Vehicle & Tire Tips

Active Green + Ross Guide To Great Winter Family Escapes 3) Go Sledding

AskPatty_Guide_To_Great_Winter_Family_Escapes-Jan2016-03-go_sleddingSledding is a winter tradition for both young and old to enjoy.

If you’d like something with the same amount of speed but without the noise of the snowmobile engine, then consider these great sledding locations suggested by USAToday that offer specially groomed courses with ramps and hills for urban sledding, snowboarding, and tubing.

Sledding can be great fun, but it can also lead to serious injuries. Research shows over 20,000 emergency room visits per year were a direct result of sledding injuries in patients 19 and younger, so don’t let injuries get in the way of your family’s winter fun. Make sure you all wear helmets and proper sledding gear. And NEVER sled head first!

Finally, before you hit the road for your great winter escape, be sure you’ve prepared yourself, your car, and your family for the adventure ahead. And when you’re on the road, make sure everybody in the car is properly restrained by their seatbelt or child safety seat!

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Active Green + Ross Guide To Great Winter Family Escapes 2) Go Snowmobiling

AskPatty_Guide_To_Great_Winter_Family_Escapes-Jan2016-02-go_snowmobilingIf you’re looking for high-speed thrills and don’t want to spend your whole vacation on a mountain resort (and half of it in a chairlift), go snowmobiling.

This fun sport can be a great way to explore new places, but with the added bonus of an engine. Here are 10 great snowmobile destinations, courtesy of Snowmobile.com.

If you’re new to snowmobiling, be properly prepared for your ride: The Snowmobile Safety Awareness Program has an entire “Safe Rider” website, where you can learn the importance of proper riding apparel starting with under layers, eye protection, and headgear along with boots and outer layers; gear to pack including personal items, safety equipment, tools, and emergency kits; good trip planning practices; a pre-ride checklist; and much more.

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Active Green + Ross Guide To Great Winter Family Escapes 1) Go Skiing Or Snowboarding

AskPatty_Guide_To_Great_Winter_Family_Escapes-Jan2016-01-go_skiing_snowboardingLooking for some great family activities during the cold winter weather? AskPatty has joined with Active Green + Ross to gather a selection of great winter escapes for the family.

As our first tip, consider going skiing or snowboarding: Whether the kids are bunny-slope-bound or ready for snowboard tricks in the terrain park, you’ll want to find ski resorts that are perfect for families to enjoy.

The Travel Channel has carefully evaluated these destinations to be especially family friendly for their easy access from the airport to the quality of their ski schools to how well a mountain is suited for little skiers.

 

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Car Seat Safety Tips

Baby in rear-facing Car SeatRaising kids can be a challenge and a lot of fun. Transporting them in the family vehicle can be difficult at the best of times. I’m not sure which was worse; when the kids were little or when they got older. A day never goes by when I hear “shotgun” from one of my kids. They all want to sit in the front seat. However, when the kids are small, it’s every parent’s responsibility to know where the kids should sit, especially in the early years. Keep in mind the middle of the rear seat is safest for any passenger. It’s farthest away from any of the four sides in case of collision.

As many parents do, they keep infants in rear facing car seats for quite a while. The rear-facing car seat helps to support the child’s head and neck if the driver does a sudden swerve, stops abruptly, or is involved in a crash. Since the infant’s neck muscles haven’t built up much strength in those first years, keeping them in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible is the best thing for them. There are some rear-facing seats that can hold children up to 20 kilograms! As long as your child hasn’t outgrown the rear-facing child seat, keep them in it! Continue reading Car Seat Safety Tips →

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Tips To Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver

Tips To Help Your Teen Be a Better DriverIt’s that time of year when we send our kids back to school, and for the first time, some of them will be driving themselves — and maybe even siblings — to and from campus.

Regardless of whether they’re headed off to a college in another city or state, or just driving to the school across town, we know you want your teen driver to be as safe as possible behind the wheel. Continue reading Tips To Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver →

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Driving Tips For Students Heading Back To School

back to school teen Driving with Dad

Well, it’s that time again: The kids will be heading back to school and I think that makes many parents very happy. Having four kids myself, I look forward to getting back into a regular routine once again. However, with an older son who now is heading to college, there are a few things that are different with him driving every day versus walking to school each day. If you’re a parent facing the same things, here are a few tips you may want to consider. Continue reading Driving Tips For Students Heading Back To School →

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Spring Cleaning your Car after Winter Weather

Spring cleaning after winter weatherWinter weather has been ravaging much of the nation’s snow states and some of us are STILL shoveling snow off our driveways, so it might seem odd to be asked “When’s the last time you washed your car?” If you’re still wearing your winter parka, getting a car wash may not be the first thing on your mind, but remember, without regular removal, road salt can cause corrosion and rust, ruin paint, and wreak havoc on your car’s undercarriage.

If your daily travels take you through saline-snowy streets, it’s important that you protect your vehicle from the ravages of road salt. And you beach people who never see the snow? Pay attention here, too: If you live near the ocean, your vehicles may be under a slower attack by overspray and salt in the air year-round. Continue reading Spring Cleaning your Car after Winter Weather →

Vehicle & Tire Tips

Spring Thaw Brings Pothole Punishment    

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It’s that time of year: Spring season freeze and melt cycles cause our weary roads to erupt with punishing potholes. Another colder-than-average and snowy Ontario winter means additional road maintenance challenges for cities and towns across the province.

Hitting a pothole can damage tires, wheels, steering and suspension, wheel alignment, and more. Hitting even one especially severe pothole could alter the alignment of a wheel and cause uneven tire wear. Uneven tire wear means the tire will need to be replaced sooner than necessary. That bad bump can wind up costing car owners hundreds of dollars in repairs! Continue reading Spring Thaw Brings Pothole Punishment     →

Vehicle & Tire Tips

5 Tips for Winter Road Safety from CAA and AG+R

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Canadian_Automotive_Association_Winter_Driving_Tips

When winter weather gets particularly ugly, driving in severe cold and snowy conditions can be both frightening and dangerous.

These extreme winter weather conditions pose unique challenges and safety risks for most Canadian drivers. To help Canadians prepare for winter driving, the Canadian Automobile Association partnered with Transport Canada to create a brochure listing the top five winter driving safety tips drivers need to know.

The goal is to help Canadian motorists prevent problems before they occur. The brochure, called “You, Your Vehicle and Winter Driving,”  is a handy guide that includes information about how Canadians can make their vehicles winter-ready, how to prepare for and drive in bad weather, and what to pack in a winter survival kit. The downloadable guide is full of helpful safety tips, and can be printed out and kept in your glovebox. However, we’ve got a very brief summary of the five tips here: Continue reading 5 Tips for Winter Road Safety from CAA and AG+R →