Scams when buying a car online – Part 1
One of the biggest business industry nationwide is purchasing/selling cars, you can see from huge and very fancy dealers selling new vehicles to the smallest one in a street corner with flags all over the places offering you what they have. But, that’s not the only method you can buy your next vehicle, the internet has become a very solid tool to reach you with their inventory and deals everyday seem to be better and better.
There is an increasing number of websites to facilitate the person-to-person car sales and they may be very convenient, but also you need to be aware of the variety of frauds and scams perpetrated to innocent people looking for the next vehicle to have.
Here you have some scams to be aware and commonly reported:
False auctions: this method is very common, when sellers usually post photos of the vehicle but not showing real details that may refrain the auctioneer to make an offer. Also, the information given is intended to deceive the potential buyer(s) and the use of shill programs to bid against you when trying to negotiate the price, and driving the price up to make you pay more than what you initially planned.
Car shipment: stories could be heard left and right, people excited about to make the “business of their life” for an exotic car or simply the car of their dreams. But be aware with deals where you can’t see the car, generally those “dream cars” are out of town and the “seller” usually promise the “delivery” upon receiving the shipment cost. Another commonly used technique is to request the money for the “delivery” to be transferred to the “seller’s checking account” or wired via Western Union or similar companies. Most of the times, these type of transactions will never have a happy ending, unless with are talking about the “seller’s” side.
My friend, you work hard for your money, don’t give it away to unscrupulous people. Personally, when an opportunity that sounds to good to be true hits me, I always pass. Maybe I have missed good deals, but for sure I have saved myself a lot of headaches and $$$$$$.
Stay tuned for the second part with more valuable information. Later!!!!
♥ ♥ Happy Valentine’s Day ♥ ♥
Valentine’s day is here, and we can see all over the places the agitation and wild excitement about what’s coming tomorrow. Everybody is running up and down for flowers, cards, chocolates and many other stuffs to make our loved one to feel unique. There’s nothing wrong with that, until this temporary delirium leads us to major distractions when we’re behind the wheel.
Everybody knows that texting or typing while driving is very dangerous, and statistics show that distracted driving accounts over 5,500 traffic fatalities and almost 500,000 injuries nationwide, without taking into consideration the beautiful act of kissing. But, wait a minute, is kissing considered a distraction while driving?
Well according to a Consumer Reports blog note, and I quote “29 percent of drivers admit to kissing behind the wheel. Oddly, for those who earn more money and have a higher education, that number climbs to 39 percent.”
Being an amorous person behind the wheel isn’t wrong, but definitely we must be able to set a limit to avoid undesired incidents to take place.
On a related note, another study conducted in California found that the second most dangerous day ton California roads is February 14th. Eventually the bad weather will play a big role for this conclusion, but the fact that this coincides with Valentine’s day, I wonder if the kissing-related distractions has something to do with it.
The must important thing to remember is that while being romantic is great, remain safe on the road and always avoid the temptation of kissing while driving.
♥ ♥ Happy Valentine’s Day ♥ ♥
STOP (Stop To Observe Police)
STOP – Stop To Observe Police
Rolling stop signs is probably one of the most common driving violations in the States, along with speeding and careless driving. Definitely one that has been the reason for a huge number of crashes and endless numbers of traffic citations.
Many reasons/excuses are told when people decide NOT to stop completely at a stop sign, but the truth is that when we do our math, numbers seem to be scary in comparison with the apparent benefits for not stopping completely. Considering the time factor only, let’s put everything in perspective to determine the “real”deal” of rolling stop signs. Let’s take for example the time saved for rolling a single stop sign.
Time we will spend when stopping completely: 3 seconds (to give ourselves enough time to check properly at the intersection)
Time we spend when rolling the stop sign: 1 second
Time saved between stopping and rolling: 2 seconds.
If we only save 2 seconds per stop sign, it means that we need to roll 30 stop signs in a single trip to get to our destination one (1) minute earlier. (Only if you weren’t pulled over for an officer). I don’t know if these numbers make sense for you, but if for any reason they don’t, I hope the following will help you to see the whole picture.
Let’s considered you were pulled over an received a citation, now the math becomes a monster against you, let’s assume the following conditions (you can personalize this scenario):
Mr. Speedy makes $15.00/hour, working Monday thru Friday 8 hrs daily. Total income/week = $600.00
If he gets pulled over, and the officer takes 5 minutes (300 seconds) to write the citation, plus $195.00 fine for the violation, Mr. Speedy will need to work 13 hours (46800 seconds) working time to pay the citation. Just considering these two factor in terms of seconds, this citation will cost Mr. Speedy 47100 seconds.
If we divide 47100 seconds by 2 (real time saved between rolling and stopping at stop sign) then the answer is: Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! = 23550. In other words, Mr. Speedy will need to roll 23550 stop signs “WITHOUT” being pulled over to break even after the first citation. I don’t know you my dear reader, but it is my opinion that waiting for this to happen is simply ridiculously unreasonable.
Note: The aforementioned example just mentions the time spent waiting for the officer to write the citation and the time he will need to work to pay for it. There are more things we can add, like the money he will need to produce to pay for insurance rates increased, and time and money he will spend if he considers going to a traffic school to avoid the points in his license.
At the light of this simple case, the question is: Do you think is worthy to “Roll” a stop sign? I truly want to believe you answer is a NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Don’t worry, for sure I can move my own stuffs
I’ve seen this many times and for sure you too, not only on city streets but on highways; people driving all over the places with loose cargo in the back of their pick up trucks, trunks or even worse on the top of a sedan with some ropes.
This “very common” event has caused many accidents and some fatalities in our roads. Purely negligence, makes our roads insecure and the lives of many in risk, just for the ignorant pride of a few thinking they can defy the forces of physics when they need to move stuffs from one place to another. Most of the loose cargo you could see will be furniture, household items, tires, appliances, mattresses, surfboards, bicycles, woods, etc just to mention some of them.
The bad consequences of transporting loose cargo could happen to you and anyone out there, when inexperienced individuals often over-pack and neglect to secure cargo properly, and after a few minutes exposed to the forces of winds generated by the movement of the vehicle, the load becomes unstable, producing serious, costly and potential fatal results.
Once untied from the vehicle, any of these objects becomes a projectile to other vehicles behind and a potential menace to its surroundings. Something is clear, this object in “motion” can go in any direction without control, and if we are lucky, it will stop on the grass on the side of the highway or another “safe place”.
In other cases, you will see the weight distribution is not even, making the vehicle transporting the load to roll easily. Excess weight is another common mistake, this can cause stress in the brake system, making it vulnerable and insufficient if an emergency situation arise.
It doesn’t matter how safely you can prepare your trip, the actions and decisions of others could always turn things around. So, if you see something similar on the road, just keep yourself as far as possible from that vehicle (never behind) and whenever possible, overtake it minimizing the time you need to be next to it. Leave yourself a way out, in the event that something flies out the vehicle and may cause a reaction in the drivers around you.
It’s simple, never be behind (if needed, do it as far as possible). Stay safe!!!
Florida Highway Patrol – Move Over Law
Florida law enforcement officers are serious about enforcement of the
Move Over Law!
On a two-lane roadway, you are required to slow to a speed that is 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit.
If the speed limit is 20 miles per hour or less, you must slow down to five miles per hour.
If you are driving on an interstate or roadway with multiple lanes of travel in the same direction, and you approach an emergency or law enforcement vehicle parked along the roadway, you must vacate the lane closest to that vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you are not able to safely move over, you must slow down to a speed of 20 mph below the posted speed limit unless directed otherwise by a law enforcement officer.
Violating the move over law puts both you and a public safety professional at risk.
Have you seen this Move Over Law video for teens? Video
Do you want to see the Move over law brochure: Brochure
Based on a sad true story
I went to the party and remembered what you said. You asked me not to drink alcohol. So I drank a Sprite. I felt proud of myself, as you said I should feel. You said I should not drink and drive, contrary to what some friends told me. I made a healthy choice and your advice was correct, as all you give me forever.
When the party finally ended, people began to drive without being able to do so. I went to my car with the certainty that he would return home in peace. I never imagined what awaited me, Mom. Now I’m lying in the street and I hear the policeman say: “The kid that caused this accident was drunk.” Mom, his voice seems so distant. My blood is spilled everywhere and I’m trying with all my might not moan. I can hear the doctors say, “This girl is going to die.” I have the certainty that the young man, who ran at full speed, decided to drink and drive, and now I have to die.
Why do people do this, Mom, knowing that this is going to ruin many lives? The pain is cutting me like a hundred knives. Tell my sister not to cry, tell Daddy to be strong. And when I go to heaven, I’ll be watching for you all. Someone should have taught that boy, its wrong to drink and drive. Maybe if his parents would have said, I would not be dying now. My breath is getting weaker, more and more. Mom, these are my last moments and I feel so desperate. I wish I could hug Mom, while I’m lying here dying. I wish I could tell you how much I love you, Mom. So .. I love … y. .. goodbye … “
(These words were written by a reporter who witnessed the accident. The girl, as she died, I was saying these words and the reporter wrote down … very overwhelmed. The journalist started this campaign, if you read this note, please click ” share “, so more people can be aware. Therefore, I ask one small gesture, send it to your friends, family and loved ones)
I drive better without my husband in the car
Marriage is definitely the best stage for any person to be in (that’s my humble opinion, and I will respect anyone having a different one). With its ups and down, and every single curve on the road of life, driving with your spouse on the passenger seat is always an experience, especially when we (the husbands) are the “passengers”.
I must admit that my wife, except for some minor details, is an excellent driver. She is very attentive for potential problems and dangers on the road, following road rules, laws and respectful to other drivers; but for some reason I always find something to point when she’s behind the wheel that lead me to the conclusion that her driving is affected when I’m in the car as a passenger.
I began to inquire about this topic because I heard a woman telling someone else that, and I quote what she said: “I drive better when my husband is not with me”. As soon as I heard this and being a married man whose wife is a driver, I just wondered why most of married women claim that they drive better when their beloved husbands aren’t present.
I found that at least according to one survey, it is true. This survey claims that 53% of women say that having their husbands with them in the car makes them feel more stressed and nervous. On the other hand, 41% of men said that their driving skills decrease when their wives is the passenger. Even when the numbers are quite equal, it’s important to consider that the same study concluded that only 10% of women are the primary driver when they’re together.
On average, women driver 3500 miles less than men in yearly basis, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists, also this Institute suggests that both partners should spend almost the same time behind the wheel to sharpen their driving skills while being with the spouse.
Then the question must be asked: Why does this happen? I believe that most of the time the husband’s driving behavior is being affected because women are more likely to talk, to ask for our opinion about a subject they’re thinking in that moment and related topics; while the wife’s driving behavior is affected when we (husbands) are criticizing almost everything that they do, simply because we would do it in a different way (and we always think that our ways are always the best).
If something must be done, it’s that whenever we have the opportunity to have our spouse behind the wheel, we should be most supportive and avoid distractions so everybody will be safer and definitely happier.
Do you agree with me?
JMP Driving School is hiring now!!!
JMP Driving School is a growing company that is making a difference by teaching our customers the real meaning of defensive driving and empowering new drivers with all the tools and knowledge they’ll need to be great and defensive drivers.
Our company’s growth has created an opportunity for yet another great full-time driving instructor to join our team. Having a good driving record is of course a must; but that’s not all… passion, patience, perseverance and humor are other qualities every instructor needs to help others to achieve their true potential and to really become SAFE DRIVERS. This position also requires the ability to handle pressure well and to always be aware and alert to your surroundings to make safe, split-second decisions.
Requirements:
- Applicant must have a VALID Florida Drivers License clear of suspensions in the last 36 months
- Bilingual (English and Spanish) is a must
- Availability: Monday thru Saturday
Benefits:
- Company will provide the vehicle for the instructions.
- Company will pay for vehicle expenses
- Paid training (2-3 weeks)
Other Commercial Interests:
- Location: Miami
- Compensation: $12/hour
- This is a contract job.
- Applicants only. Recruiters, please don’t contact us..
- Phone calls about this job are ok.
Send your application and resume via fax at 305-397-1572.
IMPORTANT:
If you consider this isn’t for you, feel free to use the buttons below to share this opportunity with anyone you know. Thanks.
We’d love to stay in touch!!
