The Recycled Part

We all love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends, food, and fireworks. Unfortunately, the Fourth is also the second deadliest holiday of the year due to traffic accidents. New Years takes first place.

Here are seven points that will help you drive safe.

1. Drive sober. Seems obvious, but at least 43% of traffic accidents that happen on the Fourth involve drivers with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. Remember, buzzed driving is impaired driving.
2. Don’t drive if you’re tired. The second cause of driving fatalities is drowsiness. If you spend all day in the hot sun and having fun with family and friends, you are likely to be more tired than usual. Easy solution? Stay the night at friend’s house if you can. If you do drive home, and feel drowsiness overtaking you, just pull over. It’s legal and could save your life and the lives of others too.
3. Don’t drive distracted. Put your phone away when driving. Let passengers handle calls and messages. If you have a GPS system, make sure to program it before you start driving so it doesn’t become a distraction.
4. Drive defensively. On dry roads, keep at least two seconds between you and the car ahead of you. Increase that time to four seconds if the roads are wet. Watch at least two vehicles ahead to see if drivers are slowing down. Drive in the right lane if possible. This way you have an extra space buffer in case an oncoming car drifts into your lane. Make sure to drive with your lights on during the day and night. Every bit of visibility counts! To ensure everything is working properly, have a friend walk around the car while you test the car lights and signals from the inside.
5. Plan a route ahead of time. Take a less traveled route to your destination. It may require you to travel more distance, but will likely be safer and less stressful
6. Stay calm. If you chose to go to a fireworks show, expect traffic to be congested, especially when everyone tries to leave at once. Most likely everyone’s nerves will be frayed. If someone fights you for a parking space or cuts in front of you to get on the road, let it go. You will feel better and make better decisions when you’re not angry. Honestly, the extra time it will cost you is so small. It’s not worth a road rage incident.
7. Finally, if you see a drunk or impaired driver, call 911 immediately. You could save their life and also the lives of anyone they might have an accident with.

We wish you a happy, safe, and truly enjoyable Fourth of July celebration!

Your friends at B&R Auto Wrecking.