Important Holiday Travel Safety Tips
This holiday season, more than 90 percent of the people who will be traveling to their holiday celebrations will be doing so by car. And the average holiday driver will be traveling about 260 miles roundtrip.1
If you will be among the millions hitting the roads this holiday season, here are some important driving safety tips to practice during your travels in order to avoid a potentially serious traffic crash:
- Prepare yourself and your vehicle hit to hit the road – In other words, make sure that you are well rested, sober and ready to focus on driving. Also, get your vehicle ready by having it serviced for a long winter road trip ahead of time and by making sure it contains your winter driving safety kit.
- Plan your route ahead of time – In other words, map out your course and make sure that your planned route doesn’t include closed roads (due to winter storms, for instance). Once your have your route planned, tell others about it, and let them know when you are planning to leave/arrive at your destination. By doing this, you can inform others of where to start looking for you if you don’t end up making it to your destination at or around the planned arrival time (due to a breakdown or collision, for example).
- Check the weather before taking off – And think about delaying or changing your trip if the weather threatens a storm or other unsafe driving conditions.
- Slow down – When behind the wheel, make sure you drive about 5 to 10 miles per hour (mph) slower than the posted speed limit if or when the roads are wet, it’s raining or snow is falling. Also, take more time when accelerating or decelerating to maintain as much traction with the roads as possible.
- Watch for black ice – While black ice can develop on any roadway with the freezing temperatures and falling rain (or moisture in the air), it tends to develop in shady, cooler areas. So, keep a look out for black ice, particularly if you vehicle’s thermometer registers freezing temperatures outside.
- Expect other motorists to make mistakes – And anticipate that other drivers will not be as careful, focused or sober as you are. This can help you be a good defensive driver, preparing you to be as responsive as possible when other motorists’ misbehaviors behind the wheel threaten a crash.
Contact Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan
Have you been injured in a traffic accident? If so, Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan is here for you, ready to help you advocate your rights to justice and compensation. For more than three decades, our firm has been dedicated to helping the victims of negligence craft the strongest possible cases and bring these cases to successful resolutions.
Learn more about your rights and legal options during a free, no obligations case evaluation with Attorney James L. Finegan. To schedule this meeting, call (303) 980-5511 or toll free at (888) 980-5511. You can also send an email via the contact form on this page.
From offices based in Lakewood, CO, James L. Finegan, P.C. provides superior representation to clients throughout Jefferson County and the state of Colorado, including those in Denver County, Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Adams County and the Colorado Front Range region.
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1: According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
