Cops, safety advocates remind you to stop at red lights

You might be red with anger or embarrassment if you fail to stop at a red light the week of Aug. 7-13, 2011.

Law enforcement agencies and traffic safety organizations observe National Stop on Red Week each August to encourage motorists to pay attention to red lights. During the week, cops (plainclothes officers, in some cases) step up efforts to nab red-light runners. Controversial red-light cameras also keep tabs on motorists who run red lights.

National Stop on Red Week was launched in 1995 by the Federal Highway Administration.

In 2009, more than 670 people were killed and an estimated 130,000 were injured in crashes that involved running a red light. About half of those killed in red-light crashes are pedestrians, cyclists and people other than the red-light violator. The U.S. Department of Transportation has found that one in three Americans knows someone who has been injured or killed in a crash involving a motorist who ran a red light.

There is no doubt that red-light runners are dangerous drivers who irresponsibly put others at risk, according to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.

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Free quotes for home insurance

When you’re looking to get home insurance you‚ are going to be told that comparison shop has the best way to find the excellent home insurance policy for your needs. There are two simple things that you can comparison shop for this type of insurance in order to find the greatest policy for your desires.

The first action that you can do to comparison shop for house contents insurance is to contact regional insurance companies. There are two ways that you could do this. You can decide to call the insurance agencies and talk to an assistant about getting a price quote this may take some time as the assistant will have to tell your information to the representative and then you’ll have to wait for them to call you back. You can offer select to show up at the insurance company personally and talk face to face with an agent. Taking the straight forward route for this method is the greatest way to get an accurate quote for Home Insurance fast.

The other thing that you can do when you are comparison shopping for a home insurance policy is to use the Internet for insurance quotes. Read more…

Mercedes Go Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz has launched their first ever diesel-electric car, the E300 BlueTec Hybrid. It’s the first of two hybrid powered E-class Merc’s in the pipeline.

This represents a great step for one of the biggest and best manufacturers in the world and, of course, displays an intent to focus on further reducing emissions.

How does it work?

The aim is to combine the already high and impressive fuel economy of the modern Mercedes diesel engines with that added capacity of an electric motor. The hybrid Mercedes is set to go on sale here in the UK in the autumn as a saloon and an estate model. The hybrid, like most hybrids, works in an impressively clever manner.

The diesel-electric car combines the existing E250 CDI twin turbocharged 2.1 litre engine with a small electric motor that sits inside the gearbox housing. The diesel engine produces 201bhp whilst the electric motor adds an extra 27bhp on top. The

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What’s the difference between third party and comprehensive car insurance?

Auto insurance can be very confusing because all insurance does not protect the policy holders’ vehicles as some people expect that it would. Some auto insurance is only to be reserved for injuries and damages that at-fault drivers cause to other people, and it doesn’t apply toward their own cars or bodily injuries. This would be third-party or liability auto insurance. If the policy holders would like insurance to cover their own cars, they need to add comprehensive coverage to their policies.

Enter your ZIP code in our comparison tool to compare multiple car insurance quotes for FREE!

Third-party auto insurance is going to be what is required of drivers in most states. They must purchase third party auto insurance because most states’ driving laws mandate that drivers must take measures to pay any medical bills for the people they injure if they cause an accident.

The other part of third party auto insurance is for the purpose of taking financial responsibility for damaged property. In th

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Suspicious auto insurance claims up 24 percent from 2008

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has released its questionable claims report for 2010 and the results show a 24 percent increase in the number of suspicious claims that auto insurance companies received, in comparison with 2008 statistics.

Member insurance companies reported 91,797 insurance fraud cases, up from 84,407 in 2009 and 74,146 in 2008. The claims qualify to be counted if they were referred to the NICB for investigation over the year, for having anywhere from one to seven indicators of possible fraud. Such indicators include auto glass fraud and inflated towing or storage bills.

“Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. It affects all consumers who buy insurance because the money lost to fraud is recovered, in part, through higher premiums.

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Auto makers call for cooperation with cellphone developers to fight distracted driving

Your apps and your automobile need to work together to minimize driving distractions, carmakers said Tuesday, appealing to the likes of Apple and Google to join them in tackling the problem.

Unless mobile communication devices are integrated into vehicle systems designed to minimize their potential distraction, drivers who want instant access to the data they provide will allow their eyes to stray from the road, said Robert Strassburger, vice president for safety at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

“We need to have all the parties at the table,” Strassburger said during testimony at day-long hearing on distracted driving hosted by the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday.

The NTSB last year called for a ban on all cellphone use while driving, putting it a step beyond the U.S. Department of Transportation. Tra Read more…