With the holiday travel season upon us, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone of a few travel safety tips. Plan your trip ahead of time - whether you’re using a GPS system or a traditional map, plan your travel route in advance, and let friends and family know the route and your anticipated time of arrival. The heaviest holiday travel traffic occurs during the days immediately before and after Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. With that in mind, consider leaving the Tuesday before Thanksgiving instead of the Wednesday before, or traveling home the Monday after Thanksgiving as opposed to the Sunday after. Holiday weather can be very unpredictable. Even if the weather and roads are in good shape locally, that may not be the case at your destination or somewhere in between. The Federal Highway Administrations website at fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/ is a good resource for up-to-the-minute traffic information, detours and road construction across our nation. If you are traveling in Oregon, you can find traffic information at tripcheck. Motorists can see information, such as camera images and maps, showing highway incidents and closures. Additionally, ODOT provides traveler information on Twitter, Facebook and for mobile devices. If your travel plans include traveling over mountain passes, consider packing an emergency snow kit, which should include a snow scraper, flashlight, blankets, booster cables, shovel, flares, emergency triangles, and a first aid kit. While you may never have to use these items, in the event of an emergency they could be invaluable. Ensure your vehicle is properly maintained. If maintenance is not up to date, have your car and tires inspected before you take a long drive. Check your vehicle’s oil level, tire pressure, windshield wipers and washer fluid, heater, defroster, antifreeze, and brakes before departing. In case of an emergency, keep a cell phone and charger with you at all times. If you do not have a cell phone, consider purchasing a prepaid cell phone for the journey. Pull off the road to make calls, or leave the calling to one of your passengers. The statistics support it- you’re much more likely to survive a crash or come out with less injury by wearing your seatbelt. Not only is it the law; it could help save your life. Be sure to properly secure babies and children in a correctly installed child safety seat appropriate for their size. Speeding reduces the time you have to react to hazards, in addition to increasing the severity of a crash. It’s better to arrive a few minutes late than not to arrive at all. Allow enough space between yourself and the car ahead of you, especially in inclement weather. A large number of crashes are attributed to following too close, particularly at highway speeds where it is easy to underestimate the distance required to stop or avoid a hazard. Approximately one-third of all traffic related deaths in the United States are attributed to drunk driving. If you or a loved one has had too much to drink, call a cab or stay with a friend or relative. Be mindful of the fact increased traffic is the norm, not the exception, as you travel Douglas County’s roadways during the holidays. Practice patience. We wish you a very safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday!
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 18:52:39 +0000