Drunk driving is an epidemic that causes an excess of deaths in the United States year after year. In 2003 MADD reported that there were nearly 18,000 deaths in alcohol related accidents within the country. Police forces across the country have taken a very strict stance on the issue as well; doling out more prominent and much stronger punishments for those who are caught driving under the influence.
In an age where many drivers are comfortable hopping behind the wheel even after one drink, it is very important to strengthen the law that no one should drive with alcohol in her system. With that said, however, one of the biggest reasons people hop behind the wheel is to take a short trip to the local liquor store in order to replenish their supply.

Local beverage vendors in Tampa, Florida, have begun a smart business that involves delivering alcoholic beverages right to a customer’s door. The delivery ensures that people who would normally drive to get more have a chance to remain home, thus keeping the roads much safer. Every one of the vendor stores has strict policies on underage alcoholic beverage sales and require a credit card for payment as well as a matching ID to ensure the consumer is of age.

There has been an increase in government policies regarding the delivery of alcoholic beverages in many states across the country. Statistics also show that alcoholic beverage delivery services are the number one source for underage beverage sales. Therefore, these types of services may not be readily available across the entire country.

As for the areas that do include similar services, local vendors and consumers alike encourage you to use the delivery method as a safe and convenient way to replenish your alcohol wares. Even if you’ve only had one drink, it still is possible to be part of an alcohol related accident.

Don’t drink and drive.

Ever stomped your foot like a spoiled child at the current gas prices? You’re certainly not alone, and it’s obvious that an alternative fuel source needs to be found. The question remains, however, will we even be able to find something cheaper?

E-85, or Ethanol alcohol in the form of fuel, is an alternative source of energy that is already available. Most average drivers are not aware that around 6 million cars already on the road can run on E-85 as a fuel source. These types of vehicles are called “flex-fuel” autos, meaning they can run on a fuel mixture of 85% E-85 and 15% gasoline. However, there is one very big setback. An auto using E-85 at this current point in time costs more money than an automobile running on gasoline. This is due to the fact that E-85 produces less energy than gasoline, meaning a car running on E-85 will get fewer miles per gallon. The current cost of E-85 is pretty close to the average gas prices as mentioned before. Another big problem is that E-85 fueling stations are not as abundant and are only prominent in the northern corn-growing states such as Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. They are not generally found at all in the southern states where corn is harder to grow.

Pros of running an auto on E-85 fuel are: the dependency of imported petroleum will drop around 85% if most drivers switch to a flex-fuel auto, meaning less money will go overseas; consumers will not have to pay a premium for a flexible fuel model; and the fuel source is completely renewable. Adversely, some cons of running an auto on E-85 fuel are: fewer miles per gallon; there is a chance that global food supply could be affected negatively; and the environmental hazards of burning E-85 are still unknown.

E-85 prices will come down over time, however, if the fuel source is more widely adopted.  If we all do our part in purchasing flex-fuel autos, our total dependency on foreign petroleum and oil will drop a considerable amount.

What could be easier than completing a drivers’ education course online? Really, I can’t think of anything. Online, you can work at your own pace. Privately in your own home, you can decide when the best time is for you, or your teen, to study driving. To learn to be a safe driver, you have to know all the rules. Carefully studying the techniques and precautions of driving is best done at the tempo that makes you the most comfortable. The Virtual Drive California Drivers Ed offers that exact situation; it is approved by the California DMV as an online course for California driver education. If you complete the course and have reached the age of 15 1/2, you can obtain your driver’s permit. Start driving around your city in no time, or your time; it’s all your choice.

Speeding tickets happen, but in California, you won’t always have to pay for them. You might ask, “How?” If you take the approved California defensive driving course provided at California’s Drivers Ed, you can wipe away your tickets. For a low cost, you’ll be able to receive a certificate of completion that can be taken to a local court to clear away your ticket! Reduce your insurance costs with the click of a button.

The Virtual Drive California Drivers Ed is the site to guide you on your way to a license. The best part is that you can do everything at your own pace and in your own time.

Here is your chance to enroll in an online driver education course that is approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety to receive a Texas learner’s permit and drivers license. With Texas Drivers Ed, you could save hundreds of dollars, and time. In fact, this can all happen from the comfort of your home and at your own pace! The hands-on driving instruction will be supervised by your parents or guardian.
With Texas Driver Education‘s course, you can receive an insurance discount, receive a Texas learner’s permit after the first six hours of the course, and more.

With their help, you can even get traffic tickets dismissed.Most courts in the State of Texas will allow you to take a State approved Texas defensive driving course to dismiss your traffic ticket. With their course, you can take the course in the comfort of your home. You could login during a lunch break, or and complete the course when time permits. After the class, you could end up dismissing your ticket! Enrolling only costs $25.00– that’s it!

Take some time to discover why so many Texan teens are enrolling in a state approved online Texas Driver Education courses such as the one offered on this site. It is truly worth the cost and time.

In many states, you can now opt out of the classroom portion of the traditional driver education courses and instead, take an online course! For states that have approved online instruction, you will no longer have to sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher, and your parents or guardians would administer the behind the wheel driving part.

Driver Education is a site devoted to online driver education; their courses are approved in numerous states. If you want to know about driver education and how to obtain your learner’s permit and license in your state, this site has all the information you need. In fact, all you have to do is click on your state on the map of the US!

Of course, this site does not strictly offer an online driver education course. Have you received a traffic ticket and are you looking for an online traffic school source to dismiss your ticket? They also have an online traffic school courses and you could lower your insurance rates!

Their online driver education courses offer superior instruction by combining text, reinforced with audio, graphics and videos. Of course, all of this will be taken place in the comfort of your home and at your own pace.

If it moves you, it’s on RideLust. Cars, trucks, SUVs, jeeps, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, ATVs, skidoos, seadoos, foot scooters, skateboards, inline skates, skis, you name it (including the irmscher opel astra), they’ll have something written for you. Their site is made up of an extreme amount of blogs about categories that you will want to read. Educate yourself about the newest concept cars, or maybe learn the five tips for perfect tire.

At RideLust, they make it easy for you to read about what you want because they organize their blogs into categories such as diesel, electric cars, road-trips, toys, etc. Or maybe you want to read about recent car shows or the find out what is newest in auto show news; there is a category for you as well! This car news blog is full of interesting articles to read or things to learn about.

Not in the mood to read? Watch some videos! They have videos about cars doing some laps and a Shelby mustang video collection points too! The videos on their site could entertain you for hours!

You can read the articles or watch the videos on RideLust from time to time, but you could also subscribe to their e-mail list or RSS feed so that you can get the newest news right away! If you are looking for some fun or interesting news about almost any moving object (even ones that don’t exist yet!) RideLust will have something for you.

Often driving tips vary depending on who you ask. When there are cold frosty mornings the right answer needs to be known immediately to prevent car damage. Of course if you are thinking of drag racing the tips are totally different!

Although many believe they should get their engine warmed up by racing games (like you are in Nascar) it in the morning the problem is that an idling engine can’t get lubrication to the necessary metal parts and without lubrication those parts wear out prematurely. Idle that car, such as the Nissan Pao, for not more than 30 seconds and save wear and tear on moving parts.

Below freezing starts can damage an engine. To avoid this use a multi grade oil either 5W-30 or 10W-30. These oils are formulated to resist thickening in cold weather and this leave more oil available for lubrication.

In preparing for winter cold have the cold-cranking power of the battery checked by your mechanic which is the major reason there are cold weather stalls.

Antifreeze should not be used at full concentration because when water is added the freezing point is actually lowered. Silicates and phosphates in the antifreeze require water to keep them in a solution to do their job. Think about new tires.

Do not under inflate your tires for more traction before traveling on slippery roads. On icy roads one needs more traction and stopping capabilities which is accomplished with inflated tires.

The most serious problem in icy conditions occurs with drivers inexperienced with snowy icy road conditions. If your car has traction control there will not be a problem. Apply the emergency brake just a few notches until it begins to grip. This will make the braking system equal on both driving wheels and will cause to turn at the same speed. But be careful in using that emergency brake because too much braking can damage it.

Skidding is a frightening problem and it is hard to know at this panicky time. The easy answer is no matter which direction the car is skidding turn the wheel in the direction you want to go.

One of the best driving tips though is that you should never be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving. This absolutely destroys your reaction time and impairs your judgment. If you have issue with alcohol, please visit one of these sites for more information:

Missouri Alcohol Rehab Center

Nebraska Alcohol Rehab

Nevada Alcohol Rehab Center

New Hampshire Alcohol Rehab Program

North Carolina Alcohol Rehabilitation Center

MDWholesale.com has the only headlight cleaning and restoration kit that was good enough to earn a federal U.S. patent. Why? Because their product works. Millions of happy customers can vouch for this headlight product. It is sold by, MDWholesale.com, the number one seller of headlight cleaner, repair and restoration systems in the world, and also comes with a 100% guarantee!

Especially helpful if you are a sports car owner.

According to the Institute for Highway Safety, bad, unrestored, or cloudy headlights are the biggest reason for severe night time car accidents. Dirty headlights can reduce your night-time vision by as much as 90%! For your safety, you should not be driving with dirty headlights. While new headlights could cost you hundreds of dollars, this product from MDWholesale.com only costs $15.99! For that low cost, you are making your car much safer to drive in at night. For more information about driver safety, check out their articles on safe driving. Also, MDWholesale has a sitemap that is full of hundreds of links to other car-related articles.

MdWholesale.com’s headlight cleaning product is not made from cheap abrasives, polishes, or dry sandpaper–it is made with products that will permanently clean and restore your cloudy headlight lenses! Not only do they come with a 100% guarantee, but they look good! They’ll even increase the value of your car! And at the site you see some great before and after photos like the one to the right.

MdWholesale.com‘s headlight cleaner kit and products are used by the US Army, US Navy, numerous NASCAR teams (Hendrick Motorsports), DOT, Lamborghini (like the HAMANN Gallardo Victory), Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and are featured in Popular Mechanics and Popular Science magazines. Millions of people have been using this patented product, are you?

Up to 8 million drivers in the UK may be taking risks that can equal those of drink-driving, simply by using hands-free mobile phones (read other mobile phone news), according to car insurer, yesinsurance.co.uk. yesinsurance.co.uk state that most of the UK’s 33 million registered drivers now have a mobile phone and many of them use it whilst driving – either legally using a hands-free kit, or illegally by holding the phone in their hand. Research studies indicate that around 24% of UK drivers occasionally use the phone whilst driving.

However, whilst most drivers are aware that hand-held phones pose a risk, many are unaware that the level of risk is very similar when using a hands-free mobile phone.

“Research conducted at the University of Sydney’s Injury Prevention and Trauma Care Division indicates that people who use their mobile phones whilst driving are four times more likely to crash – and this includes people using hands-free devices,” said Paul Purdy of yesinsurance.co.uk.

In the UK, research conducted at the Transport Research Laboratory has found that drivers talking on both hand-held and hands-free mobile phones have on average 30 per cent slower reaction times than those who have been drinking, and 50 per cent slower times than sober drivers.

Similar results were found during tests which were undertaken at the University of Utah in the United States, comparing use of hands-free phones and drinking at the UK limit.

“Whilst we would not go as far as calling for a complete ban on hands-free devices, we would like to see the government placing a much greater emphasis on warning drivers that use of a hands-free device can be as dangerous as drinking,” said Paul Purdy.

In the UK it is illegal to drive a vehicle whilst using a hand-held mobile phone, but hands-free phones are not specifically prohibited. However, legal action can still be taken against drivers who have been using hands-free devices, if it is believed that this has been a contributory factor in an accident.

yesinsurance.co.uk said that research indicates that the combination of visual, auditory, mental and physical distractions caused by using mobile phones can cause a severe deterioration in the ability of the driver to react quickly to changing conditions.

“Conversations with passengers can incorporate periods of silence, but telephone conversations tend to be continuous, requiring a greater commitment in terms of concentration from the driver,” said Paul Purdy.

“There are also visual clues which can be picked up by drivers and passengers, but these are missing when the conversation is being conducted over a telephone,” he said.

At any one time, according to research conducted in 2006 by the Transport Research Laboratory, 2.5% of drivers are using the phone whilst driving – with two-thirds of them illegally using hand-held phones. In London the figures were even higher, with 3.7 per cent of car drivers and 4.8 per cent of van drivers being on the phone at any one time.

Latest research results published in June by America’s Ohio State University indicate that pedestrians are also at increased risk of road accidents when they are using a mobile phone. Their tests showed that 48 per cent of cell-phone users crossed the road in front of approaching cars, compared with 25 per cent of those not using gadgets. Interestingly, only 16 per cent of iPod users took the same risk.

Commenting on ways to get the message through to drivers, Paul Purdy said:

“We would like to see the launch of a campaign that urges drivers to switch off their mobile phone before setting off on a trip, so that messages can be received by voicemail.”