Whenever you drive a car, it is important to keep yourself and all other people on the road safe. If you do not do this, it is self-explanatory what might happen. Car crashes are not something to take lightly. This is particularly important with a rental car in Odessa or somewhere else while you travel because it can lead to you paying for car repairs on a vehicle you do not even own.
Fortunately, there are many different things that you can do in order to protect yourself. Safe driving is not at all something that should be taken lightly. The best tips to be safe when driving are the following:
Obey absolutely all signs and speed limits.
Always drive responsibly and be as attentive as possible.
Do not drive when you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Make sure that you always wear seatbelts to protect yourself from impact.
Always perform a safety check before you drive a car. Walk around it to make sure that all lights work and check blinkers so that they operate properly. Look for all possible fluid leaks and do not neglect if you see something that hangs from the car.
The first thing you should do when you get inside the car is to adjust seats and mirrors. Do so the way you learned in driving school.
No matter what you might think or what the local law tells you, when you drive your car, keep headlights on. This makes the vehicle 4 times more visible.
Use the turn signal whenever you have to.
If you stop at a road stop sign, wait a little bit longer than you might think before you proceed. Look left, right, in front of you and then again to the sides before you proceed.
As the light turns right, do not blindly trust it. You need to make sure nobody drives through a red light before you proceed.
Keep eyes moving while you drive. You need to be aware of what happens on your sides and you have to check your mirrors every 8 seconds or so.
If you drive on a road with 2 lanes that allows ride side parking, you should stay towards the centre so that there is room for people to open the door as they exit vehicles.
Other drivers will make mistakes and you should expect that. For instance, do not think that vehicles will stop at stop signs. Get ready for a reaction in the event that another driver does not stop. Obviously, you should never cause an accident and do it on purpose, regardless of what happens.
When you re-fuel, it is a very good idea that you check all fluid levels. This is especially true for oil. Look around the car, in the engine, and even under it to see if there are leaks.
Always put hazard lights so that other people can see you on the road when the car stalls.
Never talk on your cell phone while you drive.