Safety First: Things That Every Driver Should Have
**A contributed post as written for The Safe Driver.
No matter how good a driver you may be, the road holds a whole host of potential dangers. Even if you don’t put a foot wrong, you never know when another road user’s driving, damage to the road’s surface, or adverse weather conditions could lead to some sort of accident. However, there are various things that you can do to increase your safety on the roads, prevent further accidents from occurring around existing accidents, and help out at the scenes of accidents. So, let’s take a moment to look at a few options that you have!
An Emergency Warning Triangle
Every vehicle should have an emergency warning triangle stored somewhere within it. Nine times out of ten, people choose to keep theirs in the boot, so that it is out of the way but accessible should it need to be used. An emergency warning triangle is an equilateral triangle measuring around 600 millimeters in size, which is made of a red or orange reflective material. If you have had an accident or broken down, they should be placed at the side of the road, about 200m before the site of the accident or the broken down vehicle. This gives approaching traffic the opportunity to slow down and either stop or maneuver their way around the vehicle. This can help to prevent pile-ups or other kinds of consequent accident.
Brake Bleeders
It is absolutely essential to ensure that your brakes are in good working condition at all times. They’re what help your vehicle to slow down and stop, so heading out on the road with faulty brakes could easily prove fatal for you, other road users, and pedestrians. Sometimes problems can arise with your brake systems if air bubbles make themselves present in the brake fluid which flows through your hydraulic brake system brake lines. While brake fluid is an incompressible liquid, air is a compressible gas, and the presence of this in the liquid can greatly reduce your brake system’s performance. So, before you get tired of us saying “brake” multiple times per sentence, invest in a brake bleeder tool which will help to purge your brake lines of gas!
Jump Leads
Jump leads are a common tool and chances are that you’ve seen them in use at some point or another. They are thick, electrical cables, with metal clips at either end and are used for recharging a flat battery in one vehicle by attaching it to the battery of another. Now, there are various reasons that your battery might become flat and many can be avoided. The most common causes of flat batteries tend to be leaving lights or heaters on in the vehicle while it is not being used, or plugging something too draining into the USB or 12v supply. So, make sure to remember to turn the lights and heating off, as well as to unplug your charging devices when your vehicle is not in use. However, no matter how vigilant you are, there may be another fault that causes flat battery. Regardless of the reason for the fault, you need to make sure that your vehicle is back up and running as soon as possible. You don’t want it causing an obstruction that other vehicles could crash into or that could block emergency services from reaching their destination. So, it’s always useful to have jump leads on hand!
A First Aid Kit
While carrying a first aid kit isn’t a legal requirement in many countries, it is highly advised. After all, you never know when an accident might occur and in minor cases a first aid kit can help to prevent infection of cuts, removal of debris from the eyes, or fast treatment of minor burns. In major cases, they could help to save a life while you wait for the emergency services to arrive. So, keep a fully stocked first aid kit in easy reach for use in both minor incidents and emergency situations. Ensure that it contains the basics such as plasters, bandages, scissors, tape, antiseptic wipes and eye baths.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that you could have on hand to help prevent emergency situations from happening and to help out in situations that have already occurred. But investing in each item should help to get you off on the right foot! So, start stocking up and familiarizing yourself which each thing listed here. You never know when you might have to put them to use, but you’ll be glad they’re there when you do need them!
Every vehicle should carry the fully patented SaferStop. A Warning Triangle on its own is no use. Display your Warning Triangle with the highly illuminated 3D diamond cut light reflective message outlining your vehicles problem be it out of gas, flat tire or simply display SLOW or AWARE to let other approaching motorists know that you are there. Did you know that 20 people each week in America are killed or seriously injured after being struck by an approaching vehicle whilst attending to a tire change or out of gas. Each kit comes complete with sturdy Warning Triangle and 4 separate light reflective messages.
Messsges such as AAA or EMERGENCY can also be added.
Please get in touch if you would like more information or if you think you might be able to assist with getting SaferStop more widely known in America. Kind regards. Simon j Murray. Creator of SaferStop. Don’t stop without one..!