CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts are North America’s largest group of auto body repair experts with some 400 stores in the United States and Canada – and growing.  As a member of CARSTAR, these new franchisees will offer a new array of services and products for collision repair, including the latest in repair technology, rental vehicles, national warranties on repairs, and turnkey service for their customers.

As part of CARSTAR’s commitment to customer service, CARSTAR can take care of the entire process of repairing the vehicle for the vehicle owner, from getting the vehicle towed to the facility to coordinating with the insurance company to restoring it to pre-accident condition.

The new CARSTAR franchisees will benefit from the CARSTAR Management Systems, which provide resources to improve key business metrics such as cycle time, participation in CARSTAR’s 17 corporately managed DRP programs, and improved purchasing power from 44 corporately managed purchasing programs.

The three newest stores in the CARSTAR Nation include:

CARSTAR Collision King, Houston, Texas
Owned by Allen Suleiman, CARSTAR Collision King has been serving the Houston market for more than a decade
Auto Masters CARSTAR Collision, San Antonio, Texas
Auto Masters CARSTAR Collision, Victoria, Texas
Owned by Daniel Baker, Auto Masters CARSTAR Collision is a multi shop owner that has been serving the San Antonio region for 36 years

“We are extremely pleased to welcome these new members to the CARSTAR Nation and expand our presence in the Houston and San Antonio markets,” said David Byers, Chief Executive Officer of CARSTAR. “They all run great businesses and have strong histories of quality customer service.  We’re looking forward to building their business together, helping local car owners get back on the road with fast, reliable collision repairs, and giving back to the community at the same time.”

“The summer months can be dangerous months,” said Fix. “Teens have more free time and tend to become more lax about things, especially driving. As parents, it is our responsibility to not only talk to our kids about safe driving, but to lead by example by adopting a ‘no distractions while driving’ policy and being safer drivers ourselves.”

The “Safe Car, Safe Driver” car clinics will be held in Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento and Los Angeles, (additional cities may be added at a later date), and will offer teens and parents both a hands-on demonstration on how to maintain your car as well as a discussion on a number of safe-driving tips including:

Supervising Beginner Drivers

Give beginning drivers as much supervised driving time as possible. According to the National Safety Council, teens are at the highest risk of crashing within the first 1,000 miles of driving, the risk of crashing decreases by more than two-thirds after the first 1,000 – 1,500 miles of independent driving.

Restricting Unsupervised Night Time Driving

Even for seasoned drivers night time driving can be challenging since visibility is greatly decreased, thus for beginning drivers, night time driving can be downright scary. With 40 percent of teen driver fatal crashes occurring after night fall, it’s best to discourage night driving until your teen becomes a more comfortable driver.

Discouraging Passengers

Driving with passengers heightens the risk of a crash for new drivers. According to a study by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, just one passenger increases the risk of a crash by close to 50 percent for 16-to-17 year old drivers. It’s best for parents to encourage teens to drive alone until they become more competent behind the wheel.

Parents can access additional teen safe driving tips through the National Safety Council’s “Alive at 25″ Parent Program, an interactive, online course that identifies the risks teen drivers face and helps parents reinforce basic driving skills and good decision making to help teens become safe and responsible drivers. The cost for the course is typically $25, but Midas is providing it free of charge for parents while supplies last. For more information, visit www.midas.com/aliveat25.

In addition to the clinics, Midas is urging teens to add their signature to the Midas “No Texting” banner that has been signed by Singletary and other California dignitaries in support of safe driving. The banner will, appear at Midas’ “Safe Car, Safe Driver” clinics throughout the state.

ABOUT MIDAS

Midas is one of the world’s largest providers of automotive service, offering brake, maintenance, tires, exhaust, steering and suspension services at more than 2,400 franchised, licenses and company-owned Midas shops in 16 countries including more than 1,600 in the United States and Canada. Midas also owns the SpeeDee Oil Change business with 170 auto service centers in the United States and Mexico.