Monroeville Chrysler Jeep

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Rules of Defensive Driving

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 10:48 AM

If you would like to prevent a car accident, read these tips!

In this collection, "70 Rules of Defensive Driving," by RoadTrip America's contributing expert Robert Schaller, he shares wisdom gained from nearly fifteen years of teaching defensive driving and traffic law in his home state of Arizona.

1. Pay Attention
2. Don't Trust NOBODY!

3. Yield Anyway!
4. Don't Speed!

5. Don't Drive Impaired
6. Wear Your Seat Belt!

7. Buy and Use Safety Devices
8. Motorcyclist, Protect Thyself!

9. Don't Run Red!
10. Drive Precisely

11. Chill Out!
12. Look Down the Road!

13. Create Space
14. Drive to Communicate

15. Drive Predictably
16. Always Signal Your Intentions

17. Know Your Blind Spots!
18. Avoid Distractions

19. Avoid Backing Up
20. Beware of Intersections

21. Be A Freeway Pro
22. Know How To Stop

23. Know When To Use Your Headlights
24. Slow Down in Rain or Snow

25. Maintain Your Tires
26. Take Care of Your Vehicle

27. Get Rid of Tailgaters
28. Maintain an Even, Measured Pace

29. Check for Hydroplaning
30. Know How To Recover From A Skid

31. Avoid Head-On Collisions
32. Be A Safe Passer

33. Avoid the Single-Vehicle Collision
34. Deal with Light Glare

35. Never Play Chicken With a Train
36. Beware of Stopped or Slow-Moving Vehicles

37. Practice Animal Avoidance!
38. Don't Prevent Others from Passing

39. Drive Your Van Safely
40. Practice Smart Bicycling

10 Most Annoying Things Other Drivers Do

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 5:36 AM

What driving habits annoy you the most? Tell us! Or just check out this Top Ten list created by Car Talk radio personalities Click and Clack:

It's a known fact that everyone reading this is an above-average driver — and that each of us always displays deep and abiding civility toward our fellow travelers. So we're sure you won't recognize yourself in any of the items listed below.

But what about all those other jerks on the road?

What things do other drivers do that annoy you most? Here's our list, with an invitation to share your pet peeves below.

Yours in Pounding the Steering Wheel,

Tom and Ray Magliozzi, Car Talk
Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers

1. Talking on a cell phone

When you're talking on your cell phone, you're as likely to cause an accident as when you're legally drunk. Now, what's your excuse? What's more annoying than a driver who's willing to riskyour life so he can pick up his General Tso's chicken without waiting? Even when distracted drivers don't cause a wreck, they weave from lane to lane, create confusion in intersections and generally drive slower than other drivers around them while they're trying to do two things at once, leaving a gang of irate drivers in their wake.

Don't Be a Jerk: Put the phone down while you drive. You know about voice mail, right?

2. Driving too fast for road conditions

Just because a speed limit is 65 mph doesn't mean that's always the right speed. Snow, ice or rain can dramatically reduce your car's braking and handling abilities, as well as limit visibility. The right top speed for those conditions is that at which you feel safe and in control and able to react in time to anything that happens up ahead. That could be 40 mph. Or zero mph.

Drivers who fly past you at 50 mph when conditions call for 15 mph are not just risking their own lives — they might take you with them. If they lose control, they could easily spin into you, knocking you off the road and down an embankment. Or, at the very least, they could cover your windshield with a thick film of slush or rain, leaving you temporarily blinded. Annoying? We'd say so.

Check out the full top ten at Cars.com

Happy 4th of July!

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 4:10 AM

I love to see the starry flag
That floats above my head.
I love to see its waving folds
With stripes of white and red.
“Be brave,” say the red stripes.
“Be pure,” say the white.
“Be true,” say the bright stars.
“And stand for the right.”

Author Unknown

Don’t Forget Dad!

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 8:46 AM

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 19th. What was the best advice you ever received from your Father? Share it with us! We’d love to hear it.

Or just enjoy some of these pithy quotes about our favorite dads:

"A new father quickly learns that his child invariably comes to the bathroom at precisely the times when he's in there, as if he needed company. The only way for this father to be certain of bathroom privacy is to shave at the gas station." -- Bill Cosby

"A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again." -- Enid Bagnold

"A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be." – Unknown

"My father always told me, 'Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life.' " -- Jim Fox

"A father is a banker provided by nature." -- French Proverb

"My father said, 'Politics asks the question: Is it expedient? Vanity asks: Is it popular? But conscience asks: Is it right?'" -- Dexter Scott King

"When I was a kid, I said to my father one afternoon, 'Daddy, will you take me to the zoo?' He answered, 'If the zoo wants you, let them come and get you.'" -- Jerry Lewis

"Small boy's definition of Father's Day: It's just like Mother's Day only you don't spend so much." – Unknown

"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong." -- Charles Wadsworth

Check out more quotations here.

Chrysler Will Be Making 95 Stops Around The Country With Its “Traveling Showroom.”

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 10:17 AM

Chrysler Will Be Making 95 Stops Around The Country With Its “Traveling Showroom.” It will take 19 weeks to complete the tour.

The tour was specifically developed so that Chrysler group employees, suppliers, and partners, can get up-close to the all-new and significantly refreshed lineup of 2011 models.

Each of the stops will be a fun-filled, one-day event that will include vehicle demonstrations, complimentary food and beverages, prizes and event souvenirs. Further adding to the excitement, the tour also includes a photo opportunity with Kurt Busch’s No. 22 NASCAR Dodge Charger.

Among the models featured will be loved and proven family haulers, such as the Chrysler Town & Country minivan and all-new Dodge Durango three-row SUV. Other models featured on this tour are the Chrysler 200 sedan, the star of the innovative “Imported from Detroit” Super Bowl television commercial, and the all-new Chrysler 300 premium sedan, with its award-winning iconic rear-wheel-drive proportions. The new 2012 Fiat 500 is also on this tour.

“This is a terrific way to discover everything you want to know about our 2011 models without leaving work and in a no-pressure environment,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO of the Dodge Car Brand and Head of U.S. Sales. “After employees examine our new 2011 models in this unique mobile showroom experience, they can visit their local dealers to purchase or lease their favorite vehicle.”

Happy Memorial Day!

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 7:32 AM

How are you planning to celebrate/ honor Memorial Day weekend? Is the holiday a chance to barbeque and hang with friends, or is it a more solemn occasion as you remember a loved one? Share with us!

But no matter how you choose to spend your weekend, we want you to stay safe. Here are some tips for grill safety this weekend:

Keep food covered or refrigerated until ready to be cooked. Cook meat to 170 degrees Farenheit as a minimum.

Cooking (by any method) of meats (particularly red meat and chicken) at very high temperatures until surface charring occurs can cause cancer causing substances (Heterocyclic Amines (HCA)) to form. To avoid this, use marinades and turn frequently.

Inspect your grill before you ignite to ensure everything is in working order.

Don't use a grill indoors including garages, overhangs and canopies.

When using a grill, you should use a 10-foot perimeter from anything combustible, including your house.

Do not allow children and pets to play near a grill.

Only use approved ignition fluids – don't use gasoline to ignite a grill.

Keep a fire extinguisher, garden hose or bucket of sand nearby to douse a grill fire.

These tips are from: http://bbq.about.com/od/grillinghelp/tp/grillsafety.htm

Northwest Automotive Press Association (NWAPA) Names Grand Cherokee 2011 Northwest Sport Utility of the Year.

Posted by Monroeville Chrysler Jeep on 8:23 AM

Northwest Automotive Press Association (NWAPA) Names Grand Cherokee 2011 Northwest Sport Utility of the Year.

As explained by Jeffrey Zurschmeide, president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association (NWAPA), his part of the country presents a tough challenge for most SUVs: “In the Pacific Northwest, we can go from rain-soaked city streets up to the snowy mountains in about an hour. … So we look for an SUV that’s comfortable and capable in all kinds of situations.”

It’s a particularly notable honor, because NWAPA members don’t try to base their decisions on separate test drives that might have occurred weeks or months in the past. Instead, the group brought 20 of today’s top SUVs and crossovers to Snoqualmie, Wash., for a grueling one-day evaluation of the vehicles’ hill-climbing and descent abilities, ride comfort, low-range handling, stability handling, emergency braking maneuvers and more—all areas in which the new Grand Cherokee excels, thanks to its comprehensive redesign for the current model year. Today’s Grand Cherokee offers three 4×4 systems, the new Jeep Selec-Terrain system with five different terrain settings, an advanced air-suspension system, improved fuel economy, a world-class interior, and more than 45 safety and security features, and it’s all wrapped up by eye-catching new sheet metal.

“The Pacific Northwest provides perhaps the widest variety of driving conditions in the country, so it’s a perfect place for all of the driving attributes of the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee,” said Mike Manley, president and CEO of Jeep. “We’re especially pleased that the NWAPA’s journalist members recognize Grand Cherokee’s comfort and capability in all weather conditions, both on- and off-road.”