Tag: Seattle Auto Body Shop

Riding Yellow Is Riding Safer

Out of the National University of Singapore comes a new study that established a link between a taxi’s color and its accident rate. The study is saying that the higher the visibility of a vehicle’s color (as in this case, yellow taxis), the less likely it is to get into an accident.

An analysis of two fleets of taxis in Singapore, one yellow, the other blue, ran 36 months where taxi, driver and accident data were studied. It suggests that yellow taxis have fewer accidents than blue ones. Due to the high visibility of yellow cabs they have a lower accident rate.

The research team analysed available data from Singapore’s largest taxi company, which involved millions of observations on the company’s drivers and taxis, and accidents involving these taxis. From 4,175 yellow taxis and 12,525 blue taxis, it was found that yellow taxis have about 6.1 fewer accidents per 1,000 taxis per month. This translates to the physical risk to the passenger calculated over the course of a 40 year period that a passenger will experience 1.1 accidents in a blue taxi, compared to 1 accident in a yellow taxi. That’s a 9 per cent reduction in accident rate.

This can also translate to cost savings for the taxi operator. If the Singapore taxi company would agree to switch all his blue taxis to yellow (that’s at a current ratio of 1 yellow to 3 blues), with an an average repair cost of S$1,000 per cab and a downtime of six days, the company would have 76.6 fewer accidents per month or 917 fewer accidents per year. It’s an annual savings of S$2.0 million for the operator.

The findings of the study also suggest that colour visibility should play a major role in determining the colours used for public transport vehicles. The results are also useful to smaller taxi companies and to drivers who use their private vehicles as taxis to work for private-hire car services. The use of yellow in other types of public transport, such as school buses, can make these vehicles a safer ride for its target passengers, like children in this case.

The findings of the study were published in scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Help For Any Color Vehicle in Seattle

While your auto body shop in Seattle get to see a variety of vehicle collisions involving cars and taxis of varying colors, it may be safe to say that vehicles of high visibility color do have less accident rates. Bring in any repair job of any color into our shop and get topnotch service, from one of Seattle’s best.

Keeping Your Child Safe in The Car

Did you know that car seats saved the lives of an estimated 9,600 children age four and younger between 1975 and 2010? When three out of every four car seats are not used correctly, this can lead to a serious issue of child neglect borne out of ignorance of car safety. One must read instructions carefully.

For your kid’s car seat safety, what should you look for? Apart from automatic door locks, push-down, pull-up window switches, advanced frontal air bags, and side impact air bags among others, car seats are essential add-ons to make a safe car safer for children. There are several options in the market.

The Rear-facing Car Seat is best for kids under the age of one (like newborns and small babies), using them until they reach the top height or weight limits stated by the manufacturer. In a crash, a rear-facing car seat cradles and moves with the child. This helps reduce stress to the child’s fragile neck and spinal cord. This seat is available in 3 types: Infant-Only Seat, small and portable; Convertible Seat, which can convert to forward-facing with a harness as the child grows; and the All-in-One Seat which can change from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing one, to a booster seat as a child grows.

The Forward-facing Car Seat are used by kids who have reached the top height or weight limits stated by the manufacturer of rear-facing seats. During a crash, the harness contacts the child at the strongest parts of the body to distribute the crash forces and to keep the child in the seat. The tether limits the child’s forward head movement. This seat is available in 4 different types.

A Booster Seat is used by kids after they have reached the same limits indicated by manufacturers of the forward-facing seats. This seat is placed in the back seat. It positions the seat belt so that it fits properly over the strongest parts of a child’s body. This can help reduce injury during a crash. Available in 4 types, one is the Booster Seat with Back, designed to boost the child’s height so the seat belt fits properly. It also provides neck and head support and is ideal for vehicles that don’t have head rests or high seat backs.

Then there’s the built-in Seat Belt. It is used by kids who are tall enough to sit in the seat without slouching; can keep their back against the vehicle seat; keep their knees naturally bent over the edge of the seat; and can keep their feet flat on the vehicle floor. Placed over the strongest parts of the body, the seat belt restrains a grown child or adult in the event of a crash.

Kid Safety Features In Your Car

If you’re having a car repair at Greenwood auto shop in Seattle, ask us about kid safety features. We can help you as to which type of restraint system is best for your child and how to install it properly.

Following A Friend Can Be Following Disaster

You might have found yourself in a situation driving your own car and keeping pace with another car right in front of you. You got yourself in a sort of caravan agreement because you don’t know exactly the way you’re headed. Hate getting lost, too? Did you know that it’s an unsafe driving behavior? There’s a court case involving a driver who got seriously hurt in an accident following another car in a similar situation.

A recent study came out of the University of Arizona, inspired by the court case, to show evidence that this risky behavior can result in accidents. There’s scientific proof to show that drivers who follow another car to a destination are more likely to drive dangerously. Those who initiated the study thought many people have the intuition that the behavior can be dangerous, yet there exist no research to back it.

So the team of researchers decided to test this intuition by recruiting students who have valid driver’s licenses to participate in a driving simulation. First, they were asked to drive around a simulated city just to get a picture of their basic driving behavior. Then, this was compared to how they drove when guided by a navigation system. Next, they did the ‘follow a friend in the car in front’ test. All tests assessed general speed, distance to the car in front and the time it took to move lanes. Hazards were used to see if driving behaviour changed under different driving scenarios.

Here are the results. Those ‘following a friend’ drove faster and more erratically, closer to the car in front and made quicker lane changes. Also, the drivers were more likely to cut in front of a pedestrian crossing a road and speed through traffic lights turning red.

It was observed that the leading cars are not breaking any laws, but those following behind were not just copying risky behavior from risky drivers, but were influenced by the traffic around them. Drivers often feel a social pressure to keep pace with other traffic and run traffic lights when other vehicles do the same. By using a computerized driving simulation, the study was able to eliminate the contagious effect, where driver behaviour can be influenced by the traffic around them.

The researchers concluded the test with some useful advice. It is a lot better and safer to know the address of the destination, or use a map or a navigation device to get to the destination without incident.

Arriving Safe and Sound in Seattle

Yes, it is far safer to know the way yourself rather than following behind someone else’s car. Avoid accidents and near-accidents waiting to happen if you can. Greenwood Auto Shop is at your service in Seattle when such things happen.

The Distracted Driving Law: Putting an End to Distraction

Did you know that overspeeding is only the second most common cause of car accidents on US roads? Beating it is the growing threat of decades-old distracted driving. Using mobile phones while behind the wheel contributed, by no small means, to the myriad of distractions already in practice by millions of driving Americans.

With the hand-held devices, drivers make calls, text , or surf their phones at the same time as they mind the road, steer the wheel, change gear, peer at their rear view, and for good measure, chat with their seat mate. As luck would have it, stepping on the brakes in time might not just save the day. Crashes, collisions and casualties mount. Eating, drinking, reading, grooming and other forms contribute as well.

Distracted driving, hence, becomes a huge concern that lawmakers moved to put a stop to this reckless behavior. Senate Bill 5289, also called the Driving Under the Influence of Electronics Act, has just been passed in April 2017 and proposed to take effect January 2018 in Washington.

It forbids use of a handheld device, and all video watching, while a car is either moving or briefly stopped. The standard traffic fine of $136 would increase to about $245 on the second offense. The bill was accompanied by many painful testimonies of victims’ families. There were 171 fatalities in 2015 in Washington state alone.

The bill is not without its hitches. It still requires the signature of Gov. Jay Inslee which will push the effectivity date to January 2019. Member opponents to its passing are asking for more time for public adjustment, asking also that reporting to insurance companies should only apply on the second offense, not the first.

Extra time will also allow for a sustained education campaign, have car owners install built-in communication systems, and beef up the State Patrol numbers which are presently low.

A current law is in place that bans texting and cellphone chatting at the ear, but leaves legal other forms of phone use – social media and streaming video. The new law will allow motorists the “minimal use of a finger to activate, deactivate, or initiate a function of the device,” such as to launch a navigation app while a smartphone is mounted in a dashboard cradle.

An extra fine of $30 will be charged for other forms of distraction. Opponents say that the new law only opens to more government intrusion and punishing technology instead of the driver. Nonetheless, proponents are willing to wait. Good things take time.

All for the New Law in Seattle

Greenwood Auto Body Shop is all set for changes in 2018 or the next. Road laws are in place for the general good. Our shop is nonetheless ready for mishaps while we encourage road safety all the time.

Original Article

Tips for a Summer-Ready Road Trip

If your entire family is planning on an outing, say a cross-country road trip this summer, the vehicle you’re taking along ought to be in top-performance mode. This should spare you some troubles while you’re far from home. Something like, nothing is going to spoil your vacation. Inspect your all-important fluids – oil, coolant, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and washer fluid. And certainly, your gas. Look for signs of leaks and have them fixed if you see any.

Check your belts and hoses. A snapped timing belt can quickly mean the end of your journey! Look for frays, cracks, and loose and missing fittings. Your hose should be checked for hard zones, mushy areas, apart from other damage. It should be firm, not stiff.

Have you inspected your air filters? Maybe it’s time for a new one if you haven’t looked at it in a year. Your filters can suffocate fast especially if you are expecting to travel very dusty or rocky roads.

The battery. Is it close to the end of its lifespan already? If so, a replacement will best reassure you. Inspect for signs of corrosion, which speeds up especially in summer months rather than in cold weather. Check its charge. Are the terminals clean, secure and firm? Your battery check also includes looking at your lights and engine sound and performance when you switch on.

Just before heading out, give your battery another final check. Where lights are concerned, inspect if all bulbs are functioning well and firm in their sockets. Replace those that need new bulbs. Each of those have a purpose, especially crucial for night travel.

This is not a time to have a brake problem. So check them thoroughly. Listen for grinding, growling or a shrill squeak. Feel for a vibration or pull when you apply the brakes. Does the pedal sink all the way down to the floor? If you suspect something amiss or you do not feel right about your brakes, have them looked into.

Caring For Your Car in Seattle

Needless to say, your tires should be in good running condition. Check for uneven wear, embedded objects, any visible damage. Which tire doesn’t keep its proper pressure? And is your emergency tire still usable? For your family’s safety, tires should be in top condition before you go. Also, check for unusual sounds and odors coming from your AC. And finally, have those emergency items ready, check the list – from first aid kit to portable jump starters.

Summertime is the best time to have your car looked over at Greenwood Collision your, auto body shop in Seattle. See us and let’s talk safety in summer.