Tips on Tuesday: Safe Driving Tips

A while back I did some research regarding carseat and carseat safety. While I was searching, I ran into some terrific information that I wanted to share with all of you about general safe driving. Most of what I found was at the Safercar.gov site.

Airbag Safety: Did you know that you need to be at least 10" away from your airbag in order to be safe in an air bag inflation? Grab your ruler and check it out. Most people I know (including me prior to now) are not 10" away. If you are unable to be 10" away from your steering wheel (ie: not tall enough to slide back that far), please contact your local law enforcement agency and get a waiver. They can write you a special waiver that you take to your mechanic. Then have the mechanic disengage your airbag on your main vehicle.

I didn't think it would be a big deal to be too close if the air bag inflates. It is a big deal! Please be safe!

Hands on Steering Wheel: How many of you learned to place your hands at 10 & 2 on the steering wheel? Did you know this information is no longer taught? Student drivers are now instructed to places their hands at 4 & 8 on the steering wheel. That sounded ludicrous to me until I heard the reasoning behind the change. With almost all vehicles having air bags, the number of injuries to wrists and facial injuries from hands/arms has dramatically increased. By lowering your hands to 4 & 8 on your steering wheel, your hands won't be caught in the airbag when it goes off.

Safe Following Distance: I was taught the two second rule in following cars. The new safety guideline is 3 seconds. Who knew? To figure out how far behind a car you are, find a fixed object (street sign, mile marker, etc.) and when the car in front of you passes it, start counting 1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand. You should not pass the same fixed object in less than three seconds.

Driving Distractions: It is now estimated that almost 3/4 of accidents are caused by distracted drivers. That is almost 75% of accidents!! Distractions include eating or drinking while driving, messing with the radio/music, cell phone usage, texting, personal grooming (shaving in the car, applying makeup, fixing hair). Please keep in mind that you are in a 3,000 pound machine that has the power to take a life. Minimize distractions in your car and arrive safely.

I hope everyone will be safe this holiday weekend. If you are driving, be extra careful. I'll be praying for all of you. Happy thanksgiving!