Red Light, Green Light

Knowing Your State Driving Laws

There are those times when you may go out for a couple of beers on a Friday night after work. You may intend to have only one beer, but one can easily become 2 or 3 as the stress of the week winds down. The only problem is it can lead to a DUI charge if you aren’t smart about monitoring how much you drink.

Laws change depending on the state. The DUI charge in New York carries very serious consequences and you can land in jail, if you aren’t careful. Not only are the charges for an original offence serious, but if you are charged with later DUI charges, you can receive a much higher fine – or possibly even face jail time.

Consequences of driving DUI in New York

If you get stopped by police with a higher than legal blood alcohol reading, you could be in for some serious consequences. A simple Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charge can mean you lose your license for at least a year for your first offence, and if you re-offend, you can get up to 7 years in jail.

What’s the Good News?

Sometimes a DUI offense is nothing but a stupid mistake that you desperately wish you could take back. After your first offence you can take part in a Drink Driver Program. Completion of this program may mean you can get a conditional license, which will help you if you need your license to work or to take your children to school.

The best way to avoid a drunk driving charge is not to drink and drive at all. Have a designated driver or hire a taxi to take you home from the bar.

Filed Under: Buying/Selling Tagged With: Driving under the influence, New York, Prison

Protecting Your Rights in Motor Accidents

Accidents involving vehicles are the leading cause of death in the United States. If you’ve been involved in a car or vehicle accident that has resulted in injury, there are a few things you can do to protect your rights.

First, refrain from talking to any insurance carriers. Insurance carriers, either your own or the carriers of other involved parties, will contact you soon after the accident. They want to protect their interest which means limiting your liability and forcing you to admit fault. Do not speak to any insurance agents or companies until after you’ve consulted with an attorney. The attorney will counsel you on what to say, or they will deal with the insurance company on your behalf. Even a simple call to an insurance company can limit your rights.

Being in an accident is difficult enough, but in order to protect your rights and interests, a full picture of the accident must be assembled. This means collecting witness reports, police records, testimony and any other evidence that is pertinent to your accident. You can try to do this yourself, but experienced attorneys know exactly where to go to obtain all this information.

A good attorney, such as a Riverside Personal Injury Attorney, will allow you to recover before getting you involved in the middle of your case. In most cases, the attorney can put off commencing any legal proceedings until you’re well enough to participate.

Insurance carriers and other lawyers are adept at minimizing your rights and twisting the tableau of events to make it seem like you’re more at fault than you were. A reliable and experienced attorney is the only way to fully protect your rights if you’ve been in a motor accident.

Filed Under: Care, Transportation Tagged With: Motor Accidents

3 Tips to Remember When Buying a Used Car

When you’re looking for a used car, it’s usually not wise to buy the first thing you find. That’s true even if the car seems to fit your needs. Instead, be more particular and check to ensure that the car is being represented honestly. There are three basic tips to remember when buying a used car.

First, make sure the car has a clear title and has not been in a serious accident. If the owner doesn’t have the title, walk away. Get a vehicle history report, too, so you can see all of the information about the car. That will help you determine if the price is fair or if the seller is trying to cheat you.

You should also take the car for a test drive. Be careful to avoid a wreck while driving someone else’s car. If you do get into an accident and need a car accident lawyer Chicago has some of the best in the business. Before test driving cars, verify that your insurance policy will cover you when driving another vehicle. That’s especially important when buying from a private individual rather than a dealer.

Finally, be sure to talk about payment for the used car. If you buy from a private owner, you will want to get a bill of sale along with the title. Also, pay with a cashier’s check instead of cash, so you have a record of the transaction. With most dealers, you can write a personal check for the car or finance it.

If you take your time, you lower your risk of losing money or ending up with a “lemon.” Proceed carefully, and you can find a great car that you can drive and enjoy for a long time.

Filed Under: Buying/Selling, New/Used Tagged With: Automobile, Business and Economy, Insurance policy, Test drive, Used car

4 Ways to Avoid Unwanted Accidents

Experts say that drivers make approximately 11 decisions per second while driving. This includes where you are looking, blinking, breathing, and of course, blind spot checks and the use of a blinker. With all of that activity going on in the brain, it is no wonder that accidents happen. There are four main ways to avoid an accident:

Pay attention to the road, not the radio.
Always be aware of who and what is around you while driving.
Keep the cell phone put away: texting and talking are killers.
Pull over to avoid causing a slow down if you are lost.

These are big tips in making sure everyone is safe while on the road. A Chicago accident attorney is a great person to talk to in order to get more clarification on safety tips and rules.

Safety First

Many find that by adhering to the suggestions listed above, they remain safe. Drinking and driving is the worst of all offenses, but this list focuses on the day in and day out things that many drivers neglect.

By proving to be a safe driver, you are able to have lower insurance rates, it saves gas, and you can have confidence knowing that you are traveling from one destination to another without incident. This will also help you preserve your car for longer, so there is no need to replace it.

Protect those around you, and the ones you love, by being cautious and aware when behind the wheel. Countless unwanted accidents can be avoided if you do so.

Filed Under: Buying/Selling, Care, Restore Tagged With: Accident, Driving & Safety, Insurance

Will Gas Prices Rise This Summer?

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Since 2005, American gas prices have effected where people spent their vacations. Historically, the prices at the pump leap during holidays and summer. The oil and gas industry called this supply and demand. With Katrina’s effect on the coastal refineries and war, the American consumer finally dug his heels in and said, “no more.”

The Downsizing of the American Car

The energy sector’s game of cat and mouse lost it’s edge when the car companies found themselves with an overstock of gas guzzling SUVs. If gas prices were going to stay high, than Americans were going to buy small. The small, fuel-efficient auto was back in fashion. It was fun, youthful and cool to drive. Only a fool would continue to drive a rolling fuel monster.

Many people stopped buying new cars, too. Some cars, like the Honda Civic, proved to hold its value because it was well made and it was fuel-efficient. A used Civic made a lot of sense to the traveling public.

The Domino Effect Took a Bounce

If gas prices were too high, then people simply didn’t take big trips. Hotels lost revenue, theme parks lost revenue, airlines priced themselves out of business. What the fuel and transportation industry failed to recognize was the kitchen table economics of working families. People simply refused to pay the high gas prices. When multiple industries started to suffer, the oil and gas guys weren’t very popular.

People Don’t Buy the Scare Tactics Anymore

Even though Libya is fighting over oil, and Egypt is in revolution, and the Gulf is full of dirty, oily water, people aren’t buying those things as a reason to raise gas prices anymore. Therefore, prices have been surprisingly stable this summer.

Filed Under: Additional Costs, New/Used Tagged With: Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing, Libya, United States

4 Ways to Save Money on Transportation

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One of the biggest core expenses in life is the cost of transportation. If you own a car, and your finances are at the mercy of gas price. It’s a big chuck out of the paycheck. In the 1970′s, there was a fuel crisis, and people found ways to save money on transportation. It’s time to get retro with our bank accounts and bring some of those ideas into the 21st Century.

Car Pool

If you live outside of a major urban center, but you work downtown, find a few people in your neighborhood who also work downtown, and carpool. Take turns being the driver each week. If you always want to do the driving, then ask people to help pay for gas. In fact, if you’re doing the driving, they should pay for all the gas. After all, you have other expenses like maintenance and insurance on that car.

Ride a Bike

How many times do you jump in your car to run down to the corner store and pick up a few things? Ride a bike. It’s easy to put a small rack on the back of it. You can put your goods in there. Not only will it be cheaper, it will also be good exercise.

Take Your Lunch

Pack a lunch and eat in the break room. Don’t drive to some fast food joint. If you need to get out of the building, take a walk.

Road Trips Are More Fun With Friends

When you need that weekend get-a-way. Ask friends to join you and split the cost. It’s more fun with friends, and everyone saves money on transportation.

Filed Under: Care, Transportation Tagged With: Carpool, Expense, Transport

Do It Yourself Auto Maintenance

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It’s a good idea to have a good auto mechanic. You should keep your auto well maintained. A well maintained car is one of the best weapons against high gas prices. There are some things you can easily do yourself to save money on gas and maintenance.

Check Your Own Tires

It is very easy to check your own tires. Buy a pressure gauge from any auto supply store and keep it in the glove box. Make it a weekly habit to check the pressure in your tires. Tires that are improperly inflated get less efficient gas mileage. You’ll also become familiar with the wear and tear of the tires. If you see a problem, you can get the tire replaced or repaired before you have a flat and end up with the additional cost of roadside service.

Check Your Own Oil

Checking the oil in an auto is super simple. Keep a roll of paper towels in your car. Every time you fill up, open the hood, pull out the oil dipstick, wipe it off, stick it back into the oil reservoir, pull it out, and see if the level is good. Super simple. If it’s low, you can easily add oil yourself. If you’re not sure how to do this, have your mechanic show you.

Check and Change Your Air Filter

Although your mechanic will do this for you, you can save money by doing it yourself. Your auto owner’s manual will have a schedule of when the air filter is to be changed. Purchase a new one at an auto parts store, snap open the air filter case, pull the old one out and put the new one in.

These are three simple and important maintenance activities anyone can do.

Filed Under: Additional Costs, Transportation Tagged With: Air filter, Auto mechanic, Tire