Carjacking is a “completed or attempted robbery of a motor vehicle by a stranger to the victim. It differs from other motor vehicle theft because the victim is present and the offender uses oir threatens force” according to the United States Department of Justice.

Favourite Carjacking Spots

• Parking lots
• Shopping centres
• Gas station
• Car washes
• Convience stores
• ATM’s
• Fast Food Drive Throughs

How to Avoid

• When leaving your car unattended, slide the front seats as far back as possible to leave no room for anyone to hide in the back.
• Before getting in, check the back seat
• Park in well-lit, un-isolated areas
• Look out for people loitering
• If suspicious of someone do not go to your car, walk or run away
• Have your keys in your hand as you approach your car so you can get in as soon as possible
• Once inside your car, drive off immediatley
• In cities drive with the windows wound up and the doors locked

Driving in ice, snow and rain can cause even experienced drivers to lose control. Drivers who aren’t sure how to handle the situation may overcorrect and actually make the skid worse. Luckily, there is a correct way to handle a skid that will get the car back under control without any injuries.

Instructions

Step 1

Stay calm when your vehicle starts to skid so that you don’t make the wrong move and worsen the situation.

Step 2

Steer into the skid by turning the wheel in the direction that your vehicle is skidding. This sounds counterintuitive, but it’s the best way to regain control of your vehicle during a skid.

Step 3

Accelerate gently or remove your foot slowly from the gas pedal without touching the brake.

Step 4

Keep all of your motions fluid and smooth. This prevents the car from becoming even more unstable.

Tips & Warnings

• Add weight, such as kat litter, to your trunk to prevent skids. Driving more slowly and using snow tires or chains when needed also help.
• Consider taking a driving course specifically designed to train you to handle dangerous road conditions. Although these courses can be pricey, they can also teach you valuable lessons that could save your life in the event of a skid or other driving emergency.
• Remember that even a light sprinkling of rain after a dry spell can make roads deceptively slick by mixing with oils on the road.
• Braking hard or turning too quickly during a skid will only cause your vehicle to fishtail by throwing the vehicle’s weight out of balance.

Surviving the Elements – Water

• Do not panic
• Open a window and climb out through it
• If your car is fitted with electric windows they will fuse and jam. The pressure of the water on the doors will make them almost impossible to open so wait until the water reaches your head, hold your breath and open a door. By then, the pressure inside and outside the car should be equal.
• Alternatively, try breaking a window or the windscreen with a heavy object such as a steering lock. You can buy spring-loaded punches for making holes in metal and they are handy to carry in the car for breaking glass in this kind of emergency. Place the punch in the corner of the window for the best effect.
• The weight of the engine will pull the front end down. So the greater the fall or if the water is deeper than about 15 feet, the great risk of the car settling on its roof. If the car does sink nose first, an air pocket will usually form in the back. Try to climb into it if you are unable to escape immediately.

Getting out of the car is one problem. Getting out of the water is another if you have fallen though ice. The water absorbed by clothes could add to your weight by up to 60lbs. The advice from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is to turn towards the direction you come from, as the ice will be stronger from where you came, and lay your hands and arms flat on the unbroken ice. If possible, use a sharp object, such as a bunch of keys, to gain purchase on the ice. Kick your feet to work your way back on to the surface of the ice. If it breaks, repeat the action until you are out. Once out roll away from the hole to spread your weight, do not stand or walk.

1. Greater Miami is the only metropolitan area in the United States whose borders encompass two national parks. You can hike through pristine Everglades National Park or ride on glass-bottom boats across Biscayne National Park.
    
2. Saint Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America.
    
3. The name Punta Gorda, which means, “fat point” when translated from Spanish. The moniker was given to the city because a broad part of the land in Punta Gorda juts into Charlotte Harbor. The harbor itself is somewhat unique, as it is the point where the Peace River meets the ocean.
    
4. Orlando attracts more visitors than any other amusement park destination in the United States.
    
5. New England Congregationalists who sought to bring their style of liberal arts education to the state founded Rollins College, the oldest college in Florida, in Winter Park in 1885.
    
6. Cape Canaveral is America’s launch pad for space flights.
    
7. Florida is not the southernmost state in the United States. Hawaii is farther south.
    
8. A museum in Sanibel owns 2 million shells and claims to be the world’s only museum devoted solely to mollusks.
    
9. The Benwood, on French Reef in the Florida Keys, is known as one of the most dived shipwrecks in the world.
    
10. Safety Harbor is the home of the historic Espiritu Santo Springs. Given this name in 1539 by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. He was searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth. The natural springs have attracted attention worldwide for their curative powers.
     
11. Niceville is home to the famous Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival celebrated the third weekend in October.
     
12. The United States city with the highest rate of lightning strikes per capita is Clearwater.
     
13. Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where the drink was first developed.
     
14. Young aviator Tony Jannus made history on January 1, 1914 when he flew the world’s first scheduled passenger service airline flight from St. Petersburg’s downtown yacht basin to Tampa.
     
15. Dr. John Gorrie of Apalachicola invented mechanical refrigeration in 1851.
     
16. Miami Beach pharmacist Benjamin Green invented the first suntan cream in 1944. He accomplished this development by cooking cocoa butter in a granite coffee pot on his wife’s stove.
     
17. Neil Smith and his brother of Montverde developed the first Snapper riding lawn mower.
     
18. Key West has the highest average temperature in the United States.
     
19. The Saint John’s River is one of the few rivers that flows north instead of south.
     
20. The largest lake in Florida is Lake Okeechobee.
     
21. May 20, 1970 Florida lawmakers passed and sent to the Governor a bill adopting the moonstone as the official state gem. Ironically, the moonstone is not found naturally in Florida…nor was it found on the moon.
     
22. In 1987 the Florida legislature designated the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) the official state reptile. Long an unofficial symbol of the state, the alligator originally symbolized Florida’s extensive untamed wilderness and swamps.
     
23. Miami installed the first bank automated teller machine especially for rollerbladers.
     
24. Ybor City was once known as the Cigar Capital of the World with nearly 12,000 tabaqueros (cigar-makers) employed in 200 factories. Ybor City produced an estimated 700 million cigars a year at the industry’s peak.
     
25. Plant City, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, holds the Guinness record for the world’s largest strawberry shortcake. The 827 square-foot, 6,000 pound cake was made on Feb. 19, 1999 in McCall Park.
     
26. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a cable-stayed concrete bridge. Opened in 1987 the bridge coasts through the clouds at 190 feet above water. Its bright yellow support cables spread from the two center pillars. The structure gives drivers unobstructed view of the water during the 4.1 mile trip over Tampa Bay.
     
27. Nearly 80 percent of the states intake of sweet Atlantic white shrimp is harvested in Amelia Island waters. Two million pounds of shrimp are delivered to Fernandina docks annually.
     
28. A swamp such as the Fakahatchee Strand in the Everglades functions in three major ways. First, its vegetation serves as a filter to clean the water as it makes its slow journey southward. Secondly, it’s a major habitat for wildlife and plant life. Finally, it actually prevents flooding by slowing down the flow of water after heavy rains.
     
29. DeFuniak Springs is home to one of the two naturally round lakes in the world.
     
30. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens at Delray Beach is the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the living culture of Japan.
     
31. Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America because the city has 185 miles of local waterways.
     
32. Fort Meade is the oldest settlement in Polk County. It dates back to 1849 when a settlement grew up around the United States Cavalry fort during the Seminole Indian Wars.
     
33. The Fred Bear Museum in Gainesville is a tribute to the accomplishments of Fred Bear a promoter of proper wildlife management and the founder of Bear Archery Company.
     
34. The Hawthorne Trail a part of Florida’s Rails to Trails program and attracts many outdoor enthusiasts to walk, cycle, or ride horseback through its 17-mile length.
     
35. Just north of Haines City is the Baseball City Stadium the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals. Haines City is known as The Heart of Florida.
     
36. The city of Hypoluxo’s name comes from the Seminole expression water all ’round — no get out.
     
37. Islamorada is billed as the Sports fishing Capital of the World.
     
38. Key Largo is known as the Dive Capital of the World.
     
39. Marathon is home to Crane Point Hammock, a 63.5 acre land tract that is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the Keys. The area contains evidence of pre-Colombian and prehistoric Bahamian artifacts, and once was the site of an entire Indian village.
     
40. Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West was built between 1845 and 1866. Controlled by the Union during the Civil War, the fort was the home base for a successful blockade of Confederate ships that some historians say shortened the conflict by a full year. The fort also was active during the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II.
     
41. The first graded road built in Florida was Old Kings Road in 1763. It was named for King George of England.
     
42. During the 1991 Gulf War the busiest military port in the country was Jacksonville. From this location the military moved more supplies and people than any other port in the country.
     
43. When first completed in 1989 the Dame Point Bridge became the longest cable-stayed span in the United States, the longest concrete span of its type in the Western Hemisphere, and the third longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
     
44. The longest river sailboat race in the world is the Annual Mug Race. The event runs 42 miles from Palatka to Jacksonville along the St. Johns River.
     
45. The Olustee Battlefield State Historic Site commemorates the largest battle fought in Florida during the American Civil War.
     
46. Venice is known as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. Collecting prehistoric sharks teeth has been a favorite pastime of visitors and residents of the Venice area for years
     
47. The Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art in Coral Gables, is the first and only museum in the United States dedicated to the preservation, diffusion, and promotion of Hispanic and Latin American Art.
     
48. The Pinellas Trail, a 47 mile hiking/biking trail connecting St. Petersburg with Central and north Pinellas County, is the longest urban linear trail in the eastern United States.
     
49. Titusville, known as Space City, USA, is located on the west shore of the Indian River directly across from the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
     
50. Florida is the only state that has 2 rivers both with the same name. There is a Withlacoochee in north central Florida (Madison County) and a Withlacoochee in central Florida. They have nothing in common except the name.

Below is U.S. Rent A Car’s top 7 Restaurants in San Francisco. Please feel free to comment on them or add suggestions.

1. Masa’s - “One of the country’s most celebrated food temples,” says New York Times. For over twenty years, Masa’s has stayed at the top of both critics’ lists and diners minds. Masa’s Restaurant offers superlative fine dining service and exquisite California French cuisine. USA Today lists Masa’s one of the world’s Top 100 hotel restaurants.

2. The Stinking Rose World famous North Beach restaurant featuring allthings garlic–40-clove garlic chicken, roasted whole Dungeness crab and tureens of mussels, shrimp and crab. One of The-City-By-The-Bay’s most unique and entertaining dining experiences… The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant. A unique dining experience.

3. Ajanta – Bay Area’s premier Indian restaurant. Features an ever-changing

menu from various regions of India. The elegant dining hall features Indian artwork inspired by the caves of Ajanta. Zagat rated, recommended by Michelin

4. John’s Grill - This wonderful historic restaurant is one of the city’soldest and most famous establishments. It is a favorite with local and national celebrities who enjoy the great steaks, fresh seafood, salads and pastas with excellent services at honest prices. John’s Grill was a setting for The Maltese Falcon.

5. Hamano Sushi Unique to Hamano Sushi and a real showstopper is thevariety of fish and hot food. Located just 3 minutes from the Castro and Twin Peaks. A perfect blend of traditional and modern Japanese food.

6. Aubergine Restaurant @ L’Auberge Carmel Hotel -  Chef Christophe Grosjean’s cooking philosophy is built on spontaneity. With farmers delivering products daily to the kitchen, Christophe and his team focus on making the most of these natural, fresh products. The ingredients are the stars of his menu. Highly recommended

7. Mochica – Chef/owner Carlos Altamirano`s cooking addresses SanFrancisco sophisticated taste, it is suave and sensitive, coaxing the sexiest textures from the authentic Peruvian ingredients. One of the best Peruvian restaurants in San Francisco.

Visitors to the US will have to pay a fee of at least $10 following the passing of the Travel Promotion Act by the US Senate.

The act, which is expected to become law within 10 days, means travellers will have to pay to complete the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation form before travelling.

It is thought the charge could be as much as $17, taking into account the cost of setting up the transactional website and credit card fees.

A Corporation for Travel Promotion will be set up to push the US as a tourist destination to source markets and to provide information to prospective visitors and travel professionals overseas. This will be funded by the charge for visitors, which will be directed into a Travel Promotion Fund.

President Obama is expected to sign the measure in the next few days.

Visit USA chairwoman Kate Burgess-Craddy said: “This has been needed for a long time. The US has lost market share because other countries have upped their game and the US hasn’t been marketing itself enough. We don’t welcome the charge but as a proportion of the cost of going to the US, it is not really very much.”

She claimed the UK travel industry was likely to benefit from the act in the long term.

“We should see a good chunk of the money being spent here,” added Burgess-Craddy.

“Visit USA will be lobbying to make sure the money is spent with operators and airlines. Hopefully this will mean more bookings for the UK trade.”

The move has been welcomed by the travel industry in the US, which has been lobbying for the government to get involved in promoting the US as a tourist destination for some time.

Below is U.S. Rent A Car’s top 7 Restaurants in New York. Please feel free to comment on them or add suggestions.

1. Per Se, one of the best restaurants in the world operated by renowned chef Thomas Keller, (Per Se ranked #6 in the world by The S. Pellegrino Restaurants Guide in 2009) offers two prix fixe tasting menus for $275; a 9 course tasting of seasonal vegetables or the 9 course chef’s tasting menu, which changes daily. To dine in Per Se is a gastronomical & emotional experience.

2. The Red Cat – This Old Chelsea food hall is a New York original. The Red Cat’s combination of come-as-you-are sensibilities and straightforward, satisfying, and occasionally irreverent cuisine instantly establish the restaurant as a favorite with New York diners.

3. Zorzi,  located in New York City’s Midtown East. It is a chic & popular restaurant that serves excellent Northern Italian cuisine. Every day Zorzi serves delectable finger food to delight your palate paired with cool drinks, great wines and paramount hospitality. Great decor and relax, lively atmosphere.

4. Bella Blu is the Upper East sided most popular restaurant. A masterpiece of art, designed by Antonio Romano. The architecture and food are in a class of their own. Bella Blu is known for its mosaic brick oven pizza. An attractive restaurant filled with vivid Mediterranean decor, abstract paintings. which all add to a wonderful dining experience at surprisingly affordable prices

5. Lattanzi, serving exceptional, authentic, and high-quality Italian cuisine. It always attracts an impressive number of celebrities and draws loyal clientele from destinations all over the city and the world. Despite this, it remains a hidden jewel: one of the city’s best kept culinary secrets.

6. One if by Land, Two if by Sea, outstanding American cuisine and one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. Fine dining in a landmark Greenwich Village carriage house. Dinner 7 nights a weeks, $20 Sunday brunch from 11:30 am-2:00 pm, Casual dining at the bar.

7. Natsumi Restaurant specializing in Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine; the innovative menu relies on simple preparations with dynamic flavors. Two separate experiences in two adjacent sites, a restaurant and bar/lounge are now open in the theatre district. One of the most interesting dining destinations in New York.

Below is U.S. Rent A Car’s top 7 things to do in Orlando. Please feel free to comment on them or add suggestions.

1. Disneyland Resort Florida is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks, two water parks, 24 themed hotels, and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts a segment of The Walt Disney Company, it is located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, a tourist area southwest of Orlando, Florida. The property is often abbreviated as Disney World or WDW.

It opened on October 1, 1971, with the Magic Kingdom theme park, and has since added Epcot (on October 1, 1982), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (on May 1, 1989), and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (on April 22, 1998).

• Magic Kingdom, 17 million visits (No. 1 worldwide)
• Epcot, 10.9 million visits (No. 6)
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 9.51 million visits (No. 7)
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom, 9.49 million visits (No.

2. Universal Studios is located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park’s theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to “ride the movies,” and it features numerous attractions and live shows. The park is one component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort.

In 2008, the park hosted an estimated 6.23 million guests, ranking it the fifth-most visited theme park in the United States, and #7 in the world.

3. Medieval Times. Upon arrival at a Medieval Times castle, guests are assigned to a knight of a particular color and given a crown to wear that features the knight’s colour. Guests sit in the knight’s section of the arena and are encouraged to cheer in his honor. The menu is standard, and guests eat with their hands in medieval fashion.

The knights featured are The Yellow Knight, The Red Knight, The Black & White Knight, The Blue Knight, The Red & Yellow Knight, and The Green Knight. The Green Knight is usually cast as the villain.

4. Wonder Works. Expect to be impressed at this interactive, entertaining and hilariously funny dinner show. Amazing magic, impersonations and high-energy improvisational comedy will have you on the edge of your seat. Receive table side service with unlimited fresh hand-tossed cheese and pepperoni pizza, salad, popcorn and unlimited beer, wine, soda and dessert.

5. Gatorland is located along South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida. It was founded by Owen Godwin in 1949, and still privately owned by his family today. Billed as the “Alligator Capital of the World,” Gatorland features thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh with boardwalk and observation tower, reptile shows, aviary, petting zoo, swamp walk and educational programs.

The operation also has an active road show providing alligator wrestling, pythons, lizards and other animals with an informative animal talk for private parties and benefits. In addition, Gatorland manages the live alligator display at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee, Florida.

The park is also known for its leucistic alligators.

6. Water Parks including Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Wet N’ Wild, Aquatica and Water Mania. Provide fun for all the family while helping to top up that all important tan.

7. Florida Mall is a large enclosed shopping mall in Orlando, Florida. It opened its doors in 1986. It is located on the southeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road. The mall has over 250 stores, including its anchors Macy’s, Dillard’s, Sears, JCPenney, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and The Florida Hotel. At 1,849,000 ft² (179,778 m²) GLA, it stands as one of the largest single-story malls in the United States.

Below is U.S. Rent A Car’s top 7 things to do in Denver. Please feel free to comment on them or add suggestions.

1. Denver Zoo is an 80-acre (32 ha) facility located in City Park of Denver, Colorado, USA. Founded in 1896, it is owned by the City and County of Denver and funded in part by theScientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). It was the most popular paid attraction in the Denver metropolitan area in 2005.

2. Molly Brown House Museum is a house located at 1340 Pennsylvania Street in Denver, Colorado, United States that was the home of American philanthropist, socialite, and activist Margaret Brown. Brown was known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” because she survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The museum now located in her former home presents exhibits interpreting her life and that of Victorian Denver as well as architectural preservation.

3. United States Mint Denver began life in 1863 as the localassay office, just five years after gold was discovered in the area. By the turn of the century, the office was bringing in over $5 million in annual gold and silver deposits, and in 1906, the Mint opened its new Denver branch. Denver uses a D mint mark and strikes coinage only for circulation, although it did strike along with three other mints the $10 gold 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Commemorative. It also produces its own working dies, as well as working dies for the other Mints.

4. Colorado History Museum is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe.

The Museum provides programming in six main areas. The exhibitions, IMAX films, lectures, classes, and programs pertain to one or more of the following core competencies:

• Anthropology
• Geology
• Health Science
• Paleontology
• Space Science
• Zoology

The 500,000-square-foot building houses more than a million objects in its collections including natural history and anthropological materials, and archival and library resources.

5. Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in Denver,Colorado in the Cheesman Park neighborhood. The 23-acre (93,000 m²) park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunkenamphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the summer.

6. Denver Art Museum is an art museum in Denver, Colorado located in Denver’s Civic Center. It is known for its collection of American Indian art, and has a comprehensive collection numbering more than 68,000 works from across the world.

7. Coors Field located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing  Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995. The Rockies played their first two seasons, 1993 and 1994, in Mile High Stadium before moving to Coors Field, two blocks from Union Station in Denver’s Lower Downtown (orLoDo) neighborhood. The park includes 63 luxury suites and 4,500 club seats.