What to know to drive safe

Safe driving begins with everyone on the road. Those who have driven before or have taken rides as passengers have encountered all kinds of drivers, traffic and weather conditions, and other obstacles beyond the driver’s control. But by educating yourself on the safety aspect of driving, you can help keep the roads less hazardous for everyone else.

Driving in snow can be dangerous

To keep the roads safe for everyone, a number of tools are used:

• Driver education
• Adult supervision
• Gradual license
• Traffic law enforcement
• Penalties for traffic violations
• Fines
• Community service
• License suspension

Information on driving safely

So how do you become a smarter driver or passenger? There are number of safety tips that can remind everyone to be responsible drivers:

• Always wear seatbelts. This includes the driver and any passengers in the car.
• Obey traffic laws and road signs (i.e., speed limit)
• Remember to adjust to driving conditions
• Avoid drinking and driving
  • Drinking and driving is dangerous. Why? Because of these potential dangers
    • Drivers become less good decision makers
    • Car accidents can result in injuries, death, and property damage
• Know the dangers of car crashes. Fatal car crashes can occur anywhere and at any time
• Keep children safe and insist on seat belts
• Use rules to discourage any distracting behavior to the driver
• Consider driving experience of the driver before taking a ride.
• Accept rides from a driver you know and trust
• Don’t drive if you are tired
• Don’t use text messaging while driving. If you need to use your cell phone or some other mobile gadget, consider pulling over to a safe spot.
• Don’t let your mood dictate your driving.
• Plan ahead to allow for delays in your travel time.

As mentioned earlier, there are other factors that the driver or passenger can never prepare for to be safe on the road. Weather is one factor that cannot be controlled by those using a road. This does not mean, however, equipping yourself with proper precautions cannot prepare you to be safe. Here are some guidelines to minimize the risk:

• Avoid driving in hazardous driving conditions
• If visibility is worse, don’t drive. In fog, for example, visibility is often poor.
• Drive slowly in unusual driving conditions
• Slow down when roads are slippery (i.e., in/after rain)
• Turn on headlights or low beam in bad weather even during the day
• Use the defroster
• Keep windows and mirrors clear
• Stay alert for storm alerts by listing to the radio
• Avoid low areas in flood alerts

A car almost completely covered with snow.

Clear the snow from drive-way and the car before heading to the road.

Why driving safety?

There are number of reasons for everyone to consider staying safe on the road. Those include:

• Fewer injuries, deaths, and property loss
• Less suffering
• Lower car insurance premiums for safe drivers
• Good/clean driving history
• Fewer car crashes = fewer traffic jams
• Lowered costs (the police, and other emergency responders don’t have to go to a crash scene)