• Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer

green living, smart spending

  • Green Hotels
  • Green Cars
    • Best Cars under $20,000
    • Test Drives
    • Diesel Cars
    • Electric Cars
    • Hybrid Cars
    • Hydrogen Fuel Cell
    • Luxury Drives
  • Travel Deals
    • Free
    • Budget Travel
    • Discount Tickets
  • Xplore More
    • Safety and Health
    • How To
    • Five Best
    • Travel Pioneers
    • Motorcycles
    • Vintage Cars
  • Scam Alert
  • Where to Go Next
    • Historic Travel
    • Epic Adventures
    • National Parks
Home » Five Ways to Improve Driving Safety

Five Ways to Improve Driving Safety

1 Comment

driving safety

Every year there are some 37,000 deaths on America’s roads.  The on-going recall of  Toyota and Lexus models for problems with sticking accelerators, steering and brake issues have made us all think more about automotive safety.

First, know what to do in an emergency if your gas pedal sticks or brakes fail to work.

Here are five more easy, free things you can do every day to drive smarter:

1. Buckle up.

Wearing a safety belt is the easiest way to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the road. In 2008, some 14,000 died because they were not buckled up.

2. Don’t mix drinking and driving.

Alcohol was involved in nearly 12,000 fatalities in 2008.  That’s a staggering 32 percent of all highway deaths. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives.  Choose a designated driver, or take the keys away from friends who have had too much to drink, and you will help prevent thousands of deaths.

3. Avoid distractions.

Distracted driving is at least as dumb and dangerous as drunk driving.  A University of Utah study found that distraction from using a cellphone can slow a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood-alcohol level at the .08 percent legal limit, whether the cell phone use is hand-held or hands-free.  Nearly 6,000 deaths were attributed to distracted driving in 2008. So, don’t talk on a cell phone or send or read text messages.

4. Mind your speed.

Excessive speed was involved more than 11,000 vehicle-accident-related deaths in 2008.  That’s 31 percent of all such deaths.   Speed limits are posted for a reason.  Slow down when weather conditions such as fog, wind, rain, snow, or ice can make driving hazardous, and leave more space between your car and the one in front of you.

5. Maintain your tires.

Properly inflated tires will help you avoid a flat tire or dangerous blowout, which can result in losing control of your car, SUV or truck.  Driving on balding tires is dangerous, as well. Maintain tread depth of at least 1/8-inch, inspect your tires and check the tire inflation pressure at least once a month, and have them examined annually by a mechanic as part of your vehicle’s safety inspection.

Thanks for visiting ecoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars, smart spending and frugal living by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.
Welcome back to exoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars and smart spending by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Related

Filed Under: Five Best, How To, Safety and Health Tagged With: Drive Smarter, Lexus, Toyota

What do you think? We value your comments and love hearing from you.Cancel reply

Most Popular Recent Posts

  • NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do In June, July & Beyond
    NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do In June, July & Beyond
  • Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
    Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
  • NYC Guide: Best Current Museum Exhibits
    NYC Guide: Best Current Museum Exhibits
  • Airline Dress Codes: Cracking Down on Inappropriate Dress
    Airline Dress Codes: Cracking Down on Inappropriate Dress
  • New Airline Routes for Travel Through Summer, Fall and Winter
    New Airline Routes for Travel Through Summer, Fall and Winter
  • 2025/26 Ikon Pass Buyer's Guide
    2025/26 Ikon Pass Buyer's Guide
  • 2 Reasons to Avoid Jimmy John's
    2 Reasons to Avoid Jimmy John's
  • Where Your Passport Can Lead You in 2023
    Where Your Passport Can Lead You in 2023
  • UK Now Requires New Travel Document for International Visitors
    UK Now Requires New Travel Document for International Visitors
  • Lufthansa In-Flight Mood Lighting
    Lufthansa In-Flight Mood Lighting

ecoXplorer is your guide to smart spending and eco-friendly living

ecoXplorer is published by Evelyn Kanter, an award-winning journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter and guidebook author – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

Evelyn Kanter is the Past President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a past Board Member of a prestigious professional group for travel journalists, and a member of several other top international organizations of journalists.

Evelyn Kanter is Senior Editor of SeniorsSkiing, which focuses on the 50+ outdoor enthusiast.

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com or evelyn@evelynkanter.com.

Search ecoXplorer by category

© 2010-2025 ecoXplorer by Evelyn Kanter. All articles and photos are protected by US (C) Copyright laws. Any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it’s just not nice.

  • Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

ecoXplorer.com is an independent information service which is compensated by advertisers and sponsors. This site includes some links to other websites which are compensated for by our sponsors when you click them.

 

Loading Comments...