Travel Safely During Thanksgiving Holiday

Many people will travel to visit loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday and the American Red Cross has travel tips holiday travelers can follow to arrive safely at their destination.

 

ON THE ROAD Most holiday travelers get to where they are going by car. To arrive safely, the Red Cross recommends these safety steps for travelers who will drive to visit their loved ones this Thanksgiving:

• Make sure the vehicle is in good working order.
• Start out with a full tank of gas, check the tire air pressure and make sure the windshield fluid is full.
• Buckle up, slow down, don’t drive impaired. Designate a driver who won’t drink.
• Be well rested and alert.
• Use caution in work zones.
• Give one’s full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.
• Observe speed limits – driving too fast or too slow can increase the chance of being in a collision.
• Make frequent stops. During long trips, rotate drivers. If the driver is tired, stop and get some rest.
• Be respectful of other motorists and follow the rules of the road.
• Don’t follow another vehicle too closely.
• Clean the vehicle’s headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows.
• Turn the headlights on as dusk approaches, or if using windshield wipers due to inclement weather.
• Don’t overdrive the headlights.
• If car trouble develops, pull off the road as far as possible.

 

It’s also recommended to keep an emergency preparedness kit in the vehicle. Useful items include water, snacks, a flashlight, first aid kit, extra cash and blankets. Red Cross Emergency Preparedness kits are available in the Red Cross Store.

 

TRAINS, PLANES, BUSES For people traveling by air, bus or train, the Red Cross reminds them that the seasonal flu can occur as early as October. If people have come in contact with someone who is sick, perhaps the trip should be postponed as they may be contagious for a week before symptoms appear.

 

Other safety tips to avoid the flu while traveling include the following:

• Remember that everything someone touches has to be touched by someone else – luggage handlers, etc. Handle one’s own belongings as much as possible. Wash hands often with soap and water.
• Carry hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes and use them to wash hands or wipe down surfaces such as armrests.
• Bring one’s own pillows and blankets – they can act as a shield against the seat itself.
• If someone has to cough or sneeze, do so into a tissue or sleeve.
• Avoid touching the face or eyes.

 

For more information on how to remain safe while traveling this Thanksgiving, visit the Red Cross web site. 

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at@RedCross.

Holiday Parking Lot Safety Tips

Malls and shopping centers will be jammed this holiday season. Unpredictable traffic patterns and preoccupied drivers cause thousands of parking lot mishaps that cost consumers millions of dollars each year. Parking lot safety is especially important during the holidays. Consumers should be particularly cautious about where they park because parking lots are also prime territory for thieves, pickpockets, carjackers and vandals. 

Surprisingly, many parking-lot mishaps do not involve two drivers —but rather the result of improper backing into parked vehicles. That increases the likelihood of hit-and-run incidents and the chance that you will be left to pick up the tab. Simple caution is the only real cure to avoid being a victim of parking lot accidents or crime.

 

Parking lot safety tips for holiday shoppers:

• Watch for cars cutting diagonally across lots; drive slowly and use your turn signal.
• When backing out of a parking spot, be aware of waiting cars, others who are backing out at the same time and motorists who speed through lanes.
• Beware when mailing those holiday greeting cards. Post office parking lots have the highest incidence of accidents due to frequent customer turnover.
• Don’t park between spots, especially in busy lots. You may gain only retribution from angry fellow shoppers.
• During the day, park away from buildings to reduce the chance of dings from other car doors or shopping carts and the likelihood of vandalism; but avoid secluded areas, especially at night.
• Park in well-lit areas. If the lot is inadequately lit, complain to management. Retailers and parking-lot owners can be and have been held liable for personal injury in these cases.
• Ask mall security to walk you to your car if you feel you are not safe.
• Always roll up your car windows and lock your car doors.
• Always have your keys ready when approaching your car and check the back seat and under the car before getting in.
• Put all shopping bags in your trunk. Do not keep them in the front or back seat where they are visible to thieves.
• Put all of your packages in the trunk before departing one parking lot and driving to another. Waiting until your next shopping destination allows others to see packages go into the trunk of your car and then you departing into the mall or store.
• Review your insurance coverage with your Trusted Choice® independent insurance agent. Liability coverage will protect you if you hit another motorist, collision will cover the damage to your car, and comprehensive will insure you for damage by vandals or theft of your vehicle.

This entry was posted on Fri Nov 23 09:43:00 CST 2012 and filed under Celebrations & Holidays , Safety , Seasonal and Teen Drivers. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ever wonder what the auto repair process is like?

Here are the basics:

Before auto repair work begins, measuring the vehicle body for correct unibody alignment is more than critical. As little as one millimeter error is all that is allowed by most car, truck and S.U.V. manufacturers. Laser measuring systems are used by many body shops along with the frame machine to ensure that everything is straightened accurately to the decimal point.

With the unibody of the vehicle straight, the car, truck or S.U.V. moves to the metal work area where new sheet metal is mounted and damaged areas straightened. Overhead vacuum lines are connected to the grinders and sanders to pull dust and dirt away from this part of the shop. With the usage of modern electronics body shops can remain very clean and dust free.

With the metal straight, it’s on to the paint preparation area, commonly referred to as “paint prep”. Quality shops will use dust extraction systems to remove the dust when sanding and spraying the paint primers. Infrared lighting systems may be used to cure primer paint quickly and properly. These infrared lights can shorten the cure time from 24 hours remarkably to as little as 20 minutes.

Painting the final colors and clear coats is done in a paint booth. There are many types and brands of paint booths, however it is generally accepted the best are the “downdraft” units where fresh filtered air enters the top of the booth and any underspray is pulled downward and out through grates in the floor. The downdraft procedure of paint booths can produce the best and most consistent of paint finishes. In addition a well trained operator can make a great difference in final paint and appearance quality and consistency. A dust free paint booth of any design is better than a dirty and dusty paint booth of the highest end.

It goes without saying that a professional paint shop will be proud of their faculties- the layout, equipment, training of their staff – and most of all their people.

Before spending your money or committing yourself to the job or repairs it is always best to ask to examine several examples of the shops work on several vehicles. Look for smooth finishes with minimal dust specs and colors that match from panel to panel. These are the signs of a quality paint job done by a skilled and professional painter.

– See more at: http://motorist.org/articles/auto-repair-process#sthash.CjQXl7ap.dpuf

Having auto-body work done? Read this first

Top 10 Tips for Good Auto Repair Service

It’s important to know how to proceed before an accident happens – especially if you end up being the driver who causes the accident.

These tips can help.

1. Brace for impact. Make sure you’re happy about where your deductible is set for collisions on your auto insurance policy. It’s often set at $500, but you may have bumped it up to $1,000 at some point – a tactic that really can help you save on insurance rates over time. Considering the high cost of auto-body repairs, though, just be prepared to pay the full deductible amount out of pocket if the accident is your fault.

2. Understand the system. Your insurer may direct you to its list of approved repair shops, which can be just fine – but be aware that those shops might be tempted to take shortcuts with your vehicle in order to save money. That’s because they will only receive pre-negotiated rates from the insurance company, and those rates might be stingy.

3. Get more than one estimate. Take good notes when the first place you visit tells you what kind of repairs you need and how much those repairs will cost. Then quickly call three or four other shops and ask how much they would charge for the exact same work. Try a variety of businesses, including independent shops, chain outlets and dealerships.

4. Know what to expect when it comes to replacement parts. Many insurance companies want repair shops to use less expensive salvage or generic replacement parts, as opposed to original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, which match your vehicle exactly and cost more. You may not have much of a choice in the matter if you’re responsible for the accident – but if you’re not at fault, instruct the shop to use OEM parts.

5. How does the repair shop rate? You can visit the Web site of Assured Performance Collision Care to locate shops in your area that have been found to meet key performance standards.

6. Check the shop’s reputation and complaint history. As you zero in on a shop, check to see how many consumers have complained about it by visiting this Better Business Bureau site. You also can check with your state’s attorney general’s office or consumer affairs department. To find specific contact information for your state, click here .

7. Clarify your rental car expenses. Auto-body repairs often take longer than expected – meaning you could be stuck driving rented wheels for a long time at a potentially high cost to you. If you regularly pay a nominal monthly fee for rental-car insurance, you might only be reimbursed for the rental of a compact car. If such a small car would never work for you, it might be time to reevaluate your coverage.

8. Do you have a European car? If so, the repair shop you use should have a special certification from the car manufacturer, along with specialized equipment to fix your vehicle’s aluminum and hard steel parts. Your insurer’s approved shops may not fit the bill for your vehicle, but your insurer still should pay for such specialized repairs.

9. Don’t be unduly swayed by your insurer’s warranty. As a way of encouraging you to use a shop in its network, your insurance company may offer a warranty on replacement parts. This warranty often isn’t necessary because most shops guarantee their work and parts manufacturers guarantee their parts.

10. Make your signoff a requirement. Especially when you’re on the hook for the repair costs, politely clarify with the shop that no work should happen until you’ve authorized it first. When the time comes to pick up your car, look the bill over carefully and make sure everything matches up with the estimate you had been given and the notes you had taken earlier. If you spot anything you didn’t authorize, speak up about it.

By Laura T. Coffey

TODAY contributor

Sources:

• Better Business Bureau
• “The Lowdown” feature in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine  
• Edmunds.com
• Rick Brooks, a certified financial planner in Solana Beach, Calif.