2008 Safest Cars

When I was a child, the speed limit was 65, cars did not have shoulder straps and no one heard of a "Car seat". It was not at all strange to see a child in the front seat.

How times have changed. From anti-lock brakes to air bags; we have all become aware of the dangers associated with driving. More than any other organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has been a constant voice pushing for safer vehicles.

The car makers now all recognize that a bad safety report from the Insurance Institute will dramatically impact sales of that model. This is a perfect example of the marketplace stimulating better products. Below is the latest winners from Insurance Institute

2008 winners of Top Safety Pick award —

Thirty-four vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award for 2008. The award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, and rear crashes based on ratings in the Institute's tests. Winners also have to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), which research shows can significantly reduce the risk of crashing.
Compared with last year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet criteria for Top Safety Pick. At the beginning of the 2007 model year, 13 models qualified, but as manufacturers have made changes and introduced new and safer vehicle designs, 10 additional vehicles qualified during the year. Now another 11 vehicles are being added to the list for 2008. Designating winners based on the tests makes it easier for consumers to identify vehicles that afford the best overall protection without sifting through multiple sets of comparative crash test results.
"For 2008, consumers have the widest selection of vehicles they've ever had that afford the best protection in the most common kinds of crashes," says Institute president Adrian Lund. Front and side impacts are the most common kinds of fatal crashes, killing nearly 25,000 of the 31,000 vehicle occupants who died in 2005. Rear-end crashes usually aren't fatal, but they result in a large proportion of the injuries that occur in crashes. About 60 percent of insurance injury claims in 2002 reported minor neck sprains and strains.

All current car and minivan models, small and midsize SUVs, and small and large pickup trucks are eligible to win Top Safety Pick. Eight vehicles from Ford and its subsidiary, Volvo, make the list of winners for 2008. Seven winners are from Honda and its subsidiary, Acura.
Winners have features that help avoid crashes: The Institute added a crash prevention criterion last year to earn Top Safety Pick. Winning vehicles have to be equipped with ESC, which can help drivers avoid crashes altogether. ESC is a control system comprised of sensors and a microcomputer that continuously monitors how well a vehicle responds to a driver's steering input and selectively applies the vehicle brakes and modulates engine power to keep the vehicle traveling along the path indicated by the steering wheel position. This technology helps prevent sideways skidding and loss of control that can lead to rollovers. ESC can help drivers maintain control during emergency maneuvers when their vehicles otherwise might spin out.

"Vehicles should be designed to provide good occupant protection when crashes occur, but now with ESC we have the possibility of preventing many crashes altogether," Lund says.
"If all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year."
Institute research indicates that ESC reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent and fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by 32 percent. Many single-vehicle crashes involve rolling over, and ESC reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 80 percent (SUVs) and 77 percent (cars).
For first time pickups are eligible: Pickup trucks haven't been eligible to win Top Safety Pick until now because the Institute hadn't begun side testing them. The Toyota Tundra is first to qualify. Pickups aren't as likely as cars or SUVs to have side airbags or ESC, and Toyota has made these features standard in the Tundra.
"Pickups are among the top selling vehicles in the United States," Lund points out. "They're also more likely than in the past to be used as family vehicles, so equipping them with the latest safety features is important."
Protection in rear impacts improves: Crash tests have driven major improvements in the designs of all kinds and sizes of passenger vehicles. The Institute began frontal crash tests for consumer information in 1995. Side tests were added in 2003 and rear tests in 2004. Most vehicles now earn good ratings in the frontal test, but significant differences still are apparent in vehicle performance in side and rear tests.
Some manufacturers have been working to improve the ratings of their vehicles in the rear test. For example, the seat/head restraints in the Honda Accord, Element, and Odyssey as well as the BMW X3 and X5 are rated good compared with previous designs that were rated marginal or poor. Audi improved the design of seat/head restraints in the A3 from acceptable to good. Another 23 vehicles would have won 2008 awards if they had good seat/head restraint designs. Toyota could have claimed 10 more awards, including 3 for Lexus models. Nissan and Volkswagen could have picked up 4 awards apiece.
Another area where safety is improving is occupant protection in side impacts. More 2008 model vehicles include as standard equipment side airbags designed to protect people's heads. The Saturn was side tested twice. In the first test, the side curtain airbag didn't deploy properly, and the head of the dummy positioned in the back seat was struck by the sill of the window in the door. This impact didn't produce high head injury measures, but head protection was inadequate. In response, General Motors redesigned the side curtain airbag to ensure more rapid inflation and better coverage of the airbag next to the dummy's head. In the second test, the fix was successful, and the VUE's side rating improved from acceptable to good. Top Safety Pick applies to VUEs built after December 2007.

Each year, the Institute offers to test Top Safety Pick candidates early in the model year. The policy is for manufacturers to reimburse the Institute for the cost of vehicles if the tests aren't part of the group's regular schedule. Top Safety Pick is presented by vehicle size because size and weight are closely related, and both influence how well occupants will be protected in serious crashes. Larger, heavier vehicles generally afford better protection in crashes than smaller, lighter ones.
How the vehicles are evaluated: The Institute's frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of frontal offset crash tests at 40 mph. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures from a Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.

Each vehicle's overall side evaluation is based on performance in a crash test in which the side of the vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph that represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle's structural performance during the impact. Injury measures obtained from the two dummies, one in the driver seat and the other in the back seat behind the driver, are used to determine the likelihood that a driver and/or passenger in a real-world crash would have sustained serious injury. The movements and contacts of the dummies' heads during the crash also are evaluated. Structural performance is based on measurements indicating the amount of B-pillar intrusion into the occupant compartment.

Rear crash protection is rated according to a two-step procedure. Starting points for the ratings are measurements of head restraint geometry — the height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average-size man. Seats with good or acceptable restraint geometry are tested dynamically using a dummy that measures forces on the neck. This test simulates a collision in which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 mph. Seats without good or acceptable geometry are rated poor overall because they can't be positioned to protect many people

11 NEW WINNERS FOR 2008

Midsize cars Audi A3 Honda Accord
Small car Subaru Impreza equipped with optional electronic stability control
Minivan Honda Odyssey
Midsize SUVs BMW X3BMW X5Hyundai Veracruz built after August 2007
Saturn VUE built after December 2007
Toyota Highlander
Small SUV Honda Element
Large pickup Toyota Tundra

ALL 34 WINNERS
Large cars Audi A6,
Ford Taurus with optional electronic stability control
Mercury Sable with optional electronic stability control
Volvo S80
Midsize cars Audi A3, A4
Honda Accord
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy with optional electronic stability control
Midsize Saab 9-3Volvo C70
Small car Subaru Impreza with optional electronic stability control
Minivans Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
Midsize SUVs Acura MDX, RDX
BMW X3, X5
Ford Edge, Taurus X
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Veracruz built after August 2007
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes M class
Saturn VUE built after December 2007
Subaru Tribeca
Toyota Highlander
Volvo XC90
Small SUVs Honda CR-V, Element
Subaru Forester with optional electronic stability control
Large pickup Toyota Tundra

Each of these vehicles will likely get a boost in sales as a result of bein on this list.

Larry Lubell
Urban insurance Agency.

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Cut your Gas Bill !

10 Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage

The war in Iraq, Conflict in Turkey, Anger in Iran, coupled with the growing demand from China, have come together to cause Oil prices to surge to a new record of $89 a barrel. This is more than four times the prices we were paying in the year 2000. While we can hope that successful conclusions to world crises will reduce oil prices (Not to mention- peace) but due to world demand it is unlikely we will see prices drop below $60 a barrel; so the days of $2.00 gas are over.
Owning and maintaining a car has never been cheap. And, gas is one of the biggest, of those expenses. With gas prices at all time highs, this has never been truer. Clearly we have seen a trend away from larger SUVs, but for most of us, we are stuck with the Vehicle we have for the next few years. But you can still save gas and money on your current ride if you follow the following tips:
1. Check your tire pressure. This might not seem an obvious factor in fuel consumption, however, Under inflated tires are the number one cause of avoidable fuel loss.

2. Keep brakes in shape. Try riding your bike while even lightly pressing on one of the brakes- it does not make for a fun trip. That gives you an idea of what a misaligned or stuck parking brake can do to your fuel efficiency,

3. Check your Wheel alignment. , unbalanced wheels can play a role in mileage

4. Use the right gasoline. Most cars today are designed to run on regular gas. Check your owner’s manual. If premium fuel is "Required", plan on biting the bullet, but if the manufacturer only recommends premium, you may be able to get by with a lower grade.“If it’s "Recommended", you may have an option to go to a lower grade fuel -- although there will be some trade off there if you’re saving a ton of money in the process”.
5. Change your oil and filter regularly to avoid dirt causing additional friction in your engine.
The time your car burns the most fuel is while it's "warming up". Heat not only puts wear on your engine, but the energy that is used to cause the extra heat is energy not available to move the car forward. Try using the lightest oil recommended in your owner's manual.
6. Check your spark plugs. One misfiring spark plug can reduce fuel mileage by as much as 30 percent!
7. Check your air filter . A dirty filter will rob your car of performance and fuel economy So check every time you change your oil
8. Watch out for wind resistance. There is a reason auto makers spend millions testing cars in wind-tunnels, bike racks, stuff stacked up and tied down to your roof roof will increase wind resistance and negatively impact mileage.
9. Use air conditioning wisely. The drag caused by open windows when driving over 50 mph is greater than the energy required to run the air conditioner. So you can get the most fuel efficiency by using the A/C on the highway, However rolling down the windows will help fuel economy at slow speeds.
10. Be a smart driver. Stop and start driving really burns fuel. So, do your best to keep it at a minimum. For example, if you have cruise control, use it to keep highway speeds as steady as possible. Shift manual transmissions into neutral before stopping. And, if you can, consider changing driving routes to avoid excessive stopping and idling.

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2007 Mid-Year Auto Insurance Pricing Report

In a recent web posting Insurance.com’s released their
2007 Mid-Year Auto Insurance Pricing Report.

“So far in 2007, we have seen a 1 percent decrease in car insurance rates from 2006,” says David Roush, CEO of Insurance.com.

In Illinois the report showed* an average cost of $1548 in 2007, $8 less than the 2006 rate. Indiana showed a slight increase of $19 to bring the rate to $1,481.

Once again, YourAutoQuotes.com show that Urban Insurance Agency provides the lowest rates on car insurance in the states of Illinois and Indiana.
We at Urban Auto Insurance, understand how hard you work for your money; it is for that reason that we search at least 16 different companies in order to find you the lowest rates. It is because we are not a “Captive Agent’ representing just a single carrier we are free to provide you with the lowest rates. Our rates can save you hundreds of dollars per year on your car insurance. We average savings of over 45% over Geico.
Insurance.com’s released their 2007 Mid-Year Auto Insurance Pricing Report.In that report They state that the average price their customers paid for insurance in the state of Illinois in 2007 was $1,548. This “Average” was based on best price offered by any of the following companies, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, Hartford, MetLife, Safeco, Geico and Progressive. Urban Insurance Agency’s average yearly price in Illinois for the first half of 2007 was just $736. That is a reduction of over 9% from the 2006 rates.
That is an amazing average savings of over 46% The more you compare auto insurance rates, the more you will love the rates offered at Urban Insurance Agency. That is why when we ask, “Do you think you’re paying too much for car insurance? ” We know the answer is YES, unless you are insured with Urban Insurance.

*Disclaimer*Insurance.com’s 2007 Auto Insurance Pricing Report highlights the lowest average auto insurance rates viewed by over 1.1 million car insurance consumers on the Insurance.com platform in 2007*. The information comes from actual auto insurance quotes consumers received from over a dozen of the nation’s leading auto insurance companies who participate on Insurance.com’s comparative auto insurance platform. Posted in Uncategorized, Insurance Information Page
While the Insurance.com’s 2007 Mid-Year Auto Insurance Pricing Report is a broad indicator of pricing activity in the personal auto insurance marketplace on a per household basis, it is not a comprehensive index as it reflects only the pricing activity of carriers that have participated in the Insurance.com auto insurance marketplace in the states where it quotes (all states except Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts) and
the aggregate profile of consumers who shop using the Insurance.com platform.