According to Orbitz’s annual Spring Break Travel Survey, warm weather
locations scored nine out of 10 spots on the “top destinations” list
this year. From Las Vegas to New Orleans to Orlando, students and
families across the country will soon be escaping the “polar vortex” to
warmer climates. To help keep safety top of mind for those traveling by
car, Cintas Corporation today identified seven habits of safe drivers.
“When we learn to drive, we’re taught certain things we can do to stay
safe on the road, but many of these things are never reinforced later in
life,” said Dan Braun, Senior Vice President of Value Improvement
Initiatives, Cintas Corporation. “Cintas has one of the largest fleet of
commercial trucks in operation in the U.S., so safe driving is extremely
important to our business. Therefore, we’d like to share safe driving
habits that we promote within Cintas and suggest you keep in mind when
you travel this Spring break season.”
Cintas’ top habits of safe drivers include:
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Maintain a clear distance. The rule of thumb is to allow for
approximately three seconds between your car and the car in front of
you. Once the car passes a fixed object, you should slowly count to
three and if you pass the object before completing the count, slow
down.
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Follow the signs. Speed limits are posted to help protect other
drivers. Driving too fast can cause an accident just as easily as
driving too slowly. Safe drivers follow the posted limit – not 10 or
15 miles per hour above the posted limit.
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Keep your eyes on the road. Everyone knows better than to text
and drive, but the same rules apply for looking at anything that can
divert your attention from the road, such as the radio, a GPS system
or screaming children in the back of the car. Keep your eyes on the
road and allow other passengers to assist with other items requiring
your attention.
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Check blind spots. While new cars will alert you if another car
is approaching in your blind spot, you should always double check it
before switching lanes. Cars that are speeding or switching over from
other lanes can instantly change the availability of another lane, so
regularly use your mirrors and check your blind spots before changing
lanes.
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Stay in the appropriate lane. A good rule of thumb is to stay
in the middle lane unless you’re driving slowly or have a compromised
vehicle (e.g., driving with a spare tire). You should only use the
left hand lane when passing. By passing on the right or going too
slowly in the far left lane, you can impede the flow of traffic and
cause congestion – or worse, an accident.
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Don’t follow a schedule. While everyone wants to get to their
Spring break destination as quickly as possible, driving according to
a schedule can result in unnecessary stress and increase the chance
for speeding. If you get caught in traffic, don’t try to “make up the
time” by going fast for the last leg of the trip. Any time gained is
not worth the risk of injury to yourself, anyone traveling with you or
other drivers on the road.
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Stay alert. Traveling long distances can wear on a driver,
particularly on monotonous stretches of freeway. Stay alert by
regularly switching driving responsibilities with other drivers,
drinking plenty of liquids and making stops to stretch your legs.
“Spring break is a time for fun and relaxation,” added Braun. “By making
safe driving habits a routine, you can help protect yourself, the
passengers in your car and others on the road as you make your way to
and from your spring break destination.”
For more information on Cintas, please visit www.cintas.com.
About Cintas:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly
specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout
North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate
identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning
and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid,
safety, fire protection products and services and document management
services for more than 1 million businesses. Cintas is a publicly held
company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol
CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.
Copyright Business Wire 2014