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Most responsible people wouldn't even dream of leaving the driveway without first putting on their seatbelts. Motorcycles don't have seatbelts, however, so it's important to take full advantage of all the other safety gear available.

The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) promotes safe riding by offering a lot of good motorcycle safety tips. Here are some of the best ways to protect yourself from head to toe:

1. Wear a helmet. The MIC recommends riders choose a full-face helmet that offers automatic eye protection built in with the visor. If you opt for a helmet that just protects your head, you'll also need eye protection. Wearing goggles or sunglasses or some type of airtight protection for your eyes will keep your line of vision clear. It'll also protect you from bugs and other airborne debris that might hit your eyes.

2. Motorcycle jackets. Armored leather jackets are especially popular as they have armor in the elbows, the shoulders and the back. Armor is really helpful because if you happen to slide out and land on those armored spots, the armor dissipates the impact and protects you. Leather also affords you more abrasion protection than textile does.

3. Motorcycle gloves. If you wipe out, it is human nature to put out your hands to try and stop yourself. This makes gloves a really important piece of safety equipment. If you land on asphalt with your bare hands, they're going to get badly scraped. Most motorcycle gloves have armor on the knuckle area and extra impact resistance on the palm area.

4. Motorcycle pants. Avoid wearing shorts when you ride. They offer no protection. Long leather or textile pants, on the other hand, will protect your skin from rocks that may kick up from the highway. They can also offer ankle protection if they are long enough to tuck into your boots.

5. Motorcycle boots are another important piece of safety equipment. Flip-flops and sneakers offer no protection at all. Boots not only give you protection against abrasion, they can also keep your ankle in place and keep you from dislocating your ankle or otherwise injuring your legs.

In addition to wearing the right safety gear, it's also important to purchase an insurance polity that covers your needs. Many companies will offer you a free motorcycle insurance quote online. Simply visit their websites and check out the motorcycle insurance coverage options they offer. You're sure to find the policy that's right for you.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

These days it seems as though a day doesn't go by that we don't hear about another fatal accident caused by a distracted driver. In April, 2010, a New York State college student died in a single car roll-over after drifting off the roadway. Police say she was driving and texting at the time. The previous month, a driver apparently reaching for a cell phone was blamed for causing a three-vehicle crash that killed a 1-year-old Minneapolis-area boy.

According to the latest figures from The U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 6,000 people are killed and 500,000 more injured each year in accidents blamed on distracted drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 80 percent of all motor vehicle accidents and 65 percent of near crashes are caused by driver distraction. So what's being done to improve driving safety?

* The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is in the process of implementing a new multi-year Distraction Plan and Research Agenda that examines whether high-visibility enforcement and media attention can reduce a driver's use of cell phones while driving.

* Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia prohibit novice drivers from using electronic communication devices (including cell phones) during the learners and intermediate stages of a three-stage graduated driver's license (GDL) program. Six states ban hand-held cell phone use for all drivers, and 19 states ban texting by all drivers.

* The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently launched a national campaign to encourage the public to get involved in ending distracted driving. "Put It Down" focuses on the key messages that drivers can't do two things at once. Learn more about "Put It Down" by logging on to www.distraction.gov.

* Auto insurance companies are now offering driving safety programs that encourage young people to become better drivers. Allstate, for example, has a Teen Safe Driving Program that offers parents five ways to protect their teen driver and themselves from the dangers on the road.

Among the important tools parents will find on the company's website: a parent-teen driving contract, articles that offer tips on how to get your teen ready for the responsibility that comes with driving and detailed information about how to save money on car insurance when you add a young driver to your policy.

The easiest way to keep costs down is to be sure you're taking advantage of all the discounts available to you. Many companies offer Good Student discounts for teenagers with good grades. Allstate even offers a safe driving bonus. Customers have the opportunity to earn up to 5 percent of their premiums for every six months of accident-free driving.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - A laptop has become an essential tool for college students. Parents have more choices than ever - and more opportunities to save - when purchasing a laptop for their college kids. But the cost of a new laptop goes far beyond the price tag on the computer - especially if a new laptop is stolen or damaged while a child is away at school.

Dorm rooms are one of the top five places where laptop theft occurs, according to Absolute Software, a company specializing in computer theft recovery, data protection and computer lifecycle management. Data lost from a stolen laptop is valued at nearly $6,000, according to a recent Ponemon Institute report. That's far more than the cost of the average laptop.

Instead of risking a costly replacement, parents can take several effective measures to ensure their student's laptop and the valuable information stored on it, are well protected:

* Use visual deterrents, such as a laptop lock. While this isn't a foolproof security measure, it does make the computer less of an "easy target" for thieves.

* Mark your property. Many laptops can be engraved with your name and the computer's serial number, a further deterrent for thieves.

* Purchase and install inexpensive tracking software on your student's laptop. Software such as Computrace LoJack for Laptops helps police track and retrieve a laptop if it is reported stolen.

* Back-up, back-up, back-up. There are now more low-cost back-up options than ever for students, including external hard drives. Backing up a 20-page semester thesis or invaluable college memories means that in the event your laptop is stolen, you'll still have an extra copy.

Today's college students use a laptop for a variety of activities, including writing term papers and storing class materials, personal photos and thousands of dollars worth of movies and music. With many colleges going so far as to require all incoming students to equip themselves with a laptop, students stand to risk hours of lost class time and falling behind at school while coordinating a replacement - especially right before an important assignment or final exam.

"When thinking about the cost of replacing a lost or stolen laptop, college students and their parents often forget to count all of the digital assets on that computer - including priceless photos, extensive music collections, as well as stored school files and papers," says Mark Grace of Absolute Software. "To get a better idea of how expensive it really is to replace a stolen laptop, students and parents need to take into consideration all the data stored on the computer. One way to take a physical inventory of a laptop is to use a digital net worth calculator, like the one available at www.lojackforlaptops.com. People are often shocked to see how much they have and could potentially lose."

Using the digital net worth calculator, a laptop that originally cost $1,000, with 1,000 music and movie files, 200 photos and videos and 20 school papers and notes stored on it, can skyrocket to $4,010 for a replacement - over four times the original cost.

By taking some preventative measures, parents and students can better protect their laptop, ensuring that both the laptop and its stored files are safe. These low-cost tips will also help avoid going through the heartbreak of losing priceless photos, videos and other college memories stored on their laptops.

Courtesy of ARA content

As soon as your son blows out the candles on his 16th birthday cake, you're being asked for the car keys. Or maybe he's already out the door, and driving down the road in his own vehicle.

You have two years left before he turns 18, becomes a legal adult and might have to start paying auto insurance on his own. Since you've been guiding him in life's lessons not taught in the classroom, don't miss out on educating him about car insurance. Here are some tips to pass on about selecting insurance and finding potential discounts:

* A car with a higher safety rating can help keep auto insurance premiums down, according to Allstate. If your teenager hasn't purchased a car, discuss with him the benefits of owning a car with a higher rating. Some of the features to review include anti-lock breaks, an anti-theft system and airbags or factory-installed motorized seatbelts.

* Taking driver safety courses can also help reduce premiums. Encourage your teen to look for a state-approved teen driver safety course in the area, not only to help with insurance, but also to refresh his drivers' training and give you more peace-of-mind.

* Auto insurance is like a safety net, and it doesn't necessarily pay to skimp. Talk with your son or daughter about important factors like liability coverage, in case they were to cause a crash; medical payments coverage, if expensive medical treatment is needed and underinsured/uninsured coverage, which covers them if the other driver in a crash has little or no insurance and damages your teen's car or injures someone in it.

* Good driving habits typically result in a clean driving record, which also can help reduce auto insurance quotes. Having a clean record for three years can reward you with a lower rate, according to Allstate.

* Maintaining good grades also can result in better insurance rates. If your teenager is single and a full-time student, lower insurance payments could be a good incentive for maintaining a great GPA.

When you pass on these little life lessons, you're giving your teenager a head start on being an adult and balancing safety with good money management. Hopefully someday, he'll give you a hug and say "thanks."

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - If you're older than 65 and take multiple medications, you should be aware of potential interactions between your drugs. These interactions can cause unwanted side effects, reduce the effectiveness of your medicine, or even lead to hospitalization. Studies show that up to 30 percent of hospital admissions of elderly patients are linked to harmful effects of medications and other related problems.

Many people not only take more than one medication, but also may see more than one doctor. It is important to inform all your doctors - especially your primary care physician - about all the medications you take to avoid potentially dangerous drug interactions.

"As a patient, you need to be watchful about your care and your medications," says Dr. Joseph Addiego, chief medical officer of Prescription Solutions, a pharmacy benefits management company. "If you are seeing multiple doctors, keep a list of all your medications and take it to each doctor's appointment. If you have questions, always feel free to ask your doctor or pharmacist."

Addiego recommends the following tips to ensure safe medication use:

1. Share information with your primary care physician and other health care providers about all the medications you are taking to avoid negative drug interactions and reduce the potential for side effects. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over-the-counter medications.

2. Use only one pharmacy, one pharmacy chain or one pharmacy benefits manager for all your prescription medicines. This helps your pharmacist monitor which medications you take so he or she can let you know about drug interactions.

3. Read carefully the information that comes with your medication and save it for future reference.

4. Take all your medicines exactly as directed, and continue taking all your medicines until the doctor says to stop.

5. Call your doctor, pharmacist or pharmacy benefits manager if you are experiencing side effects from your medication before you stop taking it.

While medication interactions are a serious problem, there are programs that can help health care providers and patients avoid medication problems. For example, Prescription Solutions a program called the Drug Interaction Alert Program, which alerts the prescribing physician of the potential dangerous interaction between medications for a specific patient. Another program, called Geriatric Rx Monitor, alerts the physician about medications that are not safe for use in older patients.

Check with your pharmacy or pharmacy benefits manager about programs that can help protect you from dangerous medication interactions, and be sure to talk to your doctor about all your medications at your next visit.

Courtesy of ARAcontent