Floridians know how busy Saturdays can be, as game days take place throughout the state. However, if you plan to attend these events, it’s important to practice safe behaviors to lessen the chances of you becoming involved in a car accident. Since traffic for these events is high and people might be distracted or rushed to attend or leave the game, practicing the following behaviors can reduce the likelihood you are in an automotive accident or suffer personal injuries.
Plan to Avoid Peak Traffic Times
The smartest way to avoid the bustle of game day traffic is to plan to arrive well before the game kicks off and wait to leave long after the final whistle. A good rule of thumb is to arrive at the game at least two hours before kickoff, but even sooner if you can. While there will be tailgaters and pedestrians, it won’t be as bad as waiting until the game time when the brunt of traffic arrives. You should also plan to leave the game two hours after its conclusion. If there are restaurants in the area within walking distance, grabbing a bite to eat is a great way to wait around for the traffic to clear.
Drive Carefully
Campuses are full of pedestrians on game days, so it’s important to drive slow, obey all speed limit and traffic signs and be on the lookout for incoming vehicles and pedestrians. If you have a newer vehicle, many come equipped with accident avoidance technologies such as traffic and pedestrian detection, where if the system senses someone entering your driving zone it alerts you with an audio and visual warning. Even if your vehicle doesn’t have these features, you can do other things such as turn off the music and ask your vehicle’s occupants to be quiet and alert as you enter the heavy traffic zones.
Take Advantage of Local Resources
Many college campuses have limited areas where the general public can park. This makes planning in advance pivotal as you’ll know where to go when arriving on campus. At the same time, you can also avoid the traffic altogether by staying at a local hotel the night before the game, carpool, or use university transportation resources like shuttles to take you from remote areas into the game. By planning ahead, you can avoid many of the traffic headaches caused on game days.
