According to an article on today's Imedinews.com, an insurance industry report states that the safest vehicles on the road are SUVs. This is not good news for other kinds of insurance though; another article in today's Times Argus says that global warming is increasing the risk to insurers, especially FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program.

So, you could keep yourself safe from a high-cost car insurance claim, but be partially responsible for the destruction of your home by flood. There's a catch-22 that most consumers won't warm to.

You can get around this. First of all, find a car that is well rated by the safety associations. However, try to get that car in a more environmentally friendly version. For instance, some vehicles can be purchased in both a diesel and gas version. Did you know that you can actually make diesel yourself from your own garbage and perhaps the leftover oil from your local french fry joint? According to information that I've read, you can actually make your own diesel fairly easily for as little as $1 a gallon, and you'll end up with glycerine as a by-product from which you can make your own soap! In some cases, you can even buy an SUV in a hybrid version, where you don't have to learn to be your own mad scientist in your garage, and you'll save on gas and emissions.

More tips to be a green driver: plan a group of errands with the shortest route between points, instead of running errands as a one-off. Walk or take your bike for short trips. (We've invested in a baby seat for my bike so that I can do errands in the local small shops, with my oldest on his own bike, and the littlest one with me. Good exercise and no greenhouse gas emissions at all.)

Take a safe driver's course that will help you to avoid accidents. If you can keep from getting into an accident in the first place with effective defensive driving, you can drive safely in almost any vehicle. It will also save you on your car insurance premiums! (And we'd all like to save a bit more cash, wouldn't we?)

As you are saving money on your car (and car insurance) with safe and "green" driving, you'll also be helping the climate and potentially keeping your homeowners insurance premiums as low as possible. It all starts with little steps.

Monique L. Attinger