The Memorial Day holiday is quickly approaching. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the armed forces. It is also usually treated as the unofficial beginning of summer. Usually there are many parties and family get togethers during the entire Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Given the fact that the weather is finally much nicer and the winter weather is usually over with, there are a lot of back yard parties. With increased parties and events, there will be increased traffic over the entire holiday weekend. With increased traffic you will face an increased risk of getting into a car accident. This article will discuss some things you can focus on to lower the risk of getting into a car crash over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Tips for Safer Travel

Given the fact that it appears that the pandemic is mostly under control and many restrictions have been lifted, it is expected that travel over the Memorial Day holiday weekend significantly increased as compared to the past few years. There could easily be over 40 million Americans who will be traveling over the weekend, with about 80% of those travelers doing so by vehicle. That’s a lot of extra cars and trucks on America’s roads and highways over the weekend. AAA considers the Memorial Day holiday weekend to begin in the evening of Thursday, May 26, 2022, to the end of the day on Monday, May 30, 2022.

Here are some tips you can use to help you and your passengers stay safe if you are taking a road trip this Memorial Day weekend:

• Follow the Rules of the Road: This means that you follow the traffic rules in your state, including speed limits, stop signs, yield signs, wear your seatbelts, do not tailgate, and try to drive defensively.

• Get Your Car Prepared: Make sure your vehicle is in good working order before the trip. Make sure your lights are working, turn signals, and wiper blades work as well. Check your windshield wiper fluids and oil just to make sure there will not be any issues during your trip.

• Give Yourself Enough Time: Make sure to plan ahead and give yourself enough time to get to your destination. This will stop you from rushing and driving too fast if you think you are going to be late. If the travel time is going to be several hours, then giving yourself enough time will also allow you to make stops to get coffee and stretch your legs. This also helps prevent dozing off or falling asleep behind the wheel.

• Do Not Drive in Bad Weather: Check the weather before you leave. If there is going to be a storm passing over around the time you plan on driving, maybe you want to postpone the trip for a few hours and even leave earlier to beat the storm. Driving in bad weather, no matter what the bad weather, always increases the risk of getting into a crash.

• Check Your Directions: Make sure you know where you are going, especially if you have not been there before. But you should check your route even if you are familiar with it because there could be construction or route diversions that could significantly affect your trip. If there are route detours you may have to give yourself more time.

• Don’t Speed: Most car accidents are caused by one person or another driving too fast. A driver may be driving too fast and lose control of their vehicle. Also, a driver may be driving too fast to avert another reckless driver. So, whatever you do, do not speed.

Put Together an Emergency Kit

No matter how much you spend on the roads and highways traveling, every driver should have an emergency kit that is kept in their vehicle at all times. You should not just have an emergency kit on long trips. You never know when you may need it. What if you are stuck on the side of the road for hours with a broken down vehicle? What if you are traveling along the highway and a multivehicle crash occurs ahead and you are stuck on the highway for hours and hours? These things happen all the time to people. Therefore, you should plan for it.

These are the things that you should focus on and putting in your emergency kit:

• First aid kit with bandages and many other potentially necessary medical supplies.
• Car fire extinguisher.
• Road flares for warning other vehicles.
• Drinking water just in case you are stuck in your vehicle for several hours.
• Non-perishable snacks.
• Extra warm clothing like hats, socks, gloves, and a towel.
• Paper maps for when you may not have cell service because there are still areas in the country without cell coverage.
• Portable jump starter battery pack that also acts as a backup power source for dead phones.
• Duct tape.

Hopefully, you will never have to use your emergency kit because that means that, luckily, you have not been in an emergency! But the purpose of an emergency kit is to have it when you need it.

The Bear, Delware car accident lawyers at Rhoades & Morrow Focus Their Practice on Helping Seriously Injured Car Accident Victims

There is always a chance that you will get into a car crash and be injured. If this happens, you are entitled to compensation for your serious injuries. Our experienced Bear, Delaware car accident lawyers at Rhoades & Morrow have been helping people seriously injured in car accidents for decades. Call us today at 302-834-8484 or fill out our online form for a free consultation. With offices in all three counties of Delaware, we service clients throughout the state.