P age A8
S eptember 7, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
Back To School Safety
School’s Open - Children At Play
W ith the new school year
right around the corner, AAA
O regon urges driv ers, parents
and young pedestrian s to use
extra caution near schools and
resid en tial areas.
E v e ry y e a r m o re th a n
13,000 youngsters betw een the
ages o f 5 and 14 are killed or
seriously injured by m otor ve
hicles. M ost o f these fatalities
involve children betw een the
ages o f 5 and 9. N early h a lf o f
all vehicle/pedestrian collisions
occur betw een intersections.
“The youngest children face
the greatest threat o f harm ,” said
AAA O regon P resident Roger
Graybeal. “ M any youngsters are
venturing from the fam iliar su r
ro u n d in g s o f th e ir n eig h b o r
hoods to busier roadw ays and
the intersections. The children
h aven’t yet learned, or may have
forgotten, p roper traffic safety
behavior. So drivers need to be
particularly cautious at this time
o f y ear.”
PREVENTATIVE ACTION
A A A O r e g o n r e m in d s
drivers that they can increase
their traffic safety aw areness
by fo llo w in g a few sim p le
guidelines.
• Be alert to seasonal changes
Indy Champion Racer Wins Big
(Top) Race car driver Willy T. Ribbs, 38, recently received a sponsorship with Pepsi-Cola. Ribbs has
conducted a series of motivational dialogues with students at junior high schools in Detroit. He tells
young people to "follow their dreams, and learn to use the educational system to their advantage.
That means staying in school and learning as much as you can every single day.”
(Bottom) A 1994 Lola-Ford/Cosworth is the choice car for Willy T. Ribbs. The Indy champion racer
says he feels “more confident than ever” in his ability to win races with a state-of-the-art vehicle.
Hidden Discrepancies
T h o u san d s o f car o w n ers
around the U.S.A. will be d riv
ing to their com m unity N ational
C ar Care M onth check lane site
for free inspection o f their v e
hicles. O riginally created in 1980
as an em issions check, the p ro
gram now encom passes m any
safety com ponents as well.
One recent program included
components often overlooked, shock
absorbers and struts. These parts usu
ally wear so gradually that, by the
time the driver notices the deterio
rating ride, the vehicle may be hard
to handle on turns and rough roads.
A m o n g 356 v e h ic le s in
spected during the annual cam
paign, 44% had d iscrep an cies
with ride control com ponents,
m ainly leaking shocks or struts.
M any accidents attributable to
driver error m ight have been p re
vented if the vehicle had been
m ore “ fo rg iv in g ,” if every safety
and perform ance function had
been effective
Ride control, essentially the abi I-
ity o f the wheels to remain in firm
contact with the road surface, helps
the driver steer and brake safely out
o f a predicament. This is a function
rior lights and look for evidence of
fluid leaks underthe vehicle monthly.
Less-ffequently needed maintenance
cal Is for the practiced hands and eyes
o f a professional
The m anufacturer’s recom
mended maintenance schedule is the
minimum service necessary to pro
tect your rights under the warranty
and should be performed as indi
cated in the owner’s manual. You
can do your part to ensure proper
service by alerting your repair shop
if your vehicle is frequently sub
jected to severe driving conditions,
as these factors could affect recom
mended maintenance. Severe driv
ing conditions include a lot o f
short trips that d o n ’t allow the
eng ine to warm up fully, stop-
a n d - g o c o m m u tin g in h o t
w eather, pulling trailers or heavy
loads, long periods o f inactivity,
and environm ental factors such
as dust, pollution, extrem e tem
peratures and high hum idity.
NADA recommends the fol
School Board
Sessions Set
A regular meeting o f the Board
O f E d u ca tio n , P o rtlan P ublic
Schools, is scheduled Sept. 8, at 501
N. Dixon, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The next regular meeting of the
Board will be on Thursday, Sept. 22,
199 4 at7 :3 0 p .m .,in th eL -l Confer
ence Room.
o f each component connected to the
wheels, from steering and suspen
sion parts to the tires themselves.
Among these interrelated parts are
the shock absorbers, or struts. Their
role in this split-second drama is to
prevent the wheels from bouncing or
the body from bobbing on irregular
road surfaces.
Symptoms o f ride control prob
lems are excessive roll or sway on
turns, excessive front-end dive in
braking, bobbing or bouncing of
wheels on rough road surfaces and
bottom ingout (thumping) ofthe rear-
end on bumps.
lowing tips for better service:
• Read your owner’s manual and
w arranty so you will know what to
expect from your car and what
your responsibilities are.
• Set priorities for suggested repair.
Not all repairs need immediate
attention, and some can be post
poned until the next routine main
tenance. Experienced technicians
can help you determine which
problems present risk o f injury' to
you or damage to your vehicle, so
you can plan accordingly.
• Discuss special needs in off-peak
hours. Early in the morning and
closing time are the busiest hours
for the service department. A tele
phone call later in the morning or
earlier in the afternoon allows ser
vice advisors to give you more
personal attention.
• I ook for service aids and remind
ers on your vehicle, such as warn
ing lights on the dash for engine
oil level, burned-out exterior lights
and fluid levels.
•
•
•
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY
A key com ponent o f a c h ild ’s
p ed estrian safety ed u catio n is
school bus safety. M ore than
8,300 stu dents w ere injured and
35 killed in school bus accidents
d u rin g the 1991-1992 sch o o l
year.
“Most often children are injured
in the loading area when the child
moves out o f the driver’s line o f
vision by bending over to pick up
something or walking behind the
bus,” said Graybeal.
Parents are en couraged to
discuss these sim ple safety tips
with their children.
• A rrive at the bus stop on tim e
and w ait for the bus in a safe
place, well o ff the roadw ay.
Kids are back
In school,
drive safely.
• A void pushing, shoving and
ro w d y b e h a v io r. S om eone
could fall or be pushed into
the path o f a vehicle.
• Rem ain seated w hile the bus
is in m otion.
• Keep the aisles clear at all
tim es. S om eone could trip
o v e r b o o k b a g s and lu nch
boxes left in the aisles.
• D o n ’t throw anything in the
school bus or outside o f the
w indow , it could cause an
accident.
• Be careful to avoid snagging
clo thing and bookbags on the
handrails.
• W hen ex itin g the bus rem ind
the d riv er that you will be
crossing the street.
• W alk w ell in front o f the bus
when crossing the street. A
good rule o f thum b — if you
can see the driver, the driver
can pro b ab ly see you.
AAA Oregon works with local
law enforcem ent agencies and
schools throughout Oregon to edu
cate children and adults about pe
destrian safety. AAA Oregon pro
vides information through a vari
ety o f free brochures and film loan
program w hich are av ailab le
through your nearest AAA Oregon
office.
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Regular Maintenance Essential To Vehicle
Performance Safety, Says NADA
Remember when your vehicle
needed an oil change every 1,000
miles? When engines had distributor
points that needed adjustment or re
placement every 6,000 miles? When
tires wore out, if you were lucky,
every 15,000 mi les? Your family car
used to need a lot more attention to
keep it safe and reliable. Cars and
light trucks require much less main
tenance today, but the maintenance-
free car isn’t here yet. The National
Automobile Dealers Association rec
ommends that you perform regular
checks on vehicle systems and fol
low manufacturer maintenance rec
ommendations to keep your car or
truck running safely, efficiently and
reliably.
You should perform regular vi
sual checks on vehicle systems be
tween service visits to prevent prob
lems On a weekly basis, check the
engine oil. coolant and windshield
washer fluid levels as described in
the owner's manual. Check tire pres
sure, tire tread and operation of exte
•
in driv in g regulations, in clu d
ing school zo n es,sch o o l cro ss
ings and turning restrictio n s.
Stop when a school bus is load
ing and unloading children.
R em ain sto p p e d w h ile th e
flashing red lights are on.
D on’t tailg ate buses. Leave a
d istan ce o f one to tw o ca r
lengths betw een vehicles.
Drive cau tio u sly w here c h il
dren may be present. Be aw are
th atch ild ren may suddenly dart
into the road from behind a
parked car, bus or shrubbery.
N EW
ALL TIRES SALES
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Split Rims $5 00
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165-8O-R13............... $37.76
175-8O-R13............... $38.46
185-80-R13..........
$39.84
185-70-R14............... $40.68
205-75-R15............... $45.00
215-75-R15............... $46.39
225-75-R15............... $49.10
215-85-R16............... $65.00
225-75-R16............... $65.00
245-75-R16LT............ $74.10
Free used stock rim, with
purchase of any 1 tire
passenger car only, some
trucks (If in Stock)
• RECAPS
AURORA SELL OUT
165-SR13................. $33.41
205-75-15................ $42.85
215-75-R15.............. $44.10
225-75-R15.............. $46.70
185-70-R13.............. $38.88
195-70-HR14........... $43.65
215-60-HR15.......... $55.35
245-60-HR14........... $58.59
Flat Repairs $3.00 and Up
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