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Arizona county to stop using speed cameras

In what should be good news to most drivers in areas where speed cameras exist, an Arizona county has decided to stop using the devices saying they “failed miserably.”

Saying the fines issued using the cameras only resulted in a “paltry” profit and citing a 16 percent increase in accidents during the use of the cameras, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said the county was shelving the program even before the contract is up next month.

“I’m against photo speed enforcement completely,” Babeu told Pinal County supervisors this week according to the Arizona Republic.

The paper says that the county’s contract with the company that operates the cameras does not expire until February 20th, but the vans that hold the cameras have not been used since Babeu took office on January 1st.

But for Arizona drivers who hate seeing cameras on the road, the joy in the speed cameras’ failure might be short lived. The Arizona Republic says the sheriff is looking into the possibility of installing red-light cameras in the county.

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Luxury used cars for under $30,000

Most people, especially in today’s economy, would think that buying a luxury car is out of their price range. But AOL Autos says there are a number of luxury used cars that can be had for under $30,000.

The website lists a number of Acuras including the 2005-2006 MDX, the 2007 RDX and the 2006-2007 TL, which it says used car buyers might be able to find in the Type S package featuring a 286 horsepower, 3.5 liter engine.

A new fully loaded Infinity G35 is going to go for over $40,000, but AOL Autos says a slightly used version is going to dramatically cut down on price and while it’s a sedan, it still has some considerable power with the manual boasting 298 horsepower.

According to the website the one luxury used car that can do no wrong is a Lexus of any kind.

“Bottom line, given the [Lexus’] reputation for high-end luxury, quality and long-term dependability, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the above-named Lexus entries,” said the website. “And all have plenty of engine oomph and luxo-line amenities.”

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Carfax reports influence 75 percent of used car shoppers

It seems that used car buyers are more internet savvy than ever with a reported 75 percent of website walk-in shoppers saying a Carfax report influenced their purchase.

Cars.com and Carfax renewed their partnership earlier this week which will allow users to view Carfax reports directly from the Cars.com website.

Carfax communications director Larry Gamache says the relationship is beneficial as more and more people go to the web as their first place to research a car purchase.

“More used car shoppers than ever start their search on the Internet,” said Gamache. “Online shoppers can evaluate hundreds of cars at multiple dealer locations. Continuing our partnership with Cars.com ensures that our dealer customers have the necessary resources to turn more online shoppers into in-store buyers.”

By typing in the vehicle identification number of a car a driver is thinking of purchasing, a user can get a full history of the car in question which can help them determine if the car is a good purchase or not.

Cars.com says it has been offering the Carfax report free of change since 2005.

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Used cars are more ‘green’

There are a number of reasons to consider buying a used car instead of a new one, with the primary reason for most people being price. But if one of your major motivations is the environment, then a used car could be more environmentally friendly.

Even when taking fuel efficiency into account, it is probably better for the environment for someone to buy used.

According to the Hartford Courant, from a “green” perspective, it’s better to drive an older, well-maintained car that gets 25 miles per gallon than to buy a new car that gets 35 miles per gallon.

“And don’t forget that the new hybrids – despite lower emissions and better gas mileage – actually have a much larger environmental impact in their manufacture, compared with non-hybrids,” says the paper.

The paper says that while it may seem better for the environment to buy a new hybrid, the batteries used to store energy are not environmentally friendly, and the manufacturing emissions to create the car are higher.

If it is absolutely necessary to get rid of a car because of its lack of fuel efficiency, the paper suggests turning a gas-guzzler in for a used car with better gas mileage.

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Man drives onto frozen river, locks keys in car, car sinks

A Michigan man had a string of bad luck on Tuesday that ended with his 1994 Buick sinking into a frozen river near the U.S./Canadian border.

On Tuesday, an unnamed man went out looking for his dog when he drove onto the frozen Black River in Port Huron, Michigan. Because of extremely cold temperatures in the area, it is not uncommon for snowmobiles and cars to drive onto the river St. Clair County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Matt Paulus told the Detroit Free Press.

However, when the man got out of the car, he locked the keys inside with the car running. The heat from the running engine melted the ice below and the car eventually became submerged.

Paulus told the paper that it is not uncommon for police to have to fish a car out of the river in the winter months.

“We usually get a couple a year,” he said. “We already had two snowmobiles go in last week.”

To make matters even worse for the man, the car he was driving was not his own. According to police, the man was using a loaner car from a local collision shop as his car was being repaired.

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Recession may cause more uninsured motorists

Among the unforeseen problems resulting from the recession is an increase in the amount of motorists on the road without any insurance.

That’s according to a new study from the Insurance Research Council which predicts a sharp increase in the amount of uninsured drivers from 13.8 percent in 2007 to 16.1 percent by 2010.

The increase in people without insurance could affect insured drivers, as they are likely to see rates increase or could be forced to have more coverage.

“Most people who are insured have uninsured motorists coverage and that protects them in the event they are hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance,” said IRC spokesperson David Corum. “So obviously, that does increase the cost of insurance for those who are insured.”
Of states with the most insured drivers, New York ranked fourth with only 5 percent of the state’s motorists being uninsured.

The study found a correlation between the number of uninsured drivers in the country and the national unemployment rate and expects uninsured drivers to increase as the number of unemployed rises.

In addition to New York, states in the Northeast had a fairly low uninsured driver rate with Pennsylvania coming in seventh, New Jersey 11th, Connecticut 16th, Delaware ranking 18th and Maryland 27th.

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GM, Honda have high customer loyalty

When shopping, it appears that many New York used car buyers and consumers across the country tend to remain loyal to General Motors vehicles.

That’s according to the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards, which said GM had the highest rating for manufacturer loyalty for the ninth year in a row – a more than 62 percent loyalty rate.

It appears that most of GM’s loyalty comes from the Chevrolet part of the family which took home four awards including fullsize pickup (Silverado), fullsize SUV (Suburban), fullsize car (Impala) and luxury sports car (Corvette).

Honda also was found to have the highest make loyalty with the Accord having the highest loyalty for a midsize car.

“In today’s business climate, customer loyalty is key to business success,” said Stephen Polk, chairman, president and CEO of R. L. Polk & Co.

David Kiley, who writes for BusinessWeek, said vehicles with high loyalty percentages typically have a high resale value, making them great cars for people looking to keep their cars for just a short period of time.

Kiley uses the Toyota Tacoma, which took home the midsize pickup category with an 18 percent loyalty rate, as an example.

“Shopping for a used Tacoma is an eye opener,” he writes. “Its resale remains astonishingly high given the aggressive discounting of full-sized pickups, including the Toyota Tundra.”

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$1 million found in car in Georgia

Georgia police made a shocking discovery after making a routine traffic stop outside of Atlanta finding more than $1 million in cash.

On Friday, Santiago Valdovinos-Moreno was pulled over after officers witnessed his car swerving in and out of a lane in Lawrenceville, Georgia, about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta.

While speaking with Valdovinos-Moreno, police say he pushed an officer and attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was captured and charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

It was in searching the car following the arrest that police made the discovery of more than $1 million in a duffel bag, which was seized.

Ironically enough, Valdovinos-Moreno is being held on $1 million cash-only bond, according to the news provider.

It’s probably unlikely that anyone searching for a New York used car will find anywhere near $1 million, but it is possible for buyers to save a great deal of money by purchasing a used car with some reports saying consumers can save up to 19 percent on a car that is only one year old.

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Cars.com sees searches increase in 2009

It seems that for many Americans, a new year means a new car with Cars.com reporting it saw an uptick in searches from people interested in buying a car in the start of 2009.

Cars.com president Mitch Golub says that although the figures the company is looking at are for a very short period, it believes 2009 will be an encouraging year for the auto industry.

“Based on activity we saw in the first full business week of the year on Cars.com, we are optimistic that automotive sales will pick up in the first quarter of 2009,” he said.

Overall the site has seen a 19 percent increase in traffic over last year, with users spending 12 percent more time on the site than a year ago. The average visit is now up to 15 minutes per user.

With the increase in people accessing the internet through handheld devices, the company says it has seen searches from mobile devices increase 30 percent since December – a total of 39 percent of all Cars.com users.

In a tough economy, a number of people are likely turning to Cars.com to look for inexpensive used cars.

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6-year-old misses bus, attempts to drive family car to school

Missing the school bus in the morning wasn’t enough to stop a 6-year-old Virginia boy from trying to get to school earlier this month when he took the family car for a ride to school, crashing more than 10 miles from home.

No one was injured in the crash and police took the boy to school after a local hospital released him for a bump on the head.

On January 6th, the boy, whose name was not released, missed his bus and took the keys to his parents 2005 Ford Taurus while his mother was asleep.

Police say the boy, who was likely standing the entire time he was driving, drove through at least two intersections and over a bridge before losing control and hitting an embankment and a utility pole.

Authorities said the boy told them he learned how to drive by playing video games like Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam.

“He was just bound and determined,” Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins told the Washington Post, “he did not want to miss breakfast and PE.”