Winter is fast approaching and the Holidays are just around the corner. Many of us will be out traveling and enjoying the winter weather. Now is the time to start thinking about preparing your vehicle for possible emergencies while you are on the road.    I would start with getting a plastic storage container designed to fit in your vehicle and big enough to pack the following list of items: a flashlight with extra batteries, a gallon of drinking water, nonperishable easy opening food, flares, a lighter, a pair of gloves for all occupants, a change of clothes, a first aid kit, a blanket, jumper cables, a tarp, sand or kitty litter and a small shovel. These items are all easy to find at any local hardware store or a big box store. A few additional items to consider may be: a charged disposable cell phone, a charged battery jump box and a solar phone charger. Just think about what you would need if you were stranded overnight in the cold weather in your car. And, that leads us ... read more

As vehicles get more advanced, incredible high tech changes are happening  for safety, drives enjoyment, better performance, improved fuel mileage and lower emissions.  Most technical advances start on high end vehicles and work into the common, lower priced vehicles. Three of these are ABS Brakes, (anti-lock brakes), SRS, (Air bag systems) and ESC or ESP, (computerized technology that improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction (skidding). All three of these started on high end vehicles but now are required on all newer vehicles. Some of the high tech items that are in upper end cars include radar that map out the road surfaces in front, looking for pavement irregularities such as pot holes and then do adjustment to the suspension for a smoother ride. Yes, it can ever “see” under the vehicles in front of you. LED headlights are now coming into popularity now. They use less power and can be controlled extensively. No longer do y ... read more