What to do

What to do
1. Pull your car onto a level surface in the shade.
2. Remove dust caps from the tires' valve stems.
3. Using your tire gauge, firmly press the tip of the gauge straight on to the tire's valve stem for a brief moment.
4. The tire gauge should provide a psi reading; if the number seems unrealistically low or high — for example, 85 psi or 1 psi – you will need to repeat the previous step, ensuring that the tire gauge's tip is properly making contact with the valve stem.
5. If the tire gauge's recorded reading is higher than the manufacturer-recommended rating, press the gauge tip on the valve stem until you hear air leak out. Check the tire pressure again.
6. If the reading is lower than recommended, fill the tire with air by firmly pressing the air-hose tip onto the valve stem. You will hear air quietly enter the tire. If you hear air leaking or spraying out, you need to double-check that the connection between the air hose and the tire’s valve stem is secure.
7. When you think you've added or let out enough air, check the pressure a few times with the gauge.
8. Replace the valve dust caps. Rastetter emphasized the importance of keeping dust caps on during winter driving because if water gets into the valve stem and freezes inside the tire, it could cause a flat.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a Crime

Driving under the influence (DUI), also known as driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, or impaired driving is the crime of driving a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs, including those prescribed by physicians.

With alcohol, a drunk driver’s level of intoxication is typically determined by a measurement of blood alcohol content or BAC. A BAC measurement in excess of a specific threshold level, such as 0.05% or 0.08%, defines the criminal offense with no need to prove impairment. In some jurisdictions, there is an aggravated category of the offense at a higher BAC level, such as 0.12%.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws that specifically target drugged drivers. Almost one-third of states have adopted the per se standard that forbid any presence of a prohibited substance or drug in the driver's body while in control of the vehicle, without any other evidence of impairment. Others have established specific limits for the presence of intoxicating drugs, while still others follow a zero tolerance rule with regards to the presence of intoxicating drugs in a person's system.

Being convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can impact your life in ways you may not be aware of, including loss of employment, prevention of employment in certain jobs, higher insurance rates, serious financial setbacks, personal and family embarrassment, and possible incarceration.

The consequences of driving while impaired are far reaching, and the effects impact not only impaired drivers, but many, many others.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant because it slows down the functions of the central nervous system. This means that normal brain function is delayed, and a person is unable to perform normally. Alcohol affects a person’s information-processing skills, also known as cognitive skills, and hand-eye coordination, also referred to as psychomotor skills.

Consuming alcohol prior to driving greatly increases the risk of car accidents, highway injuries, and vehicular deaths. The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the more likely a person is to be involved in an accident. When alcohol is consumed, many of the skills that safe driving requires – such as judgment, concentration, comprehension, coordination, visual acuity, and reaction time – become impaired.

Facts

FACT:   An estimated 32% of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated driver or pedestrian. (NHTSA)

FACT:   3,952 fatally injured drivers tested positive for drug involvement. (FARS)

FACT: Over 1.2 million drivers were arrested in 2011 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. (FBI)

FACT: Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and about a quarter of those crashes involve an underage drinking driver. (SAMHSA)

FACT: On average, two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime. (NHTSA)

Alcohol, drugs and driving simply do not go together. Driving requires a person’s attentiveness and the ability to make quick decisions on the road, to react to changes in the environment and execute specific, often difficult maneuvers behind the wheel. When drinking alcohol, using drugs, or being distracted for any reason, driving becomes dangerous – and potentially lethal!

Next Week

With Alcohol Awareness Month in 1 week, make sure to stay tuned weekly for updates, facts, and info on alcohol and driving.

Does headlight cleaning and restoration make a difference?

The average age of vehicles on the road is more than 11 years, and just as humans' vision diminishes with age, so it goes with many cars.

With cars, this loss of "vision" shows as an aging process on headlight lenses that's similar to cataracts: The plastic lenses that commonly cover headlight bulbs become cloudy and hazy over time, reducing the amount of light illuminating the road.

Related: How to Restore Your Vehicle's Headlights

Cars that spend most of their life parked outdoors, where sunlight, oxidation and air pollution take a toll on headlight lenses, are most susceptible to this aging process. Unlike underlying bulbs that may burn out and need to be replaced, the lenses are permanent fixtures that usually don't get replaced unless they're damaged in an accident — or when owners realize they can't see at night because they're so clouded.

New bulbs might restore some headlight brightness, because bulbs dim with age, but clouded lenses that aren't restored will continue to reduce headlight effectiveness, potentially causing safety issues in nighttime driving and low-visibility conditions. In addition, despite the claims of bulb manufacturers, high-priced replacement bulbs might be brighter, but they don't necessarily illuminate more of the road than original-equipment bulbs and usually don't last as long.

A variety of do-it-yourself restoration kits are available, and an increasing number of repair shops and dealership service departments offer headlight restoration services. They typically require a multistep process of sanding the lenses with a light abrasive, then polishing and coating them with a sealant that's supposed to keep them clear.

Prices vary widely, and so might the effectiveness and durability of the products and services offered. Ultimately, restoring dull, cloudy headlight lenses to original or near-original condition can be similar to an older person getting cataract surgery and regaining some of the vision they once had.

Buying new headlight lenses or used ones from a salvage yard is an alternative to trying to restore old ones, but the cost of replacing parts is usually higher. Aftermarket lenses are available at lower cost, though if they don't fit or seal as snugly as original parts, moisture can seep into the headlight housing and corrode electrical connections.

Should I use nitrogen instead of regular air in my tires?

Green caps on tire valve stems usually mean the tires are filled with nitrogen instead of ordinary air. Car dealers, tire dealers and repair shops have touted nitrogen for several years as a better alternative to air based on claims that nitrogen doesn't leak as much, so tires stay fully inflated longer. The catch is that topping off the nitrogen typically costs from about $5 to $10 per tire, and the initial charge for filling the tires can be much higher, so it's also a revenue source for service outlets.

It is true that pure nitrogen doesn't leak out of tires as quickly as air simply because a nitrogen molecule is larger than an oxygen molecule, so tires should remain at or near their recommended inflation levels longer. Fully inflated tires last longer and improve fuel economy and road-holding ability. It's also true, however, that nitrogen will still leak out of tires over time, just not at the same pace as air.

Nitrogen proponents also argue that air contains moisture, which can build up inside tires and possibly corrode the wheels and tire pressure monitors, as well as accelerate tire rot from the inside. Some air compressors use driers that remove moisture before it gets into the hose you use to fill your tires, but many don't. Nitrogen, in comparison, is "dry."

On the other hand, a nitrogen-filled tire isn't 100 percent pure; about 93 to 95 percent of what's inside is nitrogen, but the rest is air. Ordinary air is 78 percent nitrogen, so the difference isn't huge, and compressed air is cheaper to use and still free in some places.

In addition, whether a tire is filled with ordinary air or nitrogen, it will leak if the tire valve is faulty, if the tire isn't properly mounted and sealed on the wheel, or if the tire has a nail in the tread or other damage.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association, a trade group for tire manufacturers, says nitrogen "may contribute to minor reductions in inflation pressure loss," but also notes that "use of nitrogen alone is not a replacement for regular inflation pressure maintenance."