Car Safety Tips For Traveling Whilst Pregnant

Driver and passenger safety should be paramount whenever travelling in a car, but if you're pregnant, here are some extra safety tips to help ensure the safety of both you and your baby.

Tips for safe and comfortable car travel when pregnant

1. Avoid driving if your bump is so big it's almost touching the steering wheel. Ask your partner or a friend to ferry you instead.
2. Always take plenty of water with you to keep yourself hydrated.
3. Always plan your journey and allow time to stop for toilet breaks and to stretch your legs.
4. If you're suffering with backache, try using a pillow in the small of your back. Special pregnancy wedge pillows are also available.
5. Always make sure you have breakdown cover in place should anything happen when you're on your travels.
6. If you're in the third trimester - and especially towards the end of your pregnancy - try not to go anywhere in the car alone - you never know when your waters might break!
7. If traveling in the passenger seat, move your seat as far back from the airbag as possible. This extra space will also allow you more room to stretch your legs to be more comfortable. Moving your feet in a circular motion should help prevent and ease swelling.
8. Although comfort is important, never be tempted to travel without your seatbelt fastened. Aside from putting yourself and the baby in huge danger, you'll also be breaking the law.

The Bump Belt

One product that has been designed specifically with safety in mind is the Bump Belt. Once fitted, this device secures the lap portion of the seatbelt underneath the pregnancy bump and across the thighs, ensuring it doesn't ride up over the abdomen. Should a crash take place, the Bump Belt transfers the impact through the hips and pelvis, rather than the womb.

If you don't fancy a Bump Belt, always ensure that seatbelt lap strap sits snugly underneath your bump and across your pelvis. The shoulder belt should lie over the top of your pregnancy bump and between your breasts.

One final point - always seek medical advice. Make sure your doctor is happy for you to get behind the wheel if you're planning to drive whilst pregnant.

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Inexpensive Tips to Maintain Your Windshield and the Wipers

As old man winter once again makes an appearance around much of the country, it is important to remember that a little bit of extra work will go a long way. Even the simply parts of your car's maintenance, such as keeping up with the wiper blades on your windshield wipers can help save you money.

During the winter months, people will have less patience with car maintenance because after all that scraping and shoveling, they just want to get inside a warm car. But in order to make it easier on yourself during those cold mornings, do a little work behind the scenes to make sure you car windows do not frost up to begin with. It costs virtually no money to do this.

* Take a clean spray bottle and combine one part water to three parts white vinegar.

* Shake well and spray the outside of all the windows on your vehicle. When the temperature drops, frost will not be able to form on your windows, saving you time and effort on workday mornings.

* The windows will need a refresher spray of the solution every 2 weeks to maintain its protection so you may want to keep the bottle accessible in the car to remind yourself.

Many people will simply toss away windshield wipers that not longer seem to be working. Replacing wiper blades may not seem to be very expensive but the costs do add up and if there is a way to repair and maintain them without additional expense, it stands to reason you would want to give it a try. This method of rejuvenating your wiper blades also requires white vinegar and a clean cloth.

* Wet the cloth with the vinegar and run the cloth twice evenly down each of the wiper blades.
* Take a second cloth and dampen it with water. Clean off the vinegar from each blade.

This tactic will help bring your wipers back to working condition and allow you to clear the windows once again without the expense of replacing the wiper blades. It is the little things we do that can make a big impact in our financial situation.

Tisha Kulak Tolar is a writer for DebtFreeDestiny.com where she regularly writes about debt consolidation, debt settlement and saving money.

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How to Drive When it Starts to Snow

Driving in the winter season is relatively more difficult than normal, and requires skill and practice. In the absence of these important factors, accidents can occur. It might be best to stay at home in bad weather but it cannot always be done as some tasks cannot be postponed.

For people who are not accustomed to driving in snow, the task can be challenging. In order to avoid any kind of unpleasant experiences during the winter season, you should have your car thoroughly checked before the season so that you car is well maintained. You should keep yourself up to date with the weather forecasts so that you know what to expect on the road.

Before leaving home, make sure that your car's battery, cooling system, electric connections, tyres, windscreen and all other things are in the right order. For emergencies keep materials like a rope, flashlight, first aid kit, blanket and wheel chocks in the car. You should keep in mind that the first fall of snow can be very dangerous if the roads are not gritted, as the tyres don't have a grip on the road and this can cause the car to slip.

Your windshield should be clean so that when it starts to snow, it doesn't affect your already reduced visibility. In the snow season you should try to get snow tyres so that it is easier to control the vehicle when it snows. When you see the first signs of snow, you should make sure you cut the speed to half and not try to drive fast as this can have serious consequences.

You should keep calm the whole time and try not to get stressed or nervous as this is likely to affect your judgment, which is very important while driving in bad weather. In case of a spin out, you should let go of the accelerator and you should steer only when the tyres have gained a grip on the road again. Otherwise the car is likely to spin even more. However, during the whole time you have to be really quick and alert because the wheels take only several seconds to get a grip, and in that moment you have to take action.

You should make it a point to check that the headlights and taillights don't have snow on them. You should keep the headlights so that others are able to see you. During snow, the car should be accelerated slowly and gently. When you stop the car somewhere, instead of pulling the handbrake, chock the wheels and leave the car in gear with the wheels steered away from the slope.

In order to avoid accidents during snow, you should use snow chains, which would make the tyre's grip on the road better. Make sure that the chains you get suit the diameter of your car's tyre. It is always better to get some practice in fixing the snow chains so that you can do it in bad conditions and not have to depend on someone to do it for you.

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Get Your Car Ready For Winter

No one likes driving in bad weather, but as the evenings draw in and the days - and nights - get colder, that's exactly what we will all be doing at some point.

The most important thing is not to wait until it turns cold to check your car over. As anyone who has ever run out of anti-freeze will know, it can be very inconvenient to have a problem, no matter when it occurs!

So what should you be ready for? Well, apart from anti-freeze you should also make sure your screen wash is topped up. Bad weather in winter will mean you'll be using this far more than you would in the summer, so be prepared to check it as often as necessary.

It is also vital - especially in icy or snowy conditions - to ensure that your car tyres are pumped up to the correct pressure. Check in your vehicle's handbook to double check this if you are not sure. If your tyres are too soft it could lead to a loss of grip on poor quality road surfaces.

These are the main essentials to be checked, but they aren't the only things that need to be thought about. For example, during the summer you won't have any cause to use your car's heating system, but you'll certainly need it when the temperature starts dropping. Make sure it is working well and get it fixed as soon as possible if there are any problems.

In fact, you may find it beneficial to get your car checked over by a qualified mechanic before the weather turns bad. This can be a good way to put your mind at rest, especially if you aren't confident at checking everything.

But there are other things that everyone can do, and these could be life savers if you should break down at an inopportune moment.

Firstly, breakdown cover is more than worth it in the winter months. At least if the worst does happen you only need to make a phone call. Secondly, you should ensure that you have some basic items in your car at all times. A blanket and a first aid kit are both essential, and a warning triangle to put on the road if you break down is a good addition to any boot too.

But of course no matter how hard you try, you cannot prevent every occurrence and every accident. Sometimes black ice can get the better of us, even if you are driving at a relatively slow speed.

That's why UK car insurance is essential, so it's worth making sure your cover is up to date. And in the end, driving responsibly will help ensure that you get through the winter safely.

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How to Prepare For a Driving Trip

Are you going on a road trip? Driving your own car can be a comfort but there are things you need to fix and prepare before departure. For example, check your car, make sure your car is in a good shape for long hours driving and of course, make sure nothing is broken or damaged beyond repair when you are on your way to your destination. This is why you need to send your car to the mechanic a week before your departure so that he can have a look at your car and let you know what the problem is. You should be in good mental and physical help when you are driving yourself, as this is an important thing for you and your family.

Then, it is up to you whether you want to repair everything that is broken or just take care of those that are really important for the trip. Among those parts that are really important especially when you are having a long drive would be the tires, brakes, lubricant oil, lights and windscreen. Make sure your car battery is functioning properly and has enough battery water to sustain its life. You should always take a good health check up of the car without fail before starting for a drive as there should be no problem when you are on the move.

Before you leave, you can clean up your car interior to get rid of the trash. Accumulate trash in your car is an additional burden to your car. It uses more fuel to move and since you will be having luggage in the car, make room for the luggage by getting rid of those unnecessary items. According to the statistic, a female's car has less trash than male's car. When you pack your luggage, be sure to bring what you need and not what you want. This way you can save more fuel and more money and can get extra money for spending somewhere else.

Many people neglect the need for car check up before going on a long drive and this is also the reason why many accidents happen on the highway as well. To help save your life and others, you should be responsible for your car maintenance and drive safely. You should always keep up your car in good health no matter what is the case.

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Highway Driving Safety Tips

As more and more Americans become dependent on cars for transportation and work commuting, our nation's highways are becoming increasingly crowded. With such a high number of cars traveling everyday at very fast speeds, the likelihood of a serious and dangerous accident seems to increase every day.

There are a number of serious hazards present on each and every roadway that, with the right information, can hopefully be avoided, making your driving experience safer and accident free. By considering the following highway driving safety tips, you can protect yourself and the other drivers on America's roadways.

· Make sure to obey all posted safety warnings and speed limit signs. There are a number of roadway hazards that are unforeseeable to someone driving at high speeds on a highway, and posted safety signs are a good warning of what is or may be coming up ahead. By noticing and adhering to all posted signs, a driver dramatically decreases the likelihood of causing a serious accident on the road.

· Be courteous to other drivers. This is especially pertinent in cases of lane changing. If you see another driver who wants to change lanes, you should be courteous and allow them to do so. If you don't, the other driver may have to act more erratically in order to make the lane change he / she needs, and a serious accident could take place.

· Pay special attention if you are driving in the right hand lane of a highway. You will experience a high number of cars both entering and exiting the highway, and you will need to allow these cars to move with ease between the entrance / exit ramps and the motorway.

· Be aware of cars that are considerably larger or smaller than your vehicle. The size disparity of many cars on the road today creates a very dangerous situation, in that smaller cars get lost in the blind spots of larger vehicles. Drivers of any size car need to take responsibility to prevent this type of accident by carefully checking around them for any and all vehicles in close proximity that may go unnoticed.

· Make sure that your car is up to date on any and all inspections / repairs. By making sure that your car is working well, you can reduce the likelihood of a sudden and unexpected breakdown on the highway that could result in a serious accident.

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Valuable Driving Techniques From Racing Professionals

It's not everyday that someone gets the opportunity to really have fun with the car that he or she drives. Can you remember the last time you drove your car just for fun?

Last month, GM invited me to attend its Pontiac Portfolio Drive at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving where I was able to learn valuable driving techniques from racing professionals as well as drive several cars from the Pontiac showroom. The idea here was to have fun with these cars and see what they can do as well as what I, as a driver, can make them do.

Your Most Important Driving Sense

One of the most important factors in high-performance driving is to know where you want your vehicle to go. Sounds simple, right? But when driving at high speeds or in varied weather conditions, we often forget the basics and panic. Remember that vision is your best friend, when driving at any speed. In any situation, whether it is high-performance driving, racing or simply driving to the grocery store, your eyes can be your saving grace if you lose control.

Wherever you look is most likely where your car will go. If you lose control of the vehicle, the thing to do is look where you want to go. One of the worst things a driver can do is fixate on an object he or she does not want to hit such as a street light, telephone pole or pedestrian. This is one surefire way to come in contact with said object.

No matter how good of a driver you are, if you stare at an object, your body will instinctively move toward it. Instead, look at the spaces between objects. For example when you park your car, you look at the open space between the other two cars. If you happened to be looking at that hot rod next to the space, chances are you might hit it or have to stop, reverse and start over in order to park the car correctly.

Some of the best driving advice is the most logical in words, but in practice, they are often times difficult to implement. If you notice yourself staring at an object, separate yourself and look toward an open space. Your hands and feet will follow and direct the car away.

Steer Your Pedals

We all know that a steering wheel helps to turn a vehicle. But what about the pedals? When a car is out of control, it is usually because the tires do not have enough grip or friction. Therefore, in order to transfer weight from tire to tire so as to balance the vehicle and aid steering, a driver needs to make good use of the pedals. When you step on the gas, you transfer the vehicle's weight to the back tires. The brake pedal transfers it to the front tires, producing more friction for a stop. Simply taking your foot off ei180pxundersteersvgther pedal also helps to transfer weight.

Over and Under - Controlling a Skid

The two most common types of slides or control losses a car can be in are understeer and oversteer. The former is a front wheel slide that causes the car to slide off the track and the latter a rear wheel slide that causes the car to slide into the center of the track. My lesson was based on a race track, but both slides can often occur on the road in icy or wet conditions.

Understeer is most often caused by too much speed when entering a corner. The next step is to ease off the throttle and/or add brakes. This does not mean slam on your brakes. Assuming you are looking toward an open space in the turn, lighter brake pressure will help you stay more in control and help you steer the turn.

Oversteer is not as common as understeer and is often caused by too much brake pressure and steering at a high speed coming into a turn. The first thing to do is to look where you want your vehicle to go and turn the steering wheel in that direction, usually the same as the slide. Take your foot off the brake. You can add throttle when the slide calms, in which case you need to prepare to bring the steering wheel back to center when the slide ends in order to avoid a fishtail.

Getting to Know Your Car

You car is more than just a means to get you from point A to B. It is a unique tool that has been designed and redesigned over the years to keep you safe and having fun. Spend some time getting to know your car. The more you know about it, the safer your driving experience can be. Look at your Owner's Manual to see what features it has. Does it have ABS, airbags, front/rear/all wheel drive? What, if any, high-performance qualities does it have? These are all important questions to ask, because it may determine how you control your car and what it is capable of doing. For example if you are in an oversteer slide on a rear-wheel-drive car, you still need to steer into the slide and look ahead but also to ease off the throttle instead of the brake. Understanding your car can help prevent accidents and keep you in control on the road.

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