When researching new cars on the Internet, you will find plenty of reviews from experts that will bombard you with a whole host of technical specifications. They’ll tell you about the torque, the brake horsepower, the fuel efficiency and even how many seconds it will take to get to 60mph from a standing start.

And while this information is all very well, and may even mean something to petrolheads, it doesn’t help me in any way. The truth is, the more technical the information I am given, the more confused I then become. I’m not remotely interested in whether my chosen vehicle will be able to outpace a Renault Megane, for example, in a race from here to that bus stop in the distance.

The things I really need to know are on the more practical side. For example, how easy will it be to change the channel on the radio whenever some annoying breakfast DJ starts to ramble on at the top of his voice every morning? When it gets dark outside and I turn the headlights on, will my dashboard be backlit in a pleasant colour? Can I control the temperature so the car’s interior isn’t like the surface of the sun? Or the Arctic tundra?

For the non-techy motorists, these are the questions that really need answering. Another important area is overall cost, of course, because there’s no point having a pleasantly warm vehicle with channel-changing steering wheel flippers and a soothing blue-lit dashboard if I can’t afford to run it. Will it be fuel-efficient? And will the NVC gap insurance be affordable?

Like many other road users, I like to make the interior of my vehicle as comfortable and practical as possible. There are several questions that I have in this area, and I can’t seem to find websites which offer the answers that I need: are there plenty of cup-holders? Do I have somewhere to dump all the spare change that I don’t need and will never use? And will my Nationwide Vehicle Contracts sat nav stick to the windscreen without tumbling to the floor every time I go over a speed bump?

So next time you’re considering the purchase or the leasing of a car, it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll find it difficult to access the information that you REALLY need to know – unless you’re a petrolhead of course!

A 13-year-old boy was walking to school at Penrith shortly before 9am yesterday when he noticed a car following him, police said.

When the driver got out and walked towards him, the boy ran into his school, police said.

Later that day at 3pm, as the boy was walking home from school, he noticed the same car following him, police said.

He ran home and reported the matter to his mother.

The car has been described as a silver Toyota Supra with lowered suspension and a wing on the back.

The driver appeared Middle Eastern or Mediterranean, about 170-175cm tall, with a large muscular build, olive complexion, short dark brown hair, spiky on top with blond tips.

He had a small goatee beard and was wearing Nike shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

AAP

Each year more than 5-thousand children under the age of 21 die in car crashes.

Experts say that number could be cut drastically if everyone would put children in car safety and booster seats.

Between 1975, and 2008, more than 9-thousand young lives were saved because of child restraints.

It is important to remember that infants should be placed in a rear facing car seat until age two.

Toddlers should stay in a car seat until they out grow the safety harnesses and then graduate to a booster seat.

Some parents have confusion over what age they should allow their children to ride in the back seat with just a seatbelt, but there are guidelines for that as well.

According to ETSU Public Safety Detective Jennifer Mayberry, “Its better for the child if you keep them until you reach both, if they’re nine years old, and they are four foot five …The seatbelt’s not going to go across their shoulder right. So if you wait until they’re are four foot nine, its going to keep them where they need to be until they get to that height.”

Even if they are nine years old and tall enough, all children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.

“He appeared to her to be in an intoxicated state,” said Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen. “She kept an eye on him as he left the store, and he was straight into a car and departed the parking lot.”

The call was received about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, with the clerk providing a good description of the vehicle, Jantzen said.

“It was quite distinct. It was a 1985 Pontiac Fiero, white in colour.”

A patrol unit spotted the car almost immediately and pulled it over near the corner of Tillicum Road and Maddock Avenue.

The driver was taken to the police station and produced two breathalyzer samples that were “well in excess” of three times the limit of .08, Jantzen said. On top of that, the Fiero turned out to be uninsured and the driver already had a 90-day driving prohibition from an earlier roadside stop.

A 44-year-old Saanich resident was given a violation ticket of about $600 for having no insurance and will also be attending court in the near future.

Jantzen said the clerk acted just as she is allowed to under terms of the Liquor Control and Licensing Act.

“It’s an obligation for employees of liquor outlets that if they think you are in any way intoxicated — where they’re right or they’re wrong — if they believe that, they have the right and obligation to refuse selling any more liquor to you.”

He said the clerk also deserves credit for following up with police.

jwbell@tc.canwest.com

The 24-year-old from Oakville will sport a specially designed maple leaf-themed helmet when he takes to streets of Toronto in a race that began the year he was born.

“I came to my first one when I was 18 months old, and I’ve been to every single one since,” Hinchcliffe said. “Now I actually get to be in the main show on Sunday afternoon, and I think it’s going to be pretty cool.”

His helmet boasts a chrome Toronto skyline above his visor. As a local kid, Hinchcliffe knows how to navigate the streets and highways around that scene.

Late for work? In a jam? Running out of gas? Here’s some Hinchcliffe wisdom for the rest of us.

On gridlock: “The key about traffic is you’ve got to look really far ahead. If you look at the car in front of you or the car next to you, you’re already too late. You’ve missed it. You’ve got to see what’s going on like 10 cars down the road, and set up the pass — just like on the racetrack, you’ve got to set up the pass miles ahead.

“If the line’s moving, you’ve already missed it. You can’t wait for the line to move and then try to jump in. You’ve got to predict it.

“Stay close to the guy in front — draft. Don’t let anybody else sneak in there, because that’s not good either.”

On getting cut off: “You can’t get mad. If you get mad, you start making bad decisions. You’ve got to stay calm — it’s nothing personal to you. It’s not like that guy knew it was you in the car, and decided to cut you off. That guy’s in a rush too. So you’ve just got to stay calm and find that opening somewhere else.”

On fender benders: “Then you can get a little mad. I don’t know if I’d fight, but you can get a little mad.”

On an open road: “First of all, you shouldn’t be speeding. But if, for whatever reason, you decide to do that — which is not something I would do — one of the important things I find about keeping track of cops is a lot of people only look forwards for cops sitting on the side of the road.

“Always check your rear view mirror, because you never know when you accidentally drove by one, or one merged on a ramp behind you. Sometimes they’re behind you and they’re looking already. Don’t just look forward. Cops come from all over.”

On mileage: “Cars, whether they’re hybrids or you buy cars for big fuel mileage or whatever, it’s actually more about how you drive the car than the car you drive. Any car can get good fuel mileage if you’re driving it right. If you’re driving it fast, you’re going to get bad fuel mileage. But even an M3 can get really good mileage if you’re driving it the right way.

“It’s slow acceleration. It’s looking forwards . . . if you see the lights turning red way in front, don’t stay on the gas to get there. Just coast there. Don’t brake too much, because as soon as you break, you’re losing speed and you’ve got to use gas to accelerate again. It’s all these little things, but over a tank of fuel they really add up.”

On running on empty: “Get up to a speed, do a little bit of a lift — whenever you’re completely off-throttle and the car’s just coasting, your fuel mileage goes sky high. If you’re on the highway and there’s a big transport, get in behind the 18-wheeler, because you’ll save fuel on the draft. If you’ve got a manual car and there’s a little but of a hill, throw it in neutral and coast down the hill, until you get to the bottom — then pick your gear and go.

“Those will help you get to the gas station. I’ve used those before too. If it starts coughing, wiggle the car a little bit. It sloshes the fuel around in the bottom of the tank, and sometimes the pick up will get a bit more if you do a little wiggle.”

About the Tips Box: Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons — maybe they’re a bit too niche, maybe we couldn’t find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn’t fit it in — the tip didn’t make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favourites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Email it to tips at lifehacker.com.au.

Get Better Sleep in Your Car, or The Seatbelt Head Hammock

Reader Matt Coker writes:

If you want to sleep in a car, start by putting your seatbelt on regularly. Then, pull just a little bit of slack in the shoulder strap and jerk it suddenly away from you. The seat belt locking mechanism (for car crashes) will activate, and you will have a place to rest your head as long as you keep it tight. I instantly fell in love with this, enjoy!

FYI the picture I have attached may look like my head is resting on my shoulder, but it is actually on the seat belt.

Keep Your Food and Drinks from Being Stolen in Your Work Fridge

Reader LARPkitten writes:

If your coworkers keep stealing your soda from the fridge, try putting it in a can cozy.

A coworker of mine kept having his sodas stolen from the fridge, even when he put his name on them or hid them in various locations, so instead he started putting them in the fridge, one a day, in an insulated can cozy. He hasn’t had a one stolen since.

The seems-plausible explanation:

I think the psychology behind it is that it’s easy to anonymously steal a can that’s marked – just cover the marking (or peel off the sticky) and boom! The can looks like every other can out there, and no one knows you stole it. It’s not about feeling guilty, it’s about not getting caught.

The big bulky cozy, on the other hand, is highly noticeable and not quite so easy to remove, so it’s more trouble than it’s worth. People are more likely to notice you peeling off a cozy (“Shouldn’t they be leaving it on?”), and if you drink the soda in the cozy, you’re easy to spot as the thief. So they leave it alone to avoid suspicion. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a deterrent to the casual soda-stealer.

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski..

On-Demand Google Maps Caching for Offline Navigation

Reader LordieLordie points out an under-the-radar feature from today’s Google Maps for Android update:

In the new version of Google Maps (5.7) for Android you can download maps to your phone.

Tap menu More Labs. Select Download map area. Once you’ve done that, just follow the directions: “To download an area of the map, long press on the centre of the area you’d like to save, then tap on the bubble. Or go to ‘More options’ on a search result details page. Then select ‘Download map area’.

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Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) June 30, 2011

Car fires are a danger that many motorists are not fully aware of. Most people are not aware that certain types of cars have design flaws that can make them more likely to catch on fire in an accident. The attorneys at Solomon Relihan have worked with many car fire victims and has compiled the following list of common design flaws that can lead to car fires.

Car Fires Caused by Design Flaws

Design flaws that cause burns and other injuries are not always immediately identifiable. That is why Solomon and Relihan begins every case with a thorough investigation of the facts and law involved to determine all possible causes of your injuries.

Sidesaddle Gas Tanks

A common design flaw is the sidesaddle gas tank on pickup trucks. If the gas tank is mounted outside of the truck’s frame, it is unprotected and can explode if the truck is hit from the side.

Rear-Mounted Gas Tanks

Rear-mounted gas tanks located between the rear axle and the bumper, like the one on the Ford Pinto, leave cars at greater risk for explosion in a rear-end collision. With only a bumper to protect it, a rear-mounted gas tank can easily be ignited by sparks from a collision.

Even if a vehicle does not have a sidesaddle or rear-mounted gas tank, in the event of a collision, design flaws and equipment defects can lead to fuel-fed fires. In a fuel-fed fire, the design flaw or equipment defect allows gasoline to escape the gas tank and feed any fires that may have resulted from the collision. These fires can grow very large and be extremely dangerous.

Fuel Line Problems

Fuel lines may be manufactured with inadequate materials, which can easily break and cause fuel leaks. In addition, fuel lines may not have safety valves that are designed to cut off the fuel flow in the result of an accident. Either of these problems can cause gas to feed a fire after an accident and lead to much more serious injuries or death.

Fuel Pump Problems

Electric fuel pumps should shut off in the case of a collision. If a fuel pump does not shut off, it will continue to pump gasoline through the fuel system and feed any fires that may have resulted from the accident. It is critical that all fuel pumps have a mechanism for shutting off fuel in the event of an accident and that the mechanism works properly.

http://www.solomonrelihan.com

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The poor sanitation system converts our city roads into waterways even if it rains for half-an-hour. Some parts of city roads have already become a nightmare for motorists.

Already many accidents have been reported due to skidding on turns, potholes and low visibility. All this can be avoided if you follow do’s and don’t laid out by traffic and automobiles expert.

TOI has studied this problem and come up with remedies for your vehicle after speaking to automobile experts. These are basically do’s and don’ts when you drive out in the rains. When it begins to pour, make sure your vehicle is fully equipped to face the odds. Frequent driving over broken roads results in damage to the underside of the car.

Many times the rubber grips on the perforations on the chassis come off and chances of rust formation increase due to exposure to mud and water.

Experts recommend anti-rust coating (a combination of rubber and wax) on the chassis as a primary requirement to ensure that the car does not sustain damage while passing over flooded roads. This can be done at most service stations across the city. Ensuring that the rubber grips are in place also helps in keeping water from seeping into the car floor. “If water creeps under the mat, fungus might easily form. The rubber grips must be intact to prevent this,” said an owner of a motor garage in city Vivek Kaushik.

As the same coating cannot be applied on the silencer and engine, it is advisable to get a polyurethane lamination done for your engine. This ensures that fungus does not form due to prolonged contact with water, said experts. The coating also helps prevent the engine from misfiring and keeps it up and running.

As for the silencer, one can get aluminium and zinc oxide coating done. “The silencer usually heats up to attain a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius when a vehicle is running. The anti-rust underbody coating increases the life of the silencer and protects it from water woes,” said Atul Katiyar, Service manger, KS Ford Malviya Nagar.

Some of the known trouble stretches are Malviya Nagar, Durgapura circle, Ajmer Pulia, Subhash Chowk, Tonk Road, Sahkar Marg, Raja Park, Moti Doongri etc. Before hitting the road, it is advisable to check whether the plastic fender lining is properly in place or not. It protects the chassis from rust. Mud flaps for each tyre is also a must. Teflon coating on the upper body of the vehicle keeps it safe from hairline scratches. “But it cannot safeguard against more serious scratches, so the driver must be careful,” said an expert. Once out on the road, one must try and avoid roads that are known to be perennial trouble spots during monsoon.

“It is advisable that during rains they shouldn’t sped-up. Keep the car in lower gear and get slow on turns besides keep the lights on even during day as visibility gets very poor,” traffic police,” said DCP (traffic) Rahul Mahajan. He also advised citizens to use public transport or refrain from using roads where flooding has been reported. And always keep the vehicle on middle of the road while flooding.

Some cars like the Honda Civic and Honda Accord have regulator bottles in front of the car, which suck in water that chokes the engine in turn. Utmost care must be taken while driving these cars. “The rubber tray beneath the engine of some cars – for instance the Hyundai Verna – needs to be checked. Some cars are more susceptible to damage than others. Water may easily enter the engine if the vehicle is driven too fast,” said an expert.

Kaushik adds, “Don’t drive too fast while passing through flooded stretches, but don’t slow down either. Once you pass the flooded stretch, you could pump the accelerator lightly a few times to pump out any water that may have entered.”

Don’t restart your vehicle if it stops. “Either get out of the car and push it out of water or call for help. Your engine will go for a toss and you will be taking on a much bigger problem onto yourself if you try to restart. Insurance companies do not cover it if you happened to have restarted your car while in water,” added Katiyar. Most car owners wait until the monsoon is over to service their vehicles. But experts advise that it is best to get servicing done before the season starts.

Naomi Odes Aytur is a writer and mother of two sons, the youngest of whom was born in the end of August 2010. Before that she was an elementary school teacher, and before that, she was an actor. Naomi blogs more about motherhood at I Am Still Awake, and about sandwiches at Traders-’n-Wiches. Naomi lives in Los Angeles, CA and South Hero, VT.

Monica Bielanko was born and raised on the wild frontier of late 1970′s Utah. She once went to see an unknown band from Philly and three months later she married the guitar player. They are still hitched six years later. She lived in Brooklyn, New York for a few years and she misses the Big Apple bad. She works in TV news. She loves nachos and beer and music and books and her two black labs. Her heart belongs to her toddler, Violet and her newborn little boy, Henry. Oh yeah, she also likes wine. When she’s not babbling you can find her at thegirlwho.net.

Alyson Brown is a graphic designer and first time mom living with her husband and two bad cats in Portland, Oregon. She writes the popular lifestyle blog Unruly Things as well as its newest spin off, Unruly Little Things. When she’s not spending time snuggling her little boy Wolf, she enjoys the finer things in life like perfectly buttery pie crust, yoga in the afternoon, and napping with the windows open listening to the rain.

Danielle Elwood is a Connecticut Mother to three, two boys, Camden, and Benjamin, and a surprise little girl Addison. She is married to William, a volunteer firefighter, and veteran Marine. Danielle’s personal blog Momotics led to such projects as Lamaze’s Giving Birth with Confidence. She’s also a Lamaze Educated Childbirth Educator in Training, and Doula. She also enjoys photography when she isn’t chasing around after her children. Be sure to catch her on Twitter @BirthBabiesBlog

Rachel Jones explores design and lifestyle topics on her creative blog Black Eiffel. She has a serious case of wanderlust, and loves the colorful flavors of gelato. She lives in sunny Utah with her husband, and two vivacious daughters.

Nicole is a trained photographer chef who shoots commercially for clients from San Francisco to New York City. She also founded Nicole’s Classes, where she and her team teach classes in photography, Illustrator and Photoshop. Nicole is one of the newest mommies on the block to her baby girl, Evie. You can follow Nicole on Twitter Facebook.

Katie Allison Granju is the married mother of five children, the youngest of whom was born June 27, 2010. She also blogs at Mamapundit.com and at Babble’s Home/Work. She works full time in digital media with a large cable network.When she isn’t washing someone’s socks, she enjoys listening to powerpop and Americana, riding horses, engaging in political debate and drinking good beer. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Natalie Holbrook is a first-time mom and second-time New Yorker, living in a teensy apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. She loves a good Diet Coke, wandering aimlessly, and believes you can solve any of life’s problems by asking ‘What Would Anne Shirley Do?’ She blogs at Nat The Fat Rat and really wants to be your friend.

Jacinda Boneau can be found at PrudentBaby.com, the premier DIY destination for crafty moms seeking ways to make their lives even more stylish and beautiful. She lives outside of Dallas, where enjoys making fanciful treats for her kiddies Clare, Quinn, and Gordon; taking baths; and complaining about the Texas heat.

Roni Noone is a web publisher, healthy living blogger, social media fanatic and, of course, mom. She was happy with one child until her first started Kindergarten. Then the baby bug bit and bit hard. Join her as she nurses her newborn, helps the first with homework and runs her small business. Roni blogs about weight loss regularly at Roni’s Weigh, about food on GreenLiteBites and now has the quirky Poops Butterflies as a creative outlet.

Madeline Petersen was born and raised a bargain shopper; pinching pennies from an early age. She writes a shopping and style blog devoted to dressing stylishly without breaking the bank at Uber Chic for Cheap. She firmly believes that shoes are the most important part of an outfit and that there is no such thing as too many cardigans. She works in Architecture and spends her summers with her husband commercial fishing in Alaska. She is a first time mother living with her husband and their sweet baby Tate in Salt Lake City. You can follow her on twitter.

Melissa Jordan is a mother to two, the wife of a musician stay-at-home dad, and works in marketing for a technology company. She started writing bad poetry in middle school and followed her passion all the way to university where she eventually majored in English. Her passion for the written word met its match when she discovered blogging. Dear Baby is an online narrative of her experiences with pregnancy and becoming a new mother. With a toddler daughter, Everly Veda, underfoot, and a newborn son, Arlo Redding, in her arms, she writes often about her experiences with natural childbirth, cloth diapering, family adventures, and the everyday trials and beauty she finds in navigating parenthood.