joe.apex's blog

With the refinements in today's manufacturing processes, today's cars have gotten quite reliable. In fact, so reliable that often owners forget that there is still one critlcal item that needs maintenance, which are the vital fluids within every vehicle. In addition to vehicles' normal maintenance appointments per the owners manual, the vital fluids in a car must be checked regularly and maintained at their proper level.

Every year new safety research is collected by organizations such as The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the results are something everyone should read before purchasing a new car. Available research shows that car safety ratings vary from year to year and it is very important to consider this factor in selecting your next car. 

When distracted driving is typically discussed, it is often associated with texting. Last week's blog on distracted driving with a focus on the various items that increase the risk of a crash while driving certainly pointed-out that distracted driving covers a much larger collection of items than just texting.  Well, this last week the author was a personal witness in a crash involving another form of distracted driving - dogs freely roaming in a car while driving.

Distracted driving has been a hot topic in the news for the last several years. The image most people have of distracted driving is texting, but there are many other actions that fall into the category. It is unfortunate that in all forms of drivers ed, including online drivers ed, the focus has been strictly on texting as a distraction. As we'll see, the issue is much broader and many common tasks performed while driving can raise the risk of a collision.

In this article we'll dive into car transmissions and discuss their various aspects and expand upon what may have been taught in online drivers ed. Transmissions are required because cars are run at a wide variety of speeds and situations. The job of the transmission is to match the power output of the engine to car speed required by the driver. Cars are driven at a wide variety of speeds, ranging from stopped to speeds in excess of 60 MPH in varying conditions.

Cars have been a primary method of transportation since the early 1900's and the electric car is finally getting its day in the sun. The electric car has an intersting history and modern electric cars are gaining in popularity. However, driving an electric car requires a bit of adjustment and this article covers a few tips before getting behind the wheel.

Oil provides the power for most of the industrialized world. Gasoline, an oil derivative, provides the power for transportation. Car drivers typically don't understand gasoline so in line with the thought of helping educate safe drivers, a little bit of knowledge about gasoline could make you a safer driver. This is yet another topic that most online drivers ed courses do not address and spending a little time to understand more about gasoline is worth the effort.

When teaching teens how to drive, it is natural to incorporate common sense items that are encountered every day. For example, the greater car control skills that teen drivers develop the better, makes sense, right? But hold on, studies have shown that teens who have developed their car control skills too finely actually have more collisions. This is due to overconfidence coupled with the fact that they still don't have the experience to recognize hazardous conditions.

Nowhere is the idea of personal freedom more ingrained than in the automobile. In the U.S., the entire car industry was built around the notion of bringing true mobility to the masses. And along with this was the notion that people's personal freedoms were enhanced with this mobility. One of the main reasons people go through drivers ed and get their driver's license is the increased freedom to work across town, explore our country, and have lifelong mobility in where to live.

Just off the newswire is the notion of "aluminum powered cars" - a headline that when first read does not even make sense. However, being one interested in technology I thought it was worth taking a look to see what this was all about. An Israeli company named Alchemy Research has developed a technology for using alumimum as a "fuel" and using electric power to "recharge" the aluminum. Given today's shrinking oil reserves and drive for alternative energy, a new technology such as this is a welcome entry into the mix with great potential.