The secret to safe driving: SMILE-ing
SMILE! Saving lives on the road could be as simple as that.
Collision Guard isn’t talking about flashing your pearly whites at everyone on the road, but rather remembering five steps – matching those five letters – that could make America’s highways a whole lot safer.
The S is for Scan Ahead. That means keeping a lookout for possible hazards.
The M is for Maintain Your Lane. Unless you are using your turn signal, stay in your lane.
The I is for Increase Your Distance. No need for kissing the bumper of the guy in front of you. Keep your distance and allow time to stop if something happens.
The L is for Lower Your Speed. As hard as that may be, take it easy and avoid speeding.
The E is for Eliminate Distractions. Talking on the cell phone, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper and texting all have something in common: They don’t belong behind the steering well.
So remember to SMILE. It will make everyone a little happier.
Why Smile?
No need to look farther than America’s highways for the answer to that question. There are bumps, bangs and all-out collisions that easily could have been avoided if people would have practiced safe driving. So take a look below. Hopefully these numbers will give you an idea – a little drivers education, you might say – about why the experts at Collision Guard want motorists to SMILE a little more often.
Scan Ahead
- Motorists hit an average of 50 children a week in driveways and parking lots because they don’t properly look around their vehicles.
- Inattentive drivers cause eight out of 10 crashes and 65 percent of near crashes, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analysis.
Maintain Your Lane
- Fifty-eight percent of all fatal crashes share a common denominator: Improper lane departures.
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 483,000 crashes could be avoided each year by keeping drivers in their lanes.
Increase Your Distance
- The average driver brakes 50,000 times a year to avoid a rear-end collision.
- More than one out of four drivers admits to tailgating.
Lower Your Speed
- Speeding is involved in almost a third of all fatal crashes.
- More than eight out of 10 speed-related fatalities happen on local roads with speed limits less than 55 miles per hour, not on highways.
Eliminate Distractions
- A half-million people are injured every year because of distracted driving.
- Motorists who use a cell phone while driving are four times more likely to be in a crash. And yet, 81 percent of people admit to doing it.
Tips/Awareness
DON’T: Stare at the road directly in front of your vehicle.
DO: Scan the road 10 to 15 seconds ahead of your vehicle so you can see hazards early.
DON’T: Drive when you are feeling drowsy. Lane drifts cause hundreds of thousands of crashes a year.
DO: Use your turn signal and side-view mirrors when changing lanes.
DON’T: Tailgate the car in front of you.
DO: Relax. Leave about two seconds of distance between your car and the next.
DON’T: Get heavy-footed on the highway, even if you’re running a little late.
DO: Stay within 5 to 10 miles per hour of the posted speed limit.
DON’T: Put on makeup, talk on the phone, change clothes, kiss or text while driving (people do all those things).
DO: Pay attention to the reason you are on the road – to drive.