Pennsylvania Auto Dealers

Every holiday, the police tend to step up their enforcement of certain laws to encourage people to drive safer. This upcoming Memorial Day weekend is no exception. Here are some ways you can stay safe next weekend and avoid the long arm of the law coming down on you and putting a damper on your fun.

• Buckle Up – Police are on the lookout for drivers not wearing their seatbelts. This is especially true during holiday weekends.
• Do not Drink and Drive – this is not only against the law, but it is also irresponsible and selfish. There are too many programs that will give you a ride if you are too drunk to drive so you should use those if you feel you have drank too much.
• Drive Defensively – During any holiday weekend, you are going to encounter bad drivers and possibly even drunken drivers. Keep your eyes peeled for erratic drivers so you can avoid them.

Your Media area Pontiac dealer wants you to stay safe during Memorial Day weekend so you can enjoy the holiday to its fullest. If everybody followed these tips, the roads would be a much better and safer place.

Recently, the Pennsylvania legislature shot down a ban on drivers using cell phones behind the wheel. However, it seems with other states quickly adopting this rule, Pennsylvania is in the minority.

Tennessee has become the latest state to ban texting while driving. Governor Phil Bredesen signed a bill last week that put the rule into effect. Any driver caught reading or sending a text message while operating a motor vehicle in the state will be subject to a $50 fine.

The law considers the distracting action a nonmoving traffic violation. That means the driver will not acquire any points on their driving record.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule. For officers of the state, emergency medical professionals and campus police officers, the texting ban is not applicable. I’m not exactly sure why these professionals would be texting while driving, but I suppose it may be necessary at times. Some people who oppose the law also say it is unnecessary because texting is already covered under the state’s distracted driving laws.

Your Doylestown area Toyota dealer would like to know how you feel about the Pennsylvania legislature rejecting the ban on drivers and cell phones. Is it a necessary piece of legislation? Is it just the long arm of the government reaching into our cars? Or is it just unnecessary altogether?

Do you think you would pass the driving test at the DMV if you were to take it today? Your Philadelphia area VW dealer wants to bring your attention to this article that discusses a survey among drivers and their feelings about that question.

About 50 percent of the drivers surveyed said they would “struggle to pass” the current driving test if they were forced to take it today. Maybe that’s because it only takes about one year for drivers to forget some of the more important points, according to a poll conducted by the AA Driving School.

According to the study, a driver’s maneuverability is the first skill that they forget. More than 15 percent of drivers studied said they forget about the Highway Code, too. About 56 percent of the drivers who took their driving test between 16 and 25 years ago were confident that they would fail the test today.

Of the 2,000 drivers surveyed, about one in six of them had admitted that they have taken a break from driving for at least three years since getting their license.

Edmund King, AA president, had this to say about the findings: “Having passed your driving test, it is easy to forget the key skills that qualify you to be on the road in the first place. Drivers, young or old, often lose confidence if they don’t drive frequently.”

How do you think you would do if you had to take the same test you took when you got your license? Would you do better or worse than you did back then?

While states are introducing laws that would ban drivers from texting while driving, some people wonder if the laws are going too far. This story about a man who was arrested for eating while driving is just one example.

The incident happened in Needham, Massachusetts, just a few miles away from the area where a trolley driver was arrested last week for texting while operating the trolley. Police received a large number of phone calls about a man driving in an erratic manner. He was crossing the yellow line, tailgating other drivers and was generally “all over the road.”

According to the police reports, the 48-year-old Needham man was eating a bowl of cereal while trying to drive. Police did not actually see him eating the cereal, but the noticed an empty bowl that was still cold in the car, indicating that it was used just moments before the man was pulled over. He could face a suspended license due to reckless driving and operating to endanger.

This incident is a unique one because most people do not try to eat cereal while behind the wheel of a car. But stories like this could lead to more laws about what you can do while driving. Your Springfield area Pontiac dealer wonders how you feel about laws banning eating while driving? If this type of law passes, what’s next?

If you ever get pulled over for driving while drunk in Pennsylvania, do not try to use the “I’m a sovereign being that does not have to conform to the rules of the state” defense. It’s already been done.

Scott Witmer, a driver arrested for drunken driving earlier this year, has been the subject of ridicule and jokes for the last several months for using the “sovereignty” defense. Appearing in court in a Coors Light sweatshirt on his scheduled date, Witmer claimed that he lived within himself and thusly did not need to follow the rules of Pennsylvania.

“I just don’t want the media to make a big mockery of me, like they did last time, he recently told the court. As a result of pleading guilty to the offense, he received the same sentence anybody else would have received for the same crime – up to six months in county prison. He also received a fine of $2,500.

Your Glenside area Toyota dealer begs you to stay off the roads if you have been drinking. It’s just too dangerous and there are many other alternatives available to you if you have been drinking. In addition to being dangerous, it’s also irresponsible and a senseless crime.

An initiative that would have offered free parking for hybrids in Doylestown, Pennsylvania was shot down last week. The proposal would have given hybrid and electric car owners free parking at meters and in various lots throughout the borough. However, it was unanimously voted down at a Borough Council Meeting.

Phil Ehlinger, the assistant borough manager, thought the proposal would give an incentive for people to invest in hybrid vehicles. The environmental advisory council in the borough agreed and endorsed the plan. However, Councilman John Buckman said he did not think the idea of free parking for hybrid owners would benefit the general public. Another person on the council said it would take parking enforcement officers too long to determine if a car was a hybrid or traditional vehicle. In addition, she argued the proposal discriminated against people who could not afford hybrid vehicles.

How do you feel about this issue? Do you think offering free parking to owners of hybrid cars is a good idea that would encourage people to invest in more eco-friendly vehicles? Or do you side with the council and think the plan is a bad idea all around? Your Doylestown area Toyota dealer is curious to know how you feel so leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Texting while driving seems to be one of the hot-button issues in the driving world right now. As such, your PA auto dealers would like to spend some time discussing the issue.

Several states have considered banning any use of a cell phone while a person is behind the wheel. However, only seven states and the District of Columbia currently have laws against sending text messages while driving. The other 43 states do not have laws banning cell phones while driving, but many of them have been discussing it in the legislature in recent months. Pennsylvania is one of the states that currently has no laws on the books about using cell phones while driving, but nearby New Jersey is quite the opposite.

In New Jersey, using a cell phone while operating a vehicle is a primary offense. That means that you can be pulled over for no other reason other than the fact that you were using a cell phone. States with similar laws include Minnesota, Arkansas and California as well as the District of Columbia.

Your Newtown Square area Pontiac dealer wants to know how you feel about laws that would ban cell phone use while driving? Do you like the law for the sake of safety or does it bother you that the government can pull you over for it? Let us know your thoughts below.

When shopping for a new or used car at your Trenton area VW dealer, one of the costs you need to consider is your insurance premium. But many car buyers are confused by auto insurance and they simply choose what an agent suggests to them. Here are some basic insurance terms to help you understand your policy better so you can make a more informed decision about your coverage.

Liability – The term “liability” refers to the damage that you do to others or their property. Most, if not all, states require drivers to have at least a minimum of liability coverage to pay for expenses that result from a collision.

Deductible – This refers to the amount of “out of pocket” money you will need to provide in order for your insurance coverage to kick in. For instance, if you have a $500 deductible and you make a claim of $3000, the insurance company will typically pay $2500 and you will need to pay the $500.

PIP – This stands for Personal Injury Protection and refers to coverage that pays for your medical expenses and those of your passengers. In many cases, PIP coverage also covers lost wages for you and your passengers.

These are just auto insurance terms to remember when shopping for cars at your VW dealer. Take some time and read you policy before signing anything and you will feel more comfortable about your insurance purchase.

It’s inevitable. Every year around Memorial Day weekend, the gas prices start going up. It’s almost like there is some type of pattern or something. And this year is no exception.

Since gas prices are much lower than they were about this time last year, many more Americans are expected to hit the road and go somewhere this upcoming holiday weekend. According to AAA, this will be the first time the traditional kickoff to summer and the driving season will get a boost since 2005.

More than 10 percent of the population – 32.4 million people to be exact – is expected to take a trip next weekend. Whether it is to visit family a few hours away or just to go somewhere as a vacation, that number represents a 1.5 percent increase over last year’s traveling population. Of course, gas prices were sky-high at more than $4 a gallon in many places. That’s a rather stark contrast to today’s prices which range between $2.00 in some states to about $2.50 in others.

Your Doylestown area Toyota dealer encourages you to take advantage of the low gas prices and take a trip this Memorial Day weekend. While the prices may be creeping up right now, nobody expects them to go above $4 a gallon any time in the foreseeable future.

Did you know that the stress of traffic can actually give you a heart attack? Those findings come from a new report put out by the American Heart Association at its 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

The study involved more than 1,450 patients who had a heart attack between February 1999 and December 2003. The patients in the study were treated for their problem at the Institute of Epidemiology in Germany. The researchers found that the patients were “3.2 times as likely to have been in traffic within an hour of the onset of their heart attack.” Researchers also attributed another eight percent of the heart attacks to traffic-related stress.

The most “at risk” groups were females, elderly males, patients with a history of angina and unemployed patients. The average patient in the study was 60 years old and 75 percent of them were men.

“We were initially surprised to observe such a strong connection between traffic and heart attacks,” said Annette Peters, the lead author of the study. “Now it is important to find out what is behind this, whether it is air pollution or stress or both.”

Your Trenton area VW dealer encourages you to remain calm when you are in a traffic jam or just in your car at any time. You’ll be doing yourself a favor if you can just “go with the flow.”