Turn signals and brake lights help drivers communicate with other drivers around them.

Communicating with other drivers is a critical in avoiding and preventing St. Louis car accidents. Unfortunately, it can be hard to do so with so many physical barriers between you. Functional turn signals and brake lights help to solve this problem.

Communication on the Road

When you’re walking through a crowded mall, you can exchange words or non-verbal communication with the people around you. Additionally, a walking collision is unlikely to produce a severe injury, so the stakes are low. When you’re driving, your risk rises significantly and your ability to communicate falls. Not only can you not talk to other drivers, but their faces are often obscured behind their windshields. The result is very little information exchanged between drivers. This effect is what makes your brake lights and turns signals so important. Under low-communication conditions, you must use every tool at your disposal to tell other drivers where you’re going.

Turn Signals

The first critical application of turn signals is changing lanes. When driving, changing lanes is a frequent occurrence, but it frequently leads to accidents. When you use your turn signal, you tell other drivers what you’re about to do and allow them to adjust accordingly. The second is for turns. Whether you’re going right or left, your behavior will delineate from what other drivers expect. For this reason, you must show them your intentions.

Brake Lights

Perhaps even more critical are brake lights. The reason is that they prevent a tremendous amount of rear end collisions. The most common example of them doing so is when a car stops suddenly. Instead of having to detect the slowdown on their own, the drivers behind that car can see the red brake lights and instinctively slow down too. These indicators are even more useful when visibility is low in inclement weather.

How to Use Them

When it comes to brake lights, there are no guidelines for how to use them because they function automatically. Whenever you hit the brakes, your lights go on for you. For turn signals, you must manually turn them on, and it is best to do so every time you make a maneuver in your vehicle. That applies to left turns, right turns, and lane changes.

Maintenance Tips

Fortunately, the maintenance of these lights is very straightforward. When a light goes out, you either replace it yourself or have it done by a professional. Either way, the service will be very affordable. As far as knowing when your lights are out, we recommend doing monthly checks. At the very least, try to get your oil changed at a place that does these tests for you.

One of the most frustrating experiences on the road is when somebody does not communicate with you before making a move.  To avoid committing this error yourself, you should always use your turn signals and make sure your lights are in working condition. That way, you can ensure the safety of you and every other driver on the road.

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Learning how to keep your tires in excellent condition can help prevent an accident from ever occurring.

When we think about vehicle safety, we most often think about behavior. Safer drivers have lower speeds, avoid their phones, increase their following distance, and a variety of other behavioral habits. What we don’t usually think about is the safety of the vehicle itself. However, given the statistics, we should. Roughly 11,000 crashes happen every year just from unsafe tires, and in 2016, it is estimated that 733 people died from such accidents. Clearly, tire safety is a significant issue. Learn how to keep your tires in excellent condition so an accident never happens.

Check Your Tire Pressure Once a Month

One of the most common issues with tires is their level of inflation. Every tire has an optimal pressure, and when that pressure dips above or below, your car will not function correctly. You can avoid this trap by manually checking your pressure at regular intervals. You should note that while your car likely has a tire pressure sensor built in, that sensor is not perfect. They sometimes do not adequately detect low pressure, and often do not detect high pressure at all.

Measure Your Treads

When you first buy a set of tires, the treads will be deep and your stopping ability will be fantastic. As your treads wear down, your stopping ability suffers. This is especially dangerous in the rain and snow. No matter how good your reaction time is, you’ll need your brakes and tires to be functioning correctly to make a quick stop. If your tread is low, that won’t happen.

Conduct a Quick Inspection Weekly

As mentioned previously, your car’s system of sensors is very useful, but it doesn’t cover everything. If one of your tires is bulging or rotting, you might not know it until the tire breaks completely. The remedy for this is doing a quick visual inspection every week for irregularities.

Keep Track of Tire Age

If you don’t drive very much, your treads will likely be acceptable for a very long time. This can be deceiving though, as a tire worsens with age no matter how much you use it. Even if your tires look fine, you should replace them every six years.

Understand Tire Safety’s Legal Implications

A car accident that is partially caused by tire failure is much more complex than one that does not. If a driver’s tires are in bad shape, they could be liable for all of the damages in the crash due to negligence. Whether this will happen or not is best predicted by an experienced car accident lawyer.

Sometimes, a driver will do everything right and still get into an accident. The reason is that despite their driving habits being perfect, their tires are not. Unsafe tires are incredibly dangerous, so prioritizing their function is a smart idea. If you do end up in a crash, it is a good idea to speak with a St. Louis car accident attorney to guide you through the process.

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Adopt these safety habits to decrease your chances of being involved in an automobile accident on your next road trip.

If you are someone who frequently travels, you may not think about road safety as much as you should. The truth is that you take a risk every time you drive, and when you do so for lengthy periods of time, there are even more severe dangers involved. The best way to avoid an accident is by adopting the following safety habits. If you adhere to them fully and still end up in a crash, you can always call a St. Louis auto accident lawyer to learn about your legal rights.

Check Your Car Before Leaving

If you have a long car ride ahead, you likely have some preparations to make before leaving. Part of that routine should be checking the critical aspects of vehicle maintenance, which are tire pressure, tire wear, and brakes. While experienced people can do these checks themselves, most of us need to see a mechanic. Once you get confirmation that your car is in good shape, you can set off on your journey with confidence.

Switch Drivers

Though many long drives are navigated alone, a significant portion are done with others. This is often the case for road trips in which family or friends take on the journey together. In these situations, do not let one person drive the entire time. This will cause fatigue in that driver and put everyone in danger. Instead, switch off and keep a fresh set of eyes behind the wheel at all times.

Know When to Use Cruise Control

One of your best tools for making a long drive comfortable is cruise control. You can set it to a certain speed, take your foot off the pedals, and get some reprieve. Unfortunately, cruise control is not appropriate at all times. When you are in heavy traffic or inclement weather, using this function will lower your reaction time and put you at risk. Your best bet is to only use it when weather conditions are optimal and there are few cars on the road.

Keep Your Seatbelt On

At some point in your long drive, you may feel the urge to take your seat belt off. This is a mistake. No matter how uncomfortable you feel with it on, you need to keep wearing it. If you do not, a relatively harmless accident could result in a severe injury.

Be Honest About Your Fatigue

On long drives, and especially ones that go through the night, your chances of becoming fatigued are high. When you do, you cannot try to “tough it out” and keep driving. Instead, switch drivers or stop at an area where you can rest. Even if this means staying at a hotel, you should do it. The cost of a room is much less than getting injured in a car accident.

Long drives can be dangerous. By follow the tips on this list and adhering to general driving safety guidelines, you will make yourself and everyone around you that much safer.