Now that the nice weather is upon us here in St. Louis, Missouri and in Illinois, many families will be scheduling long awaited getaways. The kids are out of school, the sun is shining – it’s time to jump in the car and drive away from here! AAA has a great website devoted to suggestions and advice on how to keep your family safe on the road this summer, and always. Many car accidents (car crashes) are caused, at least in part, by inattentive driving. There are certainly things you can do to make sure that you are focused on the roadway and therefore, able to prevent yourself from being distracted. But you can’t always rely upon the other drivers on the roadway. If you are driving your precious cargo this summer – your family – you want to be sure that you are watching those other truck drivers, the semi-truck drivers, the motorycles, the passenger vehicles, the bicyclists.
You must continuously be around of your surroundings – time, space, and change – in order to respond safely to what is happening on the roadway. One important thing to do is to remember to keep a safe distance between your car and the vehicle in front of you. Also, make sure you are visible in the mirrors of those around you. Defensive driving is very important for all drivers. Under normal conditions (normal weather, good traffic), if you are traveling 30 miles per hour, you drive 44 feet per second. This is essentially the equivalent of 5 car lengths in 2 seconds. You should maintain a following distance of 2-3 seconds (so 5 car lengths). Also, you should allow 20-30 second visual lead time. This lead time allows you to survey the roadway and see where the other vehicles are. It allows you to determine the safest path of travel for your car to avoid a car crash. If you are traveling at 55 MPH on the highway, this is essentially one-third to one-half of a mile.
As the weather improves, more people will be on the roadways attending concerts, family events, and other activities. As the number of cars on the roadway rise, so does the number of traffic car crashes. To avoid a car accident, it is always a good idea to practice defensive driving. As a St. Louis Missouri and Illiniois car crash attorney, I help those injured as a result of car crashes. I would much rather help people prevent serious injury from a car accident rather than help them recover for their injuries. Drive safe! Happy travels to you and your family!
Defensive Driving-Managing Visibility, Time and Space, www.ouraaa.com, June 22, 2011.