Driving Information

25 Safe driving tips

Headlights On For Safety

Driving with your headlights on makes your vehicle noticeable at up to 4 times the distance of a vehicle without headlights on. Since other drivers will see you sooner, there is a better chance of them avoiding a collision.

 

Always Wear Your Seatbelt

Make sure you always wear your seatbelt. It can’t protect you if you don’t wear it. Make sure all of the passengers in your car wear their seatbelts as well.

 

Don’t Go Near the No-Zone

It is called the no-zone for a reason. The drivers of large trucks and buses can’t see the area in the no-zone so they don’t know you are there. Remember that if you can’t see the other driver’s mirrors, they probably can’t see you.

 

Walk Around Safety Check

Every time before you drive a vehicle, you need to make sure everything is working properly. Walk around the vehicle to make sure that the lights and turn signals are functioning properly, there is nothing leaking from the vehicle and that there are no dangers around your vehicle such as toys or pets.

 

Hang Up Your Cell Phone

When driving you should always be focused on the task at hand, driving. When you talk on your cell phone you increase the odds of an accident by over 400%. If you need to take a call, pull off the road into a safe location and take the call.

 

Check Your Fluids When You Gas Up

Anytime you stop for gas you should check your oil, coolant and windshield wiper fluid to insure you keep your vehicle properly maintained.

 

Expect Other Drivers to Mess Up and Be Prepared To Avoid Them

Never expect other drivers to follow the rules. For example, as you approach a stop sign the other driver may not stop. Be sure that you can stop or have a path out of the situation if they don’t stop.

 

Don’t Leave a Vehicle Unattended On the Road

If your car stops running, never leave your car unattended. Make sure you pull your vehicle as far off the road as possible to avoid a possible collision and wait for a tow truck to take your vehicle to a safe location.

 

Slow Down In Bad Weather

In bad weather, you never know what you may encounter on the road ahead. It could be ice, a flooded street or a downed power line. Slow down to make sure you can stop in time.

 

Scan the Roadway

Actively scanning the road is a big part of driving defensively. Make sure you are frequently using your side mirrors to see what is beside you and always look ahead while driving to insure you can evade any upcoming obstacles in the road.

 

Leave Early, Don’t Speed

Be sure you leave with plenty of time to reach your destination on time. Its better to show up 10 minutes early than to speed and not show up at all.

 

Increased Speed Increases Braking Distance

Remember that the faster you are going, the longer it will take you to stop. Traveling at 60 mph requires a lot more stopping distance than traveling at 30 mph.

 

Look Before Entering an Intersection

Always be sure to look in all directions before proceeding at a green light. You never know when a driver from another direction may run the red light causing an accident.

 

Letting Emergency Vehicle Pass

Emergency vehicles are on the road for just that, EMERGENCIES. Obviously something somewhere is not right and they need to get there as quickly as possible. Make sure anytime an emergency vehicle is coming up behind you that you pull to the right to allow them a path to continue to their destination.

 

Complete Stops

Stop signs are put in place because the intersection where it is found would be dangerous without it. Be sure to always come to a complete stop and count to 3. Look both ways and then proceed into the intersection.

 

Do Not Tailgate

When traveling on the road with other cars, you should always be sure that you are not following too closely. Not only can you get a ticket but it can also be very dangerous. As a good rule, make sure there is at least 2 seconds between you and the car in front of you. If you every find yourself being tailgated, let them pass.

 

Left Lane Is A Passing Lane

When a road has multiple lanes in each direction, the far left lane is a passing lane. That means that if you are not actively passing another vehicle, be sure to stay to the right and out of the passing lane.

 

No Speeding

Speeding is the number 1 cause of traffic accidents in the United States. Did you know that if you work 20 miles from home and you decide to go 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, you only actually get to work about 3 minutes early and run the risk of being pulled over/delayed making yourself later than you would have been going the speed limit. And honestly, who wants to be at work that bad anyways.

 

Use Turn Signals

Turn signals are a drivers way of letting other drivers know what they plan to do. With that being said, not using your turn signals could cause you to put yourself and others in danger or you could be lucky enough to only receive a ticket.

 

Clean Windshield

A clean windshield is important since 90% of a drivers information while on the road comes through their eyes. I you can’t see clearly through your windshield, you may be in danger of causing a accident because you can’t see.

 

Make Sure You Have Gas

Always make sure you have plenty of gas. Running out of gas on the side of the road is not only inconvenient and dangerous for you but also for the other drivers on the road as you may cause a delay in traffic or have to park to close to the road.

 

No Drinking

Drinking and Driving is not only against the law but is also very irresponsible. Not only could you be injured but you could also injure or kill an innocent person.

 

When Cruise Control Is Bad

Although cruise control is very convenient, it should never be used if you are tired or the road is wet. In wet road conditions when you use cruise control, if you hit a slick area you can begin to hydroplane since you have no immediate control over the amount of power to the tires.

 

Vehicle Maintenance

Proper vehicle maintenance is key to keeping the roads safe and the direct reasonability of individual drivers. Bald tires, 1 headlight, smoking car and many other issues can cause accidents as well as get you a ticket.

 

Road Conditions

The condition of the road must be acknowledged in order to be a safe and responsible driver. The problem could be a pot hole or something more dangerous but we should always be on the lookout for any problems on the road ahead.