Boat Towing Safety with your Truck

The Fourth of July is a fun summer holiday weekend. You will find a lot of friends and family on the lakes near central Texas this weekend and throughout the summer. Lake Travis is a popular weekend destination and is crowded with boats and jet skis over the holiday weekend. The roads also become very busy with drivers taking off for a fun weekend out of town. The roads can often be seen with trucks or SUVs towing a boat, four wheelers, and jet skis behind them. Here are some safety tips to remember this weekend if you are towing your boat to the lake with your truck.

First and foremost, you have to adjust the way you drive your vehicle when you are towing something such as a boat or an RV. Extra caution will be needed on the road and drivers around you should also be more cautious on busy holiday weekends with a lot of towing trucks on the road. The weight of your moving truck will be much different with a boat in tow. You will have to use extreme caution when pulling out, braking, accelerating, and changing lanes. You will need more room to come to a complete stop and you should drive slower than normal.

Before you start driving, you should check to see that your boat trailer is a safe and properly attached to your truck or SUV. It is important as a boat owner and driver that you know how to operate a towing trailer and the rules and regulations for doing so in your state. Make sure that the vehicle you are towing with can handle the weight of the trailer and boat in tow. Here is a checklist you can follow when attaching the trailer and loading up your boat:

Is the hitch and hitch ball (coupler) properly fitted and the right size?

Are the coupler and all safety chains attached to the hitch securely?

Are all attachments tightened?

Is the boat tied down to the trailer?

Are the wheel lug nuts and bearings tightened and adjusted?

Are you in proper weight capacity for the trailer and towing vehicle?

Are the trailer tires inflated?

Do all trailer lights work properly?

Do the brakes work? (You may need to purchase a trailer with its own brakes)


Once you have checked off on the requirements and safety measures, you are ready to get on the road with your truck and boat in tow. Use extreme precautions and never drive too fast, aggressive, or recklessly. Have a fun and happy summer!

About the Author: Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable Austin used cars and is known as one of the best used cars austin dealers. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Simple Ways to Keep Your Driving Safe

It is nearly spring and as spring breaks come up, the weather warms and vacation time rolls around, more and more people will be on the road. With that, it is time to practice extra caution, not only in the way you drive but also in watching others and their driving. Taking a these few tips into consideration and making them a part of your daily driving can help protect you, your family and those around you. They include:



1. Never Insist on The Right of Way - If you and another driver encounter a situation where both of you have the right of way or maybe even you do but the other driver is challenging you, yield to that person. Always remember that the goal is to get home safely. Try to put your irritation and ego in check and let the person go first.

2. Be Aware of Your Surroundings - Drivers are multitasking these days while driving. Whether they are talking on the phone, eating, texting or even applying makeup, they can be a danger to you. To protect yourself and your vehicle, always be alert to what other drivers are doing. Scan the road constantly, both ahead of you and behind you. Also follow the 'two-second-plus-rule' that allows a safe distance between your car and the one in front of you.

3. Slow Down - We are all in a hurry to get where we are going and yet there is nothing more dangerous than rushing. Slow down and obey traffic laws. Don't run red lights nor zip quickly in and out of lanes.

4. Learn To Drive Again - This may sound crazy but most of us learned how to drive when we were sixteen. Could we possibly still remember all the rules to driving? You would be surprised what rules you thought you knew but were violating. Taking a defensive driving course can be very helpful in ensuring you are driving as safely as possible and potentially prevent you from getting a ticket or in an accident.

5. If Tired, Rest - Many accidents are caused by drivers who are drowsy. Statistics show that tired drivers are just as dangerous as drunk drivers. If you spend a lot of time behind the wheel, be sure to stop and rest frequently and refresh. Get out of your car, stretch your legs, feel the fresh air on your face, look at something different besides miles of highway before you. Giving your brain something else to do and think about will help you become more focused.

6. Watch Those Blind Spots - Every driver has blind spots, yet do you know where yours are or potentially theirs? To protect yourself from blind spots, don't change lanes without turning and looking for other vehicles both in your mirrors and by turning your head. Signal when changing lanes in case you miss something. If you have an idea of where your blind spots are then you know where the other vehicles are, therefore, don't drive in their blindspots if you can help it.

By practicing defensive driving and being alert as much as possible, you will be surprised in how near misses, stay near misses and don't become collisions.

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 car Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

How to Effectively Handle Road Rage

Crowded streets, rush hour traffic, and tired drivers can lead to some events of road rage especially in a big city with a lot of drivers. You shouldn’t let it get the best of you or fall victim to an accident because of it. You should also never be the driver who is initiating road rage because it is dangerous and rude to say the least. Unfortunately, we have all encountered it at some point as a driver and should know how to effectively handle road rage while we are driving. This can be especially scary for a new driver who is being tail gated or honked at. Even experienced drivers can get flustered when they encounter it. Here are some tips for effectively handling road rage.

The first tip, and perhaps the most important, is to keep your cool. You don’t want to get as angry as the person using road rage to get their way while driving. If you get mad or flustered, you could lose your concentration on the road and cause or be victim to an accident. Using road rage to counter road rage is ineffective. You have to be the bigger person in these situations and remain, calm, cool, and collected. Vehicles shouldn’t be used as weapons or a means to intimidate anyone.

If you encounter a bully on the road, you should ignore them. Ignoring the road rage can be one of your best defenses. If someone is yelling out of their window at you, you should keep driving and never respond. Keep your window rolled up and don’t yell back or gesture anything rude back. Avoid contact with the driver at all costs. Unless there is an accident, never get out to talk to the driver or try to make them pull over. Likewise, if they want you to pull over just keep driving.

If the road rage is really bad and becoming a danger to any driver, you should contact the police. Tailgating or swerving can lead to accidents. Because of new cell phone safety laws, you will need to pull over to call the police. Pull over in a safe location or find a nearby exit to pull off the road to make the call. If the driver sees you on the phone, and you can safely make the call while you are driving, the road raged driver might back off a bit. If you feel that calling the police isn’t necessary, you may just want to pull off the road to avoid the driver and let them get a head start on the road from you. Stopping on the side of a busy highway can be dangerous, so look for the nearest exit to get on a frontage road or another place to stop like in a parking lot or gas station.

When dealing with road rage remember to stay calm, be safe, and call for help when necessary. Remembering these tips while driving can make your trip safe and effective for handling unfavorable situations.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable Austin used cars and is known as one of the best used cars austin dealers. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Being a Courteous Driver

Driving automobiles has evolved into a lifestyle choice that many people feel is necessary to carry out their daily endeavors. With an abundance of vehicles congesting the roadways in many cities, drivers are increasingly forced to deal with the shortcomings and unpredictability of fellow drivers. Communication between drivers is necessary in the case of using turn signals to indicate intent to turn, but increasing numbers of incidents involving road rage and violence suggest that many drivers direct negative emotions toward other drivers rather than focusing on being considerate drivers themselves. Unfortunately, such emotional involvement while driving can lead to accidents, citations or road rage violence. Being a courteous driver is more than just a respectful habit toward others, it can help protect you from serious injury or worse. Being a courteous driver involves focusing on your responsibility as a driver while taking into consideration the way that your driving habits can affect other drivers on the road.

A crucial part of being a courteous driver is focusing on safe driving and staying alert to the road and traffic conditions all around you. Being inattentive can lead to careless mistakes that put you and other drivers at risk. Acknowledging and obeying the speed limit is one simple way you can respect other drivers and contribute to safer roads for everyone.

Along with concentrating on safe driving, a courteous driver should consider how his or her actions affect other drivers. For instance, tailgating the vehicle in front of you can cause the driver of the vehicle to become nervous, anxious or angry, all of which can negatively impact their driving. In the case that the driver in front of you comes to an abrupt stop, tailgating is putting yourself and others in a close call situation, even if you react quickly enough to bring your vehicle to a halt. You can never be certain that the driver behind you can successfully come to a sudden stop as well. Practicing patience and avoiding driving unnecessarily close to other vehicles not only makes for a more pleasant driving experience for everyone, it can save the lives of parties involved.

The simple action of using a turn signal to warn other drivers of your intentions is not just a courteous gesture, it is required by law. Signaling that you will be turning or changing lanes gives other drivers notice that you may need to slow down or stop, so that they may be prepared to react accordingly. Making abrupt maneuvers without warning puts you and other drivers at risk of an accident. Courteous driving involves using turn signals as well as obeying other traffic laws, such as completely stopping at red lights and stop signs.

Being a safe, courteous driver means staying alert, obeying traffic laws, keeping emotions under control and practicing driving habits that take other drivers into consideration.

About the Author: Greg Chapman, of Greg Chapman Motors, is a leading used car dealer Austin has depended on since 1959. For more information please visit Greg Chapman Motors.