There are many dangers on the roads and highways. We hear of numerous accidents resulting in injuries and deaths every day. You may be a safe driver, but many times you have to watch out for someone else who is driving recklessly. Here are a few tips to keep yourself and your family safe while driving.
When I am on the highway, I like to drive only in the right lane. I will only drive in the center lane to pass a slow moving vehicle in the right lane. I never drive in the left lane. People speed like crazy in that lane. I like driving in the right lane for a couple of reasons. You usually do not get tailgated in this lane unless someone has to exit but I still find that rare. Most people slow down when they have to exit. The other reason why I like the right lane is if your car should break down, you can easily pull over on the shoulder. Last summer I was traveling with my sister and her three children. At one point on the highway she was driving in the left lane. A few minutes later the car broke down. Thank God we were in the right lane and it was easy to pull over to the side. I have heard of tragic stories of cars breaking down in the left and middle lane and another car rams right into them with deadly results. For these two reasons I feel safe driving in the right lane only.
There are many accidents on the road because people drive when they do not feel well. This is very dangerous to yourself and others. If you do not feel well, stay off the road. Let someone else drive or take a cab. This has been my experience for the past few months. I developed a rare form of a migraine that prevented me from driving. I did not feel safe behind the wheel. My head would get very weak and my eyes would start to shut at times. I had to make a decision to not drive for a while and that was a very good choice to make. I have spent about $3000 on taking cabs to work. I would rather pay the money and be safe.
Speed is such an enormous factor in accidents today. Keeping the speed limit is so important. I always worry what would happen if one of my tires blew at a high rate of speed. Driving too slow is also detrimental because you can be easily hit from behind. I can’t stand it when I am in a car with someone else driving and they are not necessarily tailgating, but yet pretty close to the car in front of them. I always worry what if they need to stop suddenly. There is no way that they can break on time if they are going 60 or 70 miles per hour. This is how car pile up accidents happen.
There is so much road rage today. You just don’t know who has a gun in their car. You really have to be careful when using your horn. You definitely need to use it if someone is about to hit you or back into your car. I am trying to be a little more patient when cars are making a left turn in front of me. At times, it is difficult for them to make a left turn at certain intersections.
Be careful with loud radios and music. Once I had music playing loudly and I did not hear emergency vehicles around me. I could have collided with one of them. From that time on, I always kept my music to a moderate level.
I have also made the mistake of driving with my back window either fogged or with ice. That is the worse thing you can do. Even though you have the defroster on, and it will eventually clear, never drive like that. Again, I heard emergency vehicles and I couldn’t see where they were coming from. That was very dangerous and unwise on my part. Cleaning the snow and ice from the top of your car is very important too. Ice chunks can fall and crack another car’s windshield.
Lastly, always keep your car in good condition. Get it serviced often so you can avoid breakdowns and tire blowouts.
There will always be dangers on the road. At least we can do our part to try and make driving a little safer.
