Summer driving gears up

Summer is around the corner, that means more people hitting the roads and an increase in accidents. Many times these accidents are caused by distracted drivers.

Texting, eating, speeding, even having multiple people in your car can cause major distractions.

“If you get in a wreck and somebody gets injured or killed, that’s something you’re going to have to deal with for the rest of your life is to think about the action that I did caused somebody to get hurt or killed,” said Blackfoot Police Officer Gregory Austin.

Monday’s crash in Jefferson County where one juvenile died and three others were injured, was a case of speeding on a road that is known to be quite dangerous when traveling at high speeds.

Recognize the hazards on or of the road, and know how to combat them defensively.

A big trend for summer: hitching trailers, boats, and other small vehicles.

Officer Austin said watching a trailer safety youtube video or going to u-haul helps significantly when learning how to drive with something attached to your primary vehicle. “I would say that a good 90 percent of them have never pulled a trailer, or they don’t pull a trailer enough and they forget that its even back there, and they’re turning sharp, running over curbs, and the last most important thing is that they don’t even know how to back them up.”

Please remember in hindsight, your life is much more important than arriving somewhere on time or than answering that quick text right away.

If you are interested in taking a defensive driving course, visit aliveat25.com.