The most important tip to keep your family safe while driving is to always use safety belts and proper child restraints. Children are safer when placed in the rear seat in the appropriate infant, child, booster seat, or safety belt—appropriate for size and age. Never place a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with an active air bag.
Both Hands on the Wheel
Always drive with both hands on the wheel. The best place for your hands are the nine and three o'clock positions, which helps provide greater control when steering.
Lights on, Please
With your safety in mind, most new vehicles come equipped with daytime running lamps. To help with safe driving, turn on your lights in rainy weather to make sure that your headlamps, tail lamps and other exterior lamps are on. Even if your visibility is good, other drivers will have a better view of your vehicle.
If you need to veer suddenly to avoid hitting an object in your vehicle's path, before turning, make sure you look in the direction you're headed to make sure the path is clear.
Alcohol is a factor in 39% of traffic fatalities in the U.S. These visual signs may help you spot an impaired driver:
- Stopping problems (too far, too short, or too jerky)
- Straddling a lane line
- Swerving or drifting
- Weaving across lane lines
- Accelerating or decelerating for no apparent reason
- Slow response to traffic signals
- Turning with a wide radius
- Driving without headlights at night
- Varying speed
- Stopping in a lane for no apparent reason
- Failure to signal or signal inconsistent with action
- Almost striking a vehicle or other object
- Slow speed (10+ mph under the limit)
- Driving in opposing lanes or wrong way on a one-way road
- Following too closely