Safe Driving

Steering

Good posture while driving is important because it allows a better view of hazards and more control of the vehicle. As a general rule, when gripping the steering wheel, place your left hand at the 9 o’clock position and your right hand at the 3 o’clock position on the wheel. Some manufacturers recommend placing your hands at 8 o’clock and 4 o’clock positions when the vehicle is equipped with air bags. Check your owner’s manual or contact your vehicle manufacturer to determine which hand position is best for your vehicle. Always keep both hands on the wheel unless you are safely performing another driving-related task, such as activating your turn signal.

Driving after Sunset

Driving after sunset presents significant challenges like glare and reduced visibility. Young drivers may find it difficult to determine the size, speed, color, and distance of objects. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the fatal crash rate of teenage drivers 16-19 years of age is about four times as high at night.

Vision can be severely limited at night. Since the vehicle’s narrow headlight beams limit the driver’s view, be sure to look at the outer fringes of headlight beams to get the best picture of possible dangers ahead and the sides of the vehicle. Fringe vision helps you to identify objects near your travel path. Utilize your peripheral vision to scan for landmarks and spot changes in your side and rear-view mirrors. Avoid using a light inside the car, as this, too, will greatly reduce your night vision. Also, remember to always slow down and increase following distance to reduce the potential of a crash when driving at night.

Speed

Speeding is one of the most common factors contributing to traffic crashes. It reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and limits the reaction time needed to avoid a dangerous situation. High speeds also reduce the ability of the vehicle restraint system and roadway safety equipment such as guardrails, barriers, and impact attenuators to protect vehicle occupants.

Speeding endangers everyone on the road and makes car crashes more deadly. In 2020, speeding killed 11,258 people (for more information see: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)). GDOT reported 380 speed-related deaths on Georgia roads the same year. Driving at high speeds or "going too fast" can be considered aggressive and reckless driving. Traffic, running late, anonymity, and a disregard for others and for the law are factors that tend to lead to speeding. Always know your speed and obey speed limit signs. Be mindful that hazards such as bad weather or dangerous road conditions may require a reduction in speed. While driving, try to carefully and lawfully keep your vehicle out of the way of speeding and aggressive drivers.

Space Management

Rear-end collisions are often caused by following another vehicle too closely. When following another vehicle, there must be enough distance for you to safely stop if the vehicle in front of you suddenly slows down or stops. One way to determine if there is enough distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you is to measure the amount of time between when the vehicle in front of you passes a reference point and when your vehicle passes the same reference point. To do that, watch the car ahead of you. When it passes a reference point, such as a telephone pole or street sign, count “one-thousand one, one-thousand two, one-thousand three.” If you pass the same spot before you are finished counting, you are following too closely.

Maintaining at least a 3-second space margin between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you not only provides you with visibility, time, and space to help avoid a rear-end crash, but also allows you time to steer or brake out of danger at moderate speeds. In addition, remember that while driving at night, during inclement weather, or when hazardous road conditions are present, the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you should be even greater. When stopping behind another vehicle, stop in a position that allows you to see the back tires of the car in front you.

Tire Pressure

Prior to entering the vehicle, use a tire pressure gauge to check your psi. The recommended psi should be listed in the door jamb of the vehicle. If your psi is above the recommended number, release air from the tire until it matches. If it is below, add air (or have a retailer help you) until it reaches the proper number.

Once every month or before you embark upon a long road trip, check your tires for wear and damage problems. One easy way to measure tread depth and check for wear is by using the penny test.

  1. Take a penny and hold Abraham Lincoln’s body between your thumb and forefinger.
  2. Select a point on your tire where the tread appears the lowest and place Lincoln’s head into one of the grooves.
  3. If any part of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread, you are driving with the legal and safe amount of tread. If your tread gets below that (approximately 2/32 of an inch), your car’s ability to grip the road in adverse conditions is greatly reduced.