Daytona Beach Injury Attorneys
Free Case Evaluations - Call 24/7 386.333.6613
Drive Safely This Summer With These Tips and Tricks

Drive Safely This Summer With These Tips and Tricks

Summer vacation is a time for fun in the sun, long beach days spent with family and friends, and unforgettable weekend adventures. To help ensure those memories are happy ones, our firm encourages you to practice safe driving habits to reduce your risk of an incident this season, keeping you and your family out of harm’s way. Read our helpful tips designed to help you stay safe on the road this summer.

Proper Maintenance

Car owners should always keep up with regular, scheduled vehicle maintenance, but it is especially important to do so in the summer. The sweltering summer temperatures can cause engines to overheat or could wear down rubber parts like tires and hoses more quickly. Always check to make sure your vehicle has no leaks and take it to a mechanic if it exhibits any irregular behavior while driving. Also make sure the basics, like your blinkers, windshield wipers, breaks, and other essentials are all in working order before you leave for a drive.

Be Prepared

Whether you’re anticipating a week-long road trip or quick drive to the beach for the day, always be prepared and have a plan. Know your route and be aware of any changing traffic patterns, such as construction zones, and know an alternative path. Also, check the weather. Summer rains aren’t uncommon, and you’ll always want to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature may throw at you. Tropical rains could lead to flash floods or poor visibility that would certainly influence drivers.

Abide by Traffic Laws

Traffic laws are put in place to protect drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and anyone else on the road from harm. Follow these rules, do not speed, yield to pedestrians, use your blinker, and always look before merging or changing lanes. Following these rules will not only help to keep everyone in your car safe but everyone around you as well.

Use Your Seat Belt & Keep Kids in Car Seats

Also, always buckle up! Using your seat belt, and encouraging everyone in your vehicle to do so as well, is one of the simplest ways to prevent injury should you be involved in a crash. Each year, nearly half of the people who die in car crashes were not wearing their seat belts. Do not contribute to this statistic – buckle up and keep yourself safe. You should also make sure your children are using the proper car seats according to their weight and height. Babies should be in rear-facing seats until they reach the manufacturer’s weight and height limits, at which point they should sit in a forward-facing seat. Once children reach the car seat weight limit, they should remain in a booster seat until they are tall enough to fit the vehicle’s seat belt properly.

Beat the Heat

In the warmer months, spring and summer, it’s a good practice to keep water in your vehicle at all times. This is a smart practice you could implement year-round, but it is particularly important in the summer. If your car should overhear, or you simply get thirst on a long drive, water bottles could certainly come in handy.

Never Leave a Child or Pet in a Hot Car

Even if it doesn’t seem very hot outside, temperatures inside a closed vehicle can be up to 40 degrees warmer than outside. Under no circumstances should you ever leave a child alone in a vehicle without adult supervision, especially on a hot day. Children can quickly become dehydrated or may suffer heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or in extreme circumstances, even death. While animals may seem more able to fend for themselves, they should also not be left to face the sweltering heat of a closed vehicle alone. Even if left in vehicles with the windows rolled down, animals have been known to suffer heat stroke and other weather-related illnesses.

If you ever encounter a child inside of a vehicle on a hot day, take action immediately. If you are unable to locate the parent or car owner quickly, call 911 and seek guidance from the operator. In some situations, you may be asked to break into the vehicle to assist the child.

While we sincerely hope you and your family are able to enjoy the summer without any injuries, if you should be involved in a car accident where you were harmed because of another driver or negligent party, contact us immediately. Our experienced attorneys will fight for your rights and help you obtain fair compensation.

Contact Politis & Matovina, P.A. for your free evaluation today.

Categories: