Commuting to Work: Being Safe While Driving Everyday

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In order to survive in this world, many of us have a job to make a living somehow.  If you’re one of the millions of citizens who have to travel back and forth to work everyday day are familiar with how repetitive drive can be, and while we may go through each trip without anything happening, you just never know what may happen. Being prepared is the best way to make sure you have safety each day.

If you’re a regular commuter, here are a few tips that can help keep you safe as you commute.

  • Vehicle Safety: In order to make your daily commute, you, of course, need a vehicle to do it in. Thus, the first step to a commuting safer begins with the vehicle you buy. When considering a vehicle, one tip is to look into the best in safety features like blind-spot detection and back-up assist cameras.
  • Maintaining Vehicle: Along with having proper vehicle safety, you have to maintain proper vehicle maintenance. It doesn’t matter how safe your car is when you first buy it, in order for it to keep running, you need to make sure your vehicle is in tip-top shape. There is a higher possibility of something going wrong on the road if your car is not properly maintained. There are several things you can do to keep up the maintenance of your vehicle, including:

o   Regular oil changes: This will help you keep the vehicle’s moving parts well oiled. This helps to reduce the amount of friction and heat being produced by the car while it is being operated and helps to the risk of your vehicle overheating. For most vehicles, it is recommended that you get an oil change every three months (or 3,000 miles) and because you are commuting to work, you need to be aware of the mileage on your car. It is ok to go a little past the mileage, but it’s always safer to not push your car’s ability.

o   Regular tire pressure and wear checks: If you want to avoid your tires blowing out while driving on the freeway, you need to make sure your tires are still good. Poor traction on the road is also a risk, especially under poor weather and road conditions. If you want to make sure your tires are good, you can invest in a tire monitor, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to get and use. They can help you check if your tires are under- or over-inflated. You can also check the wear on your tires by the depth of the tread, which you can check since most tires have little markers in between the tread. Generally, if you can feel the markers when you run your hand over the tire, you’ll know it’s time for a tire replacement.

o   Other vehicle maintenance checkpoints include brake pads, lights, windshield wipers, battery, belts, and hoses.

  • Pick a good route: Many people who are regular work commuters, you’ve probably found a couple of different ways to get to your destination. While alternating routes can help with the boredom that comes with everyday driving. Though, it is important to decide which route was the safest to make sure you drive the safest. This can be helpful during rush hour traffic; you can choose to drive back roads or other alternate routes that aren’t congested. Being familiar with your routes is also a good way to drive safe, like knowing the twists and turns on a windy road.
  • Keep Your Distance: It’s best to give adequate space to the other drivers around you. This is especially important and helpful when driving in severely congested traffic. When you leave space between you and other drivers, it allows you to have plenty of time to stop, let people shifting lanes do so carefully, and helps lower the risk of you rear-ending the vehicle in front of you, especially if the driver behind you hits you first. Even if there is no heavy traffic, it can be very helpful for everyday driving. If you are driving at a higher speed, for instance, it will take you longer to stop. So, if you keep a good amount of distance between you and other vehicles, you will give everyone plenty of time to react and avoid an accident if something happens.
  • Keep Your Cool: One of the most common things that distract us from driving safely is our emotions, aka road rage. When we’re driving, things happen that are out of our control and when you’re stuck in traffic, you can be constantly on edge when you’re trying to avoid hitting someone who’s weaving through traffic or watching for pedestrians. Staying calm and not let your anger and aggression get the better of you is one of the best things you can do to keep yourself and other drivers safe. Use your commute to practice deep breathing or if anything, pull over for a minute to cool down. Remember, your goal is to actually make it to your destination.

Keep Your Focus: Focusing on the road is probably the most important commuting habit you can have. Yes, the same routine every single day is extremely tiring, and it is easy to be tempted to end your boredom with distractions to entertain your drive. From texting to eating, you should be avoided these actions to keep yourself safe. Don’t text and drive, pull over to eat. Also, make sure not to GPS and drive. Basically, you need to keep your focus on the road and what you’re doing. This will ensure that you will be prepared for anything.

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