Simple Tips for Safer Trips

According to the Federal Government, something on the order of 80 percent of all crashes is due to driver error. This means, they didn't have to happen. In fact, some people are of the strong conviction that essentially all crashes are due to driver error.


If we eliminate random, freak occurrences—such as an earthquake taking out a bridge just as you are driving across it—then what we have left is driver error. What about bald tires, you say? Nope; as a driver you are responsible for the tires on the car you are driving. Cell phones? Nope, again; no cell phone ever caused a crash, but some people talking on cell phones and not paying attention to their driving while doing so have caused crashes. Winter snowstorms and icy roads? Nope, again; no snowstorm ever caused a crash, but some people driving in winter conditions and not driving appropriately for those conditions have caused crashes.


With that in mind, let's offer up some simple, basic safety pointers organized into a couple of categories: Things About the Vehicle, and Things About the Driver.

Things About the Vehicle


Tires
How to tell if they're in decent condition? Look into the grooves in the tread pattern and you will see shallow, raised bars of rubber. If the tread on the tire is worn to where it is even with those little bars, the tire should be replaced, because there isn't enough tread left for the tire to have proper grip on anything but absolutely dry pavement. Puzzled about inflation pressure? There will be a little sticker, sometimes on the driver's door pillar, sometimes in the glove box, listing correct inflation pressure. Do the rest of us a favor; keep decent tires on your car and keep them properly inflated.


What to do with a sudden flat on a freeway? Get the thing off the freeway, no matter what it takes. No torn-up tire, beat-up wheel or banged-up fender is worth someone's well being. A flat tire is a minor inconvenience. A trip to the hospital is not.