What every driver should know about high water, driving and their car!

Monday, Houston experienced a cluster of storm cells which dumped anywhere from four to six inches of rain in a little less than three hours.   Southeast Texas and the whole of Texas have experienced a drought of historic proportions for more than thirteen months, the rain was greatly needed, however, with the ground so hard, the water did not really have anywhere to go.  

The result in Houston, wide-spread street flooding.   Several major highways and side streets became impassable and a number of cars and drivers were flooded out by the rapidly rising water.   Other cars were stalled out as their drivers ignored the potential dangers posed by standing water. 

 

A really good tip to remember when it comes to driving in standing water, if you cannot see the curb, you probably should not go forward.  Typical curbs in cities are a minimum of 4 ” tall (rounded) and 6″ is for vertical curbs.   If you cannot see the curb, there is a great chance of 6 plus inches of standing water and it does not take a lot of water to hydroplane, lose control of your vehicle or get water inside of your car. 

Cars are generally well protected when it comes to water, but they were not designed to be flooded or submerged or run in water.   Further, today’s cars are largely dependent on their powertrain control module, the onboard computer of the vehicle.   The electrical damage which can occur from water in your car effectively can have several different effects, which most people do not think about.   For one, water can prevent the distributor from doing its job and if your vehicle stalls, you will not be able to generate sufficient spark to start the car.   Two, the cars ABS and traction control systems, the two systems most responsible to prevent hydroplane, might not work due to electrical damage.    The third concern with respect to water and your electrical system, one that most do not think about, is your power windows.   Why is this important?  

If your car enters a large amount of standing or moving water, it effectively loses traction and you have lost control, it is a very dangerous situation.   Over 300 people a year lose their lives in incidents involving water immersion.   The main problem, they cannot get out of their vehicle.   In the event your car becomes involved in a water event, like some did this past Monday, there are four tips to remember:  1) Open the window, 2) Take off your seat beat, 3) Exit the vehicle and 4) Swim as quickly as possible to safety.   Why is open the window number one?      

If  the car is in water and has or is about to experience an electrical short, there is very little time to open the windows, once there is a short, the power windows will not work.   Opening the window requires breaking one.    This is where the danger lies.    Auto glass is tempered, designed not to break or shatter, for safety reasons.   In a submerged or immersed vehicle, the pressure on the doors might prevent the opening of a door, the window is generally the best option, but you have to be prepared.   There are many tools which can be kept inside the vehicle which allow for a driver to break a window if necessary, but one particularly good tool is the LifeHammer.   The LifeHammer not only allows you to punch out a window with ease, it also includes a tool to cut a seatbelt in the event you need to get out of the seatbelt in a hurry or it malfunction.   For less than $20, if you live anywhere it floods or close to rivers, lakes or coastal waterways, this is a necessity. 

At the end of the day, driving in any type of standing or moving water should be avoided.   The dangers posed by hydroplane and vehicle immersion are real and very dangerous.   Besides the tremendous financial damage water can cause to a vehicle, it is also can be a life taker.   Know what to do in the event you are involved in a vehicle immersion situation and have a tool available to get you out.   However, the best advice possible, if it is raining hard or there is street and low-lying area flooding or rapidly rising water, do not drive through, turn around, seek higher ground.

DefensiveDriving.com has a great video on hydroplane and it is a focus of our online driver safety program.  

Drive Safe and Friendly…

Windshield Wipers, the basics

Winter has been with us awhile and you have no doubt been overwhelmed with information about winter driving. Leave an appropriate space cushion, your speed should meet conditions, make sure you have proper tire pressure, tire tread and depth, that you have all the necessary emergency gear in your trunk and that you know the route and weather conditions along route.

All of these are great guidelines to arriving safely to your destination during the winter months.

You should always properly maintain your vehicle, regardless of time of year, but it is especially important during the winter months.  Depending on what part of the country you reside, the winter months either mean snow, ice or rain, there is an important piece of equipment on your vehicle which greatly impacts your ability to see.  As DefensiveDriving.com discusses in its online driver safety course, vision is an important aspect of safe and defensive driving.  Vision, how much you can see, literally should decide the speed in which you travel as your reaction time as a driver is impacted by your field of vision.  If you are able to see potential driving hazards in front of you without obstruction, your reaction and the time your need to react are increased.  It goes without saying, if you cannot see well, you might not see a hazard or react soon enough to avoid the hazard.

The windshield wiper is a vital part of your vehicle. Your windshield wiper is part of a system when properly maintained and when properly functioning, allows you to be able to see and increases your field of vision in variable weather conditions. Have you ever tried to drive in a hard rain, or driving snow or sleet without a properly functioning windshield wiper?  It is nearly impossible in the best case, extremely dangerous in any case.

The original windshield wiper was invented in 1903 but it was not until cars started to be enclosed to protect the passengers, that a need for wipers was realized.   Initially, wipers were powered by a hand crank on the inside of the vehicle but they were replaced by the automatic windshield wiper system – which was powered by the air from the intake of the engine. The latest windshield wiper, the intermittent powered blade was patented in 1967 by Robert Kearns for Ford Motor Company. These systems have been the predominant wind shield wiper systems until very recently, with the invention of optical and rain sensing systems, which automatically turn on and adjust the speed of a windshield wiper blade, based on the presence of moisture.  One system detects the moisture itself, the other detects if its optical sensors are blocked which activates the system.

The windshield wiper system is composed of the windshield wiper arm and the windshield wiper blade. Both are essential to proper function of the system.  A very simple test will tell you when you have a problem.  If you spray your windshield wiper fluid on your windshield and the windshield wipers leave streaks, it is time to replace either the blade or arm.

Most manufacturers of windshield wipers list the life span of a wiper blade to be six to twelve months.  Over time, the blades crack and wear due to normal usage, extreme heat or cold and because they are made of rubber.  Replacing the blade is generally the most cost-effective, but you should always check to see if the arm is good working condition.

The arm essentially holds the blade on the windshield to allow it move away snow, rain and sleet.  Sometimes, snow, ice, dirt or mud become lodged in between the arms connectors causing the arm to bow or lose pressure on the windshield over time.  Usually, you can visually see this and if the arm is not applying good pressure, regardless of how new the blade is, the windshield wiper system will not work as intended.  Winter windshield wiper systems are designed with a particularly strong-arm which prevents the buildup of snow or ice within the windshield wiper arm.

Any number of auto parts stores have the parts you need, the part is typically listed by make and model and any decent auto parts store will actual replace the arm and blade as part of their service.

Remember, the majority of any driving decisions you make are based on good clear visibility.  Anything that takes away from your visibility and your decision-making ability should be fixed as soon as possible, especially something so simple but necessary as a windshield wiper!

 

How heavy is your car?

We often don’t think about it, the actual weight of our vehicle.   You will never carry it, so it is not like a skateboard, when you can say two pounds.   You will never really push and/or carry it like a bike, so you are never really trying to get it to weigh less, like you do with a bike.  

Hopefully, you never have it run over your toe, so you know its not the 38 pound child plus the 2 pound scooter.

So what does your car weigh?  Would it surprise you to know, that one of the “lightest” cars around is the Smart Car with a weight of 1609 pounds?   You cannot lift it, you are not strong enough. 

On the other end of the spectrum, a Hummer weighs 6614 pounds.   The most popular car, the Honda Accord weighs 3175 pounds. 

Why am I talking about the weight of a vehicle?

As we discuss in our online driver safety course, physics are in play when you drive.

As Newton’s 2nd Law of Physics states, “The acceleration produced by a particular force acting on a body is directly proportional to the magnitude of the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the body.”  The key is the mass of the body and last I checked, there are not a lot of people who could exert Newton’s 3rd Law, as people do not even weigh what a smart car does.

The point is, when you are driving a car, you interacting with the forces of physics and your vehicle weighs, A LOT.   It is best to focus on the task at hand, drive and put the phone in the back seat.   Distracted Driving… is the equivalent of shooting a gun randomly into the air on New Years, you have no idea where the bullet will land.

Another sad but real story from the DOT below.   Drive safely.

Faces of Distracted Driving

‘Tis the season to be jolly…

Happy Holidays!   and all that come with them.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years – some of our favorite holidays.   We gather with our friends and family to give thanks, to celebrate, to reflect and to look forward.   

And with the Holiday season, winter comes as well – although a large majority of the east coast would say it came rather early this year. 

The combination of more people on the road travelling to gather with their families, the weather and its effects on the roadways and holiday parties, require us drivers to be overly diligent and responsible.  

The first snowfall usually means we need to either relearn or we forget how to drive in it, or how to handle the torrential rainfall, depending on where we reside.   This time of year it is especially important to ensure you have properly inflated tires, your battery is in good working condition and in the event you are stuck on the road, you have a fuller vs. emptier gas tank.

But even more importantly, we need to exercise good judgment over the Holiday season when it comes to the annual Christmas or New Year’s party.   December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.   In addition to the Holiday parties, law enforcement will be stepping up its efforts to curtail drinking and driving through check points, overtime and increased public education.   According to MADD, Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, every minute one person is injured in an alcohol related accident.  Instead of becoming a statistic or potentially going to jail, hand off your keys or be a designated driver and don’t drink,  it’s the best gift you can give. 

Some simple tips and/or suggestions:   1)  If you are hosting a party, have cab vouchers or drivers available to your guests if there is drinking involved.   2)  Food and coffee do not dissipate alcohol or its effects, do not be fooled into thinking they do.    3) Determine who the designated driver is and plan not to drive period.

Here’s to safe and happy holiday season!  

 

 

Pennywise, Pound foolish?

You are on your way to work or running an errand or maybe just returning from a night out with your spouse and …

An accident happens, you are rear ended by another driver.   That other driver proceeds to drive off, but thanks to the diligence of a witness who follows the other driver, the other driver returns to the scene of the accident.

Then it turns out the other driver is legally impaired and … it just gets better, the other driver does not have insurance.

Sound like a fantastic story – unbelievable, never happens?   Guess again, this actually happened.  The article with the full details here

This story really highlights a growing problem.   There are many drivers out there on the road, driving with you, who do not have auto insurance.   According to the Insurance Research Council, one in seven drivers out there do not have auto insurance.

With one exception, every state has some form of minimum insurance required by drivers, yet so many are driving illegally.   Even worse, if you are involved in an accident and you do not have under-insured/uninsured motorist coverage, you are most likely going to be a victim a second time, as you will have to come out-of-pocket for additional expenses.

Over the last four years, a lot of consumers have made choices based on their financial position and one of the items which gets cut is insurance.   There are also a lot of low-cost providers out there, spending millions in marketing to get you to change your auto insurance, sometimes, you get what you paid for.

Talk with your insurance agent, find out what type of coverage you have, what your deductibles are and what is covered in the event you are in an accident with a driver who does not have insurance.   If you have to pay an additional premium to get under-insured/uninsured motorist coverage, check to see if taking a defensive driving course will allow you to receive discounts for your auto insurance.   The money you save in discounts for auto insurance by taking a defensive driving course might very well offset what you are a paying in additional premiums.

More importantly, it will give you piece of mind, knowing that in the event you are in an accident with one of these bad drivers, you know what to expect with respect to your claim.

Drive Safely and Friendly!