Waterloo Automotive

What do you after getting involved in your first car accident? A teens first reaction is to freak out and then call their parents. Before you reach for your phone, slow down, take a deep breath and follow these responsible actions. Turn Off Your Vehicle The first thing you should do is put your vehicle into park and turn it off. If your car is sitting in a dangerous location or obstructing traffic then you should move it to the side of the road if possible. However, you should first know if this is legal to do. In some states it is actually illegal to move the vehicle out of the middle of the road after an accident. Make sure that you turn off the ignition. You do not know for certain what damage has been done to the vehicle and leaving it running could potentially result in a fire or further damage. Relax This is easier said then done. You most likely have a lot of adrenaline flowing through your veins at this moment. However ... read more

Since the introduction of texting, texting and driving has increased dramatically. The increase in its use has been boosted by its benefits and mobility. However, there has been a growing concern over people who combine texting and driving. When driving, you should always be 100 percent concentrated; after all, your life could depend on it. If you are unsure about why it is so important to avoid texting and driving, educate yourself about its potential for negative ramifications. Dangers of Texting and DrivingPremature Deaths Texting and driving can sometimes result in accidents that can lead to the premature death of you or someone else. It only takes one second of distracted driving for a catastrophic, potentially fatal event to occur. “Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver,” said the ... read more

Distracted driving is an issue of national concern. New guidelines released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last week recommend changes for auto manufacturers. This national safety administration is tightening up their suggestions, reminding automakers and drivers of the importance of focused driving. The NHTSA completed a study to analyze the visual and manual distractions involved when driving. The study found that when drivers engage in visual-manual tasks connected to handheld cell phones and portable devices, the risk of being involved in a crash is tripled. Some of the most distracting tasks that drivers try to complete while on the road include: making a phone call, browsing the Internet and text messaging. Just one text message can keep a driver distracted for 23.3 seconds. These statistics are alarming. Since distracted driving is so dangerous, the NHTSA made sev ... read more

Are you ready for prom? Last time we started a list about making prom night fun and memorable. It’s so easy to get stressed out when you’re trying to coordinate a group. Where should you take pictures, where will you get dinner, who is driving, and what will you wear?! This year, don’t get freaked out. We’ve already talked about making a schedule for the day and picking a driver for the night. Check out the rest of our tips for a fun prom night! Check out the first three prom night tips.4. Buckle up
We know you don’t want to wrinkle that handsome tux or beautiful dress, but they will hold up fine! Keep your seat belt on no matter who is driving- it’s worth it. 5. Get Your Car Ready
If you do drive, make sure your car is ready. Give it a thorough check. How are the tires, windshield wiper fluid and oil? Have a mechanic give a chec

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Are you counting down to prom yet? We’re betting that you might have the perfect dress already, and maybe you’ve made plans for after prom. Planning for prom is exciting- it’s not only a fun night, but it’s a clue that the end of the school year is near! Prom can be a fun night that you’ll remember for years, but it can also turn into a horrible memory. Every year, newscasters have to share the details of accidents that took place on prom night. Too many young adults lose their life too early because of prom night excitement. This year, make sure prom is a night you’ll want to remember. Prom night can be stressful- planning who you’ll go with, where you’ll have dinner, and what you’ll all do after the dance. Make it fun from start to finish. If you have a plan, there will be less stress. You’ll be able to focus on having a good time. Here are the first 3 tips for making prom night fun. Our next post will cover the rest! 1. Make a Schedule ... read more

Celebrating the New Year is a great and fun way to celebrate everything in your life and starting over in a different year. If you are going to celebrate with friends this year, it is good to keep these tips in mind: Drinking If you are under 21, be careful about drinking. Do not put yourself in a position you are not comfortable with or in an unsafe environment. Be mindful of drunk people opening champagne bottles (whether they are alcoholic or not). Some people do not aim the cork away from people. It is all fun and games until someone gets hit in the eye. Unless you are with a close group of friends, make sure you pay attention to your drink at all times. Do not sit your drink down, walk away, and end up drinking it later. Hand it off to a friend if you need to use the bathroom. Driving Do not drink and drive. If you have had a couple drinks, have a sober friend drive you or get a cab. Cops will be out in fu ... read more

Fact: Underage drinking is a problem in the United States. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a recent survey found that an estimated 10 million people under the age of 21 had consumed alcohol within the previous 30 days. SAMHSA also reported that 10 percent of high school students who drank chose to drive afterward, and 28 percent got in a car and rode with an intoxicated driver. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S., and alcohol is one of the main reasons why. When combined with inexperience behind the wheel and the distractions of passengers, music and cell phones, alcohol can be the deadly component that sends a teen driver to the emergency room. Or, worse yet, the cemetery. It’s not a fun subject to address, that’s for sure, but it certainly deserves our attention. And the best place to start the discussion is in the home. Parents know that open communication ... read more

As school gets closer, we at Meyer’s and Waterloo Automotive have been using our blog to talk about teen driving safety. Soon they’ll be hopping into the driver’s seat to make their way to and from school, practice, work and, let’s face it, social activities. (Sometimes we parents like to forget that one.) Because auto accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the U.S., however, we want to make sure they are as prepared to hit the road as possible and have the best chance of making it safely to their destinations. This week it’s all about seat belts, and, of course, we’re starting with stats. Not surprisingly, as an age group, teenagers are the least likely to wear seat belts both while driving and riding in a vehicle. The biggest offenders are teenage males who choose against seat belts 4% more often than females. According to teendriversource.org, some of the common reasons teens choose not to buckle up are because they aren’t c ... read more

According to the AAA Foundation, 94% of Americans consider texting while driving to be unacceptable behavior. Why then do more than 1/3 of us admit to engaging in it? Statistics show that any sort of cell phone use quadruples a driver’s risk of crashing–a number that skyrockets when it comes to teenagers. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States. Why? Because of a combination of factors that include inexperience, alcohol and—you guessed it—distractions. While the aforementioned habit of texting is just one of the many culprits, it’s where we’ll start. Texting while driving is a problem among every age group, but it is particularly heightened among younger drivers due to their culture. Statistics released in March of this year showed that today’s teenagers send and receive an average of 60 texts per day. And because teens reportedly expect text messages to be answere ... read more

Many parents have had the discussion with their kids about what to do if they are stranded in a location after-hours and not in a condition to drive. Parents, we applaud you if you have. Teenagers often make mistakes and get into compromising situations, which can be even more dangerous if they have car keys. At other times, they will have to make wise decisions by choosing not getting into the car of an intoxicated friend. Either way, it’s important for them to know whom to call and what to do. Hopefully, in these situations, the first call they will make will be to you, but that may not always be the case. In those times, your child needs to know what options are available for transportation. In a major metro area like St. Louis, a variety of city-run public transportation is available. With the Metrobus and Metrolink systems, teens can access stations depending on their location and easily get from one spot to the next. Because public transportation maps ... read more