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In the state of Pennsylvania, it is perfectly legal to use your hazard lights when you are driving. Awesome! But even though it's not against the law here to have them on while on the road, you still might be using your hazard lights improperly. Some of the ways people use their hazard lights include: Driving on the highway in bad weather Going really slowly Double parking on a city street Indicating that they are pulled over Mysterious reasons These are, generally, wrong ways to use your hazards. You should be instead using them: When you are pulled over (yes this one was correct) If you are a stopped hazard Yeah. That list is a lot shorter. One reason why you shouldn’t use your hazards while actively moving is because with them on, you can’t use your turn signals. If you need to pull over, you need to use your turn signals. Instead of turning on your hazards, you should get into the furthest right lane as quickly - and safely - as you can before pulling over to the side of the road. THEN you can turn on your hazards! This is especially important in the dark, and should be coupled with any reflective hazard indicating equipment that you have, like a triangle, or even flares. If you are going really slowly, just stay in the furthest right lane. Though, if you are going slowly because of mechanical trouble, STOP DRIVING and just pull over to the side of the road to call for help. You do not want to make the problem worse by driving on it! In bad weather, the same thing applies. If the weather is so poor that you think other drivers can’t see you well without having your hazards on, you should pull over until the weather passes because that is super not safe. If you don’t think other people can see you, that probably means that you really can’t see other drivers either. In bad weather, good places to pull over are under bridges, because they’re the best shelter besides your car itself that you can get on the highway! Remember that hazards are really supposed to be emergency lights - and as such, should not be used unless it’s an emergency! Stay Safe With Fiore Volkswagen

When you live on top of a hill like I do, let me tell you, you have a very close relationship with the brakes on your car. You care deeply about them. You treat them like your child. Well, at least I do now. A few months ago, I experienced one of the scariest moments of my life. I was driving down the hill to get to work and my brakes decided that it would be a fun idea to give out while I went down the hill. I was SO FORTUNATE that no one was one the road as this nightmare was happening. No matter how hard I pressed the brakes my car would not stop. I continued careening down the hill until I remembered that my grandfather told me that the emergency brake is a separate system from the hydraulic brakes on my car. So I very carefully applied the emergency brake. It took a wee bit longer to stop, but eventually, I was able to stop. This whole experience really shook me up. Had I not known what to do, I could have been seriously hurt. I was very lucky, but not everyone is. This is why it’s so important to know what to do in case of an emergency like this. Below are the steps to follow if you find yourself in a situation where your brakes have given out. Don’t Panic Working yourself into a panic will not help you to safely stop so try your best to remain calm so that you can safely get yourself off the road. Give the Brakes Another Shot Your vehicle SHOULD have a dual braking system, which means that your front and rear brakes are controlled independently (Unless you’re behind the wheel of a classic car). For this reason, both halves of the system would have to fail for your car to totally lose all braking power. That said, half of the braking power still feels very unsafe and a bit terrifying when it happens. Try applying strong, consistent pressure to the brake pedal to see if you can slow the car down. Take Steps to Reduce Your Speed If the strong constant brake pressure doesn’t stop you or at the very least slow you down, another option is to very carefully employ the emergency brake. Another way to slow your car down is by keeping your foot off the accelerator and downshifting so that the engine can help slow the car down. If you have a manual transmission, work your way down through the gears to slow the car down. If you have an automatic transmission, taking your foot off the accelerator should cause your car to shift to lower gears as it slows down. DO NOT turn your car off before you are fully stopped. Signal for Help Once your vehicle has successfully stopped you will very likely need some assistance. If you have a vehicle like the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas with optional Roadside Assistance kit, you can use the available reflective triangles or road flares to make yourself more visible. Do your best to stay out of oncoming traffic, and avoid standing next to (or behind) your car if you can. You can also use your cell phone to call for roadside assistance. Be Safe Even it seems like the brakes are operating normally again, you may want to have them inspected by one of our professionals at Fiore Volkswagen before you try to drive it again. Have your vehicle towed to our service center so we can inspect your car and provide the necessary repairs. Keep in mind that you can also prevent problems before they start by having your car’s brake pads inspected regularly. Knowing what to do if your brakes go out could help prevent injuries and damage to your vehicle. Get Your Brakes Checked Today

I like to think that I’m very good and keeping up with my car servicing. I get my oil changed every 3,000 miles, I do the penny test with my tires to make sure they aren’t getting too worn down and even keep them nice and inflated! I take care of my car. Or at least I thought that I did. AS IT TURNS OUT I have missed one very crucial element: my windshield wiper blades. Let me tell you about how I discovered that I clearly haven’t replaced them in a while. It’s summer and already I’ve used my windshield wipers kinda a lot. There had been a lot of rain and so they were really getting a workout. One particularly lovely day, I decided to drive out to see my family. They live about 3 hours away, but it looked like a beautiful day for a drive and I hadn’t seen them in a while so off I went in my 2017 Golf Alltrack! I was ready to roll. 1 hour into my drive the skies began to turn dark. I figured it was probably just a cloud passing by. I was wrong. Not long after the skies opened up with thunder and lightning accompanied by a heavy downpour. Everything would have been fine until water was no longer getting wiped off of my windshield. I later found out that the wiper blades were torn. So, to recap, it is raining cats and dogs outside, I’m out in the middle of East Narnia nowhere attempting to visit my family, and can see nothing through my windshield. What I should have done: pulled over until the storm passed. That would have been the smart thing to do. That would have been logical. Apparently logic wasn’t something I was capable of on that day. What did I do, you might ask? I rolled down my window and stuck my head out to try to see better. So I am now driving in a monsoon on some godforsaken back road with my head out the window like a dog, STILL unable to see, but now decidedly soaked. Poor choices were made, I see that now. I eventually did have to pull over and wait out the storm. When I finally got to my parent’s house I was in quite a state. So what was the takeaway from this experience? Your wiper blades need some love and attention too. I can safely say that I’ll be checking them much more regularly. If you find yourself with torn wiper blades, stop by Fiore Volkswagen and they will be happy to help you out. Check Your Wiper Blades Today