subject: Keeping The Rules Of The Road [print this page] The rules of the road are designed to keep you safe. By following them, not only will you be keeping yourself and those in the car with you safe, but you will be keeping the others who are driving on the roads with you safe as well.
It may seem like there are too many rules of the road. However, each one was carefully set in place for a reason. Be sure to think three times before you break any of them and then do not break them.
The road is not always a safe place, even if you are not driving. It is important that pedestrians are aware of the rules of the road and follow them as well.
This will keep them safe. This is especially important as pedestrians do not have a "protective armor" to help protect them from injury.
There are also rules to help you when your car breaks down. When you first notice a problem, be sure to look for a safe place to pull over and pull off to the side of the road right away.
If it is a lonely highway with no one around, stay inside the car and lock the doors. If you get out, you could fall prey to robbery and theft.
Instead, stay in the car with locked doors and call for help. However, if you were unable to pull over to the side of the road and you are in a heavy traffic area, it is a very good idea to ask everyone to get out and stand away from the road.
Be sure you only get out when it is safe. Wait for traffic to stop or thin before you open a door.
If you do not have a phone with you, you will need to find one to make your call to get help in moving the car off of the road. Be sure that you keep your group together.
Do not leave some people in the car or others on the side of the road. It is important that you all know where each other are at all times.
This is especially important as nerves can fray in a high stress situation such as this. With the long absence of a family member, other members can become concerned for their family member and make take action on their own.
Instead, stay unified and do everything together. When you pull over to the side of the road, lift the hood and tie a white cloth to the door handle.
If you have flares or reflective triangles, set these out so that approaching cars can see your car pulled over to the side of the road. Be sure to place these far enough away that other cars have time to slow down or get into the next lane.
The typical rule is that one should be placed one hundred yards away, another only fifty yards away, and one more only 25 yards away. Or if it is easier to think about or measure, place them at three hundred feet, two hundred feet, and one hundred feet behind your vehicle.
If you do not have a phone and it seems like an unsafe situation when someone offers help, only roll down the window far enough to ask them to call the police or AAA. Remember that roads are not safe, and not all people are nonthreatening either.
Take these safety precautions when you break down to make sure that you and your family stay safe. In addition, it is very important that you make sure that all children riding in your vehicle have the proper safety seat and that they are all properly buckled in.
In addition, keep the doors locked. You do not want a child wriggling out of his or her seat because he or she is tired of sitting and opening a door, only to fall out and seriously injure themselves. It is also a good safety procedure to never let your tank of gas fall below a third of a gallon.
By being aware of your gas level, you will never run out of gas while traveling on the freeway. In addition, you will be prepared for emergencies because you will be able to run out the door to the hospital instead of having to stop for gas on the way.
As you follow the rules of the road, you will keep yourself and your family safe. Do not risk your life or their lives because you want to slightly alter a rule.
