When the weather turns like this and most of the roads in Ireland have become increasingly dangerous due to the few inches of snow and hard ice, knowing that you have your car insurance company behind you may keep your mind at ease.

Nearly all the country already looks reminiscent to the North Pole and Met Éireann have predicted that the cold snap and snowy conditions are set to last for the Christmas period.

Luckily here at Bestquote we have decided to put together a few tips to hopefully help you out till the weather changes for the better.

We might as well give you the best advice first and that is to avoid driving if and when at all possible.

Obviously this isn’t the most practical advice as it is the time of year when people are on the road most shopping, getting the last few bits done and of course visiting friends and family. So to continue with tips to keep safe on the roads this festive season:

Winterize your Vehicle…

• Check tire pressure
• Inspect all belts and hoses
• Make sure the battery is fully charged
• Inspect the wipers and wiper fluid to ensure better visibility

Before you set off…

• Make sure to de-frost all your windows, including side mirrors, so that your view isn’t restricted – use a scraper or de-icer rather than hot water as this can crack your windows
• Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged
• Be sure to take some warm clothes (hat, gloves, scarf) with you in case your car breaks down
• Always be prepared, just in case keep a high visibility vest, a car jack, a shovel and a spare wheel in your boot.
• If you are visiting friends or family make sure to let them know what time to expect you at

Driving safely on icy road…

• Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
• Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
• Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
• Keep your lights and windshield clean.
• Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and less frequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might come across ice in shady areas or on vulnerable roadways like bridges.
• Move into a lower gear when going downhill or going around bends
• If you are driving a rear wheel drive be aware that it is more likely to slip more on corners then that of a front wheel drive vehicle, keeping this in mind gently touch the brakes while going around corners.
• Avoid over steering on icy roads as there is there is lesser grip with your tyres and on the road.
• If the road looks polished oor glossy it could be black ice, watch out for this especially in sheltered/shaded areas on roads, under trees and beside walls. If you do notice this, lower your speed.
• Try to predict slowing traffic, stoplight changes, out of control motorists, and other things.

What to do if your vehicle starts to ski…

• You are more likely to know when you are driving over black ice by the rapid decline in the noise your tyres make.
• If your car starts to skid do not jam on your brakes , this can lock your tyres causing them to go into a spin
• If your car skids sideways, it is most people’s reaction to turn your steering wheel in the opposite direction however this will cause you to lose even more control, so if your car starts to skid left turn your steering wheel to the left and ease off your accelerator. This applies to if it skids right turn right.
If you get stuck…
• Do not spin your wheels, this will only cause you to get deeper
• Turn your wheels a few times to push the snow out of the way
• Lightly touch the accelerator to aid your car to safety
• If this still does not help, use a shovel to clear away from the tyres and under the car
• Pour sand, salt or grit in the cars pathway to help the car get grip

We hope you keep safe this Christmas time!

Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year!!

Hybrid cars are thought to be the car of future generations. It dramatically cuts down fuel prices and it produces lower levels of carbon waste.  These benefits have added to the popularity of the Hybrid car.  More and more people everyday are exchanging their everyday cars in return for fuel saving hybrid car.

The hybrid cars have two engines which add to its capabilities of conserving fuel.  It has a new electric motor and batteries along with the classic petrol/diesel engine.  These two engines work alongside each other to cut the amount of fuel used and the amount of toxins released into the atmosphere.  With this type of technology you will be able to cut the amount of fuel used by half. With this type of excellent technology there is no doubt that these cars will be the car of the future.

Not only do these cars save you money and the stress of increasing fuel prices, you can also save money with taxes as the Government announced in the last budget that it was extending the incentive for plug-in hybrid and electric cars until 2012.

With all these advantages with Hybrid cars, of course there is going to be a disadvantage in one form or another.  The main disadvantage of these cars is that while they do save you money the retail price is quite expensive.

Hybrid cars will never go as fast as a normal fuel car because they are relatively heavy due to the heavy batteries that are installed in the car. Another issue with Hybrid cars is that they can be risky in an accident.  The cars advantage is also one of its biggest risk factor in an accident.  This being that the car stores a high voltage in its batteries meaning that there is a very high possibility of getting electrocuted if you were involved in an accident; this makes it difficult for rescuers to get drivers and passengers to safety because of the high electricity power in the car.

Remember to get a quote from Bestquote for your car insurance needs.

A recent report* has shown that most home insurance companies make necessary increases on the level of home contents insurance around Christmas time to guarantee that all policy holders have sufficient cover for all the Christmas presents that Santa may have delivered.

A study* was carried out which found 9 out of 10 home insurers temporarily increase the level of cover during Christmas time. The main reason for this automatic increase is to help protect people being underinsured on their home insurance contents policy.  This is the time of year that most people have expensive gifts and electrical goods in their homes. This will automatically push up the value of the contents insurance up.

It is wise to check your home insurance cover around this time of year however to make sure to check the small print on your policy does increase the amount of contents cover as not all insurance companies offer this automatically.  Please be aware that the increase is for a certain period only, before and after Christmas, but this does change between different insurance providers.

It is also wise to check that your home contents cover is protected against theft.  This is standard cover for most home insurance policies but is more vitally important to check this over Christmas as there is an added risk of thieves during the holiday season, however it is important to get this covered throughout the year as your home can be burgled at any time of year.

Also don’t forget your car insurance this winter time especially with further cold snaps predicted.

*Report Source

Slow down. Save a life. It could be yours.

On Monday the 15^th November 2010, new Garda mobile safety cameras were put into use around the country on the roads.  As everybody knows excessive or inappropriate speeding is a major factor in road traffic accidents.  The new safety cameras will be on Irish roads where some of the most fatal car accidents have happened as a result of irrelevant speed and reckless driving.

Speed cameras however do not have the best history or reputation in Ireland.  Many times cameras have been put into operation at low speeding zones and have become ineffective.  This time the cameras are not being used to generate revenue but for the sole reason as to save lives.

A private owned company is in charge of setting up the cameras in 600 locations and will be operated 24/7 365 days of the year.  This is the first time that checkpoints will be in operation on the roads after dark.  This is an attempt to save up to 50 lives each year on Irish roads.

With the new speed cameras in operation it means that Garda check points will be limited meaning that there will be less Guards out on the road when they could be doing other jobs, this in turn will save money for the state.

A lot of speculation has been made whether the private company that is controlling the speed cameras will be paid based on the amount of fines issued however the government has insured us that they will be paid only for the time they are there working it does not matter if they catch a thousand speeders or just one the y will be paid no different.

The locations of the speed cameras are being made known to the public so that they are aware to slow down on the accident black-spots.

With most insurance companies their insurance premiums are not usually get affected by 2 points or less, so please be careful with these speed cameras as they can add points on your licence in turn insurance companies increasing their prices.

Just another reason to slow down on our roads!!

Remember to get a quote from Bestquote for your car insurance needs.

It is vital that you do have insurance on both your home and your car, so there really is no escaping having to pay an insurance premium.

Best quote will search for the best quotes for car insurance and home insurance from multiple insurers.

With a bit of time from yourself and us, here are some tips that you may use to find a lower price for your insurance premiums.

With regards to your home insurance, we always look at all our providers to see who has the most competitive insurance prices. You will need to make sure to provide all the relevant information including the particulars of your home, the different types of insurance you need and any other extra cover you may need.

Other ways you could save on your insurance is to keep your home in good shape hence cutting down the need to claim on losses.  You can do this by getting your wiring, plumbing and roof checked by certified professionals and advising your insurer of any updates or changes.  You can also lower your house insurance premium by installing a fire and burglar alarm in your home.

By integrating your car insurance and your home insurance and buying it off the same company you can acquire a discount, between the two policies this can add up to big savings.

Try to avoid small claims when possible as they can increase the amount of your house and car insurance. If it is a small incident that you may not need to get fixed right away or you can spare the money to pay for the repairs yourself, then do this instead as the more times you claim, it doesn’t matter if it’s small or big the higher your premium goes.

Bestquote providing you with cheap car insurance quotes.