New Jersey's War on Potholes

If you're a Jersey driver, it's not news to you that there's an issue with potholes statewide. And it's a really, really big problem, especially for those of us who live along the coast. A crowd sourced map was recently released by Jersey Shore Hurricane News and Vertices New Jersey to show just how many are littering our state:

Part of the issue can be attributed to the cold weather and the multitudes of snow plows it has taken to combat the unheard-of amount of snow we've gotten this winter. Also because of the weather, a lot of asphalt plants have shut down, meaning there's limited access to hot-patch asphalt needed for making repairs.

"Here in Cape May County, they're using cold-patch asphalt to fix some of the holes, but it's only a temporary fix," says the team at Gentilini Motors, a Chevy dealer located in Woodbine. Along with selling new vehicles, the company makes repairs on cars with pothole damage. "We don't want our customers to withstand any damage to their brand new cars." 

The Damage

New Jersey is quickly and not-so-endearingly becoming known as the Pothole State, and with good reason. A quick glance over local news shows us that these holes in the road aren't just inconvenient – they're dangerous.

One driver named Carol Bayard, for example, was driving up the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bergen County when she hit a pothole in her Mercedes Benz. In an interview with CBS, she said, "I don't even know how I survived."  After hitting the rut, she and her vehicle were sent flying through the median, crashing into a tree, then being spun into oncoming traffic. She was rushed to the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Doctors there told her that she's one of many who have been admitted to the hospital due to pothole-related car accidents.

Another driver, this time in South Jersey's Pennsauken, claims he hit a chain of potholes. The final pothole, the largest of them all, caused three of his airbags to deploy. Along with damage to two of his tires, two rims, and the interior panels, his mechanic estimates there is about $5,000 worth of damage.

The Fight

The Department of Transportation finally decided in late February that it was time to escalate the action being taken against these street craters before even more drivers withstand expensive – and extremely dangerous – damage. The DOT, which typically repairs about 160,000 potholes per year, claims to have filled 100,000 in just the past five months. The DOT is also purchasing asphalt to make repairs to entire stretches of roadway.

Drivers are urged to report potholes by calling 1-800-POTHOLE.

What you can Do

Many of us are probably familiar with all the landmark potholes along the routes of our daily commutes. Here are some tips for pothole safety. 

• As always, don't drive too closely to other vehicles to make it easy to spot and avoid potholes before it's too late.
• If you can't avoid a pothole, slow down before you hit it. Don't brake while you're already hitting a pothole, however, as this could cause more damage.
• If you realize you are about to hit a pothole, hold the steering wheel firmly to avoid losing control.
• Drive through puddles of water slowly and cautiously, as there could be deep potholes hidden underneath.

Your car may already have damage from hitting a pothole without you even knowing it. Here are some signs you need to get your vehicle checked out.

• Uneven tire wear
• Low tire pressure
• Dents in tire rims
• Shaking or swaying during turns
• Bottoming out frequently

If you do find that your car is affected by pothole damage, it's important to go to a trusted company for repairs so that all the problems are diagnosed and fixed to avoid problems down the road. Though Gentilini Motors is a dealership, they perform repairs on any make and model vehicle, and have state-of-the-art facilities, including their brand new Chevy Store.  

4 Lesser-Known Ways to Improve your Driving

With the recent 100-car pileup on the PA Turnpike plaguing the news and a general increase in weather-related accidents, it's as good a time as any to start thinking about your driving habits. It's easy for daily activities to become mechanical, but it's never a bad idea to take a little refresher course – there's always room for improvement. In fact, when it comes to driving, some of the most life-saving tips are ones that even experienced drivers haven't heard.

1.    Know how to Adjust your Side Mirrors

Adjusting your side mirrors is a task that takes all of five seconds, and yet some of us don't know how, or don't care, to do it properly. Blind spots are a big issue for drivers – many new vehicles come with technology to alert the driver when there is a nearby car that might be invisible from the driver's seat. But depending on what kind of car you drive, your blind spot can be nearly or completely eliminated. The trick is simple: just adjust your wing mirrors so that you can't see any part of your own car in them. When your own car is visible in your mirrors, you're wasting valuable mirror real-estate that could be used to show other cars around you for added safety. Always have your mirrors angled slightly away from your car.

2.    Drive with your Headlights on…All the Time
It's probably not your first instinct to turn your headlights on when you're driving in broad daylight, but a recent study shows that the risk of getting into an accident can be reduced by up to 32% just by constantly keeping your headlights on. It's logical, if you think about it: something that's lit up is going to be more visible. Drivers are less likely to make that left turn without seeing you if you've got them on. In fact, many countries require drivers to keep their headlights on at all times. Making it a habit to turn them on every time you're in the car could save your life!

3.    Give your Parking Brake some Exercise
We don't usually think to put on our parking brakes unless we're parking on a steep incline. But did you know that, when it comes to parking brakes (also known as emergency brakes), if you don't use it, you lose it? While our normal brakes stop the car with a hydraulic mechanism, emergency brakes stop the car with cables. However, if they don't get any use, those cables could dry out, rust, and corrode, rendering them useless. Next thing you know, you're slipping on an icy road with no means of stopping immediately – or, your car is rolling off down the hill.

4.    Control your Car when Tires Blow Out
Maybe you've hit a pothole or run up a curb, and you hear that ominous sound: the sound of your tire popping. Maybe you start to lose control, and of course, the knee-jerk reaction is to slam on the brakes. However, braking during a blowout is likely to cause you to fishtail, which could result in the car overturning, hitting a median, or ending up in incoming traffic. Instead, if you hear a tire blow out, gently keep your foot on the gas until you regain control, then pull onto the shoulder.

As a company with many Fords, Chevys, and Rocky Ridge Chevy trucks for sale, we like to remind our drivers to keep it safe on the roads, especially when it's snowy and icy. You can never be experienced enough as a driver, so ask yourself if you're taking these lesser-known precautions!

The Three Most Counter-Intuitive Tips for Driving in the Snow

We heard it was going to be bad this winter, but we didn't anticipate it would be this bad. It seems as though the snowy weather just won't stop coming, and considering New Jersey has had something like 9 snowfalls this season, driving in the snow is starting to become inevitable.

If it's not necessary, driving in ice and snow should be avoided altogether. If you have to do it, though, there are some techniques that can only be mastered with experience.

The thing about driving when it's slippery is that when you start to slip and slide, your knee-jerk reactions aren't always the best moves to make. Here are a few instances where you want to go against all your driving instincts in order to avoid a collision.

If Possible, Slow, but Don't Stop

Thanks to physics, it's a lot more difficult to get your car moving on an icy road when you're at a complete stop as opposed to when you've got a little bit of momentum. It's also difficult to come to a complete stop, especially in a short distance. For the most control, drive as slowly as possible, and start slowing down with a great distance between you and red lights. That way, by the time it turns green, you'll still be moving a bit and it will be easier to gain momentum again.

When Sliding, Stop Braking and Turn in the Same Direction

Unless you've got a vehicle that's made for the terrain, like a Rocky Ridge truck, one of the inevitable things about driving on ice is slipping, sliding, and fishtailing. There's only so much you can do to avoid it happening, especially in a front-wheel drive vehicle. That said, you can control it. It might be your first instinct to slam on your brakes as hard as possible. When you start to slip, take your foot off of the brake and start turning in the same direction that you're sliding. This will help your car to slow down more quickly, allowing you to regain control of your vehicle again.

Braking, Steering, Accelerating: Do One at a Time

You'll probably find that taking turns is extremely difficult during harsh weather. We typically turn by slowing down, turning the wheel, and accelerating again, all in one swift motion. Forget everything you learned from turning in normal weather conditions, though – when turning on a snow-covered road, slow down as much as possible, then turn the wheel, and don't accelerate again until you're almost completely finished the turn.

Again, driving in icy conditions takes practice, especially because most of the best techniques go against a lot of what you've learned from driving in regular conditions. Overall, the best thing to remember is to move slowly and give yourself plenty of room – then, you won't have to deal with troubling situations as often.