It’s that time of year. Summer is coming to an end and it’s time for your little humans to go back to school. Even though my little humans aren’t riding the bus yet I still worry about them riding the bus someday. There are certain worries that go through a parents mind when your children are getting ready to go back to school. That’s why when I came across this article from Consumer Reports I knew that I needed to share it. I don’t think this is an article that you would typically come across. Sure you may see some of these tips and hints on your local news but this one goes into a little more depth I think. Not to mention that Consumer Reports is very very good at what they do and the stuff that they put out. Now, it is true that the big yellow school bus is one of the safest modes of transportation but I think what worries parents more is the getting on and off of the bus and the walk from the bus stop.
Check out some of these school bus safety tips. We can’t always take our children to school in our new Chevy’s…. Sometimes we need to let them go and see the world!! Or at least we can drop them off at the bus stop right? It’s not always about your kids though…. Parents you need to be careful as well.
Tips for drivers:
When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school. Better yet, walk around your car or out to the sidewalk to check for any children walking in your path before you get in.
Drive slowly and watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks. Also be aware of children playing or waiting around bus stops.
Be alert and aware on the road. While children are typically taught about looking both ways, they could dart into the street without looking if they are late or distracted.
Learn the school bus laws in your state. Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to pickup or drop off children. Drivers need to slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm signal indicate that the bus is stopped, and that children are getting on or off. Cars must stop a safe distance away and not proceed until the red lights stop flashing, the stop sign folds back, and the bus continues on its way.
Tips for children:
Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
When the bus approaches, stand at least 6 feet away from the curb, and line up away from the street.
Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it’s okay before stepping onto the bus.
If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least 10 feet ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the bus driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver.
Use the handrails to avoid falls. When exiting the bus, be careful that clothing or backpacks don’t get caught in the handrails or doors.
Never walk behind the bus.
If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you.
Hope that these tips will keep you alert, aware and reasonably sane as you send your little humans back to school!
In a world where everyone is trying to save money it should be no surprise that the question has arisen…. Can your tires improve your fuel economy? Can it hurt your fuel economy? The answer to both questions is yes. I have spoken to you all many times about the importance of good tread, proper inflation etc. All of this and more are important for keeping you safe and your wallet a little fatter. Check out the video below courtesy of the folks at Consumer Reports and if you have any questions regarding your tires that you can’t answer give your Texas Chevy dealer a call…. we’d be more than happy to help!
Your car’s tires can play an important role in helping you get the best gas mileage and save money at the pump. Checking tire pressure regularly is one step toward optimum fuel economy, but your choice of tires can also help.
Automakers often specify low-rolling-resistance tires as original equipment to enhance vehicle performance in government fuel-economy tests. But replacement tires are not limited by any vehicle manufacturer’s requirements, and attributes such as all-season grip and tread life are big selling points. In the past, consumers often had to weigh a trade-off between low rolling resistance and other performance capabilities, such as wet braking. But in recent years, tire manufacturers have been achieving a better balance of rolling resistance and all-weather grip.
Consumer Reports recently tested a few all-season tire models with low rolling resistance and found that those tires can improve fuel economy by an additional one or two mpg. The reward for replacing a less-optimum tire can be a payback covering most of the cost of the new tires over their lifetime in fuel savings. Moreover, you generally don’t have to pay more to get a tire with better rolling resistance.
Here are some additional tips for getting the most fuel economy from your tires:
Keep your tires properly inflated. (A label on the driver’s doorjamb tells you the correct pressures to use.)
Check inflation pressure at least monthly; do this when the tires are cool.
If you were happy with the tires that came with the car when it was new, consider replacing them with an identical set. Low rolling resistance is a common trait of original-equipment tires.
Before buying replacement tires, check Consumer Reports’ Ratings for tires that excel in overall performance and use rolling resistance as tie-breaker.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) puts together crash tests every year to determine which vehicles are deemed the safest to drive. These cars are awarded safety awards by certain criteria and to win such an award is a very important and special thing for an automaker. I happened to come across a video from IIHS of a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs. a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and I wanted to share it with you. What this video shows is that automakers are putting extra time, thought and energy into the new cars that they are building. You should not be surprised to see that the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu has a much smaller amount of damage compared to the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air. Check out the video below and see what the IIHS had to say about this very special test.
IIHS 50th anniversary demonstration test • September 9, 2009
In the 50 years since US insurers organized the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, car crashworthiness has improved. Demonstrating this was a crash test conducted between a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. In a real-world collision similar to this test, occupants of the new model would fare much better than in the vintage Chevy.
“It was night and day, the difference in occupant protection,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “What this test shows is that automakers don’t build cars like they used to. They build them better.”
The crash test was conducted at an event to celebrate the contributions of auto insurers to highway safety progress over 50 years. Beginning with the Institute’s 1959 founding, insurers have maintained the resolve, articulated in the 1950s, to “conduct, sponsor, and encourage programs designed to aid in the conservation and preservation of life and property from the hazards of highway accidents.”
Some people are so stupid. I can not even imagine how this guy thought he wouldn’t get caught. Thanks to Matt Rigney over at Camaro Blog for breaking this story. How hysterical! I just feel bad for the Camaro!
A brazen thief made off with a brand new 2010 Camaro as a truck driver unloaded it from his transport vehicle. The transport driver was delivering new merchandise to a Chrysler Jeep Dealership in Tigard, Oregon and as a result had to unload the Camaro to get other vehicles off. When the transport driver left the new 2010 Camaro unattended for a minute the thief jumped in the drivers seat and took off. The transport driver chased after the Camaro on foot and eventually grabbed and held on to the drivers door as he sped away. The transport driver held on for about a quarter-mile at speeds of around 45 mph until he was tossed when the thief drove through some grassy areas.
What the car thief did not realize is the new 2010 Camaro was outfitted with OnStar so the police were contacted who than contacted OnStar to find the location of the vehicle. The police located the stolen Camaro and a pursuit ensued with the thief doing some fancy driving to avoid being captured but in the end one of the Camaros tires was spiked by police and as a result the Camaro crashed right after. The thief exited the Camaro only to be met by two police officers and they thought he might run so they tased him. The thief was arrested on multiple charges including auto theft and evading arrest. Sadly the new Camaro met a grim fate.
I can appreciate all of the things that various manufacturers are doing to combat smog and emissions coming from our vehicles. It seems to me that at the moment it’s kind of at a stand still. I know it is getting better and is better than in years passed but we aren’t quite there yet. I watch the news I see the air quality alerts that we have daily in the DFW area. There has to be more than one way to combat this. Right?
I found this article over on Autoblog.com and I thought it was so interesting that I had to share it with you. This could be a major break through in the world of pollution and emissions.
Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (EUT) may be on the brink of discovering a breakthrough that will lead to reduced pollution and cleaner air for all. According to the EUT, a roadway made of concrete blended with titanium dioxide can effectively remove up to 45 percent of the nitrogen oxides that it comes in contact with. The titanium dioxide, a photocatalytic material, captures airborne nitrogen oxides and, with the aid of the sun, converts it to nitrates that are harmlessly washed away by the rain.
The EUT conducted real-world studies on a 1,000-square-meter section of repaved road in the Netherlands. Such testing showed that the laced pavement could reduce nitrogen oxides by 25 to 45 percent more than traditional concrete. As Jos Brouwers, professor of building materials at the EUT remarked, “The air-purifying properties of the new paving stones had already been shown in the laboratory, but these results now show that they also work outdoors.”
Additional testing is still underway and although the pavement laced with titanium dioxide does cost some 50 percent more than regular cement, overall road-building costs only increase by a marginal 10 percent. Costs aside, the advantages of the titanium dioxide are readily apparent, but the implementation of such a product requires repaving our roadways – a time intensive and costly endeavor.
What are your thoughts on this latest information? Do you think it’s good?
I almost hate watching the news now. It can just tear you up. I hate learning that a parent left their child in the car in this summer heat and that child has died. It is so sad and it really makes me angry. I wish parents would realize how dangerous it is to leave your child and pets in the car for even a second in this heat. After hearing of another case of this on the news last night I thought it was important to share with you some tips on keeping your children safe in the summer. The same thing goes for winter and life in general. You should NEVER leave your kid alone in the car ever.
Summer can be a fun time of year with warm weather, school is out, and everyone heads outdoors. But it also means that parents need to be extra vigilant to keep tabs on their children and help keep them safe. The child safety group Kids and Cars have documented 100 non-traffic fatalities so far this year–35 frontovers, 32 backovers, and 18 related to heat. Sadly, we can expect more tragic accidents as injuries and deaths peak in the summer months. Just last week seven children died from heat stroke after being left in the car.
Here are some tips that everyone can do to help prevent such tragedies.
Never leave a kid alone in a car. In the summer, there are significant risks, with the interior temperature rising quickly, and children being particularly vulnerable to temperature changes. Beyond temperature, there are security concerns and risk that a child could disengage a parking brake or otherwise move the vehicle.
Check your car before you leave, especially if you have a change in your normal routine. To avoid accidentally leaving a child in the car, some people use a stuffed animal in the front seat as a reminder that a child is in the rear. You can also put an essential item like your purse or briefcase in the back seat, so you know you have to open the back door.
Before you pull in or out of a driveway, check all around to make sure no children are in the way and proceed slowly, with music off. A backup camera can help if you have a large vehicle.
Lock up your car. To avoid children playing in the car when it is unattended, keep it locked with the windows up when you are not using it.
Look around. If you are in a parking lot, casually look around to see if any children are left in their vehicles. If so, take action and call 911 immediately.
Do you know what spark plugs are used for? Do you know how important they are? Well they are a very important part of your new or used car or truck. They must be properly working for your vehicle to be working.
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark. – Wikipedia
Ok… So why are these funny looking things so important?
In a gasoline engine the importance of good sparkplugscannot be denied. The electrical arc between the electrode and the ground strap is like a miniature bolt of lightning that ignites the air fuel mixture and in turn generates the power that drives the wheels.
These miniature lightning bolts are commonly called sparkplug firing by most mechanics. If the sparkplug doesn’t fire, the engine doesn’t start. When diagnosing a no start condition some mechanics will say the reason the engine won’t start is because there is no fire.
It is the ignition system that produces the electrical energy that fires the plug. Spark also must be maintained long enough to allow complete combustion of the air fuel mixture in the cylinder. The ignition system then has to deliver this electrical energy to each sparkplug at the right time. – Online Auto Repair
Can you now understand why it is so important to have good spark plugs? Bad spark plugs = car can’t/may not start. When you come to visit your Fort Worth chevy dealer for a tune-up make sure you ask if they will be replacing the spark plugs. Feel free to ask me any questions.
This is probably the silliest thing I might have ever seen. I hope that you guys are smart enough to not ever think that this is ok or safe! You need and must have a reliable trailer to load your jet ski on! Thanks AutoBlog for sharing this hilarity!
We’ve all seen people doing really dumb things. You know, the kind of act of stupidity where you’d try to stop them from harming themselves or their possessions if it weren’t so riveting to watch. Hell, we’ve made some pretty heinous misjudgments in our time, but we’ve never attempted to load a jet ski into the back of a Ford Econoline while said van was partially underwater. That just doesn’t sound like a good idea.
While driving a jet ski into a cargo van doesn’t make any sense to us, we know of at least one YouTube all-star who thinks otherwise. Well, he probably thought otherwise until the van’s rear wheels began having trouble maintaining traction while submerged under water. Hit the jump to watch Darwin’s theory in motion. Luckily, it appears that nobody was hurt during this epic fail.
Now people we may not sell trailers but you can at least make sure you have a safe hitch at your Dallas Chevy dealer! Be safe out there and enjoy the video.
The video is kind of slow at first but gets a little more entertaining around the 2:00 minute mark. It’s a beautiful 2010 Camaro on 22″ tires. Not sure what to think about the hydraulics. I’d have to drive with the hydraulics up cause i’d be afraid of losing the bumper going over a speed bump….What do you guys think?
I came across this story today fromUSAToday.com. Who is the better driver? The fast paced teenager or the slower paced senior? I was surprised at the answer. You’ve got to read this story. I was once a teenager and I thought I was a good driver then. I wonder how good of a driver I will be when I’m 65.
Picture this: You’re out on the road, driving in mixed traffic with your choice of drivers to follow. One is a gray-haired senior puttering along in the right lane and the other is a fresh-faced teenager moving briskly in the left lane.
Statistically speaking, which driver is safer to follow? Kirk Seaman of AOL Autos’ blog asks whether it’s older driver with the slower reflexes, poorer vision, and cautious driving style, or the younger driver with faster reactions, better eyesight, and driving with the flow of traffic?
Seaman’s answer: Stay in the right lane, behind the oldster, and let the teenager go on his way. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the safest drivers are in the age group between 64 and 69 years old. And studies of the data reveal that teenage drivers — especially male teenage drivers — are the most dangerous drivers on the road.
Here’s Seaman’s report on why:
“In every motorized country around the world, teenage drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes,” said Dr. Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Institute. “The seriousness of this problem has been recognized for decades. Only in the last few years have public policies such as graduated driving licenses been enacted to address the situation. And those laws seem to be working, but fatalities are still high.”
In 2008, 5,864 15- to 20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes. That’s the bad news. The good news is that number is down by 27 percent since 1998. Driver fatalities for this age group also decreased by 20 percent in the same time period.
However, motor vehicle crashes still remain the major cause of death for teenagers. In 2008, 2,739 15- to 20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 228,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. Sixty percent of deaths among passenger vehicle occupants ages 16-19 were drivers.
Senior drivers, like teenage drivers, have higher crash rates per mile driven, especially when it comes to fatal crashes. But seniors don’t drive as many miles, so a better measurement of their susceptibility to accidents can be had by comparing crash rates on a per capita basis. Looking at the numbers in this way shows senior drivers have much lower crash rates. Despite their increased risk of crashing per mile driven, relatively few elderly drivers are involved in accidents because of their lower rates of exposure. In addition, the rate of fatalities per capita among seniors has decreased 40 percent since 1975 and is now at its lowest level during this period.
Let’s look at the numbers. In 2008, 15- to 20-year-old drivers made up 8.5 percent of the U.S. population, yet accounted for 12 percent of occupant deaths among all ages in passenger vehicle (cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans). Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. Drivers from 65 to 69 years old made up 3.7 percent of the population, but accounted for just 3.2 percent of all fatal crashes.
Major risk factors contributing to teenage crashes are those you would expect, including:
Lack of experience. Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
Poor judgment. Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next).
Low seat belt usage. Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2007, 61 percent of all 15- to 20-year-old passenger vehicle occupants killed in fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts.
“Almost all states have adopted some form of graduated driver licensing,” said Dr. McCartt. “These laws are proving effective in reducing teenage crashes.”
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensure while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions. Research suggests that the most comprehensive of these programs are associated with reductions of 38 percent and 40 percent in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, among 16-year-old drivers.
“When parents know their state’s GDL laws, they can help enforce the laws and, in effect, help keep their teen drivers safe,” said Dr. McCartt.
What do you guys think about this story? I found it very interesting and as a Fort Worth Chevy dealer I felt the need to share it with you. What are your thoughts?
Hi, I'm Hagen Durant, General Manager of Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, TX - I am a huge car and truck enthusiast and love talking cars. I'm a cyclist, health nut, father, geek, and drummer. I look forward to giving you great information about cars and trucks, driving tips, maintenance and so much more.
If you have any questions or would like to make suggestions feel free to email them to me at hagen@classicchevytexas.com
Top Posts