While roads allow you to go to places quickly and conveniently, they’re among the most dangerous places to be. Even if you’re driving in broad daylight or there aren’t a lot of vehicles on the road with you, you can get into an accident anytime. Because of that, you need to be extra careful every time you’re behind the wheel if you want to live a long and healthy life.
Unfortunately, car accidents are common, even among the most careful drivers. It’s more likely to happen with trucks due to their size, which affects the amount of control the driver has on the entire vehicle. That’s why it’s recommended to keep your distance when there’s a truck nearby. However, if you find yourself in a truck accident, you should consider hiring a lawyer to get the compensation you deserve, especially if you or any of your passengers sustain severe injuries.
As you learn how to drive your vehicle, you’ll become fully aware of what you need to look out for in order to stay safe. However, experienced or not, we all need auto insurance and it’s best to shop auto insurance quotes online to avoid paying expensive premiums
- Always Wear Your Seatbelt
The number one thing you need to do as soon as you step inside your vehicle is to buckle your seatbelt. While it may feel uncomfortable at first, it’ll provide you with maximum safety in case of an accidents.
A seatbelt’s purpose is to keep you in place should your car get into a collision or flip over. It’ll prevent you from flying out of your seat, the force of which may push you out of the windshield or any of the windows. So no matter how long or short your trip will be, you have to wear your seatbelt the entire time since you never know when an accident might occur. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Apart from the driver, everyone inside the vehicle should wear their seatbelt as well, including those at the back seat. Even if they cause a bit of discomfort to some, seatbelts can ultimately save people’s lives, so it’s absolutely worth wearing them as long as you’re inside the car.
- Use A Car Seat
For younger children, you should always place them in their car seats to keep them out of harm’s way while the vehicle is moving. When doing so, ensure that you properly buckle them in for complete safety. Moreover, you should only purchase quality car seats. There’s no point in getting a cheap car seat if it won’t be able to serve their purpose well.
Ideally, you should consider purchasing a car seat that your growing child can use for a long time. In this way, you no longer need to buy multiple car seats that’ll add to the clutter in your home and require you to spend more than you have to.
- Keep Your Eyes On The Road
If you’re driving to a new place and end up getting fascinated by the view, you may want to pull over and enjoy the scenery off the road. In doing so, you can focus on the beauty of the surroundings without risking your life or those of other drivers nearby.
While you’re in the driver’s seat, your number one priority should be to keep your eyes and attention on the road. This means your eyes shouldn’t wander, especially when you’re going at high speeds for a long time. While you can take quick glances at objects or passengers in your car every now and then, you should bring your attention back to the road as soon as possible.
If you’re getting slightly lost or confused as to where you should go, you need to either drive slowly or pull over to the side, check where you currently are, and figure out which way you should head to. If you have another passenger with you, you should ask them to look at the map and provide you with accurate directions while you’re driving so you don’t have to multitask.
- Avoid Distractions
As you drive your vehicle, you should keep distractions away from you. While it can be tempting to check who sent you a text message, you should ignore your phone and read the message only when you’ve parked your vehicle somewhere. Even if it only takes you a couple of seconds to read an SMS, an accident can still occur within that short time frame, so it’s best to stay alert.
Apart from not looking at your phone, you should keep the volume of your stereo down. While driving for hours can be boring, especially if you’re alone, turning the volume up can trigger an accident if you can’t hear what’s going on around your vehicle. Ideally, the volume should be loud enough for you to simultaneously hear the music you’re playing and the sound of other cars’ horns and natural noises from outside. This will enable you to listen for any warnings or any unusual activity and adjust your driving accordingly.
Always remember that a lot can go wrong when your full attention isn’t on the road. Not only can doing so harm your vehicle, but you might be putting your life at risk, too.
- Follow Road Rules
Wherever you choose to drive your vehicle, you should respect and follow the road rules implemented in the area. This means adhering to speed limits, being aware of one-way roads, and making legal turns.
While some may be tempted to break the rules, particularly when there are no authorities nearby, you should always follow road rules for a safe and hassle-free driving experience. You should be on the lookout for road signs you should be mindful of. If you deliberately disobey traffic rules, not only can you put lives at risk, but you can also expect to receive fines or, worse, criminal charges that can stain your name.
- Take Extra Caution At Night
Driving during nighttime is more dangerous than driving during daytime since you won’t have full visibility of your environment. If you can’t avoid driving at night, you should take extra precautions to prevent any accidents.
When driving, you should avoid going at a high speed if you’re not on a highway. You need to practice slowing down every time you approach an intersection so you won’t clash with other vehicles. Moreover, you should be wary of your surroundings and watch out for pedestrians or animals crossing the road.
Apart from being cautious about your driving, you should keep your headlights open so people can see you right away. If you have tinted windows, you might want to consider switching to a lighter shade for better visibility. These small steps will allow you and everyone else to stay safe on the road at night and steer clear of any accidents.
- Slow Down On Wet Roads
Whether it’s raining or there’s been a water spill on the road, you should learn to reduce your speed to prevent your vehicle from slipping and crashing into another.
Before you head on a trip, you should check the weather forecast for the day. If it’s going to rain hard, you might want to cancel your trip and move it to a different day with better weather. Keep in mind that accidents are more likely to happen in bad weather.
Suppose you’re already driving and the weather suddenly goes south. In that case, you should be extra careful about how you drive, especially if the visibility of the road is compromised. For heavy rains, you need to slow down and activate your turn signals earlier than usual to give drivers behind you more time to see what you’re about to do.
If the weather is too harsh to drive in, it’s advisable to pull over to a safer area where you can shield your vehicle from the extreme conditions outside. You can park your vehicle inside an enclosed parking space and consider staying in a motel or dining at a restaurant if the weather doesn’t improve right away. While you may have to postpone your trip, your safety should be your primary concern.
- Be Familiar With Your Car’s Blind Spots
No matter how long you’ll be driving your vehicle, there’ll always be blind spots you need to be aware of. Usually, you won’t have a clear view of the back and the pillars of your car. With that said, you should pay close attention to your side mirrors and rearview mirror to see if there’s any vehicle or pedestrian nearby.
In order for you to safely park in reverse, you might want to invest in a front and rear dash camera. The screen in your vehicle will automatically switch to the back view, allowing you to see what’s happening behind your vehicle while you’re parking.
- Maintain A Safe Distance From Trucks
You can’t always avoid driving with a truck on the same road. Since pulling over and waiting for the trucks to pass by is essentially a waste of time, you should instead learn to drive with them around while taking safety measures.
Remember to keep a safe distance and try to be one vehicle apart from the truck as much as possible. In this way, should anything unfortunate or unexpected happen, you’ll have time to react properly.
Another reason you need to maintain adequate distance from trucks is that they’re more prone to accidents given their numerous blind spots and sheer size. If they topple over, they can easily crush other vehicles, causing significant damage and possibly endangering many lives. With that in mind, you need to be extremely careful when you spot them on the road with you, and avoid driving alongside a truck whenever possible.
- Do Not Drive When You Are Ill Or Stressed
While some people might find comfort in driving long distances when they’re overly stressed, you should look for other stress management options as driving in that sort of condition can result in an accident. You’ll be thinking of whatever’s bothering you while you’re in the driver’s seat, so you may not be able to give your full attention to the road.
Also, when you’re stressed, you might develop road rage that may cause you to drive faster, forego traffic rules, and lose focus on your driving. Should any of those occur, you might deal with more problems on top of the stress you’re already feeling.
If you’re feeling ill or unwell, there might be instances where you won’t be able to frequently look at your side mirrors, making you switch lanes recklessly. You might not pay attention to the traffic lights since your main goal is to get out of the road as quickly as possible so you can rest. What’s worse is that there’s a chance you’ll doze off on the wheel because of your illness before you can get home or reach your destination.
To prevent such situations, don’t hesitate to ask someone else to drive for you. This could be a friend or family member who can safely bring you to your destination. If there’s no one available for you to turn to, ride a cab instead. This way, you can still go to certain places without risking your life.
Conclusion
Every vehicle owner has to practice safe driving no matter what the circumstances are. Whether you’re driving alone or with someone else, you should always ensure that everyone is out of harm’s way inside or outside the vehicle. This means you have to think about pedestrians and other cars, too. All the decisions you make on the road should be made with safety in mind.
Since the measures discussed above are easy to do, there’s absolutely no reason for you not to follow them. Regardless of the length or urgency of your trip, you have to prioritize driving carefully. In doing so, you and your family can enjoy your time together in the car and come home safe and sound at the end of the day.