CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Despite the cost of gas being more than $2 a gallon, highway traffic is still very heavy. Regardless, if you are traveling to a long distance getaway or just staying around town, the key to arriving to your destination is managing the risk.
You never know when you take a blind curve if someone else will be in your lane to meet you. Here in Charleston, you always run the risk of having an unfriendly meeting in the middle intersection with a car running a red light. Risk management helps to change the odds in your favor.
Managing the risk means you don't have to be injured or killed by an errant driver. By simply wearing your seatbelt, you are taking the first step in risk management. Don't fall for the fatal "short trip" philosophy. Two-thirds of all fatal automobile mishaps occur within 25 miles of home. Not only does a seatbelt reduce your injuries in a car crash, but it also gives you greater control of your vehicle that has entered into a skid if you are still in your seat instead of trying to steer as you are pitched into the passenger seat.
What about the other people in the vehicle? It does you little good to be buckled into the safety zone when your buddy becomes a flying object and hits you in the head. Just a few weeks ago, I saw a car with four Airmen on Ashley Phosphate Road without seatbelts. Why? They said they forgot.
I know you have heard this a thousand times, "Don't drink and drive." Judgment, perception and reaction are affected by relatively small amounts of alcohol. Even at legal levels of blood alcohol content, your perception might be impaired enough and you might miss a clue or a signal that would've helped you avoid getting into a dangerous situation.
Studies have also shown that driving while sleepy is as dangerous as driving drunk. You can't avoid a mishap if you are asleep at the wheel. Plan your trip so that you can get proper sleep. If you get drowsy, pull off the road to a safe area and take a short nap. Hundreds of people die every year because they fall asleep behind the wheel.
Driving after hours of darkness increases your risk. Avoid driving after dark if possible. More than 50 percent of all highway fatalities occur at night despite the reduced vehicle traffic. Decrease your speed and increase your awareness if you have to drive at night. The same goes for driving in rain, snow or fog.
Do you drive with the flow of traffic or do you make your own flow? Speeding and constantly changing lanes increase your risk of being in a vehicle mishap. Be a mellow driver and go with the flow of traffic and maintain a two-second "safety" distance behind the car in front of you. If you are in bad weather, increase your following distance even more. Practice courtesy and patience. Rushing in traffic is gambling seconds against lives. If there is any question of who has the right of way, give it to the other guy; you can have the right of way and still end up dead. Your courtesy will shift the odds for survival a little more in your favor.
The bottom line is to try not to drive under adverse conditions, stress or influence of prescriptions or alcohol; don't rely on the cooperation of other drivers. Managing your risk is easy but critical for survival.