The world can be a dangerous place, even when you're inside a vehicle. According to the WHO, around 1.19 million people are involved in fatal road traffic accidents every year. That's why it's imperative to be as armed with knowledge about safety on the road as we can.
Recently, people have been sharing safety advice about what not to do if you get into a suspicious or sticky situation while driving. So, check out these tips below and be sure to pay attention. They might safe your life one day. You know what people say: it's better to be safe than sorry!
This person recently shared some important safety tips for when you're on the road
Image credits: class.nomeleve
If eggs are thrown at your windshield while driving at night, don't use the wipers and don't stop the car
Image credits: EyeEm/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: class.nomeleve
Although the topic of the video was serious, the mood in the comments remained light
While raw egg is viscous and can cause low visibility, spraying some wiper fluid should do the trick
Creator @class.nomeleve is not the first one to bring attention to this issue. In 2019, a post on Facebook started making the rounds with a similar warning.
"OFFICIAL MSG FROM POLICE," the post read. "If you are driving at night and eggs are thrown at your windshield do not stop to check the car, do not operate the wiper and do not spray any water, because eggs mixed with water becomes milky and block your vision up to 92.5%, and you are then forced to stop beside the road and become a victim of these criminals."
As the post spread wider, fact-checkers (since Facebook hadn't renounced their partnership with fact-checking websites yet) decided to see if the claim was true. Both PolitiFact and Snopes debunked the claim and couldn't find any evidence that these kinds of attacks were taking place or that windshield wipers were useless against viscous eggs.
Snopes found that the claim has roots in a YahooGroups email chain from 2009. Around that time, people were sharing similar messages about "gangs" attacking people and throwing eggs on windshields.
But fact checkers weren't able to find any reports of mass attacks. There was a story of a woman in Delhi, India, who had raw eggs thrown at her windshield and suffered a gunshot, but she was attacked while still in the car. There have been some egging incidents here and there: in Suffolk, England, from a British tourist in Spain, and some reports in New Delhi.
Fact-checkers also couldn't verify claims that raw egg doesn't wipe off of a windshield. A YouTuber, Charlton Gonsalves, actually did an experiment and put the claim to the test. He found that wipers and wiper fluid can clean raw egg off of a windscreen just fine. Visibility remained fine during the experiments in the daytime and at night.
To avoid getting sandwiched between two large trucks, turn your car slightly to the left
Image credits: class.nomeleve
Image credits: yurystroykin/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: class.nomeleve
People in the comments pointed out how this should be common knowledge
Safe driving around large trucks
When driving around semi-trucks, experience, focus, and knowledge are crucial. The federal motor carrier association has some tips about how to avoid collisions and crashes when around buses or large trucks.
- Don't get into the truck's blind spots. Truck and bus drivers can't see around the front, back and sides of the vehicle. How can you check if you're in the blind spot? If you can't see the driver in their side mirror, they most likely can't see you.
- Make sure you see the driver in the side mirror when passing. Don't stay behind or beside the truck for too long and always keep a safe distance. Never pass when going downhill!
- Don't tailgate. Staying close behind a truck puts you in a blind spot. If it brakes suddenly, your car might slide under the truck, and that won't end well for anybody.
- Give them space when they're turning. Trucks require extra turning room, so don't squeeze in between the truck and the curb. When at an intersection, always stop at the line to make room for large cars to turn.
- Be patient. Large vehicles usually have speed restrictions, so don't start honking and raging at truck drivers for not going fast enough.
- Wear your seatbelt!
If you notice a car following you, under no circumstances should you drive home
Image credits: class.nomeleve
Image credits: EyeEm/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: wavebreakmedia_micro/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: class.nomeleve
Another creator had a car chase him after he flashed his headlights at them
Image credits: nickfromohio
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: nickfromohio
Some people had the exact same thing happen to them
There's almost no universal meaning for flashing your headlights, which is why experts advise against such communication
As evident from the comments and from this person's experience, flashing your headlights can be pretty confusing. The meaning of flashing your headlights depends on the region.
That's why Brett Robinson, the executive director of the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association in Indiana, Pennsylvania, told The New York Times that it's best not to communicate with your headlights at all.
That's especially true if you're trying to alert other drivers that police are catching speeders ahead. Authorities could interpret that as obstructing governmental administration. They also recommend:
- not to signal for others drivers to go ahead with your headlights;
- indicate that it's safe to pull into traffic or to make a turn;
- or egg on slow drivers to go faster.
However, there are some cases when flashing your headlights is appropriate. You should flash your headlights when:
- letting truck drivers know it's safe for them to switch lanes;
- alerting other drivers about road obstructions ahead;
As for claims that headlight flashing is part of a gang initiation, Snopes has debunked these claims as well.
The creator also emphasized correct braking techniques and warned folks not to stand between parked cars
Image credits: class.nomeleve
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: class.nomeleve
And this is what you do in case a car rear-ends you or if you're driving in fog
Image credits: class.nomeleve
Image credits: senivpetro/Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: class.nomeleve