Fitzgibbons Arnold & Company

02/18/2025

Don't Neglect Your Car's Tires; They Are Lifesavers

If you own a car you know it's never fun to fork out money to fix things like replacing worn-out parts or parts that break, such as a belt or drive shaft. Maintenance is also part of the package.

While some maintenance tasks may not be urgent, there are four items on the car that you should replace when they are worn or damaged: your tires.

Tires are the only part of the car that touches the road, and it's important that they have enough tread on them to handle your local conditions, particularly rain, snow or sleet. Other issues that can compromise safety include uneven wear or damage to the tire sidewall.



Tread wear

If you're tooling around on bald tires, it's time to replace them. But what about if you still have some tread left? At what point should you buy a new set of tires?

Experts recommend the "penny test." Here's how it works:

Insert a penny into the tread groove with Lincoln's head facing down; if you can see his entire head, the tread is worn and needs replacing (considered legally bald at 2/32 inches). Most experts recommend replacing tires when tread depth reaches around 2/32-3/32 inches.



Uneven wear

Even if the tread depth is slightly above 2/32 inches, uneven wear across the tire can indicate problems.

Uneven tire tread wear can be dangerous as it can significantly affect your vehicle's handling, stability and braking ability, potentially leading to loss of control, hydroplaning and increased risk of blowouts.

If you notice uneven wear, you should get your wheel alignment checked and address any underlying issues with suspension components, tire pressure or worn parts as needed by a mechanic.

Key dangers of uneven tire wear:

Poor handling: Uneven tread can cause the car to pull to one side, making steering difficult and unpredictable.

Reduced traction: Areas with less tread depth may not grip the road properly, leading to potential loss of control, especially in wet or icy conditions.

Increased wear on other components: Uneven tire wear can put additional stress on suspension parts and other components, causing premature wear.



Signs of damage

Tire damage like cuts and bulges on the sidewall can lead to sudden blowouts, causing loss of vehicle control.

Cuts: The most common type of sidewall damage, cuts can occur when your tires come into contact with sharp objects on the road, such as glass, wood or debris.

Even if the inner parts of the tire are not exposed by the cut, it is important to have a professional assess the damage, as cuts can lead to rapid tire pressure loss or a complete blowout. If the cut is only a few millimeters deep, the tire can still be driven on, but any damage that goes deeper into the sidewall is cause for replacement.

Bulges or bubbling: Sidewall bubbling can occur because of impact, a manufacturing issue or even just age. It's also possible to under-inflate your tires and cause sidewall bulging, as the weight of the car places more stress on a tire's internal structure.



A final word

Your tires are a crucial safety feature. If they have plenty of tread, they can greatly reduce the chances of having an accident if you have to brake suddenly, particularly in wet or icy conditions.

12/26/2024

How to Stay Safe on the Road This Winter

Thousands of people are injured or killed every winter because of overconfidence or unpreparedness while driving in dangerous conditions.

It is important for everyone to keep safety in mind while driving in wintry conditions, which can bring with them slippery roads, poor visibility and unpredictable drivers. Driving in snow, sleet and rain can be perilous, but understanding how to drive in these conditions can help save lives and reduce the chances of an accident.

Here's how you can tackle winter driving with ease.

At the start of the season:

Make sure the vehicle has enough antifreeze and windshield washer fluid.
Check the tread on the tires to be sure it is thick enough.
Put a blanket, first aid kit, dry food, clothes and a gallon of water in the car.
Carry emergency or repair equipment, including flashlights, flares, fire extinguisher, jumper cables, shovel, snow brush and ice scraper.
Also carry several extra flashlight


Driving tips

Warm up your car — If your windows have frost or are fogging, you should start the car and let it warm up a few minutes to defog and warm up the cabin. Defogging may only take a minute, but if you need to defrost your windows it could be longer.

Proceed slowly — Always drive slowly when the roads may be icy or wet. Speeding is the main cause of accidents during the winter. Remember that having a four-wheel-drive vehicle does not make it safer to drive faster on ice.

Do not accelerate suddenly or change lanes unnecessarily.

Don't tailgate — Stay at least three to five car lengths behind the driver ahead. Tailgating can quickly lead to an accident. This is especially true in stop-and-go traffic that is moving slowly on slick roads.

On icy roads or during snowfall , increase your following distance behind the vehicle in front of you to seven to nine seconds, compared to the standard three.

Plan ahead — Be sure to allow plenty of time to arrive at the destination and avoid speeding. If you are taking a longer trip, you should carry emergency or repair equipment, including flashlights, flares, fire extinguisher, jumper cables, shovel, snow brush and ice scraper.

You can also carry abrasive materials like sand, kitty litter and even extra floor mats that can be used for traction in snow or on ice if your vehicle gets stuck.

Don't use cruise control — This is another important tip to remember. When cruise control is activated and the car hits a slick spot on the road, it will cause the wheels to spin and the vehicle to speed up. This can cause the vehicle to go off the road or crash into another one. It is best to simply turn off cruise control in the winter.

Watch out for black ice — Learn how to identify black ice, which is thin and virtually invisible on asphalt and often resembles a puddle of water. There are signs that may indicate the presence of black ice, including shady spots, under bridges or on overpasses, ice build-up on the vehicle's mirrors and antenna, and frost on trees and road signs.

If you do hit black ice or regular ice, follow these tips:

If you start to slide, don't hit your brakes and don't panic.
If you have front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive with ABS and traction control, look for an open space and plan to travel in that direction. Accelerate just a little and steer gently in the direction of the open space.
If you have a rear-wheel drive without ABS or traction control, head toward an open space, but instead of applying pressure to the accelerator, ease off and don't break it as you steer to the open space.


The final piece

Besides understanding how to drive safely in winter conditions, accidents can still happen. That's why it's important that you carry auto insurance with liability limits that can pay for damage to any expensive automobile you may have crashed into or cover medical expenses of third parties if you are found at fault.

Give us a call.

11/30/2024

Home break-ins increase dramatically during the holiday season. Thieves expect people to be shopping for new toys and electronics and stashing them in the house.

Not only that, but cyber criminals also up their game during December, increasing your risk of identity or credit card theft.

While you might be planning your next big score on a great sale, burglars are looking for ways to break in while you are away and distracted from the home.

Similarly, online thieves are out in full force ready to capitalize on the millions of online shoppers who are submitting their private credit card information.

Whether you do your shopping online or in the stores, it's important to remember these basic safety tips to protect yourself against holiday season theft.

Protect your home while out

Lock everything — Many burglars get into homes just because a door or window was left open or unlocked.

Secure valuables — Never leave anything of value out in plain sight. Consider placing any jewelry, extra cash or other valuables in a safe deposit box or even a secure hidden safe within the house. Remember one of the first places burglars look is the master bedroom.

Leave the light on — The more it looks like someone is home, the less likely that someone will try break into your home. If you're going to be gone for more than a day, buy a timer for your lights so they come on at various times during the evening and turn off in the morning.

Activate your alarm system — Don't forget to arm your security system — this simple step will go a long way to protecting your home.



Online shopping tips

About 7% of all American adults have had their personal identities stolen or otherwise misused. Here are some tips to avoid that happening to you:

Invest in identity protection software. There are many identity theft protection services available that range in their coverage of protection of your personal information.
Install anti-malware software on your PC.
Use a credit card instead of a debit card. You can often dispute charges you didn't make on a credit card and you won't be liable for them. But if someone gets your debit card information, they can drain your bank account.
Before you purchase anything from a website, verify that the vendor has encrypted its payment form, such a secure socket layer (or SSL , as it's known).

10/18/2024

How to Scare Up a Safe Halloween


While Halloween can be fun for young and old alike, it's smart to take precautions to ensure your children's safety — as well as to keep them from gorging themselves on sugary treats.
You want to make sure that nobody gets hurt, that everyone is safe while making the trick-or-treating rounds and that the kids (and maybe you, too) don't overindulge on too much candy.
The Mayo Clinic has the following advice:

Carve safely
If you are carving pumpkins, you should leave the actual carving duties to an adult to avoid the possibility of the kids slicing themselves.
Leave the rest of the decorating to the kids. Bust out the glitter, glue and paint and any other craft supplies, so they can get creative.
Also leave the placing of the candles to the adults, as well. And keep the candle-lit pumpkins away from anything flammable, like curtains, fabric or paper decorations.
Before you start carving pumpkins, consider these Halloween safety rules:
• Never leave candle-lit pumpkins unattended.
• Better yet, light pumpkins with flashlights, battery-operated flameless candles or glow sticks instead.

Stay out of harm's way
Take precautions to stay safe while trick-or-treating on Halloween night:
• Watch out for cars.
• Use reflective gear and reflective bags if you can find them.
• Walk with a group.
• Have an adult chaperone if any kids are younger than 12.
• Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries.
• Pin a piece of paper with your child's name, address and phone number inside their pocket in case you get separated.


The b***y
• Don't let your child snack while he or she is trick-or-treating.
• Feed your child an early meal before heading out, and inspect the treats before allowing your child to dive in.
• Discard anything that's not sealed, has torn packaging or looks questionable.
• If you have young children, remove any chewing gum, peanuts and other candy that could pose a choking hazard.
• If your child has food allergies, check candy labels carefully.
• Ration the candy. Decide how many pieces they can eat and save the rest for later.

Not going out?
If you plan to stay home and hand out candy to trick or treaters, you should:
• Clear the walkway to your front door of any debris or materials that they can trip over, like garden hoses, toys, lawn decorations, etc.
• Ensure good visibility along the walkway and front door.
• If you have pets, put them in the backyard and don't let them greet kids at your door. They may frighten the kids, try to bite one of them or make a run for it.
• Consider small gifts instead of candy — things like fun pencils and erasers, stickers, colored chalk, etc.

Behind the wheel
Finally, if you are driving at night, take special care to watch out for children who might dash into the street.
Be especially careful entering or leaving driveways and making turns on residential streets.

03/02/2023

Avon Lake and Avon are very lucky to have such a wonderful organization. Thank you for allowing F&A to be part of a great fundraising event!

Thank you to Fitzgibbons Arnold & Company for being an Emerald Sponsor of the 34th Annual Charity Ball! This year’s event will be on April 22, 2023 at The Shipyards Event Center in Lorain. Individual tickets go on sale on March 6th. More details coming soon at CRS2023.GiveSmart.com