The National Safety Council recommends that each driver conduct a seven part, pre-start safety check. The seven steps are:

Buckle your safety belt
Your safety belt should fit snugly across your hip bones. It should not cross your stomach. Your shoulder belt should go over your shoulder and cross your body diagonally. Do not wear your shoulder belt under your arm.

Adjust your mirrors
It’s important to be able to see behind and to the sides of your car every time you drive, especially when you are backing up or changing lanes.

Position your seat and head rest
The head rest is there to provide support for your neck and head. A properly positioned head rest should be level with the top of your ears and less than four inches from the back of your head. You should position your seat so that you are at least 10 inches from the steering wheel/airbag.

Secure loose objects in your vehicle
According the National Safety Council loose items, such as soda pop cans, books, packages, etc. are responsible for approximately 13,000 injuries in one year alone.

Turn off your cell phone
The National Safety Council recommends turning your cell phone off when driving. The added distraction, especially in heavy traffic has caused hundreds of thousands of accidents over the last five years.

Look for your engine warning lights
Avoid being stranded on the road by checking your engine lights before you start your journey.

Check your fuel level
Always check your fuel level before starting out to avoid running out of gas, stalls and other incidents.

Use these tips to practice safe driving.

For more information on reducing risk or any of our other services, please contact Jeff Harrison at jeff.harrison@cbservices.org or 800.807.0300 ext 2543