20 Tips for Safe Driving

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1 Helping People Live Safer, More Secure Lives Since 1912 Thank you for considering Liberty Mutual for your insurance needs. As one of the leading providers of auto, home and life insurance in the United States, we are able to offer you a wide range of personal insurance products and services. And, with our strong financial ratings and our ranking in the top 150 of the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, you ll be secure in knowing that when you need us, we ll be there for you. 20 Tips for Safe Driving For more information about Liberty Mutual and our personal insurance products, stop by one of our more than 300 local offices in the U.S., call us at , (hearing-impaired customers who use a TTY device can contact us at ), or visit us online at Auto and home insurance products are offered by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Liberty Mutual is an Equal Housing Insurer. Life insurance products are issued by Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston, a member of the Liberty Mutual Group Liberty Mutual Insurance Group PR-11 R1 12/04 ART

2 What s Your Driving Skill Level? As you can see, this national survey 1 found that drivers rated themselves highly.the tendency of people to exaggerate their driving ability can lead to misplaced confidence which can contribute to crashes. My driving skills are much better or better than average 74% My driving skills are average 25% My driving skills are below average 1% 1 Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, December Select a designated driver before you tip #19 and your companions start drinking. Don t wait until you arrive at your destination to decide who will drive home. Watch out for road rage. If you see a tip #20 driver exhibiting aggressive behavior, back off. Often a driver becomes violent over what seems to be a trivial situation.while you can t control the actions of other drivers, you can control your own. First, be courteous... it s contagious. Second, don t engage in aggressive actions that could provoke road rage, such as tailgating, blocking the passing lane, failing to use turn signals, beeping the horn excessively or using high beams to punish other drivers. Watch Our Decision Driving Video For a copy of our safe driving video, Decision Driving, call LIBERTY. If you would like a Liberty Mutual representative to present our video to a school or community group, you may contact us at For more information about Liberty Mutual s auto, home and other personal insurance products and services, visit one of our branch offices, call us at or visit us online at

3 More Tips for Safe Driving Here are four additional tips to help keep you and your family safe on the road. tip #17 Watch your speed. Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes, according to the NHTSA. In 2001, speeding was a contributing factor in 30% of all fatal crashes, resulting in 12,850 lost lives. Check your tire pressure and treads tip #18 at least once a month. Cooler outdoor temperatures can cause tires to become underinflated. Also, worn tires and improper pressure can affect the steering and handling of your car, putting you at risk for a crash. Buy a tire gauge, and use it to check pressure on the same day each month. Hint #1: For the automobile manufacturer s suggested tire pressure levels, check the placard located on the inside of your driver s side door. For a more accurate pressure reading, check your tire pressure within one mile of leaving your home. Hint #2: To check treadwear, insert a penny upside down in the groove of the tread on each tire. Look at the distance between the top of Lincoln s image and the edge of the penny. See the top of Lincoln s head? Time to purchase new tires (1/16 of an inch is the minimum acceptable tread depth). Road Safety Begins at Home People tend to view themselves as being good drivers, capable of controlling what happens to them on the road. However, in 2001 there were 42,116 fatalities in the estimated 6.3 million motor vehicle crashes in the United States. Assessing how you drive and how you react to others on the road, understanding the limitations of your vehicle and maintaining your car so that it performs well are all critical factors in crash and injury prevention. Liberty Mutual has created 20 driving tips to help keep you and your family safe on the road.the following tips, grouped by common accident, can help you avoid car crashes. Many of the tips apply to multiple accident types. Our goal is to help you become a safer driver. As one of the largest auto and home insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is in the business of helping people protect the things they own and cherish. For more than 90 years, our continuing mission has been to help people live safer, more secure lives.

4 Tips to Reduce Rear-Impact In 2001, rear-impact crashes accounted for 22% of passenger vehicle crashes and 4% of the fatalities. 1 Here are five tips to help you avoid a rear-impact crash. Don t tailgate it won t get you to tip #1 your destination any faster. Use an adequate following distance between your vehicle and the one in front. When the vehicle in front of you passes a stationary object, begin counting.your car shouldn t reach that same object until you count 1,001, 1,002. That s the minimum distance you should follow a vehicle in good weather (that s about three car lengths when traveling at 20 mph or nine when traveling at 60 mph). A Tip to Reduce Rollovers In 2001, rollover accidents accounted for 32% of all vehicle occupant fatalities but only 3% of motor vehicle crashes. And fatalities, in single-vehicle rollovers increased by 22%, with pickup trucks accounting for the biggest gain. tip #15 Be aware that driving a sports utility vehicle (SUV) isn t like driving a car. SUVs have a higher center of gravity and are therefore more prone to roll over. So avoid sudden lane changes, be careful on curves and drive your SUV with the flow of traffic not faster than the flow. Also keep in mind that an SUV occupant is three times more likely to die as a result of a rollover than an occupant of a passenger car. Because of the increased risk of a rollover, it is especially important that everyone in an SUV wear seat belts. Unfortunately, teenagers, as a group, use seat belts less frequently than those in other age groups.this has led to an epidemic of teens being thrown from their vehicles in SUV crashes.you, your teens and all other passengers need to buckle up! A Tip to Reduce Car-Truck Make it a habit to signal early. In tip #2 normal driving conditions, turn your signals on 5 to 8 seconds before you turn or change lanes to give drivers behind you adequate time to react. Be sure to turn off your signal after you ve completed the action. Size up the whole scene. Don t just look tip #3 directly in front of you; instead, look 10 to 12 seconds down the road to where potential trouble spots begin.this will allow you to stop carefully, which will not only help you maintain better control of your vehicle, but will save on fuel economy and prolong the life of your brakes. 1 Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), In 2001, 5,082 people were killed and 131,000 were injured in crashes involving large trucks. 1 A 2002 research study prepared for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that automobile drivers contribute more to crashes involving large trucks than do commercial vehicle operators. Seventy-five percent of all driver errors were attributed to car drivers compared to 25% for truck drivers. 1 tip #16 Know how to drive around large trucks. They can t stop or swerve as quickly as automobiles don t force them to brake or swerve suddenly. Large trucks have blind spots, or no-zones, around the front, back and sides of the truck.these no-zones make it difficult for the driver of the truck to see vehicles that are very close to them. So don t linger alongside a truck. Remember, if you can t see the driver in the truck s mirror, the truck driver can t see you.while passing a truck, avoid pulling back in front of it until you can see the entire truck in your inside rearview mirror. For more information, visit 1 Source: NHTSA, 2002.

5 Tips to Reduce Side-Impact In 2001, 29% of passenger-vehicle crashes were side-impact and they accounted for 24% of fatalities. 1 Consider these two tips to help avoid a side-impact crash. tip #6 Green does mean GO...but first make sure the intersection is clear! A good rule of thumb: Count 1,001, 1,002, then look left, right and left again and proceed if no other cars are in the intersection. Many side-impact accidents occur as a result of people not stopping for red lights. Adjust your mirrors to reduce that tip #7 blind spot next to your car. Make sure that the mirrors are properly adjusted for you especially when you share your car. Eliminating the blind spot is especially important when you drive on a multilane highway. Three Easy Steps for Adjusting Your Car s Mirrors 1.Adjust the interior mirror so that the rear window is framed. 2. Before you start your car, sit in your normal driving position and put your head against the driver s side window. Look in your left sideview mirror and adjust it so that you see as little of the left side of your car as possible. 3. From your position in the driver s seat, place your head along the centerline of the car. Look in your right sideview mirror and adjust it so that you see as little of the right side of your car as possible. Tips to Reduce Front-Impact In 2001, 46% of the passenger-vehicle crashes were front-impact crashes, and they accounted for the greatest percentage of fatalities 39%. 1 Follow these seven tips to help avoid a front-impact crash. tip #8 Stay focused at the wheel. Many accidents occur when drivers let their eyes and minds wander. Distractions are a factor in 25% to 50% of all vehicle crashes, according to the NHTSA. 1 One study found that the three most common distractions are: outside distractions (e.g., accidents, vehicles stopped by police, construction and aggressive drivers), adjusting music controls, and other occupants in the car (people or pets). 2 tip #9 Driving is a full-time job avoid using your cell phone. Instead, pull safely off the road and out of traffic before making a call. Studies have found that drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a crash when using a cell phone. 3 So, if you use your cell phone while driving just 15% of the time, you are 45% more likely to be involved in a crash than someone who doesn t use a cell phone while driving. Using a hands-free device is not the solution for avoiding a crash phone conversations take your mind off the road and off the important task of driving. If you want to be a safe driver, you can t spend a lot of time talking on the phone. Avoid solar glare. Each day the sun rises and tip #10 the sun sets; so there are two times when you will encounter intense solar glare. Have sunglasses handy keep an extra pair within arm s reach so that you are always prepared. 1 Source: NHTSA, Source: AAA Foundation for Safety, Source: New England Journal of Medicine, Feb. 13, 1997.

6 tip #11 Turn on your headlights when you tip #4 use your wipers. It will help increase your visibility and will also help other drivers see you. In many states, it s the law! Keep your car windows clear. Clean tip #12 the outside and inside of your windows, and fill your windshield washer reservoir on a regular basis try choosing a specific day each month to perform routine maintenance on your car. Sun or headlights reflecting off a dirty windshield can cause momentary blindness, preventing you from seeing what s in front of you. And remember to clear snow and ice off your entire car so that it doesn t slide off your roof and cover the windshield as you re slowing down, or fly off onto someone else s windshield, causing that driver to lose control. If your car has adjustable headrests, properly adjust and lock them into place. A correctly positioned headrest can reduce your chances of head or neck injury in a collision. Although you ll also need to initially adjust an active headrest for proper fit, it may protect you better than a passive restraint.that s because an active headrest is designed to move into position if you re involved in a rear-end collision.to find out the rating of your vehicle s headrest and for cars equipped with active head restraints, visit our Web site at Know how to use your antilock brakes. tip #5 In an emergency, stomp hard on the brakes and keep your foot firmly on the pedal do not pump the brakes. Antilock brakes keep your wheels from locking up and allow you to maintain control of your car. Don t use cruise control when the tip #13 roads are wet. An activated cruise control system continually applies power and keeps your wheels spinning. However, in snow, ice, slush or rain you need to reduce power and wheel spin to maintain control of your vehicle. For more information on your car s cruise control system, consult your owner s manual. Buckle up every trip...every time. tip #14 And make sure your passengers do, too. Every 15 seconds, someone is injured in a car crash; every 13 minutes, someone is killed. Seat belts are the most effective means of reducing serious injuries and fatalities and are estimated to save more than 11,000 lives each year. For more information, visit Hint: Be aware that a four-wheel-drive vehicle doesn t stop any quicker. In fact, it may take longer to stop because many of these vehicles are heavier than other vehicles. be aware