If you drive a car, you’re responsible for the safety of yourself, your passengers, and other people on the road. That means you need to know how to drive safely. If you’re unsure how to do this, make a point of learning before you hit the road. Here are some tips for safe driving as you travel.

1. Follow Traffic Laws

You need to follow the traffic laws in whatever community you happen to be driving in. These laws will be indicated by signs that you learn about in your driver’s education courses. If you don’t know the law of an area, make sure you look it up before driving there. These laws tell drivers both how to drive and how to expect others to drive. Then you can avoid collisions and legal issues. Unfortunately, 17.4% of all misdemeanor arrests in the state in 2019 were traffic violations. You want to avoid causing accidents because the consequences can be dire.

2. Be Polite During Traffic Stops

If you are pulled over by a police officer, you want to be polite and get the encounter over with as quickly as possible. The officer may or may not be wearing a camera, which can impact your encounter. A 2015 study showed that officers that wore cameras were 25.2% more likely to find the cameras helpful when interacting with the public. You don’t want to do anything that will get you arrested or make the encounter violent. Instead, follow the instructions you’re given and move on with your day. If you’re polite and don’t argue, you’ll be able to continue to travel.

3. Maintain Your Car Regularly

If you want to stay safe on the road, then you need a car that is safe to drive. Like all machines, your car needs to be maintained. You need to follow the schedule provided by the car manufacturer in order to keep it running at its best ability. You also need to get repairs done as soon as you realize there is a problem. Find a garage to work with soon after you get your car. Since 75% of aftermarket auto repair is done by garages, there are many places you can go. The other 25% is done at dealerships, which is another option. If you keep your car maintained, it will run smoothly and last much longer than it would without regular inspections and care.

4. Never Drive Drunk

When you travel, you want to make sure that you are never drunk behind the wheel. Driving drunk puts you and the people around you in significant danger. Alcohol impacts both your judgment and your reaction time, two things that need to be clear in order to operate a vehicle safely. If you are drunk, you need to make other travel plans. Get a ride from someone else in order to get safely to your next location.

5. Wear Your Seatbelt

You need to wear your seatbelt when you travel. If you have passengers, make sure that they are wearing their seatbelts as well. Seatbelts are essential to keeping you safer in the event of an accident. They’ll prevent you from being ejected from the vehicle, increasing your chances of surviving without major injury. So put your seatbelt on before you start moving.

Safe driving requires you to be careful and prepared for anything you may encounter on the road. You have to be aware of what people are doing around you, as well as what is expected of you. If you’re driving according to the law and doing everything you can to stay safe, it will make it easier to travel without incident. Apply these tips to make safe driving easier.