By now you’re more than aware that buckling your seat belt, no matter where you’re seated inside your vehicle, can save your life. Wearing your seat belt properly, however, is not the only way to keep you and your family safe in while going for a ride in the car.
1. Make sure your airbags are properly armed. If your airbags have been activated, you’ll need to be sure they’ve been armed again once they’ve been replaced.
2. Proper and regular vehicle maintenance will keep you safer on the road. Transmission problems can cause your car to stall or even come to a halt in the middle of the road. Low or overly inflated tires can compromise your brake system which could make it hard to stop your car in case of an emergency. Limitless accidents can arrive with inadequate car maintenance. Take your car to the mechanic regularly so he can check for these issues before they cause an accident. For best practices on maintenance timelines for you particular vehicle, visit the website for the autp maker or reference your safety manual.
3. Airbags safety will change based on the different passengers in your car. Airbags have saved hundreds of lives, but they can also be potentially unsafe for certain passengers. Children under the age of twelve should never sit in the front seat. If they have to sit in the front seat, they should be properly buckled up with the seat as far away from the dashboard as possible and if your car is capable, you should turn off the passenger side airbags. Airbags have the potential to actually harm anyone 2-3 inches from the point of inflation. This means, because the driver’s airbag is in the steering wheel, you could be injured too. Measure the normal position of the driver’s seat, and make sure that you are located at least 10 inches away from the center of the steering wheel.
4. Use rear facing car seats. Airbags are not the only in-car threat to a child’s safety. Children under one year old, or weigh less than 20 lbs., should always be secured into a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the car. Children less than 4’9”, or under 40 lbs., should use a booster seat when riding in the car. This avoids seat belt injuries in case of an auto accident.
5. Adjust your mirrors so you can see properly. It’s natural to get into your car after another driver has used it and forget to return your mirrors to the correct position. Forgetting this step could lead to blind spots that can cause an accident or unsafely change lanes because you did not see the driver in the lane next to you. Make sure that your mirrors are properly adjusted and that you check for blind spots before making any moves in traffic.
Observing these simple precautions when behind the wheel will give you peace of mind and might one day even save a life.Call us today for a free Missouri Auto Insurance quote at 1-800-530-5822.