Oct 16

Oct 16 Safety on the Road for a Mobile Notary

We have had such pleasant weather here in Southern California, especially in the Inland Empire. But now as the weather is changing like it does every fall, I am reminded that it’s time to shift gears on my driving habits and expectations for loan signing appointments.

Now that fall has arrived the days are shorter and the night skies are appearing earlier. Here are some of the things I keep in mind during this time of year as I am driving to my appointments.

I roll down my windows when I am in a poorly lit neighborhood or area where I could easily miss a pedestrian or animal crossing the street.
I drive cautiously, especially in neighborhoods and always observe the speed limit.
·Keep those windshield wipers new and plenty of washer fluid in the reserve to clean those foggy/ dirty windows.
Set a time that you are comfortable with driving at night. For instance, if you don’t go out past 7:00 PM for safety reasons, stick to it! You won’t be sorry.
If you must go out, try to have someone go with you to be your extra set of eyes!

Big thing for me is window tinting! Here in Sunny California, it’s almost a must to have window tint to protect yourself and your car’s interior from the scorching sun. But, this tint can really reduce your visibility at night. Signing appointments that are at 7:00 PM during the fall and winter months are much different than when driving that hour during the summer.

Last winter, my husband and I were driving home from a signing about 7:00 PM and were coming down the mountain. It was COLD and it had gotten dark fast. We were driving down the side of the mountain I consider “safer” and lo and behold we ran right over a 1001b boulder that had slid off the mountain right before our eyes. Luckily no one was injured and my cars big SUV tires were the only thing damaged. And just to let you know, there are some very friendly local mountain folks and two of them eagerly stopped to help us change the tire. We had called AAA but the ETA was longer than we wanted to wait. As I was waiting in the car (yes I stayed in the car), shivering, feeling thankful but tired and cold, I so wished I had some extra gear in my car! These items may seem like a no brainer, but when you live down the hill like I do, the weather and climate are like night and day. But travel upwards 3K feet, it’s another story. Here are a few items I was glad that I had with me, so I am sharing them with you.