As the Valley braces for a weekend of scorching heat, local car experts are urging drivers to prioritize vehicle maintenance. Glen Hayward, owner of Good Works Auto Repair in Tempe, highlights the risks high temperatures pose to vehicles, particularly when routine upkeep is neglected. By focusing on preventative measures such as tire checks, filter replacements, and oil changes, drivers can avoid costly repairs and ensure their cars operate efficiently under extreme conditions.
Glen Hayward, a seasoned professional in the automotive repair industry, explains that triple-digit temperatures can severely impact a vehicle's performance. Cars exposed to direct sunlight and elevated ambient temperatures may experience overheating issues, which could lead to significant mechanical failures if not addressed early. Hayward, alongside Neighborhood Auto Repair Professionals (NARPRO), advises drivers to conduct thorough inspections of their tires, ensuring proper alignment, pressure, and condition. Additionally, regular replacement of air and oil filters is crucial for maintaining optimal engine health.
To prevent expensive repairs down the road, Hayward emphasizes the importance of proactive maintenance. He notes that investing in small fixes now, like replacing an oil filter for just a few dollars, can save thousands in potential motor replacements later. According to Hayward, these savings can amount to 70% to 80% over the vehicle's lifespan. Drivers should seek trusted professionals for their maintenance needs rather than relying on unverified advice from social media platforms.
In conclusion, preparing your car for extreme weather involves more than just basic care—it requires a strategic approach to maintenance. By following expert recommendations and prioritizing preventive actions, drivers can protect both their vehicles and wallets from the adverse effects of intense heat. Trustworthy service providers play a vital role in ensuring long-term vehicle reliability, making it essential to choose them wisely.
Submitting an obituary to the Reading Eagle is straightforward, whether done through funeral homes or directly by families. The process involves providing necessary details and verification methods while adhering to submission deadlines and payment policies. Families can send obituaries via email, ensuring they include all required information such as verification of death and personal contact details. Additionally, the newspaper sets a deadline for submissions to ensure timely publication.
The procedure encompasses not only textual content but also optional photographs. Payments must be made with a credit card after receiving a proof of the obituary, and full payment is mandatory before publication. Families interested in pricing should contact the obituary desk for further details.
How to Prepare and Send an Obituary
Families wishing to honor their loved ones through an obituary in the Reading Eagle can follow a simple yet comprehensive submission process. Begin by preparing the obituary text using formats like Word documents, Google Docs, or simply typing it into the email body. Attach any desired photographs to accompany the text. Crucially, provide a means to confirm the death, such as the funeral home's contact details or a copy of the death certificate.
To proceed, ensure that your submission includes all pertinent information: the deceased’s obituary text, relevant images, verification of death, and your personal details including full name, phone number, and address. This thorough preparation ensures smooth processing and accurate publication. Remember, these elements are vital for the newspaper to validate and publish the obituary correctly. By gathering everything beforehand, you streamline the submission process and reduce potential delays.
Understanding Deadlines and Payment Procedures
Timeliness is key when submitting an obituary to the Reading Eagle. To guarantee publication on the desired date, submissions must reach the newspaper no later than 3:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled run. This strict timeline allows the editorial team sufficient time to review and prepare the obituary for print. Moreover, payments must be processed with a credit card, ensuring a secure and efficient transaction method.
Prior to making the payment, families will receive a proof of the completed obituary for final approval. Once satisfied with the proof, full payment becomes obligatory before the obituary goes to print. For those planning ahead, obituaries can be arranged for future dates, provided they adhere to the aforementioned deadlines. Families seeking more information about costs should reach out to the obituary desk for detailed pricing insights. This structured approach helps families navigate the submission process with confidence and clarity, honoring their loved ones effectively.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is undergoing a transformation in its Compliance, Safety, and Accountability system. This initiative aims to streamline the categorization of violations, simplify severity levels, and adjust intervention thresholds. Carriers are encouraged to monitor their safety performance through the SMS Website while adapting to these upcoming changes. The new rule will mitigate the influence of isolated poor inspections on motor carriers and ensure fairness by standardizing violation severity.
In Phase II, public feedback is being solicited. Motor carriers can preview their future ratings via the CSA Prioritization Preview site. Key updates include restructured compliance categories, consolidated roadside violations, simplified severity weights, enhanced intervention thresholds, and a focus on recent infractions. These modifications aim to enhance accuracy, fairness, and relevance in assessing carrier safety.
Redefining Safety Categories for Enhanced Accuracy
The FMCSA has revamped its compliance categories to better identify unsafe driving behaviors, drug and alcohol violations, and vehicle maintenance issues. Out-of-service violations are now consistently categorized as unsafe driving breaches, regardless of their origin. Vehicle maintenance violations have been divided into observable and routine inspection categories, improving clarity and accountability.
This restructuring emphasizes pinpointing the root causes of unsafe practices and maintenance deficiencies. By focusing on carriers with higher crash rates and potentially hazardous behaviors, the FMCSA seeks to enhance overall road safety. For instance, out-of-service violations related to speeding or reckless driving will always be classified under unsafe driving. Additionally, vehicle maintenance categories now encompass both driver-observed items and deeper inspection findings, ensuring comprehensive coverage. This approach enables law enforcement and carriers to more accurately identify and address specific safety concerns.
Streamlining Violation Management and Intervention Strategies
A significant reduction in violation codes simplifies the documentation process and ensures consistency across similar infractions. Grouping violations allows carriers to concentrate on underlying safety issues rather than being overwhelmed by multiple citations. Furthermore, severity weights have been standardized, assigning values of 1 or 2 based on the nature of the infraction. This change prioritizes critical violations linked to higher crash risks.
Intervention thresholds have been recalibrated to target carriers with the highest crash rates, varying by carrier type and compliance category. For example, general carriers face thresholds between 80%-90%, while passenger carriers encounter lower thresholds of 65%-75%. Proportionate percentiles now reflect monthly performance trends, focusing solely on violations within the past 12 months. Expanding the Utilization Factor accommodates high-mileage carriers, while new segmentation enhances comparisons among similar operations. Excluding non-preventable crashes aligns with the FMCSA's core mission, fostering a safer transportation environment.