Autumn...Time to Change your Driving Style for Safety Sake
Autumn is a dangerous time to drive because schools open, leaves fall....
1) Kids have gone back to school
2) Halloween puts more kids on the streets after dark
3) Daylight savings time is approaching, it will be darker earlier
4) Fallen leaves make roads slippery
5) Leave hide debris, pot holes, kids
Result? The number one killer of kids ages 4-18 is traffic accidents that happen in autumn reports the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That amounts to 29% of all pedestrian related fatalities.
NEARLY 800 KIDS ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR DURING SCHOOL TRAVEL TIMES.
Our children's safety must be a high priority for every driver...it's a driver's responsibility to up keep our vehicles
performance. Yearly safety inspections in NYS are about lessening dangers to other motorists and pedestrians.
By the way, 106 St Tire & Wheel does NYS safety inspections at our 79-20 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst, NY, open 7
days including most holidays.
=Remember to slow down around school buses even if they are not dispersing school kids...it's the safe thing to do.
=Once a school bus uses bright flashing yellow lights, it is cautioning drivers that it's about to stop. Please stop!
=Once the lights on the bus flash red, the bus is loading or unloading children.
=It's against the law to pass a stopped school bus for any reason.
=Be aware that kids can start to cross the street in front of a stopped bus or behind a stopped school bus. Stop!
=Stay stopped until the school bus begins to move. No excuses, please.
Back to Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, November 1st, 2015
Any increase in darkness raises the risk for walking adults and kids. Once the days get shorter, slow down,
be more aware and use increased caution. Small kids can be hidden by bushes and landscaping near bus stops,
stacked trash pails, trees, lengthening shadows, parked SUVs and many street obstacles. It's also incredibly
important to remember that mornings are darker also. Additionally, school districts vary in the hours kids attend
school so please don't assume that caution is only needed between 8 am and 3 pm. Many kids get out of school
at 2:30 PM. It takes a village to protect kids so lets all do out part.
Also, parents, you can help drivers see your children by dressing then on brightly colored clothing
and outter wear, reflective sneakers or back packs, reflective items can be purchased in bike stores
as well as clothing stores. Also, rolls of self adheisive reflective tape are available in many stores and
online. Your child's life is at stake here so please think about it and act on it?
Those Autumn Leaves drift by our windows...pretty as a picture, but:
Wet leaves are a slip hazard for kids and a sliding hazard for drivers. Additionally, kids can fall on cracks
on sidewalks, pot holes in the streets, broken curbs, debris on roads, etc. You might, as a driver, procede
expecting kids to cross safely and a child could fall. Please wait to kids reach the otherside of the crosswalk
before you proceed?
Drivers can easily lose both control of the vehicles and lose traction and skid because of under-inflated tires,
worn tires, brakes that need replacing, steering issues, wheel alignment issues, etc. And, leaves hide road issues
like pot holes which can cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle not to mention lane markings...take it slow.
Please, lives depend on your vehicle's braking ability, your speed, your tires, your awareness and your attention
on the streets not on your radio or cell phone.
Are dry leaves are safer?
NO! Ever see kids jumping into piles of leaves? If you are backing up, watch that pile of leaves! There could be
some kids hiding in them in a game of hide-and-seek and your tail pipe and catalytic converter could spark a fire.
In an effort to help our community, 106 St Tire offers an array of free safety inspections to make sure drivers are
driving as safe as possible. Truth is, as residents of Queens our selves, our kids and your kids coming home or
going to school are as safe as possible. All 106 St Tire & Wheel locations offer a 47 point safety inspection FREE.
Our company is dedicated to safety first here in the borough where we own and operate our 5 locations.
Quick or unpredictable weather changes:
We shall have weather, whether or not you are ready for it....some call it global warming and climate change but lets
leave politics out of this and remember, 800 people die during school travel times every year. With that in mind, sign
up for weather alerts to your cell phone or computer so you know from hour to hour how to prepare your kids, change
your routes, slow down further and avoid these kinds of hazards that technology can help us conquer.
Shadows and bright sun light plague us this time of the year and can make driving more challenging and soon the weather
will be colder, wetter, icy and dangerous. Brake gently, steer smoothly, keep your foot off the gas peddle and on the brake.
Tree lined streets can make visibility difficult. Once it starts hailing freezing rain starts falling or is snowing remember that
certain road surfaces free faster. Check your tire pressure because under-inflated tires cause over 10,000 tire related
accidents a year and that's not included in the 800 deaths of kids and adults that die from leaves and related issues.
Brake gently, steer smoothly, keep your foot off the gas peddle.
Common Sense Saves Lives!
The changing seasons mean changing driving styles. There are more road hazards and often drivers make sudden
stops or navigate slippery road conditions. Your tires need to be in tip top shape to provide the safest performance,
rise and stopping ability because the U.S. Department of Transportation states the six-day Thanksgiving travel period
is an especially popular time for family travel. If you are traveling over the river and through the woods to grandma's
house or anyone else's for the holiday and your making a list and checking it twice include having your tires
inspected by the pros at 106 St Tire & Wheel. IT'S FREE!
Your family's life could depend on it:
What's more, 106 St Tire & Wheel experts will be looking for uneven wear, tire tread depth, air pressure
(consider nitrogen fill, less maintenance required and very affordable) in compliance with your vehicle's specific
required air pressure standards, etc FOR FREE all year round. A safer NY is up to all of us. 106 St Tire & Wheel
locations will do its part to keep you safe year round.
Also, we will inspect your brakes FOR FREE, we will give you compressed air for your tires FREE, we will do a 47
point safety inspection for FREE which includes checking suspension, lights, turn signals, batteries and more F-R-E-E!
106 St Tire wants to take this opportunity to remind our customers that our new wheel alignment facility is now at
105-08 Northern Blvd. It's open 24/7 just like our iconic store at 106-01 Northern Blvd 11368. Call us 24/7, we are
always here for you and have been for decades.
...and we want to remind you, since the owners and staff of 106 St Tire, Inc live in Queens, too, as do 8 million NYers...your children and our
children are crossing those busy streets, slow down, be careful and don't be a statistic.