America's Road Team Captains Provide Life Saving Advice
ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This Labor Day weekend millions of drivers will take to the highway for one final summer getaway, making it one of the busiest holiday travel weekends of the year.
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America's Road Team Captains, elite professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles, are offering advice on how to navigate through highway traffic and arrive at your destination safely. Tips include:
- Prepare your vehicle for long distance travel: Check your wipers and fluids. Have your radiator and cooling system serviced. Simple maintenance can prevent many of the problems that strand motorists on the side of the road before you leave your home.
- Plan ahead: Before you get on a highway, know your exit by name and number, and watch the signs as you near the off-ramp. Drivers making unexpected lane changes to exit often cause accidents.
- Do not cut in front of large trucks: Remember that trucks are heavier and take longer to make a complete stop, so avoid cutting quickly in front of them.
- Use a map or GPS: Surprisingly, few motorists plan their routes, even when driving through unfamiliar areas. Knowing the road is essential for safe driving - it allows you to anticipate lane changes and avoid a panicked search for directions.
- Leave early and avoid risks: Leave early and allow for delays in your travel schedule. Know your limitations: don't drive when tired, upset or physically ill.
- Be aware of trucks' blind spots: When sharing the road with large trucks, be aware of their blind spots. If you can't see the truck driver in his or her mirrors, then the truck driver can't see you.
"Around Labor Day Weekend, traffic increases as motorists seek that final summer trip before the kids go back to school and the weather turns cool," said America's Road Team Captain Greg Nauertz. "Additional motorists make safe driving habits all the more important. Nothing beats planning, preparation and patience."
To see a video of Greg providing tips for Labor Day driving, click here.
The America's Road Team would like to remind the motoring public that from driveway to highway, safety requires patience and dedication.
The America's Road Team, sponsored by Volvo Trucks North America, is a national public outreach program led by a small group of professional truck drivers who share superior driving skills, remarkable safety records and a strong desire to spread the word about safety on the highway. www.americasroadteam.com
The American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States.
The American Trucking Associations has led the campaign for rigorous safety laws that affect every driver on the nation's highways. ATA's overall safety agenda includes greater education on sharing the road with large trucks, increased traffic enforcement for all vehicles that operate unsafely around large trucks, the adoption of primary safety belt laws in all states, and reinstatement of a national maximum speed limit of 65 mph for all vehicles. ATA also supports limiting truck speeds at the time of manufacture. www.truckline.com
SOURCE American Trucking Associations
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