Page 4 - 2015 Car Care

4C – Friday, April 17, 2015 – El Dorado NEWS-TIMES
Driving tips for teens can keep them safe on the road
Few parents look forward to the day when they must teach their teenager to drive a car. Handing over the keys to a teenager and then riding shotgun as he or she learns the basics is hardly a recipe for a stress-free afternoon, but it’s a part of life many parents must endure sooner or later, and it’s a rite of passage for their children.
While it’s likely your son or daughter will not be a great driver from the get- go, there are ways parents can make the process of teaching their teen to drive less stressful and more likely to be a success.
• Utilize an empty parking lot as a classroom. Empty parking lots are great places to teach teens to drive. In an empty parking lot, teens can practice skills like turning or braking without the risk of run- ning into another driver. This gives kids the feel of a vehicle and an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the vehicle’s controls, including those for turn signals and headlights. Find an empty parking lot that is large, such as one outside a closed grocery store or a nearby school when school is not in session.
• Find a less-traveled road to practice more subtle driving skills. Once your teen has become familiar with the vehicle, a good next step is to find a back road or a road without heavy traffic where he or she can learn more subtle driving skills that might be difficult to learn in a parking lot. Coming to a stop, maintaining a safe dis- tance between vehicles, accelerating and decelerating on roadways and learning to share the road with pedestrians and/or cyclists are all valuable lessons that can be learned on a back road without heavy traffic.
• Some lessons are best learned on the freeway. Some skills, including changing lanes and merging into traffic, are best learned on the freeway or highway. Teens
will eventually take to the highway once they get their driver’s license, so it’s best to teach them how to handle using on and off ramps and learning to yield when entering a highway so they’re comfortable with such driving and don’t have to teach themselves.
• Teach kids to anticipate other drivers. Anticipating other drivers is a lesson even some veteran adult drivers must learn, much less teen drivers with little or no experience driving. When teaching teen- agers to drive, emphasize how difficult it can be to anticipate other drivers’ maneu- vers and how defensive driving techniques are designed to help drivers predict what other drivers will do in order to protect themselves from drivers who might be unpredictable. Teach teens to keep an eye out for drivers routinely switching lanes without signaling and tell them to be mindful of other drivers when they pull up to a stop sign. Teens who will become good drivers will eventually find such techniques are second nature, but initially parents should instruct them in the ways to anticipate the behavior of other drivers so the teens can stay safe on the road.
* Practice driving at different times of the day. Taking teens out to drive at differ- ent times of the day can teach them that road conditions, even when the weather is nice, vary depending on the amount of light. Driving at dusk and dawn, for instance, can be difficult because glare from the sun can decrease visibility and headlights might not provide much help. Like learning to drive on the highway, learning to drive at various times of the day is a valuable lesson that kids should learn with their parents in tow and not on their own after they have received their driver’s license.
Protecting vehicles in hot conditions key for enjoyable summer driving
Transportation plans important for weddings
Transportation can be eas- ily overlooked when couples plan their weddings. Couples may recognize they may have to hire a car or limousine to get them to their ceremonies and then their receptions, but what happens when the lim- ousine calls it a night?
While some couples imme- diately depart for their hon- eymoons after saying good- bye to their wedding guests, many build a day in between the wedding and honeymoon, giving them a chance to rest, take stock of their wedding gifts and finish packing. That leaves the question of how a couple will return home from the reception or get to the airport.
The best man may offer to drive the bride and groom where they need to go. But if the best man is from out of town, he may not have a chariot awaiting to escort the newly christened husband and wife to the airport.
As a result, all members of the wedding party should discuss their post-wedding travel plans in advance. Any person who will be arriving in a hired car will need to make arrangements to have their own vehicle available at the end of the wedding or be able to call a taxi or car service to get a safe ride home. Some wedding party members may decide to park a car at the reception site or a hotel the day prior to the wedding so they will have a return ride. It's also a good idea to ask friends or family members who are not in the bridal party for a ride home.
Safety is an utmost con- cern after the wedding. Even if wedding party members have a car available, no one should drive when intoxi- cated. Couples may want to include the phone number of a local taxi service in their hotel gift bags just to be safe.
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Steps to a flat tire fix
Many drivers will experi- ence a flat tire at some point in their lives. Flat tires can be a nuisance, especially if a flat leaves you stranded on the side of an empty road with little opportunity for passing traffic to help you. Knowing how to change your own tire can keep you from sitting on the side of the road wait- ing for a tow truck or fellow motorist.
There is no need to feel helpless when your vehicle gets a flat tire. Changing a flat tire is relatively easy and can take just a few minutes if you are prepared and know how to get the job done.
1. Turn on your emergen- cy flashing hazard lights and pull the car safely over to the side of the road where you will not be in the path of traffic.
2. Try to find a level, stable surface so that the car will not roll.
3. Put the car in park and engage the emergency brake. Place bricks or wooden blocks under the tires on the opposite side to prevent the car from rolling.
4. If you have cones or flares, use them to make your vehicle more visible to fel- low motorists. This can save you from being struck while changing the flat.
5. Connect the jack handle totherestofthedevice.Slide the jack under a secure part of the car frame near the damaged tire.
6. Use a screwdriver to pry off the wheel cover or remove the hub cap to gain access to the lug nuts on the tire.
7. Use your tire wrench to find the side of the wrench that matches the size of the lug nuts. Turn the wrench counterclockwise to loosen
all the nuts. Loosen them until they can comfortably be removed all the way by hand.
8. Use long strokes when pumping the jack to reduce the effort you have to put. Lift the car up until the wheel clears the ground.
9. Remove the lug nuts and store them in a safe spot until later. Grasp the flat tire with both hands and pull it toward you until it clears the ends of the bolts. Roll the flat to the rear of the vehicle.
10. Lift the spare tire into place and slide it in com-
pletely over the bolts.
11. Replace the lug nuts and
tighten them by hand.
12. Carefully lower the
vehicle and remove the jack. Tighten the lug nuts com- pletely with the wrench. Then replace the wheel cover.
13. Put the flat in the trunk for proper disposal or repair later on.
14. Remove the blocks from your tires and disengage the emergency brake.
You should now be ready to get back on the road.
Dramatic fluctuations in temperature can wreak havoc on automobiles. While cars and trucks are designed to be reliable under various conditions, sometimes the weather can get the best of even the most reliable vehicle.
Many people associate car troubles with cold weather. However, cars are suscep- tible to breakdowns when it is hot outside. Extreme heat adds to an already high temperature under the
hood, requiring ventilation and cooling systems to work that much harder. Batteries, alternators, starters, fan motors, and cooling systems are particularly vulnera- ble to high heat. It’s easy for a car to overheat and breakdown. Proper mainte- nance and some hot weather guidelines can keep drivers safe and on the road when temperatures soar, whether drivers are going on a quick ride or an extended road trip.
• Be sure the radiator is working properly and is filled with fluid at all times. This helps prevent over- heating, which can strand a vehicle on the side of the road.
• Hot temperatures cause items to expand, such as the air molecules inside of the tires. Make sure the tires are properly inflated so blow- outs do not occur.
• Keep up-to-date with oil changes and other routine maintenance. Vehicles that are well maintained are less likely to be susceptible to heat strain.
• Proper air flow is essen- tial to cool an engine and keep a vehicle air condition- ing system operating effi- ciently. If the cooling system has not recently been ser- viced, have it done before the hot weather arrives.
• Replace an old battery, and top off a functioning battery with distilled water
when necessary, particularly if evaporation has occurred. • Clean the vehicle so that
it will better reflect the sun’s rays, cutting down on radi- ant heat.
• When the vehicle is parked, use a car cover or a reflective shade in the wind- shield to protect the interior from sun damage and exces- sive heat.
• Tinted windows can help block out more of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Make sure that tint is legal and applied properly if it is done after-market.
• Plan road trips for early in the morning or late at night to cut down on the amount of time spent driv- ing during the peak heat and sunshine.
• Passengers should wear appropriate clothing and apply sunscreen. Car win- dows do not block UV light, and passengers may be sus- ceptible to sunburn even when they’re in the car.
• Park in the shade when- ever possible.
• Never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle, even for short moments.
• If the temperature gauge inside of the car reads hot, pull over, open the hood and turn the heat on inside the car to expel some of the pent-up heat.
• Keep plenty of water on hand in the event of a break- down to prevent dehydra- tion until help arrives.
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