If you’ve driven on the open road lately, you’ve probably noticed that you have a lot of distracted drivers. And one of the main reasons for this is due to smartphone use, and the array of onboard technology installed within vehicles today.
Recent reports have shown that around 8 people per day are killed in automobile accidents involving distracted drivers in the United States. But thankfully, there are ways to make your vehicle safer.
Vehicle safety isn’t restricted to mitigating distracted driving. In fact, there are many ways that you can make a vehicle safer. And a lot of this is done through fairly simple strategies.
Whether you want to make your car safer for the road during seasonal weather, or if you just want to have a much more comfortable driving experience, the following will illustrate a few effective methods for making safety a permanent feature of your vehicle.
Stick to a Routine Maintenance Schedule
If you don’t keep your vehicle regularly maintained, you’re just asking for trouble. In fact, you could easily hit a speed bump and cause all sorts of issues just by having an underlying problem that could’ve been fixed easily.
Your vehicle is a lot like the human body. And just like we all need to see the doctor from time to time and keep regular checkups, so does your vehicle.
One of the best practices is to perform maintenance regularly yourself, and when you notice a problem that you can’t fix, that’s when it’s time to bring your vehicle to a mechanic. The following checklist will get you started in regular vehicle maintenance:
- Check tire pressure regularly
- Keep tires properly inflated
- Check oil life regularly
- Keep brake fluid at maximum levels
- Check coolant levels
- Ensure all lights and signals are operational
- Check wipers for durability
Though the above is just a short list, keeping regular maintenance will help prevent most issues from arising when you least expect them.
Consider Window Tint
Believe it or not, but tinting your windows actually makes your vehicle safer. And window tint has been shown to be of great benefit in the event of a collision.
Window tint acts as an elastic buffer from shards of glass entering the vehicle upon impact. In fact, tinted windows have actually saved lives by mitigating the occurrence of glass cutting the driver during a crash.
Additionally, window tinting helps to block harmful UV rays from entering the vehicle. And if you’ve ever taken a road trip in the summer and noticed your left arm becomes much more tan than the right, this is due to the sun penetrating the glass on the driver’s side.
Tinted windows also keep your vehicle cooler, and can deter potential thieves from targeting your vehicle simply because they won’t be able to easily see what’s inside.
Pledge to Stop Driving Distracted
It’s a known fact that texting while driving can cause horrific and deadly consequences on the road. And because of our incessant need to be continually notified via text or social media, this has greatly contributed to fatal accidents.
Pledging to keep your phone on “do not disturb” when you’re driving is one method for mitigating a potential disaster while driving. But at the same time, this is largely up to you to stick to your pledge.
As an alternative, there are several online pledge associations that offer you a “contract” of sorts that you can enter into to make your pledge official. Or at the very least, simply turn your phone off or keep it out of reach until you arrive at your destination.
Anyone who has ever been involved in an automobile accident can tell you that this is never a pleasant experience, even in the case of a simple fender-bender. So it’s a best practice to use all available resources to ensure the safety of your life, and the lives of those around you.
