Nevada Towing
Reno Towing Company - Driving Responsibly
It had become very common to see that a lot of accidents on the road are because of people who do not have their full attention on the road. Part of being a responsible driver is making sure electronic gadgets, mainly our cell phones, do not distract us or the consequences will be disastrous. Below is an excerpt from Julie Sussman, et al (Dare To Repair Your Car) reiterating the importance of this. Our Nevada towing service support all rules on how to use these indispensable electronic communication devices safely while driving.
Preventive Measures
There are a wide range of items on the market that are designed to aid a driver in not only seeing everything behind the vehicle, but also emitting a warning sound for others. The products are as simple as a convex mirror and as sophisticated as a rearview camera with a reverse sensor system. The prices vary widely, too, from $20 up to $1,200. And if you're looking to purchase a new vehicle, there are a few that now come with rearview cameras as standard equipment.
Perhaps the best preventive measures are the simplest. Just walk around your car the long way to make sure there are no children and animals close by. Teach your children never to play near a car and take a head count of children whenever entering or leaving your car. There have been many back-over cases caused by a child who ran out to see a parent who was driving away.
Responsible Driving
Cell Phone Safety
Tori was shopping for the sports car of her dreams, only to have it turn into a nightmare when she found out that the only ones on the lot had manual transmissions. The sales rep asked her If she knew how to drive a stick, to which Tori replied, "Yes, but it would be too difficult to shift gears and talk on the phone."
For women, owning a cell phone may have started out as a safety-only device, but for many it's evolved into a body part. Deal, are going down, playdates are being brokered, and Christmas presents are being ordered, all while driving.
Car Talk
Look, we love our cell phones just as much as you do, but let's be honest here, none of us should be multitasking while driving. Everyone's number one task should be to pay full attention to the road and not to increase our productivity by making and returning phone calls.
New Rules for the Road
Most states do not require police to cite any crashes caused by a motorist using a cell phone while driving. However, that didn't stop New York from being the first state to pass legislation banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. New Jersey and the District of Columbia have followed suit.
But it's not just state governments that are instituting change for safety reasons. Companies are now realizing the legal ramifications of having their employees make business calls while driving. There are cases of businesses being sued when an employee was involved in a car crash while making a call for work. This has prompted businesses to institute policies stating that workers cannot make business calls on cell phones while driving.
Cell Phone Gadgets
If you can't drive without talking on the phone, then at least purchase a cell phone product that will enable you to talk hands-free. And no, this doesn't mean that now you can talk, apply makeup, and drive all at the same time.
Cell Phone Holders
It seems that there are as many cell phone holders as there are cell phone plans. Cell phone holders are sold everywhere, from computer stores to kiosks in malls, and they all look so promising, but here's what we found works and what doesn't.
Any product that has an adhesive backing that you press onto a part of the car will work temporarily. After a short period of time, your cell phone may fall off and land at your feet. (If this happens, do not bend down and pick it up; instead, wait until you can pull over safely.) The most effective way of keeping your cell phone in place is to install a permanent cell phone holder. The downside to this solution is that you need to place screws into the console of your can which means that it's a permanent fixture… or at least the holes are. While your cell phone is resting in its holder, use the speaker feature, if available, to enable you to talk hands-free.
Headsets
Isn't it tempting to go up to someone who's wearing an earpiece and speaker microphone and ask them for a large fry and shake? All joking aside, if you are attached at the cord (hee-hee) to your cell phone, then a hands-free device is exactly what you need, especially while driving. There are so many options that there's surely one to fit your needs.
Here are some safety suggestions that should be common sense but unfortunately are not, yet:
- Be familiar with all the phone's buttons, especially the REDIAL and DISCONNECT features.
- If the weather is bad or traffic conditions are hazardous, don't use the phone.
- If there's a passenger in the car, have her dial for you.
- If you have a cell phone that also acts like a computer (PDA), don't respond to e-mails while driving.
- Don't thumb through your address book or take notes while you're talking on your cell phone and driving.
- Save any serious/emotional phone calls for later. If you can't suspend the conversation, pull off the road, find a safe place to park the car, and resume talking.
- Let the person you're talking to know that you're driving and that you'll have to keep the conversation short.
- Teach your teenager the importance of not using the cell phone while driving. Young drivers get easily distracted and therefore should not be multitasking.
- What’s in the Future
- Automobile manufacturer, know that cell phones are here to stay, so they're adapting their cars to provide a safer way for motorists to use their cell phones while driving Soon your car will be able to detect a high-stress driving situation and put any calls you receive on hold, or block any unimportant ones, until the conditions have improved. Until then, let's just hang up and drive!"