Car accident is an annual contributor to the mortality rate of the US. According the road statistics, there is an average of 3, 200 deaths a day or nearly 1.3 million deaths a year due to car crash.
As people find private vehicles more convenient, car crashes are not only attributed to over speeding. A lot of unprecedented events in the road could happen. That is basically the reason why we have to know safety driving tips. Of course, driving is best when stirred by instinct but most of the time, gut feel does not help in swerving your way out of car accidents.
With this necessity, here are some safe driving tips that you could remind yourselves every time you hit the road. As they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
- Check your car condition. The most basic thing to do is to check first your car’s condition. Make sure that your tires are well-inflated. Also check your compartment for spare tires. Also check your car fluids if they are in the proper level and have extra supplies too. Lastly, test your brakes if they have good pressure and immediate response. If you don’t know this, then you’re not yet fit to drive!
- Get sleep and pull over. Before going to long drives, make sure that you get some pretty good sleep. Being sleepy while driving is one of the top causes of car accidents and if you can avoid it, do so by getting sleep. Caffeinated beverages or food can only get you through for a few hours. Also, you need to pull over and get some breaks along the way even when you are not sleepy. It will help you rest your hands and will avoid numbing in your feet. When you pull over, stock food and buy a medicine kit. Having breaks will also improve your road alertness and sharpens your road vision. And never, ever drink alcohol before you drive because it will make you sleepy and your road judgment hasty.
- Do not use your phone. Another top-chart cause of car accidents is using of cellphone while driving. Being preoccupied with things that need movement like picking up the phone and holding it with the other hand will lessen your hand-eye-feet coordination. It is really best to avoid multi-tasking while driving especially the ones that need movement. If you really can’t avoid getting calls on the road, better have a hands-free device. Most importantly, be aware of the places that do not allow the use of phones while driving or else you shall be legally penalized which are an added burden!
- Use your car GPS or tune in to local traffic updates. Your car GPS is not there as an added decoration. Make it work for you and trust it. Have it turned on so that you could find easier, safer routes. It will also be safer if you know the local traffic condition especially when approaching major cities. It will not only lessen the hassle of driving through traffic jams. Rather, it will also help you avoid road accidents induced by sudden car acceleration, overtaking and poor car signaling.
- Do not overspeed. Overspeeding does not only make life vulnerable but it also burns gas, hence your money. To overspeed is acceptable only if the roads are wide and there are no approaching cars. Most of the time, drivers take advantage of wide roads and they forget to honk their horns even on blind curves. A 70 mph does not hurt especially when you are not in a total hurry. As have been said, spare your lives, your gas and your money.