Check out these 10 things you may or may not know about GMC!

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain smaller SUV and Acadia crossover.  GMC is the only manufacturer to offer three full-size hybrid vehicles with the Yukon, Yukon Denali SUVs and the Sierra pickup. The new Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks in the market.  

GMC is one of the longest-running brands in the General Motors portfolio, the second-largest of the four GM brands in U.S. sales, and a standard bearer for engineering in pickup trucks, SUVs, and crossover vehicles. Here are 10 little-known facts about GMC:

1. The GMC name turns 100 years old in 2012. In 1912, Rapid Motor Vehicle Company was merged with two others – Reliance and Randolph – to become GMC.
2. On August 1, 1909, a Rapid F-406-B – a GMC predecessor – was the first truck to reach the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak.
3. If GMC was a standalone manufacturer, it would be the tenth-largest automaker in the United States in terms of total vehicle sales from January to November of 2011.
4. GMC built some of the world’s earliest electric vehicles from 1912-1917. These trucks had single-digit model names, each denoting load capacity, from one-half-ton to 12 tons.
5. GMC’s luxury-focused Denali trim level currently outsells the entire product lines of some premium automakers, including Land Rover, Jaguar, and Porsche.
6. GMC was tasked with engineering and production of the 1936 Parade of Progress vans and the 1941 Futurliners, which toured the country carrying mobile road shows.
7. Today, GMC and the Denali trim level are among the fastest-growing nameplates in the U.S. with respective sales increases of 22 percent and 91 percent year over year.
8. During World War II, GMC manufactured approximately 584,000 military vehicles, including the CCKW-353 “Deuce-and-a-Half” and the amphibious “Duck.”
9. The GMC Sierra – the brand’s top selling model – outsold the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan combined, with 40,000 sales to spare, through the first 11 months of 2011.
10. From 1973-1978, GMC produced motorhomes in 23- and 26-foot lengths. They appeared in Bill Murray’s 1981 movie, Stripes and the 1996 blockbuster, Twister.

To view this article Click Here!
To visit Lehmer's Concord Buick GMC Facebook Click Here! Or to visit their website for information on purchasing Click Here!

Read more »

Great deals on 2011 GMC Sierra, Acadia and Buick Enclave!

Get 0% APR financing for 72 months plus $500 bonus cash on 2011 GMC Sierra, Acadia and Buick Enclave!

Visit http://www.gmc.com/sierra-xm-radio.html for more details or give us a call at (925) 566-7361

Read more »

Rules Of Defensive Driving

If you would like to prevent a car accident, read these tips!

In this collection, "70 Rules of Defensive Driving," by RoadTrip America's contributing expert Robert Schaller,  he shares wisdom gained from nearly fifteen years of teaching defensive driving and traffic law in his home state of Arizona.

1. Pay Attention                                                                                                                                                               
2. Don't Trust NOBODY!        

3. Yield Anyway!
4. Don't Speed!

5. Don't Drive Impaired
6. Wear Your Seat Belt!

7. Buy and Use Safety Devices
8. Motorcyclist, Protect Thyself!

9. Don't Run Red!
10. Drive Precisely

11. Chill Out!
12. Look Down the Road!

13. Create Space
14. Drive to Communicate

15. Drive Predictably
16. Always Signal Your Intentions

17. Know Your Blind Spots!
18. Avoid Distractions

19. Avoid Backing Up
20. Beware of Intersections

21. Be A Freeway Pro
22. Know How To Stop

23. Know When To Use Your Headlights
24. Slow Down in Rain or Snow

25. Maintain Your Tires
26. Take Care of Your Vehicle

27. Get Rid of Tailgaters
28. Maintain an Even, Measured Pace

29. Check for Hydroplaning
30. Know How To Recover From A Skid

31. Avoid Head-On Collisions
32. Be A Safe Passer

33. Avoid the Single-Vehicle Collision
34. Deal with Light Glare

35. Never Play Chicken With a Train
36. Beware of Stopped or Slow-Moving Vehicles

37. Practice Animal Avoidance!
38. Don't Prevent Others from Passing

39. Drive Your Van Safely
40. Practice Smart Bicycling

Read more: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/content.php?9-Defensive-Driving-Tips-Drive-Safe-With-Uncle-Bob&s=a236f4732dda39d65691c38e196d7166

Read more »

Are Drowsy Drivers As Bad As Drunks?

Interesting article that raises the question of are drowsy drivers as bad as drunk drivers? You may be surprised by the findings.

Drowsy drivers don’t attract as much public opprobrium as drunk or distracted drivers, but maybe they should.

According to a newly released survey of 2,000 motorists by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 41 percent of drivers admitted they had “fallen asleep or nodded off” while driving at least once. Eleven percent said they had done so within the past year, and four percent said they had fallen asleep behind the wheel in the previous month.

Moreover, one in four motorists admitted they had driven when they were “so sleepy that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open” within the past month.

Given the mushy nature of the data, it’s hard to make accurate estimates of the number of accidents caused by fatigue. After all, haven’t all of us nodded off at one time or another?

Nevertheless, AAA’s researchers concluded that as many as 16 percent of all fatal crashes involved a drowsy motorist – a much higher estimate than earlier studies which attributed less than four percent of fatal accidents to fatigue.

“Researchers have always thought that drowsy driving is under-reported, and that’s what this study found,” said AAA spokesman Dan Bleier. “We know that it’s a problem, and people need to pay attention to it.”

There were some other interesting findings: Men are much more likely than women to drive while fatigued, and motorists between the ages of 16 and 24 also are high risks. Though most of us would associate drowsy driving with long overnight trips, a substantial number of incidents occurred during short trips in the afternoon.

Ten Dead, Five Hurt

If AAA is correct, drowsy motorists are almost as dangerous as drunk drivers, who caused one third of all fatal accidents last year.

“Time For A Rest?”

Indeed, several automakers have tinkered with such devices. For example, Mercedes-Benz has developed a system called Attention Assist, which is standard equipment on E-Class, CL-Class and some S-Class sedans.

If the system’s sensor detects erratic steering, an audible warning sounds and the instrument panel flashes the message: “Time for a rest?”  Such initiatives “give the driver feedback to wake up and get off the road safely,” says Justin McMaull, AAA’s director of state relations.

But somehow, it doesn’t seem plausible to expect exhausted motorists will pull over simply because the dashboard is flashing an icon of a coffee cup. Behaviorists might argue that motorists won’t change their behavior unless they can be punished for it.

That approach is getting a test in New Jersey, which passed a law banning drowsy driving in 2003. Jersey motorists involved in a traffic accident are considered to be “knowingly fatigued” if they’ve been awake more than 24 hours. Maximum penalties include a 10-year prison sentence and a $100,000 fine.

But drowsy motorists are harder to identify than drunk drivers. You can’t give a motorist a Breathalyzer test for fatigue, McMaull notes. It’s hard to prove in court, which may be why no other state has followed New Jersey’s lead.

Still, McMaull says the law isn’t useless. “The idea is to send a message to motorists,” he says. “And prosecutors can use it as a legal tool after a serious crash.”

Is the problem getting worse? It isn’t clear. This is AAA’s first survey of drowsy drivers -- perhaps subsequent studies will reveal a trend.

In the meantime, motorists should use some common sense:

1.    If you’re on a long trip, pull over for a break every couple of hours.
2.    Have some coffee; it will perk you up for awhile.
3.    A companion in the car can keep you awake and share driving chores.
4.    Break up long trips with an overnight motel stop. Don’t attempt an all-night drive.
5.    Stay away from alcohol. A fatigued motorist on booze is double trouble.

Read more: http://autos.aol.com/article/drowsy-driving-worse-than-drunk/

Read more »

Trick or Treat on October 31st at the Sunvalley Shopping Center

There will be trick or treating on Monday, October 31st from 5pm to 7pm at the Sunvalley Shopping Center. Free trick or treat bags will be provided by the events sponsor, State Farm.  These bags can be picked up at Guest Services and at select children's stores in the mall. Have fun and Happy Halloween!

Read more »

Your Pet Passenger

 

Keep your pet safe while driving, not only for your animal’s health and well-being, but for your wallet’s sake as well!

States Cracking Down On Dogs Behind The Wheel

If it's any indication of the danger free-roaming pets face in a vehicle, New Hampshire, the country's only state that does not have a mandatory seat belt law, actually requires dogs to buckle up.

Live free or die, goes the state's motto, but Spike and Spot don't have that liberty. And with due reason. Seven other states, Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Rhode Island require owners to kennel or tether animals because of the severe danger the sudden stops and potential collisions pose to pets. An unrestrained dog can land you with a ticket between $50 and $200.

Animal lovers would almost always rather take their pet with them to run errands or on a road trip than leave them at home or at a pet motel. But for all that love for canines, most drivers have seen "dog people" take things too far, driving with their dogs in their laps or lying around their shoulders like a neck pillow and, yes, sometimes at the wheel.
And it's a double dose of danger: for the distracted driver and the unrestrained animal.

Find out more here: http://autos.aol.com/photos/driving-doggie-style-the-best-vehicles-for-pets/

Read more »

How To Find Your Car Owner's Manual Online

Really neat article. Especially if your car is older and you no longer have the manual.

Although the promised "paperless society" may never come to pass, today's savvy consumers know the convenience of downloading large documents and foregoing the bulky paper version. Automakers realize this as well, and almost all of them have made the voluminous owner's manuals for their vehicles available on their Web sites' "Owner's" area. Most (though not all) online downloads are free, whereas buying the paper version costs anywhere from $10-$30 or more.

While owner's manuals don't make exciting reading, they are packed with valuable instructions, information and warnings that you've probably never read. Perhaps your manual is buried in a long-forgotten pile of papers. Maybe you've purchased a used car without the manual. Or maybe you want to read the details on a car before you actually buy it. Either way, we've made it easy for you to find a car owner's manual without any digging. And accessing a manual online — or storing it on your computer — means convenient answers when you're not in the car.

Follow the link to find your car’s manual today! http://www.edmunds.com/how-to/how-to-find-your-car-owners-manual-online.html

Read more »