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Secretary of State holiday closures for 2020

Dealers who utilize SOS branch offices for business or personal use may want to make note of these 2020 holiday closures.

 

  • New Year’s Day, January 1.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20.
  • President’s Day, February 17.
  • Memorial Day, May 25.
  • Independence Day, July 3.
  • Labor Day, September 7.
  • General Election Day, November 3
  • Veterans Day, November 11.
  • Thanksgiving Day, November 26 and 27.
  • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 24 and 25.
  • New Year’s Eve, December 31.
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Jan. 15 Webinar: Steps to Make Dealership Websites Accessible

People with a variety of auditory, visual, physical and/or cognitive disabilities use assistive technology (e.g., screen readers, text enlargement tools, programs to control computers by voice) to enable computer use. According to the U.S. Department of Justice the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to public-facing commercial websites; now is a good time for franchised dealerships to evaluate their websites for accessibility compliance.
If a dealership’s website is not compatible with assistive technologies, disabled customers may not be able to shop for vehicles, make online parts purchases or learn more about what the dealership offers them. Web accessibility also boosts a dealership’s search engine optimization efforts and improves organic search rankings. In addition to losing potential sales, dealerships risk facing legal action. To date, plaintiffs across the country have asserted that websites for businesses, including dealerships, do not provide equal access under the ADA for persons with disabilities. These dealerships have often settled to prevent expensive litigation, making a commitment to improve website accessibility.
Most public-facing dealership websites involve vehicle OEMS, website developers, vendors and other content providers; addressing dealership website accessibility is complex because each of these entities exerts control over, has responsibility for, manages and/or provides content to dealership websites.
More information from NADA:
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Melting Away Winter Myths

woman blowing into tissue while in the snow

There are plenty of seemingly well-known facts that can make you want to give winter the cold shoulder. You’ve probably heard about the various phenomena in winter that can cause illness or other health problems and accepted them as fact. In reality, a lot of the common “facts” about winter are more fiction than truth.

Here are some of the top myths about winter busted and some of the lesser-known facts:

Cold weather makes you sick: MYTH
While the incidences of colds do rise in the winter months, the weather is not to blame. Experts believe the rise is due to the increase in time spent indoors, resulting in germ exchanges.

Going outside with wet hair can cause a cold: MYTH
Wet hair might cause you to be cold while you’re outside and while you’re warming up after, but the only thing that causes a cold is bacteria.

Sunscreen isn’t necessary in the winter: MYTH
Sunscreen is needed year-round. Not only does it protect against sunburn, but it keeps your skin healthy by blocking UV rays. Even though you may not be tanning in the winter, you are still subjected to the negative impacts of being in the sun.

The weather affects your mood: FACT
You may notice that people seem happier in the summer. This is because the instances of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) rise in the winter. The lack of sunlight contributes to this condition.

Washing your hands can prevent illness: FACT
Most viruses are spread by germs that have been transmitted to hands. Simply washing your hands effectively can dramatically reduce the risk of illness.

You can get the flu from the flu shot: MYTH
The flu vaccine does not contain any live viruses and therefore can’t cause the flu. Some people may experience flu-like symptoms after receiving the vaccine as the body develops an immune response to it. The symptoms, while undesirable, are not the flu and are far less severe than those of the flu.

You can still get allergies in the winter: FACT
While we may not notice allergies in these months, allergies can be present all year. The cause of allergies changes with the seasons. While spring allergies may be pollen-related, winter allergies might be due to indoor allergens lurking in the air.

There’s no need to be frozen with fear, just make sure you’re keeping yourself safe year-round.

What are some things you’ve heard about winter that you thought were true but recently learned were myths?

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This article was originally published on www.ahealthiermichigan.org, a website sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.  Blue Cross and MADA are your trusted partners in building a healthier business and workforce.

Photo credit: AntonioGuillem