Surprisingly, a recent study showed that the majority of crashes and near-crashes actually occur during daytime hours, when roads are more crowded, not at night as many people may think. But sleep-related accidents at night tend to be more serious because they are more likely to occur on high-speed highways and rural roads, when the driver is traveling at dangerously higher speeds and, in most cases, driving alone.

The 18-20 year old age group in one study was involved in five times more fatigue-related accidents and near-accidents than any other group, most likely due to inexperience in driving combined with teenagers notorious habits of irregular sleep patterns.

Work also played a role in the outcome of the study; interviews with drivers after crashes indicated that drowsy drivers were nearly twice as likely to work at more than one job and their primary job was much more likely to involve working the night shift.

The incidence of fatigue-related accidents has been steadily increasing with more and more cars on the road and with the rise in the number of motorists commuting further than ever today. Driving while drowsy is very dangerous, resulting in thousands of fatal accidents yearly.

Be sure to avoid driving when sleep deprived and observe some safety principals such as pulling over to rest after driving too many hours, making sure to have a passenger to talk to in order to help keep you awake on long road trips, and getting plenty of sleep before traveling.

Although preliminary studies may suggest that natural gas could contribute far more to global warming than previously thought, it looks as though Congress may be asking for support of a bill that would replace diesel with natural gas in heavy vehicles. General Motors is on board.

Natural gas is available in abundance, and can offer a solution to the U.S. dependence on foreign oil. With the future of green technology possibly moving in the direction of natural gas, General Motors has announced the finalization of the all new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered van named the Chevrolet “Express,” as well as a full-size van called the “Savana” for GM’s fleet consumers to have the option of a CNG fuel system.

GM says the vans will all meet (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission certification requirements, although there are arguments regarding whether or not natural gas is substantially cleaner than diesel. Some environmentalists are saying that the reports of emission of about 25% less greenhouse gas are false, but for now, GM plans to capitalize on the 25% fewer emissions.

Once the CNG system is integrated into the vans, they can be shipped to specialty vehicle manufacturers to have commercial equipment added, or directly to GM dealers. The Savana is projected to be available in the fall of 2010, so while the jury is still out on the safety of natural gas, it seems that final emissions testing and evaluation of environmental effects of natural gas vehicles can be conducted on real life automobiles on the road.

If you are in the market for a fuel efficient vehicle, see your local Cross Keys Auto Dealer for a great line-up of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s.

The arbitrators that ruled in favor of Chrysler made reference to the company’s post bankruptcy strategy to merge Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, and Jeep together into single dealerships.

For the dealerships that won their cases, the main factors that supported the decisions were how fast Chrysler closed the dealerships, as well as how many total dealerships were closed; in fact, the Inspector General for the U.S. Troubled Relief Program had investigated those issues as well.

Lawyers who represented the dealers stated that more of them would have won provided the audit by Neil Barofsky had been released, giving arbitrators access to the information gathered from the audit before making their final decisions.

According to one lawyer, “Chrysler had absolutely no proof that dealership closing would save Chrysler a nickel; had this report been available at arbitration, I believe all the dealers would have been successful in arbitration. All Chrysler relied upon was unproved theory and tried to dress it up as fact. It was the king’s new clothes.”

29 dealerships that won their cases have signed agreement letters so far and although the decision is final, there continues to be some post-arbitration discussion between Chrysler and many of the dealerships that will be reinstated in an attempt to negotiate the conditions of the dealerships re-opening.

There are still some issues related to Chrysler’s requirement of the reinstated dealerships that goes above and beyond what the existing dealerships are forced to do as far as facility upgrades, and two dealerships so far have filed lawsuits regarding those issues.

If you are in the market for a used vehicle, ask about the guaranteed credit program at Cross Keys Auto.

Although the sticker price may be out of range for many a consumer’s budget, GM is offering an affordable lease program at only $350 per month that may widen the market for consumers who qualify for the electric hybrid. The biggest drawback to the lease program will be that the first $2,500 is due upfront. The good news—the tax credit also applies. For a leasee who qualifies for the full amount of the tax credit, the monthly payment drops to around what a consumer would pay for a Chevy Impala.

Buyers will get a 6-year, 100k corrosion protection and 8-years on the battery packs, and the leased vehicles will be covered under warranty for the full 3-year term of the lease. Volt owners will be provided significant battery and vehicle warranties. The Volt’s lithium-ion battery is covered by a transferable warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles. In addition, Chevrolet will provide a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage, and a 5-year/100,000-mile roadside assistance, courtesy transportation, and limited gas engine coverage.

If you are in the market for a more affordable economy car, see your local St. Louis Cross Keys Auto and ask about our guaranteed financing program today.

GM plans to initially ship 10,000 Volts, many of which are already spoken for with pre-orders. The Volt is not considered to be a vehicle everyone can afford, but being the first mass produced EV vehicle launched in the U.S., the price is the highest out of the gate.

Some car seats have special features that enable the seat to be easier to use, including the behind-the-seat harness adjustment, harness straps that won’t twist up, and even some that have automatic tightening and tethering of the straps. There is usually a significant price difference in the seats with extra options.

When researching options, you may come across the acronym “LATCH” which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This feature utilizes tethers with clips on either side of the seat to attach to anchors instead of simply using the shoulder belt to secure the child seat. Cars build after 1999 should have at least two lower anchor points (in the crack of the back seat) where you can attach your LATCH tethers. LATCH is not inherently safer than the shoulder belt, but LATCH often gives safer installation because it tends to be so much easier to secure, and you can leave the mechanism in place without regular re-adjustment. Check your vehicle manual to see if you have LATCH anchors. Older model cars can be retrofit with the anchors from your local Cross Keys Auto dealership in St. Louis.  If you are planning to purchase a new vehicle in the near future, be sure to check out our guaranteed financing program.

If you plan to have your child in the center of the backseat (which is the safest position in your car) you will probably have to use the seat belt system.  In most cars, only two LATCH positions are provided, one behind each of the front seats. If you have to choose between LATCH on the side or the belts in the center, try the belts. As long as you get a good fit in the center, it is going to be your safest option.

One of the problems with other VR systems has been figuring out which specific commands are required to enter a destination or make a call. The Nuance system (utilized by Ford SYNC) has implemented a system that can use a variety of different phrases that let users request the same command for example, “play track” or “play song” will both command the same action.

Now Ford’s new technology for the 2011 MyFord Touch driver connect features a “Do Not Disturb” button to enable motorists to block incoming phone calls and text messages while driving. The option can be selected for the duration of the trip, or for times when there is heavy traffic and the driver does not want to be distracted.

Another innovative feature that Ford has added is the new Bluetooth Message Access Profile (MAP) into SYNC for all MyFord Touch-equipped vehicles, to enable drivers to have their texts read aloud to them while driving.

Some lawmakers feel that texting should be banned in all states because actual road tests have proven that texting while driving is as dangerous (or more) than drunken driving.

As the issue of texting has produced a proposed federal ban and state-level legislation banning hand-held texting while driving, Ford Motor Company has started to improve its SYNC technology by adding new and improved features to give drivers hands-free options to replace texting, in order to keep the focus where it belongs—on the road.

According to Ford’s chief communications media engineer, “Text messaging has become the default communications method for consumers of all ages; the power of SYNC voice control combined with Ford’s latest connectivity improvements will reduce the temptation to pick up the phone and take your eyes off the road, providing a safer solution for the use of mobile devices in the car.”

If you are interested in test driving a Ford with new and advanced technology, see your local Cross Keys Auto used car sales dealer in St. Louis today.

Going against a long tradition of charging more for an engine with higher hp that the automotive industry has had since its inception, Ford is charging a premium for the 4-cylinder engine when the Explorer is launched at the end of this year. Contrary to most other trim levels offered, The Explorer’s 3.5 liter V-6 will be the standard option and the smaller 4-cylinder with 50 less horse power, will be the option.

According to Ford, the value of the smaller engine lies in its cutting edge technology that allows an SUV to realize fuel economy of a Toyota Camry at 19 mpg in the city and 26mpg on the highway so that SUV owners looking for a new roomy 4×4 that gets decent gas mileage can now have their cake and eat it too!  In fact, according to a recent Bloomberg news article, the seven passenger 2011 model Ford Explorer gets 30% better fuel efficiency than last year’s model.

Critics are saying that Ford will be hard pressed to convince the public that there is more value in a smaller engine, particularly now that gas prices have gone down 34% from 2 years ago when some pumps were reading $4.11 per gallon according to Jim Hall, principal of automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan.

“The market will determine which really is the base engine,” Hall said. “If the market says, ‘Forget it,’ they may have to lower the cost of this engine.”

So the jury is out and Ford customers will make the final decision, it seems that Ford is taking a big gamble with the-now more crossover than truck design that “costs more when you get less.”

If you are in the market for used trucks or SUV’s, visit Cross Keys Auto in St. Louis, where you will still pay less for a smaller engine.