Jeff Fortson is an automotive analyst out of Atlanta, Ga. He is the founder of Jeffcars.com, which is a website that helps women and minorities finance, and purchase cars. He spoke to rolling out about these things and more.
How did Jeff Cars come into fruition?
Jeff Cars is the only educational car buying guide for women and minorities, and it was started about eight years ago. It’s designed to assist women and minorities with the whole car buying process, and it makes sure that they are getting the same deals while being educated at the same time.
Since we are approaching the 4th of July weekend, what are some safety tips that we can follow in relation to being out there on the road?
Ninety percent of individuals will be traveling by car this weekend and throughout the summer, so one of the first things I would do is, if you have children, make sure they are properly placed in their child seats and also make sure the seats are utilized properly because statistics show that 1 out of 4 kids from minority families aren’t actually buckled in properly, so that’s a big concern.
How important is it for drivers to check their brakes before hitting the road?
We recommend that on all cars you pump your brakes, and we literally mean pump your brakes. Before you take off on the road we recommend this, and make sure that the brakes aren’t going all the way down to the floor, and if they are, take your vehicle to the local mechanic in order to make sure that your brakes are working properly so that the chances of you having an accident can be reduced.
What about tires? How can we make sure that the tires are in good condition?
With the tires, we recommend that as your going to get your oil changed, (get your oil changed every 3,000 miles) make sure that your tires are rotated and balanced. Also, walk around and make sure that the tires have enough tread, and you can do this by taking a coin and putting it into the groove of the tire, and if you can still see most of the coin, then it’s time to get some new tires. And last but not least, check your trunk and make sure that you have a tire kit, and a spare tire in case something were to happen to one of your tires on the road.
What tips do we need to follow in order to make sure that the engine is working properly?
Again, along with rotating the tires you want to make sure that your oil changes are being done properly, make sure that your transmission fluids are topped off, and make sure your brake fluid is topped off.
Where can we find more safety tips and information from?
You can visit Jeffcars.com, and also you can go to my partners website at Toyota.com, and find everything I just talked about, plus more.
-andre j. ellington
