Five New Year's Resolutions You Need to Make for Your Car

As the year draws to a close, taking careful stock of our failings over the last year leads us to make New Year's resolutions that are often outlandish, not particularly helpful, and often broken after just a few weeks, if not a few hours. Resolutions aren't always so difficult to keep, though. In particular, making a resolution or two that can save you money over the course of the coming year might be just what you need to keep your resolutions on track. Give these five car resolutions a try and you just might find yourself a little more willing to keep them up through next December.

1. I Resolve to maintain proper tire pressure in my car's tires.

Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the most-often cited reasons for premature tire wear, poor fuel economy, and even vehicle accidents among today's consumers. It's important to check your tires at least once per month to ensure that they maintain the correct pressure. Fortunately, newer vehicles often include tire pressure sensors tied directly into your vehicle diagnostics that let you know when your air pressure is low.

2. I Resolve to stay on top of my car's oil changes.

Let's face it, if you're like most drivers, the oil changes on your car aren't exactly a top priority. Between shuttling the kids to soccer practice to paying grocery bills, oil changes are the last thing on many consumer's minds today. That doesn't mean that you can slack off on your oil changes, though. While you can generally stretch synthetic oil a bit past 3,000 miles, and some specialty oils can be run as long as 15,000 miles, you should still be changing your engine oil at least twice per year, regardless of how often you drive your vehicle.

3. I Resolve to Drive the Speed Limit

We all do it. We know we shouldn't, but maybe we've gotten away with it before and there doesn't appear to be any speed traps on the way to work. Avoiding getting a speeding ticket isn't the best reason to avoid allowing your speedometer to edge up past the posted limit. Study after study performed by independent agencies as well as the federal government have concluded that those old driver's ed films really were true -- speed kills. In fact, speeding is often cited as being a factor in as many as one-third of all fatal vehicle crashes.

4. I Resolve to shop around my car insurance.

Although you're probably sick of the commercials on television by now, constantly badgering you to shop around your car insurance, it really is important to do so on a regular basis to ensure that your rates are as low as they can be. Over time, insurance rates tend to creep slowly upward. Even as you begin to qualify for discounts, you may still not be getting the best auto insurance rates. Take your current coverage and rates, and compare them with at least four other companies. Most auto insurers are more than happy to provide you with a no-obligation quote that you can use for comparison.

5. I Resolve to avoid road rage

Road rage is one of the easiest behaviors to fall into behind the wheel. In many cases, it takes a serious, conscious effort to avoid getting mad and taking it out on other drivers, but there are serious health benefits to turning the other automotive cheek. Avoiding road rage can reduce your blood pressure, and prevent you from causing or being involved in an accident. In a study for the AAA foundation for Traffic Safety, one researcher indicated that no less than 1,500 deaths every year can be attributed to aggressive driving and road rage.

Making and keeping new year's resolutions may be a bit tough sometimes, but when it comes to the safety of your family, the new year's resolutions for your car should be adhered to unfailingly. Otherwise, you really are taking your life in your hands.

Sources:
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: Aggressive Driving, three studies: www.aaafoundation.org