Riding in Cars with Pets

January 2, 2013 marks the third annual National Pet Travel Safety Day. Founded by Celebrity Pet and Safety Expert, Behaviorist and former Los Angeles Paramedic Colleen Paige, National Pet Travel Safety Day raises awareness of the importance of pet safety in all modes of travel. 

Pet safety while driving is not only critical for the animal, but also the driver. Unrestrained pets in cars is one of the top reasons for distracted driving. According to Paws to Click, unrestrained pets cause more than 30,000 accidents a year. An accident occurs every 18 minutes as a result of an unrestrained animal. 

A 2010 survey by AAA and Kurgo asked 1,000 dog owners who had driven with their dogs in the last 12 months about their habits. The survey reported the percentage of dog owners who take their dogs:

• On leisure rides:  88%
• On local errands:  85%
• To the pet store:  81%
• On day trips:  80%

Of the 60% of dog owners who reported driving with distractions by their pets, only 17% reported using animal restraints or harnesses.

An unrestrained animal in the car can cause a driver to become distracted. There are three forms of distracted driving:  visual, taking your eyes off the road; manual, taking your hands off of the steering wheel; and cognitive, taking your mind off of what you're doing. Looking away from the road for just two seconds doubles the risk of an accident, according to the AAA Foundation for Safety Traffic.

Here are some tips from The Humane Society of the United States to help you and your pet stay safe while driving together:

1. Update your pet's identification information on his/her collar before traveling
2. Identify a contact person to pick up your pet in case of an accident in case you are unable to leave the scene or become injured
3. Bring an up-to-date picture of your pet. If you are involved in an accident, your pet may become frightened and run away. Keep a picture on hand to help others locate your pet
4. Help your pet get use to traveling by beginning with short trips and gradually increasing time spent in the car
5. Place your pet in the back seat. Never travel with your pet in the front seat. If the front passenger side airbag deploys during an accident it could hurt your pet
6. Restrain your pet while driving. Dogs should be restrained using a harness that buckles into a seat belt. Place a blanket or towel under your dog to protect your interior. Cats should be restrained in a carrier so they don't bounce around. Secure the carrier with a seatbelt
7. Do not let your dog stick his or her head out the window while driving. The force of the air can injure the dog's lungs 
8. Make frequent rest stops so your pet can stretch his/her legs
9. Never leave your pet in an unattended vehicle. A car can reach up to 102 degrees in just 10 minutes on a hot summer day. In the winter, a car can become and icebox, causing hypothermia

Many states are beginning to enforce laws regarding driving with animals. For example, New Jersey recently began issuing $250 to $1000 tickets for driving with loose pets in cars, which is a violation of an animal cruelty law. Other offenses include allowing pets to hang his/her head out the window, pets riding in the back of a truck or pets sitting on the driver's lap. Col. Frank Rizzo, Superintendent of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, summed up the reasoning behind the new laws. "You wouldn't put your child in the car unrestrained so you shouldn't put your pet in the car unrestrained either."

For more information about pet travel safety, visit Paws to Click or The Humane Society of the United States.

Some of our furry friends at Central Collision Center:

Aubry
Jen, Office Manager at Central Collision of Mokena

Norbu
Kristen, Office Manager at Central Collision of Crete

Wrigley
Kristie, Customer Service Representative Manager

Preparing For Winter

Many times after the first snow of the season, drivers wish they would have taken the time to prepare their cars for the winter. Instead of waiting until the first snow fall, Central Collision Center encourages you to be proactive this winter. Our managers shared their best practices for preparing and maintaining cars during the winter weather. Here is our managers' advice:

Before winter:

1. Create a winter emergency kit to keep in your car. Include the following:
• Jumper cables
• Blanket
• Extra clothes, gloves, hats and scarves
• Snow scraper
• Snow shovel
• Flashlight
• Bottled water
• Snacks, such as granola bars
2. Do a car check-up. Here's what you should check:
• Air pressure and wear of tires
• Radiator coolant level
• Washer fluid level
3. Wax headlights and taillights
4. Program local safety numbers in your cell phone 

During winter:

1. Use a snow scraper, not windshield wipers, to clear away snow on your windshield
2. DO NOT use hot water to melt ice on windows. The hot water will cause the windows to shatter
3. Use a spray bottle to spray a 3 parts vinegar 1 part water mixture on your windows to prevent ice. The acetic acid in the vinegar prevents the water from freezing
4. Leave more distance between you and other vehicles
5. Charge your cell phone before you begin to drive in bad weather

Before the snow hits, please take the time to follow through on these tips. We hope this information can help keep you safe this winter. If you have any questions on how to better prepare your car for winter, please feel free to call any of our six locations.

17 Years and Counting

Today marks Central Collision Center of Mokena's 17 year anniversary. Central Collision of Mokena opened on December 12, 1995 and was originally located at 8501 W. 191st Street in Mokena. We moved to our current location, 9646 W. 196th Street, in 2000. This spring, we expanded our facility with a marketing office and training center that holds 100 people.

To celebrate our anniversary today, we shared some of our favorites memories and traditions (over cake, of course). Here's what some of our team had to say:

Mike Caruso, Owner/President of Central Collision Center:

Central Collision of Mokena was a huge step for our organization. It is our second location. Our team had to learn together how to run more than one location at a time and communicate well between the two. Our biggest goal was to make sure we still treated our customers as friends, even though we were dealing with many more.

My favorite memory was when Fitz (Mike Fitzpatrick, Central Collision's Chief Operations Officer) dressed up as Santa and Jill, our office manager at the time, dressed up as Mrs. Claus in 1995. Fitz still can't believe he did that!

Sandi White, Bookkeeper:

My favorite tradition at Central Collision of Mokena is Donut Day. Every Thursday, we have donuts from Fleckenstein's Bakery in Mokena. It's a tradition that started at Central Collision of Peotone and came with when we opened Central Collision of Mokena. Now, several of our locations have Donut Day.

Kristie Cooper, Customer Service Representative Manager:

I have a few favorites. One of my favorite memories is when Fitz received his official parking space on his 25th anniversary with Central Collision. 

Another is the demolition derbies we used to compete in. Every summer, some of our employees participated in the Will County Fair Demolition Derby in Peotone. We would stay after work to work on the cars together and then we would have a big family party the day of the derby before we went to the fairgrounds.

Our new classroom is also very special because it shows how far we've come since Central Collision of Mokena opened 17 years ago.

Jen as the Queen of Hearts in this
year's Halloween costume contest.

Jen Perales, Office Manager:

I have two favorites memories. First, we had a Cinco de Mayo celebration and George, facility manager at the time, rode around on our pinata.

My other favorite is this year's Halloween costume contest when we dressed up as Alice in Wonderland. 



Marissa Caruso, Public Relations:

My favorite memory has to be participating in the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade this year. We weren't completely sure what to expect because it was our first parade. But it was so much fun decorating the truck and throwing out candy to all the kids. The best part was watching my dad play "baseball" with some kids in the parking lot while we were waiting for our turn to start walking.







Thank you to all of our employees and customers who have supported us through 17 years of business. We couldn't have made it this far without you. We're looking forward to being a part of the Mokena community for many years to come!

Educating Local First Responders

On Wednesday, Feb. 20th, Central Collision Center is hosting a free, educational course to share our vehicle knowledge with local first responders. The course will be held in our training center, located at 9646 W. 196th Street Unit C in Mokena, from 5-7 p.m.

The first responder course will cover the following:

The course will be held in our new training center
at our Mokena location.

• Types and locations of advanced metals in a vehicle and what first responders can expect from each type
• Construction of door and roof areas and what first responders can expect from each type
• Types and locations of restraint items and potential problems first responders may encounter from each type
• Safety concerns while disarming batteries
• Location of high voltage components and disarming high voltage components
• Do's & don'ts of hybrid vehicles at the scene of an accident
• Types of educational apps that first responders can use at the scene of an accident

Steve Melton from Automotive Technical Education Group (ATEG) will lead the course. ATEG provides training seminars for the collision repair and insurance industries. Melton has over 30 years in the collision repair business, as a technician and collision repair shop manager. 

Please respond to Marissa at marcaruso@centralcollision.com to reserve your spot by Wednesday, Feb. 13th.

Central Collision Center Re-Stocks Alicia's House

Alicia's House's newly remodeled space
showcases the organization's awards. 

We had the privilege of visiting Alicia's House Food Pantry Tuesday morning when we dropped off our Thanksgiving Food Drive donations. We were immediately greeted with a warm welcome from Juan and Stella Hernandez, co-founders of Alicia's House. While giving us a tour of their newly redesigned food pantry, we heard stories of struggles and triumphs of running a food pantry in South Chicago Heights.

Alicia's House Food Pantry is an organization close to

Central Collision's heart because it feeds the hungry in our local communities. Alicia's House works to alleviate hunger by providing food at no cost to low-income residents of Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, University Park, Grant Park and South Chicago Heights. They recently expanded their efforts to provide toiletries, laundry detergent and flu shots to residents in need.

Central Collision delivered 3 truck
loads of food as a result of its food drive.

Since Alicia's House beginning in 2001, Central Collision has been supporting the food pantry with our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. We reach out to past and current customers, employees, business partners and the local community to participate in the food drive by donating non-perishable food items. 

Exceeding our previous year's donations, we gathered 1,428 food items in our six offices. Central Collision matched all donations, bringing our grand total to 2,856 items donated.

“We have great people who are fortunate enough to give back and are happy to do so,” said Mike Caruso, owner of Central Collision. “Their generosity exceeds my expectations every year.”

Mike and Nancy Caruso, owners of Central Collision, present their food
donations to Alicia's House Food Pantry.

Located at 17 Paulsen Avenue in South Chicago Heights, Alicia’s House Food Pantry accepts food, clothing and toiletry donations year-round. The food pantry also collects winter coats, gloves, scarves and clothing. 

Consider donating to Alicia's House Food Pantry this holiday season. One small donation can make a local family's holiday complete.

Help Central Collision Feed The Hungry

     Every November, Central Collision hosts a Thanksgiving Food Drive to alleviate the hunger in our local communities during the holiday season. Our goal is to ensure no family in our communities has to go without food on Thanksgiving. We are committed to our communities and, as a successful small business, have a responsibility to give back. 

Hunger in Illinois remains a large issue. Based on 2011 research:

•     More than 1 in 5 children (22.2%) in Illinois face a constant struggle against hunger

•     More than 745,000 children in Illinois are at risk of hunger

•     More than 1.9 million people are considered food insecure, meaning they do not have regular access to nutritious food

•     38% of food insecure households exceed poverty guidelines

      Through the generous donations of our employees and customers, we collected 1209 food donations in our 2011 Thanksgiving Food Drive. Central Collision Center matched all donations, bringing 2418 food items to Alicia's House Food Pantry.

     We would like to exceed our 2011 Thanksgiving Food Drive donation total, but we need your help. Please bring non-perishable food items, such as soup and canned vegetables, to any of our 6 offices between Thursday, Nov. 1 and Tuesday, Nov. 20. Our offices are located in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox, Oak Forest and Tinley Park. 

     All food donations will benefit Alicia's House, a 501c3 non-profit food pantry in South Chicago Heights. Alicia's House works to alleviate hunger and the problems associated with hunger in Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, Peotone, University Park and South Chicago Heights.

Central employees deliver our 2011 
donations to Alicia's House.

            Central Collision Center will match all food donations. We are happy to share our blessings with others and hope you will be able to share yours as well. 

      If you would like more information about our Thanksgiving Food Drive, please contact Marissa at marcaruso@centralcollision.com.

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No Kid Hungry Illinois (2012). www.nokidhungry.org
Hunger in Illinois (2012). Feeding Illinois. www.feedingillinois.org

Central Collision Center Verifies Use of OEM Airbag Components

In response to the recent concerns about counterfeit airbags, Central Collision Center would like to ensure its customers, insurance partners and local communities that vehicles repaired at any of our six locations under Central Collision ownership are not at risk.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a statement today alerting vehicle owners and repair professionals to the danger of counterfeit air bags. Consumers who purchased their vehicles new or know their entire vehicle’s history, including if an airbag was replaced, are not at risk.

Vehicles repaired at any of the six Central Collision Center locations are not risk. Our company installs strictly OEM, original equipment manufacturer, airbags during repairs. Central Collision Center also strictly uses OEM parts relating to the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), which includes seatbelts, seatbelt buckles and seatbelt retractors.

For more information on the advisory, visit www.safecar.gov. For more information about Central Collision Center, visit our website.