Avoiding Rain-induced Car Mishaps on the Road

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Time and again, the government has been making repeated calls for motorists to be very careful when out on the road driving. Just last year, excessive rains in the Southern California have caused multiple accidents. The drivers and victims of these vehicles may have already talked with a Los Angeles car accident attorney for insurance claims.

These accidents were due to the continuous rains that happened in the SoCal area last year. As it is, rains can cause the roads to be slippery. Water on roads cause hydroplaning that leaves a vehicle with little or no grip at all.

This consequently leads to loss of traction and ultimately accidents. So does this mean that one has to stop driving when it is raining? Of course not! All you have to do is follow these very useful tips that will let you drive through the most torrential downpours minus the accidents.

• Slow down. When the roads are wet, chances are it is more difficult to put the vehicle to a stop. Driving slowly gives you more time to slow your vehicle down, helping you avoid mishaps.
• Stay in the middle lanes. Rainwater tends to pool on the road’s outer lanes. This lessens the chances of your vehicle hydroplaning.
• Give enough driving distance to the vehicle in front of you. This gives you more time to react, slow down, and steer your vehicle away from accidents.
• Try to drive on the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you. These tracks have probably less water, enabling you to enjoy much grip.
• Stop tailgating. It doesn’t only give you less time to react when the vehicle in front of you suddenly slows down. The water mists from the vehicle in front of you impairs your vision.
• Be alert. Watch out for brake lights and other things on the road. This lets you do the right things that needed when emergency situations arise.
• Employ engine braking. Take your foot off the accelerator to slow down instead of using the brakes. Brakes can lock up your wheels, causing you to lose grip. If you need to slow down, use the brakes with minimal braking force.
• Turn your headlights, fog lights, and/or the hazard lamps when raining. This increases your visibility on the road, letting you steer away from road hazards and helps others avoid you.
• Never drive through water if you can’t see the ground through it. If it is moving, your car could be swept. If it is not, your vehicle might stall.

The thing is these accidents could have been avoided if the drivers have only exercised proper driving habits. Officer Adam Eggleston of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), in an interview with the ABC said that “we believe it was just the rain” and warned drivers to “really reduce speed”. So follow the above-mentioned tips to ensure your safety when driving through the heaviest of downpours.

Rise in Seat Belt Use: Something to be Thankful For

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Among the many blessings that we received last year, and that was the fact that seatbelt use among Americans hit record-highs, particularly during Thanksgiving weekend. According to one of the recent reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), use of seatbelts has reached an all-time high of 86 percent in 2012.

Based on the NHTSA’s yearly National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), seatbelt use has been on the rise since 1994. Just last year, the use of seatbelts in the United States was recorded at 84 percent before hitting this record-breaking milestone. In the many years of the NOPUS, the NHTSA has noticed that there has been an upward trend with the use of seat belts among vehicle occupants in the US.

Highlights of the NHTSA report

Three out of the four regions in the country saw increases in seat belt use in this latest report. Specifically, the one that enjoyed the biggest improvement is the southern region of the country, in which seat belt rose to 85 percent in 2012; a 5-percent increase from the previous year.

Meanwhile, people living in the western parts of the country still have the highest percentage of seat belt use at 94 percent, a 1-percent increase since 2011. However, the Northeast area of the United States saw no increase in the use of seat belts despite the NHTSA’s efforts in promoting them.

Additionally, seat belt use remained high in states that have primary belt laws. In these states, a law enforcement operative can issue citations to erring motorists. This is deemed more effective than requiring additional traffic violations before any form of disciplinary action can be meted to offenders.

NHTSA’s reaction

NHTSA Administrator David Strickland thanked the agency’s state and local partners for the success of its various campaigns for seat belt use. The ‘Click It or Ticket’ program has been making steady gains in belt use year after year. He added that these successes will be vital in finding more ways to come with “multi-faceted approach”; that is through the “enactment of good laws, the effective enforcement of said laws, and an effective public information drive and awareness”.

To begin with, some 32 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have passed primary laws that require the use of seat belts. On the other hand, another 17 states have come up with secondary laws. So far, the only state so far that has not enacted a primary or secondary seat belt law is New Hampshire. However, the state’s primary child passenger safety law applies to all drivers, as well as passengers under the age of 18.

So would you still risk not wearing your safety belts and be a victim of severe injuries caused by accidents? Would you still want to end up seeking the help of a Los Angeles car accident lawyers to help you seek for damages brought by these injuries? Or would you rather find something to be thankful for in the next Thanksgiving Day for staying safe by adhering to the NHTSA’s plea of simply wearing your seatbelt? Well, the choice is yours, my friend.

About Winterizing Your Car

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Winter season may be over, but it doesn’t mean you should not keep yourself well-prepared. Regardless of the weather or the climate outside, it still pays for you to keep your car in tip-top condition.

Being prepared keeps you away from accidents, but you should know that this is not a guarantee that you’ll stay mishap-free for the rest of your driving days. There is a possibility that you may get involved in one, especially if it is due to someone else’s negligence.

If that is the case, then you may want to seek the expertise of a  Los Angeles car accident attorney.

Meanwhile, here are some tips on how you can winterize your car, helping it become safer in the coldest nights of winter.

•    Prepare and keep an emergency kit. Bring with you a spare tire, bottles of engine oil, washer fluid, coolant, and anti-freeze. Put an emergency kit inside the glove compartment. Carry an ice scraper. All of these things can help you stay away from trouble when the going gets tough.
•    Make sure your car’s working well. A car in top shape helps prevent accidents from happening.
•    Replace wipers and wiper fluid. See the road ahead clearly, all the time. Make sure that the wiper mechanism works and you’ve got enough amounts of washer fluid.
•    Check the car’s defrosting and heating units. Make sure that the car’s window defroster and cabin heater in good, working condition. These help keep the windows clear from fogs and the car’s cabin warm.
•    Gas up. Keeping your fuel tank full to the brim helps prevent condensation and water inside the tank. Water in the tank and fuel lines, more than being bad for the engine, can freeze up and clog down these vital components.
•    Load up on antifreeze. This keeps the coolant from freezing that retards coolant circulation and worse, overheating. With this in your cooling system, you’re assured of perfect engine temperature and operation during the coldest of winter.
•    Check the oil and its viscosity. The right amount of oil and viscosity helps keep the engine lubricated and running well. Winter can have the oil thicken and have problems lubricating your engine. Filling up with oil with the right viscosity helps ensure optimum engine protection.
•    Check the battery. The cold winter is tough on the engine and the battery. Make sure that it is in the best condition for worry-free winter motoring.
•    Check your tires. Does it have the right tire pressure? The cold weather can cause the tire pressure to drop. Fill it up with air if needed and deflate if the pressure’s too high. The right tire pressure ensures optimum grip to avoid accidents. Given the season, you should also consider replacing all-weather tires with special winter tires for safer drives.