According to the Ohio Department of Safety, there are more than 200 deaths each year in the U.S. associated with riding in the cargo area of pickup trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that pickup truck occupants are three times more likely to be involved in rollover crashes than in other types of vehicles. The largest number of vehicle fatalities and injuries are caused by rollover crashes.
Are pickups simply not as safe as cars and SUVs? It turns out that the fatality rates have little to do with a pickup’s design. They have more to do with the use of safety belts. While safety belt laws have consistently become more stringent in all 50 states over the past ten years, according to the NCSA, only 69% of occupants in pickups were wearing safety belts by June 2003, compared to 81% of passenger car occupants and 83% of SUV and van occupants. The Ohio Department of Public Safety reports that your chance of surviving a crash in a motor vehicle is 25 times higher if seatbelts are used.
Theories abound about the reason pickup truck occupants are less likely to practice seatbelt use, thus increasing their own risk. For many who are using their pickup trucks for work (hauling and farming), the drivers tend to drive short distances and get in and out of the vehicle often. Throughout the course of the day, putting the seatbelt on and taking it off could be considered cumbersome. Another theory is that some families, particularly living in rural areas, use their older model pickups as the vehicle used for family outings. Because many of these pickups do not have adequate room for all the passengers inside the cab, some of the passengers travel in the cargo area. While this is illegal in many states and restricted to speed conditions and age of the passengers in other states, it still happens.
Fortunately, newer model pickup trucks have been designed with passenger safety and convenience in mind. For example, the popular Isuzu i-290 offers a 3-passenger 60/40 split-bench front seat with integrated outboard head restraints and the Isuzu i-370 Crew Cab offers rear 3-point seatbelts and 3-point middle seatbelt for passenger protection.
Other safety features include daytime running lights and dual stage airbags.
Although finding a truck that “lasts” means it’s a quality vehicle, the problem with driving older model cars is not with their performance. Safety guidelines, for the most part, have evolved more rapidly in the past ten years than in decades previous.
Consumers and the government are holding pickup manufacturers to higher safety regulations in response to the vast number of preventable fatalities. A pickup manufactured prior to 1990 will be short many of these new safety features and simply cannot protect the safety of its occupants as well as newer pickup trucks do.
If you’re driving an older model pickup truck, you are urged to consider after-market upgrades to make your vehicle more safe for passengers, or to consider purchasing or leasing a newer model pickup.
Moving to a new house or office is a challenging task, especially if you are moving to another state. Moving truck rentals, if you get a good bargain, can make the whole process easier and help you cut down on the cost of moving.
The cost of moving truck rentals depends on a number of factors, including is the size of the truck and the distance this truck will have to cover. Some well-established companies providing moving trucks may charge a little bit higher rent. The new players in the market might offer you a lower rate. But you must consider two important factors: safety and reliability.
The bookings for a moving truck can be made online also. Online resources provide detailed information about moving truck rentals by different companies. For different locations and destinations, different rates are available. The rental costs could also depend on whether you have hired a moving truck to shift household items or are looking for a quick business delivery.
Before one finally makes a decision about the company whose truck one is going to hire, it is better to compare quotes. During peak season, the costs spike upwards. They come down during certain months of the year. This movement in moving truck rentals depends on geographical locations and climate.
The moving truck rentals should also be compared with moving trailer rentals if you require a number of trucks. As the carrying capacity of an average trailer is greater than that of an average truck, a truck rental could prove to be much costlier to you. Moving truck rentals are quite high if you want to deliver a package across international borders.
It was bound to happen. You lend your truck to a friend who says they have a couple of pieces of furniture to move and it comes back to you with scratches in the bed area of your truck. It wouldnt have been so bad had they apologized, but now you have to deal with unsightly scratches that can only make your trucks value deteriorate quicker. Had you thought about it, you would have stuck a bed liner in your truck ahead of time to prevent the problem from happening in the first place.
The above account actually happened to me as I was trying to help a young couple out with a good deed. I was warned in advance by a friend that the couple would take advantage of me and he was, unfortunately, correct. Lets just say that it was a bitter lesson learned.
Twenty years have passed and I no longer have that old F-150. My current people mover is an SUV, so I have no open area to deal with. Yet, I likely will have a pickup truck again in the near future and I have looked closely at some of the products available to owners today, particularly bed liners.
Advances in technology have brought new products on the market that either did not exist a few years ago or were too expensive for the average driver. Some of the bed liners you can purchase include:
Spray on liners. Thats right; you can have super-thick polyurethane sprayed right into the bed of your truck. At one quarter inch thick, you can receive protection from scratches or fluid and it is completely air tight. One manufacturer says this about their product, It’s scratch-resistant, slip-resistant, and really easy to clean.
Roll on liners. Similar to spray on liners, are roll on liners. Everything that I have read about roll on liners means a lot of work for the person who does the job, which typically is the trucks owner. After sweeping and cleaning the bed free of all debris, you will then need to sand the entire truck bed as well as the sides before applying the rubberized coating. The sanding forces the coating to adhere to the bed area and I must tell you that between the sanding, masking tape, rubbing alcohol, newspapers, and particle masks, this is one smelly and messy job!
Installed liners. Okay, I am biased. If it were up to me, this is the product I would purchase. Option number one is too expensive; option number two is too messy; while the third option – an installed liner — makes the most sense to me. Still, you need to be careful in this area too as some bed liners are certainly better made than others. Look for those liners that are scratch and dent resistant, waterproof, chemical proof, stain resistant, and durable, i.e. not subject to cracking, chipping, or fading.
In all, a bed liner makes perfect sense for any truck, particularly if you can put one in that covers the sides and the wheel wells. All the decent ones I have seen are nicely padded and can easily be cleaned. Learn all about the product you want before making a decision to buy.
Cars and trucks built before about 1935 came on wire spoke wheels with small metal caps installed to seal the wheel hub on the axle. Those early “HUBcaps” were smaller than 3″ in diameter, made of heavy gauge plated steel hammered onto the hub of the wheel. Their main function was to keep dirt out of the spindle nut and the wheel bearings.
In the 1930s, automobiles transitioned from mere modes of transportation to statements of status and style. Hubcaps became more decorative than functional. The dog dish style was born, chrome hemispheres 9 inches in diameter, covering the lug nuts and the center of the wheel. About the same time, wheel technology advanced and spoke wheels were replaced by wheels formed from stamped steel.
In the 40s, Cadillac lead the pack in adding sparkling chrome by the acre: bumpers, grills, trim lines, window borders, hood ornaments, hood vents, headlights, running boards, etc. Increasing the size of the chrome hubcaps added reflective surface.
By the 50s, hubcap diameters increased to the point they covered the entire steel wheel with chrome. Many of this period were flat rounds looking like chrome Frisbees, with little design differentiation. It was during this time the term wheel cover came into use.
Over the last 50 years, the terms hubcaps and wheel covers have become synonymous as the lightweight, full-diameter decorative coverings of standard steel wheels.
One of the hallmarks of modern hubcaps is their interchangeability. Nearly any hubcap of the correct size will fit any standard steel wheel that will take a hubcap. This means that changing styles is very easy. We are not limited to those styles designed by our particular auto manufacturer.
If you would like to read this article with pictures of classic cars that illustrate the examples given, go to http:www.autoamenity.comFAQHubcap-Wheelcover.htm
I have been enjoying reading the news these past few days, perhaps in a perverse sort of way. Pundits and prognosticators are all forecasting the pending doom of the worlds largest automaker as if the approaching layoffs and restructuring are signaling the venerable automakers end. Certainly, GM has some problems big ones but the company isnt likely to go away or even file for bankruptcy. The news isnt all that it seems to be on this subject eitherGM will survive and likely thrive in the decades ahead.
Okay, I am not crazy. Could GM go away? Of course, as could any poorly managed company. Yes, executives are overpaid and so are union workers. ThereI said it. GM has been taking it on the chin from Asian automakers for three decades now and their U.S. market share continues to dwindle. Still, it isnt doomsday for the general. Far from it. Here are some things that I believe GM is attempting to do to as they restructure.
Reduced Legacy Costs GM won an important battle with its unions to force workers and retirees to pony up more money for their share of rising healthcare costs. Before you cry foul most Americans are paying heavily for their health insurance, while most autoworkers pay little or nothing. Reportedly, GMs legacy costs add 1500 to the price of every vehicle. Hardly a way for any company to compete, right?
Divisional Trimming GM axed Oldsmobile and is, supposedly, looking at whether Pontiac or Buick should go next. Saturn looks safe, primarily because of the divisions excellent dealer network while Chevrolet is the household name for so many car owners and is, therefore, untouchable. Cadillac is once again doing well and is competing effectively against Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Infiniti. Cadillac easily outsells rival Lincoln more than 2 to 1.
Captive Imports I mentioned in a related article that Chinas Chery Automotive Company will be importing a line of vehicles to the US commencing in Summer 2007. With a starting price as low as 6995, there is no way that GM can compete with them. Neither can Ford, Toyota, Honda, or Nissan for that matter. So, what is the option? Import one or two ultra low priced lines of cars from Korea via the companys Daewoo division. Currently, the 9995 Chevy Aveo is the low price king in the US. This Daewoo built model is being overhauled and the new model should arrive in the US in about one year. Expect the price to drop as GM prepares for Cherys onslaught. Expect GM to pressure their unions for further give backs as American highways are soon flooded with cheap Chinese imports.
Operational Spread — The US auto market is the most lucrative in the world. Expect GM to strengthen luxury brands including Cadillac and Hummer as many of these vehicles bring in profits of ten thousand pounds or more per vehicle. Gas prices are coming down and Americas thirst for profitable trucks and SUVs has hardly been quenched. Still, look for GM to do a few hybrids, add some more diesels, and continue researching hydrogen production.
Union members should be alarmed by all these looming changes. Cutbacks will happen but they will only be wider and deeper if union opposition remains so strong. Yes, the unions could kill off the general, but that would be suicide for the workers. Better to pick whatever battles you can win and hope for the best.
The general isnt dead and it hardly is dying despite everything you read and hear [personally, I believe GM is beating the were getting clobbered drum to squeeze out more give backs from the unions]. Globalism is changing the way business is done and it would do all of us good to wake up to that factlike it or not.
