The kids are back in school, employees are returning to the workplace, the holiday season is almost here. As our busy lives get even busier, so do the roads.
Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison teamed up with USAA on a Safe Driving Campaign to help promote the importance of using safe driving practices when out on the roads. His first order of business was sharing with his 1.4 million Instagram followers some key tips to being a safe driver:
- Buckle your seat belt
- Adjust your mirrors
- Mount your phone & use voice-activated features
Harrison says it’s important to also be on the defense when you’re behind the wheel — which, of course, comes naturally to the former linebacker.
“My style is obvious — I’m a defensive driver,” Harrison said. “I have to be aware of what’s going on around me so I can anticipate what other drivers might do so that I can adjust to things they may do in order to keep me safe and keep them safe.
There are a lot of distracted ‘Debbies’ and ‘Dans’ driving out there, putting on their makeup or on their phone at the same time they’re putting on the blinker or driving down the highway at 50, 60 miles an hour.”
Help deter the urge to be a Debbie or a Dan by mounting your phone and using voice-activated, hands-free features, which Harrison said is one of the key things drivers can do to practice safe driving.
“The first thing you need to do when you get in the car is latch the seat belt,” Harrison explained. “Adjust your mirrors, get your phone into something hands-free. It’s about safe driving.”
Harrison recently had a little fun with someone he noticed was not-so-safe-driving.
“I saw somebody taking selfies while driving before. When they got to the light to stop, I rolled my window down, put my phone up, looked dead at them and started doing the kissy-face selfies. They stopped doing it after that.”
While you’re on the road, no matter where you’re headed, listen to James Harrison: Pay close attention to the roads and engage in safe driving.
For more practical safe driving tips, visit USAA.com.
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