We’ve got a nice, long weekend coming up, from September 1-4, and the forecast for gas prices looks favorable. In fact, at the time of writing this post, South Carolina still had the lowest gas prices in the country, averaging $2.05 a gallon. Temperatures are expected to be in the comfortable low 80s over Labor Day weekend, so everything is looking good for an enjoyable holiday.

Cheaper gas prices mean more people will be on the road, of course, so the National Safety Council is offering safe driving tips for the Labor Day weekend. Here they are:

#1 Don’t drink and drive

Safe driving tips that we offered for the Fourth of July also apply for this weekend. The focus of that post is to help you prevent friends from drinking and driving. Here are additional tips to help you safely enjoy holiday parties – and here are recipes for delicious and refreshing mocktails, which are cocktails with all the flavor but none of the alcohol.

Law enforcement professionals in South Carolina do set up drunk driving checkpoints, with the goal being to keep the roads safe, and you can count on them being on alert during the holiday weekend. So, don’t drink and drive.

#2 Wear your seat belt

The National Safety Council is predicting that 148 people may survive a collision over the Labor Day weekend because of seat belts. You can find more information about seat belt laws in South Carolina at the website of the SC Department of Public Safety. This page also lists five ways in which wearing a seat belt will help to prevent injuries, and we’re quoting them here:

Preventing ejection
Shifting crash forces to the strongest parts of the body’s structure
Spreading forces over a wide area of the body
Allowing the body to slow down gradually
Protecting the head and spinal cord

#3 Create a distraction-free zone for drivers

While cells phones are handy to have in the car in case of emergency, calls, incoming texts and the like can be quite distracting. So can the need to manipulate a GPS. So, as a driver, make a plan to avoid being distracted, and stick with it. As a passenger, you can help the driver, perhaps by monitoring the GPS and otherwise making it easy for him or her to keep eyes on the road.

Watch for an upcoming post that will share more safe driving tips for Labor Day weekend.

Do You Need a Car Accident Attorney?

Even when you are driving carefully yourself, car accidents do happen. And, unfortunately, if you are a car accident victim, insurance companies may not give you the settlement you deserve. That’s why the personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of F. Craig Wilkerson are here to represent you and advocate for you, to help ensure you receive full compensation

So, schedule a free case evaluation online or call us at: