AIM YOUR HEADLIGHTS:  It's worth the effort to aim them correctly. If you do it yourself, use the instructions in your owner's manual. Be patient. It may take a few tries before you have them pointed perfectly. Just make sure those newly aimed lights are not blinding oncoming traffic.

DON’T STARE AT ONCOMING LIGHTS:  Turn your gaze away from other lights on the road, and don't look at oncoming high beams.  Lower your gaze, but focus on the road ahead of your vehicle.  If bright lights shine from the vehicle behind you, adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from the lights.

DIM YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL & DASH LIGHTS:  Dimming dash lights can remove reflections on the windshield and allow your eyes to better adjust to the darkness ahead, improving nighttime visibility.

KEEP YOUR WINDSHIELD & WINDOWS CLEAN, INSIDE & OUT:  Clean the insides and outsides of your windows regularly using water and a clean cloth. Carry an additional cloth or towel in the vehicle for emergencies.

WEAR THE CORRECT EYEWEAR:  If you have corrected vision, make sure you wear your contacts or glasses when required.  Glasses should have anti-reflective coatings. This coating stops additional, unnecessary light from reflecting inside your lenses while allowing more light to pass through.

KEEP YOUR EYES HEALTHY:  To reduce the effects of eye fatigue at night while driving, eye doctors often recommend keeping your eyes moving, scanning all around your field of vision instead of focusing on one area. The American Optometric Association suggests checkups every three years if you're under 40, every two years until you're 60, and annually after that.

Secondary roads in remote and/or rural areas may present hazards that drivers accustomed to travel on urban and suburban roadways may not be aware of. Extra caution is required when driving on “country roads” because they are often not designed for efficient high-speed travel like urban roadways. Whether you are driving on a rural road out of necessity or to experience scenic vistas, you should take special precautions.

NAVIGATION
You can easily become lost and possibly end up on difficult or dangerous roads when traveling in rural areas.

• Carry a compass and/or GPS when traveling to remote areas on rural roads.
•  Be sure someone knows where you have gone and when you are expected back so they can notify authorities if you don’t return or check in within a reasonable amount of time after your expected return time.
  

BLIND CURVES & DIPS
Rural roads can have sharp curves and can follow the topography of the landscape, resulting in hills and valleys.

• Stay to the far right and reduce your speed when approaching a blind or sharp curve.
  
• Watch the road character carefully for unexpected dips.
  
• Reduce your speed when approaching a hill crest or valley.
  

Cover braking provides a smooth transition from acceleration to braking and is effective for slowing in reduced stopping distances.

• This method will improve your reaction time.
• Don’t rest your foot on the brake pedal – could cause unnecessary wear.
• “Riding” the brake causes the brake lights to activate, which could confuse other drivers around you.

Cover the brake when:

1. Passing parked cars, especially when occupied.
2. You see cars in front of you with their brake lights on.
3. When approaching a traffic signal in a busy intersection, even when you have a green light.
4. When noticing the pedestrian signals in your direction changing.

Speeding is a deliberate and calculated behavior where the driver knows the risk but ignores the danger. Speeding has been a factor in nearly 1/3 of U.S. crash deaths every year. Speeding isn’t just going faster than the posted limit. Anytime you drive too fast for the road and/or weather conditions, you’re speeding. Speeding itself is dangerous, and, when combined with other poor driver behaviors, is exponentially more so.

1.   Under the best conditions, the average time it takes most drivers to react to a risky situation on the road is 1.5 seconds.  A driver who is fatigued, distracted, or impaired by drugs or alcohol may take as long as 3 or more critical seconds to react.
2.   As your speed increases, so does the distance you travel while your brain is processing and reacting to infor­mation it’s receiving, and this means the distance you need to stop is also increasing.

3.   Speeding increases your risk of los­ing vehicle control. At higher speeds, motor vehicles become more dif­ficult to maneuver—especially on corners or curves or where evasive action is necessary.
4.   There is a direct correlation between speed and the severity of a crash.  The higher the speed, the greater the energy that must be absorbed by the impact in a crash.

5. The effectiveness of safety devices like air bags and seat belts as well as features such as crumple zones and side member beams decline as impact speed increases.
6. Drivers are twice as likely to kill a pedestrian on impact if they are traveling at 30 mph (50 km/h) than if they are traveling at 25 mph (40 km/h).

7. In urban areas, exceeding the speed limit by as little as 3 mph (5 km/h) doubles the likelihood of an injury crash and each additional increase in speed by 3 mph (5 km/h) further doubles the risk.
     8. Speeding can be very expensive. In addition to speeding ticket fines, the prospect of higher insurance premi­ums can turn into a lasting financial burden.  Depending on severity and driving history, some may face a license suspension, criminal record, or even the loss of their job.

“Speed is a KNOWN QUANTITY, because it’s always in front of you.” The more aware you are of your driving, the less likely you’ll be involved in a situation requiring superior skill to avoid a collision.  Safe driving, today and every day.

                          RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WINTER DRIVING
Even if you’ve heard it before, it’s always good to be reminded of safe driving practices for winter conditions of any kind.

• Never run a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.
• Maintain your tires in good condition for any road surface.
• Keep your gas tank at least half full.
• Slow Down to maximize your tire’s contact patch. Every movement takes longer to accomplish on snowy, icy, or wet roads.
• Do not use cruise control when driving on slippery, wet, or icy road surfaces.
• Increase Your Following Distance.
• Always LOOK and STEER where you want your vehicle to go.

Wet weather driving demands more attention from drivers because of limited visibility and changes to vehicle handling on wet surfaces. Most of us have continued to drive during this pandemic, however their are drivers that stopped or may have have forgotten what it is like to drive in wet surfaces. All drivers can still travel safely if they practice good techniques at all times. Driving in the rain doesn’t have to be difficult just because it’s wet. All the same safety methods apply, wet or dry.