Have a Safe Spring Break With These 10 Driving Tips

It's almost Spring Break! Enjoy your time off and make sure to have fun, but also remember to drive safely and take the appropriate precautions before you leave town. Need to get your car checked out? No problem. Give us a call and we'll get you a tune-up. Also, here is a great list of the top 10 safe driving tips from HowStuffWorks.com. Have a great vacation!

10: Don't Drive Drunk

More than 30 percent of all auto accident fatalities in the United States involve drivers impaired by alcohol. These accidents led to 11,773 deaths in 2008 alone [source: NHTSA]. Most of those deaths could've been avoided if the drivers involved simply hadn't gotten behind the wheel while drunk.

Alcohol causes a number of impairments that lead to car accidents. Even at low blood-alcohol levels, intoxication reduces reaction time and coordination and lowers inhibitions, which can cause drivers to make foolish choices. At higher levels, alcohol causes blurred or double vision and even loss of consciousness. Drunk driving isn't just a terrible idea -- it's a crime. In the U.S, getting caught behind the wheel with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or higher will probably earn you a trip to jail.

It's easy to avoid driving drunk. If you've been drinking, ask a sober friend for a ride or call a cab. If you're planning to drink, make sure you have a designated driver. The mild inconvenience of taking a cab home is nothing compared to the disastrous consequences of driving drunk.

9: Don't Speed

As the old public service campaign so succinctly put it, "Speed kills." Research has shown that for every mile per hour you drive, the likelihood of your being in an accident increases by four to five percent [source: ERSO]. At higher speeds, the risk increases much more quickly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) explains the consequences of fast driving quite simply: "Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is estimated by NHTSA to be $40.4 billion per year. In 2008, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 11,674 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes" [source: NHTSA].

For your average drive across town, driving even 10 mph (16.1 kph) faster is only going to save you a few minutes -- while increasing your crash risk by as much as 50 percent. Even on long trips, the time you'll save is inconsequential compared to the risks associated with speeding. Take your time and obey posted speed limits. If you really need to get there as fast as possible, there's one fool-proof solution: Leave earlier.

8: Avoid Distractions

Many states in the U.S. have passed laws that ban the use of cell phones while driving. The reason is the number of deaths attributed to this seemingly harmless activity: 2,600 deaths nationwide every year, by some estimates [source: Live Science]. In fact, those numbers may actually be too low, due to the continued rise in cell phone use behind the wheel. If you think that talking and texting while driving isn't a big deal, consider this: One researcher compared the reaction time of a 20-year-old driver talking on a cell phone to that of a 70-year-old driver. What's more, working a cell phone behind the wheel can delay reaction times by as much as 20 percent.

It isn't just cell phones that cause distractions, however. Eating, applying makeup, fiddling with electronic devices or interacting with passengers also diverts a driver's attention in potentially deadly ways. Perhaps the best advice on driving distractions came from rocker Jim Morrison: "Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel."

7: Don't Drive Drowsy

A study conducted by researchers at Virginia Tech reported that 20 percent of all accidents have sleepiness as a contributing factor [source: TheDenverChannel]. If a driver is tired enough to actually fall asleep while driving, the results are predictable. Even on a relatively straight highway, a sleeping driver will eventually drift off the road. Trees, utility poles, ravines and bridge abutments turn this into a deadly scenario -- and that doesn't even take other cars into account.

You might think a few yawns are nothing to worry about, but just being a little drowsy is enough to increase your risk of getting in an accident. Responses can range from dozing off for a few seconds at a time to simply "zoning out" and losing all focus on the road. At highway speeds, one or two seconds of inattention can lead to disaster.

The solution is simple: Get a better night's sleep! Make sure you get a solid eight hours of sleep, not just on the night before a long drive, but on a regular basis. Failure to get enough sleep every night builds a sleep deficit that can leave you drowsy and unable to focus. If you're driving and feel the least bit groggy, take action immediately. Don't think you'll get any kind of warning before you fall asleep, or that you can fight it off. People can move from drowsy to sound asleep without warning. If this happens to you, have a friend take over behind the wheel, find a rest area where you can catch a few hours of sleep or take a break until you're feeling more alert.

See the rest at HowStuffWorks.com.

13 Unbeatable New-Car Lease Deals

The conventional wisdom for generations among those looking to get the most for their money has been to purchase a new car and hold onto it until it would cost more to repair than it was ultimately worth. However, a growing number of consumers are finding leasing a vehicle for a set term, rather than buying one outright, to be financially advantageous thanks to a perfect alignment of market forces. According to Forbes, record low interest rates and high resale values caused by an ongoing shortage of used cars are helping automakers offer some of the best lease deals in years. Leasing now accounts for 21 percent of all new-vehicle transactions, according to Kelley Blue Book, which is up from around 12 percent in 2009; analysts believe leasing could account for as much as 25-30 percent of the new-car business over the coming years. How good are the deals these days? Forbes’ slide show runs down a baker’s dozen of the best deals it could find among a wide range of makes and models. Check it out!

Kia Soul

Segment: Compact wagon 
Deal: $169/36 months 
Due at Signing: $1,999 
Annual Mileage: 12,000

 

 

 

Honda Civic

Segment: Compact sedan
Deal: $179/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000

 

 

 

 

Hyundai Elantra

Segment: Compact sedan
Deal: $179/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000

 

 

 

 

Honda Accord

Segment: Midsize sedan
Deal: $219/36 months
Due at Signing: $1,999
Annual Mileage: 12,000

 

 

 

 

Toyota Camry

Segment: Midsize sedan
Deal: $219/36 months
Due at Signing: $2,199
Annual Mileage: 12,000

 

 

See the others at Forbes.com!

Subaru, The Road-Gripping Brand, Gets Its Moment

Subaru has always been the well-regarded, but often overlooked runner-up to big Japanese names like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. However, this week, Consumer Reports named Subaru as the top-quality brand in its list of the best vehicles for 2012. That not only brings bragging rights, but can also lead to sales.

“Subaru’s score of 75 – two points higher than last year – reflects better test scores for such redesigned models as the Impreza, Legacy, and Outback over the last few years. The 2012 Impreza, which Consumer Reports just tested, now tops the small-sedan class and is the Consumer Reports Top Pick in that category. Subaru’s average road-test score of 82 is the highest in Consumer Reports analysis,” wrote the magazine.

Even before it won the title, Subaru had a good February. Its sales of 25,374 were up 17 percent over February 2011, figures showed Thursday, and its sales for the first two months of 2012 are up 19 percent over 2011. Its vehicles’ symmetrical all-wheel drive capability is especially important to buyers in New England and in Northwestern and Midwestern states where dramatic weather can make driving treacherous.

Read more about Subaru’s success at Forbes.com.

Car buyers can't always get what they want

How do you feel about the new approach to vehicle customization?

When it comes to ordering new cars, buyers are finding you can't always get what you want.

Automakers are drastically cutting the potential combinations of trim levels and options in a trend that recently has accelerated:

• Buick offers its new Verano compact in only 18 potential combinations of trims and options.
• Volkswagen slashed the ways you can order a Passat midsize sedan from 148 to 15.
• Toyota cut the ordering complexity of its current-generation Sienna minivan by 80%.

Automakers say fewer choices lead to higher quality because they perfect the few configurations. It avoids "creating complexity for the sake of complexity," says Chuck Russell, General Motors director of compact cars in North America.

It also cuts costs with fewer combinations to plan for and track on assembly lines. And it simplifies inventory planning for dealers.

One way automakers cut complexity is to herd options into "packages." Sienna's "preferred" package, for example, bundles power side doors with satellite radio. To get a Passat with a sunroof, you also must buy the premium sound system.

The potential downside: "You end up buying things you don't want or need in order to get things you do want or need," says John O'Dell, a senior editor for car research site Edmunds.com.

But automakers say the lower costs may be passed on to buyers and that they've gotten better at figuring out bundles buyers want.

"It's actually a relief. They are removing the work of trying to figure out what I want," says Kristen Andersson, senior analyst for shopping site TrueCar.com, who says buyers can even end up happier, with goodies they wouldn't have ordered but later love.

Not all makers are embracing the trend. High-end brands are more likely to still let buyers pick and choose. About 30% of Porsche buyers, for instance, custom order their cars. "It's expensive to do it the way we do it," spokesman Dave Engelman says. "It slows down the assembly line."

And even mainstream makers are going that way for key models:

Chrysler Group, for example, has cut combinations on many vehicles, reducing the number of ways you can order some of its biggest-selling vehicles for 2012, like Dodge Durango crossover or the Grand Caravan minivan. It reduced trim levels to five, down from 12. but for its $15,995-to-start, all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact, it is allowing custom factory orders in up to 100,000 combinations.

Dodge Director Richard Cox says à la carte choices include "citrus peel" paint — a "vivid greeny yellow" — and push-button ignition. "They might want the 8.4-inch touch-screen but don't want navigation. We give them the ability to get that (without having to buy) a $3,000 package."

How does a plant handle that without driving up cost? "World-class manufacturing," says Cox.

Read more at USAToday.com.

Chevy Uses App and Twinkies to Stick Out at the Super Bowl

If you watched the Super Bowl this year, you most likely saw Chevy’s apocalypse commercial. Pretty funny stuff. Did you catch the Twinkie connection?

General Motors has pronounced itself pleased with its elaborate efforts to draw attention to the three commercials it bought for its Chevrolet division during the Super Bowl.

One of those commercials, “2012,” memorably poked fun at speculation that, according to the Mayan calendar, the world will end this year. The commercial, by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, part of the Omnicom Group, showed the only survivors of a cataclysm — wrought by disasters like an alien invasion, heinous weather and volcano eruptions — to be owners of Chevy Silverado trucks.

At the end of the commercial, as frogs start to fall from the sky, the survivors share what seems to be the only food to have survived the apocalypse: a box of Twinkies.

It is rare for one brand’s ad to feature another brand made by another company, but the “2012” spot was one of two in Super Bowl XLVI that did so. (A commercial for General Electric showed how turbines made by G.E. helped power breweries that make Budweiser beer.)

The appearance of Twinkies in “2012” was a nod to decades of jokes about their recipe guaranteeing their longevity.

The creative team at Goodby, Silverstein was seeking a funny answer to this question, said Joel Ewanick, global chief marketing officer at General Motors in Detroit: “After this catastrophe, what’s going to be left?”

The approval of the Twinkies parent, Hostess Brands, was sought by the agency before the commercial was filmed, he added.

That was confirmed by Amy Clark, director for snack marketing at Hostess. “The humorous ad is a fun way of bringing together two iconic American brands – Chevy and Twinkies,” Ms. Clark said in an e-mail on Friday. “We were delighted to be part of it and we have enjoyed seeing the positive consumer response.”

According to a recap by Adweek.com and YouTube, “2012” finished sixth among 27 commercials from Super Bowl XLVI that have had more than a million views on YouTube. By Friday afternoon, the total number of views had reached almost 6.7 million.

To build interest in all three Chevy spots, G.M. began offering, weeks before Super Bowl Sunday, a free app that viewers could use during the game to take quizzes, interact with each other on Twitter and win prizes.

There were 725,000 downloads of the Chevy Game Time app, as it was called, Mr.  Ewanick said. “At one point, there were 12 to 13 million page views in the app,” he added.

Chevrolet was not the only Super Bowl sponsor that sought to take advantage of the increasing interest among consumers in so-called second-screen experiences as they watch television.

Coca-Cola, which ran three spots during the game, offered a live stream on a Web site that featured the brand’s polar bear characters’ reactions to the Super Bowl, the halftime show and the ads. By the third quarter, Adage.com reported, more than 600,000 people were watching the Coca-Cola live stream.

Read more at the NY Times.

Vote for the JHHS Robotics Team Video in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow National Contest!

The Jackson Hole High School Robotics Team has reached the Final Round in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow National Contest! Out of 2500 entrants in the first round, they won a computer and video camera for being in the top 25. 

The second round required an entry of a student-created video, and one of their videos made the top 12!  JHHS and the robots team will receive $70,000 worth of equipment.

Jackson Hole High School

 
Now, the team needs your help to be #1!

Go to https://pages.samsung.com/us/sft/video/index.jsp#top to see the videos and VOTE (as many times as you want).  Click on the vote tab underneath our video, and it will ask to register your email.  The top five finalist schools will win cash prizes.

This is an amazing opportunity for our community.

Please vote early, vote often and tell your friends - put it on Facebook!  Share with friends and family!

About the Contest:

Samsung is dedicated to helping children share the wonder of life, learning, and the planet. Through the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest we will give away more than $1,000,000 worth of technology to schools around the country.

Samsung and its partners called on public school teachers to raise student interest in science, technology, engineering and math by inviting them to answer the challenge, "Show how science or math can help the environment in your community." More than 1,500 application essays came from teachers and students across the country. The top 25 were chosen and sent video production kits containing a Samsung laptop, camcorder and software from Adobe. Twelve finalists have been selected and are featured on this site.

The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Judging Panel will select four grand prize winners and we´re asking you to help select the fifth grand prize winner — our Community Choice Winner — by voting below. Click on the videos below to view, then vote for your favorite!

Vote Now - Public Voting Closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, March 12, 2012!

Read more at https://pages.samsung.com/us/sft/video/showcase.html

The 2012 Subaru Impreza: Sensible Shoes Never Looked So Good

Check out what Todd Bianco of ACarIsNotARefrigerator.com has to say about the 2012 Subaru Impreza!

In any constellation, some stars appear brighter than others. In the constellation of Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. – one of Japan’s largest industrial companies – its subsidiary, Subaru, is that shining star.

Literally and figuratively, Subaru, which is the Japanese word for the Pleaides – has been a rock star in the depressed auto sales environment spawned by the collapse of the economy in 2008. Over the past few years, Subaru has seen double-digit sales increases and 2011 was its best year ever.

Perhaps it’s Subaru’s legendary reliability or perhaps its just that the company stayed laser-focused on its core “outdoor lifestyle vehicles” for its rabidly-loyal customers. Whatever the reason, there is no argument that Subaru has hit a successful formula that continues to resonate with hard-core enthusiasts as well as more recent members of the Subaru family.

If you know nothing about Subaru, you should know that it has two defining traits. First, it’s the only mass-market auto manufacturer that uses flat boxer engines in all its vehicles. (Porsche uses boxer engines in its sports cars, but not its other products.) And that boxer engine always drives all four wheels to form what Subaru calls symmetrical all-wheel drive.

Here’s an animation of how the Subaru boxer engine and symmetrical all-wheel drive work:

While Subaru is a popular niche brand in the Southland, you really need to drive up to Big Bear, Mammoth or anywhere in the Pacific Northwest to appreciate how many people choose a Subaru over other AWD cars. The first time I went to Jackson Hole, I was amazed by the number of people (full-time residents) who had a big 4-wheel drive pickup or SUV and a Subaru wagon in their driveways.

The Impreza has been Subaru’s humble entry-level car for many years. For 2012, while Honda and Toyota played it safe with subtle evolutions of their core products, Subaru took a quantum leap with the Impreza. The body, while remaining almost identical in size to the outgoing model, received new creased and crisp sheet metal and the interior lost much of the cheap-looking plastics in favor of more tailored, textured and soft-touch materials.

Beneath the handsome new metal (with nicely detailed wheel wells) is Subaru’s new 2.0L boxer engine making a relatively modest 148 hp 145 lb-ft of torque. The new engine sheds half a liter and 22 horsepower, but you’d never know it because its power and torque is managed much more efficiently by the new Lineartronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) that replaces the old-school four-speed automatic. Both a 5-speed manual and the CVT are available, but the CVT is the only transmission offered on the top-line Limited model.

Subaru claims a zero to 60 mpg time of 9.8 seconds, 0.3 seconds faster than the last Impreza that had a more powerful engine. While it’s not glacial, it’s 1/10th of a second slower than a standard Prius. It did seem quick off the line, but it takes a bit more time and effort for the engine to achieve highway speed.

The big news, however, is that fuel economy jumped from a decidedly uncompetitive 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway to 27 mpg city, 36 mpg highway. That stunning 30% increase instantly makes Subaru competitive with other subcompact cars, even while sporting the heavier AWD hardware not available on any competitor like the Honda Civic or Ford Focus.

The new Impreza has a smaller gas tank (14.5 gallons), but with the boosted fuel economy, it still has a potential cruising range of more than 500 miles.
The base 2012 Impreza 2.0i sedan is $17,495. Additional trim levels are Premium and Limited. Add $500 for the 5-door version and $1,000 for the 5-door Sport. I wanted to test the much more rakish and desirable 5-door Sport Limited model; but those are so popular, dealers can’t keep them in stock.

My gracious host at Subaru Pacific had a loaded Limited sedan (MSRP $24,895) ready for me to test. The standard Lineartronic CVT produces the best fuel economy. The sedan is identical to the 5-door/Sport model from the B-pillar forward, so both should have the same driving characteristics.

First, I’d like to state for the record that I’m not a big fan of CVTs. CVTs are a bit buzzy and the mechanical shifts I like to feel when driving are missing. That said, Subaru’s CVT is pretty advanced and civilized. Humming and complaining was reserved for heavy acceleration. However, in normal stop-and-go city traffic and highway speed cruising, the transmission works well and is unobtrusive.

The Lineartronic’s “M” mode gives the driver the feel and control of a 6-speed automatic. Handsome silver paddle shifters behind the steering wheel engage the fun. The LCD information screen between the analog gauges displays the number corresponding to the “gear” you feel you’re in. Slick stuff, but it’s more of a gimmick than useful. You’ll find yourself just leaving it in Drive and saving the manual mode for a steep decline….

Read the full article on ACarIsNotARefrigerator.com.