Hit Holiday Roads Confidently With These Winter Driving Tips From Destination Kia | Albany, NY

Destination Kia wants to help you get your Kia in shape for the fall months ahead. I know, I know, you don’t want to talk about the fact that summer is coming to an end sooner than later. However, it’s important to get your vehicles into tip-top shape after a long summer of travel, which is why you should schedule a service appointment with the pros here at Destination Kia now! Just head over to our site to schedule your service appointment! But while you’re here, be sure to take a peek below and check out some helpful tips on how you can drive safer in the case of a heavy rainstorm. With fall right around the corner, heavy rain isn’t unheard of. So read more below and schedule your appointment today! Driving in heavy rain: Turn your headlights on – the Highway Code says you must use them when visibility is seriously reduced Use fog lights if you like, but switch them off when visibility improves. Leave twice as much space between you and the car in front – it takes longer to stop in the wet. If your steering feels light due to hydroplaning, ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually. If you break down don't prop the bonnet open while you wait. Rain-soaked electrics can make it harder to start the engine. Driving during floods and standing water Try to avoid standing water if you can. Don't drive into flood water that’s moving or more than 4 inches deep. Let approaching cars pass first if you are unsure of the depth Drive slowly and steadily so you don’t make a bow wave. Test your brakes as soon as you can afterward. Water can have a damaging effect on brakes, make sure they are working properly before you continue to drive Fast-moving water is very powerful: if strong enough your car could be swept away. Find an alternate route if the water is moving too fast to pass-through Watch out for: Look out for slip and trip hazards like curbs under the water. Manhole covers can get lifted and moved. Water levels can change quickly Find Your Dream Kia Here! >> https://www.destinationkia.com/searchnew.aspx

We’ve told you again and again. Kia vehicles are some of the best on the road when it comes to safety. And this week we have proof to back that up! Not only are Kia vehicles jam-packed with a variety of standard advanced safety innovations but your Kia vehicle can offer you additional add on safety innovations to help ensure a safer, more confident drive. This week we want to talk about how Kia has more vehicles with Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ ratings than any other brand on the road! Now that’s something to celebrate! And that means you’ll want to put your trust in Kia to keep your family safe. Five Kia models have received Top Safety Pick and seven models have received Top Safety Pick+. How did Kia get here? Well, once the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2020 Kia Telluride the 2019 Top Safety Pick rating, with specific headlights, Kia achieved this new distinction. In fact, the 2020 Telluride received “Good” ratings in each IIHS crashworthiness test and an “Acceptable” rating for headlights. Orth Hedrick, Executive Director, Car Planning & Technology of Kia Motors America said, “We constantly strive to build the best quality and safest vehicles possible and being the automaker with the most TSP and TSP+ ratings is ultimately gratifying.” In order to qualify for a Top Safety Pick, vehicles must earn good ratings in a variety of tests including driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint, as well as acceptable or good ratings when it comes to passenger-side small overlap front testing. Vehicles must also earn an advanced or superior rating when testing for front crash prevention in addition to an acceptable or good rating for headlights. In order to qualify for a Top Safety Pick+, vehicles are required to earn good ratings in both driver- and passenger-side small overlap front, in addition to moderate front, side, roof strength, and head restraint testing. The TSP+ requires vehicles to earn an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good rating for headlights. Ratings are strictly dependent upon specific “built after” date for each model IIHS tests. “We are extremely proud of this significant achievement,” said Hedrick. Choose Your Kia Right Here!

Driving in the spring can be a dangerous venture, especially when it’s really rainy and the roads get slick. Sure, we’ve all been through winter driving before, but there’s nothing quite like those spring rains making everything more slippery and dangerous! When the rain is coming down, those few minutes right at the beginning of the storm are the most dangerous and pose the most risk of hydroplaning. Learn how to avoid hydroplaning and what to do if you find yourself losing traction. First of all, don’t panic! When you panic, you’re a lot more likely to slam on either the brakes or the gas, and neither will help you. Hydroplaning is when your front tires lose traction, and while braking slows down your front tires it locks the rear tires and causes you to spin out. Because hydroplaning can make your vehicle spin a little anyway, accelerating when you’re losing traction makes you lose control of the direction your vehicle is going to go in. If you find this happening, look for an open spot in front of you on the road and try to gently steer your vehicle in that direction. Just like when you’re sliding on ice, don’t oversteer! Guide your vehicle in the direction you want to go without putting your foot on either the brake or the gas. Avoiding hydroplaning is easy. Don’t use your cruise control in a rainstorm, because the water on the road and the loss of traction can trick your vehicle into thinking it needs to supply more power to the wheels. This means your vehicle will try to accelerate suddenly and, well, that’s a recipe for trouble. Some preventive measures you can take to avoid hydroplaning are to make sure that your tires are in good shape and have plenty of tread. Do the penny test to make sure your tires are in great shape - the deeper your tread, the more traction you’ll have in the rain. You should also go slower than you normally would - about 1/3 of your normal speed is about right. Take care and good luck. Even though it’s technically only water falling out of the sky, rain is still dangerous in its own way! Need Service? Get It For Less!