Summer Safety Saves Lives


Date: 6/3/08
Contact: Crissy Rowland, (270) 781-8039 ext. 120

Even with the price of fuel near 4 dollars per gallon, many of us will choose to travel by car or truck this vacation season. We would like to offer some summer travel safety tips that could save your life. 

Tip 1: Always buckle up

We hear it constantly. We know we should. However, 35 percent of us in the Barren River District still do not buckle up.  

Wearing your seat belt correctly is the most effective action you can take to save your life in the event of a crash. All of the safety features modern vehicles offer (side-curtain and front air bags, rollover prevention) cannot protect you if you are not buckled up. Seat belts hold you in place so that you are in the car to be protected. Not buckling up can lead to ejection from the vehicle which almost always leads to a fatality. 

In fact, in our district almost two-thirds of all traffic deaths that have occurred this year were contributed to the lack of belt use and vehicle ejection (being thrown from the vehicle).  

Forty-nine states now have either a Primary or Secondary seat belt law. Primary seat belt laws state that the officer can pull you over and write a citation if you are not wearing a seat belt. Secondary laws require that you be pulled over for something else first. 

Tip 2: Drive the speed limit

It is very important that everyone drive the speed limit, not far under, and not too far over. States set their speed limits based on the speed that at least 85 percent of the population drives. Most states within driving distance of Kentucky have speed limits of at least 70 miles per hour. The flow of traffic should be close to the speed limit. Driving with that “flow” will help keep you safe. 

We all know that as speed increases, so does the likelihood that you will be involved in an accident. However, as speed driven under the limit decreases, so does your chance of having or causing an accident. In fact, driving 10 miles per hour under the speed limit makes you at least six times more likely to have a wreck.

Tip 3: Use your signals

Using your turn signal, is a great way to save a life and avoid a ticket. A ticket for failure to signal ticket will run you about 150-160 dollars plus the possibility of three points added to your license (you only get twelve over a two year span, so be careful!

Blinkers should be used to signal a turn approximately 100 feet before the turn is made. Flashing your turn signal while turning or merging is not acceptable.

Tip 4: Avoid Distractions

It is okay for passengers to watch TV while in the car while you are driving. However, it’s not okay for the driver to do the same. Also talking on a cell phone is not advised. Nor is eating a complete meal, putting on make-up, or changing clothes while driving.

Driver distractions account for 43 percent of all roadway accidents. That’s almost one half! Cutting down on distractions can exponentially reduce your risk of being involved in an accident.

The most prominent distraction on today’s roadways is cell phone use while driving. Cell phone use while driving has increased from 1.4% to 5.9% of all drivers in the Barren River District from 2001-2007. That’s over a 300% increase in six years. The most prominent cell distractions are talking while driving and, even more dangerous, texting while driving.

Talking while driving impairs motorists as much as having a blood-alcohol level at the legal limit of 0.08. Texting can take one’s eyes off of the road and hands from the wheel.

The Barren River District Health Department serves Barren Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Simpson and Warren counties. We seek to promote your good health through the prevention of injury by giving you these tips for summer travel. For more information on traffic safety and preventing injury contact us at (270)781-8039. Have fun this summer and be safe!

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