Top Ten 4th of July Driving Tips

When many people think of the 4th of July, they think of America’s independence, cook-outs, family gatherings, road trips and fireworks. But what most people don’t think of is road safety. With July 3rd and July 4th being two of the deadliest days to drive, Insurance.com is reminding all motorists to drive safely during the upcoming 4th of July week.

“Car accidents traditionally increase during the summer months, especially during the holidays when alcohol and long road trips are involved,” stated David Roush, CEO of Insurance.com. “That is why Insurance.com is committed to reminding drivers to play it safe this 4th of July and plan ahead before heading out to a holiday party or on a 4th of July vacation.”

To help keep you and your family safe this 4th of July, Insurance.com has listed their Top Ten 4th of July Driving Tips.

1. Don’t drink and drive. No matter if you are attending a holiday gathering close to home or if you are on a road trip, drinking and driving is never a good idea. Play it safe this 4th of July and either have a designated driver to drive you home or call for a cab.
2. Buckle Up! Wearing seatbelts every time you drive is the easiest way to help keep you and your family safe in the event of an accident. If you are traveling with small children make sure they are in a proper car or booster seat for their age group and height.
3. Watch your speed! State and local police officers will be out in full force during the 4th of July week. So make sure to obey the speed limits of the state you are in and keep a safe distance between the cars in front of you! Remember, a speeding ticket can mean points on your driver’s license and a potential increase in your auto insurance rate.
4. Check your tires. The last thing you want is your own “fireworks display” while on the highway. That is why it is important to inspect your tires before you head out on your trip. Make sure to check the tire pressure in your tires. Many drivers fail to do this – and low tire levels can potentially cost them more money in gas to fuel their car. It is also a good idea to have your tires rotated by a professional mechanic before you leave on a long trip.
5. Make sure your battery has enough juice. If it has been a few years since you replaced your car battery, you might want to do so before you leave on your 4th of July vacation. It is better to be safe than sorry when you are traveling far from home.
6. Turn on your lights. Something many of us fail to check before leaving for vacation are headlights, tail lights and turn signals. To ensure everything is working properly, have a family member or friend walk around the car while you test the car lights and signals from the inside.
7. Pack a first aid kit and roadside assistance kit. It’s always a good idea to keep a first aid kit and a roadside assistance kit in your car at all times. You never know what could happen, so it is better to play it safe. While you’re at it, consider packing a cooler of water, a flash light, non-perishable food and extra batteries.
8. Rain, rain, go away! The 4th of July weekend can bring the sun and blue skies, but it can also bring rain storms. That is why it is important to check the weather before you leave and during your trip. If you do get caught in a torrential downpour, pull off to the side of the road or to a rest area until the rain has stopped. And if the area you are in floods, don’t try to drive through it, find an alternative route. You may have to back track a bit, but it will be worth it in the long run.
9. Watch your surroundings! One of the most popular ways to celebrate the 4th of July is by attending a fireworks display at a local venue. These types of events typically generate large crowds of people and pedestrians. If you are driving to or from a fireworks celebration, make sure to drive with caution and care with these large crowds about.
10. Proof of car insurance. Whether you are traveling close to home or out-of-state you should always have your proof of car insurance in your wallet and in your glove box. It’s a good idea to keep a disposable camera, note pad and pen in your car, just in case an accident occurs.

If you are interested in switching your auto insurance or would like to get an auto insurance quote, visit Insurance.com’s auto insurance comparison application. Here, you can evaluate multiple rates from best-in-class car insurance providers, helping you save time and money on your car insurance.


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With so many car rental companies on the net, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Renting a car should not be dreaded.

When you use the Internet, it's easy, fast and you'll definitely find a cheap car rental. You'll find discounts, and you completely by-pass the hassle of calling a car rental company, waiting on hold for an extended period of time, and then wondering if you got a good deal.

Online rental sites really can save you money when you're in the market for a cheap car rental. Some offer coupons and special offers available to people reserving through their web sites.

On the Internet, you can find bargains like special weekend rates, cut-rate car rentals, package deals and frequent renter programs that offer a variety of cost savings. But many of these deals are subject to restrictions and may be limited in some locations. When looking for the best deals, it's a good idea to verify the conditions before you plan your trip.

You may even qualify for a special discount on your car rental. Special rates for corporate, government, military, AARP, and AAA members are readily available over the Internet. An assortment of other regional and individual discounts include downloadable coupons and other Internet specials.

There are numerous car rental venues on the Internet. You can check out the websites of the individual car rental companies one at a time, or you can use a clearing-house-type of website to find the cheapest car rental available. Whichever online car rental avenue you decide to take, you will undoubtedly end up finding a great deal on a cheap rental car.

Making online car rental reservations is easy. Customarily, a renting reservation website will ask you for the city or airport from which you will be renting, the type of car rental you want (i.e., compact, mid-size, standard, full-size, minivan), the dates you'll be renting, and the time you will pick up the car rental. You will also need to know the car rental drop off location, date and time. Make sure to keep in consideration the time you will need to be at the airport to catch a flight, usually about two hours before the scheduled departure time.

The renting reservation website will presumably also ask you a few questions about the name of the person who will be driving the car and possibly the age and gender of the driver. You may also have to choose whether or not you want to purchase insurance on the car, in case you are in an accident during the car rental period.

Finding a discount car rental has become a breeze using the Internet. Renting a car is so much easier and cheaper than it used to be in the days before the Internet. With the net, you can easily make reservations for a cheap car rental with minimal effort and very little time.

As with any car rental, make yourself aware of hidden fees. With some research and planning, you can avoid the fees that some car rental companies tack on that you won't find out about until you go to pick up the car.

The bottom line is do your homework। Research different car rental companies and look for the best deal. Once you sign on, be sure to read your rental agreement carefully. Look for possible restrictions, details, and hidden costs.

by Karen Kirby
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Kirby

Auto insurance - how low can you go?

It is important to remember when looking for a renewal on your policy that you will be assessed on how much of a risk you appear be to the insurer. With this in mind answer any questions carefully, ensuring you don't guess at any answers as this could inadvertently bump up your premium price.

There are several options for you to choose from when beginning your search for a policy so low it's practically doing the limbo.

You can follow the traditional method of searching through your local telephone book, search for companies on the internet and then follow a quote by quote procedure until you find a suitable policy at a cheap price. The other option now available and fast becoming ever prevalent is the comparison site. Use of these sites will allow you to receive quotes from a variety of companies by entering your details once. The work is done by the search engine at the comparison site which applies for quotes on several sites on your behalf. After a very short time your results are returned and usually put into price order for easy viewing. It is important to remember when utilising this type of website that you should never go for simply the cheapest policy as this may not always provide the cover you require. Check the level of cover offered with the policy and if it is adequate and happens to be the cheapest policy then all the better.

So what can you do to increase that premium? Here are some suggestions:

1: When entering information for a quote, ensure you are accurate, for example giving a more precise mileage can shrink your premium price noticeably. If you state you expect to travel 15,000 miles instead of 10,000 you are increasing your level of risk by 50% as you will be on the road for 5,000 miles extra. Utilising M.O.T documents (if you have them) will allow you guess at a pretty accurate mileage as long as your circumstances have not changed.

2: Be careful when entering your job title, of course if you are retired there is little you can do here and believe me we're all jealous. On a serious note however; the way you describe your job title can impact hugely on your auto insurance quote. For example, describing yourself as a journalist instead of selecting reporter can save £90 on the average policy. This follows a similar theme with most job descriptions, so as you can imagine it may be worth quoting a couple of times with different job titles (as long as accurate; straying too far from the truth could result in voiding of policy at a later date).

3: Always review the excess you will be expected to "stump up" on a prospective policy in the event of a claim. This can vary drastically from one insurer to another. Offering a higher voluntary excess can save money on your premium price but will mean having to find a bigger lump sum in the event of an accident or claim. Believe me; trying to produce £500 out of thin air can be fun at times.

4: Where you keep you car overnight can play its part in your premium price too. If you can ensure your car us garaged overnight instead of left on the street you will save money on your auto insurance policy. Again you must be honest here, as in the event of your vehicle being stolen this will be an area that is investigated. Of course suggesting you have a garage when you don't is not a good idea and trying to produce evidence of this "garage" to the police when filing a crime report could prove to be interesting.

5: My last few tips concern the features that are offered with a prospective policy. You may be inadvertently paying for a feature you do not require, such as legal protection or personal injury. Most insurers will allow you to remove these from the policy making it cheaper. Think about this carefully before doing so, as you may find a need for these features at a later date (especially if you're the suing type; just a joke of course). Along with your general excess you will find extra's such as windscreen excess or young drivers excess, checking these before you commit to purchasing a policy could save you money in the long run.

Finally, if you can find an insurance company who will combine auto insurance along with perhaps house insurance or similar you may save a large amount of money. This is worth looking into as packaging policies ultimately makes things cheaper and easier to manage.

Make use of the information above and you should be able to shave a large amount of money off your policy. All that is left to be said is "good luck" and many happy years of driving.

Auto Insurance For The Digital Age

The maturation of the Internet has turned it into a viable marketplace and no industry has benefited more than the auto insurance business. In May of 2006 alone, Yahoo saw almost four million searches on "car insurance." Three of the strongest insurance companies in the country do their selling primarily over the internet or telephone: Progressive, eSurance and Geico.

There are other highly popular sites on the web that provide multiple quotes from standard insurance companies, but do so without the benefit of an insurance agent. Those sites that provide quotes generally will turn the sales portion of the customer interaction over to the insurance provider that has been selected.

Exact numbers are hard to come by, but assembling a few fragments gives us a fair picture of the industry. According to Forrester Research, by 2004 30% of all Americans were using the Internet to research auto insurance. By 2005, 16% of the populace were not only doing their research on line but completing the auto insurance purchase as well.

The relatively low percentage of people completing online purchases compared with the amount of Internet research and the success of online companies highlights an important component of the business. It is still not terribly easy to complete and auto insurance buy online. Many people will do their research online and turn to the telephone to complete the process. Personal experience shows that the insurer has to do a quick search on your driving record before locking in rates, and that is something that is much more quickly accomplished in a real-time interview.

Every major insurance company has an online site that will offer up a quote. Some - still a minority - will close an insurance contract online. And between the Internet and the web, companies like Geico have leveraged themselves into the top 10 auto insurance sales companies. eSurance and others have the distinct advantage of holding their costs to website maintenance and operation of a quality phone center. They have no agent commissions to pay and no storefronts to support.

There are also some quality sites like http://Insurance.com that can provide quotes from multiple, well established insurance companies on demand. These sites build their traffic through web searches, using a large amount of content to achieve keyword responses, and purchasing online advertising as well. These sites tend to provide libraries of information about the industry, shopping trends and techniques and advice columns of various sorts. The insurance company sites provide supporting content as well, but the multiple bid sites need it to draw traffic and rely heavily on a well-developed, multidimensional site to bring in inquiries that result in referrals.

Geico and eSurance, on the other hand, spend a lot of money on television commercials. Geico has become so dominant in the field that their commercial buys can be seen on prime time TV shows that are very expensive for advertisers. eSurance has developed a ubiquitous presence with their cartoon avatar Erin, buying TV spots on less expensive shows but buying a lot of them.

There has been a tremendous amount of news reporting about auto insurance prices dropping recently. Much of it attributes the drop to fierce competition and low rates introduced by online providers. It is fair to say that online auto insurance is a major component of the market, even if the sales themselves are being completed offline in some fashion. Eventually, the sales tools will make the online purchase as simple as the rate research.