You may not think that it is a big deal to drive in the summer, but there are a lot of road hazards that arrive in the summertime too. While the winter is the main season that one must be extra careful on the road, but summer can be just as dangerous with different hazards. Here are a few tips to think about when driving and enjoying these warm months.
-
More Teens on the Road
Since school is finally out, all these students are excited to grab their friends, get in their cars and go driving around. The problem with teen drivers is that they aren’t as experienced as the other drivers on the road. With the warm weather, they are likely to have more distractions than they would usually. The windows will be rolled down, music blaring, and friends being distracting, inside or outside of the vehicle, because once teens are old enough, they are allowed to drive with their friends, which adds another distraction to the trip from point A to B.
-
Congested Roadways
ue to 
this, a lot of drivers act foolish and drive recklessly to try and get as far up through traffic that they can.The summer is also the time for families to go on vacation. Many people choose to drive to their vacation destination, which causes a lot of congestion within the roadways. Congestion is an awful thing to encounter when driving, because it can encourage road rage.
This means that you have to be careful when sitting in traffic. You may let your guard down, but this is the worst time to do so. Be aware of your surroundings and keep your eyes on the road as you normally would. If you know that you have some room to move up and don’t pay full attention, someone could try to sneak right in and cause an accident.
-
More Tire Blowouts
With the heat of the summer, the air inside of your tires expands and can cause your tire to blow out if your tire is worn enough. You should always keep an eye on your tires to make sure that they don’t look worn or cracked.
Always make sure that you are checking up on the tread thickness and the look of your tires. You should always take a quick look at the sidewalls of your tires to make sure that there isn’t any dry rot on them. Dry rot can is spotted by looking for any small lines in a cluster that look like cracks. That is the tire drying out and starting to crack. You should take it to a local tire store or dealer if you see any dry rot on your tires.
To check the tread, there is one famous trick. If you take a US penny and put it in between the threads with the head down, and you can still see all of Abraham Lincoln’s head or more of the penny, you need to purchase new tires. If the tread covers between the top of his head to the top of his forehead, you are all set with tires and do not need to purchase new ones.
-
Construction
Since the winter causes so much damage to the roads, companies and towns start working to repair the roads during the summer. This can cause a lot of congestion in the roads because everyone must slow down or stop for the construction workers and/or trucks. You need to watch carefully when going through a construction zone because, even though they are wearing neon reflector vests, they can easily sneak out of your peripherals and be in front of your car before you know it.
-
Bicycles, Motorcycles, Joggers, and Walkers
This is the weather that gets people motivated to actually fulfill their new year’s resolutions that they kept promising themselves they’d do. Not all roads have sidewalks, so you always have to be careful when driving past runners that may be in the street. The same thing goes for bicyclists because they have the same rules of the road as cars do.
The only problem is when the bike riders can’t go as fast as you and you have to pass them. Be careful on small roads or when trying to make a turn because you don’t want to get too close, but you also don’t want to get too close to the cars on the other side of the road. If you feel as though you can’t make it, it is better to stop and wait until it is safe to go than trying to squeeze through and see what happens.
By following these steps, you can drive through the nice weather and not worry about running into any problems. You should be able to enjoy your summer and not worry about any other problems that you will run into. If you ever have any questions about if you have the right coverage for any summer incidents, contact us at Thomas J. Woods Insurance, Inc., located in Worcester, MA, would be more than happy to help!
