highway safety -

Parents with children of driving age might be worried about the reckless habits their teens might develop while behind the wheel of an automobile this summer.  If you fit that bill, then you might consider talking to your teen about safe driving using the tips offered by GEICO in a new report.

The insurance agency explains that texting at the wheel will be the most important subject to go over with a teenager.  Parents ought to explain the risks to their kid, and to enforce good behavior, it’s imperative that you too refrain from texting or even talking on your cellphone while driving.  If a teen sees you doing it, they’ll be far more likely to engage in the behavior.

Distractions also crop up when too many people are in your teens’ car.  Put a cap on the number of friends your teen is allowed to transport at any given time, and ask that everyone in the vehicle puts on their seatbelt.  Even if your teen wears his or her seatbelt, if the person behind them doesn’t, they could severely injure a teen driver if thrust forward.

Your teen should also be made aware of the dangers of alcohol consumption and drugs.  Not only could engaging in such a hazardous activity prior to or during driving lose them their license, but the threat of a fatal accident rises dramatically.

Cadillac SRX automobiles of the 2013 model year are being recalled by General Motors because of a potential issue with the 18 inch wheels available on these units.  Around 18,871 vehicles might be impacted by the problem, which would revolve around potential loosening of the lug nuts on these wheels.  This can lead the lug nuts to fall off completely, which can cause a fracture to crop up in the wheel studs.  All of these things could prompt the wheel to be dislodged from the vehicle completely, an issue that can prompt a loss of control and subsequent crash threat.  The recall is set to start next Monday, at which point owners can expect to hear from GM.  A free tire rotation and wheel nut replacement will be carried out by dealers for those who bring their vehicles in.

Click here for more about the recall.

Many Californians will be hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend, but with more vehicles on the road, there’s more of a chance of an accident.  This is especially the case when drivers are in unfamiliar environs whose rules they’re not accustomed to.  To make sure that you’re safe, you might consider heeding the advice of those who have remained accident-free for decades.

The United States Postal Service seeks to honor those mail carriers who have driven one million miles without getting in an accident.  Such a distinction isn’t easy to achieve.  But of the estimated 300,000 mail carriers who are on the road at any given time, 9,385 have reached that milestone since 2005.  Their tips are certainly worth listening to.

First, taking a defensive stance on the road is important, especially when you’re traveling far from home.  In such situations, you don’t know what might be upcoming, and your aggressive maneuver in unfamiliar surroundings could cause a crash.  Instead, respect the rights of other drivers.  Make sure you switch lanes smoothly, and utilize your turn signal when both switching lanes and making a turn.  You always want others to know your intentions.  If a road sign says to do something, make sure you do it so that you know you’re not in violation of local laws.

You also want to keep ample space between yourself and vehicles in front of you.  Go in with the mindset that the leading driver might have to slam on their brakes at some point.  That should keep you at least one car length behind them for every ten miles per hour you drive.

You’re also going to want to have some type of plan of action in place should hazardous circumstances present themselves.  Constantly gauging your surroundings is essential to such a plan.  If someone cuts you off, you absolutely must be aware of any vehicles to either side or behind you.  Your options dwindle the heavier the traffic, but you should always have some idea of what you can do to avoid a disaster.

Keeping this kind of focus on the road means that you can’t let distraction imperil your driving ability.  Although a phone can act as a lifeline on a cross-country or upstate Memorial Day trip, it can also be a deterrent to safety.  Keep your phone out of reach, and if you do need to send some type of communication, whether voice or text-based, have a passenger be the one who dials or chats.

Other tips include making sure your vehicle is in tiptop shape before you head out and taking extra precautions in those areas that you know generate a lot of traffic.  Using signals in parking lots is also a good idea, as doing so lets drivers and pedestrians alike know of your intentions.

With many citizens across California taking to the road for a short vacation this Memorial Day, traffic will be heavy, and it becomes especially important to take the proper precautions around big rigs.

In order to help drivers protect themselves and others around such vehicles, the California Highway Patrol, the California Trucking Association, and the Insurance Information Network of California held a safety event recently at the Alameda Naval Air Station.  Representatives of the aforementioned organizations were on hand to offer guidance and demonstrate to all motorists the challenges faced by commercial truck drivers.

To ensure safety, you might thus consider some of the tips offered by the CHP.  First, understand the larger blind spots that truckers must cope with.  Blind spots on the righthand side of a semi can extend outward for three lanes and encompass the trailer’s length, so it’s imperative that you pass such vehicles on the lefthand side.  Get in front as quickly as possible, and make sure that you are able to see the driver in his or her mirrors.  They should be able to see you if you can see them.

Don’t be so keen to swerve right back in front of the truck either.  The increased stopping distance of a truck means that you should give them a wide berth and not pull ahead of the truck until you’re plenty far away.  Also recognize that trucks need ample space to turn and maneuver.  Give them the room they need to do so.

Memorial Day weekend brings many motorcyclists out to take advantage of the warm weather and sunny skies.  In order to ensure the safety of such persons, the California Highway Patrol is launching a safety operation designed to coincide with the weekend so often heralded as the start of the summer.

The CHP will be cracking down on motorists in the areas of Mendocino and Lake County.  These areas are receiving a particular emphasis because of the prevalence of motorcyclists who flock to the counties in order to take advantage of the beautiful vistas and winding roads.  Many organized rides and events take place in the area, and the CHP also worries about the availability of alcohol at such functions.

This Friday, the CHP will be ticketing any drivers whose actions could compromise motorcyclists, and they will be cracking down hard on persons who are drinking and driving.  Motorcyclists and other vehicle operators will each be targeted.

To help ensure safety in Lake County, Mendocino County, and elsewhere, the CHP encourages riders to limit their speed, as it’s difficult for other drivers to properly judge speed when pulling out of an intersection.  Visibility and safety can also be enhanced by putting on the proper gear, including a helmet and bright clothing.  And considering the importance of proper balance and reaction time on a motorcycle, it’s absolutely essential to refrain from alcohol consumption as a rider.

The Senate Commerce Committee is in the midst of determining whether or not it would be advisable to push forward a law that would require rental car companies to fix open recalls prior to offering them for sale or rent, but that bill has now drawn opposition from groups like the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the National Automobile Dealers Association.  Those groups are arguing that instituting such a measure would potentially delay a consumers’ ability to get the necessary repairs in a timely manner on their vehicles.  They say that automakers would essentially have to repair rental companies’ vehicles first or else face lawsuits from those companies.  They also believe that not all recalls are created equal and offered examples of recalls that don’t pose a pending danger.

Click here for more information.

Given their large size when compared with other types of vehicles on the highway, semi trucks need to have their safety assured in order to protect travelers along the roads.  Thus, owners of the vehicles involved in this next recall must make sure to get the necessary repairs as soon as possible, lest a runaway tractor trailer imperil safety across the country.

Mack Trucks announced the recall, which pertains to MRU, GU, LEU, CXU, and CHU trucks of the 2013 and 2014 model years.  Each of the 5,203 or so affected vehicles will have drum brakes.

The recall was necessitated because it was discovered that there might not be a cotter pin in the brake slack adjuster’s clevis pin.  Without this component, loosening and eventual dislodgment of the clevis pin is a distinct possibility.  This can lead one wheel to lose its ability to halt as required, a condition that will potentially increase the time and distance it takes to stop.  The vehicle might also be pulled to one side because of the braking imbalance.  Either situation would imperil drivers and nearby commuters.

On June 17, the recall is set to start up, and owners can expect to hear from Mack.  Free inspections will be offered by dealers, and if the brake slack adjuster is found to be wanting, new hardware will also be installed at no cost.

This past Friday, texting drivers in the city of Mitchell, South Dakota may have been in for a rude awakening.  That’s because enactment of a ban on texting at the wheel finally took place, which means that drivers in Mitchell can now face a fine of $150 if they get caught texting and driving.  The city’s assistant police chief explained that a crash involving a serious injury or even a fatality would be grounds for the seizure of a cellphone for evidentiary purposes.  Under the new law, drivers can’t even text at a stop light.  The move came after South Dakota lawmakers opted not to pass a statewide ban on texting until at least 2014.

For more about the newly enacted ban, click here.

Quattroporte vehicles of the 2005 through 2008 model years and Alfa Romeo 8C and Granturismo vehicles of the 2008 model year have been recalled by Maserati North America.  7,438 of these automobiles could suffer from an issue wherein the anti-corrosive substance on the rear tie rod assemblies is not at the level it should be.  This can lead to the assembly weakening and failing outright, a condition which might cause drivers to lose control of the automobiles.  A crash hazard would be posed at that point.  The recall should start before June’s end.  Owners, once notified by Maserati, will be able to bring their vehicles in to a dealer to obtain a new assembly with adequate anti-corrosive materials.

For more about the recall, follow this link.

A slew of Coachmen, Forest River, Palomino, Prime Time, Cargo Mate, Phoenix, and Revere Recreational Vehicles are being recalled by Forest River because of an issue involving the awning.  A total of 9,526 vehicles are being recalled, and each might have a power awning motor assembly whose screws are in danger of shearing.  This condition can lead the awning to unwittingly unroll, causing a potential injury to persons in the vicinity if parked and posing a crash hazard if in transit.  There is no indication yet of when the recall is going to start, but once it does, owners will hear from Forest River.  They’ll then be able to bring the RVs in for a new awning motor.

Click here for more about the recall.