3 Tips to Help You Stay Safe on the Road

In 2010, roughly 95% of American households had a car while 85% used it to commute to work. Although now more US homes don’t own a car (this figure has gone up from 8.9% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2015, according to the American Census Bureau), it is safe to say there are millions of drivers out on the road each day.

While many do the come home safely from their daily commute, sadly some aren’t so lucky. The Association for Safe International Road Travel reports a whopping 37,000 people die from accidents on the road each year in the US. And, 2.35 million people leave the accident scene injured or disabled.

How can we decrease these numbers and make driving safer for everyone? Read on to learn about 3 safety tips you can use when you’re on the road. That and more below!

1. Teen Drivers Need Feedback on Their Driving

Research shows that teens learning how to drive and under the watchful eye of adults drive more safely than when they drive with a license on their own. By just how much? Try ten times more safe.

One way to lower this gap is give teen drivers feedback on their driving. That way, they can change their unsafe behavior, promoting better driving that will positively affect them and everyone else out on the road.

One study mentions that video-based feedback helps teens more than non-video feedback, however, another study proved that both are just as effective. So, the jury is out on this one. Long story short, provide feedback in the way that best helps your child learn, video-based or non-video-based.

2. Wear Your Seatbelt

Yes, it goes without saying, that wearing your seatbelt is one of the biggest safety measures you can take. Like enforcing safer teen driving, promoting seat belts can help decrease injuries.

But not just that. One study showed strong evidence that drivers not wearing their seatbelts were more likely than your standard seat belt driver to receive a traffic citations. So, not only can wearing your seatbelt save you from a life-threatening car crash but also get you out of trouble — one less day sitting in traffic school.

3. Limit Distractions When Driving

In 2016, a whopping 3,450 people were killed due to distracted driving. To lower this number and get safety on the up and up, reduce distracted driving patterns, some of which (as reported by NCBI) includes tailgating, speeding, improper lane usage and lane changes, right of way and control signal violations, and illegal turns, to name a few.

One cause of distracted driving that some may overlook is none other than stress. And it’s not just any type cause of stress that drivers need to lookout for.

According to a study, work-life-related stress is a key stressor that increases risky driving. If you find work taking up more of your time or are always on a tight deadline and feel as if you have no breathing room for family and friends, it’s time to make some proactive changes, including scheduling downtime and unplugging from technology.

Also, get a full night’s rest (for adults, we’re talking 7-8 hours of sleep a night), eat nutritional meals, and a cup or two of java can increase alertness.  

Final Thoughts: Practice Makes Perfect

For other safety tips, consider a Driving Guide, not to mention do your research and practice, practice, practice on an open road when most people aren’t out. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, make sure to contact our Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys. 

Have more safety tips that helps promotes safe driving? Which tip do you find the most helpful? Please feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below.