State trooper Tracy Brown-Vacura doles out vehicle safety tips.
- It is important that you stay highly visible on the road, so keep your headlights on at all times when you are driving (even on a sunny day). If your car is equipped with daylight running lights, it is still important to turn on your headlight switch to activate both the headlights and the taillights.
- Remove or fasten down loose objects in your vehicle. Examples include garbage containers, coffee cups, tissue boxes or even toys. These objects could fly around and cause injuries if you had to make a quick stop. An easy way to secure these objects is to use hook-and-loop tape.
- To avoid injury from items such as toys when in a car crash, purchase or make fabric toys that are soft.
- You could also keep loose items in a sealed plastic container, then secure that container with hook-and-loop or cargo net. Secure items widthwise.
- In the case of a roadside emergency, don't leave your vehicle to go for help or stand alongside the road. It is safer to remain in your vehicle with your seat belt on and place a sign in your window that says "Call Police" or "Send Help." If you're sitting in your car with your seat belt on, you run less of a risk of being injured by another driver.
- When using a cellular phone, pull off the road and park in a safe place such as a parking lot or driveway, not on the shoulder of the road.
- When placing a child-safety seat in a vehicle, protect the upholstery by using vinyl shelf liner.
- When using a child-safety seat for small infants, instead of purchasing an after-market special head pad that inhibits the infant's head from moving side-to-side, you can easily fashion a head pad with a towel. Just bundle up the towel and place it around the infant's head.
- If you are concerned about a seat belt rubbing against your child's face, simply cut the bottoms off of low-ply anklet socks and slip them over the seat belts. Position the sock on the belt, where it may come in contact with the child's face.
- Tethering child-safety seats keep the child's head from moving back and forth.
