Personal Safety
Driving takes total concentration. If you try to text message, talk on a cell phone, and do other things while driving, you risk having an accident.
* Adjust your child’s safety belt before, not after, you start driving.
* Don’t peer into the rearview mirror to comb your hair or touch up your makeup.
* Don’t drive with one hand holding the wheel and the other holding a hamburger. If you’re hungry, stop and eat.
* If a bee or flying insect distracts you or your passengers, pull off the road and get rid of it. Don’t swat at the bug while maneuvering through traffic.
* Don’t try to drive and read a road map at the same time. If you’re lost or need to get your bearings, pull off the road and look at a map, or have a passenger help you follow directions. Use a global positioning system (GPS), if you have one.
* If your children start to misbehave, don’t turn around to discipline them. Pull off the road and settle the problem, and teach your children how dangerous it is to misbehave in a car.
Note: You should always wear a safety belt, use approved child safety seats, and heed the warning for air bags given by your car manufacturer. Doing so can make the difference between surviving a car crash intact or not surviving at all, between walking away with just a scratch or never walking again.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
