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Safe Driving – Good advice for safe travel

By Rotarian Anne Hazelton, MD, MSPH

Car crashes are one of larger public health concerns in many countries, with many young (and not-so-young) lives cut short or drastically changed in an instant.  Here are some tips, besides the obvious ones of buckling up everyone in the car, including child car seats and booster seats for small children

Be awake, and avoid distractions.  Up to 25% of car crashes may be related to “micro-sleeps” which are worse in the early afternoon, due to our natural body circadian rhythms.  Current advice is when you find yourself drowsy to pull over, drink a cup of coffee and then nap for the 20 minutes it takes for the coffee to wake you up. 

Do not hold a mobile cell phone and talk while driving. This is illegal in many countries. However, please be aware that the content of mobile cell phone conversations, when using a hands-free mobile cell phone while driving, can distract a driver and create a driving risk. Some studies have found driving mistakes made while talking on a mobile cell phone to be about equal to mistakes done while at the legal threshold for alcohol impairment.  And remember that “drink driving” [the Australian term which stresses that the driver does not need to be “drunk” to be impaired] still is one of the biggest killers.

Adjust your head rest, and have everyone in the car do so also.  The point above your ear is the center of gravity for the head, so the top of the headrest should be at least even with this.  It’s even better for the middle of the back of your head to be level with the middle of the head rest.  It is not a “neck rest.”  If the rest is too low, the head can be “ramped” over the top of the head rest during a crash.  Picture how much worse that would be than the head being stopped while the neck is still relatively straight.

Keep your seat more upright.  You are not driving a living-room recliner.  The more you have to lean forward to see the road, the farther your upper back and head are from the supporting seat and head rest.  In a rear-end accident, the seat first moves forward relative to you.  The more distance there is, the more speed that is built up before the seating structures meet your body and the worse the rebound is. 

Think about flail space.  There is a concept that the more room you have to move before contacting the interior of the car, the safer you will be. Picture the crash-test dummies flailing about….it’s the sudden stop against an object that is more likely to injure or kill you.  Sit as far away from the steering wheel or dash as possible, while you can still drive comfortably and give the passenger in the back seat (when there is one) a little space too.  Air bags also are safer when you allow some distance. 

When you are looking to buy a car, get a sense of the room around you.  Surprisingly, some larger cars have smaller “flail space” than some compact cars.  A sad fact is that before side-curtain airbags became available (and nothing is 100% effective), it was common for the driver’s head to be hit by the grill of the vehicle that had side-impacted him.  (Also, roundabouts are safer because they reduce the dreaded T-Bone impact at intersections.) Flail space is good because gradual deceleration (by seat belts and/or air bags) beats a sudden stop against hard metal any day.

Get the safety options. If you are in the market to purchase another car, look for one with Electronic Stability Control, ESC.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, IIHS states:  “About half of the fatal passenger vehicle crashes that occur each year involve a single vehicle. Equipping vehicles with ESC can reduce the risk of involvement in these crashes by more than 50 percent.”   This wonderful safety feature is becoming more common.  For 2007 models in the United States, it became standard in 58% of all passenger cars, 87% of SUV’s, but only 8% of pickups (outside the USA a “pickup” is a light utility truck).  This system can save many thousands of lives per year, since this safety advancement helps prevent the crash, rather than just trying to protect the occupants after a crash. 

Look for active head restraints.  These move upward and forward during a rear-end crash, meeting the head sooner to reduce the “whiplash” motion. Some are as simple as having a plate in the upper part of the seat back which moves the headrest forward as the torso contacts the seat back more firmly, a little like a “teeter totter.”

Road designs have also improved safety.  But still, in bad weather, when the traffic has to go slowly, drive carefully.  Come to think of it, there are fewer fatalities during bad weather, compared to good weather and dry roads, because people speed faster in clear weather and the forces are higher.

And remember, the weakest link on the highway is still the driver.  Be careful out there.

·         ADJUST head rests

·         SIT UP and pay attention

·         GIVE yourself ROOM

·         SELECT the safety options when you purchase a car

About the author: Anne Hazelton has a degree in chemical engineering, worked as a biomedical engineer (plus grad school), then received MD from UC Davis; later a Master of Science of Public Health; Board Certified in Preventive Medicine. She is a member of Rotary Club of Denver Southeast, District 5450 and a Paul Harris Fellow.