Hey Tony "the car guy" Morice is here to continue our conversation that we left off yesterday. Wintry conditions on the road reek havoc on vehicles and drivers. Below are some driving tips that you should put into practice so your vehicle won't become the "Sleigh-Ride" of destruction!
1. CLEAR SNOW & ICE FROM CAR - to improve visibility, remove all snow and ice from your hood, roof, truck, turn signals, tail lights, and headlights. Make sure you only use the ice scraper for glass. Use the brush portion for the other parts of your vehicle.
2. GO SLOW IN THE SNOW - "posted" speed limits are set for ideal road and weather conditions. SLOW DOWN when visibility and road conditions are impaired!
3. BRAKING TECHNIQUES - use "squeeze" or "threshold" braking when driving a car without anti-lock brakes. Apply the brakes to a point just short of lock-up, then ease off the brake pedal slightly. For vehicles with anti-lock brakes, continuous, firm braking is necessary.
4. ANTICIPATE DANGER - be READY for ice on bridges, hidden lane markings, stalled cars and poor visibility. Adjust your speed, increase the following distance between vehicles. Drive defensively.
5. PUT THE LID ON SKIDS - ease off the accelerator and don't lock up the brakes. Carefully steer in the direction you want your vehicle to go and straighten the wheel as soon as the car begins to go in the desired direction.
Putting these Driving Tips into practice will get you to your destination SAFELY!
In case your vehicle does become a Sleigh Ride of destruction - we are here to help you anyway we can. Please call us at 312-738-1975/866-738-1975 and West Loop Auto will be there within the hour.
Until we collide again!
Tony "the car guy" Morice
General Manager
West Loop Auto Body
Showing posts with label driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label driving. Show all posts
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Six Steps to take after a Car Accident
Taking the time now to plan what to do if you are in an auto accident can help get you back on the road faster. Doing a few things at the scene of an accident can help you avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes. Here are several useful tips from the experts at West Loop Auto Body in Chicago that you should remember if you're in an accident. You may even want to keep these tips in your vehicle's glove compartment.
1. STAY SAFE! Make sure your car and any other vehicles are as far off the roadway as possible. Warn oncoming traffic by activating your hazard warning lights.
2. CALL THE POLICE! Call 911 to report the accident. Even if you just had a fender bender, call the police so they can document who was involved; they'll decide whether an accident report is necessary.
3. TAKE PICTURES OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE! With technology today you can take pictures of the scene of accident with your picture phone. Make sure you get pictures of all damage that happen as a result of the accident. Get pictures of all vehicles involved including license plate number.
4. CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE AND REPORT THE CLAIM! The sooner your insurance company knows about the accident, the sooner it can start working to resolve your claim.
5. STICK TO THE FACTS! Discuss the accident only with the police and your insurance company. Be honest and factual! Avoid guessing or speculating on times, distances or speeds if you're unsure.
6. EXCHANGE VITAL INFORMATION WITH THE OTHER DRIVER! Write down the name, address, phone number and license numbers of all drivers and witnesses. Ask each for the name of his or her insurer and policy number. Your insurer might need to speak with them to determine who's at fault for the accident. Your insurance company will want to know if the police responded or if anyone was injured. Also, get details about the other cars involved, taking note of whether the cars were damaged and if so, where the damage occurred.
7. CONSIDER ALL YOUR REPAIR OPTIONS! Once you've figured out all of the details at the scene, you'll need to consider your next steps. With West Loop Auto Body you can choose the most convenient way to have your claim handled. Our A+ rating with the BBB gives you assurance that we will care for your every need. With Towing and Enterprise Rent-A-Car on location; we can have you back on the road quicker than most other body shops. West Loop Auto Body will work with your insurance company to make the repair process is smooth and headache free.
For more useful auto and FAQ's, visit us at www.westloopauto.com
Until we collide again!
Tony "the car guy" Morice
General Manager
West Loop Auto Body
Monday, August 16, 2010
It's that time of year again......(I can hear that "oh eee oh" chant from wizard of oz.
The children are heading back to school!!! Retailers are smiling with all the new children clothes sales and Office Max is JUMPING!!!!
With all of this commotion it can be VERY distracting to the dangers of "School in Session" makes. It is this time of year that driver and passenger safety need to be at their HIGHEST AWARENESS. Please read the bullet points below and put them to PRACTICE!!
1. All passengers should wear a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appropriate car safety seat or booster seat.
2. Your child should ride in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible and then ride in a belt-positioning booster seat. Your child is ready for a booster seat when she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots, or her ears have reached the top of the seat.
3. Your child should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle's seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age). This means that the child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent at the knees and feet hanging down and the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the thighs, and not the stomach.
4. All children under 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles. If you must drive more children than can fit in the rear seat (when carpooling, for example), move the front-seat passenger’s seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.
5. Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You should require seat belt use, limit the number of teen passengers, do not allow eating, drinking, cell phone conversations or texting to prevent driver distraction; and limit nighttime driving and driving in inclement weather. Familiarize yourself with your state’s graduated driver license law and consider the use of a parent-teen driver agreement to facilitate the early driving learning process.
West Loop Auto strongly advises that you review and practice the safety measures above with your precious loved ones.
Let's have a great start to school and lets have our DRIVING AWARENESS at its PEAK STATE!!
Until next time...
Tony Morice
West Loop Auto Body
General Manager
www.westloopauto.com
The children are heading back to school!!! Retailers are smiling with all the new children clothes sales and Office Max is JUMPING!!!!
With all of this commotion it can be VERY distracting to the dangers of "School in Session" makes. It is this time of year that driver and passenger safety need to be at their HIGHEST AWARENESS. Please read the bullet points below and put them to PRACTICE!!
1. All passengers should wear a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appropriate car safety seat or booster seat.
2. Your child should ride in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible and then ride in a belt-positioning booster seat. Your child is ready for a booster seat when she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots, or her ears have reached the top of the seat.
3. Your child should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle's seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age). This means that the child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent at the knees and feet hanging down and the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the thighs, and not the stomach.
4. All children under 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles. If you must drive more children than can fit in the rear seat (when carpooling, for example), move the front-seat passenger’s seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.
5. Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You should require seat belt use, limit the number of teen passengers, do not allow eating, drinking, cell phone conversations or texting to prevent driver distraction; and limit nighttime driving and driving in inclement weather. Familiarize yourself with your state’s graduated driver license law and consider the use of a parent-teen driver agreement to facilitate the early driving learning process.
West Loop Auto strongly advises that you review and practice the safety measures above with your precious loved ones.
Let's have a great start to school and lets have our DRIVING AWARENESS at its PEAK STATE!!
Until next time...
Tony Morice
West Loop Auto Body
General Manager
www.westloopauto.com
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Medicines can impair driving!!
Medicine and driving do not mix!
Some prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and herbal or alternative remedies can be as intoxicating as having a couple of alcoholic drinks. The AAA foundation of Traffic Safety reported that 78 percent of drivers older than 55 take medications, but only one in four understands how drugs can impact their driving. Like alcohol, medicines can cause side effects that impair driving, such as sleepiness, slowed movement, blurred vision, dizziness, fainting, excitability, nausea and inability to focus or pay attention.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the effects of prescribed medications on driving. If you must take medications that could impair driving, your health care professional may be able to:
Some prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and herbal or alternative remedies can be as intoxicating as having a couple of alcoholic drinks. The AAA foundation of Traffic Safety reported that 78 percent of drivers older than 55 take medications, but only one in four understands how drugs can impact their driving. Like alcohol, medicines can cause side effects that impair driving, such as sleepiness, slowed movement, blurred vision, dizziness, fainting, excitability, nausea and inability to focus or pay attention.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the effects of prescribed medications on driving. If you must take medications that could impair driving, your health care professional may be able to:
- adjust the dosage;
- adjust the timing of the doses;
- add an exercise or nutrition program to lessen the need for medicine;
- change the medicine to that causes fewer side effects.
West Loop Auto Body is here for you and your vehicle. If you need a tow - let us know and we will be there shortly with one of our state of the art tow trucks. Call us at 866-738-1975 or check us out on the web at www.westloopauto.com. Serving chicagoland since 1950!
* article contributed from AAA Living Feb 2010
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