As families gear up for their summer adventures, Attorney White shared crucial advice with Tonya Terry, host of WSFA NBC 12’s Alabama Live Show, on how to prepare vehicles and ensure safe travels. Learn more about these helpful tips and ensure your family’s safety on summer road trips.
Alabama Live Host Tonya Terry:
Right now, let’s talk about road trips. They can be a big part of your summer, and it’s important to make sure that vehicles are properly equipped with roadside emergency supplies to help keep your family safe. And joining me now with some helpful tips about that as you get ready to head out and about, Attorney Mike White with Floyd Hunter Injury Law. Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you for having me, Tonya.
Tonya:
You guys, I’m sure, deal with a lot of people who’ve had accidents as they get out and about. This is a very, very busy time of year.
Attorney Mike White:
It really is. It’s one of the busiest times of year for us, the week of the 4th especially.
Tonya:
Yeah, the time right before the 4th and the time after the 4th. Big-time summer travel. Let’s talk about things we need to do right off the bat any time I get ready to take a long trip or any kind of trip really. You wanna make sure that certain things are taken care of with your vehicle.
Attorney Mike White:
Before you even leave town, you need to check your tires.
Tonya:
Okay.
Attorney Mike White:
Get them–if they need rotating, you ought to get them rotated. Make sure that they’re inflated correctly. Underinflated tires get hot and blow out. And a lot of times, you don’t realize. Your tires aren’t that old, and then it turns out there’s a problem with them. Get them fixed.
Tonya:
Yeah, and the thing, too, is it’s different for different times of year: cold weather, your tire pressure needs to be a certain way or you need a certain amount of air in there, and then in the summer months it’s different.
Attorney Mike White:
And it’s a win-win: you get better mileage, too, with your tires properly inflated. Check the battery if your car is 4 or 5 years old, your original battery especially. Just think: you don’t wanna be out in the middle of camping, unexpectedly, in the middle of nowhere. That’s kind of how it is.
Tonya:
And driving especially–look at all that traffic we’re showing you right here–that can be stressful enough, and then on top of that if you’re thinking in the back of your mind, “Did I check those tires? Is there enough oil in here?” You know, things like that. It’ll take a lot of the stress out of it, won’t it?
Attorney Mike White:
And especially when you have children, it just compounds. Anyone who ever had a kid and went anywhere knows it. Make sure your car is okay, and make sure you have a kit with some safety items in it anytime you leave town.
Tonya:
Okay, well, I was looking at this list that you provided for us, and I have those things maybe scattered about the car, a few things in the trunk, things in the glovebox but you want–there’s a checklist.
Attorney Mike White:
Yeah, and a few things: a first aid kit, water. I always think about it as “I’m going to go camping in my car for two days, what would I want?” Well, even though it’s hot, terribly hot, I’d want a blanket. I’d want a battery or something. You know, there’s battery backups you can get–they’re really cheap–to charge your phone in case you are stopped somewhere. Food that won’t go bad or melt, some crackers or things like that. Something to take care of you and your family if you–especially something to drink–if you’re stuck somewhere for a day or two. Anything can happen.
Tonya:
Yeah, and that’s the thing! And you want to make sure you keep that in your car if you use some of that, eat some of the snacks or something, that you replenish that. We were just talking about those people who have children. Very important to make sure they have those safety seats and they’re installed properly.
Attorney Mike White:
It really is. One thing that happens a lot is when you have those awesome baby seats that they just got when my son was just about too big to use it, where the seat part pops out and you carry it.
Tonya:
Put them right in the stroller, yeah.
Attorney Mike White:
But the part that stays in the car, you know, you take it in and out, in and out. Make sure, before you go on a trip especially, that that base is really attached correctly because it can work itself loose, and then it’s not very useful at all when you really need it when traveling.
Tonya:
Yeah, we’ve been hearing of these stories, and it starts every summer as soon as the weather heats up, where people leave their children in the car even if it’s for what they think will be a little while. You might get held up in there somewhere, wherever you’re going, and it ends up being longer than you expect.
Attorney Mike White:
Just don’t do it. At a gas station, even if it’s under the cover where you’re getting gas, you never know what’s going to happen. You’re credit card–their machine might be down, and the next thing you know, it’s been a little while. Just take your child in with you. Or even better, fill up before you need to leave town and you don’t have to worry about it.
Tonya:
Don’t have to worry about it! You mentioned taking regular breaks. Why is that important?
Attorney Mike White:
Yeah, it’s really important because people tend to zone out when they drive long distances on the interstate. Like, just an example, here to Mobile. I used to have to drive to Mobile every Friday for like 10 years.
Tonya:
That is a hard drive, isn’t it?
Attorney Mike White:
It is. Well, imagine not knowing anywhere you were. And it’s so easy to not pay attention. If you don’t take breaks, you can easily, you know, just fall asleep or doze off. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked up and gone, “How did I get to…” wherever. You know, that happens. And on trips where you’ve got a lot longer drive–5 hours, 6 hours, or something like that, you really need to take some breaks and trade with other drivers if you have some adults.
Tonya:
Yeah, and it’s easy enough to look up a place where you might make a pit stop or stay a little while if you need to.
Attorney Mike White:
It really is. So many convenience stores now–really the big ones like Pilot and those type stores–they’re easy to find, every one of them has a website. The other thing is: find a place that you might want to stay. Just don’t plan on driving more than 250 or 300 miles at night.
Tonya:
You mean like a hotel, somewhere for you to stay overnight if you need to.
Attorney Mike White:
Exactly.
Tonya:
Alright, and then you mentioned about staying alert. Set up your GPS before you start the trip.
Attorney Mike White:
Absolutely. Don’t be driving down the road, even if you think your car will let you change the GPS. Mine will a little. Don’t do it. If you know you’re gonna stop in 2 or 3 places, set them and save them, and then cancel them. And they’ll be there. And you can go back to former destination–my car says previous destination.
Tonya:
Yeah, some of them are just stored in there.
Attorney Mike White:
Yeah, not doing all of that messing around.
Tonya:
Well, and then, too, when you talk about messing around with your phone, that’s something that people get in the habit of doing. And you take your eyes off the road, especially if it’s a road that you’re not familiar with, that could cause some problems.
Attorney Mike White:
Cell phones are, singularly, the worst problem with driving in the world. They just are. They’re so distracting. It’s so easy for younger people who don’t drive and don’t have a lot of experience to get distracted. It’s so easy for a person who’s, like me, who’s way more than grown up to go, “Oh, I got a text!” And the next thing you know, I run off the edge of the road.
Tonya:
Yeah.
Attorney Mike White:
And there are people riding motorcycles or I ride a bicycle a lot–a whole lot. And there are people that–the closest of getting hit I’ve ever been is with two girls, and they skidded, and when they stopped behind me one of them was holding a phone up in her hand. It’s so easy to do: just leave your phone in the glovebox or something like that. Check it–if you absolutely have to use it, stop somewhere. There’s somewhere to pull off.
Tonya:
Yeah, and a lot of times when you’re taking these trips, you’re not alone. You have a passenger or you have somebody in the backseat. The kids might call your name or something. You don’t need to be looking back there either.
Attorney Mike White:
No, you need to be looking where you’re going. You know, I’m one of five kids, and it didn’t take much for my father to say, “Boy, I told you…” whatever. You know, he never looked around.
Tonya:
Never looked back, but you knew who he was talking to!
Attorney Mike White:
I assure you I did. And that’s the thing, you know, you don’t need to be turning and looking in the mirrors or anything, and you don’t need to look at the person next to you to talk to them.
Tonya:
Yeah, and well, that’s the thing about it. A lot of these things, people are going, “I know this.” But this is just a reminder. We want to make sure, as people start traveling again, a lot of them have gone the whole winter and spring without going anywhere, and here it’s time for them to head out.
Attorney Mike White:
It’s really important to plan ahead, be safe, and just leave your phone. Put it on quiet.
Tonya:
Well, thank you for coming in. If they want to talk to you more, how can they do that?
Attorney Mike White:
Call us at 334-452-4000. We’ll be glad to talk to anybody about any type of injury case.
Tonya:
Alright, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Attorney Mike White:
Thank you so much.
Tonya:
Good advice.