Driving Safety Tips

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Do you remember when you learned to drive a motor vehicle?  For many of us, we learned as a teenager in a driver education program.  Let’s take a second to take a look back and refresh our memory about some basic driver safety tips.   Approximately 41,000 people were killed in vehicle accidents during the past year.  Many of these could have been avoided by just following basic safety principles.

1. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.  Don’t tailgate.  You should stay a minimum of 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.  Distance should be increased for snow, ice and rain slicked roadways.  Ask yourself, “do I have enough time to stop?”

2. Buckle up.  It’s the law in Illinois.  Even if your vehicle is equipped with an airbag, you are not fully protected unless you wear your seat belt.  Air bags are meant as a supplement restraint to be used with a seat belt.

3. Keep your vehicle visible to other drivers on the road.  Keep in mind that your headlights not only help you see the road, they help other drivers see you.  Drive with your headlights on during inclement weather such as rain, fog, snow.  Remember to turn your headlights on ½ hour before and after sunrise.  Turn your headlights on also during an overcast day.

4. Always look before proceeding.  Many accidents happen when another vehicle “comes out of nowhere” to hit you. When your light turns green, make sure you look both ways across an intersection to see if it is clear. Always check your mirrors and glance over your shoulder to check “blind spots” before changing lanes.  Let other drivers know what you are doing by using your turn signals.

5. Many vehicles now come with ABS (Anti-lock braking systems).  This helps you maintain the vehicle under braking conditions on slippery conditions.  One misconception is that it helps you brake more quickly, this not the case. You still need to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.  If you have ABS don’t pump the brake pedal, doing so may actually increase stopping distances.  The computer sensors will automatically “pump” the brake hundreds of times per second.

6. Don’t be distracted when driving.  Plan your route ahead of time.  If you have to look at a map, pull over.  Don’t drive with the radio blasting.  You might not be able to hear emergency sirens or other vehicle horns.

7. Drive at a safe speed.  Obey the posted speed limits.  Do not weave in and out of traffic lanes.  During inclement weather, driving at the posted speed limit may be too fast.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency 

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