Summer Travel Tips

Summer is the most popular time of the year for family vacations. Whether it is a day at the beach, a long weekend at the cottage, or a cross-country sightseeing trip, traveling by automobile is the most common way to get there. Summer also means more traffic on the roads and the increased risk of accidents. To arrive at your destination safely, follow some safety precautions.

Automobile Breakdown

Take your automobile in for an automotive checkup before traveling. Be sure you have a good spare tire and the tools to change it.

If you have an emergency, carefully go to the side of the road at the first sign of trouble. Use flares, warning flags or reflectorized triangles behind your vehicle to warn others of your presence. Put on your emergency flashers and, if it is dark, the interior dome light.

Travel with a cell phone. Do not try to walk for help, and do not flag down other motorists. If you do not have a phone, wait inside your locked car for a police officer. If someone stops and offers help, ask them to call the highway patrol or local police.

Keep a first aid kit, flashlights, water and nonperishable food in your car.

On The Road

Always wear a seatbelt.

Put children in a car seat in the back seat. If too old for car seats, children should wear a seat belt and also ride in the back seat.

Don't drink and drive. Even one or two drinks can affect your ability to drive safely.

Only drive when well rested. Don't use cruise control. Instead, do the driving yourself.

Keep the car's temperature cool and play the radio.

Don't start a trip late in the day, and avoid driving at night.

Stop every two to three hours to stretch your legs.

Driver fatigue leads to falling asleep behind the wheel. This is deadly. The U.S. Department of Transportation offers this quiz to test your knowledge about sleep and sleep debt:

Driver Fatigue Quiz

1. Coffee overcomes the effects of drowsiness while driving. (T or F)

2. I can tell when I'm going to go to sleep. (T or F)

3. Rolling down my window or singing along with the radio will keep me awake. (T or F)

4. I'm a safe driver so it doesn't matter if I'm sleepy. (T or F)

5. You can stockpile sleep on the weekends. (T or F)

6. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night (T or F)

7. Being sleepy makes you misperceive things. (T or F)

8. Young people need less sleep. (T or F)

9. Wandering, disconnected thoughts are a warning sign of driver fatigue. (T or F)

10. Little green men in the middle of the road may mean the driver is too tired to drive. (T or F)

11. On a long trip, the driver should never take a break but try to arrive at the destination as quickly as possible. (T or F)

12. A microsleep lasts four or five seconds. (T or F)

Driver Fatigue Quiz - Answers

1. FALSE. Stimulants are no substitute for sleep. Drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee or cola, can help you feel more alert but the effects last only a short time.

2. FALSE. Sleep is not voluntary. If you're drowsy, you can fall asleep and never even know it. You cannot tell how long you've been asleep.

3. FALSE. An open window or the radio has no lasting effect on a person's ability to stay awake.

4. FALSE. The only safe driver is an alert driver. Even the safest drivers become confused and use poor judgment when they re sleepy.

5. FALSE. Sleep is not money. You can't save it up ahead of time and you can't borrow it. But, just as with money, you can go into debt.

6. TRUE. The average person needs seven or eight hours of sleep a night. If you go to bed late and wake up early to an alarm clock, you probably are building a sleep debt.

7. TRUE. One of the warning signs of a drowsy driver is misjudging surroundings.

8. FALSE. Young people need more sleep than adults do. Males under 25 are at the greatest risk of falling asleep. Half of the victims of fatigue-related crashes are under 25.

9. TRUE. If you are driving and your thoughts begin to wander, it is time to pull over and take a break.

10.TRUE. Seeing things that are not there is a good indication it is time to stop driving and take a rest.

11. FALSE. Driving, especially for long distances, reveals a driver's true level of sleepiness. To be safe, drivers should take a break every three hours.

12. TRUE. During a "microsleep" of four or five seconds, a car can travel 100 yards - plenty of time to cause a serious crash.

 

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