The school year has started for many families across the nation, meaning busy schedules and crowded roads. Atlanta is notorious for heavy traffic regardless of the time of year, and the influx of teens with new drivers licenses makes the morning commute even more of a challenge. Whether you’re a veteran driver or brand new behind the wheel, here are our top back to school driving tips to help you and other drivers get to your destination safely this fall.
1. Leave with Plenty of Extra Time
Heavy traffic in the morning can spell significant delays and plenty of people in a rush to get to school or work. Book extra time to get where you’re going so that you won’t need to worry about being late for the bell if you encounter heavy traffic.
Leaving with plenty of time will also help you avoid the temptation to speed and risk getting into a wreck.
2. Minimize Multitasking
Emails, texts, calls, choosing the best song for your morning ride, and even reacting to street directions all demand a part of your attention. However, the most important thing you need to focus on is the road.
Although you may have to take a phone call or change what’s playing on the radio, ignore any incoming emails and definitely don’t respond to any texts you may receive until you arrive at your destination. Minimizing your distractions will help you stay safe on the road.
3. Hang Back and Wait for Traffic to Subside
It’s no secret that traffic in Atlanta can be monstrous. Instead of jumping into the fray, consider hanging back and getting a coffee or chatting with your friends before you start heading towards home. Waiting for traffic to die down is also a great opportunity to get started on homework!
4. Keep your Gas Tank at Least Half Full
Keep your gas tank at least half full. Even though it might mean an extra trip to the gas station, you will never have to worry about running out of gas when you’re stuck in traffic on the freeway.
Keeping your tank at least half full is especially important come winter, as condensation can build up inside an almost-empty gas tank and lead to corrosion.
5. Don’t Speed
Leave with plenty of time to reduce the tempation to speed in order to make it to class on time. You’ll be able to react more quickly to unexpected pedestrians, especially in school zones, as well as cyclists and construction workers. Plus, you’ll be able to avoid getting pulled over by the police and ensuring that you are late for class!
6. Share the Road
Depending on where you live in Atlanta, your neighborhood may have a lot of cyclists and pedestrians on the road. Be sure to share the road when you’re behind the wheel.
- Pay attention to school bus signage and stop whenever buses stop
- Be aware of pedestrians, especially in school zones
- Give cyclists at least 3 feet of space when you’re passing
- Give motorcyclists the same amount of space you would give a car
- Be cautious when you’re driving along parked cars, as people can step out unexpectedly
- Check your mirrors as often as you need to in order to be sure that you’re aware of who is near your vehicle; as the old saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry
7. Service Your Car at T3 Atlanta, Your Friendly, Metro-Area Mechanic
There’s nothing like a busted belt or a worn-out water pipe to throw your schedule into chaos. Between the demands of school, sports, homework, and work, there just isn’t time to get stranded on the side of the road.
Bring your Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, or Infiniti to T3 Atlanta before your semester is in full swing. We’ll inspect your vehicle and advise of any urgent repairs as well as future repairs that are recommended by your car’s maintenance schedule.
We have two convenient metro-area locations in Decatur and Smyrna. Give us a call today and we’ll help ensure that your vehicle is ready for whatever your semester brings!
Whether you take your vehicle to a local car wash or pull out your handheld vacuum cleaner, vacuuming your car once a week can go a long way towards the air quality in your car. Crumbs in the seats and dirt and debris on the floor mats contribute to building odors. Getting rid of these culprits regularly helps prevent odors from building up over time.
If the smell in your car is unbearable, it may be time to do a deep clean. Some car washes offer deep cleans, but you can also make an interior car wash an afternoon project. Just make sure it’s a sunny day!
There are a few different ways to deodorize your car naturally. These options absorb the smells and may take time to fully get rid of the unwanted odor.
This tip ultimately comes down to a personal preference. Slip-ons and sandals are ideal for long drives, but some people live in their sneakers. Whatever your footwear of choice might be, you’ll ideally want to avoid shoes that constrict or cut into your skin to help make your drive as comfortable as possible.
By keeping snacks and other trip essentials within reach, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle when, two hours into your trip, you realize that you need a charging cable for your phone or GPS.
Stopping and stretching helps keep you alert, which is important when it comes to late-night or even overnight drives. When you push yourself past your limits on a marathon drive, your reaction time and alertness decrease, which can be a dangerous combination for yourself and other drivers on the road. Stay safe and rest when you need to; that’s what rest stops are for.
Unfortunately, a VIN check doesn’t always tell you if a car has been water damaged. The previous owner could be deliberately hiding the damage or may not know that the vehicle ever experienced water damage. In addition, water damage that was not reported to the insurance company may not show up on a VIN check.
4. You Notice Rust or Corrosion on the Vehicle
The short answer about whether car airbags can be replaced is that it depends. Some vehicles have curtain or side airbags which further complicate the question. Some newer cars even have knee or rear airbags to reduce your chances of injury during a collision.
Newer vehicles are equipped with airbags that do not expire, or at least, not quite. The airbags are designed to last for the life of the vehicle.
Older vehicles generally feature airbags that work on a different system – if they have airbags at all. The first airbags appeared in the 1970’s. With the technology being so new, manufacturers at the time were uncertain how long airbags could last and still be effective.
Buying a car is an investment, so it’s important that you do your research before you buy. The more informed you are, the better equipped you are to spot problems with candidates.
In addition to these more general research points, you should also take an in-depth look at the specific vehicle you plan to purchase. A car that has a lot of repairs, especially if they appear to be for the same thing, is at an increased chance at being a potential lemon.
While you may not be able to identify mechanical problems on your own, a visual inspection can still tell you a lot about the car. Check the inside and outside of the car to look for engine, structural, and water damage that can cause long-term problems. Of these, water damage is by far the worst from a long-term cost standpoint. After all, water and mechanical parts don’t mix!
After-market accessories like mufflers, electronics, speakers, or other electrical system add-ons might sound attractive, but there are a lot of hidden dangers with these neat extras.
There’s nothing like the excitement of new car ownership crashing to a stop because of an unexpected repair bill. T3 Atlanta recommends that you have any vehicle that you are strongly considering inspected before you buy. If the dealer you’re planning to shop with refuses to let the vehicle be inspected by an independent mechanic, that’s a red flag you should not ignore.
A sun screen is an affordable and easy way to not only keep the temperature inside your vehicle cooler but prevent damage to your dashboard and electronics caused by regular exposure to heat and UV rays.
Just like keeping your car’s window open for your dog can help keep Fido cooler while you’re at the store for a few minutes, keeping your windows cracked can help keep your vehicle’s electronics from getting damaged.
While this may not always be a possibility, parking in the shade can help keep the temperature in your car cool. When combined with a sun screen or keeping your windows open a crack, your car will be a comfortable temperature when you’re ready to go.
Ethanol, also known as bioethanol, is a type of alcohol produced by certain crops. Corn, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, sunflower, grains, wheat, and many other types of crops can all be converted into ethanol.
That means manufacturers can offer consumers a cleaner-burning, cheaper fuel that doesn’t sacrifice power. However, ethanol does reduce fuel efficiency in cars that are not optimized to run on ethanol. Vehicles that are designed to run on fuel that contains ethanol will have a smaller margin of decreased fuel economy.
You may that certain gas stations also feature a standalone pump that, much like diesel, advertises its own selection of fuel. Flex fuel contains up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline and can only be run by certain types of vehicles.
It’s possible that an overly enthusiastic pull on your parking brake can cause it to become stuck. In this case, the parking brake has become clamped against the brake shoes too hard and may actually require a professional to unstick.
Ice can actually freeze your parking brake in place. While this isn’t a common problem in the Atlanta area, it’s a possibility to keep in mind if you’re traveling out of town during cold weather.
There are a lot of fluids in your car at a given time: transmission fluid, oil, brake fluid, and coolant, to name a few. Transmission fluid often appears dark, slick, and shiny like oil, but unlike oil, it usually has a burnt smell. Leaking transmission fluid generally appears around the front or middle of where your car is parked.
Gear slippage refers to a few different possible symptoms. These directly impact how your car performs. In turn, they can lead to safety issues if your engine performance means you cannot respond promptly to changes in traffic.
