Two Points To Stay Secure On The Road

Everybody, if given a choice, would prefer driving their own car over any other means of transportation. Assuming the distance is manageable, we love to drive our own cars. Despite the wide availability of public transportation, driving is preferred. And as technology continues to increase, driving is becoming more convenient, a lot easier, and much cheaper.

However, driving is not without risks. Deaths due to auto accidents are one of the largest causes of fatalities in the United States. Nearly all of these would be avoidable if simple rules of the road and safety tips would be observed at all times. I would like to share a few of these safety tips with you in this article. With a little more focus and concentration, less people will die every year.

Of course, most people are aware that nearly all auto accidents are caused when someone becomes distracted while driving. If you drive the same route to work every day, and have done so for the past several years, then you may feel like you're driving on auto pilot, and that you don't really need to pay attention. However, all it takes is one split second distraction, and that can be enough to send you straight to the morgue. By avoiding some of the things that cause these distractions, you'll be significantly decreasing your chances of getting into an accident.

The first is cell phones. Sure, plenty of states have laws outlawing cell phone use while driving, but a recent survey indicates that over twenty five percent of drivers admit to sending text messages while driving. That one split second that you take your eyes off the road, and try to press the "send" button on your phone is enough to kill you, everybody in your car, and everybody in the other car. Is that text message really so important? If it is, then pull over. You'll be doing yourself and everybody else a favor.

Another surprising behavior that causes a large percentage of auto accidents is doing things in the car that should have been done before leaving home. Putting on makeup, shaving, brushing your teeth. It may seem like you are saving time by doing these in the, but it's pretty time consuming to wait for an ambulance to take you to the hospital. It's even more time consuming to break a few bones and have to wait in the hospital until you recover. Would it really be so difficult to set your alarm clock five minutes earlier, so you could take care of things at home? Think of all the lives that would be saved if everybody did that.

Yes, you've driven there a million times, and you could probably do it your sleep. And yes, the risk is pretty small that something will happen. However, the negative effects associated with the risk coming true are so great, it makes a lot of sense to focus on the road, and not on your cell phone or your makeup. Life is worth much more than small conveniences.