Drive Safe to Prevent Auto Accidents this Holiday Season
With Christmas fast approaching, the busiest travel season of the year is officially underway. In 2009, approximately 87.7 million Americans traveled over 50 miles from home during the holiday season. Eighty-five percent of those travelers drove. The Better Business Bureau has offered some safety tips to motorists to help prevent car accidents this holiday season.
Before you begin your trip, take your car in to a mechanic for a checkup. At a minimum, you should check the fluid levels, wipers and tire pressure. If you are planning on driving through ice or snow, you may want to consider purchasing snow tires or chains.
You should also put together a safety kit for your automobile. The kit can include flashlights, a radio, blankets, a first aid kit, non-perishable food items and water, and jumper cables. The kit could come in handy if you experience car problems, accidents, or long travel delays while you are traveling on the road.
Make sure you allow for plenty of time to make the trip. This will help you resist the urge to speed, and there are an increased number of police officers on the roads this time of year. Planning ahead and allowing for extra travel time can help if you are slowed down by road closures or other traffic snarls.
Perhaps the most important safety tip is to minimize the distractions you have in your car while you are driving. The National Safety Council estimates that over a quarter of all traffic accidents happen because people are sending texts or talking on a cell phone. Other passengers, a GPS or a radio can also be very distracting to drivers.
We hope you stay safe on the roads this holiday season. However, if you are injured in a car accident, contact the San Fernando Valley automobile accident attorneys at the Mandell Law Firm. Our attorneys are highly skilled and will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call us today at 818-886-6600 for a free consultation on your case.
