5 Road Safety Tips For Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend is traditionally one of the busiest weekends of the year on our Nation’s highways. This Memorial Day will be no exception as AAA predicts more than 33 million motorists to hit the road. They also expect to respond to over 350 thousand motorists who will need assistance because of an accident, breakdown, or any other reason. While the start of the summer driving season presents highway dangers, many of them are avoidable highway dangers. To help keep you safe this Memorial day, and throughout the summer we have compiled a list of 5 Road safety tips for Memorial Day Weekend.

Respect the weather 

While the forecast for Memorial Day weekend is currently calling for a 50% chance of scattered thunderstorms, we all know that the only thing certain about Louisiana weather is that it can and will change without warning. With that in mind, you may want to budget a little extra time on your road trip in case you have to slow down for the unexpected downpour. If and when the weather does take a turn for the worse, take the necessary precautions. Slow down and give yourself some extra space between you and the car in front of you. It is also recommended that you test your windshield wipers before you hit the road. Wiper blades should be replaced annually and as the weather heats up, the wear and tear of the last year becomes more evident.

Reduce in car distractions 

Distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents in America. All you have to do is look around at other motorists in your daily commute to understand why. On any given day, you’ll likely witness someone drinking hot coffee, eating behind the wheel, putting on make-up, or engrossed in conversation with another passenger. All of these things, and many more, take the focus off the road. There’s no guarantee that any one of them causes accidents, but the point to remember is that while you are experiencing your own little distractions, so is the motorist in the car next to you. Reduce your in car distractions as much as you can. Have a passenger handle the radio. Stop for your meals rather than eating behind the wheel. Create a checklist to make sure your kids have everything they need before you embark on your journey so you don’t have to fumble around looking for something in the backseat while you should be watching the road.

No texting 

This falls under distracted driving as well, but since the State of Louisiana feels strongly enough to make texting while driving a separate law from distracted driving, we’ll make it a separate category also. While there has been heightened awareness in recent years to curb texting while driving, the number of fatalities continues to rise. In fact, the National Highway Safety Administration equates texting while driving to driving after having four beers. Even though the statistics show that texting while driving isn’t as deadly as drunk driving, it is narrowing the gap. The short and simple solution is don’t do it.

Check your tires

Proper inflation and tread are the two most important things to check before you embark on your road trip. Improper tire inflation is the leading cause of tire failure. In particular, those that are underinflated can lead to problems such as poor steering control, blowouts, or uneven tread wear. While a safety hazard, underinflated tires are also a drain on your wallet. Underinflated tires can impact your fuel efficiency by as much as 3.3 percent. 

Map your route 

This may seem a bit overcautious, and sometimes the point of the road trip is the carefree attitude of not being restricted to a regimented schedule, but a mapped out road trip eliminates, or greatly reduces, the possibility of last second lane changes, u-turns, or other corrections a driver would have to make if they miss their turn or end up off course. While you can deviate from the map you’ve laid out, it is still a good idea to have it as a general guide.

While we love our customers at Medines we value your safety even more and would prefer to see you avoid an accident in the first place. Check out the video below for more safety tips from AAA courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.