Summer Road Safety Tips (3)

Summer Road Safety Tips (3)

3. ON THE ROAD

Getting there is half the fun of a road trip vacation. Plenty of distractions both inside and outside your vehicle can take your attention from the road.
Cranky fellow travelers, traffic congestion, road construction and detours, ringing cell phones, unfamiliar roads, and loud music are just a few you might encounter. While you can expect some distractions, you can also counter them with safe driving techniques to keep you focused.

Tips for Staying Focused

The best way to stay focused while driving is to avoid fatigue
So schedule your trip to allow for frequent breaks. Stopping for food or beverages, taking time to pull over at a rest stop just to stretch your legs, staying overnight at a motel and sharing the driving are all good strategies for avoiding fatigue and staying alert behind the wheel.

Traveling with Children

Remember that long trips can be especially tough on children.
Stopping along the way makes the trip easier and less tiring for them as well- and more of an adventure too! Also, bring along a few favorite books or soft toys to keep the little ones occupied. The trip will seem to go faster for them, perhaps lessen the number of times they ask, “Are we there yet?” and better enable you to keep your attention on driving.

Buckle Up America. Every Trip, Every Time.

Along with staying focused, make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled up properly at all times. In fact, buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to keep yourself and your passengers safe while on the road.

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Summer Road Safety Tips (2)

Summer Road Safety Tips (2)


2. WHAT TO TAKE

Some take-along items make your trip more pleasant, such as favorite CDs to listen to or snacks to tide you over until the next rest stop. Others help keep you and your passengers safer. While you don’t want to ever overload your vehicle, you will want to make room for basic safety equipment.

Child Safety Seats

If you’ll be traveling with children, you’ll need to make room in your back seat for appropriate child safety and/or booster seats.
Guidelines for proper child safety and booster seat use can be found at www.boosterseat.gov under “Which seat is right for my child?

Emergency Roadside Kit

Even a well-maintained vehicle can break down, so it’s advisable to put together an Emergency Roadside Kit to carry with you. A cell phone tops the list of suggested emergency kit contents since it allows you to call for help when and where you need it.
A suggested Emergency Roadside Kit contains:
• Cell phone
• First aid kit
• Flashlight
• Flares and a white flag
• Jumper cables
• Jack (and ground mat) for changing a tire
• Basic repair tools and some duct tape (for temporarily repairing a hose leak!)
• A jug of water and paper towels for cleaning up
• Nonperishable food, drinking water, and medicines
• Extra windshield washer fluid
• Maps
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Summer Road Safety Tips

Summer Road Safety Tips

This is the time of year when people vacation and take summer road trips. Getting to your destination and back safely is priority number one.
So take a few minutes now to focus on what matters most. By following the 3 steps below, you can map out a strategy to avoid road trouble and ensure your entire trip is as safe and worry-free as possible.

1. BEFORE YOU GO
Regular maintenance such as tune-ups, oil changes, battery checks, tire rotations, goes a long way toward preventing breakdowns before they happen. If your vehicle has been serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, it should be in good shape and nearly ready to travel.
Providing your vehicle is well maintained, getting it ready for a road trip is relatively quick and easy. If not— schedule a preventive maintenance check-up with your mechanic now. Perform the following basic safety checks before you go:

Vehicle Safety Checklist

• Tires — Air pressure, tread wear, spare
Check the air pressure in all your tires, especially the neglected spare. To get an accurate reading, check pressure when tires are cold, meaning they haven’t been driven on for at least three hours. You can find the correct pressure for your tires listed on a label inside the driver’s doorframe or in the vehicle’s owner’s manual — the correct pressure is not the number listed on the tire itself.
Also, take five minutes to inspect your tires for signs of excessive or irregular wear. If the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, it’s time to replace your tires. If you find irregular tread wear patterns, it means your tires need rotation and/or your wheels need to be realigned before you leave.
• Belts and Hoses — Condition and fittings
Look under the hood and inspect all belts and hoses to make sure they are in good shape with no signs of blisters, cracks, or cuts in the rubber. High summer temperatures accelerate the rate at which rubber belts and hoses degrade, so it’s best to replace them now if they show signs of obvious wear. While you’re at it, check all hose connections to make sure they’re Secure.

• Wiper Blades — Wear and tear on both sides after the heavy duty imposed by winter storms and spring rains, it’s likely that your windshield wipers are ragged from use and ready to be replaced. Moreover, like rubber belts and hoses, wiper blades are susceptible to the summer heat. Examine your blades for signs of wear and tear. If they aren’t in tip-top condition, invest in new ones before you go.
• Cooling System — needed servicing and coolant level
Carefully check your coolant level to make sure it’s adequate. In addition, if it’s time to have your cooling system flushed and refilled (or even nearly time), have it done now. On a long road trip in summer heat, you’ll want your cooling system functioning at peak performance to avoid the possibility of your engine overheating.
• Fluid Levels — Oil, brake, transmission, power steering, coolant, and windshield
Obviously, you’ll want to check your vehicle’s oil level. And as with coolant, if it’s time or even nearly time to have the oil changed, now would be a good time to do it. In addition, check the following fluid levels: brake, automatic transmission, power steering, windshield washer, and coolant. Make sure each reservoir is full and if you see any sign of fluid leakage, take your vehicle in to be serviced.

• Lights — Headlights, brake lights, turn signals, emergency flashers, interior lights, and trailer lights
See and be seen! Ensure all the lights on your vehicle are in working order. Check your headlights, brake lights, turn signals, emergency flashers and interior lights. Towing a trailer? Be sure to check your trailer lights too. Failure of trailer light connections is a common problem and a serious safety hazard.
• Air Conditioning — Sensitive to heat? Check AC performance before traveling
If you’re traveling with someone sensitive to heat, you may also want to ensure that your air conditioning system is functioning properly. Lack of air conditioning on a hot summer day can adversely affect people who are in poor health or are sensitive to heat, such as children and seniors. If the air is not blowing cold, it’s a good idea to have the system repaired before you go.
Knowing the route to your destination and being well informed about weather and road conditions as well as unusual traffic activity ahead: crashes, road closures, work zones, or heavier than usual congestion will help you to head off traffic nightmares before they materialize.
Plan Your Route
• Obtain information on the latest tie-ups, traffic jams, roadway conditions and visibility before you get behind the wheel. Then you can plan your route to avoid some delays or allow yourself extra drive time. Whether it’s TV or the Internet before you depart or drive time radio on route, keep yourself informed.
• Plan your route ahead of time. Getting lost is embarrassing, frustrating and exasperating, but knowing where you’re going ahead of time can reduce your stress and ensure that you arrive safely and on time.

Summer Safety Alert!

Remember: Never leave children unattended in parked vehicles especially during warmer weather. Even on a relatively cool summer day, with windows partially cracked open, temperatures inside a vehicle can soar, rapidly causing occupants to suffer from heat illness or even die from heatstroke.

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Helmet Selection Tips

Helmet Selection Tips
Many people are aware that there is a New York State law mandating that all bicyclists under the age of 14 wear a bicycle helmet. Some people know that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85%. Many people, kids, teens and grownups alike, know that they should always wear a helmet when we ride. However, the reality is, many riders just don't. The main reasons appear to be quite simple. They're uncomfortable. They're not cool. They are perhaps unaffordable.
So what can be done to change those negatives into positives and get more riders to wear their helmets every time they ride? Let's break it down.
Comfort: Select a helmet that IS comfortable. You won't know unless you try one on. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes without trying them on first! Use the padding that comes with the helmet to make it fit your head snuggly, without gaps. Certainly, a helmet that doesn't fit right will probably sit in the garage, which won't help you out when you crash on your bike. Straps and fasteners need to be strong and sturdy, not thin and flimsy.
Style: Select a style you can live with. If you are shopping for a tween or teen, allow them to select a style they like, because if they don't like the way it looks, they won't wear it. Lighter, reflective colors make more sense as they are more visible to motorists. Ideally, a smoothly rounded outer shell, with no sharp ribs or snag points is recommended. Coolness, ventilation, fit and sweat control are some critical comfort needs. Air flow over the head determines coolness, and larger front vents provide better air flow. Excessive vents aren't really necessary. There are helmets with pony- tail ports for girls, and bald bike riders may want to choose a helmet with smaller vents to prevent unusual tan lines.
Cost: Helmet prices can range from $20 to $200. The average rider does not need a $200 helmet! Serious racers traveling at high speeds may need a more sophisticated helmet, but children, tweens, teens and the average adult will do fine in the sports retail store or large discount type store. Just be sure to look for the Consumer Product Safety Commission sticker on the inside to be sure it meets safety standards.
Be sure to dispose of helmets that have been involved in a crash. You may be unable to determine just by looking at it if the foam inside has been compromised in the crash, rendering it unsuitable for future protection.
Be sure to wear your helmet, snug and level, with the straps fastened each time you ride.
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Dimming the Lights

Dimming the Lights
After listening to comments and studying the problem for more than two years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seems ready to act. As this issue of Car & Travel went to press, the agency was expected to take a first step by proposing new rules lowering the maximum allowable height for headlights on passenger vehicles. NHTSA will probably also soon propose more new rules covering HIDs, auxiliary lights, adaptive frontal lighting, aiming and other issues.
However, even if NHTSA would begin regulating all glare sources tomorrow, you'd still have to live with the HIDs, fog lights, out-of-whack headlights and other eye-offenders already on the road. For that reason, safety experts maintain that the immediate solution lies not with engineers designing better lighting systems but with drivers learning to manage the effects of glare.
· In fact, you can do a lot to reduce glare-associated discomfort. Follow these tips: Make glass disappear. If you can see the glass between your eyes and the road, then you're not looking through it; you're looking at it. And that means the glass isn't clean enough. Wipe your windshield thoroughly, inside and out, removing all road grime, accumulated film, and especially bug splatters, which catch and scatter light. Repair chips and cracks in the windshield promptly, and clean or replace your windshield wipers to eliminate streaking.
· Look away. When oncoming headlights threaten to blind you temporarily, "the simplest solution is to avoid looking directly at the glare source," says Dr. Timothy Wingert, associate professor of optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "Of course, sometimes that's easier said than done, since the glare source is the brightest, most interesting object in your field of vision." Directing your gaze down and to the right (to the white edge line on the side of the road) seems to work best. That way, you can maintain your lane position, and your peripheral vision can still detect the motion of potential hazards.
· Get AR-coated eyeglasses. If you wear prescription eyeglasses, consider an anti-reflective (AR) coating. It costs $80 or more, but most wearers will tell you that it's well worth the price. "I wouldn't own a pair of glasses without it," says Dr. Jeffrey Weaver, director of clinical care for the American Optometric Association.
· Typical plastic lenses transmit only 92 percent of light. But AR-coated lenses transmit nearly 100 percent--eliminating internal reflections. Clinical studies show conclusively that AR-coated lenses improve vision, day and night, and reduce glare and reflections compared with conventional eyeglasses.
· The downside? AR-coated lenses require careful handling, because they scratch and smudge more easily than non-coated lenses. Although their vulnerability to marring scared off many buyers when AR coatings were first introduced, newer formulas have proved a bit more durable.
· Adjust your mirrors. You can adjust your outboard mirrors to fight glare from headlights behind you. From your normal seating position, tilt your head until it rests against the driver's-side window; adjust the left mirror so that you can just see the left rear fender. Then, lean to the right until your head is near the vehicle's centerline; adjust the right mirror until you can just see the right rear fender. This adjustment technique not only shrinks blind spots, but also keeps trailing headlights from shining directly into your eyes. Combined with the "night" setting on the center-mounted rearview mirror, it will usually eliminate uncomfortable glare coming from the rear. If glare still bothers you, consider self-dimming mirrors (available as optional or aftermarket equipment), which darken automatically in response to brighter light.
· Have your vision checked. Eliminate incipient cataracts or other medical problems as possible sources of light sensitivity. Eye care experts recommend a thorough exam every three years for people under 40, every two years for 40- and 50-somethings, and every year for those over 60.
What You Can Forget Some companies’ market yellow-tinted night-driving glasses, which supposedly block the specific wavelengths of light responsible for nighttime glare. Simply put, they don't work. In fact, by reducing the amount of light reaching your eyes, they actually impair your ability to see at night. And, like wearing sunglasses at night or indoors, using night-driving glasses may eventually make you more sensitive to sunlight during daytime driving, as your eyes become accustomed to lower levels of light.
Several years ago, the Federal Trade Commission fined one company--Nationwide Syndications, Inc., marketer of "Night Safe" glasses--for making unsubstantiated claims about its product. However, that hasn't stopped other companies from making similar claims about similar glasses since. A recent study sponsored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concluded, "Reasoning based on solid physiological and perceptual concepts, and backed up by almost 60 years of empirical research, yields no real support for the use of fully tinted glare-blocking glasses as a means of achieving safer nighttime driving."
Unfortunately, eliminating glare isn't as easy as putting on a pair of special glasses. The ultimate remedies lie not in quick fixes but in better engineering, better regulation and better driver education.

With the Sun in Your Eyes
Although nighttime glare draws the most complaints to government regulators, daytime driving obviously presents problems, too. Sun glare can make reading traffic lights and signs difficult, temporarily blind you to potential hazards, and turn an ordinary commute into a squinty, headache-inducing experience.
High-quality sunglasses should form your first line of defense. Take these tips on picking a good pair:
· Go eyeball to eyeball with yourself. Those fashionable, barely tinted specs? Forget 'em, says the American Optometric Association. When trying on a pair of sunglasses in the store, look at yourself in the mirror. If you can see your eyes clearly, then the glasses aren't dark enough to provide adequate protection in strong sunlight.
· Go gray. "Neutral gray lenses alter your color perception the least," advises Dr. Timothy Wingert, associate professor of optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Above all, avoid blue lenses. They transmit sunlight's blue wavelengths, which can result in age-related macular degeneration and other eye problems later.
· Go with UV protection. Although ultraviolet light has nothing to do with glare, it can harm your eyes. Look for specially coated lenses or ones made of polycarbonate, which block nearly 100 percent of UV light. Stickers or tags identify lenses that afford UV protection; tint or color alone cannot protect against UV light.
· Go polarized. "Polarized lenses help mostly with reflected glare, such as the kind you get off snow, water and road surfaces," says Wingert.
· To handle other glare that you can't block with sunglasses or the sun visor, safety experts suggest repositioning yourself. Sometimes just tilting your head to one side does the trick; other times, you need to shift position within your lane or even change lanes altogether--provided you have room to do so safely.
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