Thanakorn.P // Shutterstock States with the highest gas tax The coronavirus pandemic has curbed Americans’ love for the road, keeping many people at home in the past year and cutting into sales at the fuel pump. That has meant a backlog in work funded by gasoline taxes. More than $8.5 billion worth of highway work and other infrastructure projects across the United States have been canceled or halted temporarily, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association told the Washington Post.

Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash Aging happens. Whether you hate it or embrace it with open arms, getting older is an inevitability that we all have to face at some point in our lives. Even the fittest and most youthful among us will experience changes to our brains and bodies—reaction time slows, eyesight changes, and mobility won’t quite be the same as when we were first learning to drive. Everything changes, including what we look for in a vehicle during our golden years.

Photo by Alex Belogub on Unsplash Compact cars are hard to beat when it comes to navigating tight city streets and snatching small parking spots. More upsides are that compact cars are less expensive to manufacture (making them more affordable) and they typically require less maintenance due to their smaller engines, which run more efficiently. Also, less surface space means less car to wash, and a smaller cabin means less to keep tidy.

Source: Pixabay The outward visibility a car offers is crucial to the vehicle’s overall safety equation. A car’s optimal visibility comes from a combination of innovative design and technology. Large and tall windows, slim roof pillars, fewer blind spots, more glass, the size and heating of side mirrors, and innovative headlights all contribute to enhanced visibility. As do rearview cameras, sensors that detect other vehicles, and any number of monitors and systems that alert a driver when dangers missed by the human eye are sensed or seen.

Source: Pixabay The pickup trucks of the last few years are a far cry from the trucks your father drove, or maybe even the ones you’ve been driving. What used to be a segment of simple, straightforward work vehicles has transformed into a fleet that includes luxury cars, offices on wheels, and hulking behemoths that can move mountains one day and take the kids to practice the next. While these new options mean that there is bound to be a pickup just right for you, it also means that they can get pretty expensive.

Image by AutoPhotography from Pixabay Hatchbacks have earned themselves quite a reputation over the years. A On the one hand, hatchback vehicles are lauded as safe, reliable family cars. On the other, they’re tricked-out technicolor street speeders, complete with flame decals and LED underlighting. And these two very different images of this uber-popular car design illustrate one of the reasons hatchbacks are so popular: their versatility. So whether you’re shopping for the next drag-race champion, a sensible week-day ride, or both—this list of ​best used hatchbacks might uncover the right car for you.

2017 Toyota C-HR by EurovisionNim — CC BY-SA 4.0 The Toyota C-HR was introduced for the 2018 model year as an exciting new subcompact car with a vibrant personality. It was designed to stand out anywhere with its bold styling while fitting any lifestyle. In a segment that can often feel overcrowded with generic economy cars, the C-HR dares to excite you. It’s only been on the market for a few years, but you can still find used C-HRs at great prices.

Chevrolet Colorado High Country by RL GNZLZ — CC-BY-SA-2.0 Since its last major update for the 2015 model year, the Chevy Colorado has been one of the more stylish and capable compact pickups on the market. It might not be a powerhouse like its big brother, the Silverado, but its available turbo diesel engine offers plenty of power for towing and good fuel mileage, the V6 gives you a little less towing but a little bit more get-up-and-go, and even the base 4-cylinder is capable of hauling over 1,500lb in its flatbed.

Folding Truck Bed Cover on Red Toyota Tacoma by DiamondBack Truck Covers — CC BY-SA 2.0 Pickups are one of the fastest-growing segments in the auto industry right now, but one truck that’s been around through the peaks and valleys of the market is the Toyota Tacoma. The ever-reliable, ever-capable pickup truck can handle almost anything life throws at it. It may not have the most towing capacity in its class, but its 6,800 pound capacity is nothing to sneeze at, and there’s probably no truck that can rival its off-road driving.

Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay Windshield wipers are a simple but essential piece of any road-safe vehicle. They’re the piece we tend to forget about until we need them. And we know that the contrast between new, well-maintained windshield wipers and worn-out ones can be startling. Like every other component of your vehicle, it’s essential to properly care for your windshield wipers so they can continue to keep you safe when the weather gets rough.