Summer Driving Safety Tips

Released on: June 27, 2011, 2:44 pm
Author: John
Industry: Travel

LANHAM, MARYLAND — June 27, 2011 — Now that summer is officially with us, it’s time to remind ourselves to drive safely and to be alert.

Summer time is peak driving time. In the U.S. vehicle miles travelled (VMT) peaks in the summer months. VMT represents the total number of miles driven by all vehicles within a time period and geographic area. (U.S Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation). The total estimated number of miles driven in the U.S. 2008 was 2.922 trillion, according to the U.S. DOT and the American Public Transportation Association.

In 2008, there were almost 6 million car accidents in the U.S., with more than 37,000 deaths. In fact, auto accidents, tragically, are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of three and 34 in this country. (“Top Ten Safe Driving Tips,” by Ed Grabianowski, HowStuffWorks.com).

Surveys from Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and ROPER ASW indicate that teens indulge in even “riskier in vehicle behaviors during summer months that lead to crashes, serious injuries, and sometimes death than during the school year.”

Optotraffic’s laser speed sensor systems have a proven track record of reducing both the number of speeders, and the speed of autos, in high-risk school zones, reducing traffic accidents, injuries or fatalities and increasing public and pedestrian safety at school crosswalks.

The Optotraffic units are calibrated daily and tested to within one mile per hour - - in annual tests by independent laboratories and periodically by the police departments of local municipalities. Optotraffic’s automated speed enforcement system measures the speeds of passing vehicles with an accuracy of +/- 1 mph. Less than 0.2% of all issued Optotraffic citations have been contested in a court hearing.

According to New Jersey’s Palisades Insurance Company, “when you think about being ‘extra careful’ when driving, you usually think of driving in snow and ice. However, Spring and Summer present their own driving challenges.” Beyond slowing down, here are some quick, brief tips to remember when driving in the summer:

• Don’t text, dial and drive.
• Double check your vehicles safety systems for those fast moving heavy rainstorms - - including wiper blades, brakes, emergency flashers, head and parking lights, tire pressure and tread wear, as well as fluids for brake, transmission, power steering and window washer systems.
• Don’t for a minute leave children (or pets) in a car unattended. Even when it is only 72 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can quickly rise to 116 degrees.
• Make sure your child seat is installed correctly. Always make sure the driver and all passengers buckle up.
• Beware of other drivers. Summer road trips means more people driving in unfamiliar areas. Be extra cautious.
• Remember where speed enforcement zones are – and slow down. They are located there for a reason - - these areas, school zones and highway construction zones, require extra caution.

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Optotraffic
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http://optotraffic.com

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