About 18 months ago, my daughter was in a serious car accident and broke her knee. After about six months he was able to walk again, but he was unable to bend his knee more than 90 degrees, making walking and other exercises difficult. It changed his life and began to affect his back badly.

At the time of the accident, I was driving a small Nissan Micra on the 450km drive from college to our home for the mid-year vacation. It swerved into a huge pothole and the car skidded and hit a tree at 100 km / h. The airbags saved his face and body, but his knee was broken.

Since this happened, there have been so many things that I wish I had told you about driving. I wish I had emphasized the importance of the little things that could have saved him all the pain and suffering he endured when he was young.

So I’m going to tell them in this article. Maybe save a life or save some suffering. I hope so. So, in random order, here it goes:

When you drive a small car and have it loaded with all your things, the car handles differently than when it is empty. It wallows. So avoid sudden movements, sharp turns. The weight of the car will keep it in a straight line. Under those circumstances, it is often better to hit the pothole, animal, or rock, rather than swerve.

When approaching an incline in the road where you cannot see, slow down unless you know the road well. Be more vigilant as you go up the climb. Then once you can see that the path is clear, you can relax a bit again.

When the car is fully loaded, head to the gas station and ask them to pump the tires a little harder. About 20% to 30% more difficult should do it. This will give you more control on the road, and tire manufacturers recommend it anyway. Also, keep your average speed low, perhaps reducing it by about 10%. A heavy car takes much longer to stop.

Never take your eyes off the road. Learn where all your controls are on the car, so you can adjust things without looking. You can practice this while waiting at traffic lights, you’re not doing anything else anyway! And, of course, never use your mobile phone while driving; Which is worse than driving while intoxicated, your concentration is even less on what is going on around you.

Do not put loose things around it in the car, especially heavy things and things like glass bottles etc. In a collision, these things turn into missiles. A glass bottle with a small plant traveled from the back seat of the car and missed my daughter’s head, but it blew a hole in the windshield.

Once you’ve learned to drive, get on a skid tray and practice getting on and off the skates so you can feel your car. If there is no slide tray near you, try to find a large, flat area of ​​loose gravel and practice going sideways. Make sure you have LOTS and LOTS of room to stop safely if you lose control in a skid. Start slowly and gradually build your confidence. When you know what to do on a skid, it makes a big difference when you accidentally slip into one.

If you’re going to buy a small car, watch the safety crash videos on YouTube and see how your desired car handles crash tests before you decide to buy it. Some of the Chinese cars just crumple and crush the poor doll inside!

In bad weather, slow down a lot. If it’s icy, go very slowly.

Let your family of friends know where you are at regular intervals, or let one of them track you on their mobile phone.

I hope this helps. My daughter just had a second operation to reconstruct her knee so she can bend it properly and it seems to have been going well for her, so I hope she gets her life back. There are so many things you still want to do!

So be careful, go slow and be safe. May all your travels be happy.

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