Choosing Safety Features in Your Next Car

Today’s vehicle owners are getting pickier about the type of car they buy. One of the features valued is safety. So what does one look for if they are seeking a safe car?

To start, there are many ways a vehicle can be ‘safe’. For instance, there is safety in regards to collisions and accidents, and then there is the other safety – that which assists potentially vulnerable people when getting in and out of their vehicle or when traveling alone.

In terms of accident safety, the most important feature of a vehicle, that typically comes standard are the seatbelts. Lap belts are becoming less and less common, only to be replaced by seat belts that have three anchorage points. Even if you are sitting in the middle or the back, most lap straps or 'two-point' belts, which are very ineffective and can fail to save a person's life, have been replaced with the three-point belt.

The second safety feature in a vehicle is its airbags. To date, statistics show that airbags reduce the risk of dying in a direct frontal crash by about 30 percent. Airbags combined with seatbelts are important combinations in vehicle safety. Depending on your air bags alone isn’t sufficient and many states have seat belt laws whereupon you can be fined for not wearing them. When it comes to airbags and buying your next vehicle, make sure it not only has front airbags, but ask about side airbags as well. The side airbags are designed to protect your pelvis and torso, and 'curtain' airbags protect the side of one's head in a side impact or a rollover situation. Many vehicles today have up to six or even eight airbags.

When looking at various makes and models when purchasing your next vehicle, do some research and find out how it rated in crash testing. Otherwise, there are some obvious safety features such as, vehicles with full-time all-wheel drive and four-wheel disc brakes can enhance your vehicle’s performance and potentially contribute to safety. Or, having a vehicle that has enough power to keep you out of trouble is important.

Size is another consideration. Heavier and larger vehicles are generally safer than lighter ones. Fatality statistics support this in that lighter cars account for twice as many deaths as the heavier ones. Anti-lock brakes or anti-locking system (ABS), which means the vehicle has a special breaking mechanism that gives you much more control on the road compared to simple traditional brakes, is definitely a nice safety feature. Slamming on the brakes in a vehicle with no ABS means the wheels will lock up and often skid or make the driver lose control. With ABS, your brakes are pumped for you allowing your car to stop gradually and quickly at the same time.

Other new technology coming out on the market to enhance the safety of vehicles includes:

1. Roll Stability Control - Roll Stability Control utilizes gyroscopic sensors to measure both yaw and roll. The system will automatically assist the driver in maintaining control and reducing the risk of rollover.

2. Side Curtain Airbags – These airbags automatically deploy during a rollover or side-impact accident. While we have seen this technology in some vehicles, car companies are trying to make it a standard piece of equipment.

3. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) – This is a Ford feature that includes a monitoring system for your tire’s pressure. There is a radio transmitter mounted inside each tire so that when tire pressure exceeds a specified limit range, the system activates a warning light and message in message center equipped vehicles.

4. Adaptive Front Lighting – Adaptive front lighting systems is something new many car companies are playing with. Depending on the company, this feature can vary. For Ford, the lighting system features swiveling headlights, computer-optimized lighting, and adjustable angle headlights that compensate for vehicle load, acceleration and braking. The headlights also feature an electro-mechanical washing system that cleans headlight lenses.

Last, are features for your personal safety. If you are someone who travels a lot alone or in remote parts of the country or city, the first level of safety, is making sure your remote control, or key, initially unlocks one door only. Unlocking all of your doors simultaneously creates a risk that someone could enter your vehicle, or reach in and grab something, as you are getting in. Another safety feature is lighting that can be turned on through your key fob. Some vehicles have integrated what is called ‘approach lighting’ so that your vehicle is lit up around its exterior before you enter it. Approach Lighting technology can also be located behind the mirror glass so that when activated by the key fob or by opening a door, a bright light is directed through the glass to illuminate the vehicle's door handles and surrounding entry area, making it safer and easier to enter the vehicle.

While many safety features are finally becoming standard, there are many vehicles on the market that have not integrated them yet. So if you are seeking a vehicle that is safe, do your homework and find out what it is your are seeking and what its priority is for you – it is most likely you will then find the type of safe car you have been searching for.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Teaching Your Teen To Drive Safely

Your child has become a teenager, and more than that, one that is getting a license to drive. If this is your situation, there are a few tips you can practice to help keep your teen safe.

To start, enroll your teen in driver education, if it is available in your community. Having your teen take drivers education is invaluable and it allows somebody else to teach them to drive, which could be worth more than its weight in gold for both you and your teen. If you don’t find a drivers education course in your town, you can still help your teen with some preemptive driving tips.

In America, the high rate of teen driving accidents and fatalities is due to 16 year olds being thrown behind the wheel without any experience or knowledge. Instead of counting on a few weeks or months of "driver's ed" to get your teen ready for the road, take it upon yourself (or get your spouse or another mature adult with good driving skills) to start the process much earlier, around age 14 or so.

Next, remember to educate your teen about the basics of driving such as not following other cars too closely, practicing proper merging techniques, using their turn signals and maintaining situational awareness of one's vehicle in relation to the other vehicles on the road by frequently checking side and rearview mirrors. Practicing in empty parking lots is helpful for basic driving lessons as well as learning to park and Parallel Park. If you know somebody who has a vehicle with manual transmission is especially recommend -- as it takes more skill, concentration and coordination. You can never over prepare your child for driving, the more the better.

When working with your child in teaching them to drive, take the process a little at a time so both you and your teen don’t get overly frustrated. Short trips in familiar areas with little traffic and slow speeds, and more importantly, during the day is helpful. Work into teaching your teen to drive at night later, after they have had some more experience. You probably should even enforce a rule that your teen shouldn’t drive at night or with other teens for at least the first month or two.

Ride with your teen as much as possible to observe how they react to stressful situations and what driving rules they forget so that you can remind them. Some teens pick up driving quickly and have good coordination. Don’t slack on reprimanding your teen driver when it comes to both dangerous habits (such as tailgating and failure to pay attention) as well as any signs of rudeness or discourtesy toward other motorists.

Zero tolerance of immature/irresponsible driving is important with your teen. Restricting your teen for careless or irresponsible driving such as running red lights, drinking or driving, or being dangerous, is important. As a parent, you have the right to set the boundaries and determine whether your child may drive -- or not -- until they are 18 and on their own.

Once your teen gets a few hours under their belt you can begin working with them on emergency maneuvers. If you don’t feel qualified in teaching this, there are specialty schools that will show your teen how to drive on ice, learn how to control a car in a skid control and not to panic brake.

When buying your teen their first car, try to avoid large SUV’s or sports cars. A teen’s first car should be predictable in its handling and easy to drive. SUV’s for teens can be difficult to steer and sports cars just have too much power for them. Teens like showing off and a sports car would just be too tempting to race.

Last, educate your teen about carrying the proper identification on them and in their car. They will need proof of insurance and registration in most states to drive legally. They will also have to remember to carry their drivers’ license.

Practicing these few simple things will help protect your teen driver from themselves as they learn the very large responsibility of getting on the road.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Modern Car Care Myths

Our vehicles can be costly, and for that reason, we all want to take good care of them and make sure we can get as much life out of them as possible. In this, most of us want to know what we should do to help our vehicles along – but we also want to know what not to do, so that we aren’t wasting our money.

So – what are some of the basic car care myths professionals have identified?

1. Myth #1 – Tune-ups – How often should you have your vehicle tuned up? Do you know? Most engines are computer monitored and controlled – the good news with this is, they don’t need tune-ups as often as a traditional engine. There was a time that with a standard tune-up, it often called for new ignition parts such as a distributor cap, spark plugs, and points and rotors. Besides spark plugs, which usually don't have to be changed until 100,000 miles, today's cars aren't built with points and rotors, and many engines don't have distributor caps that need replacement as often.

2. Myth #2 – Having Your Car Lubricated – In the old days, cars had chassis that needed lubrication. All that metal, potential rust – you name it, the car needed to be greased. But now, cars are a combination of metal and plastic and therefore need little additional lubrication.

3. Myth #3 – Flushing Your Radiator Annually - Manufacturers have made significant advancements in engine cooling systems during the past few years with closed systems that recirculate coolant. These new systems don't lose coolant as often, and coolant manufacturers have also made advancements in their products' chemical components with synthetic materials, making the seasonal radiator flush almost extinct. It is still important to check fluid levels periodically--especially before long trips--and use the manufacturer-recommended coolant. You should change your coolant about every four years. Coolant chemicals last longer than they used to, and newer engines aren't going to be damaged by leaving it in long.

When changing your coolant, try a premixed formulation rather than adding tap water, which contains minerals that can cause trouble.

Some coolants will need to be mixed with water, in this case use only distilled water which doesn’t have the hard minerals in it.

For those who live in extreme climates, hot or cold, then you should be paying much more attention to your coolant than others.

4. Myth #4 - Wheel Alignment – We all want to keep our car in balance and were taught growing up to make sure our vehicle had the tires rotated frequently so that it stayed in alignment. Although it's important to keep tires properly maintained and inflated, it's not always necessary to have them aligned every time they are rotated. A majority of manufacturers recommend a wheel alignment and wheel balance only if there is a major issue with the car pulling to one side or another.

5. Myth #5: Winterize Your Car – Many grew up with the notion that before winter came, you had to winterize your car. Your car’s maintenance doesn't have to be tied to the seasons. Today’s modern cars don’t require the same amount of attention. Professionals say, other than possibly changing to winter tires, modern cars don't require special attention at this time of year the way that your parents' car might have.

What can you do for your car before winter? During colder months, it is advisable for you to keep more gas in your car's tank. Why – this is due to the fact air carries moisture and water, which can freeze and crystallize. The more gas in the tank, the less air - and less chance of ice forming inside where it could get into fuel lines and cause trouble, he says.

So, don’t spend unnecessarily, in these times, we all want to be a bit wiser about where our dollar goes. And enjoy your car for as long as you have it.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.