Oct 29, 2023 | Accident prevention, Car Accidents
Rollover accidents can be very dangerous and are incredibly scary. Every year, thousands of accidents occur with rollovers. And many of them cause serious injuries. It’s important to know the most common reasons for these accidents so that you can avoid them. Often high speed is a factor. Another common reason is driver error – often because drivers are distracted. Certain vehicles can be more prone to rollovers because of their design. And finally, tire malfunction can also be a cause of a rollover accident. You cannot guarantee safety on the road, but you can make yourself safer by being aware of how rollovers happen.
Rollover Accidents: How they Happen and How to Prevent them from Happening to You
High Speed
High speed is very often a factor in rollover accidents. When cars are traveling fast and collide, it’s more likely that the force of the speed will make the car flip. Rollovers can also happen is when a car takes a turn going too quickly. Even swerving to avoid an animal can cause a vehicle to roll over if your car is traveling fast enough. To avoid rollovers, always travel the posted speed limit. And always slow way down before taking a sharp curve to keep all four wheels on the ground.
Driver Error
Another source of rollover accidents is driver error. Drivers being distracted is so incredibly dangerous. If you’re driving, you should not be looking at your phone. Or let your mind wander. Rollover accidents can also happen when drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Often, these cause drivers to make sudden movements or even drive the wrong way on roads. This can lead to very bad accidents, including rollovers.
Electronic Malfunction
Some cars are more prone to rollover accidents because they are more top-heavy than others. Tall SUV’s in particular can be more likely to roll over. Therefore, most cars are equipped with ESC or Electronic Stability Control. This is an electronic sensor that helps prevent the car from rolling over. However, when it malfunctions, a rollover accident is more likely. Getting your vehicle serviced frequently should keep the electronics in good shape.
Tire Malfunction
Finally, tire malfunctions can often cause rollover accidents. Tires often blow out when drivers are traveling at a high rate of speed. The pressure on the tire from the car moving so quickly can cause it to fail. Therefore, tire blowouts often happen on highways. When this happens it can be difficult for your car to stay upright since it’s suddenly off-balance with one tire missing. While it’s impossible to ensure that your tires won’t ever fail, it’s important to pick high-quality tires for your car. You should always monitor the tire pressure, tread, and have them serviced and rotated frequently.
Rollover accidents are very scary and can be deadly. They are often caused in one way or another because a car is traveling at a high rate of speed. Make sure that you always drive the speed limit and slow down as you approach sharp turns. In addition, drivers must never drive distractedly as this can cause many different accidents, including rollovers. Making sure that your car’s ESC feature is working properly can keep you safer on the road as well. And finally, tire blowouts can cause rollover as well, so always make sure your tires are in good shape before hitting the road. Hopefully, by being aware of what can cause rollover accidents, you can stay safer on the road and avoid ever experiencing one.
May 7, 2023 | Car Accidents, Child Accidents
Car seats help to keep your children safe in case of a car accident. However, many people are unaware of what kind of seat is the best choice for their child. Knowing what kind of seat your child should be using can help make sure your child is as safe as possible in the car.
Car Seats: Avoiding Child Injuries in Car Accidents
Rear-facing seats
Rear-facing car seats are the first kind of seat a child should use. These variations are the recommendation for children who are infants up to 3 years old. These seats help reduce the stress of an accident on the child’s head and spinal cord.
Generally, rear-facing seats are mainly intended for newborns and infants.
Most children will outgrow these seats at about 8 to 9 months. However, it’s important to not move up to the next type of car seat until a child meets the required height and weight limits.
Forward-facing seats
Forward-facing car seats are the next option available for children. These seats are best for children ages 1 up to 7. These seats also tend to come in convertible variants, which allows you to switch from rear-facing to forward-facing when needed.
Forward-facing seats make use of a harness to keep your child in place. This harness helps to distribute the impact of a crash more evenly over a child’s body. Furthermore, the tethers and anchors help keep the seat in place during an accident.
Booster seats
Finally, the last car seat option is the booster seat. Booster seats are intended for children age 4 all the way up to age 11. As with the forward-facing seat, you should move your child up to a booster seat only when they meet the height and weight requirements.
Booster seats also come in two common variants. Booster seats with backs add more neck and head support for the child. Generally, these are good choices if your car lacks head rests or high seat backs. If your car does have these features, then you can opt for a backless seat instead. Make sure to check your vehicle and make the best decision accordingly.
Good car seats help keep your child safe when in the car…
These seats give added protection to the child’s weaker body that normal seat belts can’t provide yet. Make sure to also follow the manufacture’s instructions for installing these seats to ensure they’re being used properly.
Jan 29, 2023 | Car Accidents, Driving
When it comes to following the rules, you probably like to think you’re a law abiding citizen. However, we all do things from time to time that fall outside those lines of what’s allowed, and what’s not. Take, for example, the basic road rules. Merging correctly, making full stops at a stop sign, legal turns… While these little things might seem harmless— breaking basic road rules from time to time can be quite dangerous for you, and the drivers around you…
Basic Road Rules & How We Break Them
Failing to Use Turn Signals
While you might be an exception to the statistics, it is a fact that most people don’t use their turn signals in the ways that they should. Turn signals are essential to following basic road rules, and making drivers aware of what you’re up to. Before switching lanes, before turning at a light, a stop sign… Any time you’re making a move on the roadway— use your turn signals. Without using them, you fail to give other drivers a heads up or warning. Therefore, they don’t have the opportunity to react in a safe manner.
Making Illegal Turns
When you’re running behind, you might begin to let some of those basic road rules fall to the wayside. Take, for example, making legal turns. Many of us think that doing so is harmless— especially if the street around you is clear. However, illegal turns are illegal for a reason. In most cases, these areas are marked for illegal turns because that area is too dangerous, or unpredictable. Due to the design of the road and environmental factors, you probably cannot see clearly enough to execute the turn safely. While it might seem like a calculated risk, accidents do happen every day.
Riding in the Left Lane
Of all basic road rules, this one falls to the wayside most often. It can be considered a courtesy to move out of the left lane when you aren’t matching the speed of surrounding cars. However, it is ultimately just the correct way to use the roadway. If you are planning to travel slower than the “normal” speed of traffic, stay to the right lane. By doing this, you allow others move by you easily and safely. In addition, you keep the left lane open for drivers to pass safely and return to other lanes.
While these are nothing more than basic road rules, they hold safe driving principles. They are in place to make the roads safer and keep traffic flowing better. Therefore, no matter how unnecessary or inconvenient it may seem, stick to following these basic road rules.
Oct 2, 2022 | Car Accidents, Driving
Although it is summer now, winter weather will be here before you know it. Keeping this in mind, it is good to be thinking through what you will need to do prepare for winter driving. Depending on where you live, winter weather could look very different than in other parts of the country. Some areas will have mild winters, and others could have blizzards. Even if winter just means cooler temperatures outside for you, there are things you should do to make sure your car is road ready.
How-to Prepare for Winter Driving: Things to Check
Battery
Car batteries can really be affected by cold temperatures. To prepare for winter driving, you should definitely test your battery. To do this, you can use a voltmeter to make sure it’s in good condition. A healthy battery should have a reading of 12.4 volts or more.
In older batteries, certain substances that the battery needs to function may freeze if temperatures get too low. Also, some grades of motor oil can thicken in cold weather. Thick oil could make the battery and starter have to work harder to turn the engine over. Having a healthy battery could help prevent overcome this problem.
Tires
Next, to prepare for winter driving, you will want to check your tires. If you live in an area that gets snow or ice, consider putting winter tires on your car. These tires have a deeper, more flexible tread, and will give you better traction in slippery conditions. On the other hand, if you decide to stick with all-season tires, check your tire tread regularly. Tires should be replaced if the tread is anything less than 2/32 of an inch. If a tire is bald and worn out, it will not have good traction.
Another thing to keep in mind is to check the tire pressure. As the outside temperature drops, tire pressure usually drops as well. If tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire’s surface area will touch the ground. This could make tire wear out too quickly. Additionally, it could cause your tires to overheat. If a tire overheats, your tire tread could separate, which could be dangerous.
Windshield Wipers
Your windshield wipers are something you should check in order to prepare for winter driving. Make sure they are in condition, and replace them if needed. If they are not properly removing rain or snow from your car windshield, you could have a difficult time seeing out. Also, add wiper fluid that is rated for -30 degrees. This will help to keep your windshield wiper fluid from freezing up in cold weather.
As you can see, there are small steps that you can take to make sure that you are safe on the roads when the weather gets cold. These tips will help you prepare for driving in winter weather.
Nov 5, 2021 | Car Accidents, Car maintenance
Routine vehicle maintenance is so important for keeping your car as safe as possible on the road. You might buy the safest vehicle on the market, but if it breaks down you still could get into a dangerous situation. Doing maintenance on your vehicle periodically throughout the year can save you money. Waiting until you notice a problem can lead to much bigger issues to fix. Check your tire pressure and tread periodically. In addition, do periodic checks on your battery as well to prevent drain. Your engine needs some attention now and then. And of course, it’s important to take care of the exterior of your car as well. Hopefully, by doing maintenance throughout the year you can prevent expensive fixes or breakdowns.
Routine Vehicle Maintenance for Road Safety: Keep Your Car in Great Shape
Tire Maintenance
Routine vehicle maintenance should include taking care of your tires. Tire blowouts can be incredibly dangerous, so the best way to prevent them is to start with a good-quality tire. Change them every 25,000-50,000 miles or so and also have them rotated. In addition, take a glance at them each time before you drive. You want to see if they look like the tread is getting worn down or if they seem low on pressure. Driving tires with bare thread or low/high pressure can be riskier.
Battery Maintenance
Another important part of routine vehicle maintenance is taking care of your battery. The recommendation is that you replace your battery every four years or so. A car care center can also check your battery and see if it’s still in good condition and has plenty of life left. If you plan to be gone for a long time, make sure you start your car periodically. Leaving it for too long without starting can lead to battery drain and engine problems.
Engine Maintenance
Engine care is another aspect of routine vehicle maintenance. Your engine has to work especially hard in really hot or cold climates so make sure to check it a few times a year. It’s best to change your oil every 5,000-7,500 miles or so. You should also check your fluid levels and check for leaks. If you notice any puddles in your driveway or your check engine light comes on, take your car in for a check. A car care center can also check your belts and various other aspects of your engine.
Exterior Maintenance
Finally, routine vehicle maintenance wouldn’t be complete without taking care of the exterior of your car as well. Your car can take a beating in severe weather, so if the possible park it somewhere covered. If you don’t have a garage, try to park in the shade whenever possible. In addition, wash your car’s exterior frequently. The longer dirt and grime can build up on your exterior, the more it can hurt your paint. In addition, you can use soap on your car that has built-in UV protection from the sun’s damaging rays.
Routine vehicle maintenance is important to keep your car running in tip-top shape. This will keep you safer on the road. It will also prevent small preventable problems from turning into massively expensive ones later. Check your car before and after a long road trip, and a few times a year. You should check out your tires and make sure the pressure and tread are looking okay each time you drive. In addition, protect your car’s battery and engine by getting them checked over at a car care center periodically. And finally, try to protect your car’s exterior by parking it in covered areas and keeping it clean. Keeping your car in great shape will save you money in the long run by allowing you to catch small issues before they turn into bigger ones.
Jul 11, 2020 | Car Accidents, Car maintenance
Your car battery is one of the most important parts of your car and regular maintenance. That’s why it’s important to take care of your battery terminals properly. Cleaning them right will ensure your battery lasts longer and keeps working the way it should…
Battery Terminals: Keep Them Clean
Checking the terminals
The first step of maintaining your battery terminals to give them a quick check. The terminals should be on top of the battery itself. Usually, there will be a plastic or rubber cover on top of them which helps to protect the clamps from the outside elements.
What you may see is a buildup of a white, powder-like substance. This residue builds up over time and is what causes so many battery-related issues. As an extra precaution, put on some work gloves and safety glasses to prevent that residue from contacting your skin and eyes.
Disconnect and clean
To remove this residue off your battery terminals, you’ll want to disconnect the battery itself. Loosen the negative clamp first, and then the positive one next. You might need to use a pair of pliers if there’s a lot of built-up corrosion. Avoid touching any metal while doing this, or else you risk shorting out the battery.
Once you’ve disconnected the battery, then you can clean it. Most people like to use an equal mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda and water and use a toothbrush and wire brush to scrub off the residue. You can also use a can of soda which’ll do the job just as well!
Rinse and reconnect
Now that your battery terminals are clean, it’s time to clean off any remaining cleaning paste or soda. All you need is a spray bottle of water and a clean rag. Just spray the terminals and use the rag to rinse and remove anything that’s left on the terminals.
When you’re reconnecting the battery, this time start with the positive clamp, then do the negative clamp. Be sure that the clamps are properly secured and use a wrench if needed. From there, just re-secure the covers and your battery will be good to go.
