As a parent, your number one priority is keeping your kids safe. And while there are many things in life that could put your family in danger, one of the biggest things is driving. With so many car accidents happening each and every day, it’s unrealistic to think that your family could never be involved. Luckily, there are some things you can do to try to better protect your family when traveling at high speeds. To show you how, here are three ways you can keep your family safer while driving on freeways.
Be Aware Of Your Following Distance
According to Jana Rhodes, a contributor to MotoSafety.com, more than 25 percent of all car accidents are rear-ends. When this happens on the highway or freeways, it’s usually because a car was following too closely to the car in front of them. When you don’t have a safe amount of following distance between you and the car in front of you, it’s hard to have a safe reaction time if something happens that would require you to stop suddenly. This can result in rear ending the car in front of you, which is almost always shown to be the rear car’s fault. To keep this from happening to you, be aware of the following distance you have and increase it when necessary.
Unless Passing, Stay To the Right
When you decide to switch lanes on the highway or freeway, you open yourself up to more potential dangers. Knowing this, staying in the right lane is the safest course of action for you. While you will have to move to the left lane in order to pass, you should try to get back into the right lane as soon as possible and stay in that lane until you want to pass again. And according to Nationwide.com, staying in the right lane for the majority of your drive can help you better maintain your speed, which will be an added measure of safety for you and your family.
Take Care Around Big Trucks
Large highways and freeways are often used by truckers to move their product from one location to another. This usually requires driving for a long distance, which can be mind-numbing. While truck drivers are advised on ways to be safe on the road, Andrei Zakhareuski, a contributor to Driving-Test.org, shares that large trucks just naturally have poor visibility, which means driving around them can be more dangerous than driving around other cars. With this in mind, it’s vital that you take extra care when around big trucks to avoid getting into an accident with a vehicle that’s much, much bigger than you. This means trying to pass them quickly, leaving enough space between you, and not driving in areas that could be considered blind spots for them.
If you’re looking for ways to keep your family safer, use the tips mentioned above to increase your safety while on the road.