You may be worried that your shiny, brand-new car could be a target for theft, but car thieves find older models are more attractive to steal. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau?s (NICB) statistics, the 1995 Honda Civic is the vehicle most reported stolen for 2007 and only two out of the top 10 vehicles are later models: the 2004 Dodge Ram pickup (# 7) and 2007 Toyota Corolla (#10). The NICB says thieves target older models because they provide valuable replacement parts.

Early data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) reveals that motor vehicle theft is headed for an 8.9 percent decrease in 2007, according to NICB analysis.

Here is the list of most stolen vehicles:

1. 1995 Honda Civic
2. 1991 Honda Accord
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 pickup
5. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 pickup
6. 1994 Acura Integra
7. 2004 Dodge Ram pickup
8. 1994 Nissan Sentra
9. 1988 Toyota pickup
10. 2007 Toyota Corolla

Tips on how to avoid a break in or theft:

If you are in the market for a used car, see our used car buying advice for information on shopping for a used car, how to avoid a lemon, and how to inspect a used car.

?Liza Barth

Just as consumers are getting socked by skyrocketing energy costs, the nation's power companies are paying more for fuel. The Energy Information Administration's recent short-term energy outlook, for instance, noted that escalating fuel costs are making it more expensive for utilities to generate electricity.

But you could end up footing the bill. "Within the past few weeks," the EIA report stated, "a number of utilities have requested permission from State regulators to raise electricity rates in response to rapidly increasing delivered fuel costs for power generation." Residential electricity prices are projected to rise by an annual average of about 5.2 percent in 2008 and 9.8 percent in 2009, up significantly from the 2.2 percent increase in 2007.

The electric utilities are aware of the challenges facing themselves and their customers. So on July 10, the Edison Electric Institute hosted a lunch at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. A six-member panel of EEI representatives addressed journalists to discuss "the effort underway to transform the role that energy efficiency plays within the electric power sector," according to the event program.

The EEI is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, and its agenda is to ensure that its members turn a profit. So when EEI President Thomas Kuhn talked about the pressure the industry is under to "meet the growing demand for electricity in an affordable and reliable manner, and to supply it with minimal impact on the environment," I took his comments with a grain of salt.

Still, whatever their motive, many  power companies are pushing energy efficiency, largely by teaching their customers how to use less electricity. That puts them in an interesting pickle, because every kilowatt that customers don't consume affects their bottom line. It's akin to the tobacco industry being forced to tell smokers that its products will eventually given them cancer or kill them. Of course, that didn't exactly end cigarette sales.

Similarly, the electric industry is hardly on life support?nationwide consumption is projected to climb 30 percent by 2030. But the power companies try will need to find a model that sustains their own growth and the planet.

"Utilities are profit-making entities," acknowledged Diane Munn, executive director of retail energy services for the EEI, during her portion of the presentation. "If they aren't making money on electricity, you cant expect them to keep delivering it." Munn described two profit-preserving plans that are currently in the works:

? California, a bellwether state where energy conservation is concerned, has experimented with shared-saving mechanisms, whereby utilities get to keep a percentage of the savings that result from fewer kilowatts being delivered to households.

? A similar model, called Save-A-Watt, has been proposed by Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, which serves customers in the Carolinas and parts of the Midwest. Rogers' program would measure how much energy is saved through Duke-led education initiatives and let the company reap 10 percent of the savings. That would seemingly motivate the company to educate rather than build more power plants.

It was encouraging to hear industry leaders speak frankly about the challenges they face. And of course, you don't have to wait for your utility to climb on board the conservation bandwagon to reduce your electricity consumption. Your first moves are to learn 10 ways to cut your energy costs, understand smart-meter technology, and figure out how to buy green power.?Daniel DiClerico

Bassinet use has nearly doubled over the past decade, with nearly 45 percent of parents using them for babies younger than two months. Bassinets allow parents and infants to sleep in the same room without sharing the same bed, which can be a dangerous practice. But, according to a recent study, bassinets come with their own significant safety concerns.

Despite the growing popularity of bassinets, there are no official government safety standards for the infant bed/carriers, just construction guidelines for manufacturers from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A new study in the current issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, evaluated the risk factors in bassinet use. Researchers at the Children?s National Medical Center in Washington reviewed the death reports of 53 infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly in bassinets. In 85 percent of the cases, the researchers found that lack of oxygen was the cause of death. More than half of the infants were found on their stomachs, and other items such as blankets, pillows and/or plastic bags were found in 74 percent of the bassinets. Nine infants died in bassinets that were not functioning correctly, either from "misuse" or mechanical problems.

?If parents plan to use a bassinet, they should make sure that it is in good repair and conforms to CPSC guidelines,? say the authors of the bassinet study.

The CPSC calls for bassinets to have a sturdy bottom with a wide base, smooth surfaces without protruding hardware, legs with locks, and a firm, snug-fitting mattress. Because 6 of the 53 infants were found with their faces wedged against the side of the bassinet, the authors suggest that a bassinet with sides made of an air-permeable material, such as mesh, may be safer. They also emphasize that parents should always lay infants on their backs and never put loose items like blankets or pillows in the bassinet with the baby.

Look for a bassinet that has a sticker indicating that it has been certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA).  Although this is no guarantee of safety, it's the best assurance consumers currently have that the bassinet meets the voluntary safety standards set by ASTM International. Consumers would have even more assurance if all bassinet manufacturers were required to conform to ASTM standards.

Read more
Consumer Reports Guide to Childproofing and Safety recently offered some bassinet and cradle safety and buying tips. And earlier on this blog, we warned parents about the safety concerns associated with bassinet and crib bumper pads.

Although I've been writing about front-projection video systems for almost a decade, and envying those who had them, only recently have high-def models come down enough in price for me to consider buying one. Also, moving from a one-bedroom apartment in New York City to a larger home in the suburbs allowed me to carve out a separate space dedicated to watching movies and listening to music.

Now that I've been living with my system?a 1080p DLP projector, 106-inch 16:9 screen, and 7.2-channel surround-sound system?for more than a month, I can say it was worth the wait. There's no home-entertainment experience that can compare to a movie presented in all its high-def glory on a very large screen, backed by a powerful surround-sound soundtrack. Even my primary 50-inch plasma TV (a far larger set than I ever imagined I'd have) can't deliver the same kind of visceral impact you can get from a front-projection system.

I can honestly say that I now generally prefer watching high-def movies at home to seeing them on the seemingly ever-shrinking screens in the multiplexes at the mall. (Plus a bottle of water doesn't cost me $4, and I don't have to endure 30 seconds of Abba's "Dancing Queen" while someone rummages through a bag for a cell phone.)

If you've been contemplating building your own truly big-screen home theater, the good news is that our just-posted Ratings of front-projection TVs (available to subscribers) echo my own experience. Front projectors continue to get more affordable, and better, every year.

(Need help deciding? Read our free "Is a projector right for you?" report for important buying guide information. If you'd rather stick with a conventional flat-panel HDTV, we've recently updated our Ratings of LCD TVs and Ratings of plasma TVs, too. Those Ratings are also available to online subscribers only. But read my other post, Ratings: The best LCD and plasma TVs, for a general overview. And see all our blog posts about plasma TVs and LCD TVs, for the latest news.)

Perhaps most noteworthy is that prices for 1080p models, which can present all the detail in the highest-quality HD programs and Blu-ray discs, have fallen significantly during the past 18 months. All the 1080p models we tested cost $5,000 or less, and several were priced between $2,500 and $3,000. In fact, our highest-rated model, an Epson, is priced at $3,000, making it a CR Best Buy. And 720p projectors, which can still be a good choice, especially when paired with smaller screens, are priced even lower. For example, a 720p Mitsubishi model, another Best Buy selection, costs just $800. (More details about the CR-rated "Best Buy" Epson, the CR-rated Best Buy Mitsubishi, and other CR Recommended models of front projection TVs are available to subscribers.)

Picture quality is also on the rise. Four of the 13 tested models received excellent HD picture-quality scores, and eight others were judged very good.

Of course, front projectors aren't for everyone, or for every situation. For example, they're really not the best choice for everyday TV viewing, because they look best in a very dark setting. In my house, the projector is typically used for watching movies, big sporting events, and concerts.

Also, set-up and installation can be more complicated than with standard TVs, because few projectors have either a built-in tuner or speakers. Mounting a projector on a wall or ceiling can also add to the complexity. All-in-one systems can make things a bit easier. Our front-projector Ratings include the first all-in-one HD projector (details available to subscribers) we've seen, a 720p model from Epson that has a built-in upscaling DVD player and speakers.

If you have the room, the budget, and the desire to watch movies with a level of cinematic excitement that used to exist only in theaters, a front-projection system is the way to go. And if a ringing cell phone disrupts the action, it's likely you'll only have yourself to blame.

?James K. Willcox

We tested more than 60 HDTVs for our latest LCD TV Ratings and plasma TV Ratings (both online reports are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers).  The good news: More HDTV models than ever before have very good or excellent picture quality. Such sets can do justice to the wide variety of high-def content now available to consumers.

We also just completed Ratings of high-def front projectors (also available to subscribers), which can deliver a truly theater-like experience in the home. (Check my other blog post, Ratings: The best lower-cost high-def front projectors, for a quick overview of the 14 front-projection HDTV sets we tested. And if you're a subscriber, you'll have access to our Recommended front projector HDTV models.)

In our latest review of flat-panel sets, among the top performers were models from brands such as LG Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. Some modestly priced sets?including TVs from several of those brands, as well as Vizio and Insignia (Best Buy's house brand)?earned Best Buy designations.

Most of the 40-inch and larger LCD TVs in our Ratings are 1080p "Full HD" models that can display all the detail in high-def images. More LCD sets have 120 Hz technology, which doubles the TV's frame rate to help reduce motion blur?a traditional LCD drawback?during fast-moving scenes.

We're also seeing some improvement in another LCD drawback: viewing angle, an attribute we're including in the Ratings for the first time. Sets with a very good or excellent viewing angle score will not experience the picture deterioration?such as washed-out or dim pictures?that has typically occurred when LCD screens are viewed from the side. A 37-inch Panasonic in this Ratings (model details available to subscribers) has one of the widest viewing angles we've seen.

If you're in the market for a smaller set, stay tuned for our next TV Ratings later this summer. In addition to the usual assortment of larger sets, our Ratings will include a number of 26-inch LCDs, which might be of interest if you are looking for a set for a smaller room.

On the plasma front, we're now seeing a good assortment of plasma TVs with 1080p resolution. They're selling at lower prices than the earlier generation of Full HD plasma models, with 50-inch sets starting at less than $2,500 and 42-inch 1080p models for $2,000 or less. New sizes are also arriving: We tested a 46-inch Panasonic set (details available to subscribers), the first plasma TV of this size we've seen.

Our Quick Recommendations in plasma TVs and Quick Recommendations in LCD TVs (both available to subscribers) now include a separate category for highly regarded older models that may be in limited availability, but which are still good choices?especially if you can find them at lower prices. We're identifying replacement models where applicable, some of which will be tested in subsequent CR Ratings.

?James K. Willcox

If your exercise lull lasts more than a few weeks, ease back slowly to avoid injury, particularly as you get older. "Your brain may not think of it as starting over, but your joints and muscles do," says Joseph Houmard, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and director of the East Carolina University Human Performance Laboratory in Greenville, N.C.

A reasonable starting point is 15 to 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise every other day. Use your day off to gauge what your body can tolerate, Houmard says. If you feel tired or achy, cut back on intensity or time. Once you've established a comfortable level, maintain it for a few weeks before gradually ramping up. Take it easy with strength training, too. Start with less weight than before and limit lifting to no more than three days a week. And give yourself at least a day between sessions.

Luckily, resuming a stalled exercise routine is easier than starting from scratch, since gains made during earlier training seem to return quickly. And having experience with exercise provides an emotional boost: You know how to pace yourself and what to expect.

This article first appeared in the May 2008 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.

Read more on workout needs for every age (free) and the 10 extra perks of exercise (free), and find out what exercise can do for your mental health (subscribers only).

It?s hard to watch news clips of depositors lined up outside IndyMac Bank branches in California without recalling similar scenes from Depression-era documentaries or the fictionalized bank run in ?It?s a Wonderful Life.?

But there?s one big difference between then and now, besides the fact than yesterday?s bank failures are remembered in black-and-white, while today?s are broadcast in living color. That is, we now have federal deposit insurance to protect our savings, up to certain limits, in the event of messes like this.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which has taken over the operation of IndyMac, issued this statement on July 13 in attempt to allay depositor fears and describe once again how FDIC coverage works.

Our Money blog explained both FDIC coverage and other types of investor protections in this recent roundup.

What, if anything, should bank depositors be doing at this point? We?d suggest checking to make sure your accounts are within the FDIC insurance limits and, if not, moving the excess to another bank, just to play it safe. You may also be able to restructure your accounts within your current bank to assure you?re covered. Other than that, we see no cause for action or for alarm.

People considering riding a motorcycle to save gas should be concerned about safety. After all, motorcycles are inherently less stable than cars and riders lack any significant protection from impacts. In fact, motorcyclists are about 34 times more likely to die in a crash than passenger car drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Injuries also are often much more severe. However, a properly trained and outfitted rider can significantly reduce the risks, as revealed in the seminal study of the causes of motorcycle accidents and injuries, "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures."

Hugh Hurt, a motorcycle safety expert who now runs the Head Protection Research Laboratory, published a comprehensive study in 1981. While the study may be old, the scale and thoroughness provide valuable insights into accident causes, elements that enhance survivability, and ultimately suggests ways that motorcyclists can ride smarter and safer.

Hurt investigated 900 motorcycle accident scenes in the Los Angeles area. In addition, Hurt and his team analyzed 3,600 motorcycle traffic accident reports in the same region.

They summarized key factors that contributed to the investigated motorcycle accidents. The findings can be summed up in three solid pieces of advice:

Beyond that, here are the main findings of the study in more detail:

INJURIES
The likelihood of injury is extremely high in motorcycle accidents. In the study, 98 percent of the multiple-vehicle collisions and 96 percent of the single-vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45 percent resulted in more than a minor injury.

Injury severity increases with speed, alcohol involvement, and motorcycle size. Wearing protective clothing can prevent or reduce abrasions and lacerations, which are frequent?but rarely severe.

ACCIDENT CAUSES
The failure of other motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic was found to be the predominant cause of motorcycle accidents.Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most often a car. The most frequent accident scenario was a car making a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle. Therefore, making the motorcycle and motorcyclist more conspicuous, especially from the front, is key to reducing accidents.

Accidents were found to be significantly reduced by using motorcycle headlamps and by the rider wearing a high-visibility yellow, orange, or bright red jacket. The study did not identify a clear link between motorcycle color and safety. The report said the color is likely to be insignificant because the accidents were most often frontal, where little of the motorcycle color would be visible to the other driver. Motorcycles equipped with fairings and windshields may improve visibility.

Most motorcycle accidents happened at intersections, involving a short trip, and occurred a very brief time after the trip originated.

LACK OF SKILLS AND PREPARATION
The typical motorcycle accident allows the rider less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance actions.

Yet, riders involved in accidents had poor collision avoidance skills. Most riders would overbrake and skid the rear wheel and underbrake the front wheel, greatly reducing stopping power. The ability to countersteer and swerve was essentially absent.

The motorcyclists were found to be essentially without training; 92 percent were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Riders with previous experience riding dirt bikes were less likely to be involved in accidents than others.

Seventy-three percent of the riders in accidents rode without eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on the unprotected eyes contributed to impaired vision, which delayed hazard detection.

Inexperience with the bike is a major factor. More than half the riders involved in accidents had less than five months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street-riding experience was almost three years.

Bottom line: get proper training, be visible, and wear a bright jacket and full protective gear.

Riders, have your own tips? Please share them in the comments section, or in our forum.

?Eric Evarts

Also read: "Motorcycle death rates doubled" and "Motorists move to scooters and motorcycles to save".

We didn't expect to find many differences between the old and new iPhone beyond 3G network and GPS capability.

(Our colleagues over at the Cars blog are taking a closer look at the iPhone as a portable GPS navigation device. You can read their initial thoughts on the iPhone's GPS capabilities and watch our short video review of the iPhone 3G for more details.)

Both phones share the same brilliant, high-definition display, the same built-in 1.9 megapixel digital camera, and the same intuitive interface.

But our voice-quality tests turned up a pleasant surprise: Voice quality for talking?how you sound to others?was very good, compared with just good for the previous iPhone. That's especially welcome news considering that its listening quality?how incoming calls sound to you?was still only fair, the same as the old iPhone and most other GSM cell phones.

We also had the chance to download a few of the hundreds of applications on Apple's new App Store, now available to all iPhone and iPod Touch users who upgrade to iTunes 7.7 (Touch owners must pay a $10 upgrade fee), which should take you just a few minutes over a Wi-Fi connection. You can also use the 3G data connection to upgrade, when a hot spot isn't available, but not to download songs from iTunes.

Many of the new applications are free, though a records-tracking program for medical professionals, called My Life, costs a whopping $50. Expect to pay $10 or less for a premium application or game. One we found hard to put down: SEGA's Super Monkey Ball, which takes advantage of iPhone's accelerometer by having you tilt the phone to get the animated monkey to travel a maze rife with pitfalls. In fact, many applications make use of the iPhone 3G's innovative features. This includes Where, a free title that uses iPhone's GPS to help you find nearby businesses and other points of interest.

For more information and help on deciding if the iPhone is for you, see our free How to choose a smartphone section and other cellphone buying advice on ConsumerReports.org.

Stay tuned for more findings as we continue to test the iPhone 3G.

?Mike Gikas

Not all the news on the energy-use front is depressing. Major home appliances sold in the U.S. in 2007 perform much more efficiently than they did seven years ago, according to a recent study by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Washing machines, refrigerators, and dishwashers in this country consumed 43 percent less energy overall last year than they did in 2000. Washing machines posted a 63 percent decrease in energy use even as tub capacity grew by 8 percent, refrigerators now use 30 percent less energy, and dishwashers consumer 29 percent less energy.

Taken together, according to AHAM, the energy savings from these three appliances would offset the carbon-dioxide emissions from 1.3 coal-fired power plants or more than 698 million gallons of gasoline. Americans consumed 130.2 billion gallons of gasoline in 2001 and 140.2 billion gallons in 2007.

By comparison, the fuel efficiency of the average U.S. passenger car from 2000 to 2007 remained unchanged at 27.5 miles per gallon?the minimum required to meet federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards. "During the last seven years, with more consumers purchasing larger and for the most part less-efficient vehicles, meeting higher CAFE standards has been a challenge," says Charlie Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that represents 10 major auto companies. New CAFE rules approved last year mandate an increase in fuel economy for cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans to 35 mpg by 2020.

"Dishwashers, refrigerators, and clothes washers have had programs for seven out of the last 10 years that include active efforts by utilities and governments to make it profitable for manufacturers to produce efficient machines and provide a cushion to help overcome any failures," explains David Goldstein, Ph.D. codirector of the energy program for the National Resources Defense Council.

Improved designs often drive efficiency:
? Today's front-loading washing machines, for example, are more water and energy efficient even though these appliances typically have greater load capacities than their predecessors did, according to Emilio Gonzalez a senior program leader in the Consumer Reports Technical division. (Watch our washing machine video buying guide, right.)

? The latest dishwashers filter wash water better and more often so they can avoid multiple large fills and reuse the water they have, cutting down water and energy use. "Soil sensors in dishwashers can save water and energy," Gonzalez says. Updated federal energy-efficiency requirements and Energy Star standards for dishwashers will go into effect in 2010. Our dishwasher Ratings (available to subscribers) reveal the most and least efficient models.

? The average refrigerator today consumes 498 kilowatt-hours?despite even wider use of energy-hungry water dispensers and icemakers. (The capacity of the average refrigerator in this country has not grown in recent years.) That's significantly less than 1,726 kWh used in 1972 and the 704 kWh figure from 1990. The improved efficiency has actually led to slight decreases in annual operation costs, even as the average cost per kilowatt-hour for residential electricity rose from 8.24 cents to 10.80 cents from 2000 to 2007. It cost $58 to run a refrigerator seven years ago but about $53 today.

"There's no technical reason not to be able to at least double refrigerator efficiency with today's technology," says Goldstein, who mentions vacuum-panel insulation and the use of separate compressors for refrigeration and freezing as "the two most attractive and unused technologies" available to enhance energy efficiency. (Perhaps the best way to cut the energy consumption of your own refrigerator, according to Goldstein, is to buy a smaller one, who suggests you walk to the market daily to buy food. Don't get a compact model, like the one you might have had in your dorm room at college, since that type tends to be very energy inefficient.)

Goldstein says he's concerned about a trend by manufacturers to trick out refrigerators with electronic devices like LCD screens, joining a roster of energy-consuming extras like ice and water dispensers, fast-chill compartments, convenience lights, and more. While such an add-on might boost your energy bill only slightly, consumption could rise dramatically nationwide if a