Summer Road Trip Fun: Avoid and Prevent Road Related Accidents

Summer is here and around here summer means road trips! This year summer break looks a bit different thanks to the pandemic, but that won’t stop us from hitting the road and making beautiful summer memories. We have a whole list of destinations on our summer bucket list ranging from the beach, to the lake, to the mountains and lots of other places in between. We already made our first mini road trip earlier this month when we drove into Harriman State Park to backpack into the mountains and spend a night up at Bald Rocks.

We had the absolute best time. It was a magical day and night, complete with a beautiful drive, perfect weather, delicious camp food, and a majestic visitor to our campsite just before sunset. It was our second overnight in Harriman and it was just as wonderful as our first time there last year. Road trips to take camping adventures are our absolute favorite. We get so much out of it–connecting with God, connecting with nature, connecting with one another. J. bought me a real hiking backpack for Christmas and this trip was my first time getting to wear it. I knew that it was going to be different hiking in with a heavy pack full of necessities for camping overnight, but it’s one of those things that you can’t truly understand until you do it. Hiking with weight on your back is entirely different than hiking without it. It’s like life, how it feels to carry more than just yourself–whether that be in your career, in your family, with your friends. It was a lovely and humbling experience.

The one snag in our trip came when we ended up taking the wrong trail into the woods on our initial set out. It cost us about an hour of hiking into harsh terrain in the wrong direction. Hiking with gear in that circumstance was trying for both of us, it could easily have pushed us apart and believe me, we came close to it when I was at the height of my frustration. Ultimately, it brought us closer together which is something that I cherish about our relationship, even in just two years we have faced many trials, but thus far they have all brought us closer and I am so grateful for that.

Once we finally corrected our course and found the right trail we ran into some helpful people, two separate times we were told that we should have been using the All Trails App and so we downloaded that right away. We realized if we had been using that all along we never would have had the errant journey. Now, two weeks later, I am so grateful that we didn’t have that app. We needed to get lost the way that we did. I needed to lose my shoe for a few moments in a swamp. I needed to nearly breakdown because my feet got soaked and I was scared. I needed to raise my voice at him when I thought he was being sarcastic at the wrong time (he wasn’t actually). It’s taken me 36 years to understand that the most important lessons that God gives are the ones that we learn under fire, where strength is forged and love is tested.

As you’ll see in the photographs, we always eat well during our road trips and even on our camping trips. We make sure to pack easy-to-eat snacks like crackers, trail mix, or chips while we’re on the road. Depending on how long the hike in is or where we are going we will also bring food to cook over the fire or to grill if we have access to a grill or kitchen.

On this trip we brought along ingredients to make steak and potatoes for dinner and eggs and potatoes for breakfast. J. is a great cook whether we’re at home or on the trails so I take full advantage of that benefit. There is something so beautiful and grounding, even a little bit primal, about eating food cooked over an open fire while in the middle of the mountains. If you haven’t done it, it is a must-try.

As I hinted at above, we were also visited by a majestic visitor just before sunset. It was probably about 6:00 pm when we were sitting in front of our tent, about to get dinner started and I saw a large creature moving through the clearing in front of us. I had to truly take a second to compose myself because I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I finally mustered the composure to whisper to J., “Look babe.” About 6 feet in front of us was a gorgeous, male white-tailed deer with a beautiful rack of antlers covered in velvet. He was absolutely unafraid of us and wandered slowly through our campsite. He stopped to graze in the brush nearby and allowed us to get so close to him to snap photographs. It was a truly magical moment and one that I will never forget.

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile,
and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
–John Muir

There truly is just something about being in nature that is good for the soul. It cannot be replicated. Fresh air, sunshine, and the joy of nature’s quiet, only interrupted by bird song and the sound of the breeze moving through the trees.

Thinking back on our trip makes me so excited for the adventures that we have planned for the remainder of the summer. Next weekend we’ll be headed into the Catskills to celebrate the 4th of July with family and fireworks. Later this month we will be headed south to the seashore to enjoy a few days at the beach. All of these road trips are less than a 2 hour drive, but depending on the circumstances around the pandemic we might take a longer road trip in the late summer or early autumn. Last year we road-tripped all the way up to Salem, Massachusetts in October and had a blast. Inter-state road trips are a but uncertain at the moment, but time will tell what the remainder of 2020 has in store for us.

As for road trips and road safety, road safety refers to the methods and measures used to keep travelers safe and to to prevent travelers from being killed or seriously injured. There are all kinds of people who use the roads from pedestrians to cyclists, motorists to vehicle passengers, horse riders to public transport passengers and many more. When we think of road safety, it’s important that we consider how many lives are truly impacted by our decisions. When it comes to road trips, whether they are on the shorter or longer side, there are always road safety reminders we should work to remember on our adventures. Here is a run down of some of the important ones that I like to keep in mind when planning trips for myself and my family.

Don’t drink or get high and drive. This is an obvious one, but worth noting. We all know stories of tragedy that began with having too much fun and ended in destruction and grief. Whatever your happy-hour or all-day vice of choice, remember to always have a designated driver and avoid getting behind the wheel when your mind is at all impaired. Even something that doesn’t seem like a big deal in the moment can alter your perception enough to cause catastrophe. When it comes to this rule, always err on the side of caution. Period.

Don’t drive distracted. Text messaging while driving kills people every day. It is tragic, but avoidable. Whatever it is, it can wait! Reduce all in-car distractions from music, to phones, to food for the driver. Utilize voice-controlled devices. Take turns driving if you need to eat while moving, or simply pull over and take a pit stop. Even momentarily taking a hand off the wheel can lead to disaster, causing a serious accident.

Drive at safe speeds. Speeding is so dangerous and unnecessary. Speeding is the leading cause of traffic deaths. In 2018, speeding killed 9,378 people. It is a tragic waste of life and for what? Slow down. Enjoy your travels. Be safe.

Practice defensive driving. Change lanes properly. Check all mirrors and signal long before you plan to change lanes. Keep an eye out for other vehicles that might be in blind spots. Scan 12 seconds ahead. Always concentrate on the area where you will be driving in 10-12 seconds. For highway driving, keep positioned far enough from other cars so if someone were to suddenly stop or swerve, you could avoid them. It is impossible to predict what others drivers will do, but if we dive defensively, preparing ourselves for the unexpected, we have a better chance of avoiding a collision because of someone else’s negligence. If you do have an accident, you can enlist the help of a law firm that you can trust to help you resolve any issues that arise. These situations can be tricky and a trusted law firm will help you navigate the specific laws where your accident took place and ensure the best possible outcome for you.

Look backwards when backing out. Fender benders in parking lots are all too common, so look out for cars leaving parking spaces. Don’t depend on mirrors alone — physically look over your right shoulder while steering to alleviate blind spots mirrors can create. Aside from looking out for other vehicles you also want to make sure that there are no pedestrians moving through one of your blind spots as well.

Don’t follow too closely. Leave a three-second cushion between you and the car in front of you and begin your journey early enough so you don’t speed to make up time. As tempting as it may be when in a hurry, tailgating is a major cause of accidents.

Do not encourage aggressive drivers. If someone gets aggressive toward you, it is best to simply let them pass or avoid them. Do not engage. Their behavior can escalate and can potentially become very dangerous. Though it can be difficult, just let it go. It’s not worth it. For your part, be courteous to other drivers. No one owns the roads, so treat others with respect and report any suspicious driving activity to authorities.

Watch for kids and animals. Children and animals have a habit of suddenly popping out from between parked cars and into roadways. If you are driving in a residential neighborhood with kids present, watch carefully and slow down. Driving during early morning or early evening hours increases the risk of animal crossing, but it can happen anytime. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in wooded areas, use extra caution and awareness of animal presence.

Perform routine vehicle maintenance regularly. Avoid sudden stalls or other vehicle failure by changing the oil regularly and keeping tires properly inflated.

I hope that some of these tips are helpful. A lot of it is common sense, but it bears repeating and reading over and over again. Even little things that feel like a hassle in the moment can make a big impact, save you trouble, and even save a life. It’s easy to let our guard down, especially when summer fun is in full swing, but putting safety first is always the right move, especially when it comes to hitting the road.

I know that this year has been a wild ride for all of us so far. Believe it or not, we have just passed the halfway point of 2020. Some moments it feels like several years have dragged on within the span of these last 6 months, and other moments it feels as though it’s all flown by in a fast haze. There is still so much uncertainty ahead of us in this new world of ours, but for the moment, I hope that we are all able to enjoy the change of season that is upon us. Whether you are planning a summer road trip, or are in the southern hemisphere and settling into winter, I hope that you are safe and well and loved.