July | August 2006 Volume 80 Issue 4 |
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Know AAA Show Your Card & Save Program—This is the member savings program of AAA. Simply show your AAA membership card to save money at hundreds of retail and service shops, travel-related companies, lodging and automotive facilities. Various restrictions apply; for details visit your local AAA office, click on “Member Savings” at www.aaa.com, or call 877-244-9790, ext. 2054. Save on school shopping • AAA members save 5% on more than a million titles from Barnes & Noble when shopping online at www.aaa.com/barnesandnoble. Barnes & Noble offers a wide range of college guides in addition to textbooks, study guides and test preparation books for the SATs and PSATs. • Office Max also offers a 5% savings for AAA members when buying online. If you're in the market for supplies from stationery to computers and office furniture, visit www.aaa.com/officemax. • Save on your child's school wardrobe at Payless Shoe Source, with a 10% savings when showing your AAA card, or maybe it's time for a visit to Lenscrafters with their offer of 30% savings on eye exams, complete eyeglass purchases and accessories. You can also take 15% off purchases of new frames or lenses when buying these separately, and 10% off contact lenses at selected locations. • AAA also offers merchant gift cards from more than 50 of the country's most popular stores and restaurants, with a 5% savings. Stores include Barnes & Noble, Lands' End, Linens ‘n Things, Pier 1 Imports, Macy's, Sears, KB Toys and Sharper Image. Restaurants include Bennigan's, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and TGI Friday's. Order gift cards online at www.aaa.com/giftcards, or call 800-571-1359. To find out more about AAA's Show Your Card & Save program, call 866-AAA-SAVE, or visit www.aaa.com/save.
Why use travel insurance? Travel insurance can provide peace of mind when the unexpected happens during your vacation. It covers certain expenses that may interrupt your trip or force you to cancel it: injury or medical problems; strikes, natural disasters or bad weather that cause you to miss your ship or connecting flight; the death of a family member; being called for jury duty or even being involved in a traffic accident on your way to the airport. Travel insurance usually excludes activities that are statistically considered high-risk. These include participation in professional or amateur sporting events, mountain climbing, skiing outside marked trails, scuba diving and extreme sports such as base jumping. Before buying travel insurance, check that your planned activities are not on the list of exclusions. Some things to remember: • The program does not cover any losses or expenses resulting from an illness that you already had prior to traveling, or from a normal pregnancy. • The program does not cover any loss arising from events that could be considered foreseeable or expected. • You will not be covered if you gave any incorrect information at the time you bought the insurance.
Colorado teens shine in national events The AAA Travel High School Challenge. Akshay Buddiga, a sophomore from Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, placed second in the nation at this prestigious competition. He won a $15,000 scholarship. The Travel Challenge, now in its fourth year, is a three-stage competition that includes an online test, a proctored written exam between each state's top five scorers and a national final for state champions held in Orlando, Fla. This is the third year a member of the talented Buddiga family has gone to the national finals; Akshay's older brother Pratyush reached the finals in 2004 and was on the team that took first prize in 2005. For more information, visit www.aaa.com/TravelChallenge.
AAA and NASCAR Earlier this year, AAA partnered with Roush Racing as a sponsor for popular driver Mark Martin during the 2006 NASCAR racing season. Martin's #6 Ford Fusion showcar and two Virtual GT racing simulators are now touring the country. For more information, including member savings on NASCAR merchandise, visit www.aaa.com, click on “Automotive,” and select “Motorsports Sponsorship.” 2006's most economical destinations Travelers will not see any relief in their wallet this year with the overall cost of taking a vacation increasing by 5.4% from last year, according to AAA's Annual Vacation Costs survey. The survey shows that a family of two adults and two children can expect to pay an average $261 per day for food and lodging on a domestic vacation. Lodging rates will average $141 a night, up nearly 9% from last year. Meals will cost $120, up nearly 2%. The most expensive state for vacationers remains Hawaii, where the daily cost of food and lodging for a family of four will average $559 per day. Other destinations with a high average daily cost include the District of Columbia at $518; Nevada, $348; Rhode Island, $329; and New York, $329. North Dakota and Nebraska tied as the most economical states to vacation in, with an average daily cost of $191. Colorado came in 15th on the list, at $274. AAA has been tracking vacation costs since 1950 when the average daily cost of meals and lodgings for a family of four was $13—though with an average annual salary of $3,815 in 1950, the difference is not as great as it may seem today. A Colorado GEM AAA TourBooks include a listing of points of interest around the state that offer a Great Experience for Members: exceptional places for your list of “things to do.” GEMs are chosen solely on merit—an attraction or destination can't apply for GEM status. Colorado has 28 GEMs and a different one will be featured in each issue. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park plunges to the deepest portion of the Gunnison River gorge. The incredibly steep, narrow and dark canyon is an impressive sight that can be viewed from several observation points. The South Rim is reached off US 50, east of Montrose. It has been developed with multiple viewing platforms, camping areas and a visitor center. Wildlife is common in the area. The more remote North Rim is reached by an 11-mile partly unpaved road from SR 92 east of Crawford. The name of the Black Canyon comes from its somber-colored schist and granite, and from the darkness cast on its walls by the steepness and narrowness of the canyon. It is famously difficult to photograph. Descent into the canyon is hazardous and should not be attempted without consulting a ranger. For more information, click on “TourBook” at www.aaa.com, visit www.nps.gov/blca or call 970-641-2337 ext. 205. Insurance & Financial Services—AAA Colorado's independent insurance agency offers auto, home, life, umbrella and long-term care products from several highly rated national insurers, as well as its exclusive brand, “AAA Insurance.” For a competitive quote, call 866-399-9836, or click on “Insurance” at www.aaa.com. AAA Colorado also offers financial services like the AAA Visa card, certificates of deposit and money market deposits. Call 303-753-8800 or click on “Financial” at www.aaa.com for Visa card information. For deposit products, call 800-526-7120. 1. Walk around your property and ask yourself how you would break in. 2. A lock isn't enough; remember to protect locks from tampering. Brace doorframes and put multiple locks on outside doors. Treat inside doors from the garage the same as an outside door. 3. Plant rosebushes or cactus in front of vulnerable windows. Look into safety coating windows and install a secondary lock that prevents the panel from being moved on windows. Consider safety bars. 4. Use heavy drapes on rooms where expensive equipment can be observed. 5. Place a pole in the track of sliding doors to secure them. 6. Install motion detectors in areas where no one should be. Instead of placing lights to illuminate drive and walk ways, put them along the side or back of your house so anyone lurking there will set the light off. 7. Leave the stereo/TV on. Lack of noise or vibration indicates no one's home. 8. Get a safe. Not just for cash and valuables but for important paperwork such as passports, checkbooks and even inventory lists of expensive target items. Homeowners insurance will cover your possessions even when you are on vacation, but it is always best to check with your agent before you go for limits or possible exclusions. For more information on any aspect of insurance, contact your local AAA office; call 303-300-777, outside metro Denver toll-free, 866-831-1367; or go to www.aaa.com. Dog bites: are you covered? On average, dogs bite 4.7 million people every year. The incident is often accompanied by a bite out of the owner's wallet. According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites account for about 25% of all homeowners' insurance liability claims. Even when dog owners have liability insurance, they may face financial losses from lawsuits, unpaid claims as the result of being underinsured, higher premiums or cancellation of their homeowner's insurance. Homeowners' insurance can be more expensive for dog owners, and some companies will not provide homeowners' coverage at all. AAA's insurance agents can help you decide whether you are properly covered. Visit your local AAA office, call 866-831-1367 or click on “Insurance” at www.aaa.com.
Automotive—AAA Colorado offers a wealth of automotive services, beginning with AAA's famous roadside assistance program that follows the member, not the vehicle. Other services include Approved Auto Repair and Auto Body Repair facilities, automotive products at AAA Colorado offices, and auto sales and leasing through AAA Colorado AutoSource. All can be accessed through www.aaa.com, including AutoManager, which manages the maintenance of your vehicle. Fuel economy tips The most obvious ways to save gas are by driving less, using alternative transportation and using a more fuel-efficient vehicle when you do drive—but realistically, not everyone can make those changes. Here are some ways to cut down on your fuel bill, no matter what you drive. • Use the lowest grade of gas. Unless your vehicle owner's manual specifically calls for premium gas, lower grades will not harm your engine. • Slow down. Above 55 mph, your fuel economy drops by 2% with each additional mile per hour. Gas mileage tends to drop quickly at speeds above 60 mph. The EPA offers this rule of thumb: Assume that for every 5 mph you drive over 60 mph, you might as well be paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas. • Drive in the highest gear you can, at the lowest possible speed. The slower your engine turns, the less gas you use. • Don't accelerate when driving uphill—it makes your mileage per gallon plummet. Instead, try to drive at the same speed, or even a little slower. • Anticipate stops so you drive more smoothly, with less heavy braking and rapid acceleration. • Ditch your car's bike rack, roof rack and similar gear. Put it away until you actually need to use it. The drag these items create can reduce your mileage per gallon by up to 5%. • Clear out your trunk and back seat. Every 100 pounds of cargo can reduce your fuel economy by 1–2%. Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills John Lanigan and Anthony Marturano, both seniors at Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, defeated 18 other students from high schools all over the state to win the Colorado finals of this national competition. Their instructor is Brad Wheaton. Students competed in teams of two to accurately diagnose and repair a disabled vehicle in under 90 minutes. John and Anthony won several college scholarships, including a $17,675 scholarship to Denver Automotive & Diesel College, and attended the national finals held in Michigan in June. Summer heat kills batteries Most people don't give their car batteries much thought until a problem comes along. But all along, their batteries have been working hard. While most people think of winter as the season for unexpected battery failure, summer's heat actually kills more car batteries. The increased electrical demands of today's vehicles, especially in the summer months, have caused the average battery's life to become shorter. Depending upon usage and climate, the life span of a battery can range from 12 to 48 months. Many do not last the full 48 months. If you need a new battery, remember to recycle your old one. Most of the hazardous lead and other components can be safely reclaimed for manufacturing new batteries—even the plastic casing is ground down and reused. AAA's mobile battery service van (available in the Denver metro, Colorado Springs and Boulder area) can test your battery, install a new one if needed, and take away the spent battery for proper recycling. Call 800-AAA-HELP or click on “Automotive” at www.aaa.com for more information.
EnCompass and www.aaa.com—Your membership brings you six issues of EnCompass magazine a year, and AAA Colorado's website. Online you'll find a 24/7 virtual office for member-only information, a sampling of travel vacations, TripTik maps, insurance and auto information, car sales and leasing, and the Show Your Card & Save member savings program.
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