10A | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Drivers can stay safe in bright conditions
W
eather often contributes to motor ve-
hicle accidents. Snow, rain and other
factors that compromise drivers’ vision can
make driving hazardous, but there’s a dark
side to sunny skies as well.
Glare from the sun can compromise driv-
ers’ vision and lead to driving mishaps, re-
gardless of drivers’ experience or skill level.
The sun can pack a powerful punch any
time during the day, but can be especially
hazardous in the early morning sunrise and
evening sunset.
A 2017 study published in the journal
Medicine titled, “Life-Threatening Motor
Vehicle Crashes In Bright Sunlight” looked
at the risks posed by bright sunlight. Re-
searchers found that the risk of a life-threat-
ening crash was 16 percent higher during
bright sunlight than during normal weath-
er. Researchers concluded that bright sun-
light may create visual illusions that lead to
driver error, including poor distance judge-
ment.
Plentiful sunlight is often a hallmark of
spring and summer, but sun-blindness is
a real concern for drivers. As anyone who
has turned into blazing sun only to discover
their windshield has been rendered opaque
by sun glare can attest, driving on sunny
days can be challenging. Unfortunately, the
sun might create substantial glare during
rush hour, making driving during these
times more dangerous and accidents more
likely.
While there might be no way to pre-
vent glare, drivers can take steps to make
driving safer during times of day when
glare is prevalent.
• Make sure the windshield is clean. Wa-
ter marks, dead insects, cracks and road
grime can make it even harder to see out
of the windshield when the sun is blazing.
Clean windshields regularly, and don’t
wait until you’re head-on into the sun to
engage the windshield washer spray. Do-
ing so may only further compromise vis-
ibility.
• Observe speed limits. When glare is
present, slow down and keep more space
between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front of you. If someone in front of you
needs to brake suddenly, the greater dis-
tance between vehicles can give you more
time to react and avoid accidents.
• Change your route. Try changing your
commute so you’re not driving head-on
into eastern sun in the morning and west-
ern sun in the afternoon.
• Invest in new sunglasses. Special lens-
es that mitigate glare, UV rays and blue
light can make it easier for drivers to han-
dle glare when behind the wheel.
• Make sure the visor is functioning.
Sun visors are there for a reason. Use it to
the best of your ability, angling as needed.
• Pull over. If the glare is especially bad,
play it safe and pull over until the sun rises
or sets. You also may want to change your
driving time to avoid the glare.
Since motor vehicle accidents can hap-
pen on bright, sunny days, drivers may
need to take steps to protect their vision
against glare.
Your vehicle has a Car Trends: Did you know?
recall … now what?
Vehicles are expensive.
When motorists drive their
vehicles away from a dealer-
ship, they hope to travel many
miles before they need to
come back for maintenance.
But manufacturers sometimes
issue recalls that can affect
drivers of both new and old
vehicles.
Recalls are safety precau-
tions taken should a portion
of a vehicle or the entire car
or truck not operate in the
manner it was intended. In
many instances, auto manu-
facturers will directly contact
customers who are affected by
a recall via a letter, email or
both. Individuals also can stay
current on recalls by visiting
the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration at www.
NHTSA.gov.
According to AutoTrader,
recalls are becoming more
common because of the com-
plexity of modern vehicles.
NHTSA flagged nearly 22 mil-
lion vehicles for safety issues
in 2013, and that number is
on the rise.
Drivers can follow these
important steps if they learn
of a recall.
• Don’t panic, but don’t
ignore recalls. The experts at
Kelley Blue Book say recalls
often occur due to a prob-
lem in the manufacturing
process in similar models,
and this issue may surface
in other vehicles. Recalls do
not guarantee vehicles will
malfunction or break down.
However, consumers are
urged to take recalls seriously,
adopting a “better safe than
sorry” approach when recalls
are announced.
• Follow the instructions.
A recall notice should come
with instructions. Instructions
often advise drivers to take
their vehicles to the dealership
where the cars were pur-
chased. Notices may provide
information regarding nearby
dealerships for drivers who
have moved since buying their
cars or trucks.
• No payment should be
necessary. The cost of repair-
ing the recalled part should
not fall on your shoulders.
Such repairs are paid by the
manufacturer. The financial
resource Bankrate.com notes
that, “If you had the repair
made before the recall was
issued (up to a full year), the
automaker is legally obligat-
ed to reimburse you, as long
as you had the work done at
one of its franchised dealers.”
Save all receipts for the work.
If work was done by a private
mechanic, drivers still may be
According to a survey from
AutoList.com, when buying
vehicles, millennials are more
likely to consider the environ-
mental impacts of a car than
those who belong to Genera-
tion X.
The survey found Gen Xers
prioritize price, reliability and
brand when purchasing a car.
While millennials may place
significant emphasis on vehi-
cles’ environmental impact,
they do not intend to keep their
vehicles for very long, as near-
ly half of millennial survey re-
spondents acknowledged they
plan to keep their cars for five
years or less.
Meanwhile, among the sur-
vey respondents who belonged
to Generation X, one-third
planned to have their cars for
10 years or longer. The AutoList
survey also found differences
eligible for reimbursement.
• Be patient. Dealerships are
not responsible for making
repairs until the date indicated
on the recall notice, so motor-
ists may need to wait before
having their vehicles repaired.
• Request a loaner vehicle.
In some instances, recalls
may take a few days to fix.
Although not every dealership
may make loaner vehicles
available, it’s still worth
requesting one so you are not
inconvenienced.
Anyone having difficulty
with a recall can contact the
NHTSA online, by phone or
by mail. Those who suspect
a safety problem also can
contact the agency and report
their concerns.
between the cars millennials
prefer compared to their Gen-
eration X counterparts.
Perhaps not surprisingly,
millennials, many of whom are
just beginning their profession-
al lives, prefer small, inexpen-
sive vehicles, while members
of Generation X, who are no
doubt more established profes-
sionally and more financially
secure as a result, prefer slightly
more expensive vehicles.
But the differences may not
be that significant, as the survey
found that millennials like the
Honda Civic, while Generation
X prefers the Honda Accord.
How to improve the
value of your trade-in
When the time comes to pur-
chase a new vehicle, many driv-
ers explore trading in their ex-
isting cars or trucks. Trade-ins
can reduce the cost of buying
new vehicles and save drivers
the hassle of selling their vehi-
cles on their own.
Motorists who think trading
in is the best way to unload
their current cars can take vari-
ous steps to improve the trade-
in value prior to visiting the
dealership.
• Know the trade-in market.
Some trade-ins may be more
valuable than others, even if
the cars are relatively similar in
regard to mileage. For example,
preowned vehicle buyers typi-
cally prefer late model vehicles
as opposed to cars that are old-
er. This is even more apparent
now that many car buyers want
smartphone-friendly vehicles
that afford them access to the
apps and GPS systems on their
phones. Drivers who want to
get maximum value for their
trade-ins may benefit by trad-
ing in a year or so earlier than
they initially planned, as this
will make their cars or trucks
more attractive to prospective
buyers, which should make it
easier for dealerships to sell the
vehicle.
• Address any issues. Deal-
erships will offer to tend to any
repairs trade-ins may need, but
that will come at a cost, which
will be reflected in the trade-in
value of the car. Vehicle owners
should address any issues be-
fore taking their vehicles to the
dealership. Fix any doors that
stick or minor scratches on the
vehicle’s exterior, remembering
to have the car detailed, washed
and waxed. Investigate if any
major problems, such as engine
troubles, are worth fixing on
your own, or if you’re better off
receiving less for your trade-in
and letting the dealership ad-
dress such issues.
• Keep maintenance records.
Maintenance records illustrat-
ing that the vehicle was taken
care of can help owners get
more for their trade-ins. Driv-
ers who intend to trade the
vehicle in to the same dealer-
ship where the vehicle was pur-
chased should still keep their
own maintenance records to
eliminate potential problems as
they negotiate the trade-in val-
ue of their vehicles.
• Shop around. Drivers who
are not satisfied with the trade-
in value assigned by a specific
dealership can shop around
until they find better offers.
Some dealerships may not offer
much for a vehicle because they
already have a similar car or
truck sitting on their lot, while
others may jump at the chance
to make their preowned inven-
tory more diverse. Exercise pa-
tience when shopping around
to reduce any frustration that
might develop during the ne-
gotiation process.
Various factors impact the
trade-in value of cars and
trucks. When purchasing new
cars, vehicle owners can em-
ploy various strategies to get
the most money for their cur-
rent automobiles.
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