6 Safe Driving Tips for the Winter Holidays
Every year, the holidays are marked by increased traffic collisions and crashes. Unfortunately, many of these prove to be fatal. Nobody wants to experience the tragedy of losing a loved one to a fatal crash, nor do they want to face injury as a result of a collision.
Together, let’s work to keep this holiday season free of tragedy and injury by following the six simple driving tips.
1. No Matter the Distance, Plan Ahead
Whether you are going to the grocery store or across state lines, plan your trip ahead of time. Expect increased traffic as more people will be on the road for holiday shopping and travel. Also, be aware that adverse weather conditions may cause further traffic congestion.
Planning ahead can help you reduce stress, putting you in a better mental state to drive safely. It can also help deter the urge to speed, drive aggressively, or engage in other dangerous driving behaviors.
2. Do Not Speed
Speeding is a leading cause of traffic collisions year-round. Speeding becomes even more dangerous during times of high traffic or poor weather conditions. Remember, for every 1% increase in speed, a driver is 2% more likely to be involved in a crash. 3% more likely to suffer serious bodily injury as a result of a collision, and 4% more likely to die in a crash.
Mind your speed, give plenty of time and distance to react to traffic around you, and allow for increased follow distance for adverse road conditions like rain and poor visibility.
3. Practice Defensive Driving
Driving defensively means doing everything in your power to reduce the risk of being involved in a collision. This means planning for things that may be beyond your control, including poorly maintained roads, poor weather, and the actions of other drivers.
Let impatient drivers pass, do not tailgate the person that just cut you off, and do not allow other drivers to get under your skin. Remember, you are in control of your vehicle. Do not let anyone take that away from you.
4. Avoid Distraction
Driver distractions cover much more than cell phones and texting. Anything that takes your full and undivided attention of the road is a distraction. This includes manual distractions like adjusting the radio, visual distractions like your cell phone, and cognitive distractions like passengers and hand-free phone calls.
Distractions can always wait. Give it a few seconds or minutes and find a safe place where you can park and complete whatever non-driving task has come up.
5. Get Some Rest
Every year, thousands of crashes and hundreds of deaths are attributed to crashes involving fatigued drivers. Make sure you are well-rested before hitting the road and if you are driving a long distance, take plenty of breaks.
6. Do Not Drink and Drive
This is true every day. Do not drive while intoxicated. With all the alternatives available to motorists, it simply makes no sense to put yourself, your loved ones, and others on the road at risk. Still, every holiday season, the U.S. sees an uptick in fatal drunk driving collisions.
Have a designated driver, call a cab, or set up a ride through Uber or Lyft. In the end, drinking and driver is never worth the risk.
Contact an Experienced Texas Car Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car crash, contact Thomas J. Henry Law. Our experienced car accident attorneys have experience handling a multitude of injury accidents, no matter how severe the crash or injury. You may be entitled to compensation for your damages if another driver acted negligently. Our firm has the experienced lawyers and financial resources that you need to achieve the real results you deserve.
Our firm has offices in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Austin, Dallas, and Houston serving clients across Texas and nationwide. Call us today for a free case review — attorneys are available 24/7, nights and weekends. If you cannot make it to our office, we can visit you at your home, in the hospital, or at work.
