A surprisingly large number of accidents occur every day, and many of these occur when people are on their morning commute. The morning commute can be frustrating and dangerous for many drivers. Here are some things you can do to help make your commute as safe as possible:

Avoid distractions. When we think about distracted driving, cell phones often come to mind. The fact of the matter is, however, you can be distracted by any number of things inside and outside your vehicle. Passengers, eating, the radio or even putting on makeup can all distract you from driving. Fortunately, there are ways to get past most of these distractions. If you have a Ford Focus, for example, you can get the Sync package, developed by Ford and Microsoft. This package provides you with Bluetooth cell phone capability as well as voice-activated stereo and MP3 player commands. On top of that, make a commitment to yourself that you won’t eat in your vehicle; it’ll keep it much nicer in the long run, anyways.

Get some sleep. One of the major causes of freeway accidents is people falling asleep at the wheel. Estimates suggest that as many as 100,000 crashes each year are due to drowsy driving. Make sure you’re getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night, especially if you have a long commute.

Use your seatbelt. It’s common advice at this point, but the fact of the matter is that seatbelts save lives and prevent injuries. No, they don’t prevent accidents, but they do offer protection for when there is an accident.

Drive defensively. Be aware of the other cars around you. Pay attention to every sign and traffic light, even in familiar territory. If you’re commuting in the early morning when it’s still dark, be especially alert.

Come and see us at Sunset Ford today. We can show you the amazing Sync system in the 2008 Ford Focus, and answer any questions you might have about vehicle safety.