User:Beloved bookworm

Managing Risks of Driving 1. Seatbelts and Other Safety Precautions: The number of passengers should never exceed the number of seat belts you have in a car. Wearing your seatbelt is an easy way to preserve your life and the lives of others. As a driver it is your responsibilty to make sure that your passengers are safely strapped in. In some states, like Pennsylvania for example, it is required by law that all drivers and minors are buckled up. Also, before you drive on long trips, or about every couple of months, your car's tires, lights, and other functions should be checked. 2. Managing Speed: Always follow cars at a safe distance. Drive the speed limit, and be ready and willing to adapt your speed according to the driving conditions. You should not drive slowly in the passing lanes on highways and never tailgate the car ahead of you. The faster you drive, the less reaction time you will have. This means it take more to stop or turn the direction of the car. 3. Driving Under The Influence:Substances like alcohol and illegal drugs alter how your mind work and your reaction time. Any kind of substance, in any amount can affect how you drive. The legal blood alcohol content for any driver over the age of 21 is O.O8, however if you are under 21 you cannot have any alcohol in your system. When people are under the influence the overestimate their abilites but their actual judgement is greatly impaired. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens, so it is not a good idea for anyone to increase that risk by drinking and driving. 4. Costs of Driving: In the U.S.A the total cost of motor vehicle crashes has been estimated at more than $230 billion per year. As the prices of gas increase dramatically, the price of running your car also increases. There are operating costs, fixed costs and environmental costs when dealing with your car. Operating costs are the charges for your gas, oil and tires. Fixed costs is the money used to purchase, license and insure your car. The evironmental costs of driving pertain to the damage exhaust and waste from cars create. 5. Principles of Driving: You should always have a serious attitude in regard to driving. You should be observant of what other drivers are doing and be alert to any sudden changes on the road. It is your responsiblity to know and obey the laws of the road. Always be curteous to other drivers and do not make eye contact or attempt to provoke a negative reaction. NEVER EXIT YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE when faced with a possible road rage situation. 6. Driving Under Perilous Circumstances: Before you leave the house, check weather forecasts to see what circumstance you might be presented with on the road. Avoid driving in snow, hail, floods, and thunderstorms if at all possible. Weather changes the road surface, therefore altering how you should drive. If you cannot avoid driving in inclement weather, make sure your tires have proper treading and maintain a safe speed at all times. Never drive through large puddles or flooded streets because your car can be very easily swept away. Also, it takes up to three times as much time and space to stop your vehicle in snow or rain than it does when the ground is dry. This means that even if you are driving slowly, you still need to be very alert of any potential situations where you will need to stop because it will take you longer to do so.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/young_drivers/tutorsguide.pdf http://www.glencoe.com/sites/oregon/student/drivereducation/index.html Glencoe: Responsible Driving (2006)