5 tips to avoid hitting a deer-Number 2 is obvious!

It all happens so quick, right? You’re driving down a dark road with your high beams on and as you drive up over a small hill—BAM…there he is. Standing tall, frozen by your headlights.

As the season begins to change, and the sun starts to set earlier, the deer start to roam more throughout the night. What does this mean for you as a driver? This means you’ll need to use more caution when driving in populated deer areas or you might end up needing to repair your vehicle.

Let’s start with the statistics:

• According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA), there are approximately 1.5 million deer-related car accidents annually across the nation.
• Deer are most frequently hit during dawn and dusk.
• The average repair cost of a car-deer collision is $2,800.
• Breeding season runs from October through early January. Deer are highly active and on the move during this time.
•  As pack animals, deer almost never travel alone.

Some preventative techniques from Hoselton Auto Mall include:

1. Slow down. The most important way to avoid hitting a deer is to SLOW DOWN. Following the speed limits in your area make it possible to brake sooner if needed.
2. Wear your seat belt. Some drivers described hitting a deer head on felt like hitting a brick wall. If this is true, you’ll be glad your seat belt is on!
3. High Beams. Use your high beams whenever the road is free of on-coming traffic. This will increase your visibility and help make those glowy-green eyes pop out more.
4. Honk! As mentioned above, some deer can become memorized by bright lights so if you see a deer, flash your lights or we recommend using one long honk of your horn to scare them out of the road.
5. Do not swerve. It’s a natural instinct to want to swerve your car when you see a deer in the road but stay calm! Swerving could make you lose control of your car, making the situation worse. Deer are also very unpredictable, and you could swerve right into their path

If your car does happen to come in physical contact with a deer, always remember to keep your distance. A frightened deer can injure you as well as injure itself further. Contact the authorities if the animal is in the middle of the road because it could be a danger to other drivers. Lastly, Hoselton Collison Center and Body Shop is here for all of your repair needs. The Collision Shop works with all insurance companies and has "Preferred Shop" status with many of the leading automotive insurance companies.

The collision shop is open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Schedule your appointment today!

Hoselton Auto Mall

Corner of Fairport & Marsh Roads

East Rochester, New York 14445

http://www.hoselton.com

4 Tactics for Dealing with Potholes

Tips to Protect your Vehicle

It's no surprise that the roadways in Rochester, New York are listed as some of the worst roads in the country. Our roadways are constantly filled with dangerous obstacles that demand our constant attention. The largest and one of the most dangerous obstacles is the pothole. Some potholes are small and seem innocent but these road monsters can really do a lot of damage to your vehicle.

In order to help you deal with these craters, here are a few tactics to use when traveling the roads, especially this time of the year.

1. If possible, avoid the pothole.
If you are on a road that you believe is infested with potholes be more mindful and slow down, this will help you to react to avoid the pothole, a car horn beeping at you is less expensive than a flat tire or a damaged wheel.

Watch out for puddles, what might seem to be a innocent puddle may suddenly become a rim bending pothole, it is hard to avoid every puddle in the road but being mindful does help.

2. If avoidance is not possible, reduce the damage. If you see a pothole coming at you in your lane and you are not able to avoid it, slow down as safely as possible but do not brake directly over a pothole as this may cause more harm.

3. After you hit the pothole, be wary of the symptoms.
We all have hit a pothole that causes your vehicle to lurch. If, after checking the tire and wheel for damage, there is no visible damage found you should still have your vehicle looked at by a professional. Even if immediate problems are not noticed you should get your car checked out when hitting that nasty pothole. Problems such as steering or suspension damage or causing the front end alignment to be out of specifications, can be more costly if you fail to have your vehicle inspected. Being pro-active will help you out in the long run.

4. If something is broken...You did your best to avoid the pothole but in the end you could not elude that pesky crater. What do you do now?

Don't worry, the expert technicians at Hoselton Auto Mall can help! Our technicians are factory trained and know how to pinpoint the repairs that are needed to get your car back on the road. We promise to repair your vehicle with the right parts, and at the right price. Call us today so that we may show you why so many customers use Hoselton for all there automotive needs.

> Questions? Give us a call at 585-586-7373
> Schedule a Service Appointment

Hoselton Auto Mall

Corner of Fairport & Marsh Roads

East Rochester, New York 14445

http://www.hoselton.com

Winter Driving Quiz!

How Much Do You Know About Winter Driving?

Put your winter driving knowledge to the test with this short quiz!

Questions:
1. TRUE OR FALSE - The usefulness of daytime headlights has never been established as reducing the number of traffic accidents.

2. Should you under-inflate or over-inflate your tires in cold weather or leave them at the same tire pressure as in warm weather?

3. When sliding into a skid, what is the best course of action?
a. Turn in the direction of the skid
b. Turn in the opposite direction of the skid
c. Try to steer straight ahead

4. When approaching an icy or snowy hill should you…
a. Speed up to reach the top of the hill as quickly as possible
b. Come to a complete stop then accelerate to reach the top of the hill
c. Slow down before reaching the hill and make the assent slowly and steadily

5. When coming down a snowy or icy hill, should you…
a. Come to a complete stop and then make your descent
b. Shift into a lower gear and make a slow descent
c. Use only your brakes to slow you down as you descend

6. If you are ever caught in a snowstorm and have to walk in the street, should you…
a. Walk with the traffic
b. Walk against the traffic

Answers:
1. False. Every report published indicates that the use of daytime headlights reduces accidents by as much as 37%. 

2. The answer is to always keep tires inflated at the level recommended by the manufacturer. Both under and over-inflation can increase the incidence of blowouts and skidding. 

3. The correct answer is a. Turn in the direction of the skid. This is your best chance to restore some traction. 

4. The correct answer is c. Slow and steady ascent has been proven to be the best course in ascending an ice-covered or snow-covered hill. 

5. The correct answer is b. By shifting into a lower gear before descending you will gain more traction. 

6. The correct answer is b. Walk facing the oncoming traffic. By doing this you are better able to alert oncoming traffic to your location and see if any cars are veering into your path. Wearing or waving bright-colored clothing is also advisable.

How did you do?

Hoselton Auto Mall

Corner of Fairport & Marsh Roads

East Rochester, New York 14445

http://www.hoselton.com

Toyota's TeenDrive360 Driving Tests

Valuable Lessons for Driver's of All Ages

Have you seen Toyota’s Teen Driving Tests? This is great for all drivers to watch. Distracted driving is dangerous for everyone on the road. PART 1 is the video above – The Makeup Challenge.

Here is PART 2 of Toyota’s Teen Driving Test – Meals on Wheels. Have you been guilty of eating while driving?

PART 3 of Toyota’s Teen Driving Test – Car-eoke. Rocking out to your favorite song in the car can also be a distraction.

Hoselton Auto Mall

Corner of Fairport & Marsh Roads

East Rochester, New York 14445

http://www.hoselton.com

Combating Gas Prices

Top 10 Gas Relief Remedies

These days, we all need a little relief from the high prices of gas. That’s why we’ve come up with 10 easy gas saving tips and service specials to keep your vehicle running at maximum fuel efficiency. Let us help ease the pain of high gas prices.

Keeping Your Engine Properly Tuned

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emission test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent. If your car has a faulty oxygen sensor, your gas mileage may be affected as much as 40 percent!

Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly

Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car’s gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.

Use Factory Recommended Grade of Motor Oil

You can improve your gas mileage by 1 - 2 percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1 - 1.5 percent.

Keep Tires Properly Inflated

You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Keep Your Wheels Properly Aligned

Less resistance between the tire and the road = longer tire life and better gas mileage.

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving (speeding and rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 3 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Observe the Speed Limit

Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than cars with smaller engines.

Use Cruise Control

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears

When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

Hoselton Auto Mall

Corner of Fairport & Marsh Roads

East Rochester, New York 14445

http://www.hoselton.com

Winter Driving Safety Tips

Keeping You and Your Family Safe this Winter

Changing weather conditions can quickly alter road conditions. To ensure that you arrive at your destination safely this winter, it’s a good idea to follow some basic safety tips while behind the wheel:

1) “Know Before You Go” by checking road conditions BEFORE you travel.

2) Turn on your lights. This will increase your visibility to other motorists and snowplows. Brush snow from your car could cover your lights.

3) Slow down and drive according to the conditions. Most winter crashes are caused by driving too fast for conditions.

4) Never drive through “white-outs” or “snow fog” caused by cross winds or plowing snow. Wait until you can see a safe distance.

5) Stay back at least five car lengths behind the plow, far from the snow fog and any sanding material being spread; snowplow operators will turn off the sander, pull over, or raise the plow for better visibility when it is safe to do so to allow traffic to pass.

6) Be patient. Allow more time to get to your destination. Remember snowplows are working to improve road conditions for your trip. Know where the plow is on multi-lane roadways.

7) Be extremely cautious when passing a snowplow. They can be moved sideways by drifts and hard snow pack. Watch for plow trucks on interstate ramps and “authorized vehicle only” cross-overs.

Hoselton Auto Mall

Corner of Fairport & Marsh Roads

East Rochester, New York 14445

http://www.hoselton.com