Keeping Pets Safe in Cars

Carwise No Comment Jun 16,2017 Safety Tips

Summer is here and for many of us that means trips to the park or the beach, anywhere to spend some quality time outdoors. If you plan to bring your furry friends with you for the ride, please remember some simple safety tips for keeping your animal, and yourself, safe. It is best to restrain your animal while they are in the car with you, this protects you from the distraction of a pet roaming around your car, and also keeps them safer in case of an accident. It is recommended that you put smaller animals, like cats or rabbits, in a carrying case in the back seat of your car. You can also restrain dogs this way, or there are many seat belt restraint options online for your dog, allowing them to still enjoy fresh air from the car window while also keeping them safer during an accident.

If you plan to be traveling or outside with your pet on a warm day, remember to bring plenty of water and some extra food along. Your pet can easily overheat in the warm weather. Lastly, remember that cars heat up quickly, even with the windows cracked. Please do not leave pets unattended in your car in the summer heat.

Driving in Icy Weather

Carwise 3 Comments Jan 11,2017 Safety Tips

The holidays are over, but the snowy road conditions will be around for many of us for a couple more months. Start the New Year with a quick refresher on safe driving in bad road conditions. We’ve compiled a list here of a few tips to stay calm and safe if you must drive in the worst of conditions.

Drive slowly

This will give you more time to react to icy patches and avoid accidents. If you are fishtailing or sliding it usually means you are going too fast.

Know your brakes

Understanding how your car, and brakes specifically, react to ice and snow is imperative to your safety. Find an empty parking lot to test them out.

If you are sliding, calmly turn your car wheels in the opposite direction.

Avoid overcorrecting by not jerking the wheel

Avoid driving in bad conditions if at all possible

Always wear your seatbelt

We hope you find these tips useful and that you stay safe on the roads this winter. Comment below with anything you would add to our list!

Winter Driving Crash Course

Carwise 1 Comment Nov 22,2016 Safety Tips

Winter brings a whole new set of challenges when it comes to driving safety. Let’s take a moment to review some extra precautions we should take when driving in the winter season, and some tips for prepping your vehicle to hold its own in the icy, snowy conditions.

There are a few things to look out for while on the road in snowy conditions. Know what to do when your vehicle encounters ice, as it may vary vehicle to vehicle. If you see cars swerving in front of you, slow down and consider an alternative route, if possible. When on the highway in low visibility situations, leave twice as much room as normal between you and the driver ahead of you and make sure to not exceed the speed limit.

To prep your vehicle for the winter ahead, do a scan of the following key areas to make sure you won’t be left in the cold. Tires loose air pressure in the cold, so double check your levels and check back often to ensure your tires are properly filled. Double check your wiper blades, if they produce streaks or leave large areas unclean, consider a replacement for winter. Speaking of visibility, give your defroster a test run. If it is not working properly take it to a shop for repair, as this is one of the most commonly used features during the cold months to ensure visibility. Lastly, top off all fluids. It is likely you will use quite a bit more windshield washer fluid due to the salt on the roads and snowy weather.

If your vehicle is in need of repair to make it safe to drive in the winter, search on Carwise to find a body shop near you.

City Driving Tips

Carwise 2 Comments Mar 30,2016 Safety Tips

Driving in the city poses many challenges and obstacles that can make the city-driving experience overwhelming. Consider the following safety tips before hitting these streets, especially those accustomed to suburban or rural streets.

Familiarize yourself with directions

Limit the glances at your GPS. Keeping your eyes on the road at all times is very important when driving in the city, where there are many sudden stops and pedestrians.

Be aware of one-way streets

Make sure you read all street signs to ensure you are not only following the law, but enforcing safe driving too. One-way streets are common, and non-city folks can find themselves swerving at the last minute, once they realize they are about to turn down the wrong direction. Be mindful of them at all times.

Do your research

Not all laws are posted on street signs. Look up the driving laws in the state you will be driving in to ensure compliance. Many city intersections do not allow right turns on a red light, so that’s a good place to start.

Yield to bikers

Cyclists flood city streets, especially in nice weather. Be sure to keep an eye out for them, especially when making turns, changing lanes, and opening your door when parked on the street.

Brush up on your parallel parking skills

This comes in handy for city parking. And if you have an SUV or larger vehicle, it may take a few drives up and down the block to find one that fits your car.

Carry change

You’re likely to encounter a toll booth or need some spare quarters for parking during your time in the city.

It’s worthwhile to point out that native city-drivers and cab drivers tend to be very aggressive and impatient. It’s important for you to remain calm and take your time to ensure your safety, and the safety of those around you. Don’t let the honks fluster you!

Any tips we missed that you would add to the list? Let us know in the comments!

Tips for Teaching Your Teen to Drive

Carwise 1 Comment Feb 18,2016 Safety Tips

If you have a teenager learning to drive, you know that many rules and tips for the road have changed since you were in driver’s education class and getting behind the wheel for the first time. For that reason, we compiled a list of a few driving tips to pass along to your millennial teen. Ingraining these tips from the beginning is the best way to ensure lasting, good habits and safe driving practices.

Seat belts are important

One of the most noteworthy laws that has been put in place in the past 25 years is the mandating of seatbelts. While it is important for your teen driver and all occupants of a car to wear a seatbelt, there are many other safety guidelines and laws for driving today that didn’t exist just a few years back. Restricting cell phone usage is a great example of this. Using a phone while driving is extremely dangerous and, in many states, a punishable act. It’s important to set rules and expectations with your teen surrounding cell phone usage in the car. As it is smart for your young driver to have a phone with them in case of emergencies or for directions, it is useful to map out guidelines for when and where using a phone is appropriate and safe.

Steering wheel hand placement

Optimal hand placement on the steering wheel has also seen a few updates in recent years. It’s likely that you were taught to place your hands at 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock on the wheel, but experts have now agreed that placing hands at 3 and 9 are safer in case of an accident. Bent and relaxed arms at 3 and 9 provide a lower chance of arms being injured by airbag deployment, as they would be on the outer edge of the bag, not the top as they would be if placed at 2 and 10.

Also, recent studies have shown that having other teens in the car creates the most dangerous driving condition for a young driver’s safety. Please make sure to discuss focus and responsibility while driving with friends.

We wish you the best in your coaching! Leave a comment below with any tips you would add to this list.

Driving Safety Tips for Seniors, Kids, and Drowsiness

Carwise No Comment Sep 16,2015 Safety Tips

SENIOR DRIVING SAFETY TIPS

Safe driving is something that we discuss frequently at Carwise. Even though we try to connect everyone with a quality body shop when they need one, we also want everyone to be aware of driving safety issues. More often than not, senior drivers are overlooked when discussing driver safety.

Back to School Driving Tips

Carwise No Comment Sep 9,2015 Safety Tips

At Carwise, we encourage all drivers to stay up to speed on driving safety. With school back in session, drivers should take extra precautions.

Extra care needs to be taken when dropping off kids at school, as well as driving near schools where children and increased traffic are present. School busses are also back on the road, and drivers must know when to stop for them so that students can get on and off safely. If you’re by a school, you’re likely sharing the road with more pedestrians and bicyclists.

How Parents Cause Distracted Teen Driving

Carwise No Comment Sep 29,2014 Safety Tips

A recent study found that more than half of teen drivers often take phone calls from their parents while they are behind the wheel. This can result in distracted driving, putting these young drivers at risk.

The findings presented at the American Psychological Association’s 122nd Annual Convention show that out of the 408 teen drivers ages 15 to 18 that participated in the study, more than half reported being on the phone with their parents while driving.

Top 10 Driving Apps for Your Smartphone

Carwise No Comment Sep 22,2014 Safety Tips

We all have maps, GPS or navigation apps that come with our smartphones. Take advantage of your smartphone by downloading more advanced driving apps that can help you become a safer driver, block texting while driving, monitor your teen’s driving habits, boost your gas mileage, prepare for a road trip, or help you maintain your car.

Here is a list of driving apps that are a great addition for your smartphone:

Is Texting While Driving Worse Than Drunk Driving?

Carwise 1 Comment Sep 15,2014 Safety Tips

At some point of time, we’ve all received a text message while driving–and we’ve all sneaked a peek to read it. Maybe you have even typed a reply back while behind the wheel. In the back of your mind, you know that texting while driving is dangerous, but you say to yourself that it could be worse. At least you’re not drunk driving.

Texting while driving is a dangerous habit, but have you ever wondered how dangerous texting while driving really is? Could it actually be worse than drunk driving?