April 5, 2022
Easter Safety Driving Tips
Easter is one of those holidays that usually lasts for more than just one day. It could be a several-day affair or even a week-long celebration, especially if you are observing Easter as a religious holiday. There are many people in the greater Philadelphia region that take several days off surrounding the Easter holiday weekend in order to travel to see family and friends. If there are kids in the family, usually school is out and it is a great time to take a long weekend and travel. The traffic in and around King of Prussia and the Philadelphia region in general is busy, congested, and hazardous. Even on a normal weekend, traffic can be bad. This is especially the case on holiday weekends like Easter.
No matter how safe of a driver you are, there is always a chance of getting into an accident. The risk of being involved in a car crash increases during holiday weekends like Easter. Even if you fancy yourself as an extremely defensive driver, there’s still a lot of reckless, careless, negligent drivers out there who are not concerned about the safety of other people on the roads and highways in Philadelphia. Every holiday weekend there are dozens of car and truck accidents where people are seriously injured. If you do not want to be one of those statistics during your travels on Easter weekend, there are a few things that you can do to make your trip safer. Here are some steps you can take to help keep you and your family safe during travels over any holiday weekend, including the upcoming Easter holiday weekend.
Do Not Drive in Bad Weather
It is important to always check the weather before a long trip. What if you get caught in a bad snowstorm, sleet, or heavy rainstorm halfway through the trip? Even though the weather is getting nicer every day during mid-April, there is still a risk of severe weather every once in a while. Make sure to check the weather before your trip so that you can plan for it. You might want to leave a day earlier, a few hours earlier, or even leave later in order to miss the worst of the storm. Just imagine being stuck on the Schuylkill Expressway with packed traffic during a sleet storm with cars and tractor trailers driving way too fast for conditions. You do not have to endure that if you plan ahead.
Check Your Route
With today’s technology, we can check the route that we are taking in advance to make sure that there are no major obstacles in our way. There could be significant construction or road closings or accidents up ahead that you want to avoid. The best way to do this is to keep an eye on the traffic and use the smart technology in your vehicle or on your phone to avoid those delays.
Give Yourself Enough Time
One of the main causes of automobile collisions and crashes is speeding. If you are rushed due to leaving late or heavy traffic or some other reason, you may feel the need to go faster, take risks, thereby increasing your chance of an accident. Focus on giving yourself more than enough time to get to your destination safely. Make sure you leave well enough early to be able to factor in traffic and, if you are driving long distance, take rest stops to take breaks.
Maintain Your Vehicle
One way to avoid inconvenience or even catastrophe is to take the steps to prevent your car breaking down on the side of the road. Prior to any long trip, you should do a once-over on your vehicle. Make sure your windshield wiper fluids are full. Make sure your tire pressure is to the manufacturer’s standards. If your tire pressure is too low, it gives tires less traction, which could be dangerous when the roads are slick, slippery, or wet from recent rainfall. Check the oil in your vehicle so that you won’t have any mechanical issues during the trip.
Have An Emergency Kit in the Trunk
Every vehicle owner should put together an emergency kit in a small backpack and keep that backpack in your trunk at all times. You never know when you will need it. Emergencies can happen at any time without warning. If you do not think a dangerous emergency could happen to you, then you are being naive. Hopefully, you will never have to use it which means that you have never faced a true emergency. That would be ideal. When you need it you will be thankful that you have an emergency kit should things not go as planned. But if you are stuck on the side of the road for hours? What if you are traveling along the highway when a multivehicle crash occurs ahead and you are stuck on the highway for hours? These are the things that you include in your emergency kit:
- First aid kit.
- Fire extinguisher.
- Road flares.
- Drinking water.
- Non-perishable snacks.
- Extra warm clothing like hats, socks, gloves, and a towel.
- Paper maps for when you may not have cell service.
- Portable jump starter battery pack that also acts as a backup power source for dead phones.
- Duct tape.
The King of Prussia Car Accident Lawyers at Anthony C. Gagliano III, P.C. Focus Their Practice on Helping Seriously Injured Car Accident Victims
There are a lot of reckless drivers out there. Even if you are a very safe driver, there is always a risk of getting seriously injured in a car crash caused by a negligent driver. If this happens to you or a loved one, you do not have to go through it alone. The King of Prussia Car Accident Lawyers at Anthony C. Gagliano III, P.C. have the knowledge, skills, and resources to fight for your rights to receive full compensation for your injuries. Call us at 267-861-7100 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia and King of Prussia, we serve clients in Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Chester County, and Norristown.