What to do when your tire blows out.

There is almost no worse feeling that the sudden loss of control from a tire blowout. The vehicle start to make loud noises, wobble, starts to pull one side or another, does not respond to changes of direction…and all of it can happen in seconds.To increase your chances for a positive outcome, keep the following in mind:

• Keep your hands firmly on the wheel and your eyes on the road.
• Keep the steering wheel steady.
• Do not slam on the brakes but take your foot off the accelerator and slow down slowly (if you can). Braking hard can cause your car to swerve and cause an accident.
• Put on your hazard lights so people know there is a problem. If on the highway do this if only in the far right lane. If in other lanes use your turn signal to work your way over, then  put on hazard lights.
• Identify the best place to pull to the side and stop – a “safe zone”  apart from the main flow of traffic. On a highway this can be the shoulder. Avoid being at the bend of a road.
• When you are slowing down aim for the “safe zone” that you have identified while keeping a close eye on traffic. With your hazard lights on people should realize you have an issue and let you get to the side.
• Park and get yourself and your passengers out safely without putting anyone in danger from passing cars. Move a safe distance away from car.

Lots of cars these days do not carry a full spare tire, instead what you will find is the so called “doughnut”. If you decide to change the blown out tire with a non-full size tire, remember to drive slower and get to a tire shop as soon as you can.

Traffic numbers and how to avoid a crash.

Good news! The stats are actually getting better across the board. Learn how we are becoming better drivers and how new technologies are helping Texans staying safer and getting out of crashes alive. Maybe the new economy is also driving the changes? Listen to our podcast chock-full of trivia and tips on how to keep it safe. The talk show style podcast has a question and answer game with funny lines and important information we can all put to use.

Our podcast:

Enjoy, laugh and be safe!

WirelessDefensiveDriving.com

Winter Defensive Driving in Snow and Ice

As always, if possible, don’t drive at all and stay inside. It is best to wait until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to make the roads safer. If you decide to go out, budget extra time to get to your destination in a safe manner.

Defensive driving winter driving techniques should be practiced ahead of time. In a snowy, open parking lot, carefully induce a loss of traction so to be familiar with how to handle and how to react to such situations.

Icy roads, snowy roads.

• Lower the speed and leave yourself more space to stop. Make it a 6 second rule instead of a normal condition, 2 second rule. Three times more space is usually needed with low grip situations.
• Brake softly to prevent losing control and start skidding. Release the breaks if the wheels lock up. ABS systems help a lot in these situations.
• Turn on the lights to be more visible to incoming traffic. Use low beam lights.
• Maintain the lights and windshield clean from snow and ice
• Low gears helps in keeping traction, especially on hills. Try not to use cruise control or overdrive.
• Careful on bridges and overpasses. Due to the lack of insulation provided by the ground, these elevated structures tend to freeze much easier.

Should the car start to skid, do the following.

(this will be easier if it is practiced under controlled, safe conditions)

• Remove the foot off the accelerator pedal.
• Steer into the skid. Meaning, turn the wheels in the direction the car is sliding.
• If the vehicle has standard brakes, pump the break pedal gently.
• If the car has anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. ABS systems will feedback to the break pedal and the driver will feel the brakes pulsing — this is normal.

If the vehicle gets stuck…

• Try to spin the wheels as little as possible. The more the tires spin, the more the car can sink. Go easy on the gas pedal.
• Remove as much snow as possible from under or around the tires and pour sand, gravel, cat litter or salt to increase the traction.
• Try rocking the vehicle back and forth by changing gears from reverse to drive. In some cases the rocking motion helps the car getting unstuck.

What to have in the car before taking on the road

• Chains (and practice the installation before you get on the road)
• Flares
• Shovel
• Gloves
• Flashlights
• Boots, gloves and worm clothes
• Phone charger
• Ice scraper
• A basic survival kit which includes: batteries, snacks, first-aid-kit, blanket.

Severe Weather Driving Tips

North Texas is in the tornado alley and gets its fair share of severe thunderstorms. Defensive driving techniques are particularly useful when faced with situations where being prepared could save your life. If you can help it, stay off the road. It sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes we are so set in our routines that we skip the mental exercise of trying to avoid being on the road while bad weather is upon us. For example, do you think of calling your boss to let him know you are going to be an hour late because you are waiting out the storm?  One positive thing about Texas weather is that it usually doesn’t stay the same for long. Storms typically blow through and if you can wait it out, that’s the best thing to do.

Should you find yourself on the road, here are some defensive driving tips to think about.

1. Turn on your radio and tune is to weather reports. Things can change quickly so stay as up to the last minute as you can.

2. Slow down and turn your low bean lights on. Change the 2 second rule to a 4 or 6 second rule.

3. If driving becomes impossible, pull over in a safe, off the road place. Turn your emergency lights on and stay in your car and wait for the rain intensity to diminish. Make sure not to stop in low laying areas where chances of flash flooding is higher.

4. Look out for downed trees and power lines that may be laying in the roadways.

5. Remember that a vehicle is a safer place to be in case of lightning than being outside in the open. While your are in the car, try to avoid touching metal objects.

6. When approaching an intersection, treat it like a stop sign instead of a stop light.

For more tips on bad weather and emergencies driving check out WirelessDefensiveDriving.com podcast at YouTube – Defensive Driving Emergencies.

Tire Safety TIps

So, everyone has done the tire penny test at some point in their lives right? You know how…put the penny upside down in the tire’s tread and if the groove is deep enough for Lincoln’s head to touch the surface of the tire, you got 2/32” (Texas minimum requirement in 2013). However, The Consumer Report has found that people should consider changing tires when the tread gets down to 4/32″. For that test you can use a quarter instead of a penny. When Washington’s head reaches the surface of the tire, you have your 4/32″ worth of tread left. See the illustration below:

New tires also have ‘wear bars’. These are little bridges molded between the ridges of the tile. When the tire is worn enough for the bars to reach it’s surface, it is time to replace the tire.

Keep in mind, that’s only one indication of your tire’s quality and remaining lifespan. You should also always take in consideration the pattern in which the tire is wearing down. Is it even across or is the tire wearing down unevenly? If uneven, take the car to a tire shop, let them check the tires and, as soon as possible, heed their recommendations.

Another important factor is the proper inflation of your tires. Consumer Report has always advocated for drivers to check the proper tire pressure and this study from the NHTSA reinforces that advice. The finding was that if the tires are under inflated by 25%, vehicles driving on those tires are 3 times more likely to have accidents related to tires. Lots of new cars have built-in pressure sensors to let the driver know when it is time to re-inflate.

In case you don’t have such little gadget in your car, get a good old fashion pressure gauge…it will do the trick just fine.

Remember the tire is what keeps that beautiful car of yours, and ALL it’s contents, grounded on the pavement. It is arguably the most important element of your car safety.

Make sure to check your tires often, it’s easy, inexpensive…well at least ‘till you have to replace them, but worth every penny.

Don’t Text and Drive

A few years ago I was having a conversation about the latest apps my boss had gotten for his iPhone. This one particular app he was extremely proud of; “this app lets you talk into the phone and it will type what you say as a text so you can send it and not have to look at the screen to type.” I could immediately see the advantages of this app for people who feel they MUST text while driving.

He went on ” not only that, but if the person you are texting has the same app, their phone will actually read the text out loud to them so they don’t have to focus on the screen to read it!”  I responded that that was amazing but my Android could do even better than that. “Watch this”, I said, “All I have to do is talk into the speaker like you do but instead of typing the message as a text so the other person can then hear their phone read it, I can actually hear the voice of the person I called in real time, it’s called a telephone!”

People can get so wrapped up in the newness of something they forget the whole purpose of the item to begin with; a phone was made for conversation. Way too many families are being broken apart because that fact has been forgotten and people are texting while driving. Texting is what you send when you don’t need to speak to someone right a way. A text is sent to someone to convey a message so that they can read it when they have the time to read it safely, without interrupting some one or something else that they may happen to be engaged with in some matter or another i.e. a real face to face conversation, a lecture, a classroom, church sermon or driving.

Taking your eyes off the road for just 5 seconds can distract you long enough to have traveled the length of a football field before you look at the road again. Think of all that can happen in 100 yards. Here is a great graphic from the AdCouncil that illustrates the point. Click on the graphic from a larger view. Thanks to the AdCouncil.org for the media.

Is it worth it? I am not saying that talking on the cell phone while driving is smart or even safe, but you can do that without taking your eyes off the road while driving a 3000-pound vehicle. Bluetooth can be a wonderful thing.

Re-think the text and if you really have to send one, call instead. If you absolutely have to text, pull off the road because if you don’t, the next call you do make may be for an ambulance, a lawyer or both. Whatever you do, remember, no texting while driving.

Kyle Collins
Wirelessdefensivedriving.com
Defensive driving on your smart phone or tablet.

Car’s alarm to help you in case of danger.

This is a great tip we received and decide to pass on to our blog visitors
Tell your children, your significant other, your kids, your friends, your parent and everyone you can think about. Make sure to put your car keys beside your bed at night.

If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won’t stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won’t want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can’t reach a phone. My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn’t hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she’ll know there’s a problem.

Be safe!

WirelessDefensiveDriving.com

Speed limits increase in Texas, is it safe?

photo: SH130 concession

Back in October, Texas had the opening of the fastest road in the USA, between Austin and San Antonio (Texas Highway 130). With a speed limit of 85 mph, this stretch of road is boasted to have been built as safely as possible by the construction consortium (Spanish firm Cintra Concession Co. and Zachary American Infrastructure based in S. Antonio). Unfortunately, just 3 weeks after opening, there was the first fatality accident. Given the fact that one of the vehicles was T-boned, the outcome may have been the same even at 65 mph.

As you can imagine, public opinion and experts are split in two different camps. The faster-is-better group claims reduced traffic congestions will reduce the accidents on the road. Their experts state that data shows no relation between higher speeds and higher fatalities on the road. The opponent group is very concerned about the very opposite and responds with a statement of fact; the faster you go, the stronger the force involved in the accident. Nobody can dispute that law of physics.

Time will tell, maybe, who’s right or wrong. Texas is not the only state increasing the speed limit on some of the roads. This is a national trend and it seems a lot of drivers like the change. While we are not physics professors, one thing is for sure, going faster will require drivers to modify their behavior. We, the drivers, need to abandon the attitude that driving is a secondary task.

Secondary to what you ask? It seems to everything from texting to eating a bacon cheeseburger with one hand while picking on the fries with the other. Not paying attention is deadly at 40 mph but at 85 mph? Son, when you are driving at 85-90 mph you should think of yourself as a NASCAR race driver. No…not because you are that good, but because that’s the level of concentration you should have.

Both hands on the steering wheel, turn that radio/iPod down, choose to dine-in instead of drive-through, look ahead, listen and stay focused. You are barreling down the road, sitting inside an object with a tremendous amount of force behind it. To make things worse, there is a similar object coming at you, from the other direction, with the same amount of possible ‘hurt’ to bring to the meeting, heaven forbid should there be one.

If you need a refresher of what it means to be a good defensive driver, you are in the right place.

Be safe,

WirelessDefensiveDriving.com

Technology helping defensive driving and drivers at risk.

This great article was published in the IEEE industry journal. The implications of this new finding can be really important in the reductions of traffic accidents. Can you imagine having a fighter jet like head up display in your car alerting you of possible other drivers not behaving correctly around you, even before you see them? Here is a excerpt of the article. We hope you will find it interesting.

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MIT: New algorithm may improve defensive driving

In 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2.3 million automobile crashes occurred at intersections across the United States, resulting in some 7,000 deaths. More than 700 of those fatalities were due to drivers running red lights. But, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, half of the people killed in such accidents are not the drivers who ran the light, but other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. In order to reduce the number of accidents at intersections, researchers at MIT have devised an algorithm that predicts when an oncoming car is likely to run a red light. Based on parameters such as the vehicle’s deceleration and its distance from a light, the group was able to determine which cars were potential “violators” — those likely to cross into an intersection after a light has turned red — and which were “compliant.”

The researchers tested the algorithm on data collected from an intersection in Virginia, finding that it accurately identified potential violators within a couple of seconds of reaching a red light — enough time, according to the researchers, for other drivers at an intersection to be able to react to the threat if alerted. Compared to other efforts to model driving behavior, the MIT algorithm generated fewer false alarms, an important advantage for systems providing guidance to human drivers. The researchers report their findings in a paper that will appear in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

For the full article read more…

We all know how dangerous frontal, head on collisions are. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that about half of all passenger vehicle occupants killed on U.S. roads die in frontal crashes. Over the years, car manufacturers have made grade improvements in frontal crash protection, thanks in large part to the crash test program the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began in the late 1970s and the crashworthiness evaluations the Institute began in 1995.

The Institute conducts two different frontal crash tests: a moderate overlap test (formerly known as the frontal offset test) and a small overlap test