Women's Media Nation | Social, political, and cultural issues relating to women

Tips to pimp your ride - For the kids' safety!

posted by AskPatty - Auto Advice
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 7:54pm CST

I had stopped on my way home from picking up the kids to get a pizza at my local Pizza Hut. There in the parking lot was an example of what is best labeled as a San Fernando Valley Art Car themed in red. The giant beast was covered in red things, from bicycle reflectors and flags to ketchup bottles and red-painted trumpets. No surface - besides window glass and headlights - was left unadorned. The only reason I didn't take photos is because it was too dark for my cellphone to snap anything useful. As far as I could tell, there was no function to these modifications; only the whim of an artist who wanted to decorate his car with red stuff.

A colleague of mine shared a similar story about a car he had seen parked at a local grocery store: He said the car had been completely transformed with kids' stuff. We've all seen someone similar cruising down the highway with the cartoon character car shade suctioned to the back window and loads of stuffed animals on the package shelf, and thought to ourselves... "That poor person? That won't happen to me." Then you had babies.

We both wondered how hard it would be to convince our significant others to allow us to trick out our cars in our own way. His idea - of doing it to improve our children's safety - actually made a little sense. (Certainly, more sense than covering the car with red toys.) Below are a few helpful arguments to help you justify pimping your ride... after all it's for the kids.

Window Film or Tint
The princess window shade suctioned to the car may block some of the light from coming in, but what are the chances those suction cups will stay attached if you're in an accident? Those princesses will quickly become flying ninjas and clock the driver or the kids in the head, if heaven forbid, you're in an accident. If there was just a way to cover the entire window with a light filter that safely attaches to the glass... Oh wait, we can! Window film! Professionally installed window film like Solar Gard provides kids in child seats with the protection of SPF 285, blocking out more than 99% of UVA and UVB rays that are harmful to their skin. Window film won't go flying in the event of an accident and the comes in a variety of tints to customize the look of the car (and keep you from being "that guy").

Lowering your Suspension -- Drop your Ride
The higher your car is off the ground the more you feel the vehicle want to tip over when you take a turn. The effect known as "body roll" is what causes your coffee to spill and in a worst-case scenario can cause your vehicle to flip. Lowering the center of gravity using lowering springs will give our car quicker steering response and lessen the risk of flipping over. Isn't that what is safest for the kids?

Brakes -- Pimp your Wheels
Imagine the car in front of you comes to a skidding halt and there is nowhere to turn... can you count on our brakes to stop the car in time? Why shouldn't you invest in the best looking... we mean highest-performing braking system for the kids? High-performance beaking systems can give drivers peace of mind when bringing the car to a sudden stop is paramount.

Tires - Put the Rubber to the Road
You don't skimp on fancy footwear, so why should your car be shortchanged on its shoes? Those rubber contact patches are the only thing that keep your car attached to the road, so ensure your treads are wearing evenly, and if worn down below 2/32-inch of tread it's time to buy new tires.

The truth is that there is no better way to keep your kids safe in the car than to make sure your car is safe and running well. Ensure your vehicle is well-tuned and properly cared for, keep your tires properly inflated, and change your fluids according to the manufacturer's suggested schedule in your owner's manual.

Artistic bald tire courtesy of alvimann at morguefile.com. Red art car by www.flickr.com/photos/daviddasinger/ / CC BY-NC 2.0