Car emergency kits aren’t exactly a new thing.  In fact, more people really ought to have these, especially if they’re going to be doing a whole lot of driving in snowy climates.  And with winter coming on, I figured what better time to take another look at the humble winter emergency car kit?

Some are big, some are small, some have every tool you can imagine and even a few you can’t.   For instance, I found a kit on Amazon for right around thirty two bucks.  It’s a AAA sixty three piece weather emergency kit, and comes with stuff like this:

1 AAA double-sided carrying bag, 1 AAA emergency care guide, 1 AAA membership brochure, 1 hand-charged dual LED flashlight, 1 three-piece fleece set (cap, gloves, and scarf), 1 folding shovel with sheath, 1 ice scraper, 1 LED safety strobe light, 1 emergency survival blanket, 3 emergency candles, 1 box of waterproof matches, 2 hand warmer packets, 1 emergency whistle, and a 45 piece first-aid kit.

That’s no small amount of choice hardware, especially for the price.  If you live in the cold climates like I do, folks, you may want to pick one of these up.

Tags: aaa, amazon, Car Kit, Winter, Winter Driving, winter emergency, winter emergency car kit

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You might well think that totally winterizing your vehicle is basically limited to keeping the antifreeze topped off and keeping the battery charged.

If AAA is to believed, and let’s face it, we’re talking about Triple A here so they probably ARE, then there’s a whole lot more that we’re all overlooking.

Here’s a partial list of things you should be doing to winterize your vehicles.

Check your tire pressure. Cold weather months can do strange things to tire pressure, so if you’re not already giving your tires a once-over, now would be a good time to start.

Check your windshield washer fluid levels. Failing to do this will either risk getting your windshield splattered with unremovable mud, salt and other winter effluvia or, worse, giving water a place to condense, freezing up the reservoir and leaving it unusable until it melts.

Install winter wiper blades. If you don’t already have a good pair of all-season blades, consider getting a set for winter driving.  You’ll be driving into a lot more stuff on your windshield, and not just snow, either–there’ll be ice, frost, and frozen road dirt kicked up by passing semis.

These are just three steps you can take to help ensure your car will get through cold winter driving and get you where you need to be.

Tags: aaa, tire pressure, triple a, Winter, Winter Driving, winterizing

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It has been customary for most families to travel and spend the 4th of July in certain places. But this year, it seems that many would be making some changes to their celebration plans. With fuel prices rising beyond reasonable levels, some people may be foregoing that tradition (at least while everything is in chaos in the fuel industry).

Compare to previous years, forecasts on the decline in numbers is expected. This is something expected ever since the fuel prices jacked up and became unreasonable. Add to that the fact that some have chosen to limit the use of their cars, if ever some would travel, it would be through a car pool or perhaps public means of transport.

If some people are willing to go through the uncomfortable situations of spending the occasion, at least they can get some consolation with special discounts to their destination. But first, they should ask themselves if the whole thing is worth the effort.

“Many Americans remain cautious about the outlook for their personal finances and these attitudes are reflected in the slight decline in travel we are forecasting for the upcoming holiday weekend,” said Robert L. Darbelnet, AAA President & CEO. “Those who do vacation this summer will find a plethora of attractive discounts and special offers resulting in some outstanding vacation values. If you can afford to go, this summer is a smart time to travel.”

(Source) Press

Tags: aaa, attitudes, attractive discounts, car pool, celebration plans, chaos, consolation, decline, fuel industry, fuel prices, holiday weekend, personal finances, plethora, president ceo, previous years, smart time, special offers, uncomfortable situations, vacation values

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It’s no secret that new drivers are the worst drivers, in most cases at least. Therefore, one would expect that teen drivers, since they are new drivers, would have a high death rate due to automotive accidents, right?

Well yes, but not as dangerous to themselves as you would think. According to a study recently done by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teen drivers are 2 times as likely to kill other people than themselves while driving.

I feel I was a good driver ever since I got behind the wheel. I’ve come to known some people who aren’t as keen at driving though so this study definitely makes sense.

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Tags: aaa, safety, study, teen drivers

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