Truth Behind Five Star Crash Ratings

There are so many important features to check when shopping around for any new vehicle. From the estimated MPG, to expected maintenance schedules, even down to the type of interior features the particular vehicle offers. One thing that many overlook is the crash ratings, which is a suggested rank assigned by the National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The government has made strides to adopt a New Car Assessment Program, part of which lists the crash ratings for every newly manufactured car. Pictured below is a sample version of what these crash ratings look like in a vehicle's sticker tag. Over the years, the NHTSA has developed their crash experiments to test 3 separate crash tests on any given vehicle.

1. Front-side impact- The first test the NHTSA tested, this measures the likelihood of any head and chest injuries upon impact.
2. Side impact- Within the last 20 years, this test has been among the others, and it measures the chance of a head injury in all side impact collisions.
3. Rollover- This is the newest of the three tests which tests the stability of the vehicle through a roll scenario. 

The NHTSA essentially evaluates crash scenarios based on the severity of injuries that could occur in a given crash setting. With the help from modern safety features like Anti-lock brakes, and side curtain airbags, the average ratings have gone up in the last 30 years. The more sophisticated vehicles have gotten, the stricter the government regulations in order to ensure safety throughout. So the next time its time to shop for a new car, be sure to check the crash ratings on the window sticker, and compare them to others!

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5 Steps To Warming Up Your Vehicle This Winter From Northeastern Ohio and Pennsylvania's Winter Car Care Experts

With winter temperatures right around the corner, you may find yourself starting your car early in the morning to help warm up your vehicle before the morning commute.  The general belief is that the most effective way to warm your vehicle is to give it around 10 minutes to idle in the driveway with the heat on full blast.  However, this is not the case.  According to the Environmental Defense Fund, idling your vehicle for longer than 10-60 seconds can start to burn through your gas tank and cost you money.  That is why the winter car care experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have compiled a short list of 5 steps to help optimize warming up your vehicle this winter.

1. Turn the key to the ON position.
2. Start the vehicle, and turn on any defrosters or hot air at that time.
   
3. After the car has run for about 10-60 seconds, take it out for light driving.  A quick spin around the block should do the trick!
4. Be easy on the gas as the motor and transmission will be in the process of warming up.
5. Keep an eye on your vehicle’s temperature gauge.  Once your engine has reached its operating temperature, your vehicle will be ready for the morning commute.

Letting your vehicle idle for long periods of time in the cold weather has also been known to cause internal engine malfunctions due to lack of oil flow throughout the motor.  By driving lightly, you are allowing for that oil to circulate and your fuel injectors to warm up, thus burning less gas at operating conditions. If you find after following the above steps that your vehicle is still having a hard time warming up, then please feel free to callyour local winter car care experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co.  Bob Sumerel Tire Co. is committed to keeping you warm and more importantly safe on the roads this winter.  Consider stopping in to your local BobSumerel Tire store for a free diagnostic maintenance check as well.

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6 Tips To Keep You And Your Loved One's Safe On The Road This Halloween

 Halloween is coming up in just a few days, and the driving safety and new tires experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. put together a list of safety tips for when you are driving this holiday.   Not only do these tips apply to drivers, but also to keeping your children safe this holiday.   

1. Make sure that you drive slowly when passing stopped vehicles.  The driver may be letting out children to go trick-or-treating.
2. Always be alert when driving.  This means eliminate anything in your vehicle that may distract you from the road including your mobile phone.
   
3. Be alert to children running across the streets to get to the next house.  A large majority of Halloween accidents are cause by not being alert.
4. Make sure to use your proper vehicle signals when dropping your children off or turning.  People around you need to know where your vehicle is going, and where you are at.   
5. Teach your children to look both ways before crossing the street.  If your child is too young to understand, then use it as an opportunity to get dressed up in a spooky costume and stretch your legs out trick-or-treating.
6. Make your children shine.  Give them flashlights or colorful spooky lights or glow sticks to help them be more visible at night.

Most importantly the new tires experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. would like to wish you a happy and more importantly safe Halloween this year!  Be sure to make your local Bob Sumerel Tire store your one stop shop for all things tires and service.

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