Winter Tire Safety

Your Mirage, Eclipse Cross, or Outlander relies on a complex system of components to slow and stop your vehicle. If any of these parts are worn, damaged, or malfunctioning, it can seriously impact your safety. Fortunately, there are ways to determine when the braking system is not performing as it should and a brake repair from your Mitsubishi dealer is necessary. One of the Brake Warning Lights Is On When you start your car, you will notice that the Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning light lights up. However, something is wrong if the light stays on or comes on while you're driving. The ABS light warns that your vehicle doesn't have antilock brakes, but if the brake system warning light is off, you can still rely on your brakes. If your car's brake system warning light comes on, it's crucial to get repairs done as soon as possible. more You Hear High-Pitched Screeching Sounds If you hear a high-pitched screeching sound when you step on the brake pedal, the wear indicators warn you that the brake pads are wearing thin and need to be replaced soon. Brake pads under 3.2 millimeters thick must be replaced immediately to prevent failure. Your Hear Grinding Noises When brake pads wear down completely, the bare metal will scrape against the steel rotors, making awful grinding noises. In extreme cases, the heat will cause your brakes to stick, which is incredibly dangerous. Repairing or replacing damaged rotors can also be quite expensive. You Notice a Brake Fluid Leak Brake fluid leaks will severely affect your vehicle's braking performance. When the brake fluid level drops, it will trigger the warning light. Check for yellow or brown puddles underneath your car that look like oil but don't have an oily consistency. If your car is leaking brake fluid, it's best to get the leak repaired promptly. Your Brakes Are Unresponsiveness When you step on the brake pedal and your brakes feel spongy and unresponsive, it could be due to worn brake pads, an air leak, or a leaking brake hose. It will also take your car longer to come to a complete stop. Addressing these issues immediately is essential to ensure your safety on the road. You Feel Vibrations When Braking If you notice vibrations through your brake pedal during normal braking, the rotors are warped and not making even contact with the brake pads. As your car's rotors get old or thin, they may start to warp. Excessive braking can create a lot of friction and heat, contributing to warping. You Smell a Burning Odor If you smell burning from your brakes, they are overheating and won't provide the stopping power you need to be safe on the road. Pullover, wait for the brakes to cool down, and schedule a brake system repair. The brake system is one of your vehicle's most critical safety features and must always be in perfect working order. If you have a braking problem, stop at DELLA Mitsubishi today, and our team of qualified technicians will perform expert and reliable repairs.

Distracted driving is an all-too-common issue. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distraction accounts for close to 80 percent of the 10 million car accidents that occur in the Unites States each year. While most people associate distracted driving with cell phones, there are actually a whole list of distractions outside of our phones that have played a role in these accidents. Check out our list below of five of the most common driving distractions and be sure to keep all of these in mind the next time you get behind the wheel. 1.) Eating - We are all guilty of having something to eat while we are on-the-go. However, eating means that you do not have both hands on the wheel and you have your focus on something other than the road. There have been several instances of eating being the cause of an accident including one man in Ottawa, Canada who thought to try and eat an entire rotisserie chicken. Another woman in Blacksburg, South Carolina was even killed in an accident that was caused because she was finishing off some takeout after leaving a Waffle House. 2.) Changing - While people may use the back seat of a vehicle as a changing room, it is not the safest practice because you will most likely not be wearing your seatbelt which puts you in danger of being more seriously injured should an accident occur while you are mid-change. However, some people take this unsafe practice to the next level and attempt to change while they are the ones behind the wheel. In fact, the results of an NPR survey showed that over 25 percent of teen drivers admitted that they change their clothes while they drive. Once again, this affects your attention to the road and keeps you from having both hands on the wheel. So basically, if you need to adjust your clothes, pull over or wait until you arrive at your destination. 3.) Fighting - Anyone who has ever been on a long car trip knows that arguments are common when you are trapped inside a vehicle with one or more people for hours at a time. However, sometimes these arguments actually turn physical to the point where the driver and passenger will begin striking each other and the passenger may even try to grab the wheel. The moral is, control your temper when you are behind the wheel and keep anyone that you but heads with riding in a different vehicle. 4.) Pet Cuddles - Pet owners love to take their furry friends with them everywhere they go but they make pet carriers and animal car restraints for a reason. A survey from AAA that was conducted in 2010 found that 21 of drivers in America admitted that they let their dog ride in their lap when they drive, five percent said that they played with their dog while driving, and seven percent even admitted to feeding them while they were behind the wheel. Driving with your pet in your lap or allowing them to distract you is dangerous for both you and your pet as well as other drivers around you that could be affected if your distraction leads to an accident. Either travel without your pets or keep them properly restrained for the entire trip. 5.) Applying Makeup - Women everywhere know the struggle of running behind when your makeup is not finished and the temptation to take advantage of that mirror under your sun visor to apply the finishing touches. However, when your focus is on making sure that your eyeliner is being applied correctly, it is not on the road where it should be. In fact, a study conducted by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute found that applying makeup while driving increased your risk of a crash nearly twice as much as talking on the phone. Baker, Matt. "The Dumbest Things People Do Behind the Wheel." SafeBee. N.p., 16 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Sept. 2016. <http://www.safebee.com/travel/dumbest-things-people-do-behind-wheel>.

We highly recommend that every new driver takes some form of a Driver’s Education class. It would even be great if those that have had their license for a while took a refresher course! However, even after doing all that, there are still a few things that will most likely be overlooked since you teacher will be focused on complete stops, proper distances between vehicles, and correct blinker use. So if you have a new driver in the family, or just want to get a little new information as a seasoned driver, check out our suggestions below. You Have ABS for a Reason! A lot of drivers don’t understand ABS or use the system to its full potential and this stems from their first time behind the wheel. Most people are afraid to push their vehicles to the limit and end up in an unnecessary accident. Truth is, the function that ABS provides is something that professional drivers work for years to achieve. To ensure that new drivers get the most out of their vehicle, we suggest teaching them “stomp, stay, steer”. It’s simple, first, stomp on the brakes with their full power. Second, stay hard on the pedal. This is where most people panic due to loud noises and, at times, an odd smell. Lastly, steer around the obstacle to safety. Keep Your Cool One of the most detrimental things a driver can do is to overcorrect. That’s how a lot of accidents occur, especially on highways. We all understand that your mind can wander while on a long stretch of road, but this cannot send you into a tizzy once you get back to Earth. If you notice you’ve drifted over to the shoulder or into another lane, simply take your foot off the gas. The car will slow down at a safe speed and allow you to re-enter traffic at a safe point. Practice Makes Perfect Yes, we’ve all heard this before, but that’s because it’s true. No matter if you’ve been driving for five minutes of 50 years, you will, at some point, experience a vehicle emergency. What’s the best way to ensure that you’ll come out of it just fine? Practice, practice, practice. For example, when there is construction which changes the lane shift, there will be abrupt braking, raising the risk for a collision. Practice what to do if a car in front of you slams on their brakes. Do this over and over again, then if it’s ever a real life situation, you’ll do just fine! Lastly, we suggest that you get a safe vehicle! And we just happen to have a ton of those on the DELLA Mitsubishi lot! We’re here at 7 DELLA Drive in Plattsburgh, NY Monday through Saturday and we’ll be happy to help! Demere, Mac. "4 Things You Didn't Learn in Driver's Ed." Popular Mechanics. N.p., 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.