Car Safety – Tip of the Week

By Stephanie Rogers

Driving a car becomes so automatic after a while, it’s easy to let safety fall through the cracks. But even if you’ve never been in an accident before, you shouldn’t lull yourself into a false sense of security, failing to perform basic safety precautions that could save your own life, or those of your passengers, in a collision. These car safety tips can reduce your risk of getting into an accident and help you manage small emergencies like a flat tire.

1. Wear your seat belt properly.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 15,000 lives are saved every year because drivers and passengers are wearing seat belts when they get into an accident. Seat belts keep the vehicle’s occupants inside the car during a collision, restrain the strongest parts of the body, spread out force from the collision, protect the brain and spinal cord and help the body slow down after impact, reducing injuries. In order for a seat belt to be effective, however, it must be worn properly. Ensure that the shoulder belt rests across your chest and shoulders — never across your neck. Don’t place the seat belt under your arms or behind your back. The lap belt should fit snugly over the hips. Seat belt extenders can be purchased for larger-sized drivers and passengers that maintain safety while increasing comfort.

2. Ensure that car seats and boosters are properly installed.Children and babies need special protection in the car to prevent serious injuries and fatalities in an auto collision. The N.H.T.S.A. recommends that children be securely buckled into a car seat that is appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight. From birth to 12 months, babies should always ride in a rear-facing car seat; children aged 1-3 years should remain rear-facing until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by car seat manufacturers. From ages 4-7 years, children should be strapped into a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they outgrow it, and then move up to a booster seat until they are grown enough to safely use an adult seat belt. Keep children in the backseat at least through age 12. Always refer to the car seat manufacturer’s instructions to install a car seat, or better yet, have it properly installed at your local fire station. You can find additional child car seat inspection stations at the N.H.T.S.A. website.

Green Tires Will Get You Further – Fueling Up for the Fourth?

Conserve gas and save cash with these holiday driving tips

PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — As Americans across the country hit the road for the Fourth of Julyweekend, many families are struggling to deal with the burden of high fuel prices. One key tip is often left off fuel-saving checklists:  buying the right tires can significantly improve a car’s fuel efficiency.

Most new cars sold today come with fuel-efficient, or “green,” tires in order to help them meet national fuel-efficiency standards, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards. These tires have low rolling resistance because they are made from a special combination of rubbers that reduces the amount of friction between the tire and the road, which is directly related to improved fuel efficiency. Reducing friction is an effective method of saving gas without sacrificing safety.

However, when their original tires wear out, many consumers replace fuel-efficient tires with lower-quality models, reducing the number of miles per gallon their cars can achieve. And as a result, they use more gas, which costs more money and is harmful to the environment.

How to Read a Tire – What Does the Sidewall Say?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erj97_RPxl4&feature=related

How-To Read a Tire – What Does the Sidewall Say?

information provided by Goodyear

The side of your tire, known as the sidewall, contains all the information you will need to know about your tire. Whether your tire says “Goodyear” or some other name, all tires are required to have this information.

“Tire Type” defines the proper use of the tire. P means this is a passenger car tire. If the tire had an LT then the tire would be for a light truck.

“Tire Width” is the width of the tire measured in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall. This tire is 215 millimeters.

“Aspect Ratio” is the the ratio of the height of the tire’s cross-section to its width. 65 means that the height is equal to 65% of the tire’s width.

Now you can monitor your tires for loss of pressure 24/7 using state of the art technology. The Tire Sentry advanced wireless tire pressure monitoring systems, (TPMS) has been honored with many industry awards, and is a product designed and built in the USA. - Tire Sentry

Tips for Better Fuel Economy

Post Office Offers Tips for Better Fuel Economy

With the largest civilian fleet in the world—more than 214,000 vehicles traveling more than 1.2 billion miles each year—the U.S. Postal Service knows a lot about vehicles and tire pressure.

Summer driving season is approaching and the Maintain Tire Pressure postage stamp helps remind motorists that proper tire pressure can help improve gas mileage. It’s one of the 16 Go Green Forever stamps issued by USPS.

The tried and true tips our letter carriers use to conserve fuel when delivering mail can also help motorists during summer driving season, and year round.”

Fuel conservation tips:

• Use air to save fuel—Underinflated tires can increase fuel consumption by as much as 4 percent and lead to excessive tire wear. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

• Don’t idle—Idling uses at least a half gallon of fuel per hour and releases excess carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere.

• Drive the speed limit—Speeding is dangerous and, at highway speeds, fuel economy drops for every one mile per hour driven over the speed limit.

• Make gradual starts and stops—Quick accelerations consume more fuel than gradual starts.

These fuel conservation tips are part of a comprehensive strategy USPS is using to meet its goal to reduce vehicle petroleum use 20 percent by 2015.

Now you can monitor your tires for loss of pressure 24/7 using state of the art technology. The Tire Sentry advanced wireless tire pressure monitoring systems, (TPMS) has been honored with many industry awards, and is a product designed and built in the USA. - Tire Sentry

New tire pressure monitors for wide-base single tires

Fleet Specialties Co. announces three new Tire Sentry systems designed for trucks and/or trailers with wide-base super-single tires. The TMA-SS Series of advanced tire pressure monitors will warn drivers of developing tire problems resulting from a loss of tire pressure at a fraction of the cost of a replacement tire, said the maker.

The automatic tire monitoring system continuously monitors for low tire pressure and will alert of an under-inflated tire, or a developing tire problem. The Tire Sentry system will also help to maintain a vehicle’s optimum tire pressure by advising when routine tire pressure maintenance is required.

Tire manufacturers agree that a primary cause of premature tire failure is under-inflation. Not only does it cause tires to over-heat resulting in zipper-ruptures and devulcanization, but also accelerates tread ware and reduces fuel economy (studies show that fuel efficiency may be increased by some 3% to 5% by keeping tires properly inflated).

Further information may be obtained by contacting William Shore at: Fleet Specialties Co. (800) 350-3556 or by visiting http://www.tiresentry.com/.

Article from, FE Fleet Equipment

Now you can monitor your tires for loss of pressure 24/7 using state of the art technology. The Tire Sentry advanced wireless tire pressure monitoring systems, (TPMS) has been honored with many industry awards, and is a product designed and built in the USA. - Tire Sentry

Fatal accident sparks tire safety concern

 VIDEO Fatal accident sparks tire safety concern

Reno, NV — The Nevada Highway patrol said a bad tire apparently caused a single rollover accident that killed Rosa Arroyo, 42 on Friday. The women from Utah was driving on highway 93 north of Ely when the tread apparently separated from the tire, causing her car to spin across the lane into oncoming traffic.

This incident is a reminder of tire safety especially with summer just around the corner.

Tire specialists said there are three things car users should check before heading out on a summer road trip.

The first is to check your tire pressure. To do that, look inside your car.

“Every driver door has a sticker that comes from the factory that tells you the recommended tire pressure you should have in the front and rear tire,” said Andy Bibbs, service manager at Firestone Complete Auto Care on S. Virginia Street.

Secondly, check for treading.

“These grooves get real low and it loses the ability to grip like it should, that’s a key issue with people going on trips because it’ll wear down a lot faster in the heat and a 200 mile trip,” Bibbs said.

To check if you have enough tread depth on your tire, take a penny and hold it upside down with President Lincoln facing you, then put it in between the groove of your tire. If anything above Lincoln’s hairline is shown, it’s time to change that tire.

“You look at the side and you think you have plenty of tread left on, but it could be completely bald inside,” said Bibbs.

Thirdly, make sure the tire has an even wear. One way to check for that is by running your hands along the wheel; however, tire specialists recommend that an experienced mechanic at a tire shop do that for you.

Sgt. Frank Hernandez with the Nevada Highway Patrol said taking these simple steps can sometimes mean life or death.

“Having the low treaded tires or tires that are going flat are hazards not only to you, but to the other drivers on the highway,” said Sgt. Hernandez.

And that’s because without good tires, you can lose control of your car.

“Don’t risk it, don’t risk your life or your family’s life or someone else’s on the road,” said Sgt. Hernandez. “Just buckle down and get some new tires.”

Many tire specialists said during the summer, the roads will obviously be hotter than in the winter, meaning your tires can wear down faster.

Now you can monitor your tires for loss of pressure 24/7 using state of the art technology. The Tire Sentry advanced wireless tire pressure monitoring systems, (TPMS) has been honored with many industry awards, and is a product designed and built in the USA. - Tire Sentry

Source:  Jessica Chen  My News 4, Reno NV