Road trip safety tips

Your gas tank is full, your bags are packed and you and your family are ready to begin your summer adventure. Before you hit the open road, remember a few tips to keep your road trip safe.

• Make everyone in the car wear a seatbelt. No exceptions! Young children should be secured in approved safety seats. It’s the law.
• Be aware of your vehicle’s blind spots and look carefully before changing lanes. Big rigs and buses have big blind spots — one on each side, one immediately in front of the vehicle and one behind it. If you can’t see the driver in his rearview mirrors, the driver can’t see you.
• Look in all directions at a stop sign or when a stoplight turns green before proceeding.
• Drive with your headlights on — it quadruples your visibility.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs that can make you drowsy.
• Use turn signals when turning, changing lanes, merging or parking.
• Check your vehicle regularly to make sure all exterior lights work, tires are correctly inflated and nothing’s leaking.
• Don’t tailgate. Keep a space of at least four seconds between you and the vehicle ahead — twice that at night and in bad weather.
• Be courteous to other drivers. For instance, make room for others to change lanes or merge into traffic. If you drive more slowly than other drivers, stay in the right lane unless you are passing.
• Don’t drive at night if you have vision problems or when you’re sleepy.
• When you pass a vehicle, wait until you can see the whole grille of that car in your mirror before you come back into that lane.
• Pay attention and drive defensively.
• Check the sides of the road and your rearview mirrors every six to eight seconds. Assume other drivers will make mistakes and plan how to respond.

When an unexpected, severe injury or illness occurs, you need high-quality care fast. With 11 emergency rooms (ERs) in our network, HCA Midwest Health is here for you when an emergency situation arises. Our hospital and freestanding ERs provide 24/7 emergency care to patients of all ages with locations throughout Kansas City and its surrounding communities. Learn more about HCA Midwest Health emergency care on our website.