In order to prevent a car accident, you must practice good defense. Some of this defense has to do with the state you keep your vehicle in. Other defensive driving tactics have to do with paying attention to how you and others are operating your cars on the road. Here are three ways you can keep yourself and those you care about safer on the road.
Perform Regular Car Maintenance Keeping your car regularly maintained helps the car last longer and keeps you safe from some scary outcomes, like getting stranded someplace you don’t know or, even worse yet, in the middle of traffic during rush hour. Simple maintenance tasks, like keeping your tires inflated or changing your oil and paying attention to warning signs from your car like the check engine light help your car to stay in excellent condition. Putting these tasks on a scheduled maintenance plan and staying on top of issues like the check engine light can help to keep your car running for a long time. Even better yet, maintenance lessens the likelihood that you’ll experience a scary breakdown at the most inconvenient times. Don’t Tailgate Aside from being just plain rude, tailgating puts you and others in danger. You can actually be pulled over for tailgating in many states. To prevent this eventuality, take a few common precautions. First, always stay three seconds behind the car in front of you. A good rule of thumb is to leave one car length between you and the car in front of you for every 10 miles per hour that you travel. Therefore, if the car ahead of you is going 20 miles an hour, then you need to leave two car lengths between you. In addition, make sure that you don’t need to tailgate. In other words, if you’re tailgating because you’re in a hurry, then leave earlier so that you don’t put yourself in that predicament in the first place. Watch Out for Red Light Runners It’s normal to believe that once the light turns green, you can go. However, you may be putting yourself in harm’s way by doing this. Some drivers will run a red light, and if you’re in the intersection, even if you had the green light and the right-of-way, you’ll still get hit. Don’t be the one to run a red light. Studies confirm that 80 percent of collision incidents are a result of poor decision making. Obeying the traffic laws pertaining to this lessens the chance that you’ll get hurt by an inattentive or aggressive driver . <p>In order to stay safe behind the wheel, you need to take the right actions to keep yourself and others safe when you’re on the road. Aside from keeping your car in good running condition, you also need to avoid unsafe behaviors like tailgating. You must never assume that you’re safe at a green light even if it’s your turn to go. Watching out for people who run red lights or who drive recklessly helps you to stay safer on the road in the long run. However, if you are unlucky enough to end up in an accident, make sure you don't leave the scene. As this attorney points out, leaving after hitting something, even just property, can constitute a hit and run. Make sure you are careful and responsible at all times.</p> Looking for more great IDEAS for your car? Check out The Auto Idea!
A good vacation allows you to recharge your mental, physical and emotional batteries. It also gives you the opportunity to see places you’ve only dreamed of and to taste memorable local cuisines. The last thing you want to do is run into problems that threaten to ruin your good time. While there are plenty of issues that can turn even the best vacation into a nightmare, here are three of the most common ones.
Car Trouble Few things feel as exhilarating as traveling out on the open road with the wind blowing in your hair and miles of countryside in full view. That’s one of the reasons why people love road trips so much. There’s a unique freedom to them that doesn’t come with other kinds of travel. However, there’s a drawback to taking a car on vacation when you run the risk of getting stranded due to mechanical problems. Common auto maintenance issues that could disrupt your vacation include: bald or blown-out tires, cracked windshields and brake problems. To eliminate these issues before they sideline your trip, bring your car in for a checkup with a reputable mechanic before you embark on your journey. Have the brakes, oil, tires and other systems checked. Make sure your car gets a clean bill of health before you head out on the open road. Too Much Sun If you haven’t seen the sun in months, it’s tempting to spend as much of your vacation time soaking up the rays as you possibly can. However, a bad sunburn can ruin a good vacation. Avoid overdoing sun exposure by staying out of the sun from about 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. That’s when the sunlight is the strongest and UV rays pose the most danger. Be sure to slather on plenty of sunscreen to protect yourself from the dangerous rays. Going Over Budget Even on budget vacations, your money habits can get the better of you, and nothing ruins a vacation quite like running out of money while you’re hundreds of miles from home. When you’re planning your trip, you need to create a realistic budget that you can stick to. That means you know how much you can spend on meals, campgrounds, transportation, etc. It’s better to be pleasantly surprised when you have money left over at the end than to run out before your trip is done. No one likes to think of all the things that can go wrong when they’re on vacation, but not planning for challenges can backfire. It's best to do what you can to avoid problems ahead of time. Taking steps to have your car serviced, packing extra sunscreen and creating a proper budget are just a few of the ways you can ensure you enjoy your trip. Also, check out our fitness tips to help you get that body vacation ready! KEYWORDS
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