There is a significant number of people worldwide who own a car, or at least know someone who owns one. Every year, the number of cars is on the rise, at an exponential rate too. Newer models keep getting even more advanced features, relative to their predecessors, increasing their convenience and comfort. However, along with this, comes a sense of responsibility while driving the vehicle. Brigade Electronics provides some safety devices that can help you drive the car safer. So to avoid such road accidents, all the drivers should follow safety guidelines while driving their vehicles. Some of the safety rules are discussed below.
No drinking and driving
The most basic rule of safe driving is to never drink and drive. Alcohol is the cause of impairment of the senses, which leads to car accidents. Alcohol affects human reactions, regardless of the level consumed. At low levels, alcohol causes intoxication, which reduces the time of reaction and also lowers the power of guessing and inhibitions. When consumed in large quantity, it causes blurred vision and also leads to loss of consciousness. When under the influence of alcohol, avoid driving even when you feel you are alright. In such cases, you are likely to cause damage to the vehicle, and hurt road users, not to mention cause harm to your person. Due to these dangers and troubles, drinking and driving remains a crime, making you liable to pay a heavy fine, and jail time. So, even if you are drunk, do not drive the vehicle. Options here include designating a trusted friend, who must be sober, to drive the vehicle, or calling a cab. This is a basic rule that must be entrenched in your mind.
Wear your seat belt
The first thing that you should do once inside a car or any other vehicle is to wear your seat belt. A seat belt protects you from being thrown out of the window in case any accident takes place. Seat Belts can prove to be a lifesaver. Most people ignore this fact and do not wear a seat belt. But ignoring this fact can prove to be vital in your life. Seat Belts decease the risks of serious injury by up to 50% or more.
Wearing a seat belt is not a difficult task as they are located to the immediate side of the seat. They aren’t that uncomfortable either. Wearing seat belts is a basic safety rule which everyone should adhere to. Police assist in enforcing this by conducting regular, and surprise road checks. So, the next time you sit inside a car, wear a seatbelt and you will be able to enjoy a safe journey thereafter.
Keep Safe Distance
While driving any vehicle, you should keep a safe distance from the cars ahead. This allows you adequate reaction time and space in case the car in front of you makes a sudden stop. The ability to adjust and stop your car in good time is a major contributor to road safety. A major consideration to factor when it comes to safe distance is the difficulty in estimating the distance between your car and the car in front of you.
In such cases, you need to follow the “Three Second Rule.”According to this rule, when the car which is ahead of you crosses a particular object, a positive indicator of the distance you keep should be the elapsing of three seconds (or more) for you to pass the same object. This is measured against when the car ahead passed the identified item. This rule is not cast in stone and can be slightly modified as per pragmatism. At night time or adverse weather conditions, you should double the three seconds allotted for this. This rule can prove to be a useful and helpful safety tip. Also, always be conscious about the vehicle blind spot. They are the leading cause of fatalities related to vehicle accidents.
Follow Traffic Rules and avoid Distraction
Traffic rules were made so that all the drivers follow set rules according to the traffic signal. Traffic lights guide drivers and help provide a visual aid to traffic rules. Drivers depend on the traffic lights to signal them as to what they should do next. In such cases, should you fail to follow traffic rules and overtake while the traffic light is still red, there is a high chance of meeting with an accident as there could be other drivers with intent to flout traffic rules. So, always wait for the traffic signal to turn green before proceeding with your journey. An extra second of patience could be the difference between life and death.
No matter how good a driver you are, you should avoid any kind of distractions while in the driver’s seat. Avoid activities like talking on the mobile phone, eating foods among others. Any of these contribute to divided attention while driving. Moving your focus for even a second can cause accidents, let alone needlessly risking your life. While the driver is distracted, they cannot give full attention to driving, which affects reaction time at critical conditions. Distraction has been linked to slow reaction time. So, follow safety rules and avoid distractions. In this way, you can save yourself as well as the people around you from the unseen dangers which might result from a distracted mind.
Conclusion
In order to maintain proper discipline on the road while driving, traffic lights are installed on the road and drivers need to follow these traffic signals. Ignoring of any rules can lead to accidents. Safety should inform the most basic rule of driving. So, before you start driving any vehicle, keep all the safety rules in your mind. As a keen driver, look for and learn all vehicle blind spot to avoid any future collision or mishap. This consciousness applies even before you decide to buy a car. This should only be done once the basic rules of driving and rules of safety are well understood. At the back of our minds, let us remember lives depend on a safety first attitude.