On this episode of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, the first half tackles real-world issues—from new-car tech overwhelm to a GMC Denali folding-mirror diagnosis, plus maintenance advice for a 2016 F-250 and a Chevy Trax fuel-fill vent problem.
In the second half, IIHS’s Dr. Jessica Jermakian breaks down Child Passenger Safety Week: rear-facing timelines, why kids belong in the back seat to age 12, proper restraint selection/installation, modeling safe driving, and what to do if your airbag light is on—along with trusted resources at www.IIHS.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to Ron and Nanian The Car Doctor, nationally
recognized auto expert trusted by Mechanics, Weekend wrenchers and vehicle
owners alike. Ron brings over forty years of hands on
experience and deep industry insight to help you understand your vehicle.
Join the Conversation live every Saturday from two to four
pm Eastern by calling eight five to five five six
zero nine nine zero zero. That's a five to five
(00:25):
five six zero ninety nine hundred, your direct line to
honest answers and practical advice. Looking for more, visit cardoctorshow
dot com for past episodes, repair tips, and Ron's latest insights,
and be sure to subscribe to the Car Doctor YouTube
channel for exclusive videos, real repair footage and more. Now
start your enginies. The Car Doctor is in the garage
(00:47):
and ready to take your call.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hey, we've got a fun hour coming up for you
here on Car Doctor Radio. We're gonna talk to all
of you for the first tilf and then second half.
We've got doctor Jessica jermakiin in the green room as
it is, she is going to be here to talk
to us about the Insurance Institute for Highway safety and
how they've got this week is you know, National Car
Care or National Child Safety Week for your car and
(01:12):
we're going to talk about some of the dues and
don'ts and off air, I share my rice peelof recipe
with her, so you know, naturally won ar Menion to
the next we kind of go over that and we
talk about what it's like to be you know, Oarmenion.
It was a good interview. We had some fun. But
right now, when I answer all your questions before we
go to that, and doctor Jessica will sit tight eight
(01:35):
five five five six zero nine nine zero zeros the
phone number. Let's go to Devin Wisconsin, who's gonna tell
us about her car buying so far? What's going on, Dev?
How are you well?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Hi?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Ron?
Speaker 4 (01:47):
I ended up getting a car, but it was quite
a process for me. It was it was like going
from Flintstones to the Jetsons from my two thousand and
five Eddie that I called you about, ye and I made.
I tried out a lot of different cars, like you
told me, and I was so overwhelmed with the technology
(02:09):
and how different the cars were, and none of them
drove like my Explorer, my old Explorer did right. And
it got to the point where I go into the
garage and they knew me my first name, the salesman did,
but they were all nice to me. I ended up
going in one time and they had a twenty twenty
(02:31):
three Explorer and I drove it and I thought, well,
this is logical, go from one Explorer to the other, right, ye,
And I got it, and it just it was not
the right car for me.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
It was too big, luxury up.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
The gazooland way overboard with tech for me. I mean
three different ways to open the powerless Kate. I never
sk I just I was going in every week for
a lesson, you know this, all this tech stuff. And
finally the last time I went in a couple of
weeks ago, I looked at the guy. He brought up
(03:07):
this this computer thing that you push a button on
the steering wheel and it brought up on the on
your day. I'sh all this, oh man, I can't even
describe it to you. And I looked at him and
I said, I can't do this anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Did you did you have a did you have a
did the dealership have a what's their title? I think
they're technology experts where after you purchase the car, they
sit there for an hour, hour and a half and
they explain all the features and what the car does
and how this works and how that works, and and
and you know, if you have any questions, call this number.
I've seen this in some of the dealerships. The cars
(03:44):
are so overwhelming with technology today. And if you come
back on Tuesday nights, we're serving cookie and coffee and
we're going to have all of you line up and
explain to us how to We're going to explain how
to do this and how to do that. And that's
why I said to you, Deb, That's why I said,
you're going from a two thousand and five, you know,
explore to anything in the last five years, never mind
(04:05):
the last ten years, just the last five years. It's overwhelming.
It's Ripe Brothers to Space Shuttle, and it's it's a
ton of technology. And did you drive the car day
en night? Did you actually pick a car? Do you
finally have a car yet?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I mean, Ron, it was so bad. The first time
I got in a new car, they handed me a
fob and I'm sitting there looking for the key and
there's no key on it, and I didn't want to
be stupid. Finally, the guy said let's go, and I go.
I don't know how to start it. I got joking
so well anyway, I went back and I thought, oh
(04:41):
my god, I'm really going to get excuse my friend
screwed it over here returning this car and getting another one.
I mean, I'm at their mercy right right. And I
had no problems doing it.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
They were just so.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Kind and nice to me I ended up getting and
I just love the car. That Explorer was too big
for me too. I didn't even know where I was
the road between the right lines.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I mean, it was just and did you find did
you find driving the car at night and then during
the day was just a totally different experience, a totally
different animal.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
I didn't like any of the after I the lawn
ride drove it the worst. I hated the car. And
nothing personal against the Explorers or cars.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
It just wasn't just wasn't for you.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
And you know and that stuff. I think. I think
that's the point of this, StEB that buying that new car,
if it's if it's more than five years since you
last purchased a car, it now becomes it's a lot
of work and it's not something and I think to
be fair to yourself. And we'll leave it here because
we've got calls. But and I always appreciate hearing from you.
You know that. But I think I think the takeaway
(05:42):
for everybody is, if you're buying a new car and
it's you're driving something older than five to seven years,
you've really got to allow time to go and have
this experience.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Right, Yeah, I did. I went on and on and on.
I ended up getting a brand new twenty twenty six
debby Equinox RS. And I just love it.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
That'd be always nice, always a pleasure. You enjoy your car.
You call us along the way, let us know how
things are going.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
I will thank you for your house.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
You're very welcome anytime. Let's go over and talk to
Matthew and Florida and see what's going on here. Matthew,
what's going on?
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Hey? How are you going wrong?
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Right?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Tell them thanks for checking my call.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Welcome out.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
I've got a twenty twenty gmc Denali twenty five and
the passenger side mirror won't fold in. It moves about
an inch and it stops. You know, when you hit
the button, and it's intermittent because like today is a
(06:46):
matter of fact, that's why I decided to call you today.
It works, and it hasn't worked for probably three weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Okay, So they both.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Extend right the way they're supposed to. And when that
comes in and stops for about an inch, when you
hit it the button again to bring them out, it
comes out fine. It just for some reason it just
won't go.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
So the next time it doesn't work, it's gonna sound
silly at first. All right, I'd want to know can
I talk to that mirror with a scan tool? I
want to know, Actually, I want to look at a
wiring diagram. Are these mirrors on the network?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Because you know, is this if they're on the network,
meaning that they are controlled through the network. I'll put
it into a different kind of language. Is this a
bad computer on the network where I've got a communication fault?
I can't tell it to fold? Or do I just
(07:49):
do I have power and ground? Do I have a
bad mirror? Do I have a mirror that's jamming internally?
It's not it's not impossible for it to be a mirror,
but it's a little early in its life, right, because
when you when you think about it, how many you know,
how many times do you actually fold that mirror once
(08:09):
a day? Are they auto folding mirrors every time you
lock the car? You have to manually do it?
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Well, I have the button on the driver's side.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Arm wress right, arm wress, but.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I can hold If I press and hold the remote, they.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Will fold right right. But you know how often do
you fold the mirrors? I'm just trying to make it.
I'm just I'm trying to see something there.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I don't. I don't. I've only owned the truck a
little bit less than a year, and I'm like, well,
you know, you know how little things and they start
to pile up.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, no, no, I one hundred percent. Listen. If it
was mine, I would want it fixed one hundred percent
because it's annoying. I understand that. Listen. I've got a
customer with an eight JP s R T eight and
Stevie is fanatical and I love him for it and
I hate him for it at the same time. It
makes me a little crazy. But and I can say
(09:06):
that to him because we've got a great relationship. Right now,
we're trying to find an ac heater control head because
one bulb is burned out, and when he's driving around
there's this dark, dark spot in the middle of the
control head and you know, and he keeps looking and
I go, I understand, Steve, I really do. So you
know what, Maddie. I get where you're coming from. But
(09:26):
i'd i'd be curious. Do we have any fault codes?
Are we on the network?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Is this stret I don't know if this says anything
to do with that. You brought that up, So I
do have a fault code that I clear with my
uh my OBD two.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well ob D ob D two won't be getting into this.
Ob D two is only going to bring up a
an emissions related fault.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Oh god, I'm glad you said, because that's what the
engine light will come on. And of course they won't
let you start it through the app or anything like that. Right,
go on, go on my way. I want to do
that will be once a month. I haven't really delved
into that yet.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yeah, you're gonna have to in order to in order
to you know, look at a a presentation of fault
codes here. It's you've got to go in through year,
make model, all right, unless and unless now there are
some GM packages where believe it or not, the ambient
(10:28):
air temp sensor for the diesel is is located in
the right side mirror. So I just want to mention
that too, uh, you know, and here we are right.
It's it's it seems so simple, and we'll leave it here.
It seems so simple. We've got to understand how the
(10:48):
circuit works. We've got to look at a wiring diagram,
We've got to pull codes. Is it on the network
or not? Is this a network communication fault or is
this a failure of the motor of the mirror assembly?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
And unfortunately for me, because I listened to your show
quite a bit, and I consider myself fortunate because the
last two trucks I've owned, the dealership that I bought
them from, I decided to myself, I'm not doing anything
but replacing white for blades. These guys can handle everything right,
So I take it up there for oil chains. They
(11:20):
rotate the tires, they relearn the tires, and they're really
trustworthy there. The company's better around forever. I really like them.
So you know, whatever they tell me, I.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Know what dealership is it. Let's give them a shout.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Out it's a Starling or yeah, Starling Buick and Stuart Florida.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Cool. All right, he listen, I gotta run, Maddie. You
let me know what happens. You'll me know what the
boys over at Starling Buick say. We'll go from there.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
All right, Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
You're very welcome, sir, anytime, You're very welcome. I'm running
ady in the car. Doctor. I'll be back right after this. Hey,
Tom what are you you? What are you doing tomorrow?
You know it's it's the weekend. Do you have any
plans cutting the grassh Yeah, I'm gonna be doing I'm
actually gonna be waxing the hot rod because next weekend. Well,
(12:12):
since we don't have football teams in New York here anymore,
it seems like they've been banned.
Speaker 6 (12:17):
Well, the Giants, who are a supposed football team, are
actually playing tomorrow night. Oh well we get to have
we get to be killed by Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Well, i'll tell you what, I'll come up. I'll take
you out for pizza so we don't have to watch
the game. But I'm actually gonna be washing wax the
hot rod tomorrow because next Saturday the twenty seventh. I
think that is. Let me look at the calendar on
the wall. Yep, that's twenty seventh. We're going on remote.
I forgot to tell you we're gonna be live out
of the studio, so you have to pack up all
this stuff.
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Wait wait, wait, wait wait, we have to take you
out of the studio in public.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Work for taking you out of the studio in public.
But you got to bring all the equipment loaded into
your car. And we're going to the Passaic County Wallish Homestead,
the Wallash Home that up there at the top of
it in West Milford, and the Passaic County Sheriff's PBA
two eighty six I believe it is, is putting on
their annual car show. We've been invited to come up
(13:09):
there and do a live broadcast, So we're gonna have
to show the world how smart we are or not.
I haven't decided which, you know, so just just be aware.
That's next weekend, the twenty seventh. If you're in New Jersey,
if you're in the area, we'd love to see you.
Guys will get up there about ten o'clock. The live
broadcast will begin at two, like it does here in
the studio two to four next week, and I'll have
(13:30):
Black with me. She'll be sitting next to the booth,
and Tom will be with me. And I think Research
Kathy is coming, and I think Dynamic Dan or Daniel
Son as we've come to call him, we'll be there
with his Z twenty eight and the whole host of characters.
No chance, but I'm going to try and bend carpenter
Bob's here to I don't know he shouldn't be out
in public, but that's a whole other conversation for another well.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
You know.
Speaker 6 (13:52):
And I'll be lining up my stuff to take tomorrow.
What nice paper bag do you wear?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Well? Extra extra large only if I'm getting the questions right. So,
but that's next weekend, just to make everybody aware, and
we look forward to seeing our fans up there, and
it's it's always a good time anytime we get out
of studio, and it's just going to be kind of neat.
You'll hear me coming about twenty miles away. So I'm
going to do this email before we get to At
(14:17):
the bottom of the hour, Doctor jamakiins in the waiting
room there in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Aloha, Ron,
So you know who this comes from. This comes to
us from our buddy Walter and Hawaii. I just got
this truck twenty sixteen f TWOT fifty six point two
liter super Duty. I'm going to change the transfer case
and the differential fluid. Should I change the transfluid? All? Also,
(14:38):
I've read both to change and not to change Walter
and MAUI. I agree with the dips in the transfer case. Walter,
and you know if you can get to the transmission fluid. Yes,
here's going to be the catch, which trans is this
doesn't have a dipstick. How hard is this fluid to change?
I don't recall seeing too many four pickup trucks in
(14:58):
the last ten years with dips. I don't even think
about it anymore and keep track because most of them
have a you know, short little dipstick tube out the
right side of the case where you have to be
up in the air and put your hand up real
close to the nice hot catalytic converter and you know,
burn yourself. That's how you know you're in the right
proximity location and you have to undo the cap. So
(15:20):
make sure before you change this pan or lower this
pan that you can actually, you know, put fluid back in.
It's not easy, especially on the ground, so make sure
you've got the clearance and the days of the do
it yourself stuff like this are just on life support.
I don't see this going on forever. So the question
to Walter is yes, I think you should change the
(15:41):
trans fluid. The question is can you not based on
your mechanical ability, but how difficult this ford make it?
And from what I've seen, it's probably pretty difficult. It's
never easy. Michael writes, and hey, Ron, I've got a
twenty twenty two Chevy Tracks and my girlfriend is having
problems with Oh, my sister, I'm sorry, I apologize. My
(16:02):
sister is having problems with the twenty two Chevy Tracks
having fuel system missions when you try fueling it with
a fuel tank around hairfull. Or mechanic is having difficulty
diagnosing the problem. You know, this is a pretty simple
thing to diagnose, Michael. It's what you have to think about,
is I want you to You know, if you take
a can of liquid and put a hole in one side,
(16:24):
try pouring the liquid out. You can't do it right.
You always have to put a relief hole on the
other side. Well, if you were to fill that can
once you emptied it with only one hole, it would
be the same thing without a vent to allow pressure
to escape. As you filled it with liquid, it would
bubble and flare, and if it was a fuel pump
with a safety shut off, it would kick it off.
(16:47):
So you know, part of the diagnosis here is is
the vent or the charcoal canister restricted or blocked, and
it becomes a case of tracing it out, finding the
vent line, disconnecting it so that it doesn't run through
the electrically controlled or computer controlled vent. It just vents.
It's open all the time. If you can fill the
(17:09):
tank that way, then you know you're down to either
the vent is having an issue or the canister and
you can kind of pin down your diagnosis from there.
Not the most difficult thing in the world to really diagnose,
as long as you know, we've got some time and
we can, you know, kind of play with things a
little bit.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I don't know if I'm gonna get this next one.
And this comes to us from Mark. I'll do this,
you know what, I'll do this a different day. This
one comes to us from Mark about his he wants
to talk about maintenance on a Subaru. I do want
to say that Mark's title. He's an Oil and Gas
Chemical Services octane engine technician for SGS North America. I
got to talk to this guy. We could have fun
(17:47):
with him, so but that isn't what we're going to do.
We'll do that next time. Coming up next doctor Jessica Jermakian, Hey,
you know next week's child Safety Seat Are you ready?
Are you taking care of your kid and put him
in the car correctly? All the answers coming up right
after the yes, Hey, you know what next week is?
(18:07):
Welcome back, by the way. Next week is September twenty
one through the twenty seventh is Child Passenger Safety Week.
And this is a subject near and dear to my heart.
You know a grandpa now right, two grandchildren, and I
always look at the how car seats are set up
in vehicles that come into the shop, and I wonder
if they're set up right. And I see some goofy
things that parents do, and I thought to get Child
(18:29):
Passenger Safety Week off to a great start. We've reached
out to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They're based
out of Virginia, and here to talk about it is
doctor Jessica Jermonkian Armenian. Sort of we've established that, right, doctor, Yes.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Sort of.
Speaker 7 (18:46):
I'm married into the name, right, so, and.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
In all fairness, right, I've given you the briefing on.
I'll give you my pilloff recipe after the interview, so
you'll be all set. So tell us about the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety and where is it and what
is it exactly that you folks do.
Speaker 7 (19:04):
Yeah, sure, So the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We're
located in Virginia. We have our Vehicle Research Center, which
is where we crash vehicles and do tests on vehicles
out on our track. We're funded solely by auto insurers
and our mission is to reduce property damage, injury and
(19:30):
fatalities in crashes, so keeping our roads safer. And we
do that through research and communications. Many people know us
through our vehicle ratings program, where we rate vehicles on
how safe they are.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
So you'll look at you'll look at vehicles, you'll look
at you know, how it crashes, and then rate it
and say, well, this vehicle is a seven, and this
vehicle is a six and so on and so forth.
Speaker 7 (19:54):
Something like that, a little bit more like this. This
is good, this is marginal, this is poor performance, and
we have we bundle all of our awards, all of
our ratings, into an award that we call Top Safety Pick.
So if you hear that on advertising, that that comes
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But it's important
(20:16):
to remember that we do a lot of work across
the whole spectrum of traffic safety, not just focused on vehicles,
but we also look at infrastructure, driver behavior, you know, pedestrian, cyclists,
all of it.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
So if I've put my kid in a top rated
safe vehicle, why do I need to use a child restraint?
Speaker 7 (20:38):
Well, putting them in a top rated safe vehicle is
a good first start. But the thing is vehicle seats
and restraint systems are designed for adults and kids are smaller.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
They're the adults.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Restraint systems don't fit them, and not only are they smaller,
but they also don't have the same proportions and they
aren't they aren't fully developed, and so they need They
have special needs throughout different parts of their life. So
we know how to protect kids and crashes, but they
do need special equipment in certain parts of their of
(21:12):
their development to make sure they're getting the best protection
in a crash.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
So, doctor Jimonkin, you know, when we look at this,
we're if I'm a parent, if I'm a new parent,
and I'm trying to you know, set my child up.
I want to start driving with them. You know, what
are the top things parents need to keep in mind
when they're using either a child restraint or a booster seat.
You know, how do I keep my kids safe in
a car when I'm picking out these things?
Speaker 7 (21:36):
Well, so the most important thing is to make sure
your child is buckled up on every on every trip,
no matter how short. Then we really want kids to
be in the right seat for their agent size. So,
as I mentioned before, children are in different child restraint
types throughout their you know, from infancy up until they
(21:58):
are able to use the adult belts, and those needs
change during that time. So we want to make sure
that the child is in the right seat for their
agent size. And then we of course want to make
sure that they're snugly restrained in that child safety seat,
so with the harnessed snug or the vehicle belt snug.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So you know, is some of this a conversation about
how much does the child weigh, how big is the
child tall? Not just necessarily wait and then there's got
to be a conversation in here. At some point we
turn the child from facing rear to facing forward, which
is you know, that's kind of like we made potty training.
That's like a big deal, right, you know, And how
(22:41):
do we go through all that exactly? Yeah, how do
we go through all that exactly?
Speaker 7 (22:45):
Well, So the youngest kids, we need them to be
rear facing and ideally until they reach the height or
weight limit of the seat, but we need them to
be rear facing at least until age two. The car
seat shell spreads those forces, those crash forces across their
body and head and protects their undeveloped necks in the
(23:08):
in the event of a crash. So it's really important.
The fact is we'd all be safer rear.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Facing, but.
Speaker 7 (23:16):
We need those youngest kids because they have those less
developed next and their heads are proportionally very large, and
that could put a lot of forces on the neck
in the event of a crash. So it's parents shouldn't
be in a rush to turn their kids forward facing.
They should keep them rear facing. For as long as
as possible, and.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
They should keep them in the back seat, right, you know,
I see I see some parents. Well I want to
you know, I want to keep my eye on the baby,
so I put the baby in the cars in the
seat next to me, you know, not thinking about in
the event, God forbid of an accident the airbag goes off.
Speaker 7 (23:49):
Yes, it's very important that kids remain in the back seat,
especially absolutely for rear facing kids. When when airbags first
came out in the mid nineties, we had lots of
tragedies of where children were in the front seats and
were injured or killed by deploying airbags, and so we
had a very successful education campaign and getting parents to
(24:12):
understand that they need to keep their kids in the
back So that recommendation still holds. We want kids twelve
and under to still be in the back seat. The
good news is that airbags have changed a lot since
the mid nineties, so we do have some protections in
place in the front seat to make them more friendly
(24:34):
when maybe occupants are not in a great initial position.
But the evidence still shows that kids are still safest
in the back seat.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
So listen, I'm gonna you know, I'm a parent, and
I want to sit and I want to talk to
my kid. He's ten years old. We're we're gonna go,
we're gonna go fishing this morning. We're gonna I'm gonna
put him in front of the pickup truck next to me,
and I can turn my earbag off. How big of
a does is that? How many things am I doing
wrong there? Even though he's in a seat belt and
now he's got no air Now he's got no air bag.
(25:07):
How big of a problem is that? Doctor?
Speaker 7 (25:09):
Yeah, So one of the reasons we recommend kids twelve
and undersit in the back seat is it's not just
about age and size, but it's also about maturity. And
we want to make sure that kids can sit in
that seat in front of the air bag, sit with
you know, all the way back in the seat, and
not get themselves in a position where they could interact
with a deploying air bag. So it's really important that
(25:31):
kids younger twelve and younger stay in the back seat.
And you know, I know you want to talk to
I know you want to talk to your kids going
on the fishing trip, but you can do that right
in the you know, right from front seat to back.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Seat, right through the rear view mirror. And it's just
because I see it's that to me is one of
the biggest sources of tragedy. I can't tell you how
many cars come through the shop, and I know they
don't come through it a second time because I scold
him enough the first time. Take the seat and put
it beyond an you don't need to do that, because
I don't think people understand the exploding force of an
(26:05):
air bag and how that's like a shotgun blast going
off in your face to a to a large degree,
so to a child, that can be that can be fatal, you.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
Know, yeah, And it's it's really important that all of
us stay away front. Like if we're sitting in an
appropriate position in you know, in either the driver's seat
or the front passenger seat, we are in a good
position in the event of a crash, you know, the
airbag will deploy and we will move into it. The
problem comes when people get.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Too close to it when it deploys.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Right right, doctor, doctor Jamaican, I'm run an Anie in
the car. Doctor and I will both be back right
after this. Doctor, you can stick around. I'm sorry, I
should have asked that before. I assumed, right, you can
stick around a couple of minutes.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Happy to stick around.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Thank you so much. Let's pull over. Take the pause.
I'm running ani in the car. Doctor, I'll be back
right after this. Hey, it's us. We came back ron
and eding the car. Doctor. I'm here with doctor Jimonkin
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We're talking about
how next week is Child Passenger Safety Week, but we
like to think of Child Passenger Safety Week as every week, right.
Speaker 7 (27:11):
Doctor, Absolutely, but it is nice to have a week
that reminds us that we should be thinking about, you know,
restraining our kids on every trip and buckling up ourselves right.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
And being safe in the car because it is a
two ton projectile going down the road at sixty five
seventy miles an hour. You know. Now, I remember as
a kid, my dad had a rug story. He had
a sixty three Ford Galaxy station wagon, you know, one
of those things with the everything was metal inside the car,
and you know, I'm going to the airport, jumping the
(27:43):
back of the car and Dad would drive in. My
brother and I we'd roll around in the back of
the station wagon loose. How dangerous. Was you know, our
kids safer today or was it okay because that car
was made more out of metal?
Speaker 7 (27:59):
No, lucky, you were lucky that you didn't have any
serious crashes in that situation. But kids are safer today
than they've ever been. Kids, child deaths and crashes have
been cut in half in the last twenty years for
and that's for a few reasons. Cars are safer for everyone.
We already talked about that. And more kids are in
(28:20):
child restraints than ever before. That is a big success story.
We've had good education campaigns, we've had stricter laws that
have been effective. But we know that parents want to
keep their kids safe.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
So we want to.
Speaker 7 (28:35):
Give the parents tools to and the information they need
to best protect their kids in a crash.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Right, is there a way? And obviously the first way
to set a good example for their kids. Parents shouldn't
let them roll around in the back of a sixty
three Ford Galaxy station Wagon. But is there things that
parents can do today, you know, to show their kids, Hey,
this is car safety. This is what you need to do.
Speaker 7 (28:57):
Well. Yeah, of course your kids are always watching you,
so it's good to model good safe behavior in the car.
It starts, of course with buckling up on every trip,
but it also extends to things like distractions or staying
off your cell phone, being a generally being a safe driver.
And it's important to remember that while your kids are
young now, they will grow into teens who drive, and
(29:21):
they're watching you and learning how to drive safely. Another
thing that I like to tell parents is that safety
is non negotiable, Like you can negotiate some things like
meal times and bedtimes, but safety is not negotiable, and
so it's important to hold that line that it's important
(29:42):
that we'd be safe in the vehicle.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
You only get one chance to not have the accident.
I like to think that you know that one moment
to be safe. So besides setting the good example, besides
putting them in restraints and booster seats and so forth,
and doing all those right things. Other comments other ideas
keeping their kids safe both in and around cars.
Speaker 7 (30:03):
Well, of course, the most important is to buckle up
on every trip in the right restraint for their age
and size, tightly secured in the vehicle and the child
in the child restraint. But also kids are out and
about their pedestrians, their cyclists, and so important things to
remember always wear a helmet when cycling, you know, practice
(30:24):
safe walking, follow the rules of the road as a pedestrian,
don't dart out into the road. Also really important to
be aware of where your children are relatives to your
car when you move it.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
There are so.
Speaker 7 (30:36):
Many tragedies with kids getting into cars, whether being left
in cars or getting in them themselves. So keep cars
locked so kids don't enter when you're not around.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Right, Jessica, I've got two comments in our last minute.
One react to this the parents driving a car the
airbag lights on, which means the airbag won't work in
an accident fifteen seconds or less. What are your thoughts?
How would you address that? What's so bad about that?
Speaker 7 (31:03):
Well, airbags are important protection for people in the vehicle,
and so if your airbag light is on, I would
suggest you call your mechanic well.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Because isn't it so that you know just the the
crush zone, the protection zone of the vehicle is designed
to work with an airbag and without it. Now we're
losing safety effect of.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
This now absolutely yep.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Okay, where can the listeners go get more information? I
think there's a bunch of website and resources out there.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
For him.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
We have lots of information on our website how things
like how to pick the right seat, how to install it,
how to know when to move from one restraint to
the next. You can find that information on our website
at IIHS dot org slash kids. We also have great
information for teen drivers and parents.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Of teen drivers cool beings. Well, we're going to get
you back. I want to talk about we were talking
before offf air about picking a car for your teenager,
so that's going to be a future conversation between you
and I. Doctor Jamakiino is an absolute pleasure. I appreciate
the time, and you're always welcome. Back to the Car.
Speaker 7 (32:03):
Doctor, you'd be well, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
You're very welcome. I'm ronning any and the Car Doctor.
I'll be back right after this. Thank you again to
doctor Jermakian and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and
all that they're trying to do to raise or awareness.
The road is a very unforgiving place and I think
of this all the time. And you're strapping a child
(32:26):
into that vehicle. Make sure the child is safe, make
sure the car seat is approved. There are resources, there
are places that you can go to get more information,
what's the best car seat, what's the best way to
put it in? And I can't emphasize enough the conversation
that we had with regards to when do you turn
the child forward and when do you allow them to
(32:47):
sit in the front seat, because I see it every
day in the shop. I see the mistakes the parents
are making. And you know, one of the things we
didn't talk about, and it occurred to me during the
pause over the last break that you know, I have
to ask her we're going to have her back again.
I have to talk to her about how safe a
vehicles where there's loose stuff in there, you know, do
(33:09):
the do the things on the back shelfs of cars
become projectiles in the event of an accident. And the
debris that seems to be collected in vehicles today because
it seems like we travel with a lot of junk
in our cars, and I wonder if that has any
effect on safety, and you know, becomes a danger in
the event of an accident. But for now, we'll focus
(33:30):
on child safety car Seat Week coming up next week,
and like she said, more information out at the website
IIHS dot org and you can see everything that they're
doing in terms of, you know, keeping us better informed
and keeping us safe. You know about on the road
and how to do things, and it's very easy to
see the danger of the road. It really is. Just
(33:52):
go travel any interstate, try and do the speed limit,
try and stay out of the way of everybody that's
driving kind of crazy. So don't be one of them.
Let's be safe and like I say, let's arrive alive. Boy,
there's a saying from the past. So but anyway, again,
thank you to doctor Jermakian and the Insurance Institute for
(34:13):
Highway Safety. I'm running ady in the car doctor, until
the next time. Good mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. See you.
You're listening to Ron and Nanian The Car Doctor, nationally
recognized auto expert trusted by Mechanics, Weekend wrenchers and vehicle
owners alike. Ron brings over forty years of hands on
experience and deep industry insight to help you understand your vehicle.
Join the Conversation live every Saturday from two to four
pm Eastern by calling eight five to five five six
zero nine nine zero zero. That's a five to five
(00:25):
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and be sure to subscribe to the Car Doctor YouTube
channel for exclusive videos, real repair footage and more. Now
start your enginies. The Car Doctor is in the garage
(00:47):
and ready to take your call.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hey, we've got a fun hour coming up for you
here on Car Doctor Radio. We're gonna talk to all
of you for the first tilf and then second half.
We've got doctor Jessica jermakiin in the green room as
it is, she is going to be here to talk
to us about the Insurance Institute for Highway safety and
how they've got this week is you know, National Car
Care or National Child Safety Week for your car and
(01:12):
we're going to talk about some of the dues and
don'ts and off air, I share my rice peelof recipe
with her, so you know, naturally won ar Menion to
the next we kind of go over that and we
talk about what it's like to be you know, Oarmenion.
It was a good interview. We had some fun. But
right now, when I answer all your questions before we
go to that, and doctor Jessica will sit tight eight
(01:35):
five five five six zero nine nine zero zeros the
phone number. Let's go to Devin Wisconsin, who's gonna tell
us about her car buying so far? What's going on, Dev?
How are you well?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Hi?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Ron?
Speaker 4 (01:47):
I ended up getting a car, but it was quite
a process for me. It was it was like going
from Flintstones to the Jetsons from my two thousand and
five Eddie that I called you about, ye and I made.
I tried out a lot of different cars, like you
told me, and I was so overwhelmed with the technology
(02:09):
and how different the cars were, and none of them
drove like my Explorer, my old Explorer did right. And
it got to the point where I go into the
garage and they knew me my first name, the salesman did,
but they were all nice to me. I ended up
going in one time and they had a twenty twenty
(02:31):
three Explorer and I drove it and I thought, well,
this is logical, go from one Explorer to the other, right, ye,
And I got it, and it just it was not
the right car for me.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
It was too big, luxury up.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
The gazooland way overboard with tech for me. I mean
three different ways to open the powerless Kate. I never
sk I just I was going in every week for
a lesson, you know this, all this tech stuff. And
finally the last time I went in a couple of
weeks ago, I looked at the guy. He brought up
(03:07):
this this computer thing that you push a button on
the steering wheel and it brought up on the on
your day. I'sh all this, oh man, I can't even
describe it to you. And I looked at him and
I said, I can't do this anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Did you did you have a did you have a
did the dealership have a what's their title? I think
they're technology experts where after you purchase the car, they
sit there for an hour, hour and a half and
they explain all the features and what the car does
and how this works and how that works, and and
and you know, if you have any questions, call this number.
I've seen this in some of the dealerships. The cars
(03:44):
are so overwhelming with technology today. And if you come
back on Tuesday nights, we're serving cookie and coffee and
we're going to have all of you line up and
explain to us how to We're going to explain how
to do this and how to do that. And that's
why I said to you, Deb, That's why I said,
you're going from a two thousand and five, you know,
explore to anything in the last five years, never mind
(04:05):
the last ten years, just the last five years. It's overwhelming.
It's Ripe Brothers to Space Shuttle, and it's it's a
ton of technology. And did you drive the car day
en night? Did you actually pick a car? Do you
finally have a car yet?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I mean, Ron, it was so bad. The first time
I got in a new car, they handed me a
fob and I'm sitting there looking for the key and
there's no key on it, and I didn't want to
be stupid. Finally, the guy said let's go, and I go.
I don't know how to start it. I got joking
so well anyway, I went back and I thought, oh
(04:41):
my god, I'm really going to get excuse my friend
screwed it over here returning this car and getting another one.
I mean, I'm at their mercy right right. And I
had no problems doing it.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
They were just so.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Kind and nice to me I ended up getting and
I just love the car. That Explorer was too big
for me too. I didn't even know where I was
the road between the right lines.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I mean, it was just and did you find did
you find driving the car at night and then during
the day was just a totally different experience, a totally
different animal.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
I didn't like any of the after I the lawn
ride drove it the worst. I hated the car. And
nothing personal against the Explorers or cars.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
It just wasn't just wasn't for you.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
And you know and that stuff. I think. I think
that's the point of this, StEB that buying that new car,
if it's if it's more than five years since you
last purchased a car, it now becomes it's a lot
of work and it's not something and I think to
be fair to yourself. And we'll leave it here because
we've got calls. But and I always appreciate hearing from you.
You know that. But I think I think the takeaway
(05:42):
for everybody is, if you're buying a new car and
it's you're driving something older than five to seven years,
you've really got to allow time to go and have
this experience.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Right, Yeah, I did. I went on and on and on.
I ended up getting a brand new twenty twenty six
debby Equinox RS. And I just love it.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
That'd be always nice, always a pleasure. You enjoy your car.
You call us along the way, let us know how
things are going.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
I will thank you for your house.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
You're very welcome anytime. Let's go over and talk to
Matthew and Florida and see what's going on here. Matthew,
what's going on?
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Hey? How are you going wrong?
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Right?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Tell them thanks for checking my call.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Welcome out.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
I've got a twenty twenty gmc Denali twenty five and
the passenger side mirror won't fold in. It moves about
an inch and it stops. You know, when you hit
the button, and it's intermittent because like today is a
(06:46):
matter of fact, that's why I decided to call you today.
It works, and it hasn't worked for probably three weeks.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Okay, So they both.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Extend right the way they're supposed to. And when that
comes in and stops for about an inch, when you
hit it the button again to bring them out, it
comes out fine. It just for some reason it just
won't go.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
So the next time it doesn't work, it's gonna sound
silly at first. All right, I'd want to know can
I talk to that mirror with a scan tool? I
want to know, Actually, I want to look at a
wiring diagram. Are these mirrors on the network?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Because you know, is this if they're on the network,
meaning that they are controlled through the network. I'll put
it into a different kind of language. Is this a
bad computer on the network where I've got a communication fault?
I can't tell it to fold? Or do I just
(07:49):
do I have power and ground? Do I have a
bad mirror? Do I have a mirror that's jamming internally?
It's not it's not impossible for it to be a mirror,
but it's a little early in its life, right, because
when you when you think about it, how many you know,
how many times do you actually fold that mirror once
(08:09):
a day? Are they auto folding mirrors every time you
lock the car? You have to manually do it?
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Well, I have the button on the driver's side.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Arm wress right, arm wress, but.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I can hold If I press and hold the remote, they.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Will fold right right. But you know how often do
you fold the mirrors? I'm just trying to make it.
I'm just I'm trying to see something there.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I don't. I don't. I've only owned the truck a
little bit less than a year, and I'm like, well,
you know, you know how little things and they start
to pile up.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, no, no, I one hundred percent. Listen. If it
was mine, I would want it fixed one hundred percent
because it's annoying. I understand that. Listen. I've got a
customer with an eight JP s R T eight and
Stevie is fanatical and I love him for it and
I hate him for it at the same time. It
makes me a little crazy. But and I can say
(09:06):
that to him because we've got a great relationship. Right now,
we're trying to find an ac heater control head because
one bulb is burned out, and when he's driving around
there's this dark, dark spot in the middle of the
control head and you know, and he keeps looking and
I go, I understand, Steve, I really do. So you
know what, Maddie. I get where you're coming from. But
(09:26):
i'd i'd be curious. Do we have any fault codes?
Are we on the network?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Is this stret I don't know if this says anything
to do with that. You brought that up, So I
do have a fault code that I clear with my
uh my OBD two.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well ob D ob D two won't be getting into this.
Ob D two is only going to bring up a
an emissions related fault.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Oh god, I'm glad you said, because that's what the
engine light will come on. And of course they won't
let you start it through the app or anything like that. Right,
go on, go on my way. I want to do
that will be once a month. I haven't really delved
into that yet.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yeah, you're gonna have to in order to in order
to you know, look at a a presentation of fault
codes here. It's you've got to go in through year,
make model, all right, unless and unless now there are
some GM packages where believe it or not, the ambient
(10:28):
air temp sensor for the diesel is is located in
the right side mirror. So I just want to mention
that too, uh, you know, and here we are right.
It's it's it seems so simple, and we'll leave it here.
It seems so simple. We've got to understand how the
(10:48):
circuit works. We've got to look at a wiring diagram,
We've got to pull codes. Is it on the network
or not? Is this a network communication fault or is
this a failure of the motor of the mirror assembly?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
And unfortunately for me, because I listened to your show
quite a bit, and I consider myself fortunate because the
last two trucks I've owned, the dealership that I bought
them from, I decided to myself, I'm not doing anything
but replacing white for blades. These guys can handle everything right,
So I take it up there for oil chains. They
(11:20):
rotate the tires, they relearn the tires, and they're really
trustworthy there. The company's better around forever. I really like them.
So you know, whatever they tell me, I.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Know what dealership is it. Let's give them a shout.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Out it's a Starling or yeah, Starling Buick and Stuart Florida.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Cool. All right, he listen, I gotta run, Maddie. You
let me know what happens. You'll me know what the
boys over at Starling Buick say. We'll go from there.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
All right, Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
You're very welcome, sir, anytime, You're very welcome. I'm running
ady in the car. Doctor. I'll be back right after this. Hey,
Tom what are you you? What are you doing tomorrow?
You know it's it's the weekend. Do you have any
plans cutting the grassh Yeah, I'm gonna be doing I'm
actually gonna be waxing the hot rod because next weekend. Well,
(12:12):
since we don't have football teams in New York here anymore,
it seems like they've been banned.
Speaker 6 (12:17):
Well, the Giants, who are a supposed football team, are
actually playing tomorrow night. Oh well we get to have
we get to be killed by Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Well, i'll tell you what, I'll come up. I'll take
you out for pizza so we don't have to watch
the game. But I'm actually gonna be washing wax the
hot rod tomorrow because next Saturday the twenty seventh. I
think that is. Let me look at the calendar on
the wall. Yep, that's twenty seventh. We're going on remote.
I forgot to tell you we're gonna be live out
of the studio, so you have to pack up all
this stuff.
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Wait wait, wait, wait wait, we have to take you
out of the studio in public.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Work for taking you out of the studio in public.
But you got to bring all the equipment loaded into
your car. And we're going to the Passaic County Wallish Homestead,
the Wallash Home that up there at the top of
it in West Milford, and the Passaic County Sheriff's PBA
two eighty six I believe it is, is putting on
their annual car show. We've been invited to come up
(13:09):
there and do a live broadcast, So we're gonna have
to show the world how smart we are or not.
I haven't decided which, you know, so just just be aware.
That's next weekend, the twenty seventh. If you're in New Jersey,
if you're in the area, we'd love to see you.
Guys will get up there about ten o'clock. The live
broadcast will begin at two, like it does here in
the studio two to four next week, and I'll have
(13:30):
Black with me. She'll be sitting next to the booth,
and Tom will be with me. And I think Research
Kathy is coming, and I think Dynamic Dan or Daniel
Son as we've come to call him, we'll be there
with his Z twenty eight and the whole host of characters.
No chance, but I'm going to try and bend carpenter
Bob's here to I don't know he shouldn't be out
in public, but that's a whole other conversation for another well.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
You know.
Speaker 6 (13:52):
And I'll be lining up my stuff to take tomorrow.
What nice paper bag do you wear?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Well? Extra extra large only if I'm getting the questions right. So,
but that's next weekend, just to make everybody aware, and
we look forward to seeing our fans up there, and
it's it's always a good time anytime we get out
of studio, and it's just going to be kind of neat.
You'll hear me coming about twenty miles away. So I'm
going to do this email before we get to At
(14:17):
the bottom of the hour, Doctor jamakiins in the waiting
room there in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Aloha, Ron,
So you know who this comes from. This comes to
us from our buddy Walter and Hawaii. I just got
this truck twenty sixteen f TWOT fifty six point two
liter super Duty. I'm going to change the transfer case
and the differential fluid. Should I change the transfluid? All? Also,
(14:38):
I've read both to change and not to change Walter
and MAUI. I agree with the dips in the transfer case. Walter,
and you know if you can get to the transmission fluid. Yes,
here's going to be the catch, which trans is this
doesn't have a dipstick. How hard is this fluid to change?
I don't recall seeing too many four pickup trucks in
(14:58):
the last ten years with dips. I don't even think
about it anymore and keep track because most of them
have a you know, short little dipstick tube out the
right side of the case where you have to be
up in the air and put your hand up real
close to the nice hot catalytic converter and you know,
burn yourself. That's how you know you're in the right
proximity location and you have to undo the cap. So
(15:20):
make sure before you change this pan or lower this
pan that you can actually, you know, put fluid back in.
It's not easy, especially on the ground, so make sure
you've got the clearance and the days of the do
it yourself stuff like this are just on life support.
I don't see this going on forever. So the question
to Walter is yes, I think you should change the
(15:41):
trans fluid. The question is can you not based on
your mechanical ability, but how difficult this ford make it?
And from what I've seen, it's probably pretty difficult. It's
never easy. Michael writes, and hey, Ron, I've got a
twenty twenty two Chevy Tracks and my girlfriend is having
problems with Oh, my sister, I'm sorry, I apologize. My
(16:02):
sister is having problems with the twenty two Chevy Tracks
having fuel system missions when you try fueling it with
a fuel tank around hairfull. Or mechanic is having difficulty
diagnosing the problem. You know, this is a pretty simple
thing to diagnose, Michael. It's what you have to think about,
is I want you to You know, if you take
a can of liquid and put a hole in one side,
(16:24):
try pouring the liquid out. You can't do it right.
You always have to put a relief hole on the
other side. Well, if you were to fill that can
once you emptied it with only one hole, it would
be the same thing without a vent to allow pressure
to escape. As you filled it with liquid, it would
bubble and flare, and if it was a fuel pump
with a safety shut off, it would kick it off.
(16:47):
So you know, part of the diagnosis here is is
the vent or the charcoal canister restricted or blocked, and
it becomes a case of tracing it out, finding the
vent line, disconnecting it so that it doesn't run through
the electrically controlled or computer controlled vent. It just vents.
It's open all the time. If you can fill the
(17:09):
tank that way, then you know you're down to either
the vent is having an issue or the canister and
you can kind of pin down your diagnosis from there.
Not the most difficult thing in the world to really diagnose,
as long as you know, we've got some time and
we can, you know, kind of play with things a
little bit.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I don't know if I'm gonna get this next one.
And this comes to us from Mark. I'll do this,
you know what, I'll do this a different day. This
one comes to us from Mark about his he wants
to talk about maintenance on a Subaru. I do want
to say that Mark's title. He's an Oil and Gas
Chemical Services octane engine technician for SGS North America. I
got to talk to this guy. We could have fun
(17:47):
with him, so but that isn't what we're going to do.
We'll do that next time. Coming up next doctor Jessica Jermakian, Hey,
you know next week's child Safety Seat Are you ready?
Are you taking care of your kid and put him
in the car correctly? All the answers coming up right
after the yes, Hey, you know what next week is?
(18:07):
Welcome back, by the way. Next week is September twenty
one through the twenty seventh is Child Passenger Safety Week.
And this is a subject near and dear to my heart.
You know a grandpa now right, two grandchildren, and I
always look at the how car seats are set up
in vehicles that come into the shop, and I wonder
if they're set up right. And I see some goofy
things that parents do, and I thought to get Child
(18:29):
Passenger Safety Week off to a great start. We've reached
out to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They're based
out of Virginia, and here to talk about it is
doctor Jessica Jermonkian Armenian. Sort of we've established that, right, doctor, Yes.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Sort of.
Speaker 7 (18:46):
I'm married into the name, right, so, and.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
In all fairness, right, I've given you the briefing on.
I'll give you my pilloff recipe after the interview, so
you'll be all set. So tell us about the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety and where is it and what
is it exactly that you folks do.
Speaker 7 (19:04):
Yeah, sure, So the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We're
located in Virginia. We have our Vehicle Research Center, which
is where we crash vehicles and do tests on vehicles
out on our track. We're funded solely by auto insurers
and our mission is to reduce property damage, injury and
(19:30):
fatalities in crashes, so keeping our roads safer. And we
do that through research and communications. Many people know us
through our vehicle ratings program, where we rate vehicles on
how safe they are.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
So you'll look at you'll look at vehicles, you'll look
at you know, how it crashes, and then rate it
and say, well, this vehicle is a seven, and this
vehicle is a six and so on and so forth.
Speaker 7 (19:54):
Something like that, a little bit more like this. This
is good, this is marginal, this is poor performance, and
we have we bundle all of our awards, all of
our ratings, into an award that we call Top Safety Pick.
So if you hear that on advertising, that that comes
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But it's important
(20:16):
to remember that we do a lot of work across
the whole spectrum of traffic safety, not just focused on vehicles,
but we also look at infrastructure, driver behavior, you know, pedestrian, cyclists,
all of it.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
So if I've put my kid in a top rated
safe vehicle, why do I need to use a child restraint?
Speaker 7 (20:38):
Well, putting them in a top rated safe vehicle is
a good first start. But the thing is vehicle seats
and restraint systems are designed for adults and kids are smaller.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
They're the adults.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Restraint systems don't fit them, and not only are they smaller,
but they also don't have the same proportions and they
aren't they aren't fully developed, and so they need They
have special needs throughout different parts of their life. So
we know how to protect kids and crashes, but they
do need special equipment in certain parts of their of
(21:12):
their development to make sure they're getting the best protection
in a crash.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
So, doctor Jimonkin, you know, when we look at this,
we're if I'm a parent, if I'm a new parent,
and I'm trying to you know, set my child up.
I want to start driving with them. You know, what
are the top things parents need to keep in mind
when they're using either a child restraint or a booster seat.
You know, how do I keep my kids safe in
a car when I'm picking out these things?
Speaker 7 (21:36):
Well, so the most important thing is to make sure
your child is buckled up on every on every trip,
no matter how short. Then we really want kids to
be in the right seat for their agent size. So,
as I mentioned before, children are in different child restraint
types throughout their you know, from infancy up until they
(21:58):
are able to use the adult belts, and those needs
change during that time. So we want to make sure
that the child is in the right seat for their
agent size. And then we of course want to make
sure that they're snugly restrained in that child safety seat,
so with the harnessed snug or the vehicle belt snug.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So you know, is some of this a conversation about
how much does the child weigh, how big is the
child tall? Not just necessarily wait and then there's got
to be a conversation in here. At some point we
turn the child from facing rear to facing forward, which
is you know, that's kind of like we made potty training.
That's like a big deal, right, you know, And how
(22:41):
do we go through all that exactly? Yeah, how do
we go through all that exactly?
Speaker 7 (22:45):
Well, So the youngest kids, we need them to be
rear facing and ideally until they reach the height or
weight limit of the seat, but we need them to
be rear facing at least until age two. The car
seat shell spreads those forces, those crash forces across their
body and head and protects their undeveloped necks in the
(23:08):
in the event of a crash. So it's really important.
The fact is we'd all be safer rear.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Facing, but.
Speaker 7 (23:16):
We need those youngest kids because they have those less
developed next and their heads are proportionally very large, and
that could put a lot of forces on the neck
in the event of a crash. So it's parents shouldn't
be in a rush to turn their kids forward facing.
They should keep them rear facing. For as long as
as possible, and.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
They should keep them in the back seat, right, you know,
I see I see some parents. Well I want to
you know, I want to keep my eye on the baby,
so I put the baby in the cars in the
seat next to me, you know, not thinking about in
the event, God forbid of an accident the airbag goes off.
Speaker 7 (23:49):
Yes, it's very important that kids remain in the back seat,
especially absolutely for rear facing kids. When when airbags first
came out in the mid nineties, we had lots of
tragedies of where children were in the front seats and
were injured or killed by deploying airbags, and so we
had a very successful education campaign and getting parents to
(24:12):
understand that they need to keep their kids in the
back So that recommendation still holds. We want kids twelve
and under to still be in the back seat. The
good news is that airbags have changed a lot since
the mid nineties, so we do have some protections in
place in the front seat to make them more friendly
(24:34):
when maybe occupants are not in a great initial position.
But the evidence still shows that kids are still safest
in the back seat.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
So listen, I'm gonna you know, I'm a parent, and
I want to sit and I want to talk to
my kid. He's ten years old. We're we're gonna go,
we're gonna go fishing this morning. We're gonna I'm gonna
put him in front of the pickup truck next to me,
and I can turn my earbag off. How big of
a does is that? How many things am I doing
wrong there? Even though he's in a seat belt and
now he's got no air Now he's got no air bag.
(25:07):
How big of a problem is that? Doctor?
Speaker 7 (25:09):
Yeah, So one of the reasons we recommend kids twelve
and undersit in the back seat is it's not just
about age and size, but it's also about maturity. And
we want to make sure that kids can sit in
that seat in front of the air bag, sit with
you know, all the way back in the seat, and
not get themselves in a position where they could interact
with a deploying air bag. So it's really important that
(25:31):
kids younger twelve and younger stay in the back seat.
And you know, I know you want to talk to
I know you want to talk to your kids going
on the fishing trip, but you can do that right
in the you know, right from front seat to back.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Seat, right through the rear view mirror. And it's just
because I see it's that to me is one of
the biggest sources of tragedy. I can't tell you how
many cars come through the shop, and I know they
don't come through it a second time because I scold
him enough the first time. Take the seat and put
it beyond an you don't need to do that, because
I don't think people understand the exploding force of an
(26:05):
air bag and how that's like a shotgun blast going
off in your face to a to a large degree,
so to a child, that can be that can be fatal, you.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
Know, yeah, And it's it's really important that all of
us stay away front. Like if we're sitting in an
appropriate position in you know, in either the driver's seat
or the front passenger seat, we are in a good
position in the event of a crash, you know, the
airbag will deploy and we will move into it. The
problem comes when people get.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Too close to it when it deploys.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Right right, doctor, doctor Jamaican, I'm run an Anie in
the car. Doctor and I will both be back right
after this. Doctor, you can stick around. I'm sorry, I
should have asked that before. I assumed, right, you can
stick around a couple of minutes.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Happy to stick around.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Thank you so much. Let's pull over. Take the pause.
I'm running ani in the car. Doctor, I'll be back
right after this. Hey, it's us. We came back ron
and eding the car. Doctor. I'm here with doctor Jimonkin
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We're talking about
how next week is Child Passenger Safety Week, but we
like to think of Child Passenger Safety Week as every week, right.
Speaker 7 (27:11):
Doctor, Absolutely, but it is nice to have a week
that reminds us that we should be thinking about, you know,
restraining our kids on every trip and buckling up ourselves right.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
And being safe in the car because it is a
two ton projectile going down the road at sixty five
seventy miles an hour. You know. Now, I remember as
a kid, my dad had a rug story. He had
a sixty three Ford Galaxy station wagon, you know, one
of those things with the everything was metal inside the car,
and you know, I'm going to the airport, jumping the
(27:43):
back of the car and Dad would drive in. My
brother and I we'd roll around in the back of
the station wagon loose. How dangerous. Was you know, our
kids safer today or was it okay because that car
was made more out of metal?
Speaker 7 (27:59):
No, lucky, you were lucky that you didn't have any
serious crashes in that situation. But kids are safer today
than they've ever been. Kids, child deaths and crashes have
been cut in half in the last twenty years for
and that's for a few reasons. Cars are safer for everyone.
We already talked about that. And more kids are in
(28:20):
child restraints than ever before. That is a big success story.
We've had good education campaigns, we've had stricter laws that
have been effective. But we know that parents want to
keep their kids safe.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
So we want to.
Speaker 7 (28:35):
Give the parents tools to and the information they need
to best protect their kids in a crash.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Right, is there a way? And obviously the first way
to set a good example for their kids. Parents shouldn't
let them roll around in the back of a sixty
three Ford Galaxy station Wagon. But is there things that
parents can do today, you know, to show their kids, Hey,
this is car safety. This is what you need to do.
Speaker 7 (28:57):
Well. Yeah, of course your kids are always watching you,
so it's good to model good safe behavior in the car.
It starts, of course with buckling up on every trip,
but it also extends to things like distractions or staying
off your cell phone, being a generally being a safe driver.
And it's important to remember that while your kids are
young now, they will grow into teens who drive, and
(29:21):
they're watching you and learning how to drive safely. Another
thing that I like to tell parents is that safety
is non negotiable, Like you can negotiate some things like
meal times and bedtimes, but safety is not negotiable, and
so it's important to hold that line that it's important
(29:42):
that we'd be safe in the vehicle.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
You only get one chance to not have the accident.
I like to think that you know that one moment
to be safe. So besides setting the good example, besides
putting them in restraints and booster seats and so forth,
and doing all those right things. Other comments other ideas
keeping their kids safe both in and around cars.
Speaker 7 (30:03):
Well, of course, the most important is to buckle up
on every trip in the right restraint for their age
and size, tightly secured in the vehicle and the child
in the child restraint. But also kids are out and
about their pedestrians, their cyclists, and so important things to
remember always wear a helmet when cycling, you know, practice
(30:24):
safe walking, follow the rules of the road as a pedestrian,
don't dart out into the road. Also really important to
be aware of where your children are relatives to your
car when you move it.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
There are so.
Speaker 7 (30:36):
Many tragedies with kids getting into cars, whether being left
in cars or getting in them themselves. So keep cars
locked so kids don't enter when you're not around.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Right, Jessica, I've got two comments in our last minute.
One react to this the parents driving a car the
airbag lights on, which means the airbag won't work in
an accident fifteen seconds or less. What are your thoughts?
How would you address that? What's so bad about that?
Speaker 7 (31:03):
Well, airbags are important protection for people in the vehicle,
and so if your airbag light is on, I would
suggest you call your mechanic well.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Because isn't it so that you know just the the
crush zone, the protection zone of the vehicle is designed
to work with an airbag and without it. Now we're
losing safety effect of.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
This now absolutely yep.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Okay, where can the listeners go get more information? I
think there's a bunch of website and resources out there.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
For him.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
We have lots of information on our website how things
like how to pick the right seat, how to install it,
how to know when to move from one restraint to
the next. You can find that information on our website
at IIHS dot org slash kids. We also have great
information for teen drivers and parents.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Of teen drivers cool beings. Well, we're going to get
you back. I want to talk about we were talking
before offf air about picking a car for your teenager,
so that's going to be a future conversation between you
and I. Doctor Jamakiino is an absolute pleasure. I appreciate
the time, and you're always welcome. Back to the Car.
Speaker 7 (32:03):
Doctor, you'd be well, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
You're very welcome. I'm ronning any and the Car Doctor.
I'll be back right after this. Thank you again to
doctor Jermakian and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and
all that they're trying to do to raise or awareness.
The road is a very unforgiving place and I think
of this all the time. And you're strapping a child
(32:26):
into that vehicle. Make sure the child is safe, make
sure the car seat is approved. There are resources, there
are places that you can go to get more information,
what's the best car seat, what's the best way to
put it in? And I can't emphasize enough the conversation
that we had with regards to when do you turn
the child forward and when do you allow them to
(32:47):
sit in the front seat, because I see it every
day in the shop. I see the mistakes the parents
are making. And you know, one of the things we
didn't talk about, and it occurred to me during the
pause over the last break that you know, I have
to ask her we're going to have her back again.
I have to talk to her about how safe a
vehicles where there's loose stuff in there, you know, do
(33:09):
the do the things on the back shelfs of cars
become projectiles in the event of an accident. And the
debris that seems to be collected in vehicles today because
it seems like we travel with a lot of junk
in our cars, and I wonder if that has any
effect on safety, and you know, becomes a danger in
the event of an accident. But for now, we'll focus
(33:30):
on child safety car Seat Week coming up next week,
and like she said, more information out at the website
IIHS dot org and you can see everything that they're
doing in terms of, you know, keeping us better informed
and keeping us safe. You know about on the road
and how to do things, and it's very easy to
see the danger of the road. It really is. Just
(33:52):
go travel any interstate, try and do the speed limit,
try and stay out of the way of everybody that's
driving kind of crazy. So don't be one of them.
Let's be safe and like I say, let's arrive alive. Boy,
there's a saying from the past. So but anyway, again,
thank you to doctor Jermakian and the Insurance Institute for
(34:13):
Highway Safety. I'm running ady in the car doctor, until
the next time. Good mechanics aren't expensive, they're priceless. See you.
Host
Ron Ananian
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