Head On Collisions can be prevented. Be aware while driving. The fatal flaw of all head on collisions is that the driver was not aware of either the speed of the approaching car and misjudged or did not see the car until it was too late. A head on collision is more apt to result in a fatality than any other type of collision.
Faulty driving maneuvers that might cause a driver to cross the centerline include: Bad passing judgment; Driving around a curve too fast for conditions; Left turns directly into the path of on-coming vehicle; Wide right turns; Failure to interpret pavement markings; Over correcting from a right wheel dropping off the pavement.
You are riding,visibility is good, you cross a river and BAM! face shield fog up. One hand off the bars, open the face shield just for a second when you hadn’t planned to . That second could be critical.
As you know SCUBA is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. If you ride you probably have worn a helmet, it might have had a face shield, and it probably fogged up at one time or another. The same kind of thing happens to SCUBA people. Early on, to fix the problem they spit in the mask and rubbed it around, many still do. In the world of SCUBA it is perfectly socially acceptable, happens in the best of families. If you spit in your face sheild with your riding buddies around you’ll only be riding with your very best friends or riding solo. What isn’t too bad in the ocean is not so good for the wheeled crowd. The SCUBA people have a more polite remedy. Formulas in the form of liquid, paste or gel that are rubbed on the inside of the mask to prohibit fogging. Some of the products suggested by divers are:
Everyone likes getting a great deal, but when it comes to motorcycle helmets, saving a few dollars shouldn’t be more important than ensuring the purchase is a sound one. Safety helmets for motorcycle users are the law in many states, optional in others. Discount motorcycle helmets are a good option for those that need to save cash, but it’s important to make sure the purchase is sound.
Motorcycle helmets are meant to protect the head, and in the case of those with visors, the eyes as well. This is particularly important since the head and eyes are very vulnerable on people who ride motorcycles. There are myths that exist that say helmets can break necks, block vision and impair the hearing of the wearer, but these are simply myths. Especially so if the helmet is rated for safety and is properly fit to the wearer.
How many stories do you remember of people being trapped in their cars during Winter storms? I can recall quite a few. Every year the news reports several of these stories.
One that comes to mind quickly is the guy who ran off the road and into a snow bank. The best I remember he was there almost two weeks before they found him. He was alive!
These tips will help you have a safer driving experience. Please read them over and practice following them. They may save your life.
1. Always use the seat belt - THIS MEANS YOU. Every living thing inside the car should be buckled up or secured.
Posted in Vehicles | Also tagged Avtorentacar Car, aware, cell, driving, kids, locked, phones, safe, strangers, streets, tips, tire, water |
Tire pressure and condition is one of the most overlooked safety aspects on our cars. Most people just assume their tires are fine and that they will be safe because they look okay – the tires are not flat. Rarely do we ever see someone get out a tire pressure gauge and check their tire pressure or place their hands on the tire and feel for roundness and irregularities. What most people don’t know is that proper tire pressure will improve your gas mileage, make your brakes and suspension system last longer, and it will improve your gas mileage. According to AAA, it is ideal to have your tires pressure and condition checked for safety every time you fill up your gas tank and prior to any long drives or vacations.
Before checking your tire pressure you should check your tires condition. Your tires are what holds you to the road and if there are any irregular wear patterns, bubbles and cracks, etc your safety can be greatly compromised. Look over all your tires. Place the palm of your hand on the tire and feel it is it round? This may sound obvious, but you can quickly find early signs of cupping (which can indicate bad struts), irregular wear (could be improperly balanced wheels), cracks, and deep wear that would make your tires unsafe.
Most people do not realize how important their headlights are and actually take them for granted. Headlights are what allows you to see at night and, according to the National Institute for Highway Safety, are the number one reason for night time accidents. Dim, cloudy, ineffective and improperly aimed headlight lenses in need of varying degrees of repair are the culprit. An average of 9 out of every 10 cars on the road today has dirty or yellowed headlights that greatly reduce vision and need to be replaced, repaired or professionally cleaned, AAA Foundation for traffic safety.
Not only does this make it difficult for you to see, but it also makes it difficult for other drivers to see you. This greatly multiplies the risks of an accident and is just not safe. Cars or trucks with bad headlights in need of repair are simply down right dangerous. These same headlights can easily be fixed with a little headlight repair. This same headlight repair can also help avoid numerous accs and make for greater driving safety.
I’m surprised there aren’t studies done about road rage and the use of cell phones. I get irritated by cell phone users driving badly. I just want to pinch their little heads off. I’ve seen no road rage statistics, but I have seen comparisons between cell phone usage, drunken driving, and resulting accidents.
David J. Hanson, Ph.D. says, “A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that drivers who used mobile phones while driving were four times more likely to crash than those not, a rate equal to that for drunken driving at the .01 level.” Dr. Hanson also points out, “Those who die in traffic accidents are just as dead whether killed by drug use, fatigue or falling asleep at the wheel, alcohol intoxication, or inattention caused by cell phone use while driving.”
Having a securely mounted convenient drink holder can increase motorcycle safety in two ways; by allowing the driver to have hands on the bars more often and increasing hydration.
A driver has no time to drink while operating the motorcycle. However, in hot weather while at stop lights or in traffic time for a quick hydrating drink sometimes arises. Without a convenient drink holder the drink is often tucked away in some equipment, in a pocket or wedged somewhere. This can and has caused searching, fumbling and dropping of the drink. Which is accompanied by driver reaction to try to catch the falling bottle or spilling the drink. All of this action causes a lack of attention to the task at hand, operating the motorcycle. It can also cause momentary bouts of imbalance as well as distraction. If a well placed drink holder is at hand, the driver can easily and quickly get the drink, have a drink and return the drink to a secure holder with minium effort and distraction. No problems.
Night time driving safety is a big concern lately as most accidents occur at night. Also, the severity of these accidents tends to be much more severe with more fatalities and severe injuries. Our vision field is much smaller at night and an improperly lit car or one with dim headlights can be very hard if not impossible to see. Night time greatly increases the impact of minor inconveniences like dim or cloudy headlights. Dimly lit or bad headlights limit our awareness, vision and even our ability and to react or even see is in front of us.
There are things we have no control over like non relective signs and under or overgrowth that partially covers signs, but there are major things like headlights that you can control and limit your risks when driving at night.
There are approximately 42,000 deaths each year in automobiles. Today we have all sorts of ways to minimize the risk; seatbelts, airbags and guardrails. All these things are having a positive on the affects and survivability of those involved in auto accidents. The number of accidents per million miles driven is about the same or a little lower, while the number of deaths per accident has decreased. Unfortunately the number of miles driven is increasing and thus we are having a tough time in the United States keeping the yearly death tolls under 42,000 folks. When we are talking about accidents and deaths in automobiles we see to be okay with that? Yet we complain about the number of soldiers killed in Iraq. We spend billions on weapon systems and safety procedures to fight wars, yet we are not pumping as much money into the things that are really killing Americans.
Now mind you, I am not by any means anti-military, coming from a military family. I am pro-military and do not complain about the spending on weapons systems. Indeed, I am proud of our men and women in uniform and applaud the transfer technologies that the R and D on these weapon systems delivers to our civilization, societies and industry. It is truly phenomenal including this little communication tool called the Internet. Now then let us discuss the issues of putting things in proper perspectives. Automobiles do not kill people, people kill people; misuse of an automobile or flagrant abuse of even a power tool can cause injury. However we need to make the automobile safer.
If a person ends up with a high insurance rate, there is usually one cause for it. Accidents. The single most important thing that you can do to keep your rates low is to keep your driving record clean. To stay out of accidents, all you have to do is follow a few simple tips.
First and foremost pay attention. Set the radio station before you leave, not when you are driving. Do your makeup at home and not in the rearview mirror. Look in your mirrors and check your blind spot before you change lanes. One of the biggest causes of accidents is carelessness. By paying attention you will dramatically improve your odds of staying out of an accident.
The color of car a driver chooses reflects their personality and perhaps their favorite color. But the choice of color in a vehicle can be much more important as well.
According to a study by researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand silver cars are 50 percent less likely to be involved in a crash resulting in a serious injury as compared to white cars.
Choosing a new car is a huge decision, and this decision often becomes extremely difficult as you try to balance all the options and prices. Cars vary widely between makes and models, and often the shopper who isn’t quite car savvy feels overwhelmed by the possibilities.
I had the same problem. I was in this horrible car accident, and suddenly and totally unexpectedly, I was searching for a new car. I quickly learned my priorities in a car: safety, mileage, and durability.
Night time driving safety is a big concern lately as most accidents occur at night. Also, the severity of these accidents tends to be much more severe with more fatalities and severe injuries. Our vision field is much smaller at night and an improperly lit car or one with dim headlights can be very hard if not impossible to see. Night time greatly increases the impact of minor inconveniences like dim or cloudy headlights, bush overgrowth that partially or fully covers signs, and even oxidized signs that have lost their reflectability. All of these items can limit our awareness or ability and time to react or even know what is in front of us.
There are things we have no control over like non relective signs and under or overgrowth that partially covers signs – this is the town or cities responsibility and they may not listen to your complaint, but when the lawsuits from avoidable car accidents start rolling in and their insurance premiums go sky high, they will make changes. This article is about you and what you can do to control or limit your risks when driving at night.