Happy New Years from the PRTPO

 Happy New Year from the Palouse Regional Transportation Planning Organization to you! We hope you have enjoyed the past year with us and have been driving safely the entire time. We thought it would be a good idea to share a few more tips before the year slips on by. 

Avoid Drinking and Drinking

We all know New Year's Eve is one of the most common times of the year to find drunk drivers on the road but we wanted to remind you of the staggering statistics. Did you know every day almost 30 people die in drunk driving accidents? The one person every 50 minutes. 10,000 lives every year. At a 0.02 BAC users can experience a decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target), a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention). At 0.05 BAC users experience reduced coordination, reduced ability to track moving objects, difficulty steering, reduced response to emergency driving situations. 0.08 BAC is the legal limit in all 50 states. 

Ensure Your Safety

You can never predict what the other drivers on the road's actions are going to be, thus driving defensively is always the best option. This ensures that you are looking out for yourself, and if everyone does this the roads should be safe. Some methods of driving defensively include keeping your distance. On New Year's Eve, we recommend keeping extra distance between cars to stay cautious.If you are being driven by someone always make sure they are sober. Don't assume other drivers are going to do the correct action, always look out for yourself. Cut out distractions when driving. Distracted driving can lead to you not keeping up with your defensive driving techniques and lead to a crash.

Other Options

Finding yourself out for New Years' and needing a ride home but being drink is a problem, but not a problem without a good solution! We wanted to provide all you answer to the question of how do I get home if I got drunk somewhere. There are always ride-sharing apps/services in your area to look into! Check into your community to see what they offer. Calling someone for a ride is always an option. Never be embarrassed to admit you are responsible enough to not drive drunk. If you know you're going to be getting drunk you can always plan ahead and get a ride, or have someone be the designated sober driver. Drinking and driving should never be the option.

Happy New Year, stay safe, and to another year of safe driving!

Christmas Driver Safety

Merry Christmas from the Palouse Regional Transportation Planning Organization to your families! We hope this 2020 holiday season is treating you all well. We wanted to share some Christmas Holiday Driving tips with some of you folks in the spirit of giving! 

Give yourself a little bit of extra time

Whether you're headed out for last-minute Christmas shopping or just home from work always make sure to give yourself a little bit of extra time. The roads are always prone to being slippery and getting home an extra 2 minutes early isn't worth the risk. You will also feel more relaxed knowing you have extra time just in case. When drivers are relaxed they're much less likely to make anxious mistakes that may lead up to a crash. 

Use extra care when watching other vehicles

Defensive driving is always the go-to option throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. During the holiday season, there is always an increase in the number of drivers under the influence found on the road, unfortunately. This is why paying extra attention and giving other drivers even more room is extra important around the holiday season. If you suspect someone of drunk driving please report them to the local authorities as they are a danger for everyone and themselves.

Avoid Distractions when Driving

Driving while distracted is incredibly dangerous but easy to forget about. At a speed of 55 mph sending a text means you miss an entire football field worth of length on the road. That puts you and others at serious danger. There are three main types of distractions when driving. 

• Visual: taking your eyes off the road
• Manual: taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive: taking your mind off driving

In 2018 alone, over 2,800 people were killed and an estimated 400,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. Young adults and teens account for the highest number of distracted drivers. Remember to stay safe this holiday by reducing the distractions in your own car, and if you see your driver being distracted say something. 

Holiday Weather Driving

We've all heard those horrid holiday weather stories. The "we got into an accident driving back from grandma" stories. Here are some tips to help you avoid those situations when driving this holiday season.

1. Look ahead at least 15 seconds in traffic to see where you’ll be and anticipate what you might need to do to manage that situation.
2. You should take the time to adjust your following distance and look for the safest position in traffic 
3. You should create a cushion of space around your vehicle, you can give yourself an “out” when an unsafe situation arises

While drivers can be an issue sometimes nature itself seems to be fighting you as well. Luckily we have also gathered some winter driving tips for the road as well!

1. When driving in poor conditions, accelerate and decelerate slowly
2. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids
3. Don't stop if you can avoid it
4. Don't power up hills
5. Don't stop going up hills
6. Check the weather along your route and when possible, delay your trip if bad weather is expected.
7. Before hitting the road, notify others and let them know your route, destination, and estimated time of arrival