Nov 12, 2023 | Car Accidents, Driver Safety
Having to drive in the rain isn’t an easy task for most drivers out there. For truck drivers, stormy roads can be especially dangerous. As such, it’s important to know what sort of hazards to watch for, and how to best handle them…
How-to Navigate Stormy Roads: What To Avoid
Remember the wind
Understandably, most people are going to be concerned about the rain when driving on stormy roads. However, you can’t forget about the high wind which usually comes with it. This wind can be a danger in a multitude of ways, especially when you’re on a haul.
For starters, this wind will make the rain hit harder, making it especially hard to see. The wind can also start pulling on your truck, causing it to start swerving. In fact, if the wind is severe enough, then it may even cause your truck to flip if you aren’t careful! As such, you need to be mindful of how bad the wind is, and how much you can control your truck.
Watch for high water
Stormy roads also tend to experience a lot of flooding. Now, most drivers in standard cars won’t be able to handle these floods. Some may think that trucks can tackle high water easier, due to being taller and more powerful. In reality, high water is still as dangerous to truck drivers as it is to anyone else on the road.
With high water, it’s very easy for your truck to lose traction and effectively get stuck. Plus, you may not be able to tell just how high it is from your cab. Many times, high water will also hide debris on the road which could end up damaging your truck. In general, it’s best to play it safe and find an alternate route.
Keep track of the weather
The best way to handle stormy roads is by avoiding them altogether. This means you should be keeping track of what the weather conditions will be like. Be sure you check what the weather and roads will look like for the route you plan to go on. If the weather seems to be poor, then try and find a backup route just in case.
These days, you can also keep up with the weather in real time. Practically all smart phones come with weather apps which can track your location and provide you with real-time updates. That way, if the weather suddenly starts to turn, you can react properly and find either another route or a place to wait it out.
Nov 5, 2023 | Car Accidents, Driver Safety
If you would like to learn more, check out this video about the risks of letting someone borrow your car.
We have all had it happen before. A friend or family member could be without a car for any given reason, and they ask to use yours. Maybe theirs is in the shop for maintenance or even for repairs after an accident. They could have flown into town to visit you. Perhaps their kid needed to borrow theirs so they are without one. There are plenty of reasons that someone may ask you to borrow their car. What you need to decide on is if you are willing to let someone borrow your car.
How-to: Decide if Someone Should Borrow Your Car: Weighing the Risks
Driving History
Before you let anyone borrow your car, you should consider what kind of a driver they are. Do you know they are a terrible, reckless driver? You may want to think twice about letting them drive your car. They will be unfamiliar with your car, so putting a bad driver in a vehicle they are unfamiliar with could be a total disaster. Also, consider things such as if your friend or a family member has a history of having a DUI. Anything that could mean a bad driving record should be a red flag to you.
Insurance
You will also want to consider your car insurance before you let someone borrow your car. This could come into play if the person driving your car is involved in an accident. Car insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. When you allow a friend, family member, or babysitter to borrow your vehicle, your insurance takes primary coverage. For example, the person if your car is not at fault, the driver who is at fault will have to use their insurance to cover the damage. However, if the person who is using your car is at fault, your insurance would likely cover the damage to the other driver’s car. In addition, your liability coverage would likely pay for any injuries or damage to the other driver as well.
Unless you have collision coverage, your insurance would not cover damage to your own car. Plus, if you do end up repairing damages using your collision coverage, you will probably have to pay your deductible. This would be the case even though you weren’t driving at the time of the accident. Keep this in mind when you consider whether or not you want to loan out your car.
Oct 29, 2023 | Accident prevention, Car Accidents
Rollover accidents can be very dangerous and are incredibly scary. Every year, thousands of accidents occur with rollovers. And many of them cause serious injuries. It’s important to know the most common reasons for these accidents so that you can avoid them. Often high speed is a factor. Another common reason is driver error – often because drivers are distracted. Certain vehicles can be more prone to rollovers because of their design. And finally, tire malfunction can also be a cause of a rollover accident. You cannot guarantee safety on the road, but you can make yourself safer by being aware of how rollovers happen.
Rollover Accidents: How they Happen and How to Prevent them from Happening to You
High Speed
High speed is very often a factor in rollover accidents. When cars are traveling fast and collide, it’s more likely that the force of the speed will make the car flip. Rollovers can also happen is when a car takes a turn going too quickly. Even swerving to avoid an animal can cause a vehicle to roll over if your car is traveling fast enough. To avoid rollovers, always travel the posted speed limit. And always slow way down before taking a sharp curve to keep all four wheels on the ground.
Driver Error
Another source of rollover accidents is driver error. Drivers being distracted is so incredibly dangerous. If you’re driving, you should not be looking at your phone. Or let your mind wander. Rollover accidents can also happen when drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Often, these cause drivers to make sudden movements or even drive the wrong way on roads. This can lead to very bad accidents, including rollovers.
Electronic Malfunction
Some cars are more prone to rollover accidents because they are more top-heavy than others. Tall SUV’s in particular can be more likely to roll over. Therefore, most cars are equipped with ESC or Electronic Stability Control. This is an electronic sensor that helps prevent the car from rolling over. However, when it malfunctions, a rollover accident is more likely. Getting your vehicle serviced frequently should keep the electronics in good shape.
Tire Malfunction
Finally, tire malfunctions can often cause rollover accidents. Tires often blow out when drivers are traveling at a high rate of speed. The pressure on the tire from the car moving so quickly can cause it to fail. Therefore, tire blowouts often happen on highways. When this happens it can be difficult for your car to stay upright since it’s suddenly off-balance with one tire missing. While it’s impossible to ensure that your tires won’t ever fail, it’s important to pick high-quality tires for your car. You should always monitor the tire pressure, tread, and have them serviced and rotated frequently.
Rollover accidents are very scary and can be deadly. They are often caused in one way or another because a car is traveling at a high rate of speed. Make sure that you always drive the speed limit and slow down as you approach sharp turns. In addition, drivers must never drive distractedly as this can cause many different accidents, including rollovers. Making sure that your car’s ESC feature is working properly can keep you safer on the road as well. And finally, tire blowouts can cause rollover as well, so always make sure your tires are in good shape before hitting the road. Hopefully, by being aware of what can cause rollover accidents, you can stay safer on the road and avoid ever experiencing one.
May 7, 2023 | Car Accidents, Child Accidents
Car seats help to keep your children safe in case of a car accident. However, many people are unaware of what kind of seat is the best choice for their child. Knowing what kind of seat your child should be using can help make sure your child is as safe as possible in the car.
Car Seats: Avoiding Child Injuries in Car Accidents
Rear-facing seats
Rear-facing car seats are the first kind of seat a child should use. These variations are the recommendation for children who are infants up to 3 years old. These seats help reduce the stress of an accident on the child’s head and spinal cord.
Generally, rear-facing seats are mainly intended for newborns and infants.
Most children will outgrow these seats at about 8 to 9 months. However, it’s important to not move up to the next type of car seat until a child meets the required height and weight limits.
Forward-facing seats
Forward-facing car seats are the next option available for children. These seats are best for children ages 1 up to 7. These seats also tend to come in convertible variants, which allows you to switch from rear-facing to forward-facing when needed.
Forward-facing seats make use of a harness to keep your child in place. This harness helps to distribute the impact of a crash more evenly over a child’s body. Furthermore, the tethers and anchors help keep the seat in place during an accident.
Booster seats
Finally, the last car seat option is the booster seat. Booster seats are intended for children age 4 all the way up to age 11. As with the forward-facing seat, you should move your child up to a booster seat only when they meet the height and weight requirements.
Booster seats also come in two common variants. Booster seats with backs add more neck and head support for the child. Generally, these are good choices if your car lacks head rests or high seat backs. If your car does have these features, then you can opt for a backless seat instead. Make sure to check your vehicle and make the best decision accordingly.
Good car seats help keep your child safe when in the car…
These seats give added protection to the child’s weaker body that normal seat belts can’t provide yet. Make sure to also follow the manufacture’s instructions for installing these seats to ensure they’re being used properly.
Jan 29, 2023 | Car Accidents, Driving
When it comes to following the rules, you probably like to think you’re a law abiding citizen. However, we all do things from time to time that fall outside those lines of what’s allowed, and what’s not. Take, for example, the basic road rules. Merging correctly, making full stops at a stop sign, legal turns… While these little things might seem harmless— breaking basic road rules from time to time can be quite dangerous for you, and the drivers around you…
Basic Road Rules & How We Break Them
Failing to Use Turn Signals
While you might be an exception to the statistics, it is a fact that most people don’t use their turn signals in the ways that they should. Turn signals are essential to following basic road rules, and making drivers aware of what you’re up to. Before switching lanes, before turning at a light, a stop sign… Any time you’re making a move on the roadway— use your turn signals. Without using them, you fail to give other drivers a heads up or warning. Therefore, they don’t have the opportunity to react in a safe manner.
Making Illegal Turns
When you’re running behind, you might begin to let some of those basic road rules fall to the wayside. Take, for example, making legal turns. Many of us think that doing so is harmless— especially if the street around you is clear. However, illegal turns are illegal for a reason. In most cases, these areas are marked for illegal turns because that area is too dangerous, or unpredictable. Due to the design of the road and environmental factors, you probably cannot see clearly enough to execute the turn safely. While it might seem like a calculated risk, accidents do happen every day.
Riding in the Left Lane
Of all basic road rules, this one falls to the wayside most often. It can be considered a courtesy to move out of the left lane when you aren’t matching the speed of surrounding cars. However, it is ultimately just the correct way to use the roadway. If you are planning to travel slower than the “normal” speed of traffic, stay to the right lane. By doing this, you allow others move by you easily and safely. In addition, you keep the left lane open for drivers to pass safely and return to other lanes.
While these are nothing more than basic road rules, they hold safe driving principles. They are in place to make the roads safer and keep traffic flowing better. Therefore, no matter how unnecessary or inconvenient it may seem, stick to following these basic road rules.
Oct 2, 2022 | Car Accidents, Driving
Although it is summer now, winter weather will be here before you know it. Keeping this in mind, it is good to be thinking through what you will need to do prepare for winter driving. Depending on where you live, winter weather could look very different than in other parts of the country. Some areas will have mild winters, and others could have blizzards. Even if winter just means cooler temperatures outside for you, there are things you should do to make sure your car is road ready.
How-to Prepare for Winter Driving: Things to Check
Battery
Car batteries can really be affected by cold temperatures. To prepare for winter driving, you should definitely test your battery. To do this, you can use a voltmeter to make sure it’s in good condition. A healthy battery should have a reading of 12.4 volts or more.
In older batteries, certain substances that the battery needs to function may freeze if temperatures get too low. Also, some grades of motor oil can thicken in cold weather. Thick oil could make the battery and starter have to work harder to turn the engine over. Having a healthy battery could help prevent overcome this problem.
Tires
Next, to prepare for winter driving, you will want to check your tires. If you live in an area that gets snow or ice, consider putting winter tires on your car. These tires have a deeper, more flexible tread, and will give you better traction in slippery conditions. On the other hand, if you decide to stick with all-season tires, check your tire tread regularly. Tires should be replaced if the tread is anything less than 2/32 of an inch. If a tire is bald and worn out, it will not have good traction.
Another thing to keep in mind is to check the tire pressure. As the outside temperature drops, tire pressure usually drops as well. If tire pressure is too low, too much of the tire’s surface area will touch the ground. This could make tire wear out too quickly. Additionally, it could cause your tires to overheat. If a tire overheats, your tire tread could separate, which could be dangerous.
Windshield Wipers
Your windshield wipers are something you should check in order to prepare for winter driving. Make sure they are in condition, and replace them if needed. If they are not properly removing rain or snow from your car windshield, you could have a difficult time seeing out. Also, add wiper fluid that is rated for -30 degrees. This will help to keep your windshield wiper fluid from freezing up in cold weather.
As you can see, there are small steps that you can take to make sure that you are safe on the roads when the weather gets cold. These tips will help you prepare for driving in winter weather.
