The Auto Club

New laws taking effect on or after Jan. 1 will require DUI offenders in selected counties to use an ignition interlock device, increase vehicle and driver license fees to trim the budget shortfall and require vehicle storage lots to accept bank credit or debit cards and cash to pay for storage fees, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. During 2009, the California state legislature approved a number of new laws of interest to Auto Club members and motorists.

AB 91 authorizes the DMV to create a pilot project requiring all convicted DUI offenders in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare counties to install an ignition interlock device (IID) on every vehicle they own or operate as a condition of getting their driver’s licenses back. The amount of time the IID needs to remain installed is based upon the number of DUI convictions. An evaluation will be conducted to determine if the IID pilots are effective at reducing DUIs. The Auto Club supported this measure. It will become effective on July 1, 2010.

“The Auto Club supported this law because we believe use of ignition interlock devices have the potential to help reduce DUI offenses and the data from this pilot program should provide sufficient data to either prove or disprove that potential,” said Alice Bisno, senior vice president for public affairs.

Assembly Bill (AB) 62 permits a person to drive a motor vehicle with a video CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

More Southern Californians are expected to travel over this Christmas-New Year’s holiday than last year, but the number of travelers will still be 27 percent fewer than the last December holiday period before the recession, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The Auto Club is projecting that seven million Southern Californians will take overnight trips of 50 miles or more over the upcoming holidays – an increase of 11 percent over last year. That follows a lackluster two years of holiday travel and is about 2.7 million fewer travelers than the 9.7 million Southern Californians who traveled over Christmas and New Year’s holidays during 2006.

About 87 percent of Southern California travelers, or 6.16 million people, will travel by car to their holiday destinations, while almost six percent, or 400,000 local travelers, will go by air.

Statewide, 11.3 million people are expected to take trips during this holiday – also an 11 percent increase over last year. Of those, 9.9 million are expected to drive and 640,000 are expected to fly. Nationally, 87.7 million travelers are expected, which is a 3.8 percent increase over last year.

“This is the healthiest holiday travel increase we’ve seen in CONTINUED »

LOS ANGELES, CA – If the 2008 shopping season is an indicator, December will bring the highest volume of requests for help by people who have locked themselves out of their vehicle, according to Auto Club member roadside assistance statistics compiled by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

In December 2008, the Auto Club answered 73,790 calls for help from members at shopping malls, retail centers, grocery stores and other locations, or about 9 percent of all 814,454 lockout calls. When comparing different months, the December 2008 lockout call volume is nearly 20 percent higher than September 2008. Overall, lockout calls made up about 17 percent of all roadside assistance calls for last year.

The top four busiest days for lockout services all fell in December during 2008:

Dec. 19 (the last Friday before Christmas)…..3,010 calls
Dec. 23……………………………………….2,859 calls
Dec. 12……………………………………….2,852 calls
Dec. 18……………………………………… 2,790 calls

"More than 50 percent of Southern California households have an CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

LOS ANGELES, CA. - Thanksgiving motorists will probably experience few surprises this weekend at the gas pump as prices continue to hover within 10 to 20 cents of $3 a gallon throughout the Southland, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.953 per gallon, which is 1.5 cents less than last week, 6.7 cents less than last month, and 81 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.942, which is one cent lower than last week’s price, five cents below last month, and 85 cents higher than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.981, down 3.7 cents from last week, 11 cents lower than a month ago, and 80 cents above last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $2.938, which is 1.6 cents less than last week, 6.3 cents less than last month, and 84 cents more than last year.

“Gas prices have become very predictable this year, unlike any other year in this decade,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “Motorists are paying about 80 cents more per gallon than at this time last year, 45 cents less than during the Thanksgiving weekend of 2007 and 45 cents more than during the Thanksgiving holiday of 2006.”

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 3 p.m. on Nov. 25, averages are:

Area Regular One-week
change
Record Price

Los Angeles – Long Beach $2.953 -1.5 cents $4.626 (6/21/08)

Orange County $2.938 -1.7 cents $4.598 (6/19/08)

San Diego $2.942 -1.0 cent $4.630 (6/19/08)

Santa Barbara – Santa Maria – Lompoc $2.981 -3.7 cents $4.709 (6/21/08)

Riverside – San Bernardino $2.938 -1.6 cents $4.614 (6/22/08)

Bakersfield $3.004 -0.1 cent $4.591 (6/24/08)

Ventura $2.949 -1.3 cents $4.625 (6/18/08)

The Auto Club

Los Angeles/Long Beach and Ventura gas price averages dropped below $3 a gallon this week for the first time since August as prices continued to drop slowly throughout the Southland, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.99 per gallon, which is 2.3 cents less than last week, 3.5 cents less than last month, and 44 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.972, which is two cents lower than last week’s price, also two cents below last month, and 46 cents higher than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.057, down 4.3 cents from last week, a nickel lower than a month ago, and 45 cents above last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $2.974, which is 2.2 cents less than last week, 3.1 cents less than last month, and 47 cents more than last year.

“This is the first time since August that the state’s average price for gasoline has dipped below $3, along with that of Los Angeles/Long Beach and Ventura,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “This is also the second week in a row that gas prices we’re paying now are more expensive than those we were paying this time last year, and the gap keeps growing larger each week. Last week, it was 25 cents and this week it’s 40 to 45 cents.”

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 11 a.m. on Nov. 12, averages are:

Area Regular One-week
change
Record Price

Los Angeles – Long Beach $2.990 -2.3 cents $4.626 (6/21/08)

Orange County $2.975 -2.4 cents $4.598 (6/19/08)

San Diego $2.972 -2.0 cents $4.630 (6/19/08)

Santa Barbara – Santa Maria – Lompoc $3.057 -4.3 cents $4.709 (6/21/08)

Riverside – San Bernardino $2.974 -2.2 cents $4.614 (6/22/08)

Bakersfield $3.035 -1.6 cents $4.591 (6/24/08)

Ventura $2.987 -2.8 cents $4.625 (6/18/08)

When many motorists think of vehicle maintenance, the first thing that comes to mind is oil changes and other engine upkeep. However, the steps to maintaining a vehicle, and its resale value, extend beyond what is under the hood, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

“Motorists can extend the life of their vehicle’s interior and exterior the same way they take care of its mechanical parts—through proper maintenance,” said Steve Mazor, manager of the Auto Club’s Automotive Research Center in Diamond Bar. “Forms of vehicle upkeep that are frequently thought of as cosmetic care can reduce wear and tear and help maintain a higher resale value.”

The Auto Club recommends motorists perform the following maintenance tasks:

Vehicle Interior
Vacuum regularly and lightly shampoo the carpets as needed. Dirt remaining in the carpet greatly accelerates wear, but be careful not to soak carpets with too much moisture.

Use floor mats to protect carpet. Carpeted floor mats will collect dust and dirt and are best for dry climates, while protective vinyl floor mats are recommended in wet and snowy areas.

Wipe down dusty or soiled surfaces with a damp CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

VENTURA, CA. – Public television personality Huell Howser will be on hand to meet fellow travel enthusiasts at the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Travel Show on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ventura Beach Marriott, 2055 East Harbor Blvd. Ventura.

Admission and parking are $3 for those without reservations and free for those who RSVP by calling (800) 281-5161 and pressing option 4, or by visiting a local Auto Club office. The show is open to both Auto Club members and non-members.

The AAA Travel Show will feature nearly two dozen tour, cruise and other travel providers, as well as experienced and knowledgeable AAA Travel agents. Consumers who book their trips at the show will receive special showtime offers providing discounts, upgrades or credits on their travel. Auto Club members qualify for additional member benefits on select travel packages.

Travelers can prepare for their journeys by visiting the show to obtain passport photos and applications, watch luggage packing demonstrations, and enjoy live presentations from travel providers.

Howser, who hosts the “Road Trip With Huell Howser” and “California’s Gold” series featured on PBS television stations, will meet and greet fans. Westways Magazine Travel Editor and AAA Travelviews blogger Elizabeth Harryman will host the show and offer travel tips and experiences with her husband and travel partner, Paul Lasley.

While attending the Auto Club show, travelers can enter a drawing (no purchase necessary) to win travel-related prizes.

“Travelers are seeking value now, and travel providers are coming out with some exciting new offerings,” said Grant Sigmund, the Auto Club’s Ventura branch manager. “The travel show will provide a rare opportunity for vacation-seekers to get detailed information about a wide variety of travel companies and take advantage of special deals.”

More information about the show is available at Auto Club offices and on the Auto Club’s Web site, www.AAA.com.

The Auto Club

Southern California gas price averages are still above $3 a gallon for the third month in a row, but have dropped by nearly a dime from their 2009 record levels in September, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California monthly Fuel Gauge Report.

The Southern California October average price for regular self-serve gasoline is $3.025, eight cents lower than the September average of $3.104. This month’s average price is 42 cents lower than last year’s October price average of $3.449.

The statewide average price of $3.02 is nine cents lower than the September average of $3.11. Marysville in Northern California has the state’s lowest average price at $2.787, while Tahoe City has the highest gas price average for the fourth month in a row at $3.279. In central and Southern California, the cheapest gas is in Porterville, with an average price of $2.884, and Laguna Beach has the most expensive gas at an average price of $3.197.

Nationally, the average price of $2.478 is a dime lower than the September average of $2.578. Alaska continues to have the most expensive gas with an average price of $3.372 statewide. Alaska, Hawaii and California are the only three U.S. states with price averages above $3. South Carolina has the lowest state average price at $2.249.

“This is the time of year when gas prices typically drop off,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “Locally, prices are coming down very slowly. Oil industry analysts say the weak dollar is playing a role in keeping prices from dropping more quickly.”

The Auto Club

Can you imagine driving your vehicle more than 328,219 miles? The Automobile Club of Southern California’s Steve Moxley can, because he’s followed a regular vehicle maintenance schedule for his 1985 Nissan truck -- which he has driven 1,000+ miles a month since the early 1990s.

Moxley is the second owner of his vehicle, inheriting the blue truck from his father when the vehicle had 60,000 miles. That means that the younger Moxley still put 268,000 miles on the truck.

How does he do it?

“It’s simply perfect fluid maintenance,” said Moxley, of the Auto Club’s AAA Approved Auto Repair Program. “I’m religious about changing the oil regularly and also keeping the brake and transmission fluids clean. Proper maintenance on a regular schedule is also critical to safe operation of a vehicle as well as the safety of the driver and passengers,” Moxley added.

You can, too, if you start caring for your car beginning in CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

LOS ANGELES, CA. – Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens nationwide, and California is no exception. In fact, there are 15,000 teens, ages 16-19, killed or injured in vehicle crashes annually. After successfully spearheading legislation to place additional restrictions on California’s novice drivers, the Automobile Club of Southern California is now launching Dare to Prepare, a free workshop designed to help parents and teens through their most dangerous years on the road.

Dare to Prepare provides critical information parents and teens, ages 14 and 15, need to know before teens take the wheel. The interactive workshop provides tools and guidelines to help parents and teens go through the learning-to-drive process.

“Teen drivers are inexperienced and often engage in risky behaviors behind the wheel due to a lack of reasoning skills,” said Anita Lorz, the Auto Club’s team lead for traffic safety. “Dare to Prepare aims to jump-start the dialogue about safe driving between parents and teens,” said Lorz.

The Dare to Prepare workshop will take place CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 17, 2009 – Southland gas prices soared to new 2009 records earlier this week, but then slightly backed down, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.14 per gallon, which is 4.5 cents more than last week, nine cents more than last month, and 61 cents less than last year. In San Diego, the price is $3.151, which is 3.6 cents more than last week’s price, nine cents above last month, and 62 cents lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.227, up 3.3 cents from last week, 12 cents higher than a month ago, and 64 cents below last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $3.129, which is 4.5 cents more than last week, nine cents more than last month, and 61 cents less than last year.

“Reports of scaled-back production in California refineries helped cause a rise in wholesale prices, which quickly made its way to consumers at the pump,” said CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

Parents go to great lengths to make sure their children are safe. But when it comes to child car seat safety, too frequently minor mistakes can put children at risk without parents realizing it, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

To kick off National Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 12-18, the Auto Club warns parents of the six most common car seat mistakes. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children. However, 244 lives of children under age 5 were saved during collisions in 2008 because they were secured in a safety seat.

To help ensure children are properly protected in the event of a crash, the Auto Club offers its Birth to Boosters brochure to parents at Auto Club branch offices and also urges parents to guard against these mistakes:

Not using a safety seat. Whether an infant, toddler, or booster seat-age child, parents should always use the appropriate child restraint system every time their children are in a vehicle. Safety seats reduced the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. And, CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2009 — Southern California gas price averages have spent most of 2009 well under $3 a gallon, but now price averages have topped the $3 mark for two months in a row, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California monthly Fuel Gauge Report.

The Southern California September average price for regular self-serve gasoline is $3.104, four cents higher than the August average of $3.061. This month’s average price is 78 cents lower than last year’s September price average of $3.841.

The statewide average price of $3.11 is six cents higher than the August average of $3.052. This month Van Nuys has the state’s lowest average price at $3.019, while Eureka CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

LOS ANGELES, CA – Southern California gas station prices continued to hover near the $3 mark for the second week in a row, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.036 per gallon, which is three-tenths of a penny less than last week, 20 cents more than last month, and 87 cents less than last year. In San Diego, the price is $3.035, which is four-tenths of a cent less than last week’s price, 23 cents above last month, and 84 cents lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.133, up 1.8 cents from last week, 20 cents higher than a month ago, and 89 cents below last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $3.021, which is nine-tenths of one cent less than last week, 20 cents more than last month, and 86 cents less than last year.

“When we look back at where gas prices were one year ago, August 2008 was when prices were plummeting by double digits in response to the economic crisis,” CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

LOS ANGELES, CA. - As expected, gas price averages are now topping $3 a gallon in every major Southern California region after another week of price increases, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.052 per gallon, which is 7.1 cents more than last week, 16 cents more than last month, and $1.04 less than last year. In San Diego, the price is $3.063, which is 7.9 cents more than last week’s price, 20 cents above last month, and 97 cents lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.116, up 6.1 cents from last week, 13 cents higher than a month ago, and $1.10 below last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $3.037, which is eight cents more than last week, 16 cents more than last month, and $1.02 less than last year.

“Prices aren’t rising as rapidly as they did during the first week of August, but so far they are still going up in response to higher CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

Many Southern California teens will return to school in the next few weeks, and some may hope to drive onto campus in a new vehicle. Because car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens nationwide and California, getting the right car for a novice driver is an important decision for parents. The Automobile Club of Southern California has developed a list of criteria and vehicles to assist parents and their teens.

When asked by parents: “What is the safest car to get my new teen driver?” the Auto Club’s answer is: a mid-size car with a four-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, Antilock Braking System (ABS) and high safety crash test scores.

“A mid-size car is big enough to protect a novice driver in a crash, but small enough to be manageable for a novice driver,” said the Auto Club’s Automotive Research Center Manager Steve Mazor. “The four-cylinder engine limits acceleration capabilities and generally provides better fuel economy. Automatic transmissions are easier to drive and allow the novice to focus on the road as well as steering, acceleration and braking. Electronic stability control helps prevent roll-overs.” CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

With the Southland experiencing a lingering heat wave with temperatures in the 90-100 degree range, the Automobile Club of Southern California strongly reminds motorists of the danger of leaving children alone in a closed vehicle.

The Auto Club reminds parents and childcare givers that children can die within minutes in hot temperatures. Recently in Los Angeles, a car thief stole a vehicle with children inside generating concern that the thief might abandon the car with the kids inside during the high temperatures. The vehicle and children were found three hours later, unharmed.

Nationwide 423 children died from heat stroke after being left in unattended vehicles since 1998.

“We think that we’re only going to be inside a store for just a few minutes, but children under age four are the most at-risk for having their lives endangered by being left in a hot car for any length of time,” said Steven Bloch, Ph.D., senior traffic safety researcher for the Auto Club. “Children should not be intentionally left in a car by an adult, or forgotten because of adult distraction. Children also should not be allowed to play in or around cars,” he added. CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

The current heat wave has raised wildfire dangers to new levels. The Automobile Club of Southern California is alerting local residents that they should have a family emergency plan and also take steps to reduce the likelihood of property loss in a wildfire.

"In the past five years, Southern California has seen major wild fires in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Thousands of residents have experienced the trauma of evacuating their homes, not knowing if they would have a home when they returned," said Cortland Ray, the Auto Club's vice president for insurance claims. "While most of them did not experience losses, these prior disasters, and the current drought, make it clear that Southern Californians need to make sure they have planned for emergencies such as this."

Ray added that consumers need to be aware of their insurance policies and what they cover. Homeowners insurance through the Auto Club, for example, is one of the few to offer an Advantage option with Guaranteed Replacement Cost, meaning that covered damage to a qualifying home built after 1950 will be repaired even if the cost is higher than the stated coverage amount of the policy. This enhanced coverage option will also pay up to $25,000 to repair or replace covered property with equivalent materials that meets environmentally responsible and energy-efficient standards as well as provide $25,000 in identify theft protection. CONTINUED »

The Auto Club

Economic doldrums continue to provide a silver lining to Southland drivers for the third straight week with cheaper prices at the pump, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.932 per gallon, which is 4.5 cents less than last week, two cents higher than last month, and $1.64 less than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.921, which is six cents less than last week’s price, one cent below last month, and $1.62 lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.022, down 2.2 cents from last week, eight cents above last month, and $1.60 below last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $2.926, which is 4.2 cents less than last week, two cents more than last month, and $1.61 less than last year.

“Oil industry analysts tell us that crude oil prices and wholesale gasoline futures had moved up to unsustainable levels given the flat driving demand in California and the U.S.,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “We’ve seen these commodity prices decline sharply in the last couple of weeks and hopefully that signals a continued downward trend at the gas pump.”

Use of hand-held cell phones by drivers declined sharply from pre-law levels nearly a year after the state law went into effect last July, according to Automobile Club of Southern California observational roadside surveys of drivers on Orange County roads.

Prior to the law’s implementation, the Auto Club found that 9.3% of drivers were using hand-held cell phones. Shortly after the law took effect, July 1, 2008, use declined to 3.3% – a drop of 65% in one month, according to the Auto Club survey. Use of hand-held cell phones has crept up slightly in follow-up surveys, rising to 3.4% three months later, and increasing to 3.9% in the Auto Club’s 10-month follow-up survey. Importantly, however, hand-held cell phone use remains 58% below where it was before the state implemented its cell phone law.

Two other US localities have hands-free cell phone laws that have been systematically evaluated. Those locations experienced very different results from their laws. In New York State, where a hands-free cell phones law took effect in 2001, almost no effect of the law was found a year later. In contrast, Washington, D.C., experienced a reduction of more than one-third in the use of hand-held cell phones about one year later. CONTINUED »