How Do LED Vehicle Lights Enhance Driving Safety and Save Lives?

The NYPD reported that there were 38,000 hit-and-run incidents in 2015 in New York City alone.

Think about it.

This means that there were 38,000 people in the driver’s seat who struck another human being but didn’t care. These 38,000 people were willing to let another person die rather than having to face any responsibility for the action – even if accidental.

Have you ever seen a body in the street after a hit-and-run? I have – twice. The questions that came to mind right away were the same:

“Why would someone do this?”

“Why wasn’t that pedestrian more careful?”

“Are the police going to find the driver?”

The point is I found myself wishing that I hadn’t seen those scenes, and yet hoping that there was some way to repair even a bit of the damage. But a life was lost. The damage was done.

The NYPD reported that only 48 of those 38,000 cases involved death or serious injury, but only 28 arrests were made. This is a staggering issue, and here at LED Outfitters, we want to do everything in our power to keep the hit-and-run numbers down and the arrests for the guilty up.

We work hard to provide the most advanced LED vehicle lights in the industry for law enforcement, emergency, and private vehicles.

Our LED emergency lights provide a level of awareness to all onlookers so that no one gets hurt while the law enforcement or other emergency response vehicles are rushing to help at the scene as fast as possible.

LED vehicle lights give drivers a brighter view of the road ahead, enabling them to avoid obstacles, pedestrians, or cyclists who might be on the road, even in unexpected areas. Sometimes it’s unavoidable to hit a squirrel that runs into your tires, but most accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists could easily be avoided.

10 things that you should never do while driving:

1. Texting or searching online. We all know it but most do it anyway. Texting is dangerous. Even if you’re the most awesome driver, “out of sight, out of mind” applies to you behind the wheel. If you’re not looking at the road ahead, then you don’t know what to expect. Maybe you’ll hit a barrier, drive off the road, or hit another vehicle. This could also be the time when you hit an unprotected person. Don’t do it. Period.
2. Drinking alcohol. Why are we talking about this? Why is it so hard to get people to realize that their minds don’t work the same way even if they’re only feeling “tipsy.” Guess what? This is what “tipsy” means – that you’re not as balanced as usual. Then why would you get behind the wheel and actually drive somewhere like that? Someone can lose a life at your hands. If you live, your life will never be the same, and your entire family and circle of friends will be affected.  Call a cab. Get an Uber. Be smart.
3. Having an emotional conversation . Whether on the phone or with a passenger, keep your emotions calm and under control. Emotions cloud the mind, and heightened emotions can affect your vision – literally. Keep your spirits up as best as you can by listening to your favorite radio station, singing, or trying to keep on overall attitude of gratitude. Convince yourself that the cracked living room window is so much easier to deal with than a lost life.
4. Disciplining your children. It’s a hard one. This also includes keeping a handle on your emotions. If your children get out of control while you’re driving, then it’s time to pull over to address the situation. Don’t turn around and scream into the back seat. Keep your head on your shoulders and breathe deeply. You can get through this.
5. Bending or leaning over to grab something. While trying to take a toy from fighting children or to pick up something that you dropped – often your phone which you shouldn’t be holding – you can find yourself bending or reaching for a life-changing second. Make it wait.
6. Driving without your hands. Did you see an adult do this when you wer e growing up? It’s clearly a bad example that you don’t want to repeat or pass on to any children. Your knee doesn’t have fingers and isn’t meant for gripping things. It’s a joint that is meant to help support you and help you to walk, not drive. If you want to use it, park the car and start walking.
7. Getting dressed or change your clothes. This is embarrassing, but people do this. Changing a shirt or pants while driving turns your clothing into hazardous material. Besides the fact that it’s just common decency to get dressed behind closed doors and not in the traffic intersection, it’s truly risky behavior behind the wheel.
   
8. Putting on makeup or shaving. You couldn’t shave anywhere else? Maybe you can wait until you’ve parked? What happens if that eyeliner pokes you in the eye? The natural reaction is to jerk backwards and grab your eye. There goes your vehicle right into another one! Unless you’re trying to give the coroner a head start, don’t apply makeup behind the wheel.
9. Eating messy foods. Another hard one. When you’re in a hurry, it’s tempting to grab something like a delicious crunchy taco or a sizzling slice of pizza, but this can be dangerous. If some of it falls, you naturally want to clean it up, or if your fingers get greasy or saucy, then your ability to drive is affected. If you must eat fast-food behind the wheel, choose a cleaner option like a neatly wrapped burrito.
10. Falling asleep. Sometimes it hits us suddenly, but sleepiness is a clear indicator of the inability to manage your machine on wheels. If you shouldn’t drive while tipsy or intoxicated, you shouldn’t drive while sleepy. Why? It’s basically the same state of mind. If you’re a truck driver or just making a commute, pull over to somewhere safe and take a nap!

There probably other things to avoid while driving, but this is a good start.

Even better, if you outfit your vehicle to help out other drivers, you’ve taken driving safety to the next level.

LED vehicle lights help you to see more clearly, but also help other drivers to see you more clearly.  They help pedestrians and cyclists to know that you’re coming. This means that LED vehicle lights can actually save lives.

Reach out to us here at LED Outfitters to let us help you save more lives today!