Common cold-weather hazards to driving safety are snow, rain, and ice; summer presents different kinds of hazards. Summer visitors' extra traffic for vehicles is only one aspect of the higher risk; construction, sun glare, and erratic weather patterns all add to the hazard.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety claims that drivers find summer and fall to be the most dangerous seasons; July and August are the worst. More drivers on the road at that period raises the possibility of accidents.
This time of year calls for greater attention to safe driving techniques than simply business as usual for fleets and professional drivers. Here are eight strategies to keep safe behind the wheel.
Step-by-Step Summer Driving Safety Tips for New Drivers
1: Give equipment maintenance double down attention.
Vehicles suffer from extreme heat. It might cause tire blowouts and compromise the braking power of your car. It stresses almost every mechanical operation your car runs and produces more readily overheating of your engine.
Keeping automobiles from being stranded in the summer may be achieved by giving tire pressure and tread special attention, routinely inspecting the brakes, and ensuring that the cooling system of your car has all the right fluids.
Read also: Defensive Driving Tips And Techniques
2: Be Alert for Drivers Distracted
Summer highways abound with drivers more preoccupied than normal, whether they are family on vacation or students approaching the beach. Although distracted drivers already pose a hazard on the road, summer might bring more distractions than normal, therefore be alert for drivers who fail to look out for you. Steer clear of a distracted driver you spot on the road.
3. Pay Attention to Forecasts of Weather
Your summer weather may include thunderstorms, downpours causing flash flooding, tornados and more depending on the section of the nation you live in.
Make sure you know the weather for the region you drive every day and check in sometimes simply to make sure nothing has changed. These often strike without warning.
4: Watch the Calendar as well.
other days are more risky than others; weekends and other holidays are connected with higher drinking and driving frequency. Professional drivers at the wheel during such period must thus pay extra attention to the surrounding risks.
Particularly lethal in terms of passenger vehicles and motorcycling deaths is July 4. The most deadly collisions occur on the weekends between 3 and 7 p.m.; so, be advised of higher risk when driving and use extra safety measures as required.
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5: Take Care of Those Eyes
Periodically, driving might strain the eyes. However, in the summer when the sun is strongest, solar glare from the road and other cars also increases.
Invest in a decent pair of polarized sunglasses as early morning and late evening may be especially hazardous. They will reduce glare and provide clear vision, therefore helping your eyes from tiredness and injury.
6: Enhancement of Following Distance
Whether you are driving a light-duty truck or a large cargo, widening your following distance will help balance the risks associated with more traffic, construction zones, and vacationing drivers visiting new locations.
7: Value the Impact of Heat.
At last, it's tempting to discount how much the sun influences us; still, it's crucial to pay close attention to how it impacts drivers as well as automobiles. Drivers might become sleepy from heat fatigue; an overheated car can cause them to be stranded.
This is not the time to push yourself or your car over the limit; that just makes the road dangerous for everyone using it. Frequent pauses help you fight tiredness; furthermore, paying close attention to the warning signals of your car helps you avoid breakdowns and malfunctions.
Read also: 10 Easy Techniques for Becoming a Better Driver
8: Not forget your keys.
Designed to provide drivers the tools they need to practice safer driving, the Smith Keys form the cornerstone of the Smith System driver safety training program.
Drivers may learn how to provide themselves the space they need on the road, the vision to spot danger and the time needed to react to challenging driving conditions with The Smith5Keys. Learning the five keys that is, revitalizing your understanding of these ideas and their application—will enable you to have a safer summer behind the wheel.
Following these eight suggestions can help you have a better, safer summer even if you cannot influence the behavior of other drivers around you or the state of the road you are on.