It is often said that “April showers bring May flowers”, which is certainly true. Another thing the April moisture offers us is adverse driving conditions. Thawing snow can cause icy patches especially in shady areas, on bridges and on overpasses. Those hazards combined with rain water caused by all of that April inclemency can make driving situations treacherous. The roads become even more ferocious when rain and melting ice mixes with the oil and grind already entrenched on the streets. Thankfully there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for Spring driving season so you may enjoy one of the more refreshing times of the year without incident.
One major rule, which is standard for all seasons, is to maintain the proper tire pressure. When our tires are correctly inflated it helps us drive steadier and not slip and slide all over our streets. Finding the amount of air your tire keeps is easy when you refer to your vehicle's owner's manual. Speaking of tires, you should never get tired of rotating them every 5000 miles. That will keep equal tread on them and keep you driving safer. All tires should have at least 2/32 inch of depth on them to be considered good driving shape. A good rule of thumb is to have your tires checked at the beginning of each new season, or if you don't put as many miles on your car as most drivers, each time you get your oil changed. Then you can think of it as taking “your baby” out for a drink and some new shoes!
Large puddles can also make Spring driving disastrous. Splashing water adversely affects your breaks not to mention it impairs both you and other driver's vision. It is difficult at times to see these puddles while driving at night in the rain. That's why it is sage advice to have all of your lights checked before headed out of the garage. Those lights include headlights, tail lights, break lights, reflectors and turn signals. In other words, make sure it blinks so you don't sink! Having your wiper blades in nice working order goes hand in hand with keeping your lights shining. Any reputable service representative can tell you if your car's blades are acceptable, but basically if you can't see where you are going in a rainstorm you should probably consider changing your wiper blades. Remember, people are hard to see in rain and fog so you don't need any added obstacles reducing your chances of avoiding a horrible accident.
Not all Spring driving is done in stormy settings. This season is synonymous with sunshine and warmer days and that means more people are out and about. Be leery of individuals who are out jogging or walking. Many neighborhoods do not furnish its friends with sidewalks so the street is the only pavement those people have to trot on. Although there are beautiful bike paths in a lot of metropolis', bikers still need to get to those private paths or just choose to ride around the block. Slow down when you see your mountain bike brothers and sisters. Boys on bigger bikes are also more prevalent in the pretty weather. Make sure you allow motorcyclists the same honors you would any other motor vehicle operator. Of course, kids come out of their caves once the sun starts shining and they are usually careless when it comes to playing outside. Be on the lookout for youngsters running into the streets, especially when chasing toys are balls they are kicking around. All of the early season rain also leads to our lawns becoming lusher so be sure to pay attention to those people mowing their grass. As is the case for all of the above mentioned groups, lawn manicurists many times where headsets or ear buds to avoid the noise and listen to soothing music. While those tunes may tickle their fancy they may also put their minds in other dimensions, places where paying attention to cars is unnecessary. Lawn cutting service trucks and trailers are a staple of the season and are parked in areas that can be dangerous. Slow down and be extra sure there is no oncoming traffic before moving around these large obstructions. Be careful to avoid any unwanted flying objects shooting loose from the lawnmower too. These UFO's don't carry martians, but can carry heavy insurance claims if they strike your windshield.
People are not the only creatures that are crawling around in the Spring. Animals that have been sleeping all winter are eager to roam the roads in freedom. That freedom does not include being squashed by our newly inflated tires. Stay clear of animals big and small so they can enjoy their months of not being in a somnambulist state. If people and pets are at peace, you can be too as the Spring season saunters into Summer.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Avoiding Potholes To Avoid Large Problems
Most everyone is familiar with that annoying house guest who comes to stay for a few days then ends up staying for months.
To us drivers, those unwanted visitors are the potholes that appear at the end of each winter and never seem to leave until the temperatures routinely reach the upper 80's. Not only are these potholes so ugly they make our streets look like some undiscovered planet from a science fiction movie, they are also very dangerous to commuters. So dangerous, in fact, that drivers appear as if they are playing a real life version of Frogger when avoiding these craters.
Potholes are caused by relentless freezing and thawing of water under pavement. Those continuous actions weakens our roads. Combine the freezing and thawing with the weight of the vehicles driving over the streets and the age of those streets and you have a recipe for driving disaster. Making matters even worse is that potholes come in more sizes than a pie from your favorite local pizza joint. There are tiny, small, medium, large, extra large, double extra large and some that are so big you expect them to have their own zip code. Unfortunately, these potholes don't discriminate either so it doesn't matter if you are driving a clunker or a $75,000 luxury auto......if you nail one of these holes your car is in big trouble. Potholes have been known to
cause structural damage to your tire(s), alignment problems, tire blowout and axle problems. Amazingly a pothole can cause as much damage to a car as a car crash at 35mph. Sometimes the impact can be so great it triggers the release of the car's airbags.
If you recently nailed one of these pains in the road and think that nothing has happened to your vehicle, don't be fooled. Your car may act normally the rest of that drive, but the next time you need to hit the road, the residual affect of the pothole damage may hit you back. If your car pulls (indicating alignment problems), if you have uneven tire wear, if the tire pressure is consistently low, if your tires bulge or blister, if you find dents in the wheel rims, if your car sways when making turns or if you feel excessive bouncing on clean roads, a pothole may have attacked your car.
Although it may seem as if there is no hope once you've been bitten by one of these monsters, there are steps you can take before you take to the road that may act as protection for your vehicle. The most important safety tip is to keep your car's tires properly inflated. That will help your rubber friends make enemies of the potholes. Look inside your front car door or refer to your owner's manual for proper inflation weight for your tires. Slowing down when approaching a huge hole is another helpful tip and when you are over the hole do not break because that can only lead to more damage. Make sure to hold your steering wheel firmly when hitting a pothole so you don't lose control of your car. Another sage piece of advice is to not be fooled by a puddle of water. Many times, those puddles are just masking those pesky potholes acting as Sirens luring your car to a rocky shipwreck. Finally, make sure to leave proper distance between you and the car in front of you so, just in case that car suddenly stops at the sight of a pothole, you don't end up with front end damage and an insurance claim to add to your troubles.
Speaking of the insurance companies, they usually do all they can to help you if your car has been hurt by a hole. Read over the fine print in your coverage documentation to see how much if any you need to pay and how much damage is covered. As far as recovering the cost of repairs from the city, county or state in which these potholes preside.....good luck! It is not a sure thing that any aid will be afforded to you. It all depends on where you live. Before filing a complaint, be positive what governing branch is in charge of the road where you hit the hole so you don't waste time complaining to the state when it's the county's jurisdiction for example. By the way, don't assume that if you drive on the opposite side of the road to avoid a pothole and a police officer stops you you'll escape without getting a ticket. In most circumstances, riding on the wrong side of the street is still a driving offense so you better find a very compassionate cop that will let you go free of a fine.
Thankfully, many of these holes are starting to be filled so flip a tip of your cap to the local city/county/state worker who is out there sweating behind a truck full of very hot patch. Meanwhile, to the potholes that still linger and await to cause headaches to both you and your beloved vehicle, flip those beasts something else.
To us drivers, those unwanted visitors are the potholes that appear at the end of each winter and never seem to leave until the temperatures routinely reach the upper 80's. Not only are these potholes so ugly they make our streets look like some undiscovered planet from a science fiction movie, they are also very dangerous to commuters. So dangerous, in fact, that drivers appear as if they are playing a real life version of Frogger when avoiding these craters.
Potholes are caused by relentless freezing and thawing of water under pavement. Those continuous actions weakens our roads. Combine the freezing and thawing with the weight of the vehicles driving over the streets and the age of those streets and you have a recipe for driving disaster. Making matters even worse is that potholes come in more sizes than a pie from your favorite local pizza joint. There are tiny, small, medium, large, extra large, double extra large and some that are so big you expect them to have their own zip code. Unfortunately, these potholes don't discriminate either so it doesn't matter if you are driving a clunker or a $75,000 luxury auto......if you nail one of these holes your car is in big trouble. Potholes have been known to
cause structural damage to your tire(s), alignment problems, tire blowout and axle problems. Amazingly a pothole can cause as much damage to a car as a car crash at 35mph. Sometimes the impact can be so great it triggers the release of the car's airbags.
If you recently nailed one of these pains in the road and think that nothing has happened to your vehicle, don't be fooled. Your car may act normally the rest of that drive, but the next time you need to hit the road, the residual affect of the pothole damage may hit you back. If your car pulls (indicating alignment problems), if you have uneven tire wear, if the tire pressure is consistently low, if your tires bulge or blister, if you find dents in the wheel rims, if your car sways when making turns or if you feel excessive bouncing on clean roads, a pothole may have attacked your car.
Although it may seem as if there is no hope once you've been bitten by one of these monsters, there are steps you can take before you take to the road that may act as protection for your vehicle. The most important safety tip is to keep your car's tires properly inflated. That will help your rubber friends make enemies of the potholes. Look inside your front car door or refer to your owner's manual for proper inflation weight for your tires. Slowing down when approaching a huge hole is another helpful tip and when you are over the hole do not break because that can only lead to more damage. Make sure to hold your steering wheel firmly when hitting a pothole so you don't lose control of your car. Another sage piece of advice is to not be fooled by a puddle of water. Many times, those puddles are just masking those pesky potholes acting as Sirens luring your car to a rocky shipwreck. Finally, make sure to leave proper distance between you and the car in front of you so, just in case that car suddenly stops at the sight of a pothole, you don't end up with front end damage and an insurance claim to add to your troubles.
Speaking of the insurance companies, they usually do all they can to help you if your car has been hurt by a hole. Read over the fine print in your coverage documentation to see how much if any you need to pay and how much damage is covered. As far as recovering the cost of repairs from the city, county or state in which these potholes preside.....good luck! It is not a sure thing that any aid will be afforded to you. It all depends on where you live. Before filing a complaint, be positive what governing branch is in charge of the road where you hit the hole so you don't waste time complaining to the state when it's the county's jurisdiction for example. By the way, don't assume that if you drive on the opposite side of the road to avoid a pothole and a police officer stops you you'll escape without getting a ticket. In most circumstances, riding on the wrong side of the street is still a driving offense so you better find a very compassionate cop that will let you go free of a fine.
Thankfully, many of these holes are starting to be filled so flip a tip of your cap to the local city/county/state worker who is out there sweating behind a truck full of very hot patch. Meanwhile, to the potholes that still linger and await to cause headaches to both you and your beloved vehicle, flip those beasts something else.
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