Nothing can be scarier than the day your teenager gets their drivers license and they hit the streets. The panic and worry that you have is completely normal. In fact, I don’t know if it ever goes away. One thing I have learned is that sometimes drivers education is just not enough. Consumer Reports is an amazing company that crash tests cars, reviews cars and now even gives extensive drivers education courses. You want to make sure when your teenager is behind the wheel of a Superior Honda, that they can handle anything that the road may or may not throw at them. Did you know that 1,000′s of teenagers die a year from inexperience behind the wheel? It’s a sad but true fact.
Driver error accounts for more than three quarters of the 5,474 teenagers who die in car crashes every year. And driver distraction, along with inability to effectively scan the road ahead and driving too fast for conditions, account for half of those errors. Recognizing the dangers, Consumer Reports has joined the cause last year to help teens learn to be better drivers.
They invited 37 teens and their parents to the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center in rural Connecticut for a day of driving skills training in conjunction with the Tire Rack Street Survival school. The school teaches kids how to better control the car in emergency situations, as well as how to stay out of them in the first place.
The participants said things like, “ It helped me feel a lot more like I know the limits of the car.”; “I feel more in control. I know how fast I can go and how hard I can turn without losing control.”
This is a great program.
In addition to classroom instruction, the students completed several on-track events designed to teach appropriate reactions to extreme situations.
My Question is, “Do you think that driver’s-ed courses should focus more on real life defensive driving, or is the 10 and 2 ting working just fine? Superior Honda wants to know your opinion. Personally, we’d like to see more technical courses.
All of us here at Superior Honda think that the 2012 Accord Crosstour is a really unique vehicle. It’s labeled as a Crossover Vehicle, but isn’t as awkward as it’s closest competitors. It’s smart in design too. From the placement of the spare tire, to the reversible mat’s, to ergonomic designs and amazing cargo space, Superior Honda is really impressed. It’s a crossover, but not one that’s really like any of the others on the market. This isn’t a SUV, it’s a sedan with cargo space. It’s not a truck, yet it’s been nominated as truck of the year. It has a powerful engine, ground clearance and the practicality and reliability that every Honda has. It’s hard to classify, as it doesn’t easily fall into any category in particular.
So who is the Accord Crosstour for? Everybody.
It’s the versatility of this vehicle that really impresses us here at Superior Honda. It’s functional and practical, without being a “Mom Mobile”. Seriously, you should take a look at the front of this thing. It has a serious look from the front. Almost aggressive, yet totally flowing with the rest of the concept of the vehicle. We like it, and think you will to. Come and check it out at Superior Honda.
How often have you opened up the hood of your new car only to find that your battery terminals have corrosion on them? This is sulfuric acid that has leaked from the battery, so take care when you clean it. That’s right, you are going to have to clean those terminals. You don’t want to leave that corrosive material on the terminals any long than it’s already been on there. A leaking battery can cause some major headaches, especially when your battery gives up and leaves you stranded.
Fear not, cleaning battery terminals is really easy and very low cost. Below is a video that should help you when trying to deal with a battery leak. Of course, if you’d rather not mess around with your leaking battery, feel free to bring it to your local Cincinnati Honda dealer and we will take a look at it for you.
Honda off-road racing is very popular. Not so much for Cincinnati Hondas, but there are hordes of people all over the United States that live and breathe 4-wheel drive modification and extreme off-roading.
SCORE International is an off-road sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing and is famous for its flagship event, the Baja 1000. SCORE races are held in United States and Mexico. I have had the opportunity to see some off-road racing before and it’s pretty exciting. There something about not just racing other machines, but you are at the mercy of the Earth as well. It certainly isn’t like going around in a circle 500 times. If you ever get a chance to check out a race I highly recommend it.
The Baja 1000 is the most popular race.
Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula in late November. The Baja 1000 is part of a series of races that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and Primm 300. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles, stock VW, production vehicles, buggies, trucks, and custom fabricated race vehicles. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being either a point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada. The name of the event is misleading as the mileage varies for the type of event (loop or point to point) and has represented kilometers in the past. [Source: Wikipedia]
Want to see the New Honda Ridgeline in action?Well, your best be is to come into Superior Honda for a test drive…of course it will be almost as exciting as the video below.
The effects of distracted driving are never truly realized until you experience it first hand. Owning a Honda Dealership in Cincinnati, we hear a lot of stories from the body shop about circumstances of accidents. Back in 2008, Jacy Good was celebrating her graduation from college when a horrible tragedy happened to her and her family. On what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, Jacy, her mom, Jean and her dad, Jay were in a life altering collision. Her family’s vehicle was decimated by a tractor trailer that was swerving to avoid another driver in crosstraffic who had failed to notice that the light had turned red, but had no problem tending to his ringing phone.
Jacy’s parents died that day and she had to re-learn how to walk, talk, and feed herself. She is unable to move her left wrist or fingers, and she’ll have to wear a brace on her left ankle for the rest of her life. And even simple, everyday tasks leave her exhausted.
In the video below Jacy shares her story in the latest video released by the Department of Transportation in their ”Faces of Distracted Driving” series highlighting those affected by this dangerous driving behavior.
Good has now devoted her life to spreading the message on the dangers of distracted driving. She is a board member for FocusDriven, an advocacy organization for victims and their families affected by this issue. She travels around the country sharing her horrific story in the hope that she can inspire drivers young and old to put down their phones and drive.
Please watch the video below and keep this young lady in your mind when you are driving your Honda in Cincinnati and start thinking about texting or making a phone call instead of paying attention to the road.
Distracted driving has caused so much physical and emotional pain in my life, and I never want anyone to go through what I’ve been through. Deaths and injuries from cell phone use behind the wheel are senseless and one hundred percent preventable-Jacy Good
Have you ever been driving down a straight road and noticed that your car is pulling toward the left? If you’ve never experienced this, it can be a little unsettling to take your hands off the wheel and watch it turn to the right or left on it’s own. Unless you’re driving through a hurricane or out in Arizona or West Texas, it’s likely that you’re wheel alignment is off.
Vehicles can become unaligned when the suspension gets knocked from it’s correct location. The most common cause for this is running into or over a curb, but it can also be caused by suspension wear due to age, potholes or any other suspension jarring. As I mentioned above, you may need an alignment adjustment if you experience your car pulling or drifting to the right or left. Other signs include rapid or uneven tire wear and the spokes of your steering wheel being to the right or left. When you’re driving down a straight and level road, the logo in the middle of your steering wheel should be straight. If you’re having to hold the steering wheel to the right or left, your alignment is probably off. Here’s a video showing you some other signs.
If you’re experiencing any of these things, you may want to bring your car in to have the alignments adjusted so that the wheels are positioned correctly relative to the vehicle’s frame. Here at the Cincinnati Superior Honda Store, we understand how important proper wheel alignment is for getting the most tread wear and performance from your tires. The adjustment will maximize the life of your tires and stop your car from moving left and right down those straight roads.
Sprint has recently joined the fight against distracted driving with the announcement of a new app called Sprint Drive First that disables smart phone functions while driving. Whenever the car is traveling more than 10 mph, the phone locks and calls automatically go to voicemail. Alerts for email and text messages ware also silenced during this time and auto response messages are sent in return.
The best thing about this app is it’s different levels of controls. For starters, the app can be overridden with exit and 911 buttons, but parents can choose to be notified when this happens. They can also choose up to five numbers that can ring through the locked phone and three apps that will remain usable like navigation or music.
Once the app no longer senses motion, it will resume will all normal features. Sprint even took traffic jams into consideration so the phone must be idle for a few minutes before unlocking. For only $2 a month, I’d say this app is definitely worth it for most parents out there. What do you think,Cincinnati Honda owners? Is this something that you would use?
Do you consider yourself an excellent driver? There aren’t many people who will willing admit that they aren’t the best driver in the world, but you’d be surprised at how many will jump at the chance to claim they are America’s best driver. Well Cincinnati Honda drivers, now you can put that claim to the test. And if you are in fact as great as you say, you could save yourself some pretty pennies at the same time.
In August, State Farm Insurance launched a telematic service called In-Drive. Telematic services are used to assist drivers in real-time. Until now, the most known telematic service was GM’s On Star. Similar to On Star, In-Drive provides roadside assistance and maintenance diagnostics with the simple push of a button. But because it’s run by State Farm Insurance, there’s also a chance of lowering your insurance rates depending on how well you drive.
The great thing about this device is that you don’t have to be a State Farm customer, though you’ll get a little more out of the service if you are. By allowing State Farm to link into your vehicle and monitor your driving habits, you can save up to ten percent on liability and medical coverage, and other services that they offer. Currently, In-Drive is offered in three packages:
In-Drive Connect
Automatically collects your driving statistics to help you analyze and improve your driving so you can save money. In-Drive Connect empowers you by providing the tools to help you to be safe and save.
In-Drive Guardian
Includes all the features of In-Drive Connect with additional diagnostic and safety features plus access to trained specialists. With In-Drive Guardian, you’re not only connected, you’re protected.
In-Drive Co-Pilot
Additional features that can supplement In-Drive Connect or In-Drive Guardian, designed to give you greater peace of mind that your loved ones are safe and secure behind the wheel. This package is especially helpful for families with drivers who are new to the road.
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely thinking about switching my auto insurance. If you don’t have an issue with State Farm monitoring your driver habits (and you shouldn’t if you’re as good of a driver as you claim), then I’d definitely consider looking into this new technology. Here’s a short clip from State Farm about safe driving.
I’m sure you’ve all heard the expression, “I’m hearing what you’re saying, but I’m not listening” once or twice in your lifetime. But have you ever heard someone tell you that you’re looking but not seeing? Watch this video below really quick and I think you’ll see what I mean.
It sure it easy to miss what we aren’t looking for, especially when we are driving. There are a lot of things we have to think about such as road conditions, our speed, various traffic laws, different signs and signals and the other drivers around us. Now add distractions such as cell phones and the radio to the mix and you’ve got quite a lot going on, wouldn’t you say?
The video above was made the London Department of Transportation to heighten motorists awareness of cyclists. The motto of the campaign – It’s easy to miss what you aren’t looking for- is a great message to send to automotive drivers everywhere. There is nothing more important than being aware of our surroundings at all times when we’re in our cars. So what’s the best way to do this?
Stay alert. Being alert (not sleepy or under the influence) allows you to react quickly to potential problems — like when the driver in the car ahead slams on the brakes at the last minute. Obviously, alcohol or drugs (including prescription and over-the-counter drugs) affect a driver’s reaction time and judgment. Driving while drowsy has the same effect and is one of the leading causes of crashes. So rest up before your road trip.
Be aware of your surroundings — pay attention. Check your mirrors frequently and scan conditions 20 to 30 seconds ahead of you. If a vehicle is showing signs of aggressive driving, slow down or pull over to avoid it. If the driver is driving so dangerously that you’re worried, try to get off the roadway by turning right or taking the next exit if it’s safe to do so. Also, keep an eye on pedestrians, bicyclists, and pets along the road.
Do not depend on other drivers. Be considerate of others but look out for yourself. Do not assume another driver is going to move out of the way or allow you to merge. Assume that drivers will run through red lights or stop signs and be prepared to react. Plan your movements anticipating the worst-case scenario.
[KidsHeath.org]
So Cincinnati, the next time your in your new Honda, think about these three things as you drive along.
Did you know that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been around for more than half a decade? That’s right. The IIHS was created in 1959 to test the safety of all vehicles sold in the US. Safety features in cars have advanced dramatically advanced thanks to IIHS testing. Car safety come a long way… air bags, seat belts, technology and more. Check out this video by the IIHS of a collision between a 1959 Chevy Bel Air and a 2009 Chevy Malibu.
Shocking, isn’t it? The Malibu destroys the Bel Air. Had that been a real person driving instead of a crash dummy, the odds of survival would definitely not be in his favor. When you see the crash from the opposite side, it seems as though the Malibu driver would definitely survive. And the experts at the scene seem to agree. Hard to believe the vehicles are only traveling at 40 mph.
Hats off and a big thanks to the IIHS from everyone here at Superior Honda for helping to make our vehicles and roads safer.
Hi, I am Chris Heck and I am the General Manager at Superior Honda in Cincinnati OH. I am a husband, father, automotive enthusiast and an all around fun guy. I wanted to start this blog for a few different reasons. 1. So that you will have the latest Honda news at your fingertips, 2. so that you can learn more about your vehicle whether it's a Honda or not and 3. It just sounded like fun!
If you have any comments about this blog or would like to send some suggestions on a topic you are interested in feel free to send me an email at superior_honda@yahoo.com.
Nothing can be scarier than the day your teenager gets their drivers license and they hit the streets. The panic and worry that you have is completely normal. In fact, I don’t know if it ever goes away. One thing I have learned is that sometimes drivers education is just not enough. Consumer Reports is an amazing company that crash tests cars, reviews cars and now even gives extensive drivers education courses. You want to make sure when your teenager is behind the wheel of a Superior Honda, that they can handle anything that the road may or may not throw at them. Did you know that 1,000′s of teenagers die a year from inexperience behind the wheel? It’s a sad but true fact.
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