OCR Text |
Show Summer Fun by Trooper Terry C. Smith Utah Highway Patrol, Section 10, PI&E information Officer Summer is almost here and if you can afford the gas, it's time to play. Maybe you could trade . in one of your kids for enough gas for the four-wheelers or boat for a weekend outing. All kidding kid-ding aside, not only is it time to get away for vacations and weekend fun, it's time to remember how important safety is to enjoying these getaways. Remember to take a few minutes min-utes and do some careful planning plan-ning so you are not overly stressed. Why go if you are going to be stressed out. You can stay home or go to work for that. Give yourself plenty of time to travel. Enjoy the trip and don't turn it into the Lake Powell 500. Now is the time to get ready - not the night before. Too much work and not enough sleep can and will spell disaster. And if it's your family you're talking about, the last thing you want to do is make a trip to the emergency room, or worse, the morgue. Here are some very basic rules to making your trip safer and less stressful: Make sure you get plenty of rest. Take your time and enjoy the ride. You may see things you've never noticed before. Make sure you and your family are buckled up. Even if you believe you are the world's best driver, you will be up against some of the worst drivers. driv-ers. Take frequent breaks if you are driving long distances. You don't have to make this trip a challenge to your ego. Bragging, "Yup, I drove that 1500 miles in less than 10 hours this year," will get you nothing but trouble. There's no one handing out trophies at the end , of the trip for those who make it the fastest. Last, but not least, drive the speed limit. In 98 of all crashes, crash-es, speed can" be traced back as one of the contributing factors to the crash. However, if you do decide to speed, don't whine and cry when we stop you and write you a ticket. It's your fault, not mine. I am not the one sitting on your lap pushing the gas pedal in. It's you and only you. Although law enforcement officers will be out in force to see that everyone travels safely, we hope you have a great weekend. week-end. Remember to drive sober, drive alert, and make sure that everyone is buckled up. |