Summer often brings road trips and vacations. And as many families are driving more, the risk of accidents and injuries goes up. So here are some tips for keeping your family safe on the road.
1) Always buckle up in appropriate restraints. Buckling up should be an obvious move. Make it a rule that the car doesn't move until everyone's buckled. Just as important, though, is being sure you are using appropriate restraints. Not every state has the same child safety restraint laws, so make sure you know yours. But consider going even stronger. Keep your child rear-facing as long as they are under the weight limit, even if they're over a year old. Likewise, keep your toddler in a five-point harness until he or she is over the weight limit, even if their age or size is big enough to be in a booster. And keep your kids in a booster until they're at the maximum size recommended by the booster seat. Never let small kids ride in the front seat, either.
2) Make sure toys that are in the car are soft and/or secured when not in use. In case of an accident, even small toys can generate a great deal of force.
3) Wear sunscreen. Windows don't block all the whole spectrum of rays, so for long car trips, you and all passengers should wear sunscreen.
4) Pack necessities. Even in warm weather, it's possible to get stranded. Make sure you have water to drink, and consider having antifreeze on hand, just in case.
5) If you have a pet, consider a safety restraint or a crate. Not only will it protect your pet in case of an accident, but it can also protect you and your family from injury if they're thrown around a car.
6) Don't text and drive. Don't even talk on the cell phone and drive. Both of these activities require taking attention and eyes away from the road, and there's no text so important it's worth risking your life. If a phone call must be made, have the passenger do it.
7) For the same reason, plan your route ahead of time. You don't want to be looking at maps or setting your GPS while you're driving. It's dangerously distracting.
8) Have your vehicle tuned up before a long road trip. Also, learn how to perform basic maintenance, like changing antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid or changing tires.
9) Don't ever leave a child or pet in a closed vehicle. It can get dangerously hot very quickly, even with cracked windows.
10) Drive defensively. Don't weave back and forth between lanes, since this is a major contributing factor in freeway accidents.
Safelite Auto Glass would also like to remind you to check your windshield before travel. A chip could turn into a crack at any time, often when you are least expecting it. Windshield repair is often a safe and economical alternative to a full windshield replacement. The windshield provides up to 30% of your vehicles structural integrity, and a chip smaller than 6 inches (or the size of a dollar bill) can easily be repaired by filling it with a special resin.
Plus, choosing repair instead of replacement is eco-friendly. By offering repairs as an alternative to replacement, Safelite AutoGlass saves approximately 35,000 tons of CO2 during windshield production each year, enough to fill the Empire State Building approximately 19 times. In addition, it saves the number of damaged windshields being sent to the landfill by approximately 12,500 tons annually.
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“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Safelite blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
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