Posts belonging to Category 'driving'
July 4, 2010 | Posted by Mark Z
If my previous praise of public transportation appealed to you at all, you may be considering using your local system for commuting and other travel. This is a big step in our independent, automobile-oriented society. Here are a few things to consider when making such a paradigm shift: Cost. In most cases, it should be [...]
Categories: driving | 
Tags: frugal living, save gas, self reliance | 
2 Comments »
July 2, 2010 | Posted by Mark Z
If you live in an area that provides public transportation—bus, train, light rail and the like—you should consider using it whenever possible. Although I realize this seems to defy the ideal of self-reliance, and some consider it treasonous to suggest giving up the use of one’s private vehicle now and then, I’d like to raise [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: frugal living, save gas, self reliance | 1 Comment »
June 14, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan
Driving in the rain reduces fuel efficiency because increased drag gives you fewer miles per gallon. Here’s how it works: Water on the road interferes with free rolling of your tires. It’s something that your tires have to push through. It’s something on the surface of the road that pulls against your tires as well. [...]
Categories: driving, energy conservation | Tags: fuel conservation, fuel efficiency, miles per gallon, self reliance | No Comments »
May 15, 2010 | Posted by DDFD
Many things should be in all vehicles, but there more things that can be needed or required for extreme conditions. Recently, I have been researching 4×4 off-roading and beach buggying and discovered there are tools and equipment that are either required or needed that could benefit people even in everyday conditions. Let me clarify something– [...]
Categories: driving, emergency preparedness | Tags: 4x4, driving tips, off-roading, preparedness, self reliance | No Comments »
April 8, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan
We’re all interested in safe driving. There is nothing fun about the inconvenience, cost, trauma and pain associated with traffic accidents. Some accidents are our fault and some are the fault of other drivers. I suggest that we can avoid nearly all traffic accidents just be being a bit more “heads up” about our driving. [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: safe driving, self reliance, traffic accidents | 1 Comment »
April 5, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan
When we think of blind intersections, we often think of buildings, trees, walls or other features that prevent us from seeing who is entering the intersection. That’s not always the case. Sometimes it’s just because the road curves and it’s filled with enough traffic to “screen” out oncoming traffic. Vehicles can create what amounts to [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: blind intersections, safe driving, self reliance | No Comments »
March 15, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan
Of the many driving tips that might be offered, this one isn’t intuitive – accelerate through curves to gain better traction. It seems that acceleration on a curve would cause a vehicle to lose traction and fishtail. It does if you apply too much, but limited acceleration improves traction when taking a curve. To understand [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: curves, driving tips, safe driving, self reliance | 1 Comment »
March 11, 2010 | Posted by DDFD
Recently there is quite a bit of news about cars (Toyotas) with stuck accelerators. If this were to happen to you, what can you do? Here are some ideas in order of least extreme to most extreme: Use the brakes Put your hazard lights on (The next few approaches may cause a dramatic stop or [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: driving, how to, self reliance, stop a car in an emergency | 1 Comment »
February 21, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan
You have undoubtedly found yourself spinning your wheels at some point as you tried to move yourself through snow. This is a self-defeating practice as it creates ice under your tires that doesn’t support traction. The ice is formed by added energy that melts the snow. Plus, the spinning tires are essentially “shining” the hard [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: driving, self reliance, spinning your wheels, winter driving, winter driving tips | No Comments »
February 20, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan
I’ve seen many people pulling trailers that could use with a little advice as to how best to do it. Here is a good starting point – the basics. You’ll learn more about how to haul a trailer by simply doing it, but having some “heads up” before you start is always a good idea. [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: pulling a trailer, self reliance, trailer safety, trailers | No Comments »
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