Defensive Driving Blog

Three a day - it's a number!

2012-01-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Three people today, three people tomorrow, three on Friday. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, three workers are killed every day, more than a thousand each year, while driving, riding in or working around motor vehicles in traffic.

Three people a day! Does your company have in place a comprehensive workplace driver safety policy?

Every employee you have drives, whether to and from work or while on the job. There are a lot of employees who drive and who are not truck drivers. Think about all of the sales people, the delivery driver, the VP on the road or the sales support staff renting a vehicle, they are all employees who drive, they are all at risk and if you do not have some form of corporate driver training, with a comprehensive workplace driver safety policy, you are at risk of potentially losing an employee or your company.

What if one of your employees is driving distracted while talking on his cell phone closing the next big sale for you and he is one of those three a day?

A small financial investment in http://www.businessdriversafety.com/ as driver safety training for your employees could be maximized in improved driver safety amongst your employees who drive for business and for all of your corporate driver training needs.

Think about it... how do you drive the right number with your staff? Contact http://www.defensivedriving.com/ today to find out how we can help or call 888 545 5422!

The American Driver's lack of confidence

2011-12-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

Allstate Insurance recently conducted an interesting survey of American drivers and what they thought about their ability as drivers and those drivers around them.   Survey says, we are a little conceited when it comes to our driving!

American drivers in general believe their own driving habits, ability and driver safety behaviors are far better than the drivers around them they share the road with.   Of the drivers which were surveyed, 64% rated themselves as excellent or very good drivers.

But when they were asked to rate their friends or people their own age, the 64% was twice as high as the rating they would give these people.

Surprises, 56% of the surveyed drivers have been involved in an accident...56%!   Of that group, only 28% believed they were at fault.   Just goes to show you, we all really think we are great drivers, but when it comes down to it... most of us have been involved in accidents, and of course, not my fault.   Really not that surprising in this day and age of individual responsibility.

The bottom line is, regardless of how good of a driver you think you are, the guy next to you jabbering away on his cell phone with one hand on the wheel thinks he is better.

Take an online driver safety course from DefensiveDriving.com, we'll teach you techniques you have forgotten to avoid the professional driver next to you as he comes into your lane answering that all important text saying ... "HEY" from his buddy.

Drive safe and remember, Got a Ticket? Just Click It! with DefensiveDriving.com - take our defensive driving course to really be better than they think they are!

Daylight Savings and Deer Rut, what it means to drivers

2011-11-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to set your clocks back... it's coming. Sunday the 6th of November at 2:00 AM, we all set our clocks back one hour. It's Daylight Savings Time!

Outside of the obvious frustration of trying to reset your car's clock, if your car does not do it for you, there are some very real and distinct changes taking place around you.

To start, the obvious, the days are shorter, the nights are longer.   We are more nervous at night as drivers and with good reason.   Our vision of what is in front of us is greatly reduced and so to is our reaction time.    According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive commissioned by Sylvania, 90% of licensed drivers who drive after dark are worried about potential nighttime hazards.

One thing we do not commonly associate with Daylight Savings Time is the how it coincides with Deer rut.   Typically, November 1 through November 25 represents the peak primary breeding phase for deer.    Male deer are more aggressive and have increased range as they follow female deer. There are more deer out, they are more active and the odds of a deer and vehicle incident are greatly increased.

Rut, shorter days, longer nights and the transition from fall to winter all indicate the need for a little extra diligence with respect to speed and ensuring your vehicles maintenance is update. Your headlights are fairly important to assist with the navigation of the transition to Daylight Savings Time, the increased darkness and potential obstacles represent by deer in rut.

SYLVANIA offers some great suggestions with respect to your headlights:

"Check your headlights by parking on a level surface facing five feet from a building wall or your garage door, then turn on your headlights. If the circles of light are bright and white, they are in good, working condition. Yellow or dim lights should be replaced.

Change headlight bulbs in pairs. Because bulbs dim over time, the new one will likely be brighter than the old one, causing an uneven field of illumination. This can be distracting to both the driver and to oncoming traffic.

If the lenses on a vehicle's headlights are cloudy, consider a headlight restoration kit, which restores headlights to like-new condition and light output. The SYLVANIA kit includes a unique UV Block Clear Coat that protects headlights from further UV damage. After use, motorists should see a significant improvement as the product enables up to three times more light to shine on the road."

These types of tips can help ensure you have the utmost illumination of obstacles in front of you.   The video below from DefensiveDriving.com also contains some highlights of why the longer, darker nights of daylight savings time are more dangerous, along with some tips as to what you can do as a driver to decrease the risks involved with driving at night.

Remember to set your clocks back this Sunday!

Trick or Treat?

2011-10-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween is an exciting time for kids, my daughter cannot stop talking about it, her costume and she is genuinely excited. Most kids in my neighborhood are like that, especially the younger ones. It is a time to get dressed up, walk around and get CANDY!!!

Most adults I know are not as excited, the sugar aside, there are real concerns about this "over-hyped" holiday.

According to a Harris Interactive poll from 2010, 41% of adults feel this is a dangerous holiday. There is reason for that. Foreign objects in apples, tainted candy, dog attacks and any number of accidents involving our children. Halloween's past tricks give us reason to be concerned.

How do we make this holiday less scary? Here are so simple suggestions, which could help make the night less spooky for you the parent.

Flashlights, make sure your kids have them and they are being used as the kids go house to house. The flashlight helps others, especially other drivers, see your kids. There are also a number of costumes which include lights. All Hallows Eve is usually pretty dark, on average the Moon is full on Halloween once every 28 years. In 2012 the Moon will be full two days before Halloween, so if you are going after dark, make sure you have some type of lights.

Reflective tape is typically is not part of the kids costume, but it is the best accessory. Small kids and dark costumes are a recipe for a ghoulish results.

Talk to your children about using the sidewalks whenever possible, if not possible to be as far to the left side of the street as possible, walking against traffic. Being able to see oncoming cars is important to the reaction.

Work one side of the street instead of going across the street, this way you minimize the running to and from houses and opposite traffic flow.

The mask is a great part of the costume, but it does not help the child's visibility. Try and limit the masks, but if they insist, you insist it is off while they are walking house to house - so they can see where they are going.

As a parent, walk with your child, there is no reason for any kids to be out and about by themselves on Halloween!

If you are driving on Halloween,you really have to pay extra special attention, children are twice as likely to be hurt in an accident involving a vehicle on Halloween versus any other night. With so many children out and about, it is critical as a driver you are really focused on your surroundings and driving. No distracted driving, no cell phones and there is no reason to speed.

Finally, know where your older children are and who they are with, teens can get themselves in trouble on Halloween and for the most inexperienced drivers, it is definitely not good night for them to be out driving without adult supervision.

DefensiveDriving.com wishes you a scary safe Halloween!!!!

When we are the best teacher

2011-10-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

October 16 to the 22nd was National Teen Driver Safety week. A variety of events were held by a large number of organizations across the country with the primary focus on how we can improve driver safety for our most inexperienced drivers.

The National Teen Driver Safety week was established by Congress in 2007 to bring focus and awareness on the prevention of unnecessary teenage deaths on the road. Nearly 1,000,000 teens in the 11th grade, close to 20% of the total population of High School Juniors, indicated they had been in a motor vehicle accident last year, an alarming statistic given how disproportionate the numbers are to the rest of the driving population.

An area of focus is obviously distracted driving, in particular, texting while driving and the use of Graduated Licensing, to increase the age in which a young adult can obtain the driving privilege and do so without an adult present.

However, there is a critical element in any young drivers experience, the parents. What we do as adults, while our teens are preparing to learn to drive, while they are learning to drive and when they start driving, impact how our teens drive.

Some simple suggestions for being the best drivers ed teacher for your young driver:

1) Be the kind of driver you want your teen to be. The learn from us directly, so obey the speed limit, come to a complete stop, do not accelerate through yellow lights and most importantly, put the phone away. Your teenage learns from your mature driving behavior.

2) Practice driving with your teenager. More often than not, and if you talk with driver education professional instructors, they will tell you the teens they teach have never actually driven with their parents. Take time out of your busy day to spend time riding with your teen. Help them parallel park, educate them on proper maintenance and actually ride with them while they are preparing to take their driving test. The time you invest will be returned with the piece of mind knowing you taught your teen to drive.

3) Make it a habit to know who your teen is riding with and how many teens are in a vehicle. Teens learn a lot from their peers and if you do not know what they are driving like, you might not like the behaviors your teens learn from their peers. The more teens in a vehicle, the more apt they are to take risks and to be distracted, by their peers. Set boundaries related to the times your teen can be in a vehicle and the number of peers they are with.

4) Talk to your teens about the dangers associated with driving, watch the morbid videos, (Faces of Distracted Driving is a great site) and take an online driver safety course together. Be involved in learning together, you might learn something you forgot.

5) Make every week your teens drive, a teen driver safety week. Actively involve yourself in your teens driving experience.

These are just a few tips which hopefully will help your teen be safe and you be proud of the mature driver you have created.

Teen Driving: Homecoming Safety Tips

2011-10-03T09:37:00.001-07:00

Asschool gears back up, student activities are on the rise, and there areincreased numbers of teen drivers behind the wheel. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America, soboth teens and other drivers need be especially cautious on the roadways.Homecoming is one of those special fall events that will have inexperiencedteen drivers out on the roads en masse, so we have some tips that will helpincrease safety for your young drivers during this high risk driving times.

Ridein Style:Consider getting a limo or town car to transport your teen and his friends tothe homecoming dance. This will take the pressure off the driver and alloweveryone in the group (parents included) to have a worry free night. Becausethis can be expensive, ask other parents to split the cost and make it morereasonable.

LimitPassengers: Ifa teenage driver is behind the wheel, you should limit the other passengers toone. According to the Centerfor Disease Control, the presence of teen passengers increases the crashrisk of unsupervised teen drivers, and the risk goes up with more passengers inthe vehicle.

Plana Route: Ensureyour teen is comfortable with the route to all homecoming events. You canpractice driving a day or so ahead so they feel comfortable with thenavigation, especially if it located somewhere they have never been before. DrivingSkills for Life recommends this high level of preparedness becausepassengers in the vehicle and excitement about the event can make it moredifficult to focus on trying to follow a map or read road signs.

SlowDown: Encourageyour teen driver to reduce their speeds while driving after dark as visibilitycan be greatly reduced during these times, and most events will be taking placein the evening and night hours.

AvoidDistractions: Settinga limit for passengers will help eliminate distractions during homecomingtravel, but you need to set further guidelines for your teen driver to helpcreate a safe driving environment. Encourage them to keep music at a reasonablevolume, and pull over to the side of the road if they need to send a textmessage or take a call.

Havea Plan B: Alwaysmake sure your student leaves the house with a fully charged cell phone so theycan call you in the event that they do not feel comfortable driving themselveshome from an event. You should also program a couple of local cab companynumbers into their cell phones in the event that you cannot be reached for apick-up.

Changing Leaves, Changing Driving Conditions

2011-09-26T12:03:00.001-07:00

We have passed the hotdays and crazy road trip traffic of summer and are not quite to the days ofsnow drift and icy roads in winter, but autumn is also a season that posesdangerous driving conditions that need to be observed with caution. Fall is aseason of change, and this goes for the weather and road conditions. AtDefensive Driving, we believe in being prepared and aware at all times out onthe roads, so follow these tips to ensure your fall travel is safe and sound.

Check your Headlightsand Taillights
Daylight savings isjust around the corner, and with that comes shorter days and morning andevening commutes taking place in the dark. Ensure your headlights andtaillights are in good working order and don’t hesitate to use them, even atthe early parts of dusk. Keep a flashlight in your car in case you need tocheck on anything while driving in the dark hours.

Be Aware of Wet Leaves
Fall foliage is abeautiful aspect of the season, but leaves that fall to the roadways can pose adanger to drivers. These piles of leaves are especially dangerous when wet, sobe sure to slow your speed if it begins to rain or you are driving in an areawith recent rain or frost.

Check your TirePressure

Fluctuating temperaturesare commonplace in the fall months, and these drastic changes can negativelyaffect your tire pressure. Check the pressure before heading out on a long tripand throughout the season to make sure the tires are maintaining a safe amountof air pressure.

Watch for Animals

Fall is prime time foranimals such as deer and antelope to increase their activity and start movingto new locations for the winter months. Pay extra attention in wilderness areaswhere they can unexpectedly spring in front of your car. According to DriveSafe PA the morning and evening hours are generally when the animals arethe most active.

Prepare for HarshWeather

The days of fall canstill be warm and sunny, but the winter months are not far off, and oftentimesthe weather can change quickly, so prepare yourself for unexpected winterweather. Ensure that your car has adequate tread on the tires and your heateris in working order. Create a winter safety kit including water, blankets,non-perishable food and a flashlight to prepare you for the possibility ofbeing stranded.

How to change a flat tire

2011-09-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

A flat tire can happen to any driver anywhere at any time;and while it’s never an ideal situation, preparing yourself with the propertools and knowledge can help you handle it appropriately.

To ensure that you’ll have everything you need in the eventof a flat tire, the Defensive Driving team recommends you keep the followingitems in your car:

· the owner’s manual for your vehicle, which youshould consult before attempting to change a tire

· an inflated spare tire

· a car jack

· a lug wrench or tire iron

· bracing material (for example, a brick or apiece of wood)

Now, on to the how-to process:

Once you realize you have a flat tire, turn on your hazard lights and pull over immediately. Park on a solid, level surface a safe distance from the road and set the parking brake. *Do not attempt to change a flat tire on the road if it is not safe*
Block the tire (with your bracing material) that is diagonally across from the flat tire to keep the vehicle from rolling. Place your bracing materials in front of and behind the tire.
Locate and remove your spare tire, jack and lug wrench or tire iron.
Remove the hubcap so you have access to the lug nuts. Break loose the lug nuts by turning them counter clockwise. Do not remove the lug nuts until the vehicle is raised.
Consult your owner’s manual to locate the best place to put the jack under your car.
Jack up the car until the tire clears the road surface.
Remove the lug nuts, then remove the flat tire and set it aside.
Put the spare tire on and reinstall the lug nuts, tightening them just slightly. Make sure the wheel is sitting flush against the brake hub.
Lower the car to the ground using the car jack.
Finish tightening the lug nuts and reinstall the hubcap.
Put away your flat tire and tools and continue to your final destination (which hopefully will be the nearest service station!).

How Low Can You Go? Common Myths and Misconceptions about Tires

2011-09-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

Kicking the tires is an action that is synonymous withchecking the soundness and quality of tires, but in reality, this does notreally tell you much of anything at all. This pretty much sums up most drivers’knowledge about tires because there are a lot of myths and misinformation onthe subject. More often than not, drivers do not know when to replace them, howto inflate them properly and other essential basic care details. Maintaining properlyfilled and quality tires will not only increase the safety of your vehicle, butcan also make your car more fuel efficient, so you should take the time tobrush up on your facts and bust the tire myths.

Myth: You should maintain alower operating tire pressure in the winter than in the summer.

Fact: Some drivers will lowertheir air pressure in the winter in an attempt to gain more traction andcontrol on icy roads, but in reality, driving on too-low tires can cause damageand make your vehicle less safe in dangerous conditions. Tire pressure willnaturally lower itself in the winter without any action on the part of thedriver, but you should check the pressure at least once a month, according to Tire Safety.com and thisis especially important in more dangerous winter months.

Myth: You should inflate yourtires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire.

Fact: The maximum pressure is notthe ideal air pressure for operating your vehicle with a normal weight load.Instead, you should consult your owner’s manual and use the air pressureguidelines set forth by the manufacturer of your vehicle.

Myth: You can tell that youtires are low just by looking at them.

Fact: Looks can be deceiving, soalways check your tire pressure with an accurate pressure gauge. Gauges at gasstations can become faulty and worn by overuse, so invest in your own gauge tokeep in your glove box.

Myth: You should check yourtire pressure when your tires are warm after driving.

Fact: According to the Department ofMotor Vehicles, tires should be checked when they are cold to get the bestreading. If you are taking a measurement during hot weather, wait until thecoolest part of the day to ensure increased accuracy.

Myth: There is a set amount oftime that you should keep your tires before buying replacements.

Fact: Tire wear is very muchdictated by each unique driver and vehicle pairing. Factors that can influencethe speed of deterioration include harsh climate, rough road conditions,average driving speed and the weight and load of your vehicle. In addition tomonthly pressure checks, TireRack.com recommends rotating your tires every 3,000 to 5,000 miles (you cansync it up with your oil changes) in order to even out the wear on the tires.This rotation will also serve as a check-up where the mechanic will ensure thatyour tires are safe and operational for the next 5,000 miles.

Back to School Driving Safety Tips

2011-09-07T11:07:00.001-07:00

As fall is ushered in and school starts to go back intosession around the country, drivers should be on the lookout for the return ofthe big yellow school buses to roadways. According to the National SchoolTransportation Association Go Yellow, GoGreen booklet, 480,000 yellow school buses travel the nation’s roadseach day, making it the largest mass transportation fleet in the United States.School buses offer a cost effective, environmentally conscious and mostimportantly, a safe mode of transportation for our school children. TheAmerican School Bus Council explains that buses are the best choice for yourchildren because they are 13 times safer than non-commercial vehicles.

This influx of children on and near the roadways can causeincreased danger for pedestrians and drivers, so we at Defensive Driving.com recommend youreview the following safety rules and tips on how to drive near school buses:

· Be aware of the peak school commuting hours inyour town and pay extra attention while driving.

· Drive carefully and at reduced speeds inneighborhoods where children congregate at bus stops and especially in schoolzones.

· Slow down when driving behind a school bus asthey may make frequent and sudden stops.

· Learn the flashing light signal system used inyour state. This generally consists of slowing down when the bus is flashingyellow lights and coming to a complete stop while the bus is flashing redlights.

The responsibility of the safety of our children does notrest solely with drivers, so it is imperative that we teach our kids bus safetyrule and strategies, such as the following:

· Arrive at the bus stop early to avoid asituation where you would need to chase after the bus or enter the road for anyreason.

· Stand at least two large steps away from thestreet at all times while waiting for the bus.

· Line up on the sidewalk rather than in theroadway.

· Wait until the bus has come to a complete stopbefore attempting to board.

· Notify the driver if you have dropped and itemor need to pick something up off the street to ensure they can see you and knowwhere you are at all times.

Pedestrian Etiquette 101

2011-08-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

There’s a lot to be said for observing common courtesies every day – especially when it comes to driving. Not only should you be polite to other drivers, but you also should keep pedestrians in mind. Too often we see stories in the news about pedestrians being killed by motor vehicles. In an effort to protect those traveling on foot (or bike, or skateboard, etc.), the Defensive Driving team has compiled a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to encounters with pedestrians:

• DO yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. By law, pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks, so pay attention when approaching such intersections.

• DO NOT ignore pedestrians if they are jaywalking. Although as a driver you might not be liable if you hit a person who is not obeying pedestrian laws, it’s a good rule of thumb to always yield to pedestrians.

• DO stay alert and focused. Pedestrians can be anywhere at any time, regardless of posted signs or warnings. While you should always be alert and focused while driving, it is especially important that you keep an eye out for anyone traveling in the street or on the sidewalk.

• DO NOT forget to watch for pedestrians at night. Use your brights when necessary if you’re having trouble seeing.

Similarly, pedestrians should honor the rules of the road, too:

• DO look both ways before crossing the street. It’s a concept everyone learns at an early age, but it’s for your own good. Look left, right, then left again before crossing.

• DO make eye contact with drivers before you cross the street to confirm that they know you’re preparing to walk.

• DO stay on sidewalks and the right-hand side of crosswalks. If the road you’re on doesn’t have a sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.

• DO watch for oncoming traffic when exiting a bus or when stepping out from behind parked cars.

• DO, as a passenger, get in and out of a car on the curb side of the street.

No matter how you’re getting from point A to point B, mind your manners and be considerate of others – it’s the law!

~ B. Waldman

Fresh and Clean: Basic Car Washing Tips

2011-08-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself looking for a cool activity to beat the heat (and let’s face it, who isn’t these days) and a great way to save some money on expensive drive through car washes, take to your driveway with some soap and water and give your car a good scrub. The appearance of your car can suffer by allowing debris such as dirt, bugs, bird droppings and chemicals from the environment build up on the surface and deteriorate the paint job, so enlist the help of your kids on their summer break or anyone looking for a reprieve from the heat wave. Consider investing in a few quality supplies that will make the whole easier and more effective while giving you the quality results that you get from a professional wash job.

What you need:
• Car/vehicle specific soap – Although it may be tempting to grab a bottle of dish or hand soap from your kitchen, these products are not formulated to be used on cars, and their components can cause a breakdown of your vehicle’s paint job.

• Lamb’s wool mitt or natural sponge – Using a soft applicator for scrubbing will help prevent any scratching and erosion of the car’s paint, especially if there is debris such as sand or dirt on the surface of the vehicle.

• Water bucket and hose – Fill up a suds bucket with soap and water to create a good lather on your car and use a hose–with a spray attachment if possible–to wash away all of the soap. AOL Autos recommends using a second bucket of clean water to rinse dirt out of your sponge during the washing process to prevent cross-contamination in your suds bucket.

• Terry cloth towel or chamois – Use a soft terry cloth towel (save old towels from your bathroom for this purpose) or a chamois (synthetic cloth specifically designed for absorption) to dry your vehicle thoroughly after washing. Do not allow your car to air dry as this can cause water spots.

What to Do:

Step 1
Park your vehicle in a shady spot where there is sufficient drainage and you have access to a water source. Consumer Reports advises against washing a hot car as this can accelerate the drying process and increase your chances of spotting and scratches, so allow the car to cool down after driving before you start your wash.

Step 2
Rinse the entire vehicle thoroughly with clean water to loosen and remove any debris. Pay special attention to the tires and wheel wells, as mud and dirt can easily accumulate in these areas.

Step 3
Wash the car with your soapy sponge starting at the top of the vehicle and working your way down. Avoid scrubbing the surface with excessive force or using repetitive patterns such as circles as this can wear down the paint job and increase the chance of scratches if there are any loose pieces of debris. Rinse your sponge frequently and get fresh suds to keep the vehicle lubricated.

Step 4
Rinse the car thoroughly using your hose and starting at the top of the car and moving down. Be sure to rinse under the car and in little nooks where soap could have pooled during the washing process.

Step 5
Dry your car immediately using a soft towel or chamois before the hot air has a chance to dry it naturally. This is the most important step to a great looking wash job as all of your hard work will be for naught if you allow your car to get splotchy with water marks caused by air drying.

Read about cleaning your car interior in “Keeping it Clean – Car Interiors”.

No Child Left Behind...In Your Car

2011-08-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

With the sweltering summer months fully upon us, there seems to be little escaping the rising temperatures and this especially true inside of parked vehicles with no cool air circulation. Being a responsible driver and protecting your passengers in the summer heat goes beyond the actions that you take while you are behind the wheel, and even the smallest lapse in judgment can prove dangerous. In spite of warnings about the dangers of leaving unattended children in hot vehicles, this disturbing trend continues and “forgotten child” deaths are on the rise. It is important that you educate yourself and others about all the facts so more children to not fall victim to this dangerous situation.

According to Safe Kids USA, over 495 children have died from heat stroke as a result of sitting unattended in a warm vehicle since 1998. Children’s bodies can heat up close to 3 to 5 times faster than an average adult, so even a short period of time can elevate the child’s internal temperature to the dangerous range of 104 degrees and up and cause sickness, injury and death.

The following are some guidelines to follow this summer if you are responsible for transporting children:

• Never leave a child unattended in a car for any period of time, even if the windows are open. According to Baystate Health, the interior of a car can heat up to 19 degrees hotter than the exterior in a mere ten minutes, so the temperature can easily reach dangerous levels, even on days that are not excessively hot.
• Lock your car doors and trunk upon exiting your vehicle (especially when parked at home) to prevent children from entering the vehicle when it is unattended. Vehicle heat related deaths in children are not always caused by neglect, and are often the result of children finding their way into unlocked vehicles and becoming trapped or falling asleep.
• Teach your children never to play inside or around vehicles and to always wait for an adult to enter a car.
• Keep your cell phone, bag or other item in your backseat with the child so there is no chance of accidentally forgetting them and continuing on to your destination. This is often the situation, especially with young babies that cannot talk or sleeping children.
• Set reminders on your computer and cell phone reminding you to drop your child off at school or daycare. This is especially helpful on days where your schedule is different or you are feeling extra tired or distracted.
• Implement a system where you receive a call from your child’s school or daycare in the event that the child does not show up when expected.

In addition to taking responsibility for your own passengers, you should act proactively and contact 911 if you see a young unattended child in a vehicle during the spring or summer months.

For additional information and ways to help fight this alarming trend in your community, visit the Safe Kids USA website and learn about their “Never Leave Your Child Alone” Campaign.

~ R. Quick

Sources:
Safe Kids USA: Safe Kids USA Launches National Awareness Campaign to Reduce Child Deaths from Heat Stroke http://www.safekids.org/our-work/news-press/press-releases/safe-kids-usa-launches.html

Baystate Health: Hot Weather and Vehicles Can be a Deadly Combo for Kids
http://www.baystatehealth.com/Baystate/Main+Nav/About+Us/Newsroom/Baystate+Medical+Center+News/Hot+Weather+and+Vehicles+Can+be+a+Deadly+Combo+for+Kids

It’s Not Easy Being Green…or Is It?

2011-07-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

Motorists today are faced with a variety of environmental concerns as they shop for new cars and evaluate the impact of their current vehicles. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, these concerns about the environment are especially relevant considering that vehicles in the United States account for 45% of global automotive CO2 emissions, which are a major contributor to both climate change and pollution. Driving a hybrid or environmentally friendly vehicle is a great option for reducing your emissions, but don’t be left out of the green movement if you are not ready to make the switch over to these (often costly) options. There are several preventative maintenance steps that car owners (of any type of vehicle) can take to maximize the efficiency of their vehicles and minimize their footprint on the environment.

Tune Up
Keep your engine in tune by taking your car to your mechanic for regular preventative maintenance. A vehicle that is well tuned will use gasoline more efficiently and emit less toxic emissions. Cars running at optimum performance can also save you money as you will be getting better gas mileage.

Follow the Rules of the Road
Driving the speed limit is important not only for your safety and that of your fellow drivers, but this simple action can also help make your car greener. According to the US Department of Energy, speeding and rapid acceleration or braking can waste gas by lowering your gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent in town.

Fill your Tires
Checking the air pressure in your vehicle’s tires is an easy maintenance step that you can do at your home or local gas station that will help make your car more effective. According to the Car Care Council, almost two billion gallons of gas are wasted each year because American’s tires are not properly inflated which leads to resistance that makes the engine work harder to move the vehicle.

Chill on the Air Conditioning
Cutting back on your use of air conditioning may be unfathomable in the middle of summer, but if possible, opt for alternative means of cooling such as open windows and reflective coverings to maintain a cool environment. AC systems, especially in older cars, can deteriorate the gas mileage and increase the amount of emissions released into the air.

Check your Filters
Air filters help protect a vehicle’s engine from dirt and other outside damaging elements. Changing dirty air filters in your car will help the whole vehicle run more efficiently, which will save energy and fuel and reduce the negative impact of your vehicle on the environment.

Want to read more about saving money while keeping it green? Try Fuel Frugality: How Octane Levels Can Translate to Savings at the Pump and Hypermiling Basics.

Sources:
Environmental Defense Fund: Tallying Greenhouse Gases From Cars
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?ContentID=5300

US Department of Energy: Driving More Efficiently
http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml

Car Care Council: Five Ways to Celebrate Earth Day With Your Car
http://www.carcare.org/consumer-press-releases/2008/20080411

2011-07-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

A well-stocked car is a necessity for all drivers. You never know when you’ll need to make an emergency stop, when you might wander off course or when you might get into a fender-bender, just to name a few hypothetical situations. Because preparedness is so important for all drivers, the DefensiveDriving.com team has compiled a list of essential items we recommend you keep in your car year-round.*

In the glove compartment:
1. A flashlight and extra batteries, because you don’t want to risk getting stranded at night without one.
2. A disposable camera. Even though most cellphones come equipped with cameras these days, it’s a good idea to keep a disposable on hand in case you are involved in an accident and need to take pictures of the damage, license plate(s) of other cars involved, etc.
3. A prepaid calling card, because; let’s face it, no one gets cellphone service everywhere.

In your seatback pockets:
4. An atlas, because although most drivers have some sort of a GPS device, old-fashioned maps are reliable and don’t require plugging in, charging or wireless service.
5. An umbrella, because the forecast is never guaranteed.

In your trunk/luggage area:
6. Jumper cables and/or a battery jumper … just in case.
7. A tool kit, including pliers, a screwdriver, an adjustable wrench and a pair of work gloves.
8. A basic first aid kit, including a hand towel.
9. A few bungee cords, in case at any time you need to fasten anything down.
10. A safety reflector and emergency road flares, both of which are important if ever you need to pull over while driving at night.

There you have it: a list of the top 10 things you should keep in your car at all times. By following the guidelines outlined above, you’re sure to be one of the most prepared drivers on the road!

* Remember to keep your registration and insurance information with you and/or in your car at all times.

~ B. Waldman

15 Steps to Fuel Efficiency

2011-07-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

If you’re like me, saving money and sticking to a budget are perennial New Year’s resolutions. Using less gas will put you a little bit closer to both of these goals. Here are fifteen tips for being more fuel efficient:

1. Avoid aggressive driving habits. Accelerate slowly and drive at a constant speed, as accelerating and decelerating waste gas.

2. If you’re on a highway, pick one lane and stay with the flow of traffic in that lane.

3. If you’re driving in the city, slow down before stoplights so that you don’t have to come to a full stop before the light changes.

4. Drive at or under the speed limit. Most cars experience a rapid decrease in gas mileage at speeds over 60 mph.

5. Idling burns gas too! If you’re stopped for longer than five minutes, consider turning off your car.

6. Avoid using the air conditioner.

7. Don’t drive with a roof rack unless you have to, as this creates drag.

8. Remove excess weight from your car. Clean out that junk!

9. Avoid driving at rush hour. Consider carpooling, biking to work, or using public transportation, even if only one day a week!

10. Combine errands into a single trip. Try to centralize as many errands as possible, so that you can walk between shops.

11. Park efficiently! Take the first space you see and then walk to the entrance. You’ll also get some exercise.

12. Wait until your tank is a quarter full and then refill completely, instead of buying gas in bits and pieces.

13. See if any local gas stations have cheaper prices on particular days of the week. However, don’t go out of your way to get a deal, as you’ll just be wasting gas getting there.

14. Make sure your tires are properly inflated.

15. Have your car serviced regularly to make sure that everything is working efficiently.

If you’re in the market for a new car, consider a more fuel efficient one. You can compare the fuel efficiency of different cars here:
www.fueleconomy.gov
Beware, however, of modifying your current car. A number of “gas saving” devices are on the market, many of which are not actually effective (some may even damage your engine.) For a list of EPA tested products, click here:
www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer.htm

Want to read more about saving money while keeping it green? Try Fuel Frugality: How Octane Levels Can Translate to Savings at the Pump and Hypermiling Basics.

Do You Hear What I Hear? Audible Vehicle Warning Signs.

2011-07-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

The sounds that your vehicle makes can act as early indicator that there is a problem with your car, and as a smart driver, it is especially important to take heed of any new sounds or sounds that become louder and more frequent as they can lead to a larger problem and end up costing you more in repairs. A car is an elaborate composite of hundreds of moving parts, so some noises are common and to be expected, so make sure you take time to get to know its normal sounds so you will be more prepared to spot and troubleshoot anything out of the ordinary. An accurate description of the shake, rattle or roll can help your mechanic better diagnose your issue and get you back on the road in a safe vehicle.

Here are some noises that could mean trouble for your car:

• Engine knocking – Steady knocking noises from under the hood during driving can be indicative of loose connections within the engine or worn crankshaft bearings, which according to Just Auto Repair, a car website, is a common engine issue.

• Engine ticking – Less loud and “thump” like than engine knocking, this sound often occurs when the oil is low or dirty and needing to be changed. Make sure you have your oil changed regularly to avoid this issue.

• Metallic grinding during breaking – Screeching and grinding sounds emitted from your car during breaking are an indicator that your brake pads have worn through and the metal is rubbing together. This is something that needs to be fixed before further damage is caused and to ensure your car can break properly.

• Thumping tires – A steady thumping sound coming from the wheel region of your vehicle can be a sign of tires with insufficient air or uneven wear or flat spots. You should check the air pressure on the tires, fill where necessary, and opt for having the tires rotated or replaced if the noise continues.

• High-pitched squeal – This sound, especially when heard right when you are starting your engine and accelerating, can mean a loose or damaged belt within your engine. According to Popular Mechanics, this needs to be replaced before the belt snaps.

• Growling steering system – A low growl coming from the steering wheel or column may mean it is low on power steering fluid or that there is air in the system. Make sure you check your levels and ensure there are no leaks.

Also remember to keep an ear out for less obvious sounds such as hissing or dripping as well as they could be indicators of a slow leak of air or fluids, which could become exacerbated over time and lead to larger problems.

~ R. Quick

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Dealing With a Dead Car Battery

2011-07-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

You are ready to hit the road when you jump in your car, turn the key in the ignition and wait for the rumble of the engine, but instead you hear nothing. Silence. A dead car battery is an unfortunate, yet commonplace technical problem that most drivers have encountered at some point. Instead of letting a dead car battery ruin your plans, take matters into your own hands and follow these simple steps to jump starting your vehicle.

1. Find a vehicle with a working battery and a set of jumper cables to perform the jump. Keep these cables in your trunk at all times, so you are prepared for this situation or in the event that you need to aid another driver.

2. Park the running car near the front of your dead car so the cables can easily stretch and connect the batteries in both of the vehicles.

3. Turn the ignition off in both vehicles before connecting the cables to prevent any unwanted surges that can damage the electrical system in either of the cars.

4. Locate the positive (+) and negative (-) side of each battery in both vehicles. These should be clearly marked, but you may have to wipe off residue to clearly see the indicator if the battery is older and worn.

5. Attach the red cable to the positive side of the good battery and its positive counterpart on the bad battery. Next, attach the black cable and the negative side of the good battery and the other clamp to any metal section in the dead car, such as an unpainted bolt. According to Auto Trader.com, you should avoiding connecting the clamp to the negative side of the dead battery is an important step to prevent sparks from flying in the vicinity of the explosive hydrogen gas that emits from the battery.

6. Start the engine in the car with a good batter and allow it to run for a couple minutes to help build up a charge in the battery.

7. Try to start the engine in the dead car. If you have done the process correctly, the engine should fire right up. If not, you may need to allow it to charge up for a few more minutes.

8. Turn off the vehicles and carefully disconnect the jumper cables. Be sure you do not allow the black and red cables to touch at either end while they are still connected to the other battery.

According to the Car Care Council, extreme temperatures are a major contributing factor in shortened battery life, so amidst this summer heat, be sure to have your battery checked out if it is older than 3 years or if you are planning on taking a long trip.

How to handle driving near emergency vehicles

2011-06-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh. You’re driving down the road and suddenly you hear sirens in the distance. What now?

Although driver’s ed courses address what to do in these situations, no one seems to remember how to respond appropriately.

Approaching from the Rear

The DefensiveDriving.com team has compiled a step-by-step list of how to react when an ambulance, fire truck or police car is approaching from the rear:

1. Slow down and check the flow of traffic around you.
2. If you’re leading the pack, put your hazard lights on so cars behind you know there’s an emergency ahead.
3. Turn on your blinker and pull over as far to the right as you can so the vehicle can pass you. It is important to drive as safely as possible so you don’t cause an accident or disrupt traffic further.
4. Come to a complete stop.
5. Pull back onto the road only after the emergency vehicle is a safe distance ahead of you.
6. Stay at least 500 feet behind any emergency vehicle with its lights on.

Approaching from the Front

While the appropriate response to an emergency vehicle approaching from behind is fairly uniform across the country, what to do if the vehicle is coming from the opposite direction varies from state to state.

According to the National Safety Commission, the correct response is to be prepared to slow down or stop in case the vehicle needs to turn into your lane. However, according to Texas law, drivers are required to pull over to the right until the vehicle passes no matter which direction it is coming from. In New York, drivers must yield the right of way to emergency vehicles approaching from the opposite direction on a two-way roadway. The DefensiveDriving.com team recommends that you consult your state laws on how best to respond in these situations.

Over the last 10 years, 47 states have enacted some form of a “Move Over Law.” These laws were created in an attempt to lower the number of law enforcement officers injured or killed during traffic stops; they require drivers to move into the opposite lane when passing a stopped emergency vehicle. If unable to move into the next lane, drivers must slow to a speed as much as 20 mph less than the speed limit.

According to the National Safety Commission, studies show that although most drivers are unaware of these laws, law enforcement officials are enforcing them by ticketing anyone who does not slow down or move over.

Stopped

If you are driving and come upon a stopped ambulance, fire truck or police car with its lights flashing:

1. Vacate the lane closest to the emergency vehicle.
2. Slow to a speed not more than 20 mph less than the speed limit when the posted speed limit is 25 mph or more; or
3. Slow to a speed not more than 5 mph when the posted speed limit is less than 25 mph.

Also, it is important to remember that emergency vehicles always have the right of way at intersections – no matter what.

A good rule of thumb in these instances is simply to drive as safely as possible. By giving emergency vehicles enough space to get where they need to go, you’ll ensure your safety and will help EMTs, firemen and police officers do their jobs!

~ B. Waldman

Can you Take the Heat? Tips for Summerizing your Vehicle

2011-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

We all know how important it is to protect ourselves from the sun’s harmful rays, but with the hot summer months in front of us, car owners should also be thinking about protecting their vehicles from the heat. Drastic changes in weather can aggravate existing problems and cause any unchecked weaknesses to turn into serious issues. Whether you are planning a cross country road trip during the summer months, or simply using your car around town, there are important steps that you should take to summer-ize your car and ensure all aspects of your vehicle are ready and protected for the upcoming months of hot weather driving.

• Wash away the remnants of winter and give your car a good wax job to help protect the body and paint job from damaging UV rays. Check at your local auto supply store for products that are geared specifically towards sun protection.

• Use a protectant coating such as Armor All on the interior elements of your vehicle like the dash, seats and steering wheel. You should also use a sun shield in the windshield to help block the sun’s rays while your car is parked.

• Refill all of your fluid levels such as windshield wiper and transmission fluid and coolant, which can evaporate more quickly during the warm summer months.

• Check you tires for air pressure as well as any cracks, bulges or signs of weathering and replace them if necessary. Hot roads are more damaging to tires, and can cause a higher chance of blowout.

• Change the oil in your vehicle to help ensure you get the best performance out of it over the summer. AA1 Car.com recommends opting for synthetic oil during the summer as it works better in the heat.

• Make sure your battery is still good and does not need to be replaced before you start your summer driving. Hot weather can be extra demanding on batteries because the liquid within the battery will evaporate more quickly.

• Have your mechanic give your vehicle a general maintenance checkup to ensure there are no problems or potential problems that could be created by the heat. This includes checking for frayed and damaged belts, which are used in many capacities throughout your car.

• Ensure your air conditioning is in good working order before embarking on any hot weather drives. You will appreciate this foresight when you are driving along in the blistering temperatures.

Taking these steps in advance will help you avoid common hot weather driving pitfalls and help make your summer driving experience more enjoyable!

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!
Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

The Right Idea: Lane Courtesy

2011-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

As you take to the road this summer, don’t let the heat and the hectic traffic stress you out and cause you forget the rules of driving and common courtesy to your fellow drivers. In most states, the concept of lane courtesy is not an official law on the books, but rather an accepted rule where slower drivers yield to faster drivers. A breakdown in this practice can lead to both frustrating and dangerous driving situations.

In an attempt to remind us of the importance of these basic driving rules and courtesies, the National Motorists Association has deemed June “Lane Courtesy Month” wherein they are encouraging drivers to drive in the right lane, keeping the left lane clear of traffic unless using it to pass slower vehicles. According to NMA, lane courtesy is especially important in periods of high traffic congestion, which is a frequent occurrence during the summer months.

Applying this simple concept to your driving and encouraging others to do the same can help to make the collective summer driving experience more enjoyable and considerably safer because the flow of traffic will move more efficiently and drivers will not be forced to wait in frustrating traffic jams or risk dangerous maneuvers such as passing vehicles on the right side of the road.

~ R. Quick

What To Do If You Are Trapped In A Blizzard (In Your Car!)

2011-02-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

Record snowfalls have been wreaking havoc across the country this winter—and it looks there’s still lots more to come. As mounting snow banks turn city sidewalks into tunnels, it’s a good time to review some tips for dealing with snow emergencies, particularly what to do if you find yourself stuck in your car during a blizzard. Seventy percent of blizzard-related deaths occur among those who are travelling during the storm. While travelling in inclement weather is never ideal, it can be necessary, and so it’s always best to be prepared.

If you find yourself driving in snow that is so heavy you can no longer see adequately, it’s time to pull over and wait for the storm to subside somewhat. Of course, the danger in doing so is that your car will be snowed in. Be prepared for this situation, even if it seems unlikely. Recently, drivers in Chicago found themselves trapped on Lake Shore overnight. Being prepared for such a situation can help to keep you safe and more comfortable in the case of disaster.

First, don’t get out of your car unless you can see a building of some sort from your car. Blizzards, like fog, can be extremely disorienting; you don’t want to end up walking towards what you think is shelter only to discover yourself further from your goal and unable to get back to your car.

While it’s important to keep running your heater at regular intervals, you don’t want to run the heater constantly. Aim to keep the heater on for about fifteen minutes each hour. First, you want to conserve gas, as you can never be sure how long you may be stuck. You also don’t want to risk carbon monoxide poisoning. For this reason, you should check to make sure that the tailpipe isn’t blocked. You should also crack one of the windows slightly to allow air to circulate. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches; if you or any passengers notice these symptoms, exit the car and open the windows to ventilate. Since carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, these symptoms are the only warning signs you will have.

Next, make sure that you travel prepared in winter. During the colder months, it’s a good idea to keep your car stocked with an emergency kit that includes:

High calorie, non-perishable food items such as granola bars, trail mix, packets of sugar, chocolate, etc.
One or two heavy blankets
Flashlight and batteries
Extra hats and gloves
A brightly colored cloth or flag
Matches in a waterproof container
Jumper cables
Two empty coffee cans
One or two rolls of toilet paper
Bottles of rubbing alcohol
Bottles of water, provided the bottles are not completely full. Remember that water expands when it freezes
A Swiss army knife

Some of these items are self-explanatory: small amounts of food can radically increase your chances of survival, while the blankets and extra hats and gloves will keep you and your passengers warm. It’s important that you keep moving in order to stay warm; in particular, make sure to keep your extremities warm and dry. You can also huddle together with other passengers for warmth. Put on as many layers as possible; garbage bags or other plastic bags can be used as an extra layer. You can also cut material out of the seats for insulation. You can make holes in the seats and curl up inside, placing the cut out material over your body for warmth.

Make your car more visible in order to alert rescuers. Attach the bright cloth to the highest point on the outside of the car, such as an antenna or roof rack. At night, turn on the headlights and the dome light within the car to increase visibility.

Take stock of your food and ration it appropriately. Plan so that your food will last at least four days. Also make sure to keep hydrated by drinking small amounts of water throughout the day. If you don’t have water available, you can melt snow using the matches and one of the coffee cans. If you don’t have this equipment, then you can suck on small amounts of snow. Make sure to find snow that is clean and away from road salt and chemicals and don’t eat too much at once. Small amounts of food and water can go a long way. In December 2000, a man in Oregon survived inside his car for sixteen days on M&Ms, orange juice, and a quart of water.

In order to conserve gas (or if you run out), you can make a can heater using rubbing alcohol and toilet paper. Remove the cardboard center from the toilet roll, place the paper inside a coffee can, and soak in rubbing alcohol. Set the paper alight. The flame will keep burning for a fairly long time, provided you continue to replenish the rubbing alcohol.

While in the car, keep your seat belt buckled as much as possible, in case traffic begins to move again, snow shifts, or another similar disruption occurs.

If help doesn’t arrive for a long time and you’re unsure when you’ll be able to escape, you can light a tire (starting with the spare tire) in order to stay warm. Do so at least fifteen feet away from the car. Cover the tire in gasoline and light with a match; don’t approach the tire to light it. Instead, toss the match from a distance. The tire will burn for 10-12 hours, producing heat and a thick black smoke that will help to attract attention. Be careful not to inhale the smoke, however.
As a last resort, you can try to walk to safety. This can be very dangerous. First, make sure to bundle up and cover all exposed skin using clothes or cloth from the car seats. If your car is heavily submerged, try to assess the depth before digging out. If you think you’re more than three feet under, tunneling won’t be safe. Even if there is less snow, be very careful, as you don’t want the snow to collapse on you as you dig.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

How A Car’s Suspension Works

2011-01-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Good handling on the road depends on more than a car’s steering system. The steering works hand in hand with the suspension and tires to create a smooth ride and reliable steering. The suspension acts to improve a car’s ride and handling.

Even the smoothest roads have bumps. A car’s ride is its ability to absorb these bumps while keeping the car body fairly steady. Without a suspension, every little nick in the road would produce a corresponding jolt in the body of the car. The suspension also improves a car’s handling, i.e. the vehicle’s ability to turn, stop, and accelerate safely.

In order to accomplish these goals, a suspension faces several challenges. To create a smooth ride, the suspension has to absorb energy from bumps in the road and distribute this energy throughout the car frame. The suspension also works to keep the tires in contact with the road. Remember that when a car brakes, weight shifts from the rear to the front; the reverse occurs during acceleration. Weight also shifts when a car makes a turn. This weight transfer can weaken tires’ grip on the road; to combat this, the suspension minimizes the transfer of weight from back to front and vice versa. It also helps to transfer weight from the “high” side of the car to the “low” side when the car turns a corner.

The suspension has several components that work together to accomplish these goals: frame, springs, and damper (shock absorber).

The frame is the rigid structure that supports the main weight of the car. This part of the car is referred to as the sprung mass because it rests on springs; these springs absorb the increased vertical velocity of the wheels as they travel over bumps. The unsprung mass is the weight of the car below the frame: wheels, tires, axles, etc.

Over the years, several different types of springs have been used in car suspensions. Leaf springs are curved metal bars composed of several layers of metal that bend to absorb energy; they were common on older cars and are still used on most trucks. Torsion bars, which twist to absorb energy, were used by European carmakers in the 50s and 60s. Air springs were also used in some older models. Today, coil springs, like those found in a mattress, are most common in passenger cars.

The stiffness of the springs affects the performance of the vehicle. If a car is loosely sprung, it will easily absorb bumps in the road, providing a very smooth ride. However, the handling of the car won’t be as good, as the vehicle body will be prone to moving forward, backward, and side to side. Tightly sprung cars, while offering bumpy rides, maneuver more effectively. Car manufacturers aim to find a balance between these qualities.

Springs absorb energy easily; however, they don’t dissipate it. As soon as you release a compressed spring, it snaps back in the reverse direction and continues to oscillate until all the energy has been used up. If suspensions relied entirely on springs, you would have a very bumpy and uncontrollable ride.

To account for this, springs are usually paired with dampers, or shock absorbers. These devices use hydraulics to turn kinetic energy (motion) into thermal energy (heat.) This way, the energy stored in the spring dissipates quickly, without causing unnecessary motion in the body of the car.

A typical shock absorber is, in essence, a piston inside two oil filled tubes. The piston is attached to a casing, which is in turn attached to the spring. As the spring moves, it pushes the piston up or down, compressing the oil inside the pressure tube. Tiny perforations in the pressure tube allow the oil to slowly escape into the reserve cylinder. The system is designed to provide enough resistance to absorb all of the energy from the spring without moving too much.

The shock absorber has two cycles: the extension cycle, when the piston moves “down,” and the compression cycle, when the piston moves back up. The compression cycle controls the unsprung mass of the car, as the wheels compress the spring when they move upwards. The extension cycle controls the sprung mass of the car, which is effected by the “release” of the coiled springs. As the system provides greater resistance during the extension cycle, the shock absorber is very effective in keeping the body of the car fairly still. Modern shock absorbers are also velocity sensitive, so that the system provides more resistance as the car moves faster. When a shock absorber is combined with a coil spring, it becomes a strut, which, in addition to absorbing energy from the wheels, helps to provide structural support.

Another component of the suspension is the anti-sway bar. This is a solid metal bar that spans the axle of the car, joining one side of the car to another. Also called an anti-roll bar, it helps to prevent too much lateral motion in the car body.

These are the basic elements of a suspension, which can be arranged in different ways on different types of cars, depending on the arrangement of the wheels. If the wheels are dependent, i.e. linked by a solid axle, then a combination of leaf springs and shock absorbers is used. While still common on trucks, the dependent front and rear suspensions are no longer common on passenger cars.

Instead, independent suspensions, in which the wheels are each allowed to move on their own, are used. If both the front and the back wheels use an independent suspension, then a car can be said to have four-wheel independent suspension, a phrase you may encounter in car advertisements. One of the most common designs used on the front suspension is the McPherson strut, which is named after its inventor, Earle S. McPherson of General Motors. Invented in 1947, this design is still common today.

Another common design for front suspensions is the double wishbone or double A arm suspension. In this design, two wishbone shaped supports are attached to each wheel, joining the wheel at one point and the frame at two points. Each of these arms carries a shock absorber and coil spring. Similar systems are used in the rear suspension in most cars. As the rear suspension doesn’t have to accommodate a steering element, these designs are usually a bit simpler.
Each of these basic designs has been modified in a number of different ways to produce a range of suspension options. All of these designs, however, employ the same basic principles to produce a safe and comfortable ride.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

Drunk Driving

2011-01-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Drunk driving, driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, drink-driving, impaired driving, operating under the influence: no matter what you call it (and no matter where you are), drunk driving is one of the most reckless activities you can participate in. Not only is it illegal in all US states and most countries around the world, but most repeat drunk drivers end up irrevocably altering (or ending) many lives: their own and those of strangers, friends, loved ones, and children.

Although specific drunk driving regulations may differ from state to state, the penalties are high. Those who kill or injure another while driving under the influence can face heavy fines and civil suits as well as jail time. Most states have adopted strict sentencing laws that ensure those convicted will serve the full time they are sentenced to.

Since 2004, the most common legal limit for drunk driving is .08% Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). Different people will reach this BAC at different points; on average, consuming 3-5 drinks in an hour will bring your BAC close to this limit. However, it’s important to note that your BAC keeps going up for three hours after you’ve finished drinking and that alcohol affects different people in different ways. Many jurisdictions also have open container laws which prohibit the presence of open containers of alcohol within a motor vehicle, even if the driver is not consuming alcohol. In other states, it is illegal to even sleep in the driver’s seat while drunk.

Drivers can experience impaired faculties at BAC levels as low as .02%. At .05%, drivers suffer from a reduced ability to track moving objects, to respond to emergencies, and to steer effectively. At .08%, drivers cannot control speed effectively, suffer from impaired concentration and memory, and have a harder time processing information, such as the appearance of new obstacles or changing traffic conditions.

Knowing this, it’s not surprising that roughly 10% of traffic-related fatalities are caused by drunk driving. In the United States, on average one person dies from an alcohol-related crash every 40-45 minutes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), these accidents result in $50 billion in costs each year. Young drivers are particularly at risk. Drivers in the 21-24 year old bracket are the most likely to drive drunk. Alcohol is also a factor in 31% of fatal crashes in the 15-20 year old bracket.

While for some drivers drunk driving may be a rare poor choice, many are repeat offenders. On average, a driver arrested for the first time for drunk driving has driven drunk 87 times before! Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), an organization which has radically changed the way Americans view drunk driving, estimates that over 2 million drunk drivers with three or more prior convictions are on the road on any given day.

However, these drivers face stern consequences. In many places, drivers arrested with BACs of over .2 or .15 suffer from additional penalties, including the installation of ignition interlock devices (an in-car breathalyzer which drivers must blow into before the car will start), larger fines, and longer DUI programs. In many states, physicians are allowed to violate doctor-patient confidentiality in order to report drunk driving. In other states, such as Ohio and Minnesota, repeat offenders are issued special license plates. In South Africa, a country which has notoriously high rates of drunk driving accidents, local newspapers have begun to print “lists of shame” on Monday morning which make public the names of drivers convicted of drunk driving over the weekend.

Although rates of drunk driving arrests and convictions have declined in recent years, this is clearly still a serious issue. You can help to prevent drunk driving by making sure that you and your friends make safe choices. If you know you will be drinking, make arrangements to take a taxi, use public transportation, or call a safe ride service. You can also take turns serving as designated driver or choose bars and restaurants within walking distance. If worse comes to worst, call a family member or (very good) friend. While they may be annoyed at having to fetch you late at night, they’ll be glad that you’re safe in the morning.

If you host a party, make provisions for your guests. Either make sure that each group has a designated driver or provide space for guests to stay over. There are lots of delicious recipes for non-alcoholic cocktails and punches out there, so think about providing an attractive alternative for your non-drinking guests.

If you see a driver on the road who looks like he or she may be driving drunk, don’t hesitate to alert your local police. A report like yours will be enough cause for an officer to pull over the driver in question. Symptoms of drunk driving include rapid and erratic acceleration and deceleration, stopping suddenly and/or in an inappropriate place, driving in the center of two lanes, driving very slowly (i.e. under 10mph) and other similar odd behaviors.
Educate your friends and family as well. While 80% of drivers in the US know the term “BAC,” many don’t know or understand the legal limits for their states. Don’t let friends or acquaintances get behind the wheel after drinking and make sure they know what the consequences can be if they do.

If you’d like to get more involved in the fight against drunk driving, there are a number of non-profit organizations dedicated to doing so. The most famous of these is Mothers Against Drunk driving (www.madd.org). Among their current initiatives is a lobby to have ignition interlock devices installed in the cars of all convicted drunk drivers, so that they cannot easily become repeat offenders. The Century Council (www.centurycouncil.org) is another leader in the fight against drunk driving.

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

Airbag Safety: Making Your Airbag Work For You

2011-01-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

Airbags are built to save lives, and they do. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that airbags saved 13,967 lives between 1987 and 2003. Since 1998, all new cars have been required to have front air bags; side airbags are now also increasingly common. These devices can reduce the risk of accident fatality by 11-13%.
However, airbags can also cause injury. As crashes happen very quickly, airbags deploy at around 200 mph. For those who are positioned incorrectly, as well as for children 12 and younger, this can pose a serious hazard. Each year sees a number of airbag-related injuries and fatalities, particularly among children. In order for airbags to do their job effectively, you, as the driver, have to do yours by making sure that everyone in the car is seated appropriately.

For Children
Even in cars without airbags, children 12 and under are safest in the back seat. Always try to plan ahead so that you won’t have to transport children in the front seat. Because children are smaller and more fragile than adults, airbags do not impact them appropriately. As a result, children sitting in the front seat can suffer serious injury from airbags if involved in a crash.
Infants under one year should be seated in rear-facing seats, as their head and neck muscles aren’t yet strong enough to resist the force of a crash. These seats must ALWAYS be placed in the back seat. Children older than one year can be placed in forward-facing convertible safety seats, which should also be placed in the back seat. Booster seats should then be used until seat belts fit the child appropriately.

If there is a compelling reasons for a child to be seated in the front seat, such as a medical condition that requires constant supervision, then the child should be properly restrained and the seat pushed back as far as possible. Installing an on/off switch for the airbag may also be a good idea in such a situation. However, you’ll need to be diligent about turning off the airbags when children are in the front seat and turning them on for adult passengers.

For Adults
Driver and passengers should always be sure to sit at least ten inches away from the airbags. It’s not a good idea for passengers to put their feet up on the dash or lean too close to the airbag. While short stature drivers may be inclined to sit close to the wheel, it is much safer to sit farther away; pedal extenders or other modifications may help to make this positioning more comfortable for short stature adults.

Figure 1: Safe Distance from Airbag

While you were probably taught the “10 and 2” hand position, this is no longer the best alternative in the days of near-universal airbags. If your hands are too close to the top of the wheel when the airbags deploy, you’ll end up punching yourself in the face.
Instead, driving instructors—including those who teach drivers of emergency vehicles—recommend placing hands between “8 and 4” and “9 and 3.” In addition to being safer, this is also a more natural position that causes less stress to the arms.

Figure 2: “9 and 3” hand position

Instructors also recommend using modified hand-to-hand steering when turning. Instead of bringing your hands together at the top of the wheel, push up with one hand; then, before that hand reaches the top of the wheel, slide the other hand up and pull down. You will be feed the wheel through your hands without actually bringing either hand to the top of the wheel.

The future of airbags
Today, many car manufacturers are developing smart air bag technology that is making airbags safer to use. Since 2006, all car manufacturers have been required to implement sensors that can detect when a child or improperly positioned adult is in the front seat and modify (or stop) the deployment of airbags.

“Smart” airbags are also designed to deploy in two stages: a smaller deployment for minor fender benders and a full deployment for more serious accidents. In addition to being safer, these designs can also save money, as most airbags need to be replaced after deployment. Even if you have smart airbags in your car, however, you should still seat children in the back seat.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

Work-related Car Accidents: Who Is Responsible?

2011-01-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

If your employee has an accident while driving his or her own car to work, are you as the employer responsible? What about an employee who uses a personal car to take a prospective client to dinner and hits a pedestrian? What if a different employee has an accident while using a company car on personal business?

Whether you are responsible for a corporate fleet or simply have one or two employees who use their cars to run work-related errands, these are questions you should be able to answer. However, the answers can be a bit more complicated than you might think.

In general, employers have vicarious responsibility for the actions of their employees. Under the principle “respondeat superior,” an employer is legally responsible for any actions undertaken employees during the course of employment. Determining what exactly the “course of employment” is can be a bit tricky.

Basically, if an action is undertaken to accommodate the needs of an employer and/or benefits the employer, then it is considered to be in the “course of employment.” For example, say an employer asks his employee to fetch work-related materials on his or her way home. The employer would then be liable for any accidents or damage incurred by the employee while driving home from work. This holds true whether or not the employee is driving a company car or a personal car and even if the driver only uses the vehicle for work-related purposes sporadically.

For example, in a recent case in California, Lobo v. Tamco (2010), the court ruled that an employer was responsible for the actions of an employee while travelling to and from work, as the employer required that the employee bring his car to work in order to use it for company errands. While the employee had only been required to use his car for work-related errands on 12 occasions during 16 years of employment, the employer was nonetheless held responsible.
Courts do often distinguish between “detours” and “frolics.” If an employee goes on a detour while carrying out his or her duties, then the employer will still be responsible. For example, if an employee stops for food while on the way to a sales call and an accident occurs at the drive-through, the employer will likely be held responsible. However, should an employee use a personal OR company vehicle for reasons of personal pleasure, this is defined as a “frolic,” and the employer is not held responsible. For example, if an employee has an accident with a company car while taking his family out to dinner, the employer won’t be held responsible. However, this may not necessarily be true. In some states, owner liability laws will ensure that the employer is responsible for any accidents that involve company cars, even if they occur while personal tasks are being carried out.

Employers can also be held responsible for negligent hiring. Employers need to conduct the necessary background checks to ensure that employees are suitable for the tasks that will be required of them. For example, an employer who hired a convicted child molester to drive an ice cream truck would be guilty of negligent hiring. This holds true for positions which require driving. If you are hiring an employee who will be required to carry out ANY kind of work-related driving, you, as an employer, will be responsible for checking that the prospective employee has a clear driving record, any necessary licensing, and the knowledge and skills necessary to drive safely. Employers can also be found guilty of negligent retention. If a driver accumulates repeated fines and offenses, his or her employer must take steps to prevent further problems, including suspension, firing, or the completion of a defensive driving course.
One area of employer liability that has recently come under intense scrutiny is the rise in distracted driving accidents. Employers can be held liable for cell-phone related accidents, particularly if the employer has created a work environment in which employees are pressured to be in constant communication, even while driving. If an employer issues cellphones to employees, the employer can also be held liable for phone related accidents.

As an employer, you can take several steps to minimize your liability for cell-phone related accidents, including:

Creating a clear written policy on cell phone usage and safe driving that is signed by all employees. For tips on how to do this, see my previous entry on how to create a safe driving policy.
Provide printed information on state laws regarding driving and cell-phone usage.
Have all employees sign an indemnity statement that absolves the employer of responsibility should they violate the company’s cell-phone usage policy.

Communication of expectations and regular safe driving education can also help to reduce the number of accidents and promote safe driving habits within the work place. Enrolling your workforce in a defensive driving course is a great way to educate your employees and prevent accidents. Find out more at www.businessdefensivedriving.com.

Safe Driving in Snow and Ice!

2010-12-29T06:46:00.000-08:00

Few things are as beautiful as the first snowfall—suddenly the drab, leafless trees are transformed by a coating of fresh powder; a mundane street becomes a wondrous new world. Unfortunately, driving conditions are also transformed by winter weather, making even the most familiar routes extremely treacherous. It’s no surprise that snow and ice are both among the top twenty-five causes of car accidents in the US. However, with experience, preparation, and patience, you can feel relatively safe in most winter conditions.

Having grown up in a northern state, I remember that my parents insisted I learn to drive twice: first, in the summer, when the roads were clear; then again, in the winter, when the first snow fell. The car felt completely different in the winter, and I had to recalibrate my steering, braking, and sense of speed, as well as my sense of space, since the roads were significantly narrowed by snow banks. My first piece of advice, then, for those who may be acclimating to a new winter driving climate is: practice. Don’t plan to travel much during your first snowstorm. Instead, have a friend take you to a parking lot or similar open stretch of pavement where you can practice snow driving in a safe environment. Wait until you’ve a got a bit more of a feel for how your car will handle in snow before heading out on the frozen road.

As the fall gets colder, start making preparations for the winter season. First, get your car serviced before the first snowstorm. Check the lights, brakes, heating and defrost systems, antifreeze level, and other basics. This is a good time to repair minor chips in the windshield as well, as these can expand in winter weather. It may be a good idea to coat your windshield with water repellant; this will help with visibility when driving in rain and snow.

If you live in an area that experiences severe winter conditions, you may want to invest in snow tires or chains. Snow tires are a special tire made of a slightly softer rubber, making them more flexible in winter, and with smaller tread grooves. Some areas that experience severe weather may actually require that snow tires be fitted in winter. Snow chains are just what they sound like: chains that fit over one’s wheels to improve traction on very snowy or icy surfaces. These are used in more extreme snow conditions, as snow chains can’t be used on dry roads and limit one’s speed to no more than 30 mph. In areas with heavy snow, you may also want to install heavy-duty wiper blades and/or mud guards and flaps, which will help to keep salt from the roads from corroding your car. Finally, cold weather can decrease your tire pressure, so make sure you keep checking your tires as the temperature drops.

In addition to making sure one’s car is in good shape, it’s also a good idea to have the necessary supplies on hand. Before the start of winter, make sure your car contains a spare tire, shovel, scraper, jumper cables, and salt, cat litter, or gravel (for creating traction on particularly slippery roads.) Creating an emergency kit for your car, which will contain first aid supplies, matches, flares, and other similar necessities, may also be a good idea. Make sure to store these items in a waterproof container.

Once you’re ready to head out on the road, proceed with caution! Snow and ice can be deceptive. First of all, you may not notice ice on the road, particular if it is slick “black ice.” The sun’s glare can also give ice the appearance of water on the road, so drive slowly when approaching what appears to be a wet surface in cold weather. Bridges, infrequently used streets, and shaded areas also tend to freeze first and stay frozen longer, so approach these areas with extra caution.
For this reason, make sure you are always looking ahead in winter weather, so as to be aware of hazards that may be approaching. This also means keeping a good distance between you and the car ahead of you. Following in the tracks of cars ahead is a good way to access slightly “drier” bits of pavement during bad conditions; however, remember that it’s much more difficult to stop quickly on snow and ice, so you need to give yourself and other cars plenty of space. This includes snow plows and sand trucks. Remember that these vehicles are your friends, even if they are slow! Don’t try to pass a plow, as plow trucks often have poor visibility; besides, the road behind a plow is most likely much safer than the road in front of it! Give yourself extra time to reach your destination so that you aren’t tempted to rush in winter weather.

As in most treacherous driving conditions, avoid sudden movements. Try to steer smoothly and brake gently, especially before you enter a curve or turn. Braking suddenly or over-steering can cause a skid. Make sure you review tips on dealing with spins and skids before heading out, as well. Avoid using overdrive or cruise control, but do use lower gears if climbing hills in the snow. Turn on your low beams to increase your visibility; if your wipers are on, your lights should probably be on too. In real blizzard weather, you may want to use your emergency flashers as well.

Above all, drive slowly! Conditions can change very quickly in the winter, especially with the onset of a bad storm. Be aware of what is happening outside your car and how your car reacts. Then, adjust accordingly. Err on the side of caution. Being late is annoying, but it isn’t life threatening.

Getting stuck in the snow can be a problem, especially if you make the mistake of backing into a snow bank (not that I’ve ever done that!). Since we’re now heading into warmer months, I’ll leave you in suspense for a while, as I’ll deal with being stuck in sand, mud, and snow in a later entry. Until then, try not to drive into a sand pit, swamp, or snow bank!

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety

What To Do If Your Car Catches Fire

2010-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

Although not the most common driving emergency, fire is certainly one of the scariest and potentially one of the most dangerous. In 2004, the American Automobile Association reported 266,000 car fires, which resulted in 520 deaths. It’s interesting to note that 75% of these fires were caused by poor maintenance rather than collisions. With this in mind, let’s begin by discussing how to prevent fires.

Preventing a fire

First, have your car serviced regularly according to the schedule recommended by its manufacturer. When adding oil, use a funnel and check carefully for spills, as spilled or leaking oil can start a fire under the hood. If you have a gas station attendant add oil, check to make sure that the cap is replaced securely. It may sound pedantic, but mistakes happen; a missing cap could easily result in a fire. Make sure that checks of the electrical and fuel systems—the two most common causes of fires—are included in your service schedule. If you notice that fuses blow repeatedly, make sure to have this problem checked; it could indicate a more serious electrical issue.

Responding to a fire

While an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, sometimes the cure is necessary. If you notice smoke, fire, or a burning smell while driving, stop immediately. While in many instances smoke will not actually be the result of a fire, it nonetheless indicates a serious problem. Also pay attention to your gauges while driving; if the car begins to overheat, pull over and allow the engine to cool before more serious problems develop.

Stop as soon as you notice a problem and immediately turn off the car. If possible, pull over in a safe place first; however, driving will provide additional air to the fire, fanning the flames. If there is a large amount of smoke or you can actually see the fire, stop where you are. Other cars will go out of their way to avoid a burning car.

Then, get all passengers out of the car and make sure everyone moves far away from the vehicle. Car explosions are rare; the explosions you see in movies are triggered by explosives, not by an exploding gas tank. Still, they can happen. Additionally, burning oil and plastics give off toxic fumes. Make sure you have moved far enough away so as not to inhale these. Warn others near you or passing by to give the car a wide berth.

Next, if there is a fire, call 911. If not sure, err on the side of caution. It is better to be a bit embarrassed than to place yourselves and others in serious danger.

Putting out the fire

First, remember that it is more important to save lives than to save your car. Make your own safety and the safety of your passengers your priority. Only try to put out the fire if you have the necessary equipment, skill, and knowledge to do so safely. This will be more effective if the fire is small; if it is already large by the time your escape the car, it’s better to call 911.

If you are concerned about car fires, you can prepare by installing a fire extinguisher in your car. This should be a class ABC extinguisher (meaning it can put out any kind of fire) and should weigh at least five pounds. Make sure this extinguisher is within reach of the driver’s seat (i.e. somewhere in the passenger compartment) and that you know how to use it.

If you can, grab the extinguisher as you exit the car. If the fire is under the hood, pop the hood but do not open it fully, as the sudden influx of air could turn a small fire into a big one. Spray through the opening with the fire extinguisher. If inside the car, leave one door open and spray accordingly. If the fire is near the rear of the car, i.e. close to the gas tank, move away from the car quickly and warn others to do the same.

Finally, remember that fire damage is covered by comprehensive insurance policies. Because assessing fires can be a lengthy process, make sure to notify your insurance company of the fire as soon as possible.

The most important thing is to remain calm, think quickly and clearly, and put people before possessions. Here’s a brief recap of the steps to take:

1. Stop.
2. Turn off the car.
3. Get everyone out of the car.
4. Move far away from the car and warn others.
5. Call 911 to alert the fire department.
6. If the fire is small and there is an extinguisher to hand, consider attempting to put out the fire. Err on the side of caution when making this judgement.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

How to Find a Good Mechanic

2010-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

In many of my previous entries, I’ve written at length about the complex workings of your car and the many problems that can arise, from minor glitches to serious setbacks. Throughout these entries, I’ve emphasized the importance of having a trusted mechanic that you can turn to should problems arise. Now, it’s time to discuss how you can go about finding said trusted and reliable mechanic (if you aren’t lucky enough to have found such a mechanic already.)

In terms of trustworthiness, car mechanics certainly don’t have the best reputation. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t f reliable and honest mechanics out there. If you’ve read my various entries on how cars work, you’ll know that even the most basic car is a very complicated and ingenious machine. The best mechanics are extremely knowledgeable and skilled professionals with a passion for their work. As you begin your search for a mechanic, look, above all, for someone who seems to enjoy and take pride in his work.

WHERE TO BEGIN
First of all, don’t wait until you have a problem to start looking for a mechanic. You’ll be under pressure to find one quickly and then will have to trust a serious to repair to someone you haven’t yet established a relationship with. Instead, try taking your car to a mechanic you are considering for a routine service, such as an oil change, and see how you feel about the service you receive. Make sure to read your owner’s manual and be familiar with the suggested service schedule, so that you know when you should be taking your car in. When you’re ready to begin the search for your new mechanic, you should take the following steps, each of which I’ll discuss in detail below:

1. Compile a list of reputable potential mechanics in your area.

2. Visit and evaluate the mechanics on your list.

3. Choose the shop that impressed you the most and take your car for an oil change. If satisfied, become a regular customer. If not, wait until your next service is due and try a different shop.

4. Build a relationship with your mechanic.

Note that large chains and dealerships are often more expensive than local mechanics. Additionally, you will be more likely to develop a strong relationship with a smaller, local shop, since maintaining a strong reputation and lasting customer relationships are very important for the survival of a small shop. If you take the time to find a local mechanic who seems trustworthy and reliable, you will save yourself money and hassle in the long run.

FINDING A MECHANIC

So, you’ve decided to find a new mechanic. Where do you begin? First, compile a list of prospective mechanics. Word of mouth is often one of the best sources of information. Ask friends, relatives, and neighbors in your area where they go to get their cars serviced. In particular, ask anyone you know who has a car that is similar to yours, as many mechanics will specialize in a particular kind of car.

There are a number of online sources that may be useful to you. NPR has a great car show, called Car Talk; check it out on the radio or via podcast if you can! The Car Talk website has a feature called the Mechan-X files, where they keep a database of mechanics. These mechanics are ranked in different categories (cost, efficiency, etc.) You can search by zip code and for different attributes; you’ll also be able to read reviews posted by visitors to the site, all at cartalk.cars.com/content/mechx/

Call the Better Business Bureau (or check out their website) to look for recommended mechanics or see if complaints have been filed against any mechanics you are considering. You may also want to look to the National Institute for Automotive Excellence (www.asecert.org) or the American Automobile Association for further advice (www.aaa.org).

Continue to ask around. Check with local auto clubs, particularly if you have a specialty car. You could also ask the local police where they have their fleet serviced. Finally, try calling your dealer’s wholesale parts department. This is the department at your dealership that sells parts to independent mechanics (avoid the department which supplies parts to the dealership’s own mechanics). Mechanics who buy their parts directly from the dealer are likely more concerned with quality than cost. Ask the parts department which mechanics frequently buy from them; they will likely be happy to recommend some of their best customers.

EVALUATING A MECHANIC

Once you’ve compiled a list of mechanics, start checking out their shops. Remember that, while you may not be an expert on cars, you do have basic knowledge about how a good business should be run and an intuitive sense of people. Trust your gut instinct about the place and the people who work there.

First, take a look at the shop and its yard. What kinds of vehicles are there? Are some similar to your car? Are the yard and shop clean and well maintained? Are the mechanics’ uniforms similarly well maintained? Are the waiting room and bathroom clean and pleasant?

These may seem like superficial questions. However, a shop that takes pride in its appearance will be more likely to take pride in its work as well. While a certain amount of grime is expected in this trade, a really slovenly shop probably isn’t a good sign.

Next, look for accreditation, both AAA and ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). While ASE training doesn’t guarantee great service, it’s a good sign that the mechanics and the shop are committed to providing quality service and take pride in their work. You can see on each certificate what areas a mechanic has trained in and when. The ASE requires that those who participate in its programs keep these certifications up to date.

Ask about the shop’s policies. What kind of warranty is on offer? Does the warranty cover parts and labor? A great warranty will last for six months; 90 days is also acceptable. A 30-day warranty isn’t a good sign. Also ask about the prices; remember, though, that the cheapest shop isn’t necessarily reliable, but the most expensive shop may not be the best. You may also want to test the reliability of the shop’s pricing system. Call prospective shops and ask for a quote for a particular service. Two days later, have a friend call for the same quote. Are they the same? You may be surprised to find that some shops don’t have regular pricing schemes.

Don’t be afraid to ask the service writer—basically, the customer service representative—for the names of customers you could call for references. The staff should be friendly and willing to answer questions; if you don’t feel comfortable at a particular place, look elsewhere.

Finally, ask to take a look inside the garage itself. Notice the size of the mechanics’ tool boxes. Experienced and committed mechanics accumulate vast amounts of expensive and specialized tools. A large toolbox (roughly the size of a refrigerator or larger) indicates a mechanic has a great deal of experience.

AT THE SHOP

Once you’ve identified a shop that looks promising, take your car in for a “test” service, such as an oil change.

When you arrive at the shop, you will speak first with a service writer, unless the shop is very small. The service writer is, first and foremost, a salesman. He or she communicates with the mechanic and works to ensure the shop turns a profit, which is necessary for the shop to survive. Don’t be intimidated by this, and don’t let the service writer sell you services you don’t need immediately. Stay focused on what you came in for and insist, politely, that the mechanics stick to this service, noting any potential problems as they do so. You can discuss these other issues after the initial service is complete.

Make sure to also ask for a full explanation of what will be done. For example, different shops provide different arrays of services under the heading of a “brake job.” Ask questions so that you understand what is going on.

If the service writer does inform you that another issue has been encountered, make sure to be specific about the nature and extent of the problem. For example, the service writer may tell you that a pump “needs to be replaced.” Be clear about what “needs” means: has the pump failed? Does it have a flaw? Is it just very old? Establish what actually must be done and what could wait until later.

If you are having parts replaced, ask to have the old parts returned to you. You should also clarify whether the parts will be new or refurbished; new parts are, well, new, but refurbished parts may be cheaper. A great mechanic will give you different options and explain the pros and cons of each, if possible.

Also ask the service writer to show you what is wrong with the car and where work needs to be done. Talk to your mechanic as well. Take an interest in your car, how it works, and what is going wrong. Both mechanic and service writer should be willing to answer all your questions. A mechanic who is willing to take the time to educate his customers about their cars cares about his work and is passionate about his profession—and will likely do a good job taking care of your car.

If you have the time and inclination, you could also ask to watch the work being done. That way, you will gain a first-hand understanding of exactly what is going on.

Once the car is repaired, you may want to ask to take it for a brief test drive before paying, to make sure the problem is, in fact, fixed. Finally, take the time to look over your bill before paying. Make sure you know what each item on the bill is and don’t be afraid to ask. If something doesn’t look right to you, discuss it with the service writer; be polite but firm. Mechanics have been known to pad bills with extraneous items, assuming the customer won’t understand the technical language. Ask questions until you DO understand this language and avoid paying unnecessary charges.

BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MECHANIC

Once you’ve found a mechanic whom you think is competent, reliable, and honest, become a loyal customer! A great mechanic is a rare and valuable asset who can greatly prolong the life of your car. These people are very skilled professionals who have to master a lot of complex and technical information. While car trouble can be frustrating and stressful, always be patient and respectful and take the time to build a strong relationship with your mechanic.

First of all, spread the word, both to your friends and through online reviews. You’ll be doing your mechanic a good turn to repay the great service he or she has given you. Also try to keep your car in good repair and have it serviced regularly, rather than waiting until a major problem arises and then panicking.

When you take your car for repairs or service, make sure to be as specific as you can about what seems to be going wrong. Communicate with your mechanic, and, once you have a relationship established, trust him if he tells you that major repairs need to be done. Try to avoid becoming defensive or hostile in such a situation. You should always bring your car in with at least ¼ tank of gas. If the mechanic needs to run your car for diagnostic purposes, not having enough gas can be very frustrating. Finally, if you drop off your car in the mornings, think about bringing donuts, muffins, or another breakfast food. A little kindness like this can go a long way in improving your relationship with your mechanic.

Be honest with your mechanic—you expect him to be honest with you! Let him or her know if you’ve had your car serviced elsewhere, or if you have tried to repair something yourself (even if you are embarrassed that this has gone horribly wrong!) He’ll find out sooner or later anyway.

Be reasonable in what you expect from your mechanic. You know the saying—cheap, fast, or good: you can have any two but never all three. Don’t expect miracles! Also, give your mechanic the benefit of the doubt. Cars are complex systems, and mistakes do happen. If a repair doesn’t fix a problem or causes a new problem, take the car back to the shop immediately and explain, politely, what you have noticed. A good shop will care about their reputation and will try to fix their mistake.

Finally, if you are very pleased with the service you receive, take the time to express your thanks in a written note to your mechanic’s boss, likely the service manager. First, writing a note indicates that you have gone out of your way to praise exceptional service. Next, your mechanic will likely see the note and could get a bonus for providing great service. Whatever the outcome, this is another small act of kindness that will help you to build a good relationship with your new mechanic.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!
Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

COMMON BRAKE PROBLEMS AND MAINTENANCE

2010-11-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Your brakes are easily one of the most important components of your car. Having well-maintained and effective brakes will go a long way towards keeping you safe on the road! Few things are more terrifying than jamming on the brakes in an emergency and finding they don’t work. Before reading further, it may be helpful to check out a previous entry on how brakes work. This will help you to understand some of the problems discussed here.

Should you experience brake failure, there are a few things you can do to slow down your car and minimize potential damage; check out these tips. However, this situation is best avoided altogether!

First, practice good driving techniques to avoid putting excess wear on your brakes. Regularly braking hard—“slamming on the brakes”—puts a great deal of strain on your brakes. Driving in stop-and-go traffic also exacerbates brake wear; if possible, try to arrange your schedule so as to avoid the worst of rush hour. While driving, don’t “ride” the brake pedal or let your foot rest on it. Also, coasting to slow down before braking can help to save your brakes. Try to plan ahead; slow down if you see cars braking ahead. Look down the road a ways to spot other hazards, stop signs, and red lights that may be coming up in your path. Also avoid carrying excess weight in your car, as this will put extra strain on your brakes. Note that several of these strategies will also help you to save gas! Finally, there are different grades of brake shoes and brake pads. While the lower grade pads are cheaper initially, they will wear out faster and often don’t perform as well. Purchasing the higher grade pads and shoes will be more cost-effective in the long run and will reduce wear on the other components of your brake system as well.

Next, pay careful attention to the feel of your brakes when braking and the sound they make. Unusual noises and feelings can be symptoms of brake problems. Here are some of the most common problems and their causes:

Brake warning light comes on: This most likely indicates that there is a leak in the system. Don’t drive until you have had the system checked out, and any leaks have been repaired.

Brake pedal “rests” at a lower position: This is usually caused by drum brake adjusters not working properly. If the adjusters are rusty or they stick, they won’t advance properly. In addition to having the brakes readjusted, you will need to have the adjusters cleaned or replaced. This could also indicate that the brake pads or shoes need to be replaced or that there is a leak in the system.

“Spongy” brake pedal: If your brakes are “soft,” i.e. the pedal doesn’t offer as much resistance when you push it, then there is likely air in hydraulic system somewhere. Your mechanic will need to “bleed” brake lines, i.e. drain and replace the oil.

Need to push pedal too far in: This could be due to a variety of problem: worn brake pads or shoes, poorly adjusted drum brakes, or air in the lines. You can pump the pedal several times to compensate for this, but you will still need to get your brakes checked as soon as possible.

Pedal pulses or vibrates when you brake: This occurs when the rotors on the disc brakes, which should be flat, are worn unevenly. As a result, they don’t make contact evenly with the pads, which then causes vibrations. The rotors need to be resurfaced or, if the problem is severe, replaced.

A scraping noise: This occurs when there is metal to metal contact in the brakes, which means that you have worn entirely through the brake pads or shoes. A brake servicing is long overdue! Driving with shoes or pads this worn can seriously damage your brakes, forcing you to replace more expensive parts in your brakes.

A squealing noise: This can be caused by vibrations between the brake pads and rotor or caliper. This may be unavoidable on some older brakes which use semi-metallic compounds in the pads. Replacing the brake pads with newer ones can help. There are a few other strategies your mechanic can use to minimize this noise. However, this could also be a more serious problem, such as worn brake pads or a missing gasket, so do get your brakes checked soon.

A jerky, “slip-and-grab” feeling: It’s likely that brake oil or another substance has leaked onto to the brake mechanism. Contaminated pads will need to be replaced and, of course, the source of the contamination has to be identified and stopped.

Pedal sinks to the floor: This occurs when pressure isn’t being maintained in the hydraulic system. This is likely a leak or a worn-out master cylinder. Don’t drive in this situation! Instead, have your car towed and fixed immediately.

Brakes don’t release properly: There are several potential causes: the springs in the drum brake are not working properly; the floating caliper in the disc brakes isn’t adjusted correctly; the emergency brake cable or mechanism is broken; or the adjuster mechanism in drum brakes has extended too far.

Car swerves to one side when brakes are applied: This means that braking power isn’t evenly distributed between the front brakes. The car will “draw” to the side with the stronger brake, as the opposite wheel now has greater driving power. It’s likely that a leak, broken piston, stuck caliper, or other mechanical failure has occurred in one of the brakes. This can also be caused, however, by different brands of brake pads being used on the two front brakes, as different makes of pad and compounds have different braking properties.

Brakes are hard or difficult to use: Usually this means that the vacuum assist isn’t working properly, forcing you to put a lot more power into the system. The booster itself could be leaky or defective, or the check valve could be failing. You can test the check valve by running the engine for a few minutes (building vacuum) and then turning off car. If you don’t have power assist after a few minutes, the check valve is broken. To test the vacuum booster itself, turn off the engine. Pump the brake pedal a few times to “bleed” all remaining vacuum from the booster. Then, restart the engine and let it run for a couple of minutes. This should build vacuum in the booster again. Now, try your brakes. If there’s no power assist, this means that the vacuum booster is broken.

ABS Warning light comes on: This means that the computer has detected a problem in this system and turned it off. While this isn’t going to put you in immediate danger, it’s still better to have this system checked sooner rather than later.

Brakes lock: This is likely caused by a damaged brake pad or shoe. Have your car towed immediately.

In addition to listening for problems like these, you should also check your brake system periodically in order to stop problems before they happen. First, check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir often. If necessary, top up with fluid as needed; if the level of fluid seems to be sinking quickly, have your mechanic check for a leak.

Have your brake pads checked regularly and changed as needed. How often you will need to do this depends a lot on your driving habits and the car you drive. In general, brake shoes will need to be replaced after four rotations of brake pads.

Finally, take a moment from time to time to check that your brake lights are working.

You should have a thorough “brake job” done either when the pads are worn down or if you notice any of the symptoms above. Your mechanic will carry out a variety of routine maintenance tasks, including replacing the front pads, resurfacing the rotors, replacing the shoes (if needed), resurfacing the brake drums, bleeding the brake lines, checking for leaks, and checking and adjusting the parking brake.

More comprehensive maintenance will also include new hardware for drums—springs in particular age with exposure to heat and should be replaced—and the of rebuilding wheel cylinders and calipers.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about defensive driving and business driver safety.

Accident Liability: Who Is At Fault?

2010-11-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Now that I’ve discussed what to do if you’re in an accident, it makes sense to look at what happens after an accident. Car accidents can be very costly, both in terms of personal injuries and damage to your car. Understanding how insurance companies determine fault and what you are legally liable for can help you to avoid paying unnecessary damages.

At first glance, the laws and regulations surrounding liability for motor vehicle accidents can seem daunting, particularly because legal jargon is pretty opaque. However, the basic principles are fairly simple and logical.

First off, insurance companies need to determine who is at fault in an accident, as this will impact who is awarded damages and how much payment each party receives. Under common law, there are different kinds of fault. The two most commonly applied to car accidents are negligence, which is careless or inadvertently harmful behavior, and recklessness, which involves a deliberate disregard for the safety of other people. Failing to observe the proper procedure at a four way stop would be a case of negligence, while drunk driving would constitute reckless behavior.

One more useful piece of vocabulary before we move on: If you cause an accident, you have committed a tort, which is a private wrong committed outside of a contract. Someone who commits a tort is called a tortfeasor. You may notice this language in your insurance policy, but don’t let it intimidate you.

After you’ve submitted your insurance claim, your insurance company will negotiate with the insurance company of the other party or parties on your behalf. Together, the companies will decide what is fair compensation for each party.

Insurance claims adjusters look at four factors in order to determine fault: duties, breach, causation, and damages. All four of these elements need to be in place in order for the company to assert that a party is at fault.

First, every driver has certain duties while on the road. These duties are usually described as “look out,” avoidance, and following the rules of the road. “Look out” means that you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times. It’s your duty to see what is happening on the road and in your environment. For this reason, never tell an adjuster or police officer that you “didn’t see the other car” or “it came out of nowhere.” This is enough to establish that you are at least partially at fault, as you didn’t uphold your duty to be aware of your surroundings.

Avoidance means that you have to do your best to avoid the accident. This doesn’t mean that you have to actually avoid the accident, it just means that you have to demonstrate that you tried. For example, if a car runs a red light as you are entering an intersection and you don’t brake or swerve to avoid hitting that car, then you are partially at fault, even though the other driver broke the law. The third duty, following the rules of the road, is fairly straightforward.

In order to determine fault, insurance companies need to show that you have failed in one of these duties. This is known as a breach. They also need to show causation, i.e. that there is a connection between the duty breached and the damages caused. All damages, either property damages or injuries, must be related to the duty breach that you caused. For example, say that your car is parked with the engine running, but you are not wearing your seatbelt; another car hits you, and you are injured in the collision. On the one hand, you were breaking the law by not wearing your seatbelt. However, this breach did not cause the accident, i.e. wearing your seatbelt would in no way have ameliorated this accident. Therefore, you are not liable for damages to either car. However, if failure to wear the seatbelt exacerbated your injuries, your claims for these damages due to personal injury could be reduced.

In order to make these determinations, insurance companies rely on the police report and other accounts of the accident. In making your claim, it may be helpful to review the police report yourself and to check up on local law codes regarding the driving situation you were in. If you can cite a specific code that the other driver broke, you will be going a long way towards helping your insurance company prove the other side was at fault.

There are two kinds of accidents where fault is pretty straightforward. The first is a rear end accident. In this instance, the driver behind you is always at fault, as he or she has a clear duty to maintain a safe following distance. Even if you stop suddenly, the other driver should have enough space to stop safely as well. If that driver has been pushed into you by another car, he could claim damages from the car that hit him. However, he is still liable for the damages to your car. If you’ve done something wrong, such as driving without working brake lights, your damages award could be reduced.

The other case is a left turn accident. In this scenario, the driver turning left is at fault, as the driver going straight has the right of way. There are a few exceptions, of course, such as if the other driver is speeding or runs a red light.

In most other types of accidents, there will most likely be some degree of fault on both sides. In these cases, the way that fault is handled varies from state to state. Four different kinds of laws are in place.

In states with contributory negligence laws, if either party is at all at fault, then they cannot claim damages. Even if you are only slightly at fault for an accident, you will not be able to claim any damages. Only a few states follow this law: Alabama, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

Another, more common kind of law, is pure comparative fault. Under this law, your damage award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are 10% at fault, then your award will be reduced by 10%. New York, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, California, Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota, Washington and Alaska use this law.
Other states use proportional comparative fault. This means that if you are above a certain percentage at fault, you will not be able to claim damages. Some states set the bar at 51%, so if you are found to be 51% or more at fault, you cannot claim damages. These states include Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Other states set the bar at 50%, so that if you are 50% or more responsible, you can’t claim for damages. States using this law are: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.

Once fault is determined, the next step is to assess the total cost of all damages. For this reason, it is important that you keep records of any expenses related to the accident. This is also why it is essential that you receive a medical check-up shortly after the accident, even if you do not think you are seriously injured. If a more serious problem does manifest itself in the weeks after the accident, it can be become increasingly difficult to prove that this problem was directly caused by the accident. Damages in the form of lost wages and loss of future earnings are also taken into account, as are general damages, such as pain and suffering or reduced quality of life, although these can be more complicated. In the case of a particularly severe or complicated accident, it could be a good idea to consult a lawyer, as these cases can become very complex.

Finally, it always helps to be familiar with your insurance policy and the liability limits. Note that there will be two separate limits for injury and property damages. Purchasing personal injury protection or no fault coverage will ensure that you are covered by your insurance company no matter who is at fault. Uninsured or underinsured coverage makes sure that you are covered even if the other party does not have insurance or does not have enough to cover the full cost of damages to you and your vehicle.

To find out more on this topic, or to read up and watch videos on various other car-related topics, visit Defensive Driving's Safe Driver Resources page. http://www.defensivedriving.com/safe-driver-resources/

What To Do If Your Car Crashes In Water

2010-11-08T09:52:00.001-08:00

I’m one of those “worst case scenario” people; in most things I do, I have a tendency to imagine everything that could possibly go wrong and then try to develop contingency plans for dealing with the situation. I’ve been this way since I was little. On family vacations, I would try to account for all potential hazards; as we drove over a number of long bridges on many trips, the threat of crashing through the rails and into the water was significant source of fear. For this reason, I’d like to present a brief overview of what to do should this ever happen to you. While the odds may be slim, maybe, like me, you’ll at least breathe a little easier when driving near lakes and rivers.
About 300 people die each year in the US due to cars crashing into water. In many cases, these deaths are preventable. As long as driver and passengers aren’t injured in the crash itself, it should be possible to escape from the car safely, provided one doesn’t panic.
First and foremost, don’t undo your seatbelt before you hit the water. Remember that, when you are travelling at speed, the water is more like a wall than a cushion. There will be a significant impact when your car hits the water, so be prepared.
However, do try to open your windows as soon as possible, as this is your best chance for a safe escape. Remember that the pressure of the water will make it almost impossible to open your doors. You will have a couple of minutes before the power window controls fail, so do your best to get the windows open. If you get a window partially open, you should be able to force it down manually by leveraging your weight against the top rim. At the same time, make sure to release automatic door locks, as you may have to open the doors later.
Once you get the windows open, undo your seatbelt and have your passengers do the same. Then exit through the windows. In some cars, the rear windows may not go down all the way. Passengers may have to exit through the front windows as well.
If you can’t get the windows down in time, don’t panic! You can still exit the car safely. First, try to break the windows, although this may be too difficult. If this doesn’t work, you will have to wait until the car has mostly filled with water, so this option is obviously much more nerve-wracking. Do your best to remain calm and to reassure your passengers.
You will need to allow the car to fill with water to approximately neck height, so that the pressure on the outside and inside of the doors equalizes. You should then be able to open the door. Air will be trapped near the car’s ceiling, so keep your head and the heads of your passengers up near the roof. You may need to lift small children up or place them on your shoulders.
Once the car has filled sufficiently, tell everyone to take a deep breath in. Open as many doors as necessary and swim to the surface, breathing out as you do so. If you exit from the same door as someone else, link arms with them so you can make sure you both get to the surface safely.
To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

What To Do If You Are In An Accident

2010-10-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

Bad things can happen, even to the safest of drivers. For this reason, it’s a good idea for everyone, particularly young drivers, to know exactly what to do should they experience an accident. First of all, be prepared. Some things that may be useful to have in your car:
· Your cell phone
· A camera (if your phone doesn’t have a camera, you can always carry a disposable one in your glove compartment.)
· A card with a summary of any pertinent medical information, such as allergies or chronic conditions, in case you are injured and unconscious.
· Contact numbers for local and state police
· Cones, warning triangles or emergency flares
· Your insurance ID card and your car’s registration
First, don’t panic! Check to see if anyone is injured and, if so, call 911 for medical help immediately. Make sure that everyone knows not to leave the scene of the accident, as this can be construed as a hit-and-run even if that is not the drivers’ intention. If you do call 911, be provide the dispatcher with your name and contact number, a description of the accident and any injured parties, and the details of your location; make sure to stay on the line until the dispatcher lets you know it’s okay to hang up.
Then, get all cars off the road, if possible. If you cannot get a car off the road, have drivers and passengers remain in the car with doors closed until emergency help arrives. Once you have moved the car to a safe place, then raise your hood and turn on your emergency flashers to make your car more visible. Use cones, triangles, and flares to further heighten your visibility. Have all drivers and passengers move away from the cars to a safe location. Next, contact the police. Depending on the severity and location of the accident, they may or may not send an officer to the scene.
Once you have assured everyone’s safety, then take the time to exchange contact information for each car. You will need the name, phone number, and address of both the DRIVER and the OWNER of the car; if someone other than owner is driving, make sure to get both sets of details and to establish the relationship between the driver and the insurance policy holder. You will also need to exchange insurance company names and policy numbers and driver’s license numbers and license plate numbers. If there is a police officer present, make sure to also get his name and the police report number.
Next, take the time to document the accident, if possible. Take pictures of damage done to the cars and the accident scene. Make sure to cover the full extent of the damage done to your vehicle, so that you can later support any insurance claims. Write down a description of each car—the year, model, and make—and the damage done to both vehicles. Once you get home, write a brief description of how the accident happened and what ensued. While this may seem like the farthest thing from your mind at the time, your memories of the event will be fresher immediately after the accident. It can often be particularly difficult to remember traumatic events a few days or weeks later. If you notice any witnesses, see if they are willing to offer their contact details.
If a police officer is not present at the accident scene, then you should consider filing an accident report, as this could assist with the insurance claims process. You can find the appropriate forms at your local police station and/or on your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles website.
Throughout this process, try to remain calm, cooperative and polite in your interactions with others. However, be careful not to state to others or to police officers that the accident was your fault, as this could later be used against you in an insurance claim. Even if you feel that you are at fault in the accident, remember that there may be other factors involved that you aren’t aware of; instead, leave judgments about fault to the police.
After you’ve safely returned home, promptly report the accident to your insurance company. While you may be reluctant to do this, fearing a rise in premiums, the situation could end up being worse if the other driver claims and you do not. For example, the other party could claim for damages that weren’t apparent to you at the scene or may have a story about the accident that differs from your version. Even if you live in a “no fault” state, i.e. insurers will pay for expenses incurred regardless of fault; the other party’s insurance company can still seek payment from your insurer if it appears that you were at fault. For these reasons, it’s important to make sure that your insurer knows your side of the story up front.
This may also be a good opportunity to review your insurance policy, in order to determine what is covered and what is not. I’ll cover this in greater detail in a later entry, however.
Finally, make sure to take care of yourself! The adrenaline in your body after a crash may mask injuries that aren’t readily apparent. If you notice any unusual symptoms in the hours and days after the accident, particularly dizziness, ringing in the ears, disorientation or nausea; head injuries in particular can often go diagnosed.
Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Practice defensive driving so that you don’t end up in this kind of situation; however, if you are in an accident, being prepared and knowing how to handle the situation will help to minimize the trauma, damage, and cost of the accident.
To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!
Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving and business driver safety.

How to Create and Implement a Safe Driver Policy

2010-10-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

Whether your company manages a large fleet of delivery vehicles or simply loans out a few company cars for sales calls, creating and enforcing an effective safe driving policy can save your company a great deal of time and money. When accidents happen, whether on company time or not, employers often bear the cost: employees miss time from work, company property is damaged, and the company can be liable for damages incurred.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for all ages in the US. On-the-job crashes cost employers an average of $60 billion per year in revenue! In addition, these crashes will raise the cost of important benefits like disability insurance, social security, and workers’ compensation. Each crash costs an employer around $74,000; costs will exceed $500,000 if a fatality is involved. Creating and implementing an effective safe driving program will protect financial and human resources; reduce liability; and, above all, ensure the continued health and safety of employees and their families.

Safe driving policies, along with driver safety training, are proven to produce results. The National of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) recommends a ten-step program for the successful creation and implementation of a safe driving policy. I’ll outline the basic principles of this policy below.

In 1998, Nationwide, one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in America, implemented a driver safety program along these lines. In the following year, Nationwide saw a 53% reduction in crashes, reducing the cost of operating the company’s motor vehicle fleet by 40%. Other companies have seen similarly drastic benefits. These programs are proven to work!

BECOME A SAFER DRIVER

Whether an employer or an employee, the first step towards ensuring safer driving policies at your company is to set a good example for others by being a safe driver oneself! Commit yourself to becoming a safer and more aware driver. Today’s highways are so over-crowded that even cautious and experienced drivers can have trouble navigating them safely. One has to be continuously vigilant and exacting about safety.

No matter what you do, always think safety first. Then, follow these basic good driving principles:

· Wear your seatbelt at all times and ensure your passengers do the same.

· Avoid frustration! Try to remain calm at all times; breathe deeply if you start to become aggravated. Also try not to frustrate others. Strive to be the most courteous driver on the road, no matter how others behave!

· Observe all posted signs and speed limits.

· Avoid distractions, especially cell-phone usage!

· Maintain a safe following distance.

· Conduct a safety check before driving, to make sure that tires, lights, and wipers are in good shape. Adjust your mirrors before setting out.

· Be alert, pay attention to your surroundings, and always look ahead for hazards.

· Avoid fatigue.

· Take a defensive driving course to improve your driving skills.

COMPONENTS OF A SAFE DRIVING POLICY

These basic safe driving practices should be clearly communicated to all employees in your company’s driving policy. This policy will set out the basic expectations and requirements for anyone driving a company vehicle or driving a personal vehicle while conducting company business. In this policy, consider covering the following areas:

1. Employees must maintain adequate licensing and, if driving their own vehicles, insurance.
2. Employees must adhere to all state and federal laws.
3. Employees must promptly report accidents, tickets, and violations.
4. Employees must practice safe driving habits.
5. Employees must never drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
6. Employees must always wear seatbelts.
7. Employees must adhere to clearly stated policies regarding the transportation of passengers.

These are just a few of the key points that should be covered in an effective safe driving policy.

ENSURING POLICY EFFECTIVENESS

Designing a policy, however, is just the first step. Beyond that, it takes commitment and dedication to make sure that the policy is widely understood and adopted, so that the company and its employees see real results.

Those in leadership positions should set a positive example, both in their own driving and in the expectations they communicate to their employees. For example, those in management positions should never pressure their subordinates to text or call while driving. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that employers provide a workplace free of hazards. Driving is now considered a workspace and distracted driving a hazard; as more and more states enact bans on cell phone use while driving, it’s more important than ever that employees not take calls or texts while driving.

When designing a policy, it’s crucial to get all employees and senior management involved. Make sure that all levels of the company staff involved in the planning process, so that everyone will be more likely to accept and understand the policy.

Together, create a written policy that is clear, comprehensive, and effective. This policy needs to be distributed to all employees and posted in the workplace. Because we all tend to be forgetful, it’s a good idea to re-distribute the policy from time to time, so that everyone stays informed. This way, you’ll also be able to communicate any changes to the policy.

Have employees sign a safe driving agreement, so that management and staff are on the same page about what is expected and required.

Conduct annual checks of employees’ motor vehicle records. Make sure to have clearly communicated limits for the number of acceptable violations. Additionally, establish a training program for employees with repeated offenses.

Make sure to have a clear process for reporting and investigating crashes and similar incidents, so that employees know what the proper procedure is in such a situation.

Create a reward or incentive program to encourage employees who drive safely and maintain safe driving habits. Positive reinforcements are often more effective than negative ones!

Continue to provide safe driver training to employees. It’s easy for all of us to become complacent; having a little extra encouragement and advice from time to time is a great way to ensure continued safe driving. A defensive driving course is a great way to remind your employees of the importance of safe driving while equipping them with the skills they’ll need to navigate any kind of driving emergency.

For more information on safe driver policies and driving tips, check out these resources:

Network of Employers for Traffic Safety www.trafficsafety.org
Occupational Safety and Health Administration www.osha.gov
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration www.nhtsa.dot.gov
Business Defensive Driving www.businessdefensivedriving.com

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS: COMMON PROBLEMS AND MAINTENANCE

2010-10-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Before reading this entry, you may want to check out my previous entry on how an automatic transmission works since this will provide some useful background information that will help you to understand how and why these transmissions can fail.

Unlike an engine, which can exhibit any number of odd symptoms when a problem occurs, an ailing automatic transmission will generally display one of a handful of symptoms:

· Car won’t go into gear at all
· Shifts are delayed or uneven (jerky or too sudden)
· Unusual noises occur during shifts
· “Slipping” occurs when the car is in gear
· Car won’t go into low or reverse gears
· Vehicle tries to move while in park or neutral
· Shift lever is difficult to move

If the transmission won’t go at all (or if shifts aren’t smooth), your best bet is to check the transmission fluid. For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, see my previous entry on engine maintenance. You may need to add extra fluid if the level is too low. If this problem occurs repeatedly, it’s likely that there’s a leak in the system that will need to be repaired by a professional. Note that automatic transmission fluid is usually a deep red color, unlike engine oil, which is a light brown. If you notice red fluid leaking from your car or on your engine, then a leak is most likely present in your transmission.

A clogged filter could also keep a transmission from functioning properly. If you’ve never had your transmission’s filter replaced, have your mechanic do so the next time your car is serviced. The problem could also lie in the pump. If the pump isn’t maintaining fluid pressure, then the complex hydraulic system that powers the transmission won’t function.

Delayed engagement, i.e. a lag time between when you shift gears and when the car actually starts moving, can also indicate a problem with the transmission. This will be most noticeable when the car has just begun to run, so if you want to check for transmission problems, the best time to do so would be right after you’ve started the engine and are ready to drive. The transmission should engage almost immediately after a gear is selected. If this doesn’t happen, there’s likely a problem developing.

Delayed shifting is often caused by valves sticking the valve body, which prevents shifts from happening when they should. On newer cars, which control shifts using a computer, the problem could lie in the shift solenoids that are used to trigger shifts. If this is the case, these components of the transmission will likely need to be serviced or replaced. If the problem lies in the computer itself, then a reconfiguring of the computer is likely all that is necessary. Automatic transmissions also contain spring-loaded dampeners, called accumulators, which ensure that shifts happen gently. If the car suddenly jerks or slams into gear, i.e. the reverse of delayed shifting occurs, then the accumulators are likely to blame.
Slipping is another problem that can indicate something is wrong with your transmission. If you press the accelerator and the RPM increases but the speed doesn’t, this means that the transmission is going into gear but isn’t staying there. This is likely a sign that one of clutch packs or bands has burned out. Check your transmission fluid: if it’s dark, discolored, or burnt-smelling, then a ruined clutch is likely the culprit.

If the vehicle has difficulty with reverse or low gear, then the most likely problem is in the torque converter. The torque converter contains a one-way clutch that only allows components to spin in one direction. If this isn’t working properly, then the vehicle won’t go into low or reverse gears.
Finally, the problem could be purely mechanical, i.e. a broken component or stripped gear. Look carefully under the hood, as metal shavings or chips could indicate that one or more gears have been stripped. If this happens, you will likely have to have your transmission rebuilt.

Maintenance
So, what can you do to prevent these problems from occurring? The most important thing is to be sensitive to the sounds and functions of your transmission so that you can notice any odd behavior as soon as it begins. The transmission is a sensitive and complex system, in which small problems can very quickly escalate into major ones. Since this system is so expensive to repair, nipping any problem in the bud will save time, money, and hassle.
Even if you don’t notice any problems with your transmission, you should still check your transmission fluid twice a year. Maintaining proper fluid levels can help to prevent problems from developing. In addition to checking the level of the fluid, check the color and odor, just as you would when checking the oil level.

Next, remember that transmission oil, like engine oil, needs to be replaced at appropriate intervals. While a complete servicing done at a dealership will most likely include a change of transmission oil, your local mechanic may not do so at every servicing. Make sure that you keep complete and accurate records of your car’s service history, including each oil change. That way, you will know if a transmission oil change is overdue. For guidelines on when such a change must be done, see your owner’s manual, which will recommend the appropriate timeline for transmission oil changes and the grade of oil which should be used. Make sure that the oil filter is changed along with the oil. Also have your mechanic check carefully for any leaks in the system when the car is serviced.

Additionally, try to avoid driving behaviors that can place excess strain on the transmission. “Rocking” a vehicle to get it out of a snow bank or rut can easily destroy a transmission in minutes. This is because this “back and forth” gear shifting causes the transmission to heat up, which will result in rubber parts—like the very important seals and gaskets—failing. The transmission fluid will also burn off, and metal parts can warp. All of this leads to a useless transmission. Towing a heavy load, driving in continuous stop and go traffic in hot weather, and racing can also cause a transmission to overheat.

Finally, towing the car with the drive wheels (front or back, depending on the car) still on the road can damage a transmission as well. Your towing company should know better, but just in case, be on the safe side and check.

Even when properly cared for, however, transmissions can still break down. So, if you do notice anything amiss, get it checked out sooner rather than later.
To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

How to Handle a Tire Blowout

2010-10-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

No matter how conscientious a driver you are and how well maintained your car is, driving emergencies can and do happen. When these emergencies do occur, however, being prepared and knowing how to handle the situation will help you to get you, your car, and your passengers out of danger unscathed.

One of the more dramatic emergencies that you may encounter as a driver is a tire blowout. Unlike a flat tire, which involves a slow loss of air pressure, during a tire blowout the tire loses pressure very rapidly. Because of the suddenness with which a tire blowout usually occurs, it’s particularly important that you know exactly what to do in such a situation, so that you can react quickly and effectively.

Fortunately, today’s tires are generally very reliable, so blowouts don’t happen all that often. When they do occur, they happen for several reasons. The most common cause by far is under-inflation; when under-inflated; the tire walls flex more than they should. As you drive, heat builds up in the rubber, especially on a hot day, which can result in a blowout. Over-inflation can also cause a blowout, as overinflated tires are more easily slashed and punctured by objects on the road. Over-loading, large punctures, excess wear, and age can also cause blowouts.

The best way, then, to prevent a blowout is to practice good tire maintenance. Make sure your tires are inflated to within the recommended pressure range (usually indicated in a chart on the inside of the door well.) Use a tire pressure gauge to make sure you have properly inflated the tires, or, if you do not know how to do so, have your mechanic check and maintain your tire pressure. Rotate and replace your tires as necessary, making sure to check tread depth. A good test is to insert a penny head down into the tread; the tread should at least cover Lincoln’s head. If you are going to be carrying heavy loads in your vehicle, make sure that you know your vehicle’s load index rating and don’t exceed this weight.

Unfortunately, accidents still happen, no matter how prepared you are! A thumping sound in one of the wheels can be an indicator that a tire blowout is about to occur. Should you notice such a sound, pull over and check your tires.

If a blowout does happen, the most important thing to do is stay calm. As is the case in many driving emergencies, your instinctive motions aren’t likely to be the right ones. For this reason in particular, it’s important to maintain a cool head so that you can make the correct choices—the ones that will save you and your car.

If a tire blowout does occur, the first thing you’ll notice is that the car begins to vibrate and wants to swerve towards the blown-out tire, much like when a skid occurs. (In fact, handling this situation is similar to handling a skid.) First and foremost, DON’T BRAKE! Just as when entering a skid, this will cause your wheels to lock-up and will result in a total loss of control. Instead, accelerate slightly and try to keep steering the car as straight as possible; this slight acceleration will keep your car from “jumping” into the next lane.

Next, begin to slow down by removing your foot from the accelerator; do so GENTLY. A sudden release of the accelerator will have the same effect as braking. Turn on your emergency indicators to alert other drivers to your predicament and make sure you are aware of the cars on the road around you.

Don’t jerk the steering wheel or make sudden movements to force the car into the direction you want to go; rather, steer gently and gradually. When you have control of the car, begin to maneuver towards the right hand lane and, when you have a safe space on which to pull over, do so.

Once you have come to a complete halt, wait to get out of the car until it is safe to do so. If you know how to change a tire and have room to do so safely, then proceed! However, if you have even the slightest doubt about the safety of the situation, don’t risk it. Call a towing company instead.

Even if this never happens to you, knowing what to expect from a tire blowout and how to handle it could come in handy if you see someone else on the road having this problem. For example, you’ll know that the car is likely to shift toward the blown-out tire and can adjust your own position on the road accordingly. As with all things, maintaining a “safety bubble” between you and other cars on the road will give you the time you need to react to any potentially hazardous situation.

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Pull Out of a Skid” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Keeping It Clean: Car Exteriors

2010-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

A well-washed car is a thing of beauty: bright and shiny, the envy of the parking lot. A dirty car, on the other hand, invites derision; children write “wash me” in the grime on the rear window. Beyond maintaining aesthetic value and avoiding personal shame, however, keeping your car clean has a practical purpose. Grime and dirt retain moisture, which speeds up rust and corrosion, thereby ageing your car prematurely. A well maintained car will look almost new after ten years on the road, while a poorly kept car may look ancient after just two or three years.

As a last resort, you can take your car to an automated drive-through carwash. This is, however, a bit like washing your face with steel wool and a hairdryer; the harsh environment of an automated car wash will eventually do more harm than good to your car’s delicate paint finish. Take the time to wash your car yourself. It won’t take more than an hour, and you’ll be proud of the results. Plus, it’s nice to be outside on a fine day, and cleaning can be a soothing and meditative activity.

There are three steps to washing a car: washing, polishing, and waxing. The first step, washing, should be done every month or so to prevent grime build up. The next two steps can be done every three-four months, as a good coat of wax should last about this long. Polishing helps to remove surface imperfections like small scratches and prepares the surface for waxing. Waxing then creates a protective coating over the paint job and helps to “seal” any chips or cracks. If you haven’t waxed your car in recent memory (or ever), consider taking it to a detailing shop first. There, professionals will use an electric buffer to remove minor scratches and impurities in the paint before waxing; this will make it easier for you to apply wax yourself in the future.

What You’ll Need

· A garden hose
· Two buckets full of warm or cold water
· A car soap or shampoo (avoid using other soaps, like dish detergent, that aren’t specifically formatted for cars, as these can damage the paint)
· Two soft cloths or wash mitts
· 100% cotton towels, chamois leather, or microfiber cloths
· Car polish
· Buffer pad for applying polish and towel for removing it
· Car wax
· Sponge for applying wax
· Steel wool and/or brush for cleaning tires

Washing

1. Choose the right day. You want a day that is warm enough for you to be outside for a while, but not too hot, or the car will dry quickly and you’ll end up with soap and water stains. Overcast days are great; otherwise, pick a shady spot for your washing.

2. Mix your car soap into one of the buckets filled with water. Check the bottle and be sure to use the recommended amount. Too much soap can damage the car’s finish, while too little won’t get the job done. Use the other bucket for rinsing out your cloths, so that you don’t get grime in the water you’re using to wash the car.

3. Next, hose down the car to remove outer layers of dirt. Avoid using pressure hoses, as these can damage chipped or cracked paint.

4. Wet one of your soft cloths and begin washing the car. Start at the top of the car and work your way down. Since the bottom of the car is usually much dirtier than the rest, you may want to use a different cloth for tackling this part of the car.

5. Rinse off each section of the car after washing it. You don’t want to let the soap dry, or you’ll end up with streaks.

6. As you progress around the car, keep rinsing the car off with the hose, so that the surface stays wet. Allowing the car to air dry will result in water spots.

7. Once you’ve washed the body of the car, use the steel wool and brush to clean the tires and the tire wells, where a lot of dirt tends to accumulate.

8. Finally, dry the car. Chamois leather or microfiber cloths, which are soft and absorbent, are ideal for this. However, 100% cotton towels make good substitutes for these products. To dry the car, lay a cloth over one section of the car to blot up the water. Then, use a dry towel to absorb the remaining moisture.

Polishing and Waxing

1. Once the car is dry, begin to polish it. Apply a 1-inch circle of polish to your buffer pad. Then apply this polish to a 2-foot square of car exterior.

2. Apply the polish in a circular motion. Finish with a few back-and-forth strokes to make sure you’ve evenly covered the area.

3. Allow the polish to dry. Then, remove it with a dry cloth or polish removal mitt.

4. Once you’ve polished the car, it’s time to apply the wax. First, make sure to get a good quality wax (often with Carnauba wax in it.) Avoid getting a wax with abrasives. Read the labeling carefully and test the wax on a small and unobtrusive part of the car first.

5. Provided your test goes okay, proceed to wax the rest of the car. Apply wax to the sponge and spread it in a thin and even layer over the surface of the car. Avoid getting wax on plastic and rubber trim, as it can stain these parts of the car. If you do get wax on these surfaces, you can clean it off with window cleaner.

6. Once the wax has dried, use another dry towel to buff the wax to a high shine.

Additional Steps

1. If you like, you can apply tire finish to tires to give them a black and shiny glow. However, beware that these products can stain your driveway, so if you don’t want black marks there, put newspapers underneath your wheels.

2. You can also use products like trim preserver and window polish to enhance the shine of glass and rubber components.

Stay tuned for part two—how to clean the interior of your car!

To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Engine Maintenance- a little goes a long way!

2010-08-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

Now that we’ve discussed some common engine problems, let’s look at ways that you—together with a trusted mechanic—can nip these problems in the bud and prolong the life of your engine.

First, take the time to find a mechanic in your area whom you trust. If you’ve just acquired a car or moved to a new area, take some time to shop around and get quotes from different mechanics. I’ll write more about this in a later entry, but for now, remember that having a good relationship with your mechanic will take stress out of your life and the life of your car.

Next, make sure to follow the tune-up schedule recommended by your car’s manufacturer. You can find this information in your owner’s manual. How often your car needs a tune-up depends on how much you drive, so this schedule will be listed in terms of both time and distance driven. A general rule of thumb is to have a major tune-up every two years or 30,000 miles (whichever comes first), with interim oil changes every 6 months or 6,000 miles (again, whichever comes first.) However, the exact schedule will vary from car to car.

At a major tune-up, your mechanic will inspect, clean, and often replace the parts of your engine that experience the most severe wear and tear. At a tune-up, a mechanic will often:
· Replace the spark plugs
· Replace the fuel filter and the air filter
· Replace the distributor cap
· Check the ignition timing
· Check the timing belts and replace if needed
· Clean and service the battery

In between major services, however, there are a number of small things you can do to make sure your engine is still in good working order. This way, you can spot potential problems before they develop into major issues.

CHECK YOUR OIL AND COOLANT
These are easy and very satisfying tasks; for those of us who don’t think of ourselves as “car people,” checking your own oil and coolant can give you a feeling of accomplishment. Try to check your oil at least once every two weeks.
First, park on level ground and wait for your engine to cool down before opening your hood. Then, locate your oil dipstick and coolant reservoir. The oil dipstick is often marked as “oil” and/or will be brightly colored (red, yellow, or orange.) It’s generally very easy to spot, as is the coolant reservoir. This will be a translucent tank off to one side of the engine, with “high” and “low” marked on it. See figure 1 below.

Figure 1: a typical car engine

Once you’ve located the oil dipstick, pull it out and wipe it off using a rag or paper towel. Then, stick it back in, wait a second, and carefully pull it out again. It’s important to do this in order to get a clear and accurate reading of the oil level.

Figure 2: oil dipstick, side view

Your dipstick will have a “high” and a “low” mark. Sometimes these will be marked with lines or with different patterns of scoring. You want to check that the oil level is close to—but not above— the “high” mark. If the oil level is too high, it’s likely something else is leaking into your oil tank. If the oil level is too low, you should add oil; if you aren’t familiar with how to do so, take your car to a local service station. Do, however, make sure that you only add the grade of oil specified by your car’s manufacturer. You also want to check the oil color. The oil should be a light golden brown and should be translucent. If it’s dark or opaque, it’s time for an oil change. If it’s a cloudy white color, then coolant or water is leaking into your oil tank.

Figure 3: tip of an oil dipstick

While the oil level is fine in the picture above, notice that the oil is a very dark brown color. This means that the oil is fairly old and should be changed soon, although not necessarily immediately.
To check your coolant, simply locate the “high” and “low” marks on the coolant reservoir and make sure that the coolant level is within these limits. WARNING: don’t take the radiator cap off when you check the coolant levels; if the system is still warm, there will be pressure in the radiator. Removing the cap could cause a nasty burn. If you have trouble seeing the coolant level in your tank (perhaps because your engine, like mine, is quite old), you can try shining a flashlight through the tank to better illuminate the fluid level.

Figure 4: coolant reservoir

CHECK YOUR BELTS
While you’ve got your hood open, take a moment to check the timing belts on your engine. You’ll see these near the front of the engine. They look like long elastic bands that have been stretched from the bottom to the top of the engine well.

Figure 5: timing belt

Check the belts to make sure that they don’t look frayed, cracked, or worn. If a belt looks damaged in any way, take your car to your mechanic for a tune-up.

CHECK YOUR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID
If you have a car with automatic transmission, you should also check your automatic transmission fluid about once a month. You may also want to check the fluid level if you notice anything odd about the way your car is (or isn’t) shifting gears.
First, consult the owner’s manual of your car. This manual will tell you where the dipstick for the transmission fluid is located. It will also let you know if the car engine needs to be running when you check the fluid (this is the case for many cars.)
Then, park in a level area and follow the same procedure as for checking the oil: pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, reinsert it, and then pull it out again. If the car engine is running or has just been running (i.e. the engine is still warm,) then the fluid should be at or near the upper “HOT” mark. If the engine is cold, then the fluid level should be at the lower “COLD” mark. The fluid should be clean, slightly pink and transparent; if it’s black, brown, or burnt-smelling, then it’s time to replace the fluid.

Overall, be aware of how your engine sounds and runs, and don’t be afraid to look under the hood from time to time! It’s not as daunting as it may seem.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

THE ENGINE: COMMON PROBLEMS AND MAINTENANCE, Part 1

2010-08-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Now that we’ve reviewed the basic principles of engine operation, I’d like to discuss a few of the most common engine problems, how you can identify these problems, and what basic maintenance you should do in order to prevent serious issues from occurring. Even if you don’t have the technical know-how to diagnose or repair your car yourself, having a general idea of what might be going wrong and why will definitely keep you from panicking when faced with an engine issue. Learning to identify common warning signs will also help you to ensure that little problems don’t escalate into bigger ones.

What if your engine won’t start?

First of all, ask yourself: do I hear the engine cranking? If you do hear a cranking sound (i.e. the starting motor driving the crankshaft) but the engine still doesn’t start, then a variety of things could be going wrong.

First, there could be a lack of compression. Remember that if the pistons can’t compress the air in the cylinder, the fuel-air mix won’t ignite. Lack of compression could be caused a faulty seal, either in the valves or the piston ring, or by a hole in the cylinder.

Alternatively, the valve timing could be off, so that the air fuel mix isn’t coming in or the exhaust isn’t going out. There could be a fault in the ignition system, meaning that either the spark plugs aren’t sparking or the timing of the sparks is off. If you’ve run low on oil, then it could mean that the piston isn’t able to move freely in the cylinder. Obviously, lack of fuel could be a cause; this doesn’t necessarily mean that your tank is empty. It could be that your fuel pump isn’t working properly, or the fuel filter is clogged. There could also be a bad fuel mix, meaning that there is either too much air or too much fuel entering the cylinder. This could be caused by the fuel pump or the fuel filter or by water in the gas tank.

If you don’t hear your engine cranking at all or if it is cranking very slowly, then you most likely have a dead battery (lucky for you—this is very easy to fix!). You can jumpstart your car (see previous entry) to get on the road again; if your battery goes dead again, however, it’s probably time for a new one.

What if your engine makes funny noises?

Engine noises can be one of the first clues you’ll have that something isn’t going right. If you notice your engine making an unusual noise, take careful note of the type of noise and when it occurs. For example, does it always happen when you’ve just started the car, or after you’ve been driving a long time? When braking, or when going up hills? Is it a grinding, whining, or clicking sound?

Then, take your car to a trusted service station to have the noise checked out. Since sounds are an important diagnostic tool for technicians, the more detail you can give in your description, the better the chances are that your service station will be able to identify the issue quickly.
Once common—and disturbing—engine noise is backfiring. This is the sound of a minor explosion coming out of your tail pipe. Backfiring occurs when something goes wrong in the combustion process. Possible causes include: a clogged air intake, poorly fitted spark plug wires, incorrect fuel-to-air ratio, and an impurity in the fuel.

If you notice a knocking sound coming from your engine, don’t delay taking your car to be serviced, as this could indicate one of a number of serious issues.

What if your engine overheats and/or you notice smoke rising from the engine?

The most obvious cause of overheating is a lack of coolant in the cooling system. Once you’ve stopped your car, check the level of coolant in the reservoir (I’ll explain how to do this in part two.)

There are a few other common causes of overheating. First, there could be a build-up of deposits in the water jacket around the cylinders; these deposits impede the transfer of heat from cylinder to water. A broken cooling fan or broken water pump would also keep the cooling system from working properly, as would a twisted or broken radiator hose.

What if your exhaust smoke is a funny color?

Ideally, you shouldn’t really be able to see your exhaust smoke, aside from a few puffs on cold mornings. A bit of pale grey smoke is probably also okay. However, if you notice large amounts of dark or thick smoke, it’s a sign that your engine probably isn’t running properly. Do take the time to check the color and density of exhaust smoke occasionally.

Black smoke: This looks dramatic but is likely the result of fairly minor issues. Black smoke is caused when excess fuel is burned in the cylinders, meaning that there is too much fuel in the fuel and air mix. This could be caused by a dirty or clogged air filter. A faulty fuel pump, a carburetor (device that mixes fuel and air, primarily in older cars) that isn’t properly adjusted, or a faulty engine computer could also be the underlying cause.

White Smoke: This white smoke is actually steam that is produced when either water or antifreeze gets into the cylinder and burns along with the fuel and air mixture. This probably means that one of the gaskets, which separate the cooling system from the cylinder, is cracked or leaking. Check your oil as well to see if antifreeze has leaked into the oil (the oil will be cloudy.) See part two for more information on how to check your oil.

Blue smoke: This indicates that your engine is burning oil. Broken or stuck piston rings—i.e. the seals between the piston and cylinder—are the most common culprit. Check your oil levels carefully to see if you notice a leak. If too much oil gets into the cylinder, it will wreck the spark plugs, so it’s best to check this sooner rather than later.

As we’ve discussed, the engine is a fairly complex machine, and lots of different problems can occur. I’ve outlined a few of the most common and easy to diagnose here. In part two, I’ll cover a few of the basic maintenance tasks you can carry out to help ensure that your engine doesn’t develop any of the problems in the first place.

How to maintain your car:

1. Check your oil (once a week)
a. Car at level spot
b. Wait awhile for engine to cool and oil to collect in oil pan.
c. Pull the engine oil dipstick out. (Usually labeled OR indicated in owner’s manual.)
d. Wipe it off, and then insert it again.
e. Oil should be at- or close to- the “full mark.”
f. Oil should be transparent—not cloudy—and a light golden colour. If your oil is a milky white or black color, have your car serviced immediately.

2. Check automatic transmission fluid. Cold engine- “cold” mark (lower one); hot engine— “hot” mark (upper one)

3. Check coolant level (should be between low and full marks.) Add coolant after car has cooled down. (Don’t take the radiator cap off to do so! May be under pressure.) Also check manual; normally a translucent white reservoir to one side of the engine.

4. Check the rubber drive belts at the front of your engine; make sure they aren’t too worn or frayed

5. Have your car serviced: oil and filter change every 5000 miles, full service once a year. More on this in a later entry.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

How A Car Engine Works – Part 2

2010-07-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

While the cylinders are the core of the car engine, there are a number of peripheral systems that are necessary for them to continue functioning.

Let’s start by looking at a few parts of the cylinder in greater detail.

Intake and exhaust camshafts
In order for the cylinder to operate correctly, the valves need to open and close at the right moments. Timing is everything; all of the parts of the cylinder (valves, piston, spark plug, etc.) need to be in sync with one another.

The camshafts regulate the opening and closing of the valves. Each camshaft is a circular rod that turns as the crankshaft does. The two shafts are connected by a timing belt that ensures their movements are coordinated. As you can see in the diagram, the camshaft has lobes on it; as the camshaft turns, each lobe will briefly push the valve open. After the lobe has passed over the valve, the valve closes again. Linking this process to the motion of the crankshaft ensures that the valves open when the piston is at the correct point in the cycle.

Spark plug
First, the spark plug requires electrical input in order to generate the spark that ignites the compressed gas in the cylinder. This energy comes from the car’s twelve volt battery. This battery powers all of the other electrical systems in the car as well, such as the radio, the lights, power windows, and the starting system, which I’ll discuss below. The battery is connected to an alternator. A belt connects the alternator to the engine, so that as the engine spins, the belt also spins, generating energy to recharge the battery. This is why car batteries don’t run out, the way a normal battery would, unless the battery is old or defective, or electrical systems (like the headlights) are left on when the engine isn’t running.

Next, the spark plug needs to ignite at the right moment in the four-stroke cycle in order for combustion to occur. This timing is regulated by the distributor. A distributor receives power from the ignition system coil; this is basically a high-voltage transformer. The distributor consists of two parts: the rotor and the cap. The cap is attached to the ignition wires, which lead to the spark plugs. If a car has six cylinders, a distributor will have six ignition wires, one connected to each spark plug. The rotor is connected to the ignition system coil and sits in the center of the cap. As the camshaft turns, the rotor also turns so that each ignition wire is briefly connected to the power source. As a result, the spark plugs fire one at a time; this results in smoother motion. If cylinders fired in groups, the car’s forward movement would be uneven.

What else needs to happen in order for the engine to function?

First, air needs to flow into the cylinders. In normally aspirated engines, the air flows through an air filter and directly into the cylinder. In high-performance turbo-charged or super-charged engines, however, the air is pressurized first. This means that more of the air and fuel mixture can be crammed into each cylinder, creating more energy during the combustion process.

The fuel for the air and fuel mixture is provided by the fuel system. First, a pump draws the gasoline up from the tank. Next, this fuel is either mixed with air by a carburetor, or, in a fuel-injected engine, is injected directly into the cylinder itself.

As you’d expected, this process produces a lot of heat. In order to keep the engine from overheating and melting, a cooling system needs to be in place. Most modern cars are water cooled, although some older models (such as the VW Beetle) are air cooled. In a water-cooled car, a water pump circulates water through a “jacket” of pipes around the cylinder. This water then passes through the radiator, where it is cooled off before being re-circulated. Without enough water, the system won’t function. This is why it’s important to check water and oil levels regularly!

The car engine also contains a lot of moving parts. For these to move smoothly, they need to be lubricated with oil. Otherwise, moving parts would grind one another down or stick altogether.

This results in a less efficient, damaged, or totally non-functioning engine. The lubrication system ensures that oil gets to all parts that need it. The oil pump draws oil out of the sump. It moves through the oil filter, to remove any dirt that could clog the engine. Next, it is squirted onto the parts that need it, in particular the walls of the cylinder and the bearings on the shafts. The oil eventually trickles back down into the sump, and is taken up into the pump again.

Once exhaust leaves the cylinder, it passes into the exhaust system. In this system, the exhaust exits the car through the tail pipe. If this were all there were to an exhaust system, however, most cars would create far too much noise and air pollution.

For this reason, most cars have mufflers, which dampen the sound of all the small explosions occurring in the engine. Modern cars also have an emissions control system. Before leaving the car, exhaust will pass through a catalytic converter. Most catalytic converters have three stages; in the first two stages, the exhaust passes over different kinds of metal which act as catalysts to either reduce or oxidize one of the poisonous components of the exhaust. The third stage contains a sensor, which monitors the level of oxygen in the exhaust. This sensor communicates with a computer, which can then adjust the fuel-air ratio reaching the engine, in order to ensure that the engine is operating as efficiently as possible.

Last, but definitely not least, is the car’s starting system. As I mentioned in part one, the four-stroke process is self-sustaining once you’ve gotten it going. However, in order to get this process going, you need to start turning the crankshaft. This means overcoming all of the internal friction and pressure in the cylinders, providing enough energy to open and close the valves, and powering the various pumps and other equipment necessary for engine function.

The power for all of this is provided by the starting motor, a separate, electrically powered motor that turns the crankshaft a few times to get the four-stroke cycle started. This system is activated by a starting solenoid. With all of these intricate moving parts and inter-dependent systems, it’s amazing that car engines can last as long as they do—and don’t break down more often! However, in my next entry, I’ll explore some of the most common problems that can occur in engines, how to diagnose these problems, and what basic maintenance you should do to prevent problems from happening in the first place.

How A Car Engine Works- Part 1

2010-07-21T12:01:00.001-07:00

The car engine is the heart—or perhaps rather the stomach—of the car. In the engine, gasoline is burned to produce energy; this energy is then converted into motion. An engine has a number of components that work together to ensure this intricate piece of machinery continues to function smoothly.

First, there are the cylinders, in which gasoline is converted into energy, which is then harnessed to move the car.

Next, there are the valve train, which regulates the intake of fuel and the output of exhaust, and the ignition system, which insures that the spark plugs ignite the fuel in the cylinders at the correct time.

Engines also have a starting system, which consists of a separate, electric powered motor that is used to get the car going.

The cooling, exhaust, lubrication, and fuel systems respectively make sure that the engine doesn’t overheat; exhaust is filtered and released; all parts receive necessary oil; and the proper fuel mixture is injected into the engine.

Let’s start with the cylinders.

Basically, a car engine is a kind of internal combustion engine. This essentially means that a fuel-air mixture is burnt inside a closed chamber in order to produce mechanical motion. In a car, this process occurs inside a cylinder.

You may have heard of “V6” engines. This refers to the number of cylinders contained in the car engine; in a “V6” engine, there are six cylinders that are arranged in a “V” configuration, with three on each side. Historically, American automakers have tended to prefer V6 engines. However, Japanese makers began using highly efficient 4-cylinder engines in the 80s and 90s; these engines are often more fuel-efficient and produce lower Carbon emissions. V6 and four-cylinder engines both have pros and cons, which are worth considering when buying a car.

Now, let’s take a look within an individual cylinder. A cylinder is a sealed system that has a number of moving parts that are kept well lubricated with oil. Before we look at the actual combustion process, let’s take a moment to identify some of the key components of the cylinder. Here is a diagram of an engine cylinder, pictured at each of the four points in the combustion cycle (more on this later):

The exhaust and intake camshafts are the two ovaloid shapes at the top of the cylinder. They regulate the opening of the valves.

The valves are the two plugs below the camshafts. They open to allow fuel in or exhaust out; they close to seal the chamber during combustion.

The spark plug is the coil located between the two valves. The spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture.

The piston, the square, olive-colored part in the middle of the cylinder, moves up and down in the cylinder to compress the fuel-air mixture and move the crankshaft.

The piston rings (not pictured) create a seal between the piston and the cylinder. This prevents fuel from leaking out of the chamber and oil from seeping in.

The crankshaft, pictured in cross section at the bottom of the image, is a rotating shaft that converts the piston’s vertical motion into the circular motion the car needs to move forward.
The sump (not pictured) contains the oil that lubricates the system. It surrounds the crankshaft.
To power the car, these parts work together in a four-stroke combustion process. This is also known as the Otto cycle, after the German engineer Nicolaus Otto, who built the first car with this kind of engine in the 19th century (an interesting story for another day!)

This process occurs in four steps, or strokes: the intake stroke, compression stroke, combustion stroke, and exhaust stroke. First, remember that the crankshaft is turning throughout this cycle in order to move the piston up and down. Each of these four points in the cycle is illustrated in the image of the cylinder above.

INTAKE STROKE (I) —the intake valve opens. The piston moves down to allow the air and fuel mixture to fill the cylinder. The intake valve then closes, sealing the system.

COMPRESSION STROKE (II) —the piston moves back up to compress the fuel and air mixture in the sealed chamber. This increases the power of the combustion.

COMBUSTION STROKE (III) —a spark from the spark plug ignites the fuel and air mixture. Rather than “exploding” outright, the mixture burns. This causes the mixture to expand rapidly as gases are produced and heated. Since the chamber is sealed, the expansion of the mixture forces the piston down.

EXHAUST STROKE (IV) —once the piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder, the exhaust valve opens to release the exhaust, i.e. the “leftover” gases that remain in the cylinder after combustion is finished.
In a car engine, the cylinders work on staggered cycles. Basically, while half of the pistons are moving on a downward stroke, the other half are moving upwards. Since all cylinders are connected to the same crankshaft, the downward stroke of half the cylinders powers the upward stroke of the other half, and vice versa. Therefore, once the system gets going, it becomes self-sustaining.

So just how does the system get started? That depends on the starter system, which I’ll explain, along with the other components of the engine, in part two.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

Hypermiling Basics

2010-07-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hypermiling. The first time I heard the word, I imagined some strange engine malfunction, or perhaps a kind of car-induced anxiety attack, the automotive equivalent of hyperventilating. Of course, neither of these vague impressions was remotely correct. In reality, hypermiling is many things: extreme cost-cutting strategy, environmentally friendly practice, competitive sport, and 2008 Word of the Year (according to the New Oxford American Dictionary.)

Hypermiling is, in short, the pursuit of the maximum number of miles per gallon. Hypermilers aim to exceed the EPA miles-per-gallon rating of any given car. Hypermilers regularly practice many of the basic gas-conservation measures I described in my previous post on the subject; however, they also implement an array of advanced techniques that can result in amazing gas savings. Experienced hypermilers regularly achieve over 100 MPG (when driving Hybrids.) For example, at the 2006 Hybridfest MPG Challenge in Madison, Wisconsin, the winning driver (Wayne Gerdes) averaged 183 MPG over the assigned route.

Some critics, including the American Automobile Association, have argued that hypermiling practices can be dangerous and, in some cases, illegal (overinflating tires and coasting with the engine off are two examples often cited in this debate.) In response, hypermiling associations have argued that true hypermilers would never endorse an illegal practice and that, in fact, hypermilers are more conscientious about practicing safe driving measures often ignored by others, such as paying detailed attention to their surroundings, anticipating traffic hazards, and driving at or below posted speed limits.

Like many things, hypermiling practices are tools, which can be used to good and bad effect. In this post, I’ll describe a few of the most common hypermiling measures, although dozens, if not hundreds, more exist. Bear in mind that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You won’t be able to achieve 100 MPG (or more) overnight; many of these techniques take some time and practice to adjust to. Experienced hypermilers recommend adding techniques to your toolbox one at a time, and testing them out first in an empty parking lot or other safe practice area. When sharing a road with others, don’t ever attempt maneuvers that you don’t feel 100% comfortable executing.

EQUIPMENT

Obviously, the kind of car you drive will have a huge impact on the MPG you can achieve. Hybrids, such as the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius, are far more fuel-efficient than the average car. Watch out for an upcoming entry on purchasing, owning, and driving a hybrid, and entries on other types of fuel-efficient technologies (such as bio-diesel.) However, many of these hypermiling techniques will also produce noticeable increases in fuel efficiency in “normal” cars.
Driving a manual transmission, rather than automatic transmission, can also aid hypermiling. The greater control over the car that manual transmission gives you makes many hypermiling maneuvers, such as coasting, easier.

Finally, consider investing in an Instantaneous Fuel Consumption Display (unless you drive a car, like the Toyota Prius, that comes equipped with such a device.) There are a number of different kinds of devices that can be used to monitor fuel consumption; you may want to speak to your mechanic about which would best suit your budget and model of car. Having such a device is perhaps one of the best ways to train yourself to be a more efficient driver, as you can easily see the results of different techniques as you apply them.

EIGHT KEY STRATEGIES

First and foremost, hypermiling begins with basic fuel economy strategies: avoid sudden braking and acceleration, avoid unnecessary idling, try not to drive in heavy traffic, use air condition sparingly, combine several short trips into one longer one, and don’t drive too fast.
However, hypermilers go above and beyond these basic common sense tenets with a number of advanced maneuvers:

1. Ridge Riding
This is a way of avoiding the “drag” caused when water or snow accumulates in the troughs worn into the lanes on the road. Basically, most drivers drive in the center of the lane, which produces uneven wear on the pavement, creating ridges and troughs. (These depressions are slight but can have a noticeable impact.) Instead of driving in these slight depressions, drive on the “ridges” on either side, so that the car has one wheel on the center ridge and the other on the ridge on the right or left side of lane. According to some hypermiling proponents, this technique has the added safety benefit of causing other drivers to take notice of your unusual positioning in the lane, and hence they will drive with greater awareness.

2. Anticipate Potential Obstacles
Driving at a steady speed, without stopping or accelerating, is a great way to increase gas mileage, as acceleration burns excess gas. For this reason, hypermilers maintain an awareness of road conditions in the distance, so that they can anticipate and avoid potential obstacles in order to maintain a constant speed.

3. Driving With Load (DWL)
Essentially, driving with load means maintaining a constant fuel consumption rate as you pass over hilly terrain. Say you have cruise control set. Cruise control keeps your car at a constant speed; however, this means that your engine has to exert more power to maintain this speed when you are going up a hill. In DWL, you maintain a constant fuel consumption instead of a constant speed. If you have an instantaneous fuel consumption display, you can use this device to make sure that you maintain constant fuel consumption. If you don’t have an IFCD, however, you can approximate constant fuel consumption by keeping the accelerator “locked” at a fixed angle as you move up and over the hill.

4. Driving Without Brakes (DWB)
Basically, when driving in heavy traffic, pretend you don’t have brakes. Create a large buffer zone around your car, so that you have time to react to changes in traffic speed without actually having to stop. This can take some patience, especially as other cars will likely cut into your buffer space. However, this can ultimately be a safer and more relaxing way to drive in traffic. The goal is to achieve a constant slow speed despite the “stop and go” of cars around you.

5. Smart Braking
When you brake, your brakes convert the kinetic energy of your moving car into heat, so that your car slows down. Essentially, braking is like “burning” up gasoline without making any forward progress. For this reason, hypermilers practice smart braking. First, anticipate lights; start slowing down way before the red light so that, ideally, you will still be moving when the light changes and the traffic moves forward again. The goal is to continue rolling without actually coming to a dead stop. (Remember, however, that rolling through stop signs is illegal. Safety and legality are still more important than fuel economy.)

If you are stopping on a downhill plane, try to stop some ways before the end of the hill so that you can use the slope to get your car rolling again without having to accelerate. If stopping near or on an uphill, try to roll as far up the hill as possible before coming to a complete stop, to avoid having to accelerate uphill.

6. Rabbit Timing
This is related to smart braking and is a technique for maximizing fuel economy when driving near lights with motion sensors. If you see a red, yellow, or stale green light ahead, slow down and allow another car to pass you and “trip” the motion sensor, so that the light is green by the time you get there, and you can continue through without stopping.

7. Smart Parking
Remember that your car is least fuel-efficient when the engine is cold. This means that you want to execute most of your parking maneuvers when the engine is warm. For this reason, reverse into parking spaces, so that you can easily pull away. If possible, seek out parking spaces on an incline, so that you will be able to roll out of the space, aiding your acceleration with a “cold” engine. Parking in the sun can also help to keep your engine warm and increase efficiency.

8. Engine Off Coasting
This is the limit of my personal hypermiling comfort zone. When slowing down or moving downhill, some hypermilers recommend engine-off coasting as a means to boost efficiency. This involves shifting to neutral, turning off the engine by setting the ignition key to IG-I, then turning it back to IG-II to activate the electronics so that the steering wheel doesn’t lock. However, power steering and power braking functions are likely to be lost. This most easily practiced in a manual transmission car without power steering.

However, this is one of the “borderline” hypermiling techniques that can potentially be dangerous and even illegal in some places. If you drive a manual transmission car, coasting in neutral with the engine still running is a safer, albeit less fuel efficient, alternative.

These are a few basic strategies. However, there are dozens more. If you do catch the hypermiling bug, you may want to check out http://www.cleanmpg.com/, which offers both introductions to hypermiling basics and forums for sharing more advanced tips, and http://www.ecomodder.com/, which offers a comprehensive list of 100+ hypermiling tips.
Even if you don’t become a committed hypermiler, incorporating one or more of these techniques into your daily commute could still help you to conserve gas and save money.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

Driving in the Dark

2010-06-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Driving at night is, unfortunately, a necessary evil: necessary, because we all need to get places after dark; an evil, since driving at night is far more hazardous that driving during the day. A National Safety Council study revealed that you are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident at night than during the day. At first, driving at night may “feel” similar to daytime driving, especially if you are fortunate enough to live in an area with good street lighting. However, even under ideal conditions, driving at night can be hazardous.

In short, your eyes need light to see. When the amount of light available decreases as the sun goes down, your eyes begin to function differently, in order to make the most of the limited light available. This allows us to see at night. However, you do have to pay a price for this improved function. At night, it is more difficult for us to see clearly (20/20 vision is nearly impossible to sustain); we are unable to see colors; our depth perception decreases; and our field of vision is reduced.

How to compensate for this? First, slow down. Remember that you’re less likely to see hazards that may cross your path, such as animals, bicyclists, pedestrians, etc. You can only see as far ahead of you as your headlights; low beams provide around 250feet of vision, while high beams provide about 350-500. In order to avoid any obstacles in your path, you’ll need to be able to stop within this distance, i.e. the area illuminated by your headlights. Adjust your speed accordingly.

Remember that you see contrast less clearly at night, which means you won’t spot bumps in the road as easily. Keeping a slower speed will allow you react to any unexpected contours in the road, which means that you won’t damage your car by flying into a pothole or over a speed bump. You’ll also want to keep your eyes moving, checking for approaching lights, obstacles, etc.

Glare is also a major issue when driving at night (as well as during sunset and sunrise.) In fact, the presence of other lights on the road may actually be more dangerous than the dark itself. The lights of approaching cars can cause a couple seconds of temporary blindness. During these seconds, a car going at 55mph will travel half the length of a football field! However, you can do a few things to combat glare.

First, make sure to keep your windshield clean. The dirt and grime that accumulate on your windshield will reflect the light on the road, making glare worse. You may have noticed that while your windshield looks fine during the day, it looks worse as the sun is setting. Remember to clean your windshield on both the outside AND inside; over time, your exhalations and condensation will dirty the inside of the windshield as well. You should also keep all other lights and mirrors clean as well.
Next, avoid using your high beams within 500 feet of approaching vehicles or if you are following a car at less than 500 feet distance. You do want to use your high beams when it is safe to do so, as these can be a great help to you. However, you don’t want to blind other drivers, so be courteous in your use of high beams.
However, we all forget to turn off our high beams sometimes. If a driver approaches with high beams on, don’t flash your high beams in response, as this could temporarily blind the other driver. Instead of looking at the approaching car(s), look down and to the right, focusing on the white line at the side of the road.
Many cars also have a “day-night” setting on the rear view mirror (perhaps a little tab that changes the angle of the mirror?). You can use this to help reduce the accumulation of glare at night. Adjusting your side view mirrors properly can also help eliminate glare; see my entry on “How To Eliminate Your Blind Spot” for advice on how to do this.

In addition to these basic practices, you can take a few steps to prepare for night driving. First, if you are driving in a new area or to an unfamiliar destination, try to drive this route for the first time during the day, as navigating at night can be particularly stressful.

Next, have your headlights aligned during your next tune-up or inspection. Try to do so at least once a year. Properly aligned headlights will improve your field of vision and won’t cause as much glare for other drivers.

Also, make sure to have your vision checked regularly. Our night vision deteriorates as we age, but you may not notice this right away. It took me months of squinting at the blackboard in high school before I admitted that I needed glasses. Keep in mind that a fifty year old probably needs twice as much light as a thirty year old to see clearly at night. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin A, as this helps to keep your night vision in good working order. If you do wear glasses, you may want to get anti-reflective coating for them, as this will also help prevent glare.
Drive slowly, be aware, and don’t be a deer caught in the headlights of approaching drivers!

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!
Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

The Golden Rule of Driving

2010-05-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

How safe a driver are you? According to a recent AAA Traffic Foundation Survey, three out of four drivers say that they consider themselves safer drivers than others on the road—an interesting fact. If we were really all as safe as we think we are, then automobile accidents wouldn’t be one of the leading causes of death in the US. In the end, thinking that we are safe drivers—and safer drivers than the other drivers around us—can actually cause problems, particularly when this attitude escalates into aggressive driving or road rage. We’re all human, and no matter how hard we strive to be safe drivers, we’ll all make mistakes. Learning to handle mistakes—both ours and others—can help to ensure that little problems don’t escalate into bigger ones.

As I’ve emphasized before, staying calm and reducing stress while on the road will not only make your trip happier, but will also help to keep your safe. For most of us, driving seems like a pretty routine activity. However, we shouldn’t let familiarity lull us into a false sense of security. I was walking near a highway the other day and was amazed by the speed of the cars rushing past me: it was really terrifying!

Your emotional state can actually have a huge impact on your driving. Try remembering a time when you were really overwrought: terribly upset, perhaps after experiencing a significant disappointment or loss, or extremely happy. When I think back on times like these, my memories are always really “dim,” as though I’m watching things from far away. This is because intense emotional states actually reduce your ability to observe and focus on events around you. Driving in the grip of strong emotions can actually be worse than driving with a cell phone. Drivers experiencing strong emotions are less likely to react quickly to hazards, observe their surroundings clearly, and predict what other drivers will do; at the same time, these drivers are more likely to make risky or sudden maneuvers and to feel as though they are detached from other cars and drivers on the road, which can lead to reckless behavior.

While some people may see driving as a calming activity, it’s a good idea to cool down before you get behind the wheel. If you’re experiencing strong emotions, try to postpone driving, if it is possible to do so. At the very least, give yourself time for a few deep breaths, a short walk, or another kind of focus activity before getting in the car.

Once you’ve started driving, try to maintain an even keel emotionally. First, avoid situations that will stress you out. If you hate driving in traffic, do your best to alter your schedule so that you can avoid peak rush hour traffic or find detours to avoid the most congested spots. Next, be tolerant of other drivers. Don’t be an aggressive driver, and, if you do encounter aggressive drivers, try to get out of their way without provoking a confrontation.

According to one National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey, aggressive driving contributed to 56% of fatal accidents between 2003 and 2007. This is a huge issue! Technically, aggressive driving is slightly different from road rage. Road rage is used to refer to incidents that result in criminal offenses; aggressive driving describes a range of unsafe driving practices. Drivers who bend or break the rules of the road and ignore common courtesy—for example, by speeding, tailgating, failing to signal, etc.—are aggressive drivers.

As I mentioned at the beginning, most of us think of ourselves as safe drivers, not aggressive ones. However, we all have an inner aggressive driver waiting to be unleashed. For many of us, our cars are places where we would like to feel secure, in control, and free. I remember buying and driving my first car; after years of using substandard public transportation, it was a very liberating experience! While this independence and control can be great, we also need to be tolerant of those we share the road with.

A lot of “road rage” incidents actually begin with an instance of aggressive driving that then escalates. For example, one car cuts off another on an entrance ramp. The driver of the car who has been cut off takes this incidence as a personal slight, and decides to show his or her displeasure by tailgating the car that cut him or her off. If the first driver responds in a similarly emotional fashion, the incident can escalate into a serious confrontation.

Remember that it’s not up to you to enforce the rules of the road. While you may not like the way others drive at times, try to give people the benefit of the doubt and don’t respond to aggressive driving by becoming an aggressive driver yourself. Instead, take a zen attitude to dealing with other drivers. If someone is tailgating you, switch lanes and allow the other driver to pass. If you get cut off, take a deep breath and let it go. You’ll be happier, saner, and safer in the long run.
Also bear in mind that every driver is a potentially aggressive, emotional, and confrontational drive, and you never know what someone may do if provoked. Avoid behaviors that can annoy other drivers, even trivial ones, such as:
· Driving slowly in the left-hand or passing lanes
· Honking as soon as a light changes
· Cutting off other drivers
· Using high beams near other drivers
· Failing to signal
· Tailgating
· Displaying offensive signs or bumper stickers
· Making gestures that could be perceived as offensive, even if they aren’t directed at other drivers

If another driver does attempt to engage in a confrontation with you, ignore him or her. Don’t respond to any attempts to provoke you and try to move away from the aggressive driver as quickly as possible. If an angry driver starts to follow you, don’t go home. Instead, head for the nearest police station or other busy place where people will be able to help you.

Remember that fatal accidents and confrontations can begin with fairly silly confrontations. Don’t let this happen—be tolerant, calm, and in control. Extend to others the courtesies you hope they will extend to you, but don’t get upset if other drivers don’t always return the favor. The Golden Rule? Tolerate others’ mistakes, just as you hope others will tolerate yours.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

The Most Dangerous Game: Distracted Driving

2010-05-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

While driving, have you ever: eaten a sandwich? Had a cup of coffee? Had a deep conversation with a friend? Tried to keep two children from fighting? Taken a phone call? Taken off or put on a coat? Fussed with the radio? Sent a text message?

Like most of us, you’ve probably done at least one of these things while driving. Some of these activities, like having a conversation, may appear relatively harmless. Others, such as texting, are more obviously dangerous, not to mention illegal. The truth is, however, that all of these activities can and do lead to distracted driving.

Many of us drive frequently enough that driving comes to seem second nature—more habit than something that demands our full attention. However, driving, even in ideal conditions on familiar roads, always has the potential to be a hazardous pursuit. In fact, it’s often on the most familiar roads that we need to pay the most attention. This is because our brains easily become accustomed to routine so that, driving a familiar route, we see what we expect to see. It’s thus really easy to miss new hazards or obstacles: construction work, fallen trash cans, pedestrians, children, bicyclists, etc. Our full attention is required, no matter where we are driving.

I’ve occasionally noticed that, on both long highway drives and short routine drives in my neighborhood, I go for a length of time without consciously “seeing” what’s around me, because I’m lost in my own thoughts. I’ve always been a notorious daydreamer, and so, over the years, have had to condition myself to keep looking at the road and surroundings, rather than getting lost in my own mind. This is my own particular brand of distracted driving; however, there are many different causes of driver distraction.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines distraction as any activity that takes the driver’s full attention away from the road. There are three kinds of distractions:

VISUAL: something that causes the driver to look away from the road (turning to talk to someone, check the radio station, read a text message.)
MANUAL: something that takes a hand off the steering wheel (eating, drinking, answering a phone call.)
COGNITIVE: anything that takes the mind away from the road (being in the grip of strong emotions, daydreaming, having a conversation.)

All of these distractions are dangerous. However, a study sponsored by a group of major carmakers found that, of all distractions, visual ones are the most dangerous. It took many hours of sophisticated and expensive research to reach a basic conclusion: keep your eyes on the road.

Recently, distracted driving has become a major topic of concern, as the use of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices continues to rise. In a recent study, 71% of adults between the ages of 18 and 49 admitted to using a cell phone while driving. A University of Utah study recently concluded that, whether hands free or not, the cognitive distraction produced by a phone conversation delays a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol level of .08%—the legal limit for driving.

It’s tempting to think that one can get away with the occasional distraction, like answering that really important call or putting on make-up in the car to save time. However, distractions cause up to 25% of all car crashes annually—about 4,300 crashes a day. In 2008 alone, distraction-related accidents resulted in 6,000 fatalities. Even if you are willing to put your own life on the line by texting or eating a sandwich, don’t risk the lives of other drivers and pedestrians. Also, note that a number of states are starting to institute bans on cell phone use and/or texting while driving. You can find an updated list of state regulations regarding cell phone use here:
http://www.distraction.gov/state-laws/

So, you now know the importance of focused driving and the terrible consequences of not paying attention. Now, what can you do to be a more focused driver?

First, make a real commitment to driving attentively. Take a zero-tolerance policy towards your use of distractions.
Next, notice what your “bad habits” are and try to minimize their impact. For example, I love to listen to the radio while I drive. To avoid having to look down to change the station, I’ve preset my favorite stations so that I can flip through them using the track changer on my steering wheel. I can listen to the music I like without taking my eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel. Creating mix CDs or MP3 playlists, and then sticking to a CD (or set of CDS) or playlist throughout the drive are other great ways to minimize this particular distraction.
Change your attitude toward your car. Don’t view it as a mobile home/work station/entertainment center. It’s a vehicle meant to get you from one place to the other. Eat before you leave home or after you arrive. If need be, try to get going a few minutes earlier, so that you have time to do your hair and make-up, make necessary phone calls, write e-mails, etc. etc. before you depart or once you’ve parked.
Most importantly, turn off or silence your phone before you start driving and put it somewhere out of reach. This way, you’ll resist the temptation to receive calls or read texts. You could also invest in drive-safe software for your phone. These programs, which can be automatically activated when you start your car, will respond to incoming calls and texts with a message that alerts others to the fact that you are unavailable and will call them back when you reach your destination.
Also, be careful not to let your mind wander too much. Keep your eyes on the road and don’t drive when overly fatigued. Be careful about driving when in the grip of strong emotions—a topic I’ll cover in greater detail in my next entry.
Finally, if you are a young driver or are the parent of a young driver, try to set a good example for your peers and/or children. Drivers ages 16 to 25 are the most likely to engage in distracting behaviors, particularly texting, which—as a combined visual, cognitive, and manual distraction—is perhaps the most dangerous form of distraction of all. Since these drivers are also the least experienced drivers on the road, this is a very risky combination. Discuss these issues with the young drivers in your life and lead by example.

For more information on this important issue, check out the official distracted driving website of the US Department of Transportation: http://www.distraction.gov/

You can find out more about cell phone and driving at a page run by the Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/driving.html

Finally, for a more personal look at the impact of distracted driving, check out the summary of a recent Oprah episode on the topic: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/End-Distracted-Driving.

If you’re still unconvinced about the perils of distracted driving, these stories will likely change your mind.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

The Magic Bubble: Maintaining A Safety Cushion Around Your Vehicle

2010-05-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve written a lot recently about the importance of maintaining a safe following distance; I’m sure I will continue to harp on this very important point in later entries as well. So, I’d like to take a moment to clarify the concept of a “space cushion” and explain in greater detail how to maintain one around your car.

I visualize a “space cushion” as a giant airbag surrounding my car, or perhaps a magic bubble like the one Glinda the Good Witch uses for transportation in The Wizard of Oz. Basically, a space cushion is the empty space that separates your car from any potential hazards: other moving cars, parked cars, trees, road barriers, etc. This empty space gives you time to see, react to, and avoid any problem that may arise on the road around you. You need to maintain a space cushion in front of, behind, and on both sides of your car; I’ll cover each of areas in turn.
FRONT CUSHION
You can use the “three second rule” to make sure that you are maintaining a safe following distance, especially on the highway. Note when the car ahead of you passes a certain marker, perhaps a particular tree or shadow on the road. Then, begin to count: “one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three.” You should finish saying this before your car passes the marker. If not, then you need to slow down a bit to increase your following distance.
In general, most of us are probably used to driving too close to the vehicle ahead of us. As a result, this three-second space may seem abnormally large. However, imagine the car in front of you were to stop suddenly; how much space would you need to stop safely?
Say you are traveling at 60 mph, on a dry road, and are alert. In the time it takes you to react to the car stopping, you will cover 132 feet; you will need another 160 feet to come to a full stop. If you are traveling at 80 mph, you will need almost 500 feet to react and come to a stop. As you can see, the three-second space is definitely necessary!
Remember that when you are tired or otherwise distracted, you’ll need more time to react. If the conditions are less than ideal, it will take longer for your vehicle to come to a stop (particularly if it icy.) In these situations, you’ll want to add time to your following distance. For information on specific conditions (ice, snow, rain, fog, etc.), check out some of my earlier blog entries on these topics.
In heavy traffic, it can be tempting to reduce your following distance. However, this is the most important time to maintain an appropriate front cushion, as heavy traffic can slow down or stop suddenly for no apparent reason.
It’s also important to maintain a large following distance behind trucks, which can limit your field of vision, and motorcycles, which may be able to stop more quickly than you can. Also, try to be aware of other driver’s blind spots and avoid staying in this position for too long. Not everyone knows this handy trick for eliminating your blind spot.
Should someone cut you off on a road, don’t react in anger. Instead, take your foot off the accelerator in order to regain a safe following distance. Letting go of minor annoyances like this one will not only keep you safe, but will also reduce the stress of driving and help you to have a happier and more peaceful trip.
You also need to maintain a front safety cushion when you are stopped at a light or stop sign, or in traffic. First, remember that the car in front of you may have manual, rather than automatic transmission; as a result, the car may roll slightly (or a lot, depending on the skill of the driver) when starting to move, especially if you are an incline. Second, you need to give yourself enough space to pull out from behind the vehicle in front of you should the car in front of you stall or otherwise fail to start. Basically, make sure that you always leave yourself enough room for an “escape route,” if this becomes necessary.
REAR CUSHION
While this part of your safety cushion may seem a bit out of your control, there are a few steps you can take to diffuse potential tailgating hazards.
First of all, don’t get angry. While tailgaters can be annoying and frustrating, keep in mind that you never know why someone is tailgating you. Always extend the benefit of the doubt—maybe he or she is rushing to the hospital with a medical emergency. Acting on this assumption will help you to stay calm and respectful, instead of trying to “teach them a lesson” by braking suddenly or something along those lines. Be the bigger person!
Next, if someone is tailgating you, increase your following distance by one or two seconds. Basically, you want enough space for both you and the tailgater to be able to react to a sudden stop or other hazard ahead. When it is safe to do so, either move to a right-hand lane (if possible) to allow the tailgater to pass, or slow down a bit more that he or she can pass you safely.
Remember that traffic tends to move in packs or waves on the highway. If possible, try to stay in one of the gaps between packs, so that you are in a fairly open space on the road. Also, remember to stay in the right hand lane if you are traveling slower than the speed of traffic. People often become annoyed with, and then tailgate, cars that are moving a bit too slowly for the lane they are in.
SIDE CUSHION
Always make sure there is free space on both sides of your car as well. First, drive in the center of the lane at all times. Make sure to check periodically to make sure that you are still in the center of the lane and haven’t drifted to one side or the other.
When approaching a narrow gap, say, a one-way street lined with parked cars, slow down until you’ve made sure that there’s enough space for you to pass. Then, proceed slowly.
Also, be aware of those you share the road with, particularly cyclists and pedestrians. Give cyclists a wide berth when passing them. Imagine the amount of space that would be taken up by bicycle and rider if lying horizontal on the street; then, use this space to calculate your passing distance—around two yards. Remember that bicyclists do wobble sometimes!
Finally, try to keep clear space on both of sides of you when driving on a multi-lane road. As I mentioned above, finding “gaps” in the traffic flow is often a good way to do so.
With your magic bubble in place, you’ll be far less likely to end up in a minor fender bender or a major collision! You’ll also reduce the likelihood that other people’s bad driving will have a negative impact on you and your car.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

Zen and the Art of Long Distance Driving

2010-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about distance driving recently. This is because I’ve been doing a lot of long-haul driving recently, which has given me plenty of time to think about how to drive long distances in as safe and as painless a fashion as possible.
Anyone who is a frequent road traveler has probably developed his or her own ideas about what makes a drive both safe and fun. The key to successful long-haul driving is really a matter of finding what works for you. Today, I’m going to offer a mixture of my own observations and other pieces of advice I’ve been given over the years, both by road safety experts and other regular road-trippers.
Overall, the secret to a successful drive is probably similar to the secret of a happy and healthy life: don’t stress. Stress is the body’s natural reaction to a difficult or potentially threatening situation. When under stress, your entire physiology changes: blood flow changes, heart rate and blood pressure increase, hormone balances are altered. Not only does prolonged stress have long-term health impacts, but short term stress can really wear you down as well. As a result, an hour of stressed-out driving—say, in bumper-to-bumper traffic—can be far more grueling than three hours of stress-free driving an open road.
The moral of the story: plan and execute your trip to minimize stress.
First, prepare for your trip. Get your car serviced a week or two before heavy driving, so that you’ll have time to address any issues that may arise. Check the weather forecast a few days in advance, so that, if possible, you’ll be able to avoid heavy rain or snow, even if this means leaving a day early or arriving a day later. Also try to time your trip so that you are driving during daylight as much as possible. The reduced visibility of night-time driving makes it far more stressful.
If you are passing through or near major cities, try to time your trip so as to avoid rush hour; if you can, take a break for breakfast or dinner during peak traffic hours. Plot your route in advance and make sure you are familiar with the basic outlines of your trip, so that you don’t have to consult a map or GPS constantly but also won’t get lost. The day before your trip, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and then get a good night’s sleep.
Once you do get on the road, attitude is key. Don’t push yourself to get to your destination as soon as possible. I used to think that the sooner I arrived, the happier I would be, as I’d be spending less time on the road. I’d stress myself out rushing to get there, and then would arrive so tired, high-strung, and cranky that I’d ruin the rest of the day for myself and my friends. Try, as much as possible, to enjoy your time on the road. If driving with friends, see it as a chance to have the kind of prolonged, oddball conversation one so rarely has enough time for. If driving alone, you have some precious time with yourself to reflect or simply enjoy the quiet. If done right, a long haul drive can be immensely relaxing.
Finally, break your trip into manageable chunks. In general, 500 miles is a good limit for a solo driver; 600 is possible, but pushing it. Keep in mind that long-haul truck drivers, who are seasoned driving professionals, are not legally allowed to drive more than eleven hours per day, after which they must have at least ten hours off duty.
On the highway, try to find a comfortable speed for yourself and stick with it. Don’t ignore speed limits, as they’re designed to keep you safe. The middle lane is often the best place for a long trip, as the flow of traffic will keep you from speeding but you won’t usually end up stuck behind a particularly slow car or truck. Do keep in mind that your speed tends to creep up over the course of a long drive as you get accustomed to going quickly; check your speedometer every now and then to make sure you haven’t accelerated too much. Also, don’t tailgate. Tailgating reduces your visibility, which also reduces you ability to react to road hazards and/or sudden moves on the part of the car in front of you.
Next, don’t be afraid to take breaks. Instead of seeing a day’s drive as a single unit, break it up into segments in your mind. Having little goals along the way will help you feel that you’re making concrete progress, rather than tackling a huge and unmanageable distance. For example, I like to stop at a rest station every two to three hours or so. I get a snack and stretch my legs; if I’m feeling really antsy, I’ll run around the parking lot or do a few stretches. I also try to drink water gradually throughout my trip, using a sport-top bottle so I’m not forever fussing with the cap. This way, I stay hydrated, which keeps me alert, and also have to take a comfort break every few hours, which makes me resist the temptation to power through a long stretch of highway.
As you drive, beware of drowsiness! Fatigue can creep up on you unexpectedly, so make sure you stay aware of how you feel. Turning on the air-conditioner or opening the windows can help to keep you alert. Try to listen to fast-paced, upbeat music, as this is more likely to keep you alert than something more sedate. Bring along an iPod or a few CDs with some of your favorite music or a really interesting book on tape. I, for one, listen to top 40 pop while dancing and singing in the driver’s seat; I’m sure other people on the highway laugh at me when they drive past, but it keeps me happy and awake.
Endless snacking can seem like an attractive solution to boredom. However, try to avoid eating too much sugar, as a sugar “rush” will end in an energy low, while salty snacks can make you dehydrated. Aim for a mix of different kinds of snacks; some also suggest that you alternate fruit juice with soda. Be wary of eating heavy meals, however, as these can make you pretty drowsy.
Also, don’t be afraid to stop! If you do become fatigued, don’t push yourself. Even if you aren’t in immediate danger of falling asleep at the wheel, your reaction time is significantly slower when you are tired. Stop at a motel if you find yourself becoming exhausted towards the end of the day. Also try to stick to your normal sleep schedule. If you normally go to bed around eleven, then don’t drive late into the night. I often find that I hit an afternoon low between three and five pm, so I’ll try to plan a stop during this time. You can even take a short nap in the car if you need to. For safety reasons, park in a well-trafficked area and lock your doors before falling asleep.
I’ll talk more about distracted driving in a later segment. For now, I’ll paraphrase advice I’ve received: “be the car.” Don’t take your eyes off the road and make sure that you’re able to freely access all controls and pedals at all times. When driving alone, I am careful to position all of my food and drink so that I can reach it without looking for it. I peel any fruit I may want to eat and open packages of food and bottles of soda. I also decide on what I’ll be listening to for that leg of the trip—CD, iPod, or radio—and stick with that until my next stop. Finally, I make all the calls I need to make before I set out. I then put my phone on silent so that I won’t be tempted to check my messages or answer calls.
Opinions on cruise control are mixed. Some driving experts believe that the use of cruise control decreases driver awareness, making it a danger. Personally, I find it very helpful. Using cruise control keeps my speed within safe limits and prevents cramping in my right leg; I also find that it makes me more aware, as I’m constantly trying to judge my speed relative to the car in front of me, in order to decide if I can safely keep cruising or not. I use cruise control when I can, but I think it’s a personal choice. Notice how you drive with and without cruise control and then choose the option that makes you a safer and more comfortable driver.
This point brings me back to where I started: know yourself as a driver. Budget some extra time for your trip, so that you don’t have to rush. Keep trying to find little things you can do or games you can play with yourself to make the trip more engaging. Take care of yourself, respect your limits, and enjoy the experience.

To learn more about this cars and driving, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

The Most Dangerous Hazard: Fog

2010-04-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Depending on where you live and travel, you may or may not encounter fog on a regular basis. No matter when, where, or how often you encounter fog, always bear in mind that this is one of the most dangerous road hazards out there.
In an ideal world, this entry would be very short. Driving in fog? Just don’t do it. However, it is not an ideal world, and you may find at some point that you have no choice but to drive through a patch of fog. While this isn’t the safest situation to be in, there are steps you can take to make sure that you complete your journey without incident (or accident.)
Fog consists of water droplets suspended in the air; driving through heavy fog is a bit like flying through a cloud. As a result, fog is often heaviest at night and in the morning. If possible, wait until mid- or late afternoon, by which point the fog is likely to have burned off. If waiting isn’t an option, then proceed with caution. Remember that fog can dramatically reduce visibility; in thick fog, visibility can be as low as ¼ of a mile!
First, make sure that your low beams and fog lights (the red lights next to your brake lights and yellow lights next to the headlights) are turned on. However, don’t turn on your high beams. Remember that fog is made of water and, like the surface of a lake, will reflect light. If you are putting more light out into the fog, more is being reflected back at your windshield, creating a glare that will further reduce visibility. So, avoid high beams; however, do keep your other lights on, as, without these lights, other cars may not be able to see you.
Next, as you would in any hazardous weather, slow down—and stay slowed down! Fog can affect your sense of your own speed, as we generally judge speed using visual clues (like trees passing in our peripheral vision) that fog obscures. Make sure you check your speedometer to make sure that you are actually maintaining a reduced speed.
Reduced visibility may also affect your sense of where you are on the road. For this reason, use the white line on the right side of the road (sometimes known as the fog line) to make sure that you are staying safely on your side of the road. If you use the center line to check your alignment, you could end up in a head-on collision.
While fog may impair your sense of sight, don’t make the damage worse than it has to be. Turn on your defrost and use your wipers to keep your windows clear, as the damp fog will quickly condense on your windshield. Use your sense of hearing to supplement your vision; turn off your radio and open one of your windows slightly, so that you can hear approaching cars even before you see them.
You also need to be aware of other cars on the road. While it may be tempting to “follow” the taillights of the car ahead of you, don’t get too close. Remember that you may not judge distance as well as you would under other circumstances, and therefore can’t stop as suddenly as you may need to. Make sure you don’t get to close to the car in front of you. Also, avoid any sudden moves that may disturb the drivers behind you, such as suddenly stopping or turning. If you need to slow down or stop, begin by tapping your brake lights to alert drivers behind you and then slow your vehicle as gradually as possible.
If you should need to stop for any reason, avoid doing so while still on the road. Try to find a rest stop or other safe place to pull over. If you are unable to make it to a safe stopping place, then try to pull as far off the road as possible. Never stop in the middle of the road when fog occurs, even if the thickness of the fog makes continuing your journey safely impossible. Get as far off the road as you can and turn on your emergency lights.
And remember: the first rule of fog is: don’t drive in fog. The second rule of fog is: don’t drive in fog. The third rule of fog is: don’t drive in fog.
You get the point.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

Mastering the Merge

2010-04-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Years back, a timid friend of mine went for her first driving lesson. Unlike many of us, who had been practicing with our parents, she had never actually driven a car before. Needless to say, she was terrified simply by sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked car.
Unfortunately, her instructor subscribed to an old-school “sink or swim” theory of driving pedagogy. As my friend hesitantly drove down a local road at a rocking 20 MPH, her instructor told her to take the highway entrance ramp on her right. She was shocked, but her instructor insisted. And so, shaking and on the verge of tears, she crept nervously down the entrance ramp with her red-faced instructor shouting “pedal to the metal! Pedal to the metal!” Instead of heeding his advice, my friend stopped at the end of the entrance ramp and stubbornly waited until the flow of traffic on the highway had all but ceased. Fortunately, it wasn’t rush hour.
There are, however, better ways to make a merge. This is one of the trickiest and most dangerous basic driving maneuvers, so it’s worth taking a moment to review the basic steps to making a good merge.
The goal of merging is to integrate seamlessly into a stream of traffic. This means that, in order to merge, you will have to accelerate until, ideally, your speed matches the speed of traffic on the highway. Merging requires that you look behind you, to the side, and in front of you. As a result, it demands a great deal of concentration. Focus, focus, focus and don’t let passengers or angry driver’s ed teachers distract you!
Before you begin accelerating, look for gaps in the stream of traffic in the lane into which you’ll be merging. Try to gauge the speed of the oncoming cars in order to identify a gap that you can fit into easily. You don’t want to reach full speed and then realize you have nowhere to go.
Once you’ve identified a gap, turn on your blinker to indicate your intent to merge and begin to accelerate. Notice that access ramps end in an “acceleration lane” and that, at first, this lane is separated from the highway by a solid white or yellow line. This line serves as a good indicator for where you should begin and end your acceleration. Use the acceleration space provided; don’t cross the solid line, as this could confuse other drivers on the highway, resulting in a collision.
As you accelerate, however, make sure to keep a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you on the entrance ramp. Always expect the unexpected! If a car ahead of you suddenly stops or slows down, you want to make sure that you have time to react. When you’ve reached the “gap” that you’ve identified, move into the empty space. Be careful not to slow down right before you integrate into the new lane; this is a common and dangerous error!
Once you’ve succeeded in merging into the lane, acclimate to the new flow of traffic. Try not to slow down the other cars in the lane or tailgate those ahead of you. If you’re entering a road via an unfamiliar access point, pay particularly close attention to the signs and markings. If you see a “no merge” sign, you’ll have to stop and yield to oncoming traffic instead of merging.
As always, be patient, pay attention, and respect the rules of the road! With practice, you’ll be able to merge safely and without suffering a major panic attack.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

Road Rules: Know Your Signs!

2010-03-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

Road signs are there for your safety and protection—listen to what they have to tell you! Road signs are designed to be self-explanatory and easy to follow; however, they can at times be quite confusing.
For example, we all know that a red light means stop, and a green light means go. I will confess, however, that I ran two red lights yesterday. Driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood, I was tired and hungry. My passenger was giving me haphazard directions (left…uh…right…uh). The radio was on. I simply didn’t see the light. While I’ll address distracted driving specifically in a later post, for now I want to give you My Cardinal Rule of Signs: they don’t work if you don’t see them. As you drive, make sure that you keep scanning above and to the side of the road in order to spot all relevant signs and lights.
I’ll begin my discussion of road signs with a brief overview of stoplights, as this appears to be a particularly troubling category for me.
STOP LIGHTS
*Red lights—whether they are blinking, solid, or an arrow—always mean stop. “Stop” means come to a full stop.
*Yellow lights mean slow down. Unless you are already in the intersection when the light turns, begin slowing down in order to come to a full stop at the stop line or crosswalk.
*Green lights mean go. However, there is a caveat. You can only go once the intersection is clear. If there are slow pedestrians, bikers, or other cars still in the intersection, you need to wait until they have moved on.
Now, on to signs. Each year, the Federal Highway Administration publishes a Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which explains national signage standards in great detail. If you’d like a very thorough review of traffic signs, check out their website:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/
I’ll provide a (much) briefer overview here. The MUTCD divides signs into six categories: regulatory signs, warning signs, guide signs, motorist service signs, construction signs, and recreation and cultural interest signs. Each category of sign uses different shapes and colors.
REGULATORY SIGNS
These signs are the signs that tell you what you must or must not do on the road. Stop signs, yield signs, one-way signs and do not enter signs all fall into this category. Other kinds of signs with white backgrounds—like parking signs, no U-turn signs, keep right signs, etc.—are also regulatory signs.
Stop signs are perhaps the most common, and also most important, member of this category. Remember that the main point of a stop sign is to prevent collisions in an intersection. This means that you need to come to a full stop BEFORE the stop sign, either before the crosswalk, if there is one, or before the stop line. If you stop and then realize that you can’t see into the intersection, you can pull forward a bit to check for traffic. Only do this after you have come to a full stop, however.
You’ll also encounter stop signs that are attached to school buses. When a school bus stops, flashes its lights, and extends the stop sign, you need to stop behind the school bus and wait until the driver has signaled for you to pass and/or turned off the lights and retracted the sign. It is illegal to try to pass a school bus when its lights are on. Remember that there are likely children crossing the road!
Yield signs are another common kind of regulatory sign. Yield signs are triangular, with a red rim and white background. When you see a yield sign, slow down so that you can stop if you need to. Allow other cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians to pass before you proceed.
WARNING SIGNS
These signs, which always have a yellow background, are designed to warn drivers about upcoming obstacles. Most of these signs are diamond shape. Depending on the image displayed on the sign, warning signs can indicate that you are approaching a sharp curve, a pedestrian crossing, or another hazard. One of these signs is round. This is the sign that indicates a railroad crossing, and it is the only round sign in use!
GUIDE SIGNS
These are the all-important signs that keep you from getting lost! These signs indicate the route, highway, or street that you are travelling on. These signs are often, but not always, green.
MOTORIST SERVICE SIGNS
Frequently, but not necessarily, blue in color, these signs let you know what services are available on the route that you’re travelling. They indicate where you can get food, gas, and lodging, along with other important services like hospitals. On a long road trip, these signs can be a godsend!
CONSTRUCTION SIGNS
Constructions signs are always orange diamonds. They let you know about any approaching construction hazards.
RECREATION AND CULTURAL INTEREST SIGNS
These signs are always brown. They contain information about interesting sights near the route you are travelling on, including places like national parks, museums, and monuments.
And now…
Don’t Be That Guy!
Many of us are tempted to speed up when we see a yellow light, in order to avoid having to stop at the red light. Resist the temptation…don’t be that guy! Other drivers and pedestrians will be expecting you to slow down; they may also pre-empt their own green light and/or walk sign. Don’t create a risky situation at the intersection. Always slow down as soon as the light turns yellow.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.

How to Pass Safely

2010-03-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

The first time I drove in a foreign country was without a doubt one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. First, I was in a rental car with standard transmission and without power steering. I’d never driven a car without power steering and hadn’t driven standard in years. Second, I was driving on the “wrong” side of the road for the first time—and the gearshift was on the “wrong” side as well!

The worst part of this whole misadventure, however, was that I had to drive to a rural town north of the city I was living in. The road I was travelling on was a narrow two-lane highway with no shoulder, populated entirely by vehicles that were either very old and slow pickup trucks overflowing with people or German sports cars with agitated and anxious drivers. (I swear that, on that day, these were the only two kinds of cars on the road.)

For the entire two-hour drive, I clutched the wheel in a near panic, convinced that I was either about to witness a head-on collision—German sports car making a bad pass—or participate in one as I nervously tried to pass a slow pickup. My heart got a better workout during that drive than it does during a five-mile run.

In honor of this terror, I’d like to share a few tips with my companions on the road that day and with everyone else who may one day find themselves driving a crappy car on a rural road in a strange country (or driving on any two-lane highway, for that matter.)

First, pass only as a last resort. Passing another car on a two-lane highway is tricky, as it’s difficult to gauge relative speeds properly. Remember those train problems you had to do in Algebra? Those were terrible. I usually got them wrong. Passing is a real-world equivalent of those problems, and a head-on collision is much, much worse than a bad math grade.

Next, make sure that you are in a location suitable for passing. This means that the road should be straight and flat, so that you can see a ways ahead of you. For the same reason, you don’t want to pass in low visibility weather.

After that, make sure that your pass will be legal. Only pass when there is a dotted yellow line on your side of the road. Never cross a solid yellow line to make a pass. Also remember that you have to pass on the left. Right hand passes, i.e. when you pass on the shoulder of the road, are only permissible when the car ahead of you is turning left.

Once these basic conditions are in place, you can begin contemplating your pass. Make sure that you are far enough behind the car ahead of you that you can see the other side of the road clearly. Now, check to make sure that there are no cars approaching in the opposite direction.
This is the really tricky part. Remember that, because you are also moving, it is difficult to judge the speed of approaching cars. It’s also difficult to judge how long it will take you to pass the car in front of you. If the approaching car doesn’t appear to be moving, then you should have enough time. If the approaching car does look like it’s moving, don’t make the pass! Be patient.

Next, signal that you’re going to pass by using your blinker to alert cars behind you and tooting your horn (or flashing your lights at night) to warn the car you are passing. When all is clear, pull out and make your pass.

If a sudden obstacle (like an animal or falling tree) or an approaching car suddenly appears, hit your brakes and return to the right hand lane. Don’t try to outrun the oncoming car! You won’t win much in this game, and you risk losing a lot.

To wrap up our discussion for the day, I’d like to introduce a new blog feature:

Don’t Be That Guy: Road Courtesy Tips

If someone is trying to pass you, don’t speed up to frustrate his or her attempt! This is both dangerous and annoying. Don’t be that guy; instead, pull over to the right side of the lane to give the passing car more space and, if possible, slow down a bit to make the other driver’s life easier.
To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Battery”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Eliminate Your Blind Spot!

2010-03-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

At one point or another, someone—a parent, concerned friend, or Driver’s Ed teacher—drilled into you the importance of checking your blind spot before changing lanes. I, for one, had a Driver’s Ed teacher who kept a large feather on the dashboard. If you failed to check the blind spot before changing lanes, she would hit you with the feather. I got the sense that she would much rather be beating me with a large stick; luckily, state law no longer advocates corporal punishment as an effective teaching technique.

However, the feather did teach me to check my blind spot religiously before changing lanes. In fact, I suspect that my constant head-swiveling would have probably resulted in an accident sooner or later. Luckily, I recently discovered the not-so-secret trick for eliminating the blind spot once and for all. I’m pleased to share this discovery today, in the hope of saving future generations of Driver’s Ed students the strange embarrassment of being beaten with a feather.

Whenever getting into a car in which you haven’t already adjusted the mirrors, follow these simple steps:

First, straighten your rear view mirror so that it reflects what is directly behind you. Don’t tilt this mirror to catch a side view. That’s why we have the aptly named side view mirrors.

Next, lean to your left until your head is just touching the window. Now, adjust your left-hand mirror so that you can only just see the side of your car. When you sit up, you shouldn’t be able to see the side of your car at all. While this may seem strange, remember that there is no real reason to keep checking in on how the side of your car is doing.

Finally, lean to the right, so that your head is aligned with the center of the car; the center is usually marked by the dome light or rear view mirror. Now, adjust your right hand mirror so that you can only just see the right side of your car.

You can check that your mirrors are aligned correctly when out on the road. Say that a car is approaching on the left. Watch the car in your rearview mirror; as soon as the car disappears from your rearview mirror, it should appear in the left hand mirror. When you can no longer see the car in the left-hand mirror, you should be able to see it in your peripheral vision. Follow the same procedure on the other side. If you notice a “gap” between mirrors, you should adjust the mirror position slightly. You may need to tilt a mirror up or down, depending on the height of your car.

You might need a few days to adjust to this mirror position. For example, you may flinch when changing lanes using only your mirrors. Don’t worry; no one will attack you with a feather. Once you’ve adjusted, you’ll find that this is a much safer and easier way to drive.

To view a video on this topic, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBj89kyTvWo.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects ranging from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Battery”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

Hydroplaning: Do’s and Don’ts

2010-03-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

While hydroplaning my sound like a fun water sport, it’s actually incredibly dangerous. Essentially, hydroplaning occurs when a car’s tires lose contact with the road; driving a car that is hydroplaning is similar to driving on ice.

In dry conditions, the wheels of a car have no problem “gripping” the road. As the road becomes wet, however, maintaining the friction between wheels and road is more difficult. The grooves in car tires are designed to channel water away from the front of the tires, essentially “clearing” the water from the road and allowing the tire to grip. Hydroplaning occurs when, for one reason or another, the water isn’t getting cleared fast enough; water pressure builds in front of the tire until the water pushes under the tire and lifts the wheel off the road.

COMMON CAUSES OF HYDROPLANING

1. Speed. The faster you drive in wet conditions, the more likely it is that your car will hydroplane. Basically, you aren’t giving the tires enough time to funnel water away from the wheel. Driving slower in wet conditions will help to prevent hydroplaning. As a rule of thumb, drive at two-thirds of your normal speed.
2. Tire condition. Worn tire treads don’t function effectively. Make sure to check your tread depth regularly; you can do this by inserting a penny, upside down, into the tread. The tread should cover at least part of Lincoln’s head. Tires with low pressure can also cause hydroplaning; checking your air pressure regularly is another key preventive measure.
3. Depth of water. Naturally, your car is more likely to hydroplane on deeper water. For this reason, try to avoid puddles whenever possible and be extra careful in very heavy rainfall. An important note: The first rainfall on a dry road will bring the dirt and oil on the road to the surface. This makes more an especially slick—and dangerous—surface.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE HYDROPLANING

Hydroplaning is not as obvious as, say, a skid. When your car begins to hydroplane, you may notice a “loose” feeling as the car loses contact with the road. The steering may also feel loose or too easy. If you’re on a straight, you can try making small turns to see if you still have steering control. You can also look behind you (or have a passenger do so for you.) You should be able to see dry “tracks” in the water behind you where your wheels have made contact with the pavement. If there aren’t any tracks, you’re probably hydroplaning.

DOS AND DON’TS

First of all, when hydroplaning, DON’T:
1. Brake suddenly.
2. Turn suddenly.
These actions will throw your car into a skid.
What TO DO depends on what kind of car you are driving.

For ALL FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CARS and REAR WHEEL DRIVE CARS WITH TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS:*
1. Identify an open space ahead.
2. Depress the accelerator slightly.
3. Steer gently in the direction of the open space.

For REAR DRIVE CARS WITHOUT TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS:
1. Identify an open space ahead.
2. Ease off the accelerator.
3. Steer gently in the direction of the open space.
You should regain control of the car shortly.

NOTE: Never activate cruise control when driving in wet conditions. Your car will recognize the build-up of water under the tires—which leads to hydroplaning—as a “slow down” and send more power to the wheels. This increased power will increase the water build-up and exacerbate the problem.

To see a video on hydroplaning, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwuftIUwYY .

*Cars with traction control and ABS will have icons on the dashboard that indicate these functions.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Battery”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR ENGINE FROM OVERHEATING (AND WHAT TO DO IF IT DOES)

2010-03-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

A young driver, let’s call her Laura, is driving to a neighboring state to visit a friend. It’s a hot summer day, and she has her air-conditioning on. Halfway to her destination, she stops at a drive-through for a coffee. As she is about to pull away, the window attendant remarks that Laura’s car appears to be leaking. Laura pulls over but doesn’t see any dripping. She continues driving. Ten minutes later, she notices steam coming out from under the hood. In a panic, she speeds up in order to reach her destination quickly. When she arrives, she immediately gets out of the car and opens the hood to check her engine.

Luckily, Laura’s engine was okay; she simply had a leak in her cooling system. Unfortunately her parents were livid, as her actions put her at risk and could have damaged her engine beyond repair. Let’s take a look at some of the things that Laura did wrong.

First, engine overheating is often caused by a leak in the cooling system. This system circulates antifreeze (also a coolant) around the engine system in order to draw heat away from the engine as it converts fuel into thermal energy, which is used to power the car. When Laura pulled over to check her suspected leak, she should have checked the level of coolant in the antifreeze reserve tank. If the level was lower than normal, she could have added water to the system. While water isn’t a permanent replacement for antifreeze, this would have at least allowed Laura to get safely to the nearest service station.

Checking antifreeze levels regularly can help to prevent engine overheating in the first place. However, there are a number of other causes of overheating, including a malfunctioning fan, a blockage in the cooling system, and excess strain on the engine.

Second, Laura should have been paying more attention to the temperature gauge on her dashboard. When this gauge reached the red or “H” portion of the spectrum, she would have known to start taking preventive measures to cool her car. These include:

1. Turning off the air conditioning, as this strains the engine.
2. Turning on the heating system. This may seem counterintuitive. However, the heating system uses excess heat from the engine to warm air flowing into the car. Turning on the heater actually draws heat away from the engine and into the passenger compartment.
3. Shifting into neutral at stoplights and then depressing the accelerator slightly. This increases airflow across the radiator and speeds up the flow of coolant around the engine.
4. Trying to move as steadily as possible in stop and go traffic. Speeding up and stopping puts more strain on the engine.

If these steps had no effect, Laura should have pulled over and waited for her engine to cool before continuing to drive. She could also have placed a damp (not wet) piece of cloth on the engine to speed cooling.

Third, Laura should have stopped as soon as she noticed steam coming out from under her engine. This steam is actually the coolant beginning to boil off. Once the coolant is gone, the engine’s temperature will continue to increase unchecked. This can result in serious and irreparable engine damage. She should have pulled over and called a tow truck to take her to the nearest service station.

Fourth, Laura should not have opened the hood while steam was still coming out. At this point, the engine is extremely hot and pressure is building in the radiator. Opening the radiator cap could result in severe burns. She should have waited until the engine had cooled completely to open the hood.

Had she followed these steps, Laura wouldn’t have put herself—and her car—in serious danger; she also wouldn’t have been banned from borrowing the family car.

HOW TO JUMP START A CAR

2010-03-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Stumbling outside early on a cold winter morning and looking forward to the warmth of your car—only to realize that your car won’t start—has got to be one of the more frustrating experiences in life. Luckily, jump-starting a car battery is less intimidating than it may look, even if you don’t think of yourself as a “car person.”

Batteries die for many reasons. Lights being left on is one of the most typical causes of a dead battery. Age and lack of proper maintenance can also cause battery failure.

Before getting out your jumper cables, you’ll want to determine that it actually is your battery that’s causing the problem. Try turning on the headlights; many cars have an “accessories” setting on the ignition switch that will let you turn on the electrical system without starting the engine. If your headlights are dim, then your battery is the culprit. If the headlights are as bright as usual, then, unfortunately, you have a different problem.

You can also try starting the car and listening to the results. Do you hear the engine “cranking” quickly? This means that your battery is functioning. If you don’t hear anything, then proceed to jump start your car!

First, open your hood and inspect your battery. Most batteries will be near the front of the car on the right or left side. Some cars do have batteries near the firewall between the engine and passenger compartment; a few models even have batteries in the trunk. The battery will have two terminals: a positive terminal—which is marked with a plus sign and is usually red—and a negative terminal—black and marked with a minus sign.

If the battery looks cracked or damaged, or appears to be leaking, it’s time for a new battery. Trying to start a damaged battery could result in a dangerous explosion. Battery acid is also highly corrosive; if you have them, wear gloves and/or goggles while jump-starting your car.
**If you have a car with standard transmission, skip the steps below and go straight to the bottom of the article.

Next, locate your jumper cables. A good set of jumper cables is a worthwhile investment; they could get you out of a tight spot—or win you a new friend, if you’re the one being asked to help. Good cables should be thick and at least ten feet long. Avoid cables under $20, as these may not be thick enough to carry sufficient current to your car. Your jumper cables, like your battery, will have positive (usually red) and negative (usually black) ends.

If you notice any corrosion (green, white, or blue “gunk”) on the cables or the battery terminals, clean them with a cloth or steal brush.

Now, you need to find a good friend, neighbor, or passerby with a working car who is willing to help. Proceed to park the two cars. The front ends of the cars should be as close to one another as possible; however, be careful that the two cars don’t touch. Make sure that both cars are turned off; turn off lights, radios, and other electric equipment within both cars and also unplug phones, GPSs, or other equipment that may be charging in the car. The power surge caused by the jump start could damage these devices.

At last you’re ready to connect the jumper cables. As you proceed, keep these safety principles in mind:

1. Never smoke or strike a match while jump-starting a car, as this could cause an explosion.
2. Be careful that the different ends of the jumper cables don’t touch while any of the cables are connected. This could cause a dangerous shock or spark.

You should always connect the jumper cables in the following order. This order is designed to minimize the chance of jumper cables touching one another and causing a spark.

1. Attach a positive cable to the positive terminal on the dead battery.
2. Attach a positive cable to the positive terminal on the working battery.
3. Attach a negative cable to the negative terminal on the working battery.
4. Attach a negative cable to a shiny and unpainted service on the engine block or chassis of the car with dead battery. ONLY connect the negative cable to the negative terminal on the dead battery as a last resort; you want to keep the positive and negative ends of the cable as far apart as possible in order to avoid sparking. Note that a small spark does normally occur when the final cable end is attached.

Once all the cables are in place, it’s time to start the working car. If you want, you can rev the engine of the working car slightly for 30-60 seconds to increase the voltage being transmitted. Now, wait for three to five minutes, in order to let the dead battery charge. Then, try to start the car with the dead battery.

Assuming that your car starts successfully, you’ll now disconnect the jumper cables. *If not, see below for troubleshooting tips. Disconnect the cables in reverse order:

1. Disconnect the negative cable from the dead battery.
2. Disconnect the negative cable from the working battery.
3. Disconnect the positive cable from the working battery.
4. Disconnect the positive cable from the dead battery.

Let the formerly “dead” car run for a few minutes. Then, try depressing the brake pedal, to make sure the car won’t stall when the brake lights are activated. You can also try turning off the car and re-starting it, to make sure the alternator—which re-charges the battery—is working properly. If all seems to be in order and the car starts again, keep the car running for 20-30 minutes in order to re-charge the battery properly.

*IF THE CAR WON’T START*
· Make sure that lights and all devices within the car are off AND the door of the car is closed, so that interior lights don’t come on automatically.
· Carefully wiggle the jumper cable ends to make sure that you are getting a good connection.
· Feel the cables themselves; if they feel warm, they’re probably not conducting current properly. Try to locate a new pair of cables.
If the car still won’t start after a second attempt, it’s probably time to call roadside assistance.

**IF YOU HAVE MANUAL TRANSMISSION**
Good news! You can jump start the car without cables. Depress the clutch and put the car in first gear, then turn the ignition to on. On a clear stretch of road, either start the car rolling down an incline or get friends to push you. When the car reaches 5-10 mph, release the clutch. The engine should start; if not, try again.

HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE

2010-03-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Changing a spare tire is not as daunting as it may seem. All you need is the right equipment and a bit of brute strength. Bear in mind that your car’s instruction manual will have directions on how to change a spare. You should consult this manual before changing a tire in order to ensure that you are following the correct procedure for your particular model.

To change a tire, you’ll need:
· A spare tire, obviously. Most, although not all, cars will carry the spare tire under the floor of the trunk. You should check the pressure in your spare when checking your tire pressure. Nothing is more disheartening than pulling over to fix a flat and realizing that your spare tire is flat as well.
· A lug wrench (also known as a tire iron.)
· A car jack
· A wheel chock, large stone, or brick.

As soon as you notice a flat, begin looking for a hard, level surface, away from the road, where you can change the tire. Once you have located such a surface, safely pull over—don’t panic and make a dangerous lane change.

After pulling over, put your car into park (automatic) or first gear (manual.) Apply your parking brake and turn on your emergency lights. If you are near a busy road, you may also want to raise your hood, to let people know that you have stopped to make a repair.

Next, place the stone or wheel chock against the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel you are going to change; for example, if you are changing the left rear wheel, place the chock against the right front wheel. If you are on a slight downward incline, place the chock in front of the wheel; place the chock behind the wheel if you are on an upward incline.

Now, place the jack underneath your car on the side that the flat is on. Most recent models of car will have notches on the underside of the car near both the front and rear wheels to indicate where the jack should be placed. Consult your owner’s manual if you are in doubt as to where to place the jack, and make sure that the jack is making contact with the metal underside of the car and not a plastic frame.

Raise the jack until it is supporting the car. DON’T raise the wheel off the ground at this point. If you try to loosen the lug nuts while the tire is off the ground, you’ll just spin the tire.
Remove the hubcap and begin to loosen the lug nut. As with most things you turn the lug nuts counterclockwise (to the left) to loosen them. Remember: right—tight, left—loose.

Throughout this process, you should loosen—and tighten—the lug nuts in a star pattern. Don’t tighten or loosen the bolts all at once. Instead, loosen each one slightly, moving in a star pattern; start with one, loosen it a bit, then loosen the one across from it, then the one across from that one, etc. Once you’re back to the first nut, loosen them all a bit more.

At this stage, you just want to loosen the lug nuts slightly. This can be quite difficult; if you don’t bench press regularly, you may need to throw your weight against the wrench, or even jump on it. Just be sure you are turning the wrench in the right direction.
Once the nuts are loosened, it’s time to lift the wheel off the ground. After making sure that the jack is level and the car is steady, raise the jack until the wheel is four to six inches off the ground. Once the wheel is off the ground, finish loosening—and then removing—the lug nuts, continuing to loosen them bit by bit in the star pattern described above.

Once the wheel is off, lay it flat underneath the car, just in case the car body falls. Now, you need to fit the spare tire onto the wheel studs. Remember that the side with the air valve should be facing outwards.

Reattach the lug nuts and begin to tighten them, using the same technique that you used to loosen them. At this point, you want to tighten them just until the tire is snug against the wheel hub. Once the tire is attached, lower the wheel back to the ground and remove the jack. Finish tightening the lug nuts; they should be as tightened down as you can get them. Once you’re down with this, you should be good to go!

What To Do If Your Car Skids

2010-02-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

Feeling your car suddenly skid out of control on an icy road can be a terrifying experience. Unfortunately, most of our instinctive reactions to such a situation—like braking suddenly, turning the wheel in the opposite direction, or staring at the target we’re about to hit—are not only ineffective, but can actually make the skid worse!
A skid occurs when there isn’t enough friction between tire and road. This can happen when driving in wet or icy conditions, stopping suddenly, or entering a turn at a high speed.

A few tips for preventing skids:
1. Make sure your tires have adequate treads. Tires are made with a “wear bar” in the treads; if the level of the tire reaches that of the “wear bar,” it’s time to get new tires. You can also check your tires by inserting a penny into the tread upside-down. Lincoln’s head should be at least partially covered.
2. Drive slowly in wet, icy, or snowy conditions.
3. Keep an appropriate distance between you and the car ahead of you. A general rule of thumb is four car lengths for every ten mph. If you are travelling 40 mph, keep 16 car lengths between cars. This way, you’ll have plenty of time to react if the driver in front of you stops ; trying to stop too suddenly can cause a skid.
4. Slow down before entering a curve or bend. Taking a curve too quickly or braking suddenly while going around a bend can cause skids.

There are two different kinds of skids: front wheel skids and rear wheel skids. We’ll discuss how to deal with these in turn. First, however, in dealing with any kind of skid, keep two basic principles in mind.

First, don’t panic! You need to keep your head clear when you go into a skid, because your “instinctive” reactions are likely to do more harm than good.
Second, keep your eyes focused on a target in the distance. Choose a point further down the road, in the direction you are headed, and stay focused on this object. With this target in view, you’ll be better able to redirect your car so that it is once again traveling in the right direction.
Now, on to different types of skids.

FRONT WHEEL SKID
A four-wheel skid occurs when the entire car starts drifting in a direction other than the driver’s intended course. This type of skid tends to occur when a driver enters a curve too quickly.
If your car enters a front-wheel skid, ease off the accelerator. If you are driving a car with manual transmission, depress the clutch. With your eyes focused on your “target,” try to steer the car back on course. If you don’t regain control of the car within 2-3 seconds, THEN depress the brake lightly. If your car doesn’t have anti-lock (ABS) brakes, pump the brakes lightly.
Braking will help to transfer power to the front of the car; braking too suddenly, however, can cause the wheels to lock, which will make the skid worse.

REAR WHEEL SKID
A rear will skid occurs when the back end of the car slides out to the right or left; this is also known as “fishtailing.”
At some point, at least one person has probably toward you to “turn into the skid.” He or she was talking about what to do if your car fishtails. However, this advice can be misleading. Say that the back end of your car suddenly slides out to the right; you don’t want to turn your wheel sharply to the right as well, especially if you are traveling at a high speed. You want to turn to the right JUST ENOUGH to straighten out the car, i.e. bring the front wheels back in line with the rear wheels. This is why focusing on a target is helpful: it prevents you from “over-correcting.”
As you turn, slowly ease off the accelerator. Avoid the temptation to brake suddenly.

To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Battery”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BRAKES FAIL

2010-02-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

The average driver uses his or her brakes about 75,000 times a year, making the brakes one of the most important (and overworked!) parts of your car. While total brake failure is rare, it is also very dangerous. The best way to deal with brake failure is to prevent it by maintaining your brakes.

BRAKE BASICS
Most cars have two brake systems. The regular brakes—those attached to your brake pedal—are connected to a hydraulic system. The parking brake—either a lever to the right of the driver or, on some automatic cars, a foot pedal—is activated using a cable. It’s designed to be totally separate from the regular braking system, so that it can be used if the main brakes fail.

ANTI-LOCK BRAKES VS. REGULAR BRAKES
Many newer cars have anti-lock brake systems (ABS). If you have ABS, an ABS logo should light up on your dashboard when you turn on your car. If you are unsure of what kind of braking system you have, you can also check your owner’s manual.
ABS brakes are designed to help you stop as quickly as possible. Brake pressure is at a maximum right before the wheels lock; however, once your wheels lock, you lose control over steering. An ABS system senses when a wheel is about to lock and automatically “pumps” the brake to maintain maximum pressure without locking the wheel. If you have ABS, you’ll feel a shuddering in the brake pedal when you try to stop suddenly. While this may feel unpleasant, as though something is “wrong” with the brakes, it’s actually a sign that your ABS system is keeping you safe. Consult your owner’s manual to learn how to use your ABS brakes properly.
If you don’t have ABS brakes, you should learn how to pump your brakes yourself. When trying to make a sudden stop, press down on and release the brake repeatedly and as quickly as possible, rather than simply pressing the brake to the floor. This will prevent your wheels from locking.

MAINTAINING YOUR BRAKES
There are a few simple ways to check the health of your brakes. First, open the hood and look at the brake fluid in the master cylinder. If this is low, there could be a leak in the system OR the brake pads could be wearing thin. If you aren’t a capable mechanic yourself, take your car to a local service station to have your brakes checked. Second, check the level of the brake pedal. If it’s too low, there could be a problem. Finally, check the color of the brake fluid. If it’s dark brown or cloudy, it’s likely that your brake fluid needs replacing.
In general, aim to get your brakes checked annually. Many experts recommended changing your brake fluid—also called “bleeding your brakes”—every one or two years.
You can also take steps to avoid damaging your breaks. Aggressive driving and driving in stop-and-go traffic can place unnecessary strain on your brake system. Modify your driving style and try to avoid driving in traffic whenever possible; consider leaving for work a bit earlier and taking a slightly longer lunch break to avoid rush hour. Also, avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal when not braking.

RECALLS
In the past few years, several leading automobile companies have recalled cars and trucks due to potential brake problems. If your car has been recalled, don’t risk a possible problem; take it in for maintenance as soon as possible. For a complete database of recalls issued in the United States, check out this government website:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/

WHAT TO DO YOU WHEN YOUR BRAKES FAIL
Despite all the precautions one can take, brakes do fail. Should this happen to you, DON’T PANIC. Then, follow these steps to begin slowing down your car. Remember that it’s important to slow down gradually; slowing your car too suddenly could cause you to lose control of your car and end up in an accident.

1. Shift into a lower gear.
If you are driving a car with manual transmission, downshift as quickly as you can without losing control of the car. Don’t shift into first or second gear too suddenly; wait until the car has slowed somewhat.
If you’re in a car with automatic transmission, shift down one gear at the time. The first of the low gears is usually labeled “1.”

2. Check to see how your brake pedal feels.

If your brake pedal feels loose, this could indicate a lack of brake pressure. Pump your brake rapidly to build up pressure (do this even if you do have ABS brakes.) Then, once you have built pressure, press down on the brake firmly.

If your brake pedal feels stiff, there could be a blockage. Use your foot to clear possible obstructions from under the brake pedal or have a passenger take a look.

3. If (2) doesn’t work, then apply your parking brake. Apply this brake gradually to avoid locking your wheels.

4. Again, don’t panic. As you complete these steps, keep your eyes on the road to avoid obstacles. Alert other drivers to your predicament by flashing your lights and honking.

5. If steps 1-3 aren’t effective, then you’ll need to find alternative ways to slow your car. Remember that friction will help to slow you down. Create friction by:

a. Brushing against a guard rail;
b. Driving on a non-paved surface;
c. Driving through shrubbery;
d. Turning from side to side;
e. Opening the doors or sun-roof to create air resistance.
Remember to approach the guard rail or non-paved surface at a shallow angle; otherwise, you’ll risk flipping the car. When driving through shrubbery or underbrush, avoid trees, as these will stop your car far too suddenly. Only try to turn the car from side to side if you are travelling at a fairly low speed; if you turn sharply while moving quickly, you’ll risk flipping the car.
Above all, remain calm, stay in control of your car, and slow down gradually. Once you’ve come to a complete stop, exit the car and call for help.

Find an Online Defensive Driving Course - wikiHow

2010-02-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

Find an Online Defensive Driving Course - wikiHow

How To Make An Emergency Lane Change

2010-02-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Imagine you are happily cruising down the interstate at 70mph—music blasting, windows slightly open. You don’t notice that you’ve crept up a little too close to the car in front of you. This car stops suddenly; by the time you see it, there isn’t enough space for you stop. However, the lane to your right is free.
You need to execute an emergency lane change. This is a helpful technique that allows you to change lanes quickly and safely in the event of brake failure, a tire blowout, a sudden obstacle in the road, or other similar emergency. Use this simple one-two-three motion to make an emergency lane change to the right:
1. Your hands should be opposite another on the steering wheel—at 9 and 3 o’clock. From this position, spin the wheel 180 degrees to the right, so that your arms are crossed.
2. As soon as your arms touch, spin the wheel back 360 degrees, so that your arms cross in the opposite direction.
3. Immediately straighten the wheel with a 90 degree turn back to the right.
To enter the right-hand lane: RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT.
To enter the left-hand lane: LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT.
Using this technique, you’ll be able to make a quick lane change when traveling at speeds as high as 60-70mph without losing control of your vehicle.

Defensive Driving For Insurance Reduction - How Much Can You Save?

2010-02-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

Defensive Driving Means Insurance Reduction In The State Of Texas

2010-02-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

By completing a state approved defensive driving course such as DefensiveDriving.com, you’ll not only improve your skills as a driver—you also could be eligible to save money on your insurance! Many of the leading insurance companies in the state of Texas offer various kinds of “safe driver” discounts, including discounts for completing a defensive driving course.
These discounts can be anywhere from three to twenty percent off your automobile insurance premium; most discounts are valid for three years. After completing your defensive driving course, contact your insurance provider with a valid certificate of completion to claim your discount. If you’ve already completed your course—don’t worry! Most companies will allow you to apply for this discount any time within three years of completion.
Below are some of the top Texas insurers that offer a discount for completing a defensive driving course. However, you should contact your local agent to confirm that this discount applies to your policy.

· State Farm
· Farmers Auto Insurance
· GEICO, GEICO Indemnity, & General Insurance Company
· USAA County Mutual Insurance Co.
· Southern Farm Bureau Casualty
· USAA
· Mid-Century Insurance Company
· Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
· State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas
· Liberty County Mutual Insurance Company
· Colonial County Mutual Insurance Group
· AAA Texas County Mutual Insurance Company
· Safeco Insurance Company
· Amica Mutual Insurance Company
· Germania Insurance Company
· Metropolitan Lloyds Insurance Company of Texas
· Infinity County Mutual Insurance Company
· General Insurance Company of America

For more information on insurance companies and agents operating in the state of Texas, check out the Texas Department of Insurance website. This website has contact information for leading insurance companies, agent contact directories, lists of top insurers in various categories, and lots more information:
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/
Even if you don’t see your company on the list, they may still offer a discount. Contact an agent in your area for more information.

Tips:
Any additional individuals listed on your insurance policies can realize savings if they also take defensive driving.
If taking the course for insurance only, you can take the course again if you get a ticket (as long as you have not dismissed a ticket with defensive driving in the past 12 months)
DefensiveDriving.com is state approved and consumer approved – it is the most popular online course in Texas since 2000!

How to Make an Emergency Lane Change - wikiHow

2010-01-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

How to Make an Emergency Lane Change - wikiHow

Avoid Distracted Driving

2010-01-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Distracted driving is in the news, in the legislature and on everyone’s mind these days. “Distracted driving” was Webster’s Dictionary 2009 Word of the Year. What is distracted driving? Webster’s defines it as “use of a cellphone or other portable electronic device while operating a motor vehicle”.

What can you do to avoid distracted driving?

1. Turn your cell phone/pager/dvd player/other device OFF!

2. Or use a hands free device. Although this solution does not eliminate distraction, it will allow you to respond without having to look away from the road or remove your hands from the wheel.

3. Pull over to call and text.

4. Ask a passenger to handle calls for you.

5. Install software on your phone that automatically starts when you drive, and responds to calls and texts on your phone with a message that you are driving and will get back to the caller later. One good example of this is ZoomSafer. ZoomSafer is easy-to-use software that helps ensure safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving. ZoomSafer is the practical answer to the problem of distracted driving; it activates automatically when you start to drive and applies customizable safe driving policies to help protect you, your family, or your employees. And now you can get a free Blackberry Smartphone with ZoomSafer installed from DefensiveDriving.com.

Whatever solution you employ, be aware of where you are. Many cities now have laws against texting while driving.

How to Take an Online Defensive Driving Course for Ticket Dismissal in Florida - wikiHow

2010-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

How to Take an Online Defensive Driving Course for Ticket Dismissal in Florida - wikiHow

RAILROAD CROSSING SAFETY: CARS AND TRAINS DON’T MIX!

2010-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

In June 2009, five teenagers were killed in a tragic accident in Detroit when their car was hit by a passenger train. This accident occurred in spite of the fact that all safety measures—including gates and flashing lights—were functioning effectively.

Avoiding a collision with a train may seem like common-sense; however, as statistics show, such collisions are tragically commonplace. Did you know that a potentially fatal car-train collision occurs every 90 minutes in the United States? According to the Federal Highway Administration, accidents at highway-train crossings resulted in 299 fatalities and 817 injuries in 2007.

Many of these accidents occur when drivers try to “beat” a train across the tracks. Remember that when a car goes up against a train, nobody wins. The average train weighs 12 million pounds, while the average car weighs only 4,000 pounds; a speeding train can crush a car like a soda can. However, the passengers in the car aren’t the only ones at risk. A car on the tracks can derail a train, endangering the lives of train passengers. If the train is carrying dangerous freight, like volatile chemicals, a car-train crash can result in environmental damage that puts entire communities at risk. When you race a train, you are putting countless lives at risk.

Approximately two-thirds of all car-train accidents occur during daylight, when drivers should be able to see approaching trains! These accidents occur for a number of reasons.

1. An approaching train is an optical illusion; drivers often don’t realize how fast a train is moving.

2. Drivers think trains will be able to stop for them. In reality, the average freight train travelling at 50 MPH will need 1.5 miles to come to a full stop.

3. Drivers ignore safety devices like lights, gates, and bells.

A few simple safety measures could prevent these tragic crashes. First and foremost, be patient and don’t take risks.

Keep these other rules in mind:

1. Always obey signs, gates, lights, bells, and other safety equipment. Never dodge a gate in order to “beat” a train.

2. Don’t start crossing a track if you can’t get all the way across. Wait for traffic on the other side to clear before beginning your crossing.

3. If your car stalls while you are on the tracks, get out immediately, move away from the tracks, and call the police. Your life is more valuable than your property.

4. Only cross at designated crossings.

5. If the crossing doesn’t have gates or other warning equipment, make sure you check in both directions before crossing. Then, turn off your radio and listen for a train. If you can see or hear a train, don’t begin your crossing.

6. If you are at a crossing that does have gates and/or lights, make sure to look both ways and listen even if the gates are raised and the lights are off. Safety equipment can and does malfunction.

7. If there are multiple tracks, make sure you check all of them before crossing.

8. Never walk, run, or cycle on or near train tracks.

9. Stay off train bridges and out of train tunnels.

10. Remember that school buses and trucks carrying flammable liquids are required to stop at train crossings, regardless of whether or not a train is approaching. If you are behind one of these vehicles, be aware that they will have to stop before the crossing.

11. Common driving distractions like talking on a cell phone, eating and drinking, and texting can result in a failure to observe proper safety procedures while crossing a train track. Be an alert and responsible driver.

Defensive Driving Online In Texas

2010-01-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

How to Take an Online Defensive Driving Course in Texas

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

There are two main reasons most people take a defensive driving course in Texas – ticket dismissal and insurance rate reduction. Defensive driving courses are mandated to last six hours, and so many people are now opting to take the course online. The advantages are that you can do it at home, on your computer, and at your own pace. It still requires six hours of coursework, but you can take up to three months to complete it

Steps

For ticket dismissal

Request permission of the court to take the course. You have until the appearance date shown on the ticket to make the request. This can be done in person or by mail. Contact the court indicated on your ticket. (If you are unsure if you are eligible to take defensive driving to dismiss a ticket, see the criteria listed below.)
Prepare your information to mail to take in to the court. Courts will require this information:
- Admission of guilt or signed statement that you do not contest the citation.
- Proof of a valid Texas driver’s license
- Court administrative fee (varies by court)
- Copy of your insurance policy
Find a course online. The simplest way is to type “defensive driving online texas” into your favorite search engine on your computer. That will give you many choices. But, make sure the company you select is accepted by the State of Texas. Defensive driving courses in Texas are overseen by the Texas Education Agency. All of these courses must last six hours. If you find one that says it doesn’t last six hours, it’s too good to be true.
When you finish your defensive driving course you will receive a Certificate of Completion. You have to turn this certificate in the Texas County Clerk’s office. From the time you receive permission to take the course, you have 90 days to turn in the certificate. Many online defensive driving courses allow you 90 days to take the course. You can log on and off at your discretion. But be sure to be done and have your paperwork in by the due date.

To take defensive driving online for insurance reduction

Make sure your insurance company accepts a defensive driving class as a way to reduce your insurance cost.
Find a course online. The simplest way is to type “defensive driving online Texas” into your favorite search engine on your computer. That will give you many choices. Make sure it is accepted by the State of Texas. Defensive driving courses in Texas are overseen by the Texas Education Agency. All of these courses must last six hours. If you find one that says it doesn’t last six hours, it’s not going to be officially recognized by the TEA.
When you finish your defensive driving course you will receive a Certificate of Completion. Send that certificate to your insurance company to receive your fee discount.

Tips

You cannot take defensive driving online to dismiss a ticket if:

You have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL);
You have already taken defensive driving for ticket dismissal within the last 12 months;
You do not have a valid Texas Driver’s License (there are exemptions for military)

You cannot take defensive driving online to dismiss a ticket if you are charged with:

Driving 95 miles per hour or more
Speeding 25 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit
Passing a school bus
Committing a serious traffic violation
Other criteria at the discretion of the court

Warnings

Out of State Residents with a Texas Ticket

If you have a driver’s license from out of state and receive a traffic ticket in Texas, you may be allowed to take a Texas defensive driving course to dismiss that ticket – but it's up to the judge. Go through the process outlined above to apply for permission to take an online defensive driving course. But remember that regardless of the state in which you reside, the course you take will need to be accepted in Texas.

Things You'll Need

Computer
Credit Card
Comfy chair

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Take an Online Defensive Driving Course in Texas. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Company Overview

2010-01-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

DefensiveDriving.com launched operations on February 2, 2000 from its home base in Houston, Texas.
A pioneer in the field of online driver safety education, DefensiveDriving.com® offers Texas and Florida state-approved defensive driving courses that drivers can take to reduce insurance rates, dismiss traffic tickets, and improve driver safety. We offer more ways to take defensive driving than any other course provider, with our original Internet course, streaming video online, DVD video course with Internet interaction, and DVD video course with IVR (automated telephone voice system) interaction.

The philosophy at DefensiveDriving.com is to provide the most educational, highest quality products in the industry, and to support those products with exceptional customer service. The company achieves this by working with outside consultants, conducting focus groups with potential customers, and implementing best practices from the top call centers in the country. The company operates 24-hour in-house call and fulfillment centers that are staffed by highly trained customer support representatives and licensed defensive driving instructors.

This philosophy has paid off, because DefensiveDriving.com is the #1 rated online course in Texas, a distinction that has set the standard for the company's additional product offerings. In 2004, the company's dedication to excellence was recognized when the new Wheels in Motion® video course was awarded a Silver Plaque at the International Communications Film & Video Awards (part of the Chicago International Film Festival). In 2005, DefensiveDriving.com continued breaking new ground in the defensive driving industry by partnering with Time Warner Cable to offer the Wheels in Motion video On Demand.

In 2008, DefensiveDriving.com once again offered an industry first: defensive driving instruction via Online Streaming Video on the Internet. Now anyone with an Internet connection can watch the world’s best driving instruction video any time, with no returns, no late fees, and no wait!