Rather, any trip where you get into your car – even just to the corner store – is an occasion where a potential collision can occur and is an opportunity for trip planning to help reduce the likelihood of collision.
Here are some tips to help you reduce collisions by planning your trip:
- Be familiar with more than one route. Collisions are more likely to occur when your attention is elsewhere and if you are detoured through an unfamiliar route and aren't sure how to get to your destination, your focus is on street signs and direction rather than watching the road. This is an easy task when you are driving to the corner store but when you have to take an entirely new route home from work or over to your friend's house, the dangers increase. Check a map or mentally review your options before you get into your car.
- Give yourself plenty of time. Collisions are more likely to occur when drivers are hurrying. So part of trip planning is to give yourself adequate time. On long trips, we might measure arrival time in hours. On local trips, we might measure it in minutes. Regardless of whether your trip is long or short, the closer you get to your intended arrival time, the higher your stress level can become (especially if you haven't arrived) and the risk increases that you will drive more aggressively. On long trips, add an extra hour or two. On short trips, add an extra few minutes.
- Check weather conditions. Collisions are more likely to occur in bad weather, especially when drivers don't adjust their driving to accommodate the weather. If the weather is anything other than sunny and dry, add a few extra minutes to your trip. If there's snow or ice, make sure you have the right equipment in your car (i.e. a shovel, some salt, and even some survival gear).
- Check road conditions. Collisions are more likely to occur when road conditions are not what you expected. In some cases, on roads that you are familiar with, this won't be a big problem. But the farther you stray off of your "regular" route and the longer your trip, the higher your risk of running into road conditions that you weren't expecting – construction, unplowed roads, rush hour, etc. Check the web for construction and weather reports before you travel very far from home.
- Trip planning doesn't have to be a time-consuming task. But the longer your trip, or the more unfamiliar you are with the area you're driving in, the more time you should invest in trip planning. It will help you to stay focused on the road and in control of your car.
