Follow these simple steps for adjusting your mirrors and voila: no more whipping your head from side to side to check your blind spot!
1. Straighten your rear view mirror so that it reflects what is directly behind you.
2. Next, lean to your left until your head is just touching the window. Now, adjust your left-hand mirror so that you can only just see the side of your car. When you sit up, you shouldn’t be able to see the side of your car at all.
3. Finally, lean to the right, so that your head is aligned with the center of the car; the center is usually marked by the dome light or rear view mirror. Now, adjust your right hand mirror so that you can only just see the right side of your car.
You can check that your mirrors are aligned correctly when out on the road. Say that a car is approaching on the left. Watch the car in your rear view mirror; as soon as the car disappears from your rear view mirror, it should appear in the left hand mirror. When you can no longer see the car in the left hand mirror, you should be able to see it in your peripheral vision. If you notice a “gap” between mirrors, you should adjust the mirror position slightly. You may need to tilt a mirror up or down, depending on the height of your car.
While you may need a day or two to adjust to this new mirror arrangement, you’ll ultimately find that this is a much safer and easier way to drive.
To learn more about this topic, or a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!
Check out these sites for more information about online defensive driving in Texas, online defensive driving in Florida, and business driver safety.
Recently, I had the opportunity of driving in another country and the experience was, well, rather foreign. The lights were different, they blinked green until they went red, I could not read any of the signs and my map was in language other than my own tongue. Needless to say… I was anxious.
It is this type of anxiety I believe drivers feel when they are driving in a city which is unfamiliar to them, the uncertainty, the fear, the speed, all of it combine to make a driver, nervous and unsure. Add to it the horns, well, we have all been there.
Some basic tips and low technology suggestions for properly navigating a strange city or country and doing so with the least amount of stress:
1) The low tech map. GPS devices are great, but when it gets down to it, when you are driving amongst the natives, it is best to have a plan prior to the drive and a map/Atlas is the best for pre-planning. Know your route prior to driving it.
2) Plan. Make sure you know well in advance of your trip, what you plan where your are going and what you plan to do. There is nothing worse than driving around aimlessly in a place you are not familiar with. Ever get drive in Texas? Ever drive in Houston, Dallas or San Antonio? You should have a plan or you might as well be driving in Greece!
3) Know the laws - every country and every state has different laws. Right turn on red for instance, fluctuates state by state and if you have a high tech “smart” phone, you should know the laws about their usage… it could save you a ticket.
DefensiveDriving.com offers state approved defensive driving courses throughout the US and these tips are a sampling of the good driver safety behaviors we teach via our online driver safety course.
Drive Friendly, Safely and with a Plan!
Don’t forget to set your clocks back… it’s coming. Sunday the 6th of November at 2:00 AM, we all set our clocks back one hour. It’s Daylight Savings Time!
Outside of the obvious frustration of trying to reset your car’s clock, if your car does not do it for you, there are some very real and distinct changes taking place around you.
To start, the obvious, the days are shorter, the nights are longer. We are more nervous at night as drivers and with good reason. Our vision of what is in front of us is greatly reduced and so to is our reaction time. According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive commissioned by Sylvania, 90% of licensed drivers who drive after dark are worried about potential nighttime hazards.
One thing we do not commonly associate with Daylight Savings Time is the how it coincides with Deer rut. Typically, November 1 through November 25 represents the peak primary breeding phase for deer. Male deer are more aggressive and have increased range as they follow female deer. There are more deer out, they are more active and the odds of a deer and vehicle incident are greatly increased.
Rut, shorter days, longer nights and the transition from fall to winter all indicate the need for a little extra diligence with respect to speed and ensuring your vehicles maintenance is update.
Your headlights are fairly important to assist with the navigation of the transition to Daylight Savings Time, the increased darkness and potential obstacles represent by deer in rut.
SYLVANIA offers some great suggestions with respect to your headlights:
“Check your headlights by parking on a level surface facing five feet from a building wall or your garage door, then turn on your headlights. If the circles of light are bright and white, they are in good, working condition. Yellow or dim lights should be replaced.
Change headlight bulbs in pairs. Because bulbs dim over time, the new one will likely be brighter than the old one, causing an uneven field of illumination. This can be distracting to both the driver and to oncoming traffic.
If the lenses on a vehicle’s headlights are cloudy, consider a headlight restoration kit, which restores headlights to like-new condition and light output. The SYLVANIA kit includes a unique UV Block Clear Coat that protects headlights from further UV damage. After use, motorists should see a significant improvement as the product enables up to three times more light to shine on the road.”
These types of tips can help ensure you have the utmost illumination of obstacles in front of you.
With the sweltering summer months fully upon us, there seems to be little escaping the rising temperatures and this especially true inside of parked vehicles with no cool air circulation. Being a responsible driver and protecting your passengers in the summer heat goes beyond the actions that you take while you are behind the wheel, and even the smallest lapse in judgment can prove dangerous. In spite of warnings about the dangers of leaving unattended children in hot vehicles, this disturbing trend continues and “forgotten child” deaths are on the rise. It is important that you educate yourself and others about all the facts so more children to not fall victim to this dangerous situation.
According to Safe Kids USA, over 495 children have died from heat stroke as a result of sitting unattended in a warm vehicle since 1998. Children’s bodies can heat up close to 3 to 5 times faster than an average adult, so even a short period of time can elevate the child’s internal temperature to the dangerous range of 104 degrees and up and cause sickness, injury and death.
The following are some guidelines to follow this summer if you are responsible for transporting children:
· Never leave a child unattended in a car for any period of time, even if the windows are open. According to Baystate Health, the interior of a car can heat up to 19 degrees hotter than the exterior in a mere ten minutes, so the temperature can easily reach dangerous levels, even on days that are not excessively hot.
· Lock your car doors and trunk upon exiting your vehicle (especially when parked at home) to prevent children from entering the vehicle when it is unattended. Vehicle heat related deaths in children are not always caused by neglect, and are often the result of children finding their way into unlocked vehicles and becoming trapped or falling asleep.
· Teach your children never to play inside or around vehicles and to always wait for an adult to enter a car.
· Keep your cell phone, bag or other item in your backseat with the child so there is no chance of accidentally forgetting them and continuing on to your destination. This is often the situation, especially with young babies that cannot talk or sleeping children.
· Set reminders on your computer and cell phone reminding you to drop your child off at school or daycare. This is especially helpful on days where your schedule is different or you are feeling extra tired or distracted.
· Implement a system where you receive a call from your child’s school or daycare in the event that the child does not show up when expected.
In addition to taking responsibility for your own passengers, you should act proactively and contact 911 if you see a young unattended child in a vehicle during the spring or summer months.
For additional information and ways to help fight this alarming trend in your community, visit the Safe Kids USA website and learn about their “Never Leave Your Child Alone” Campaign.
~ R. Quick
If you’re like me, saving money and sticking to a budget are perennial New Year’s resolutions. Using less gas will put you a little bit closer to both of these goals. Here are fifteen tips for being more fuel efficient:
The sounds that your vehicle makes can act as early indicator that there is a problem with your car, and as a smart driver, it is especially important to take heed of any new sounds or sounds that become louder and more frequent as they can lead to a larger problem and end up costing you more in repairs. A car is an elaborate composite of hundreds of moving parts, so some noises are common and to be expected, so make sure you take time to get to know its normal sounds so you will be more prepared to spot and troubleshoot anything out of the ordinary. An accurate description of the shake, rattle or roll can help your mechanic better diagnose your issue and get you back on the road in a safe vehicle.
Here are some noises that could mean trouble for your car:
• Engine knocking – Steady knocking noises from under the hood during driving can be indicative of loose connections within the engine or worn crankshaft bearings, which according to Just Auto Repair, a car website, is a common engine issue.
• Engine ticking – Less loud and “thump” like than engine knocking, this sound often occurs when the oil is low or dirty and needing to be changed. Make sure you have your oil changed regularly to avoid this issue.
• Metallic grinding during breaking – Screeching and grinding sounds emitted from your car during breaking are an indicator that your brake pads have worn through and the metal is rubbing together. This is something that needs to be fixed before further damage is caused and to ensure your car can break properly.
• Thumping tires – A steady thumping sound coming from the wheel region of your vehicle can be a sign of tires with insufficient air or uneven wear or flat spots. You should check the air pressure on the tires, fill where necessary, and opt for having the tires rotated or replaced if the noise continues.
• High-pitched squeal – This sound, especially when heard right when you are starting your engine and accelerating, can mean a loose or damaged belt within your engine. According to Popular Mechanics, this needs to be replaced before the belt snaps.
• Growling steering system – A low growl coming from the steering wheel or column may mean it is low on power steering fluid or that there is air in the system. Make sure you check your levels and ensure there are no leaks.
Also remember to keep an ear out for less obvious sounds such as hissing or dripping as well as they could be indicators of a slow leak of air or fluids, which could become exacerbated over time and lead to larger problems.
~ R. Quick
To read more on a broad range of subjects from “How To Change A Tire” to “How To Jumpstart Your Car”, visit DefensiveDriving.com’s Safe Driver Resources website!
