A year ago The Christian Science Monitor ran the following headline, “Report: Cell phone distraction
causes one in four U.S. car crashes.”
The article continued with this: “The report puts the number of car crashes caused by cell phone
use and texting at 1.6 million – one million more than previously thought.”
1) Check your tire pressure!
We hate sounding like broken records but this is a critical safety issue and one totally under your control.
As we've mentioned before, program your phone to remind you, check your pressure every time you fill up, put
up a Post-It note on your desk...do whatever it takes to remind yourself because your life depends on it.
Think for a moment? There is only one part of your car that touches the ground: YOUR TIRES!
It sounds ridiculously simple however each and every year scores of people die, thousands of
accidents are caused, millions of dollars in damage is done, a huge amount of money in lost
wages result, etc. and all because of tire inflation issues. Under-inflated tires are the number
one cause of tire related accidents.
REMEMBER:
Each of our 106 St. Tire & Wheel stores will check your tire pressure
FOR F-R-E-E!
And our store on Northern Blvd and 106 St. is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week including holidays,
so, no excuses, please?
Feel free to stop by any of our shops on 106 St and Northern Blvd, Corona, Merrick Blvd. Jamaica, Queens Blvd. in Elmhust, Queens or 108th Street Corona - Forest Hills (locations and map to all of our 106 St Tire & Wheel shops) and we will be happy to do this for you as a courtesy.
Other important tire safety services?
and please follow us on social media at: TWITTER and FACEBOOK for special deals, free services, sales, and more
and if you find that you are forgetting to do check your tire pressure as often as you should for optimum safety,
please consider nitrogen fill—it lasts 3-4 times longer!
Please see the previous article or watch Jay Leno's brief talk at www.getnitrogen.org and he will fill
you in on how this technology can help you increase your MPG, decrease tire wear and keep you and your family safer.
2) Are you allowing yourself to be distracted?
Distracted drivers are a huge cause of accidents and those cell phone/texting “addicts” are the biggest
culprits. Think you're in the clear because you're hooked to a “hands-free” unit? Think again!
Can you afford a-n-y distraction when you are behind the wheel of a 2 ton piece of metal hurdling down a highway at 60 mph?
Think about this: texting is today what drunk driving was 25 years ago and there's an organization like MADD
(Mothers against Drunk Driving) that's lobbying for steep penalties against those who are caught texting...
this is not supposed to be funny but think about where that could go in future. Imagine being charged with
TWD (Texting While Driving).
3) Are you focusing on the wrong part of the road?
Driving in an unfamiliar area can be tricky; it's difficult to read signs and watch the road at
the same time. We're sure you'll agree: it's better to get lost than it is to veer into the next lane
and becoming involved with in an accident.
Before leaving home, check with a directions website like www.randmcnally.com or whichever
one you prefer. And if you have to look at a map or read those printed directions pull over
rather than taking your eyes off the road.
Also, GPS is a good investment and makes sense if you drive a lot. You will save time,
energy and money so you can consider this technology a good investment.
4) How about improving your parallel parking skills?
You found a parking spot in Queens! You're thrilled to have beaten out the other 82 contenders in a
mad rush to park in Flushing. It doesn't matter how you parked, YOU'RE PARKED.
Well, that's the good news.
Here's the bad news: did you hit the curb? If you did there are 2 issues you might not realize:
5) Do you slow down the minute it starts to rain?
Have you ever heard that NYers don't know how to drive in rainy weather? Maybe they do. Rainy conditions
make the pavement very slick for about 10 minutes after it starts to rain and that's when the conditions
are the most dangerous. The build-up of oil already on the road mixed with the rain makes mere drizzle hazardous.
SLOW DOWN!
6) Is gas costing you too much?
Are you using high test or premium gas? Chances are you're wasting money and you're not alone. This
is one of the most common mistakes drivers make.
Check the “Bible for Drivers" more commonly known as your OWNER'S MANUAL.
If you bought a second hand car or lost the manual, it's online, just Google the make, model and year
of your car and you have it. See what the manufacturer recommends and if your vehicle's manual doesn't
call for premium fuel, don't bother. Be recession smart and save yourself some $$$.
7) Do you signal a turn and change your mind?
Every single one of us has done this in Queens, in Brooklyn, in NYC and across the world. Here's a weird suggestion: MAKE THE TURN!
Isn't it better to go slightly out of your way than to have an accident and risk not only damaging your car
but also injuring yourself, the other driver or pedestrians?
Signaling at the last minute causes accidents, too, as does signaling too soon.
If you signal and immediately make a turn the driver behind you may not have time to slow down.
Signal too soon and the driver behind you may ignore your signal light that just blinks and blinks
and blinks and blinks thinking you aren't going to make a turn.
The above holds true on a highway as well. Veering back on to the highway after signaling
your exit from the road may cause and accident. It may be better to exit rather than chance a collision.
8) Are you applying too much pressure to your brakes and gas pedal?
Trust us, you'll get the best gasoline efficiency (and save yourself $$$) if you brake slowly
and evenly and accelerate the same way.
9) Is your driver's seat properly adjusted?
Cars don't come in a one-size-fits all. For that very reason, many parts are adjustable.
If you are a small framed woman and your husband is a big guy, you'll notice the adjustment
each time your guy drives your car. However, there may be smaller adjustments but adjustments
just the same each time you have your car repaired because the mechanic may have driven your
car for a road test. The same holds true each time you have it valet-parked.
Petite women tend to want to sit closer to the steering wheel, but, to be safer, adjust your seat so
you are 8-10 inches from the steering wheel leaving room for the airbag to inflate properly. We've all
heard stories about serious injuries resulting from airbags so keep this in mind.
Seat belts? Yes, we all hate them, but, it's the law and they save lives. It's highly recommended
that your seat beat be buckled across the middle of your chest and shoulders.
Head rests? This should be level with the top of your head. In case of impact, that head rest could
save a whiplash injury which is no joke and could take months to recover from.
Both of the points above are true for kids as well. If they are still too small to have the above apply,
they should sit in a booster chair or, perhaps, be in a car seat depending more on their size than their age.
10. Are you prepared for car repairs?
People tend to think of their car like they think about their coffee maker, hair dryer, microwave or toaster –
cars are often thought about as just another appliance.
Then one day your car doesn't start and it's a $600 starter.
How about putting away your lose change or a $20 bill every month to cover oil changes, tires and the
unexpected repair, etc? The worse thing that can happen is you may be able to afford a short vacation or a high def TV.
Too many of us don't do preventative maintence and find the small issues and therefore vehicle part failure usually stikes at
an inopportune moment. What you may not know, 106 St Tire & Wheel is now making appointments to do all kinds of repair
and maintenance work!
© Copyright July 2015 106 St Tire & Wheel, Inc All Rights Reserved