Posted on 9/2/2014
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you promise to lose weight? Eat better? Be nicer? Read a book that doesn’t have a vampire in it? We all make promises to ourselves to live better but how about your car? How about this year you make a few resolutions for your friend in the driveway? Fix those little things before they become bigger things. That noise under the hood isn’t going away no matter how high you turn the radio. Give it some love now and then. Routine maintenance will go a long way toward keeping your car on the road. Don’t neglect oil changes, proper tire care, even windshield wiper replacements. Keep it clean. If you have a long commute you’ll have a nicer one if you don’t have to stare at (or smell) Taco Bell wrappers, newspapers, old mail or toddler drippings. And you’ll avoid the stare at your shoes when a co-worker asks, “Who’s driving ... read more
Posted on 9/2/2014
If you’ve ever driven a car you’ve probably seen the Multi-Tasking Driver. They’re the ones who think they can eat, read, apply makeup, text, talk, dress (or undress) and deal with the kids all while keeping an eye on the road and reloading the CD player. 18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-affected crashes. Distracted driving isn’t good for anyone. Then there are the drivers who take it really personally. They can be aggressive or even angry if they don’t get their way on the road. These drivers cause one third of all traffic crashes. The worst is the inebriated driver and whether its drugs or alcohol they are a major danger to others on the streets and highways. Almost half of all drivers who were killed in crashes and tested positive for drugs also had alcohol in their system. But there are also drivers who just aren’t paying attention and wander in and out ... read more
Posted on 9/2/2014
Most parents usually train their children how to drive during their teenage years. Teenage driving brings a lot of freedom to the teenagers and some of them do not fully understand the need to exercise safe driving practices. Most teenagers are not even aware that unsafe driving practices could actually lead to death or serious injuries. Much of this is related to the idea of “that would never happen to me.” If there’s one thing a teen can’t seem to live without, it’s their smartphone. This article will highlight how teens and parents can effectively use mobile applications to ensure that they exercise safe driving while training. 7 Safe Driving Mobile Apps Text Arrest is a mobile app that helps to deactivate the text message or email function in the smartphone of a teenager. This is aimed to help the teenager maintain focus on the road while training and helps avoid accidents. This application works by closing the phone’s screen, ensuring that no text ... read more
Posted on 9/2/2014
Summer’s quickly approaching! As you head out with the family to baseball or soccer games, the Zoo and your favorite parks, avoid traffic by knowing which roads will be under construction in Kansas City this summer. Kansas City Road Construction This Summer According to MoDOT and KSDOT, the following Kansas City roads will have construction into June and beyond. Plan your Trip with the Kansas City Scout Before you head out to drive around the Kansas City Metro, or even across the state(s), check out Kansas City Scout first. They provide great links and information so you can prepare for, and plan, your trip. Check out Kansas City Scout. Driving with Caution through Road Construction If you do get caught driving through construction areas, it’s import ... read more
Posted on 9/2/2014
Nick and I love a good road trip. Being passionate about cars, we love to hit the road and drive somewhere fun. One of our road trips involved a trip to Iowa. I helped get all of our bags packed, for me and the kids, and then started to take them to the car. You know how it goes – mom gets the bags ready and dad loads the car. Well, Nick had put my 3rd row seats down to try and create more room for our bags. I came out to bring the last bag and realized that it was not going to work. Although putting the seats down created more room, it also created a safety hazard. If you put your 3rd row down and then you can put them “in a up position” that is fine. But he had them flat so there was no barrier between us and and bags. (That is my dad coming out in me!) Anyway… In the event we had to hit the brakes hard, ALL that loose luggage would fly forward quickly. This wasn’t safe, nor a good way to pack the car. It’s not safe to have a 30 lb bag rushing toward you and your passengers in t ... read more