Summer Road Trip Solutions

            According to AAA, approximately 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 or more miles this Fourth of July holiday. The amount of travelers is expected to increase five percent from 2010 and 42% since 2009. AAA credits the increase to the mid-week holiday, allowing families to take a five-day vacation before or after the Fourth of July, and lowered gas prices (The Huntsville Times, 2012).

            Before your family packs up the car, take some time to organize. Extra planning before you leave the house will eliminate stress later in the trip. Understand the cities you plan to travel through and anticipate potential traffic problems. For example, do not try to drive through Chicago after 3 p.m. on Friday in the summer. Taking time to strategically map your route will save time, and eliminate stress, in the long run.

Once your route is planned, you can start getting your car ready. Even though your car will inevitably accumulate food wrappers, crumbs and other garbage throughout the trip, clean your car before you leave. Starting the trip with a clean car will set the tone for the rest of the trip. Bring extra garbage bags so you clean as you go.

If your road trip leaves your car a mess, enter our “Make Me #CentralClean” social media contest!

PB&J Bars from Disney's Family Fun

Pack easy-to-handle snacks to avoid multiple stops when children get hungry throughout the day. Snacks that travel well include trail mix, pre-cut vegetables, string cheese, rice cakes, dried fruit, hard-boiled eggs and yogurt in tubes. Packing snacks the whole family can enjoy will eliminate the temptation of stopping at unhealthy, fast food restaurants. Check out this recipe for PB & J Bars from Disney’s Family Fun for a great travel snack, which can even be prepared days in advance of your trip.

Children will also need fun activities to break up the boredom of being an a car for hours. Pack an extra map for each child to personalize (KidsHealth.Org, 2012). Show your kids the route you are taking and have them decorate each street as you drive. Bring plenty of markers and fun stickers. After the trip, you can make a scrapbook of all of the decorated maps or frame each map individually.

Finally, the most important part of any road trip is the music. According to Huffington Post, the top 10 road trip songs are:

1. Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
2. Roadrunner by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
3. Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
4. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
5. Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
6. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
7. Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
8. Good Life by One Republic 
9. American Girl by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
10. The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band

Have a happy and safe 4th of July celebration from Central Collision Center!

Enter Central Collision Center's "Make Me #CentralClean" Social Media Contest

                        Central Collision invites the community to post pictures of their dirty vehicles on our social media sites for a chance to win a free car detail. Post pictures on Facebook  or tweet pictures to Central with the hashtag #CentralClean. Submissions will be accepted until Tuesday, July 31. Central Collision will announce six winners on Friday, Aug. 3.

Pledge To Keep Your Teen Driver Safe

   
          With a break from school, family vacations and days by the pool, summer is an exciting time for teenagers. Summer is even more exciting for those teens that turned 15 during the school year and can now begin drivers’ education courses. Many students use their summer vacation as the perfect time to practice behind the wheel.

            Unfortunately, accidents involving teen drivers are extremely common. “Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). The most common factors putting teen drivers at risk are:

•     Failure to recognize and respond to dangerous situations
•   Distractions inside and outside of the vehicle
•   Increased risky driving as a result of male teen passengers
•   Low seat belt use
•     Underestimated distances combined with increased speed
•    Elevated blood alcohol concentration

Parents can help instill safe driving habits in their teenagers to prevent accidents. Ensure your teen completes all 50 hours of driving practice during the permit period with you or an adult 21 or over with a valid driver’s license. Ten of these hours should be at night. Prepare your teen by having him or her drive new routes each time he or she drives. Help your teen develop safe driving habits by limiting distractions in the car. Put cell phones away and keep the radio off or on low.

After your teen receives his or her license, continue to monitor his or her driving. Enforce your community’s nighttime driving restrictions. Most communities set a 10 p.m. curfew Sunday through Thursday and an 11 p.m. curfew Friday through Saturday. For the first 12 months with a license, drivers ages 16 to 17 are limited to one passenger under the age of 20, unless the passenger is a sibling. Cell phone use and texting are prohibited while driving.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention encourages parents and teens to develop a driving agreement. Together, teens and parents can develop personalized driving rules that fit their family. Click here for a copy of the CDC's Parent-Teen Agreement and pledge to keep your teen driver safe.

Central Collision Center Welcomes Its Newest Addition

Central Collision Center, Inc., a family owned and operated high-quality collision repair business headquartered in Mokena, Ill., recently announced the acquisition of Phase 1 Coach Works, a collision repair center in Tinley Park, Ill.

Located at 18040 Oak Park Ave., the 20,000 square foot facility specializes in luxury vehicle repair for vehicle owners in Tinley Park and neighboring communities. Phase 1 Coach Works was previously owned by Jack and Monica Ditmars.

“This acquisition continues our commitment to the south suburban community and the growth of the Central Collision family,” said Michael Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Central Collision Center, Inc. “We will continue to develop high-quality repair centers to meet the specific needs of our clients. Our goal is to improve the repair process for our customers.”

Phase 1 Coach Works became Central Collision Center’s seventh location. The company operates five traditional repair facilities located in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox and Oak Forest, and one same-day rapid repair facility, Central Express, in Oak Forest.

Central Collision Center began introducing its company culture to Phase 1 Coach Works’ team of 13 employees on April 12, when ownership transfered. 

Mike Fitzpatrick, chief operating officer for Central Collision Center, Inc., and Kristie Cooper, customer service representative manager for Central Collision Center, Inc., have been working closely with the existing Phase 1 Coach Works' team.

“The Phase 1 Coach Works staff shares our commitment to building and maintaining positive relationships with customers and insurers,” said Fitzpatrick. “We are very excited about this acquisition and look forward to strengthening our brand within our existing markets.”  

For more information on Central Collision Center, visit www.centralcollision.com.