional gas mileage.

About the Author: Sunny Tan is the author of “Gas Mileage Tactics”, the ULTIMATE Gas mileage saving resources consist of many top notch tips and tricks the PRO drivers use. Pick up YOUR copy of this ground-breaking ebook with absolutely NO RISK at http://www.extragasmileage.com and start to increase gas mileage now!

Source: www.isnare.com

Technorati Tags: automotive, autocare, auto care, car care, auto repair