Campaign `7/ 7’ - As a driver....the key to safer roads lies in your hands!

 `7’ Must Do things when you start your vehicle

Buckle seatbelts and make sure they’re properly fastened
In the last 20 years, lakhs of lives have been saved by safety belts. Overall, seatbelts are proven to reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45% in passenger cars and 60% in light trucks.

Adjust mirrors
Checking the mirrors is especially important for cars driven by several members of a family or when you’re planning to drive long distances. 8 out of 10 persons agreed they adjust their mirrors before taking a long trip. But only 5 out of 10 persons check mirrors for short trips, when it is more likely that they will be involved in a crash.

Position seat and head restraints
Correctly positioned head restraints reduce whiplash injuries resulting from crashes. Sitting further back from the steering wheel also decreases the likelihood of your airbag injuring you if it deploys in a crash, in case if your vehicle is equipped with an airbag.

Secure loose objects
Only 3 out of 10 people regularly secure loose objects in their cars, even though, on average, loose items—from luggage to soft drink cans—are responsible for nearly 13% injuries in accidents in just one year.

Turn off cell phones
We believe that a driver's first responsibility is the safe operation of the vehicle and that best practice is to not use electronic devices, including cell phones, while driving. In the last five years alone, nearly 300,000 drivers have been involved in crashes attributed to cell phone use.

Look for engine warning lights
Three out of four persons say they always check to see if their check engine light is on. However, many admit to checking the light while already driving and continuing to drive while it was on.

Check your fuel level
In preparing for a trip—large or small—it is necessary to ensure you have enough fuel in your tank to get there and back.Twenty-five percent of survey respondents said they do not check their fuel levels. Many admitted to checking the light while already driving and continuing to drive while it was on.