A tie rod consists of an inner and outer end, and is part of the steering mechanism in a vehicle. The tie rod transmits force from the steering center link or rack gear to the steering knuckle, which will cause the wheel to turn. The outer tie rod end connects with an adjusting sleeve, allowing the length of the tie rod to be adjustable. This adjustment is used to set a vehicle’s alignment angle.
Tie rod ends are a wearing part of the steering and suspension system of your vehicle, and should be regularly inspected with each oil change service, by a qualified technician. As tie rod ends wear, they can become loose and can develop excessive slack, or play, which can be felt in the steering and handling of the vehicle. Tie rod ends are critical to maintaining proper vehicle front suspension alignment. Bad tie rods can negatively impact a vehicle’s front end alignment and lead to excessive tire wear and front suspension problems. The most common signs of bad tie rod ends are: vehicle pulling to one side during operation, uneven tire wear, shaking, vibration, looseness, or a wandering or erratic feel to the steering of the vehicle, and squeaking noises coming from the front end of the vehicle. If a tie rod end fails completely a driver will loose the ability to steer and control the vehicle. Regular inspections of the tie rod ends and replacing them when it is either advised or as symptoms start to occur is recommended. It is also recommended to have an alignment performed or at least checked once these parts are replaced. Contact Mark or Tom at Tom's Auto Service to ensure that your vehicle is in top operating condition. According to a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study conducted in 2012, texting while driving is more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.
To ensure that you fully understand how much of a risk this is, you don’t have to look any further than a test conducted by Car and Driver Magazine in 2009. The company setup a car that would alert drivers when to hit the brakes. From there, they tested how long it took the driver to make this decision when sober, drunk, reading an email, and sending a text message. When driving a 70 miles per hour, the driver was slower to react when sending an email or texting. Here are the astonishing results, based on .54 seconds for an unimpaired driver to brake:
As you can see, drivers are slow to react when sending a text message or reading an email. Adding 70 feet before stopping could be the difference between staying safe and causing an accident. The reason for this is that texting and driving involves three types of distracted driving:
In 2012 alone, approximately 1.6 million accidents were related to texting while driving. Furthermore, 11 teenagers died everyday as a result of this activity. Texting while driving is the leading cause of death among teenage drivers. Unfortunately, many teens continue to take part in this activity, even though they are aware of the risks as well as the laws enforced in their state. |
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