Simple But Important Car Accident Facts For Winter
Winter is here. No, I’m not trying to refer to Game Of Thrones. Winter is truly here, which means holidays season is here. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and Christmas is just across the bridge. That is why here at Malloy Law Offices, LLC, we are concerned about your safety safety. In consequence, we are going to show you some of the main car accident facts for winter, in order to make your road safety our number one priority. If you keep reading, you will learn a thing or two, which may help you avoid a catastrophe for you and your family, during this special time of the year.
You might have read on another blog of Malloy Law Offices, LLC, some car accident facts for winter. Moreover, we’ve talked about drunk drivers, and DUI accidents during this time of the year. Nationally, over the past 5 years, an average of 300 people died in drunk driving crashes the week between Christmas and New Year. While we have made a blog regarding car accidents during holiday season, and another one about car accident safety tips for winter, we have something else to tell you. So, this winter season under times of COVID-19, follow these precautions, and avoid being a traffic statistic for this holiday season.
Car Accident Facts For Winter
1. Preventive Car Maintenance
You should always make sure that your car is taken care of. You must always take your car for a service, before hitting the road during holidays season. The first thing that you might want to do is check your owner’s manual, in order to see how often should your car be checked. Afterwards, make sure to get the proper service for your current mileage and car conditions. This is one of the main car accident facts for winter, because you need to inspect your tires, and rotate if needed. Moreover, you need to check your car filters (air, oil, and water).
People around Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia travel around the area in order to visit relatives and friends, for holidays season. However, there are people out there that will simply avoid these car accident facts for winter, just for being “simple”, or “useless”. However, nothing could be further than the truth. If you need to make a road trip, you might want to consider: using snow tires, using a different oil in the winter, inspecting the belts and hoses, checking the battery, carrying an emergency kit in your car, and more.
2. Get Some Rest Before A Long Drive
Again, it might seem something really simple, but people often forget about sleeping well before hitting the road. This is why we emphasize the idea of sharing these car accident facts for winter, for people like you, that are planning a road trip, with the family. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “sleepy” drivers account 20% of all fatal car crashes, each year in the United States. In addition, such percentage of fatalities is in constant increase, year after year.
There are other important car accident facts for winter that can land under this sub-category. The first one is to always have a trusted adult on the passenger seat. This person should b responsible of keeping you aware of the main road and highway alerts. Also, he or she should be a good companion during the whole trip. Furthermore, you should always check the road conditions, even before starting the journey. If you don’t have a traffic app on your phone, such as Waze, check out state sites that alert drivers about road conditions.
3. Buckle Up, Front and Back
Before jumping into the main seatbelt warning, Malloy Law Offices, LLC would like to share the following. If you are planning to visit your family or friends for this holiday season, during times of COVID-19, check the following car accident facts for winter. You must always try to start and finish trips during daylight hours, especially if you know that the weather will not be your friend during the day of the trip. Also, watch your speed. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more than 70% of fatal accidents are due to excess of speed.
Now, seatbelts. Why are seatbelts so important? Well, here at Malloy Law Offices, LLC we strongly believe that this is completely self-explanatory, so there is no need to answer that question. We will only tell you this. You should know that unfortunately, only 80% of adult passengers in the backseat use seatbelts, compared to the almost 90% in the front, says Governors Highway Safety Association. If the car members suffer an accident, those that are not wearing a seatbelt, simply take the risk of flying away off the front windshield.
Follow These Car Accident Facts For Winter And Enjoy Holidays Season
Needles to say, here at Malloy Law Offices, LLC, our team wishes you the best, especially during this special time of the year. We strongly encourage you to follow the car accident facts for winter that we gave you above, so you can only focus on having fun and enjoying the company of your friends and family. As we mentioned, follow this simple but strictly important facts, and avoid being a holidays statistic. We wish you nothing, but the best for you and your family. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year.