Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. More than 2.3
million adult drivers and passengers were treated in emergency departments as the result of being
injured in a motor vehicle accident.
What can you do to drive safe?
Follow the guidelines and tips below to drive safe:
- Always wear your seatbelt. Wearing seat belts can increase your chance of survival in an accident.
- Maintain your vehicle in good condition. Check the tires, brakes, headlights, taillights, and turn signals all work properly.
- Obey the speed limit and maintain a safe driving distance between you and the car in front of you, especially in bad weather or darkness.
- Be careful at intersections. Over 2/3 of all traffic injuries occur at intersections. Be alert when you approach one.
- Don’t text. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average 4.6 seconds, the equivalent at 55-mph of driving the length of an entire football field blind.
- Don’t talk on your cell phone. If you need to make a call pull off the road in a safe and legal place. Cell phone use was reported in 18% of distracted-related fatalities in the U.S.
- Don’t drive under the influence. Drinking alcoholic beverages as well as some prescription drugs can impair a driver’s judgement, vision, and reaction.