Trips to see the fall foliage are highly popular and offer great family fun. However, autumn also contains unique hazards for drivers. Fortunately, a handful of fall driving safety tips can help you avoid a serious car accident.
With some preparation, you can make your fall travels much safer. Listed below are important fall driving safety tips.
Watch Out for Slippery Leaves
Colorful falling leaves and rain often are often accompanied by strong winds in autumn. When wet leaves accumulate on roadways, they can cover lane markings, fill in potholes, and create slick roadway conditions. Wet leaves act like sponges that absorb and trap water on the road surface. That water and those wet leaves can freeze up on a cold morning or evening and create dangerous driving conditions.
Prepare for Shorter Days
Fall means the days are getting gradually shorter. If you normally drive in the early morning or early evening, you will battle the low-lying sun more often. Sun glare can make it difficult to judge road conditions. It always helps to have a pair of polarized sunglasses with you so that you can put them on when the sun is low in the sky.
Avoid Poor Weather Conditions
Fall weather often creates unsafe road conditions. Colder nights and mornings coupled with high humidity levels and rain can easily cause a car accident. If visibility is especially poor, you should avoid traveling altogether.
Fog can settle into low-lying areas and make it impossible to see the road or other vehicles. Rapidly falling temperatures can create frost and icy road surfaces. You need to pay attention to bridges and overpasses when the outdoor temperature is near freezing and the road surface is wet. Bridges and overpasses have air beneath them, and they usually freeze up first.
Look Out for Students and Pedestrians
Children are now back in school, which means more pedestrians will be on the roads. Drivers should slow down near crosswalks, and they should pay close attention in school zones.
If a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing, you need to stop at a safe distance. The red lights mean it is dropping off one or more students. Pennsylvania law also requires you to stop for school buses when they have their flashers on while picking up or dropping off children.
Fall daylight hours make it much more dangerous to walk or ride a bicycle. Many pedestrians in Pennsylvania wind up walking during dawn and dusk or after dark. You need to be mindful of pedestrians during these times in the fall.
Chester County Car Accident Lawyers at Eckell Sparks Assist Drivers Injured in Autumn-Related Collisions
Some simple precautions can make your fall travels safer, but an accident can still happen. If you were injured by a reckless driver, speak with one of our Chester County car accident lawyers at Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C. today. Call us at 610-565-3701 or complete our online form to schedule an initial consultation. We are located in Media and West Chester, Pennsylvania, and we serve clients throughout Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County.