OC Sheriff’s Office promoting Roadway Safety this Summer

Thousands of people have and will be hitting the roadways, as the summer driving season is well underway.  The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office wants to help you reach your destination and get back home safely with summer driving tips for your trip. “In the summertime, you obviously have hotter conditions and motorists need to make sure their oil is properly changed and in most places if you don’t do your oil changes, they will check your coolant levels,” according to Captain Jeff Underwood, who leads the road patrol division of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.  “Make sure you don’t have any leaks in your coolant systems.  Everyone pretty much has air conditioning in their vehicles now.  It is not hard to have a diagnostic run on your air conditioning system and your compressor to make sure you are not losing any Freon.  The coolant levels are going to be the most important thing on long road trips.  The number one problem that people run into is overheating as far as their engines go.” There are many other things to check on or to make sure that you have in your vehicle as part of your summer driving plan.  They include the following: Make sure to check your tire pressure.  Maintaining proper tire pressure can help you get good gas mileage.  The hotter it gets, the higher the tire pressure will be, and that can affect the handling of your vehicle.  Make sure to follow the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications regarding proper tire pressure.  If your tires are over inflated or under inflated, it makes it tougher to steer, especially if you are in an emergency handling situation and you can lose control of your vehicle.  Besides tire pressure, oil changes, and an air conditioning and coolant check, make sure other parts of your vehicle are in good shape, especially brakes.  Make sure your spare tire is ready to go in case you need it. In the summer months, there is always heavier traffic volume.  This also leads to the possibility of more individuals driving who are doing so under the influence.  Motorists need to be defensive in their driving measures.  Watch for other motorist and how they are driving. A big misconception, according to Captain Underwood, is to get ahead of someone if you thing they are driving impaired.  If you are in front of them, you cannot control if they speed up and crash into your vehicle.  If you stay behind them at a safe distance, no matter what they do, you can take actions to keep from being involved in a collision. You can slow down when they slow down and stay safely behind them.  If you are planning to drive long distances, plan breaks in your trip in which you can stop and get out of your vehicle and walk around.  If there is more than one licensed driver in your vehicle, a good idea is to take turns driving.  You will probably want to do this every couple of hours. Having a map or a smartphone with GPS is great to have and use on your trip, but always remember to never use these features or read a map while driving.  Either pull over if you can, stop by a rest stop, or have another person in your car who can read your map or operate your smart phone.  Many GPS devices have the capabilities to tell you where to travel or where to turn and that is a great way to help keep your eyes on the road. Keep telephone numbers handy of law enforcement agencies in areas where you travel in case you become stranded or need help.  The number for the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office dispatch is 638-4111.  You can also reach the South Carolina Highway Patrol at *HP.  In addition, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has DOT Incident Responders that provide assistance to disabled motorists on many of the interstates around the Palmetto State.  You can also follow accidents that are being worked by troopers around the state via the South Carolina Highway Patrol website at http://www.scdps.gov/schp/ and look under the Real Time Traffic Information section. In case you are stranded, it is always good to have some food and water and a first aid kit in your vehicle in case you may need it or if assistance cannot arrive to your location quickly.  It is also a good idea to inform friends and family on where and how you will be traveling, including roads you will be using, so if they need to, they can find you easier.  As always during this time of the year there is an increased law enforcement presence, which Captain Underwood says is extremely vital for keeping the roadways and highway safe. “We always try to increase patrols and manpower is always an issue,” says Captain Underwood.  “We try not to overwork our personnel, but our main priority is to the public and the safety of the public.  We increase our patrols, which includes checkpoints.”