The woman arrived at Big 10 Tires on South Alafaya Trail, like so many others, in a rush. With two young children in tow in her SUV, she obviously was on her way to a list of errands. She only wanted a quick oil change. But when store manager Hank Snow saw that her tires were dangerously tread-free, and made her look at them for herself, she only replied: “I know, but I can’t afford them right now.”
And she drove off — in an 8,000-pound vehicle with slick tires, and the most precious cargo of all. All Snow could do was shake his head. “About three or four months ago I noticed people starting to run longer on their tires,” he said. “A lot of this is the result of the economic conditions. You can understand how this is happening.
You have to pay your mortgage, you have to eat.” Indeed, East Orlando has been hit hard by the housing crisis, with foreclosures popping up daily in the newer communities built during the frenzied months leading up to the crash. But the unnecessary risks involved in driving on worn tires or bad brakes or any other regular-maintenance issues are not worth it. “You slam on the brakes and they don’t hold. The tires aren’t grabbing like they should… BAM!” he said.
“The two critical elements of safety are your tires and brakes. If you put one or both of those off, you’re asking for trouble.” Current stressors on the economy — including the housing slump, job loss and increased gas prices — have put a strain on many people’s wallets. As a result, fewer are getting the much-needed maintenance that is required on their vehicles, thus causing more motorists to break down on the side of the road.
AAA Auto Club South of Orlando has experienced a significant 16 percent increase in call volume from motorists with disabled vehicles that may be related to drivers delaying basic car maintenance.
This equates to more than 25,000 calls a month where AAA has responded to motorists whose cars won’t start because of a failure in a car battery, battery connectors, sensors, the starter, drive and timing belts, and/or possibly ignoring the check engine light long enough that something major has happened rendering a driver’s car disabled.
“If you perform routine maintenance on your car, you are not going to break down,” said Michael Flynn, owner of Irish Mike’s World Class Automotive on Forsyth Road. “Cars will keep going and will not give you any trouble if you just maintain them. Even older cars will keep driving if you maintain the belts and hoses.” It is critical that motorists perform basic maintenance on their cars in order to keep them safe and reliable.
Key services — like routine oil changes, tire rotations, and replacing the timing belt or maintaining a timing chain — can be a car owner’s assurance against unnecessary and/or major car repairs. “Not maintaining a vehicle can often cost more than routine maintenance,” said Pete Candela, director of Approved Automotive Repair of AAA Auto Club South.
“The national average repair cost for a vehicle that goes into a shop under its own power is $180, while a vehicle that has to be towed averages $400. If you experience a catastrophic breakdown, the costs are double.
So, preventative maintenance could keep you from being on the back of a tow truck.” Snow explained, however, that motorists seem to be doing a better job of taking care of some maintenance tasks, again related to high fuel costs. “People are paying more attention to their tune-ups because of the price of gas. That’s starting to creep into their minds,” he said.
If vehicle upkeep is allowed to slip, more motorists may end up being stranded on the side of the road. AAA strongly recommends that all drivers — those stranded and passersby — take extra precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. The Move Over Law requires drivers to reduce speed and vacate the lane closest to emergency vehicles including recovery vehicles, tow trucks and other service vehicles for the safety of those providing assistance and those who receive help.
If the lane can’t be vacated, the driver is
required to slow down.
Other precautionary measures include:
• Pull over to the side of the road to
reduce the risks of being struck by another
vehicle.
• Turn on hazard lights and stay as far
away from the roadway as possible or
remain in your vehicle while waiting for
assistance.
