Gerber Collision & Glass Articles

Rain, freezing temperatures and the pounding endured from traffic all contribute to the eventual breakdown of paved road surfaces. If the structure of the road you're driving on has started to fail, it's inevitable that you'll encounter potholes. Hitting a pothole can ruin car tires and throw off the wheel alignment. If your vehicle is traveling fast and/or the pothole is deep, the impact could damage the suspension, destroy the shocks, demolish the bumper, bend the axle, wreck the muffler or warp the frame. In some cases, hitting a pothole with enough force can even deploy a vehicle's airbags.

How to Reduce the Damaging Effects of Potholes

The best way to prevent the destruction caused by potholes is to avoid...

A tire blowout while traveling at high speed puts you in one of the most perilous emergency situations imaginable. The best defense against a potentially disastrous accident or collision due to a blowout is keeping your tires properly inflated:

Check the air pressure in all four tires every month, and maintain it within the tire manufacturer's recommended range. If the dashboard tire pressure indicator lights up while you're driving, it's telling you that you've lost significant air pressure in one or more tires. Pull off the road as soon as possible to avert a blowout and assess the situation.

How to Safely Handle a Blowout Emergency

Learning how to react to a tire blowout can help you prevent serious...

Blinds spots are a hazard that drivers must contend with every time they get behind the wheel. These visual impairments not only pose a threat to drivers, their passengers and other motorists, but they also can cause serious or fatal injuries to motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

How to Identify and Deal With Blind Spots

A blind spot can be caused by factors within your vehicle or in your outside surroundings. Here are some common driving situations where not monitoring blind zones can prove perilous:

Intersections and crosswalks - Big trees, roadside signs, bus shelters and other large objects can make it impossible to see other traffic and pedestrians when you're approaching an...

Hydroplaning is a risk when you're driving in rainy weather. By learning what causes this phenomenon and how to deal with it, you'll be better prepared for this nerve-wracking safety threat if and when it happens.

What Makes a Car Hydroplane?

When the tires can't scatter the water in front of your car's wheels out of the way quickly enough, hydroplaning occurs. The water pressure in front of the tires pushes the liquid under the wheels. While the tires are on top of this thin film of water with no traction on the roadway, you lose both steering and braking capabilities.

How to Avoid Hydroplaning on Wet Roads

Hydroplaning is more likely to occur in the first few minutes of a light...

Auto emergencies are always stressful.

Whether it's a mechanical failure, a flat tire or an unexpected empty gas tank that causes a roadside emergency, it's vital to take steps right away to ensure your personal safety and protect your car:

Get off the roadway. If you can, pull off onto the shoulder or into an emergency lane to prevent a possible collision. Get as far off the road as possible to stay safe and avoid debris kicked up by other vehicles that could damage your paint or auto glass. Make the vehicle conspicuous. As soon as you realize there's a problem, turn on your hazard lights. Once you've pulled off the road,