Be Mindful of School Zone Safety

I saw recently that the Utica, NY, Police Department was monitoring school speed zones around the city and was planning to carry out such traffic enforcement throughout the school year. Their goal, one TV report noted, was to create a safer environment for children who walk to school.

It’s amazing to me that some drivers don’t automatically slow down at school zones. What’s more precious than our children? In just one day at one elementary school, Utica police stopped eight speeders and issued a total of 14 tickets (some for unlicensed drivers!). (Did you know that if you drive more than 10 mph over the school speed limit in New York, you could face a few days in jail and a $600 fine?)

Summer Fun Without Breakdowns

The first day of summer is Monday, June 20, and not far behind is the first big holiday here in the U.S. – the Fourth of July.

Summer’s heat and dust and congested traffic will surely be upon us as many take advantage of the long holiday weekend, or even make it a week-long vacation.

Summer takes a toll on our vehicles. Add the effects of last winter, and we could be poised for a breakdown. Periodic maintenance makes a difference between a breakdown and holiday fun.

Don't Depend on Mother Nature

A friend of mine is not fastidious about keeping his car clean.

Even in this Spring transition time, with rain and mud commonplace, my friend prefers to wait for the next rainfall to let nature wash his car.

I told him he really needs to do some spring cleaning. First, clean out the cobwebs in his head!

Spring is just around the corner

Winter driving gives your car a beating. The salt, grime and sand on the road cover your car. Potholes cause your car to misalign. Rough winter driving wears the tread on your tires. Winter driving also impacts the performance of your brakes.

With Spring around the corner, you’ll want to give your car some gentle loving care – especially after all the rough driving this winter.

Wash that salt and grime off your car and give it a waxing.

What to give to your Valentine?

Chocolates? Those silky pajamas they sell on TV? A big teddy bear?  Dinner and dancing? They all sound great, don’t they? But not for me. I want to give her something really special. I want to give her safety.

So, I’m starting with a full inspection of her car. She’s pretty good about regular car check-ups, but there’s no harm in getting the once over even between check-ups.

So, here’s what I suggest for you, too…

Resolutions Already Forgotten?

Don’t tell me. January whizzed by and you already forgot your New Year’s resolutions. I did. So I decided to start a new list. Join me…

I resolve to take good care of my car, including a regular under wash during the months when salt is on the road.

I resolve to change the windshield wipers as necessary so that my line of vision is clear and clean.

Practical Auto Gift for Any Budget

If you want to be a secret Santa, or just get the perfect, last-minute practical gift for a loved one, then consider what I describe as a winter car kit.

It’s something you put together yourself. It’ll fit most any budget. You fill it with as many items as you like. It’s a gift for most any occasion – Christmas, birthday, Valentine’s.

Lead by Example with Teens

Did you know this week is National Teen Driver Safety Week? How can we influence our teens to make good decisions while driving? Perhaps the best approach is by being a good model.

Let’s take to heart these tips offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

1.    No Drinking and Driving.

Set a good example by not driving after drinking. Remind your teen that drinking before the age of 21 is illegal, and alcohol and driving should never mix no matter your age.

Please, no honking at bicyclists

Have you noticed that there are more bicyclists on the road – both adult and children? In fact, esurance.com tells us that roughly 865,000 workers in the U.S. used bicycles as their main mode of commuting in 2012. In just two decades, the number of U.S. bicyclists jumped 64 percent (1990 to 2009), reports the University Transportation Research Center in a 2011 study. Closer to home, the Research Center says, cycling in New York City was up 75 percent from 2000 to 2007.

If You Think Driving in U.S. Is Scary...

If you have traveled abroad and rented a car, you know the driving experience can be different – if not outright scary.

A friend recently returned from Italy, where it takes about five minutes to realize, especially in cities like Rome, that there are no real traffic laws – just traffic suggestions.

Passing on double lines, WITH oncoming traffic, appears to be as normal as 90-degree weather in July and August. Lines of traffic instinctively move to the right, widening the road even when roads are narrow (which is common). And while all this is happening, young men and women on scooters are zipping by, weaving through traffic on both the right and left. It makes one long for the more sane chaos of contending with New York and Boston drivers.

Follow Your Nose: Burning Odors

Did you burn the toast? Probably not, especially if you smell it in your car. It could be an electrical short circuit or the wire insulation.

Burning odors can indicate a variety of problems: Your car may be overheating, or there is an oil leak, or a temperature gauge may be broken.

The smell of oil burning may mean you have a leak in the engine block or exhaust manifold.

Follow Your Nose to Safe Driving

You can see some problems. Others you can feel. You also can SMELL them! If you want to take good care of your car and ensure its safety, follow your nose. Your car can alert you to problems through the odors it emits.

That sweet smell, like maple syrup, probably means that you have a leak from the radiator or heater hose. If the odor is more noticeable from the outside of the car, it could be a leaky radiator or the cap. If you smell it from inside the car, it could be the heater core.

Does Your Car Take Care of You in Brrrr-Cold Weather

Brrrr. It’s cold outside. You wear gloves, a winter coat, boots. What about your car? Have you done all you can to keep it running safely during the coldest of days?

• Have you considered how to keep your car from freezing? Have you drained out the old antifreeze this year? Imagine all the sludge and dirt that can clog up the cooling system.

Wait! It’s Not Too Late for These Resolutions

I know what you’re saying, “The New Year has already started and it’s too late to make those New Year’s Resolutions.”

Really? Resolutions can start any time. Don’t make excuses. The important thing is to make a serious commitment to them. So let’s begin…

What are some good resolutions that you can make for your car’s performance and your family’s safety?

If I Were Santa...

If I were Santa, here are some things I’d leave under the Christmas trees of some people I know.

A bumper sticker for Johnny-in-a-hurry: You keep tailgating, I keep slowing down.

Bumper sticker for a grandson: Weren’t we supposed to have hover cars by now?

Bumper sticker for a friend who procrastinates on his car maintenance: Honk if anything falls off.

A Car Checkup for Winter

If you’re like many of us, you don’t think about preparing for winter until the first major snowstorm. Let’s do it differently this year. Let’s plan ahead.

Priority one: Get a warm coat, boots, gloves, hat.

Priority two: Winterize your car! Let’s review some key steps:

Where Children Go

The school year is well underway. Children are going to bus stops. They are getting on buses, getting off buses, running home, crossing streets … sometimes carefully with mom or dad nearby … sometimes thoughtlessly. What’s a driver to do?

Let’s review a few safe driving tips to help ensure that our children are safe on the road to school or the playground:

1. Be patient. Give yourself plenty of time to get to work, especially in areas where you know there is a school bus route, because, where there are school buses, there are children.

Rules of the road on Halloween!

The increased foot traffic on Halloween also increases the potential for car-related accidents. Drivers are distracted by the ghosts, witches and ballerinas walking along the streets. Parents who are driving their children are watching their own children and may not notice others crossing in front of them. Everyone is preoccupied. Some simply may not pay as much attention to the rules of the road – whether they are pedestrians or drivers.

1. With all the stop and go traffic in neighborhoods, drivers sometimes take the risk of using cell phones, texting, taking a quick photo of the scariest outfit on the block. Follow the law. Keep your cell phone in your pocket. If you want to take that picture, park the car and don’t start driving again until you are done.

A Canadian Getaway

But can you get back into the US without a passport?

Let’s take a Canadian getaway! It’s actually quite drivable from Central New York. So what’s your problem? Ah, yes! It’s a foreign country … and you’d like to be admitted back into the US. However, you don’t have a passport. That could take months to get.

But wait, there’s another option, an enhanced driver license (EDL).

Common Sense Rules of Road (2)

Do you use common sense when driving? Try it. It could save your life.

Stay with the speed of traffic – not too fast, not too slow.

If someone is tailgating you, move aside so that he can pass you.

Don’t text and drive.

Don’t talk on your cell phone.