Buckling up is an important safety precaution for pets. Many states and provinces now require pets to be restrained while in a moving vehicle and restraints have several advantages. Restraints help protect pets in case of a collision and keep pets from running loose and distracting the driver. Restraints also keep pets from escaping through an open window or door.

Statistics:

• Over 71 million homes in America have a pet
• 50% of those American homes have more then one pet
• 82% of pets travel on vacation with their owners
• Pet friendly lodging increased 300% from 2005-2007
• 2010 spending pet industry $47.7 billion
• Surveys show that pets help to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, help to prevent heart disease, help to lower human heath costs and help to fight depression
• Active pets are healthier and live longer

Read More Bark-Buckle UP tips>>

Our May Charity of the Month is Paws for Justus – a benefit auction.
Read Justus’ family’s story and learn more about how you can participate and help at www.PawsForJustus.com.

Tveten’s will donate $5.00 to the Paws for Justus for every online appointment scheduled this month. Schedule your Online Appointment Here.

When booking an appointment online, please select the charity you want to donate to from the Charity Drop-Down Box.

Thank you for helping us support the Paws for Justus!
Learn more about this benefit at www.PawsForJustus.com.

Don't Text and Drive

Phone Down, Eyes Up
Texting and driving is like playing Russian Roulette

You are 23x more likely to crash if you text while driving. According to the NHTSA, in 2009 an estimated 20 percent of 1,517,000 injury crashes were reported to have involved distracted driving.

Teen drivers are more likely than other age groups to be involved in a fatal crash where distraction is reported. In 2009, 16% of teen drivers involved in a fatal crash were reported to have been distracted.

Distracted Driving News (US Government site) >>

Yes - there is an app for this

Yes. And there is an app to stop it.

We’ve all done it. Tried to fit in a quick message while driving the car. The problem – we’re very distracted and we’re very dangerous.

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. If you are traveling 55 mph, that is the same as driving the length of an entire football field, blind-folded.*

With new laws in place and reduced mobile phone usage on the road, it is now painfully easy to spot the offenders. They weave, they brake late (or early), and quite often are stuck at the light when it is as green as it is going to get. So even though there are fines for using your cell phone while driving, it still is causing accidents and deaths across the nation.

While we can’t remove the temptation, there are some apps that can control the calls.

There’s an app for that >>
One text or call could wreck it all.

You can safely end the practice of texting while driving with a number of different apps:

tXtBlocker blocks texting and speaking while a vehicle is in motion and sends an automatic “Driving” message to anyone who texts or calls.

tXtBlocker can also be customized to block text messages or calls at certain times of the day or near certain locations, such as a school or workplace. 911 calls are always allowed. tXtBlocker costs $6.99 for a single-user plan and $9.99 a month for a family plan. It works with most Android and BlackBerry devices.

Textecution™ kills texting functions while driving.

Textecution sits quietly in the background and allows you use your phone normally. Once it detects that the phone is travelling faster than 10 mph, Textecution disables the phone’s texting feature, so text messages can’t be sent or received. Once the phone is at rest or travelling slower than 10 mph, the texting feature is restored. There is a one-time fee of $29.99 to download the app, which is good for the life of a phone number. Android devices only.

iZUP -  defers calls to voice mail and holds text messages while the vehicle is in motion.

iZUP is another app that monitors speed and other critical conditions to determine whether a phone is in a moving vehicle. Once a predetermined speed is reached, iZUP holds text messages, e-mails and calls while you’re driving, yet always allows unlimited access to 911 and a list of authorized phone numbers. iZUP is $2.95 per month for a single user and $5.95 per month for a family plan.

There are also corporate options.

Any of the above can help you control your texting. And that of your teen drivers. Let’s make the roads a little safer by reducing the distractions.

*From Distraction.gov

Our April Charity of the Month is the Lakewood Family YMCA.

Tveten’s will donate $5.00 to the Lakewood Family YMCA for every online appointment scheduled this month. Schedule your Online Appointment Here.

When booking an appointment online, please select the charity you want to donate to from the Charity Drop-Down Box.

Thank you for helping us support the Lakewood Family YMCA!
Learn more about this charity at www.ymcapkc.org/lakewood-family-ymca

Expires 04/15/12

At Tveten’s Auto Clinic, we would like to thank you for allowing us to service your vehicle. We very much value your trust in our business.

To show our appreciation, we have created a very special offer just for you and your second or third vehicles that have never been in for service at our shop!

When you visit us with an additional vehicle for maintenance or repair service, we are offering you a $12.95 Oil Service on that vehicle.

Our highly trained and experienced technicians provide exceptional maintenance and repair service every day on a variety of cars and light trucks. Please allow us to meet all of your automotive needs – from oil changes to preventive maintenance, tire service to engine repair.

Many of our customers trust us to service all of their family vehicles, so join in and take advantage of our special offer!

Thank you for your business!

Our March Charity of the Month is the Lakewood Family YMCA.

Tveten’s will donate $5.00 to the Lakewood Family YMCA for every online appointment scheduled this month. Schedule your Online Appointment Here.

When booking an appointment online, please select the charity you want to donate to from the Charity Drop-Down Box.

Thank you for helping us support the Lakewood Family YMCA!
Learn more about this charity at www.ymcapkc.org/lakewood-family-ymca

With Valentine’s Day this month, you go all out and lavish your special someone with flowers and chocolates. But don’t let the focus completely slip away from your non-human companions. That’s right-cars need love too, and unlike humans, they’ll never tell you that they’re just not that into you.

Here, then, are four heartfelt ways to renew your bond with your vehicle and show it how much you care.

Buy New Tires
Spring isn’t far away, which means a tire swap could be in order. It’s time to think about changing out snow tires, switching to a good all-season tire or maybe adding a high-performance tire to a sporty car. Or maybe the tread on your current set has worn away. New tires can dramatically improve everything from ride comfort and handling to ambient noise on the highway, and they’re much more resistant to blowouts than the aging rubber that we too often see on the road. There’s a tire to fit virtually any budget these days, so why not do some research and price out a new set? Cars love new tires, and that’s what the Valentine’s Day spirit is all about.

Clean It Up!
You’ve already seen a few winter months pass by, and that layer of grime on your car has probably gotten pretty thick. Here’s a thought: don’t just take your car through the mechanical car wash for eight bucks, as this can scratch your paint and leave filth untouched in some areas. If you don’t want to get the sponge out yourself, we recommend anteing up for a professional hand wash. It’s like a spa treatment for your car; you’ll be amazed at how refreshed it looks afterwards. If you’ve suffered through a particularly nasty winter, however, you may want to spring for a full detailing job, which is akin to a full-body rejuvenation. Is your car worth it? Of course it is; it’s your valentine!

Take a Road Trip
If you’re like most American drivers, you might feel like you’ve been stuck in a chilly commuting rut all winter. So how about hitting the road for a weekend getaway? It’ll be good for you, of course, but your car will appreciate it too, and here’s why. You know how used-car classifieds will claim a vehicle has driven “mostly highway miles”? Well, that’s because a steady cruise on the highway is just about the least stressful experience a car can have. Cold starts are a killer for engine components; ditto short trips, prolonged idling and stop-and-go traffic. Chances are you’ve been doing that stuff all winter. So don’t keep abusing your car with the usual routine; take it out on the open road and get its heart singing again.

Install a USB-Compatible Stereo
Are you still listening to CDs in the car? Or maybe an iPod with a shaky connection? Well, check it out: there’s been a digital-music revolution over the past couple years, and a growing number of head units are being now equipped with an honest-to-goodness USB port-just like a new car’s stereo. Having a USB port is great because you can play your iPod/mp3 player through it with superior fidelity (compared to an auxiliary input jack), or you can insert a flash drive with a bunch of mp3s on it and enjoy an exceptionally portable jukebox full of your favorite songs. It’s a worthwhile upgrade, especially if you’re already accustomed to using mp3s in other contexts. And, having received a new technological lease on life, your car will likely be your loyal valentine for years to come. Flowers and chocolates not required.

February 2012 by DriverSide

Our February Charity of the Month is the Susan G. Komen for the Cure – Breast Cancer Foundation.

Tveten’s will donate $5.00 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for every online appointment scheduled this month. Schedule your Online Appointment Here.

When booking an appointment online, please select the charity you want to donate to from the Charity Drop-Down Box.

Thank you for helping us support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure – Breast Cancer Foundation!
Learn more about this charity at http://ww5.komen.org.