I recently heard Kate Carr indicating that these types of deaths are, “…a totally preventable occurrence.”

I have to disagree even if only slightly.  Kate Carr is the President and Chief Executive of Safe Kids Worldwide and she and her company are trying to launch a new campaign to raise awareness about children dying as a result of being left inside cars during the spring and summer months. This campaign is a great thing.  Awareness is very important.

She is correct that for the most part, parents need to be mindful of leaving a child behind just to run inside to do a few errands.  This is the aspect of these deaths and injuries that are preventable.

But I also remember being at church and a mentally handicap child when missing. He was the son of a friend and mine. We went on a frantic search of streets, cars, inside the church building and around the neighborhood.  An hour later we found him inside someone else’s car.  The kid apparently had hidden from everyone in view and was playing around.  Luckily it wasn’t hot outside or the outcome could have been much worse.

Was this preventable???    Maybe!

Many recent cases involve families that don’t normal take their children to school or mistakenly forgot that they hadn’t dropped them off yet.  Sitting behind our computers, we think that this is a hard thing to do. But if they were sleeping, it really wouldn’t be that hard to forget.

Numbers that tract these types of deaths have indicated that more that 500 deaths have occurred since 1998.  The San Francisco State University keeps this data.  This means that more than 35 deaths occur every year.  July and August are the months that have the highest number of deaths. But May and June are also affected months.

Over half of the deaths occur when a child is mistakenly left in a vehicle. This happens by a caregiver or a parent.  In most cases they are rushed, distracted, or stressed about something.

The data also shows that almost 30% of cases occur when a child is playing around a vehicle, they call it unattended.  The child gets inside and becomes trapped.  Some of the cases, they become trapped in the trunk.

Less than 20% of the time, the child is left intentionally inside the vehicle while the parent goes shopping or some other activity.

The Temperature Rises Quickly

Once the child is inside the vehicle, the temperature can climb pretty quickly.   In a matter of 10 minutes, the temperature can climb 10 to 20 degrees.  In thirty minutes it can climb almost 40 degrees.   If the temperature outside is 70 degrees, within a half hour is could easily be around 90 or 100 degrees.

Cracking the window only minimally helps. And really, most people believe that it is no help at all.

The next issue is the children don’t sweat as an adult does. Sweating helps release heat.  Therefore the child’s body gets hotter quicker and can’t regulate itself.  When the body temperature of a child reaches 104 degrees, the body starts to have problems.

When the body temperature of a child reaches 107, death occurs.

So really, the child can become hotter quicker and can’t regulate it very well.

Close calls are bad as well.

The affect of death is apparent. But close calls and injury happen fifty times or more for every death. Dehydration, fatigue, and serious injury can occur on a close call alone.  Close call injuries can occur much quicker than you think.

Plan well.

The best thing possible is to plan well.  Get a routine of checking the back of the car, even if you know that no child is in a seat. The more you do this, the more likely it will be that you won’t forget.

If you have a daycare that you use.  Have them call you if your child isn’t there.  This doesn’t apply if you’ve called in your child sick. But, if they are expecting your child at a certain hour, they call twenty minutes later to see if you are running late.  This isn’t a perfect solution but it can be helpful.

Always place an item in the back seat. This forces you to look in the back seat to get your item. Let it be a bag of clothes, briefcase, cell phone or anything.

You may not think of this as anything but over the top. Tell that to those people living in countries where the risk of getting kidnapped or a criminal pointing a gun at you to steal your car, or your money, or even to kidnap you,  is several times higher than getting into an auto accident.

Places like Mexico and Brazil are seeing a larger number of citizens turning to this form of protection and for good reason. Bulletproofing cars has been around for years. But usually it was the rich and sophisticated that indulged in this luxury.  It may have also been used for armor cars for protection of large sums of money.

But more and more of the everyday types are protecting themselves against bullets, robbery, kidnapping and even murder.  So again, it boils down to where  you live.

What is bulletproofing

The company that really put this on the map was DuPont. They provide a kevlar fiber that covers the car and a SentryGlas which covers the glass. Together this kit could be added to hundreds of cars. The first large experiment was in 2008.

Types of cars that are currently using this bulletproofing are Chevrolets, Hondas, and even the Kia.

The kit costs around $12,000 dollars and is called Armura.  It weights 200 pounds and takes over 2 weeks to install.  A technician replaces the front windshield with a SentryGlas.  The next step is to get Kevlar panels behind the door panels.

Armura is a direct product of Dupont.

Bulletproofing Taxis

The 2014 World cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games are on the cusp in Brazil. The government and many of the towns folk are demanding that taxis are covered with bulletproofing to protect the citizens and visitor to both of these large sporting events.

Protection does come at a cost, but some visitors are thinking of avoiding Brazil because of the risk of damage and robbery. The overall view of this country is that robbers are on the loose everywhere. Would protection if the form of a car help change this viewpoint?

Annual Sales

In 2012 the sales of this kit went up almost 70% in the first quarter and are expected to continue to rise. This is a profit of almost 10 million dollars or more.

Why Brazil?

Currently in the third largest city of Brazil – Salvador – the crime wave have erupted. The police are currently on strike. Murder rates have doubled in the last few years.

$8 Billion dollars are spent each year in Brazil on private security.   This is the same amount of money that the US spent on security contracts for the first 4 years of the Iraq war.

Mexico

The same thing is happening in Mexico. The bulletproof industry is turning from a luxury to almost a requirement.

One of the top business that is profiting from this is the Mexican Association of Automobile Armorers.  This group has seen a growth rate of 10%.  Right now they are on a 6 month waiting list to have the cars done. It takes almost 2 weeks to get the job done.

Other companies in the US are seeing a large number of sale increases. Texas Armoring Corp in San Antonio reports a 4 times increase in sales from Mexico.

In some countries, things are really getting out of place. Violence is on the rise and the local government or police may not be able to protect you. In these cases, and in these places, it is up to the citizens to take matters into their own hands. Bulletproofing your car doesn’t solve all the problem but it can protect you or your family in most cases.

This doesn’t even begin to look at the lost to car insurances, personal time, medical bills, and much more as a result of the violence in these countries.

Personally, I’d hate to live in an area where this was the case, but if I did, I would definitely be getting myself a bulletproof car.

One of the most classic (and often painful) April Fool’s jokes is when you mess with your friend’s car. Car tricks are very public, embarrassing and often time consuming to clean up after. Here are some of our favorites.

Disclaimer: your friends might get really mad after your joke. Retaliation is almost guaranteed.

• Open can of shaving cream. This trick is for those you truly hate and don’t mind sabotaging the relationship. This joke is very messy and can potentially damage the car. That being said, it is pretty ingenious. First, you freeze a can of shaving cream. Then you cut open the can (be careful!) and leave the frozen block of shaving cream in the back seat or trunk of the car. As the frozen cream begins to thaw it will continually expand until it fills the whole area. Beware- shaving cream is a beast to clean out of the car.
• Flour. Bakers will delight in this trick as it involves a common baking ingredient. First you grab a bunch of flour and dump it all over the outside of the car, completely covering it. Sit back and watch. The real trick is in watching how your friend cleans it off. The smart friend will grab a vacuum and suck the flour away. But most people will instinctively try to hose down the car. Flour and water will create a mucky paste that is a pain to remove from a car.
• Crayons on the windshield. Grab a a bunch of crayons that are broken into small-ish pieces (2 inches or so) and place in a row underneath the windshield wiper. When the driver turns on the windshield wipers, a giant streak of colorful crayons will paint a rainbow on the windshield. Tricky and colorful.
• Black paint. Grab some temporary black paint (that is safe on cars) and give the car a good coat under areas that are already black like tires, wheel wells, side mirrors and the bumper. When it rains, the car will look like it has sprung a huge oil leak (or has a good mascara smear).
•  Hidden jacks. Grab two car jacks and put them at the rear end of the car. Jack up the car so the tires are just barely off the ground, but look like they are touching. When your friend goes to start the car and push on the gas, he or she won’t be able to go anywhere!
• Glove box tricks. Place an embarrassing item in your friend’s glove box. (Use your imagination.) Next time he opens the glove box (probably for a traffic stop or on a date), let the uncomfortable joke live on.

Several reasons to own an Electric car include alternative energy source, rising gas prices, environmental concerns, and many others.  But are these real reasons or are they superficial. Depending on the person, I would say that many buy Electric Cars for real reasons and a smaller number buy them for superficial ones.

The government has largely approved this arena of car development. They have given millions of dollars for battery technology, car design, and car testing.

How is the Market for Electric Cars?

Crappy.  This single term adequately describes the overall perception and actual sales of electric cars.  The expectations of electric car were so high, that failure was almost the only option.  The expectation indicated that a large proportion of the population would consume the idea of an electric car and thousands and thousands of sales would surface.

Companies like General Motors, Nissan, BMW,  Mitsubishi, and several other companies have put forth decent efforts at Electric cars.

But many things like car price, battery price, consumer interest, and other issues has really dragged down the market for Electric Cars.

Price

On average, electric cars are significantly more expensive than cars the drive on gas.  This is due to the new technology that is being created and the overall number of cars put out into the market.   An additional cost is the lithium-ion battery pack.  Many indicate that the battery price is intending to decrease but this hasn’t been readily seen.

Almost seventy percent of America has indicated that they are not willing to pay more for the same electric car than they are willing to pay for a gasoline car.

It was also studied that the higher prices of the car, over the lifetime of gas savings, do not equal out. The gas prices were assumed to stay around the same as was the cost of the electrical car.  The real change that would indicate a cost saving venture, is if the price of the car decreased significantly and/or the cost of gas increased significantly.

Electric Car History

The first real idea of the Electric Car was in the 1980’s after the energy crisis of the 70’s and 80’s.   Crude attempts were envisioned but nothing really picked up at that time. Changes in Emission testing and such began in the early 90’s. This was trying to force consumers into considering electric cars.   Then in the early 2000’s another round of attempts were made. This again was done because of stricter emission testing as well as skyrocketing gas prices.

Alternative energy was pushed along the political landscape.  Governors, House Speakers, Congress, and other political counterparts pledged additional governmental support, money, as well as private money to help push electric cars into the forefront of the market.

Charging the Car

The batteries in Electric cars need to be charged consistently. Often this is from a power grid and is done at home.  But, this can also be done on the street or at a charging station.

The cars themselves use conductive coupling as the interface for charging.   This is the transfer of energy through a medium and is accomplished by a wire, common terminal, or a resistor.  Each car company tries a unique match to find the best charging potential.

The length of time that charging is required is dependent on the source of energy from the house, street, or charging station.  Usually in a house, the requirement is overnight for the energy to be sufficient to drive around 45 miles the next day.  If longer distances are required, streets and charging stations may be needed during the day.

Where to go from here?

This is the question of the day.  Where do electric cars go from here? It is conventional wisdom that says electric cars are here for good. The cost and battery concerns are the biggest things that need to be overcome. But the consumer needs, perception, and even expectations need to be addressed.

As technology improves, so may the cost decrease and the effectiveness of the electric car improve. This may improve the consumer’s desire to purchase the electric car.  It will be interesting what the next five years holds for the electric car.

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If carpooling instantly makes you think of Dagwood in the comic Blondie, you are not alone. That comedic portrayal is often a true picture into carpooling, but it doesn’t have to be.

Benefits of Carpooling

First and foremost, carpooling saves gas. As gas prices continue to rise, the only economical choice is to find another way to get to work. Carpooling also helps entertain you during the morning commute. This can be especially important if you drive a long way to work.

Starting a carpool group

If you leave and return home from work at a consistent time, without needing to leave during the day, you are a good candidate for carpooling. I desperately want to carpool to work. However, I leave constantly throughout the day for several work tasks, making a carpool virtually impossible.

The next step is to find co-workers who live close by you, or neighbors who work near you that you can form a carpooling group. A carpool group can be any size, just no larger than the amount of seats/ seat belts that you have.

Determine a system

Ever carpool group is different, and you must determine what works for your group. One option is everyone in the group to switch off driving, whether it is every day, week or month. This evens out the effect of the mileage onto every car instead of burdening just one.

Another option is to have one person drive and everyone pitch in to help pay for gas. The biggest downside, besides putting so many miles on one car, is to ensure that everyone contributes fairly to pay for gas. If not, the burden is left on the driver.

Carpooling etiquette

When riding in a car with many different people who are not your family, you must adhere to some etiquette. Treat the carpool like your office- if you shouldn’t do it in your office, it shouldn’t be done in the car. For example, you should NEVER take off your shoes or pass gas, especially in such a small and enclosed space.

You must never be late. Your carpooling buddies have work schedules and lives to attend, and they cannot wait for you to get ready every morning. Out of the respect for others, be on time. If you cannot commit to being on time, you might be better off driving yourself.

Other etiquette often depends on those you are riding with. Be sensitive of people’s musical tastes (people might not love starting their day off with Barry Manilow) and political beliefs (NPR is generally a bad idea in mixed company). Falling asleep can halt conversation and make people uncomfortable, unless it is a common practice by all.

Know when it isn’t working

Carpooling is not for everyone. If your carpool is making you late, driving you crazy or not saving you money, consider other alternatives. If anything, catch the bus and let the community be your carpool group.

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That is until the popular trend of decorating the get-away car.

The trend of decorating the car of the bride and the groom started by typing cans to the back of the car, making a racket as they leave the reception. Slowly over the years, the decorating trend has increased with more elaborate decorations. Now it can be over the top and downright vulgar- usually at the hands of some bored and creative groomsmen.

This excitement has lead wary brides and grooms to hide the get-away car or use decoys to avoid the embarrassment of riding down the highway with suggestive phrases scrawled on the windshield. Or some have hired someone (like a limo service) to take them away, removing the chance that their friends will not ruin their car.

But decorating the car for a wedding does not have to ruin the car. Nor does it have to make the bride and groom rush for the nearest car wash. Here are some tips and other things to think about when decorating the car for a bride and groom.

• Use window paint. Window paint is the wonderful accessory to wedding car decorating. Window paint usually comes in the primary colors and can be found at big box stores like Wal-mart or party stores. You can use them for designs, phrases, pictures, you name it. However, note that window paint is for windows only.  It will ruin a paint job and stain the tires. So make sure that you can draw inside of the lines before you start writing.
• Get crafty with food. Eggs are the ultimate no-no. It will ruin the car, stink up the neighborhood and make everyone cry. If you must use food, try Oreos and stick those to the windshield and windows. Just stick off the paint and tires.
• Fill car with balloons. Bored groomsmen love putting funny things inside of the car. But remember- this should be the best night of their lives, do not ruin it by spraying shaving cream or silly string throughout the car. A fun, easy way to make a big impact is to fill the car with balloons- no helium needed. In this case, the more balloons the better.
• Cans of soda. So here is the soda trick can: tie full cans of soda to the back of the car and tie the string to the tab of the can. When the bride and groom drive off, the soda will spray like a fountain. Just make sure to know your city’s rules: some forbid debris trailing from a car.

Happy decorating!

You don’t want to increase their car insurance rates by destroying their car now do you?

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Sunglasses can be in hundreds of different colors, styles, and uses. They can be used while driving, running, skiing, and even in outer space.   But the key factor is to keep sun out of your eyes. You may not buy the most expensive sunglasses possible, but the benefits are undeniable.  So whatever your style is, make sure that you wear sunglasses, especially while driving. I know that I don’t leave home without my sunglasses.

Sun Glare

If you really knew the amount of lawsuits that have been placed on behalf of sun glare alone, you would be amazed. Sun glare has caused more accidents and injuries than you can ever imagine. Being unable to see a car, a pedestrian, or even losing control yourself is a common occurrence with sun glare.

Legal documents have attempted to illustrate this in different terms: sun blindness, disability glare, veiling glare, sun block, sun dazzle, and my favorite…that stupid sun.

What is happening to the eye itself?

The eye is a very sensitive organ or tissue. It is one of the five main senses. But it is hard to overestimate the importance of good eyesight. The retina is what controls the amount of light that is allowed into the eye.

In effect with sun glare, the sun is causing a ‘wash out’ image in your eyesight. This glare is physically altering to the ability of the retina to control light that is being introduced into your optic nerve or the nerve that transmits the picture to your brain to be understood.

If your eye isn’t working and the image isn’t being sent to your brain properly, bad things can happen.

Does Sun Glare Affect You More as You Age?

All studies and research point to a logical answer. Yes! As your age increases, it appears that you are more affected by the sun glare. This could be from a physical aspect, where the retina or other eye problems cause a slower reaction of the eye. Or it is that as you age, you eyesight and things like cataracts or retina damages can make the sun glare worse.

The recovery period also tends to be longer as you get older.  This isn’t an across the board fact, but for the most part, it stands as evident.

The Two Main Sun Glare Causes

First is the most obvious. That is when direct sunlight causes a sun glare. For the most part, this occurs in the early morning or late afternoon. It also becomes worse depending on the direction you are traveling. Often highways that cross east and west are the most affected.

The second is the secondary reflection of the light off of other car’s hoods, mirrors, or even the back windows. This can be just as altering and difficult to adjust. A large number of people are affected from the glare off of snow in the winter. This can be very blinding and problematic.   Even glare from the road, adjacent rivers, and lakes can cause effects.

Back to Sunglasses

If you are driving a car and wearing sunglasses that look great but their lenses do relatively little, then you are missing the point. And sunglasses are full proof. Glare still can cause problems to those who are wearing sunglasses.

The best bet is to wear the best pair you can afford. A little protection is far better than no protection.

Lenses that are 100% polarized are the only true bet to stop glare. They are typically a more expensive pair of glasses. Polarized glasses help filter the sunlight and help deflect the concentrate light waves that are being seen.  99 percent of the glare is thus reflected.

Prevent that Headache or that Accident

Many people are affected by glare more than just the temporarily loss of your eyesight. Some individuals have resulting headaches and migraines from glare. Have you ever had that massive headache after skiing or looking at bright white snow for too long? Most anyone will have a headache as a result.

But others, all it takes is a simple passing sun glare and the rest of their day is gone. They will encounter a serious headache where vomiting, vision changes, light sensitivity and more will affect them. Wearing their sunglasses could have prevented it all.

What a terrible feeling it is too loose control, just for an instant, and cause an accident. It happens on a daily basis.

Remember to wear your sunglasses when driving. It not only looks cool, but can save a life.

I personally get these types of headaches and often buy expensive glasses that protect against the glare. I’ve lost a few pairs and even sat on one pair, but the cost is well worth the relief I feel.

Protect your self with a good insurance plan too. You can get a online auto insurance quote by just filling out the form at the top of this page.

Entertaining a child in a car takes some thought, skill and a little innovation you can turn even long road trips into a fun adventure with few tears and a lot of smiles.

Even if you are not planning a long road trip, these tips will help you maintain the peace even tooling around town.

• Keep breaks to a minimum. It sounds awful, but frequent breaks will slow down the road trip. That is not to say that you should not take breaks, especially on long drives. But nothing puts a kink in the plan if you have to stop every 30 minutes for a potty break. First, make sure everyone goes to the bathroom right before getting in the car. This will help avoid any accidents. You also should not restrict drinking fluids, just regulate them. Soda is the ultimate no-no. Not only will the bubbly soft drink rot your teeth and insides, it is actually a diuretic, meaning very frequent bathroom breaks. Stick to juice or water.
• Bring movies. Even if you are not in love with the idea of your child vegging out in front of the TV, it might be the right ticket to avoiding car meltdown. More and more cars and vans are coming equipped with DVD players and headphones so you don’t have to listen to a loud cartoon over and over. Bring along a variety of movies to suit all tastes.
• Do a scavenger hunt. Back in my day, a TV in the car seemed so futuristic. We had to bide our time by playing ‘eye spy’ and the alphabet game, which is a game where you try to find every letter of the alphabet in billboards and signs. You can also create a scavenger hunt with items like a semi-truck, cows, rest stops and other common things you see along the side of the road.
• Bring a pack of aluminum foil. It sounds outrageous, but a roll of aluminum foil can provide hours of entertainment. The sturdy feel of the material is ideal for making shapes, sculptures and other funny things. And aluminum foil is relatively cheap. So hand your kids a roll and let them create. Sure it might get all over the place, but the clean up should be a cinch.
• Pack snacks. Stopping for fast food on a road trip is bad news. Yes, you should stop for breaks, but stopping for fast food is not ideal. First, fast food feels and smells greasy. Little hands covered in fast food will create a mess and the smell will haunt you for the rest of the trip. Plus, fast food just makes your digestive system cry. Pack snacks or a healthy meal if needed to avoid stopping and to eat healthy.

After you entertain your kids makes sure you entertain yourself by saving money on car insurance. You can get an online car insurance quote on this website by just filling out a form. Trust me, you will save money doing that.

As one who relies solely on driving a car to go about my day-to-day duties, these high prices for gas worry me deeply. Will the prices get so high that I will laugh when I tell my children that in my day gas was only $4 a gallon?

There are a lot of potential reasons why gas prices have skyrocketed. Some blame any wars the United States has been embroiled in within the last 10 years. Iran is the third largest oil exporter and a country that has serious conflict with the United States in recent years. A very good portion of the oil reserves are in countries with shaky stability and relationships with the United States, which could attribute to high oil prices. This conflict and high gas prices also has many voters blaming President Obama.

Others might blame the oil industry for selling the oil reserves for high prices. With the United States (and many other countries’) dependence on oil to function, this could cause serious problems.

So what can you do? Do you have to sit back and take it? Here are some things you can do:

• Get involved with politics. If you think that politics is the reason for the oil crisis, get involved, make your voice heard and strive to make a difference. With such a big problem like national oil reserves, it seems daunting and almost useless to get involved. But if no one acts, nothing will change. Get the most education that you can on the issues and hold our politicians accountable for their voting actions.
• Change how you drive. If you can’t change the oil prices, you can affect how you drive to get more bang for your oil buck. Your diving technique and habits can actually make your gas run out faster or last longer, depending on how you drive. First, don’t speed. Your car will actually burn off more gas if you go higher than 65 miles per hour. Any higher speed will make your car less efficient. Speed is also not your friend when driving off the line. Gunning your car and revving your engine will also diminish your fuel use. Life is not a race, take it nice and easy off the line. Another way to maximize your gas mileage is drafting. Drafting is when you follow closely behind a car to avoid wind resistance, which will slow you down. Unfortunately, drafting also has another name: tailgating. And that can get you a nice traffic ticket.
• Find alternative transportation. The easiest way not to car about gas prices is to walk or ride a bike. Both modes of transportation do not require any fuel. Unfortunately, you are severely limited on how far you can go.

With gas prices high, it is important that you find cheaper insurance. You can find an online auto insurance quote here. Just fill out the form.

Most kids which have student car insurance are on their parents policy which gives them cheaper rates than if they had to get their own policy. This is because if they are in high school or in college which means they are typically partially supported by their parents and that they have to deal with their mom or dad every time they have a wreck or get a ticket of any kind. Which is why most college students do not want to upset their parents because they do not want to deal with the potential consequences of what might happen if their parents get mad at them for not following the rules.

After all, when the parents get upset they may take away the student’s car, money or housing which they depend on in order to be able to afford to go to school or for getting around. Another key factor is that they could potentially lose their scholarships if they are in college which helps them pay for their school courses if they get in trouble with the law or lose their licence due to reckless driving.

Of course, one of the easiest ways for a student to get an extra discount on their student car insurance is to take a defensive driving course. Taking a defensive driving course gives them more experience and the knowledge to know how to handle or deal with potential threats.

When a student is able to maintain a B average in school they are usually considered to be more responsible which helps them to qualify for an extra discount over students with lower grades. Students that live close to where they attend school will normally get bigger discounts on their student car insurance because they drive fewer miles per week than one that lives further away from the school.

Of course the type of car that the student chooses to drive has a direct effect on the rates in which they pay. For example if a student chooses an older car with only a four cylinder motor they would usually get a cheaper rate. Where as if they choose to drive a sports type car that can reach excessive speeds then their car insurance rates would be higher. This is because the potential for speeding is increased along with the potential for accidents or other motor vehicle violations. This is why it is wise to choose the students first car more wisely according to what is cheap or easy to fix and ensure rather than just what they like. Just like student car insurance, you can get good discounts on car insurance for young women.

Remember to find a source that will get you a online auto insurance quote. Getting quotes online can help you save money. Try using the one at the top of this page.