You can do everything in your power to ensure your vehicle is well maintained and functioning correctly, but if you drive irresponsibly, you are placing yourself and your passengers at great risk. Follow these simple rules to ensure you are driving safely!
· Do a quick tire check to ensure none of them are visibly low on air. Your vehicle may be equipped with a sensor to notify you if this is the case, but it doesn’t hurt to inspect them yourself. You never know if your sensor is malfunctioning.
· Adjust your seat, steering wheel and mirrors before you leave the driveway. If you are the only person driving your car, you don’t normally have to do this, but if you share a vehicle or someone else has driven your car, double check these things, before you begin to drive.
· Do your makeup, eat lunch, read your mail, and take care of anything you need to do before you get in your vehicle. People often try to multitask while they drive, in order to save time, but it has cost lives and caused damage. It’s not worth it.
· Don’t ever text, talk, or open social media platforms on the phone while you drive. It is illegal in most places, but people still do it. Also, not worth it. Most mobile devices are now equipped with an optional feature that notifies people who try to contact you while you are driving that you are driving and will receive their notification when you stop. If you STILL don’t trust yourself not to use your phone, turn it off and place it out of reach.
· Minimize distractions while you drive. Tell your passengers to quiet down, lower the radio volume, whatever you need to do… If you have kids, make sure they understand the importance of car safety and behaving in the vehicle to minimize the risk of distractions.
· Ensure everyone in the vehicle is wearing a seatbelt. If you have small children, seat them in car seats or booster seats. Always make sure they are fastened securely, and according to safety standards.
· Use the child lock feature in your vehicle to make sure children cannot open the car from the inside. Also lock your window controls. Like with the pets, don’t let children’s windows all the way down.
· Don’t let people who are not on your insurance policy drive your car. In the event of an accident, you could be liable.
