The exodus for next weekend’s holiday is probably on the minds of thousands of Pennsylvanians already. Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer, (the official end is September 22) and the opening of the 2014 college football season. With that, traffic to vacation destinations throughout the state, and to Delaware and New Jersey is expected to be heavy.

With additional cars on the road, the chances for accidents to occur also increases. The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates that more than 30 million Americans will be travelling by car to a destination that is more than 50 miles from their home. Add in the prospect of lower than average gas prices, and you have a recipe for potential disaster.

With that, we give our readers some helpful tips that can help them be safe on the roads during the coming weekend. 

Keep your car in working order – While a majority of accidents are caused by driver error, it is helpful to keep your car maintained. It would be a shame if you tried to avoid an accident and your brakes did not cooperate, or your engine failure led to an accident.

Heed recall notices – 2014 has been the year of the recall for many manufacturers. Some of our posts have highlighted the calls to bring back cars for ignition switch problems, braking issues and problems with headlights. So if you receive a recall notice, taking your car to a dealer is a good idea.

Be patient – Countless accidents are caused by aggressive driving. As we said earlier, traffic is expected to be heavy, so give yourself enough time to get to your destination in a safe manner. 

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