Johnson & Johnson is sponsoring Safe Kids Week from April 26-May 4 in an effort to prevent accidental injuries in children. Sadly, accidental injuries are the leading cause of death for children in our country.

The program is multi-faceted and aims at raising awareness in parents and young children about the safety issues involved with swimming, poison, firearms, dangerous toys, fire and automobiles.

The leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths in children is motor vehicle accidents. SafeKids.org reminds parents that even the safest drivers can’t prevent the actions of other unsafe drivers on the road.

SafeKids.org and Johnson & Johnson urge parents to always enforce safety belt and car seat use for their children when riding in a vehicle. Common excuses such as,”We’re only going around the corner” and “She’s getting too old for a car seat”, don’t prevent accidents or related injuries.

To read some common FAQs regarding children and motor vehicle safety visit SafeKids.org’s FAQs about Car Safety.

Shopping for Your First Policy? Know the Ropes...

As a new driver, you may have a ton of questions about how to purchase your first auto insurance policy.  What company should you choose? What type of coverage do you need?  All common questions for new drivers. Hopefully, this article should help shed some light on the basics of purchasing your first auto insurance policy.

#1- Collect your Documentation: Before you start shopping, collect any information that a car insurance agent might ask for in order to give you a quote. Have your driver’s license, social security number and VIN number of your vehicle (as well as the make and model) handy.

#2- Know what’s Required: If you lease or finance your vehicle, or are planning to, your lender or leaser might have minimum requirements on how much coverage you purchase. Call your lender or lease company and ask them what they require and how to forward them your proof of insurance once it’s purchased.

#3- Get Quotes: The best way to get an idea on pricing is to get multiple quotes. An online shopping website is often a great tool for new drivers as they can compare car insurance  rates from multiple companies by filling out just one form. It is recommended to get rates from at least 2-3 companies to make sure you are getting a good deal.

#4- Compare Apples to Apples: If you don’t use a comparative shopping site, make sure when comparing quotes that you are looking at comparable coverages.

#5- Select a Comfortable Deductible: Your car insurance deductible is the amount you will pay out-of-pocket in the event you are involved in a car accident where there is damage to your vehicle or the other vehicle. While your rate will decrease as you raise your deductible, you don’t want to be locked into a deductible you can’t afford in the event of an accident. Think about your monthly income and find a deductible that you would be comfortable paying if you had to.

#6- Ask for Discounts: New drivers pay some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country because of their lack of experience on the road. For this reason, you want to take advantage of any and all discounts you may be eligible for. Ask for a good student discount which can save you up to 10% on your car insurance if you maintain a minimum of a B average

#7- Get Organized: After you purchase your policy and receive your documentation, be sure to place your insurance card- or a copy of  it- in your vehicle somewhere. Also, file a copy of your policy in a place where you will be able to quickly find it if you need to reference it for any reason.

How to Prevent Car Theft

AOL Autos recently published an interative article on how to prevent car break-ins and theft.  The article claims that about $1.255 billion in personal items and accessories are stolen from vehicles each year. The scary thing is that experts also claim that for every theft that occurs, there are several break-ins and attempted break-ins that occur before the ‘theft’ is committed- meaning, your car may be a repeat target.

For the full article visit AOL Autos, however, I’ve also provided a quick recap below:

1- Lock your Doors- 25% of thefts occur on unlocked vehicles

2-Keep It Tidy- Anything visible from the outside is a target

3- Conceal Valuables- Hide GPS systems, PDAs and any other valuables before leaving your car somewhere.

4- Stash Before you Park- Put grocery bags and other target items in the trunk before you get to the next shopping spot so potential thieves don’t see you putting them there.

5- Completely close windows and sunroofs- keeps alarms functioning correctly and prevents arms from reaching in

6- Get an Alarm- The noise alone may be enough to scare away a thief

7-  Keep your Factory Audio System-an aftermarket radio may make your car more attractive to thieves

8-Park for Visibility- Park where you car can be seen- this will prevent most thefts

9-Get a Steering Wheel Lock- this is a major deterrent for most thieves

10-Layer your Defenses- combine alarms, immobilizers and steering wheel locks in a joint effort to increase your changes of preventing theft

How Handing Over the Keys can Save you Some Serious Dough

So you’ve been at a party and had a few drinks- you tell yourself and your friends you are “fine” to drive and hop behind the wheel. You just want to go home- and don’t want to worry about waiting for a cab. But before you put that key in the ignition- think about the consequences you may be facing. If risking your life and the lives of others isn’t enough to scare you away from the road- think about the financial burden.

A DWI can really take a toll on a person’s wallet. Oftentimes when drivers think of the costs involved with a DWI they think about the court fines and attorney costs. In reality, there is a lot more involved that can drive costs for a first time offender up to $20,000 or more.

Considering driving after drinking? Consider then, these costs…

$2,000- The average court fine for a DWI offense

$2,000- The average attorney’s fee for representing a DWI offender

$100- Towing Fee to have your car towed

$50- Fine to retrieve car from impound

$8400- Additional car insurance premium imposed for 3 years at $2800/year

$7,000- Additional car insurance increase that remain in affect for an additional 7 years at $1,000/year

$200- Drinking Driving Program Fee (court ordered)

$150- Required alcohol evaluation fee

$50- Conditional licensing fee imposed by DMV

$100- License reinstatement fee imposed by DMV
________

$16,950- Average Cost of a DWI

Sound like a lot of money? There are even more  costs that could be imposed depending on your situation.  For example, if you have to pay for additional transportation for the 6-12 months that you cannot drive.  Also, if you miss work because of no transportation, or because your employer finds out about your DWI and let’s you go- you also have to take loss of wages into account.

So, $16,950 or a $10 cab fare- what would you rather fork out?

What is National Car Care Month you ask? The goal of this month’s  national observance is to help promote cleaner air, energy conservation, safer roads and consumer savings on the 2nd largest investment you have- your car.

Drivers around the country are hopefully taking extra care this month to give their car any needed repairs or perform any necessary maintenance.

The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) recommends the following car care care tips to keep your car safe and reduce your vehicle’s impact on the environment:

• Service your vehicle immediately when a warning light appears
• Make sure your tires have enough air (The BAR estimates that 25% of vehicles on the road today have improperly inflated tires)
• Get Aligned- improperly aligned tires make your engine work harder and wears out your tires faster
• Check your Filters- a clean fuel filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent

Also, treat your car to a thorough wash and wax in order to maintain the vibrancy of the paint. Waxing every 6 months can make your paint resist rust and damage for years longer than non-waxing.

Fore more tips on optimal car care, visit www.CarCare.org.  Or check out their video on Spring Car Maintenance.

Happy Driving from AutoInsuranceQuotes.com!