Happy Halloween from Fix Auto Portland East!

Kids love Halloween — they get to dress up and get free treats — what a perfect holiday for them!

Here are some tips to help kids be safe on Halloween night!

• Never go into the house of a stranger or ring their door bell unless an adult you know is with you and say it’s okay.
  
• Look in both ways before crossing the street. If you’re the big brother or sister, hold the littler kids’ hands and obey crosswalk signals if present.
• If you are an older kid or young teen going out with friends, make sure that your parents know where you’re going and who you’re going with. This may seem like a pain, but they are your parents and they love you. They just want you to be safe.
• If you can drive and are taking a bunch of friends to a party, make sure that you have enough gas to get there. You don’t want to run out on a dark street, all alone, like a bad horror movie!
• If your parents give you a curfew, stick to it. It builds trust between you and them. If you are going to be late, call them and let them know why.
  
• Vandalism is never cool! Throwing eggs at cars and houses is not cool. Plus it ruins the paint where the eggs hit! Someone has to clean it up and it could be you, if you get caught. Think about how you would feel if someone did that to your house  or car you worked hard for.
• Hurting cats and other animals is never acceptable behavior! It’s illegal in most places to hurt or torture animals and punishable by law, you should never hurt a helpless living thing.

Have fun on Halloween but keep it safe, show your parents they can trust you for many Halloweens to come! Showing them how responsible you can be will give you a feeling of pride and ultimately may give you more privileges.

Get out and trick or treat and get back home safely. If you drop by our shop, we’ll have a treat waiting for you.

Camille

As the number of bicyclists on our roads increase, Fix Auto encourages mutual respect while sharing the road.

Wear a helmet – It is the single most effective way for you to prevent head injury when in a crash.

Follow the Rules of the Road - Both drivers and cyclists are vehicle operators and must follow traffic laws, including obeying traffic signals and signs. The law requires cyclists, when riding in the street, ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic.

When passing allow three feet of space between cyclists and cars – Drivers and cyclists need to respectfully share the road. Watch for cyclists before opening a vehicle door, pulling away from the curb and when turning. Likewise, cyclists need to keep their own visibility in mind by not getting too close to vehicles as that can make it even more difficult for the driver to see them.

Blind spots deserve special attention – Due to the size and the location of bike lanes, cyclists can often get lost in a driver’s blind spot. It’s critical to double check before changing lanes, turning or opening a car door – remember some bike lanes in Portland are on the passenger door side! Cyclists must ride defensively and be aware that even the most attentive driver may not see them.

Put common sense to good use – When the weather is bad, both drivers and cyclists need to give each other extra room. Cyclists need to take responsibility for being seen by wearing brightly colored and reflective clothing, using a front headlight and a rear flashing light, reflectors and reflective tape on clothing and equipment, especially at night so drivers can see them.

Teach a child about bicycle safety – it could save their life.

Child helmet fitting video:

Happy Motoring and Cycling,

Camille

Portland, Oregon 97216 – Fix Auto Collision is partnering with Legacy Health to support child safety. The program promotes safety awareness and provides convenient recycling solutions for damaged car safety seats.

Replacement guidelines, which vary by manufacturer, are found in the instruction manual for the seat or by contacting the manufacturer at the number listed on the seat label. In addition to post-accident replacement guidelines, most child safety seats also have an expiration date, which is generally only to accommodate one child.

“If people use these seats longer than the suggested life of the seat, there is a much higher probability the seat will not work properly, especially in the unfortunate circumstance that they are involved in an accident,” added Fix Auto Business Development Manager, Erin Gallant.

Through Fix Auto’s partnership with LKQ, the car safety seats will be collected from the Fix Auto locations and transported to the recycling center in an environmentally responsible manner.

“Partnering with Fix Auto Collision is beneficial on many levels,” commented Tammy Franks, Child Passenger Safety Coordinator for the Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. “Auto body collision repair shops provide an appropriate environment for families to receive education on the need to replace car safety seats after a crash. Additionally, the partnership with Fix Auto Collision will add six new drop-off locations so families will not have to travel as far to recycle their seats.” 

If you or someone you know would like to recycle a used or damaged car safety seat, please visit any Fix Auto Collision Oregon repair facility. Drop-off times are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, every Tuesday through Thursday.

About Fix Auto: Fix Auto is an international network of performance-based collision repair facilities. The local Oregon network consists of six independently-owned and -operated locations. Customer satisfaction driven, Fix Auto Collision strives to deliver a consistent, timely and quality repair each and every time.

Oregon Fix Auto Locations

Fix Auto Beaverton: 4150 S.W. 141st Ave., Beaverton, OR 97005/ (503) 643-5521

Fix Auto Gresham: 935 S.E. 202nd Ave., Portland, OR 97233/ (503) 665-8191

Fix Auto Portland Downtown: 1722 E. Burnside St., Portland, OR 97214/ (503) 235-5671

Fix Auto Portland East: 9255 S.E. Stark St., Portland, OR 97216/ (503) 257-9255

Fix Auto Sunset: 13645 N.W. Science Park Dr., Portland, OR 97229/ (503) 646-3368

Fix Auto The Dalles: 3302 West 2nd St., The Dalles, OR 97058/ (541) 506-1600