Road Trip Blues – How to Avoid and Deal with Accidents

Road trips are a great way of travelling especially when the road sights are beautiful and the weather is nice and enjoyable. It’s also a way of saving all those extra bucks on airlines which you can easily spend on your trip. If the company is enjoyable and if you have all the amazing food supplies, then a road trip becomes a party! However, driving on the roads require you to exercise a bit of caution since accidents do happen.

A lot of people get killed each year around the world because of road accidents, therefore you should follow the following precautionary advices before mounting on a road trip.

How to Avoid and Deal with Accidents

Here are some tips on how to avoid and deal with accidents.

• Never drink and drive. Even if you have a little bit of alcohol in your system, it can lead to impaired driving. If you wish to drink, then let the other partner of your road trip drive until you become sober.
• Stay attentive to the road and if there are wildlife signs on the way, be careful on the path to see animals before you bump into them.
• Don’t drive on a bad weather day. Bad weather and highways are a recipe of destruction, you’ll have problems in seeing and driving and it could make your car out of control and slip.
• Don’t drive so fast that the car becomes out of your control when you want to stop or make a turn and don’t trip so slow that the driver behind you gets irritated. Drive at an appropriate speed.
• Keep an extra fully charged phone besides your normal phone for emergencies. You never know when you might need it.
• Be sure that your car has enough fuel to make it reach to the next fuel station.
• Keep the right type of clothing suited for the weather.
• Take a well maintained car on the road trip, the brakes must be alright, the tires intact and the entire car should be checked before you start your trip. As a prudent measure, carry extra tires and fuel with you and don’t forget important car documents such as drivers license, car insurance papers etc.
• Follow the seat belt rule whether it applies to the country of your visit or not. It’s crucial to your safety.
• Know of road safety in the country you’re travelling too. Different countries have different safety codes which are suited to the roads and traffic. In the same way, driving conduct is also different in many parts of the world, so read them beforehand.
• Don’t drive at night! Don’t even try to drive at night even if you think it would be adventurous! You will miss all the scenery and it’s risky. If night approaches on your road trip, find the nearest hotel, rest, and then start in the morning again.
• Try not to drive in isolated areas or roads.

Dealing with Road Accidents

If you get caught in any kind of car accident, do the following:

1. Coordinate with local authorities about the issue
2. Take photographs and keep in your mind the scene of the accident
3. Note down names and addresses of the witnesses involved
4. If the police takes you into custody, don’t make statements until you contact a lawyer
5. Contact the nearest embassy of your country for help on this.