Fall Driving Safety Tips

As weather and road conditions change with the season, following fall driving safety tips will help keep you safe as you enjoy the cool crisp air and the beautiful colors of the autumn leaves.

The Dangers of Leaves on the Roads
When leaves accumulate on the roadway and become wet, they can get extremely slippery, making the driving conditions similar to driving on ice. If the temperature drops below freezing, the wet leaves will freeze and turn into dangerous icy leaves on the roadway. Besides reducing the car's traction, causing skidding and the possibility of losing control of the vehicle, leaves often cover the painted road markings, making it difficult to know the locations of the lanes.

• Slow down if you are driving on a road covered with leaves, especially when driving around turns.
• Allow yourself plenty of room to stop in an emergency. Keep a greater distance between you and the car in front of you.
• Leaves make it difficult to see potholes and bumps in the road.
• A pile of leaves raked to the side of the road is an inviting place to a child. Children enjoy jumping into the leaf piles or burrowing down into them and hiding. Never drive through a leaf pile. Use caution going around turns and where children are playing.
• Keep your windshield leaf free to avoid wet leaves getting stuck under the windshield wiper blades.
• In order to avoid the possibility of a fire hazard from the exhaust system or catalytic converter, never park your vehicle over a pile of leaves .

Changing Weather Conditions
In many areas, autumn is a damp, wet season. There are many rainy or foggy days and nights. As the temperatures drop, frost often coats the ground at night.

• When driving in fog, set your headlight to low beam. This setting aims the beam of light down toward the roadway.
• In the fall as temperatures drop, frost often forms on the roadway, causing hazardous driving conditions. Drive slowly and break gently at overpasses and bridges as these areas frost over more quickly than other roadway surfaces.
• Be aware of areas where black ice forms on the roadway.

Adjust for Fewer Hours of Daylight
In the fall there are fewer hours of daylight. In the earlier darkness it is common to see children outside playing or riding their bicycles. People are walking their dogs, jogging or taking late afternoon or evening walks. In the fading light of dusk it is more difficult to see the children and pedestrians.

• Watch out for children at their bus stops in the morning and as they return home in the afternoon.
• Halloween is a fun fall holiday. Take special care where children are out trick or treating. They may be wearing masks or costumes that limit their visibility.
• Always drive defensively.

Vehicle Maintenance

• Keep your headlights cleaned and in proper working order, making sure they are aligned.
• Replace your windshield wiper blades if they show any signs of wear.
• Keep an emergency car safety kit in your vehicle.

Additional Fall Safety Driving Tips

• Always keep a pair of sunglasses in your vehicle. Fall sunrises and sunsets can be very brilliant. The bright sun often creates a large amount of glare, making it difficult to see other vehicles, the roadway or the road's shoulder. Wearing sunglasses during these times reduces the danger.
• If you live in an area where there are deer, they are more apt to run into the roadway especially at dawn and dusk since the fall is an active breeding time. If you see a deer cross the roadway, proceed very slowly as they often travel in groups.

Naturally safe driving practices are essential all through the year. However, being aware of the unique autumn driving hazards and following the fall driving safety tips here will make you a safer driver.

Source: safety.lovetoknow.com

Infiniti Confirms Q30, QX30 And Redesigned Q60 Coupe For 2017 Model Year

It’s been a quiet year for Infiniti, with the only significant news being a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine being added to the Q50, a longer wheelbase being fitted to the QX50, and a limited edition Signature Edition model being added to the QX80. Next year, however, the Japanese luxury brand will be busy with a handful of new additions to its lineup.

In the second quarter of 2016, Infiniti will start selling its highly anticipated Q30 and QX30 compact duo. The Q30 hatch has already been previewed and is due for a debut at next month’s Frankfurt Auto Show. A debut of the QX30 crossover should follow shortly after. Both vehicles are to be sourced from a plant in the United Kingdom and arrive as 2017 models.

Arriving in showrooms around the same time will be an updated version of the QX60 crossover. The third-row crossover, which is related to the Nissan Pathfinder, was a new addition to the Infiniti lineup for 2014. The updated version will arrive as a 2016 model and be shown for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show next January.

And last but not least, a new Q60 coupe will finally land in showrooms in the third quarter of 2016. The vehicle, previewed earlier this year by a thinly-veiled concept, will arrive as a 2017 model and replace the current Q60 which can trace its roots back to the G37 Coupe introduced for the 2008 model year.

The new Q60 is expected to be launched on the market with two horsepower ratings: an entry-level model is said to offer around 400 hp and a more potent model will reportedly offer close to 450 hp. It should be noted that these figures are comparable with the outputs of dedicated performance models from rival brands, such as the BMW M4 (425 hp), Cadillac ATS-V (455 hp) and Lexus RC F (467 hp), so take this info with a grain of salt.

As part of the transition to the new lineup, Infiniti will end production of the current Q60 as well as the Q60 Convertible this year. There will be no 2016 model year for the Q60. Another model ceasing production is the Q40 sedan (the former G37 sedan), which will not be replaced.

Source: http://www.motorauthority.com/

2015 Infiniti Q50 Wins Ritvo Design & Elegance Award

Named for the late Gene Ritvo, a veteran concours photographer and member of the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA), the Ritvo Design & Elegance award recognizes the very best in automotive design. The recipient of the award is nominated with input from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

"Our friend Gene Ritvo would have been proud to see the Infiniti Q50 take home an award bearing his name," said Craig Fitzgerald, NEMPA president. "In its thoughtful design, it conveys the class and the sophistication, of which Gene was a pure devotee. NEMPA couldn't agree more with the expressed views of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Larz Anderson Auto Museum that selected the Infiniti Q50 this year."

Since its introduction in 2013, the Q50 has been recognized with a number of awards for styling, performance and technology leadership. When it was first launched, the Q50 introduced with it a new design language—which would later be incorporated into the rest of the brand's vehicles—giving the car a decidedly aggressive, athletic look underscoring its on-road performance.

Emanating from the sedan’s signature "double arch" grille is a character line that flows over the front fenders and tightly around the side of the car, culminating on the rear deck lid, giving the vehicle an element of both elegance and strength. Other characteristic design features include its crescent cut c-pillar and distinctive, almost-human like LED headlights and taillights.

The Q50 also introduced a number of world's first technologies, including Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS), an innovative steer-by-wire system that allows drivers the option of customizing steering sensitivity and feel, while simultaneously helping to isolate road vibrations. Working in conjunction with Infiniti’s own lane-keeping technology, DAS—like each of the brand's safety and performance technologies—is designed to complement the driving experience, not replace it.

Source: http://www.infinitiusa.com/