This holiday season some basic safety strategies can help keep you out of harm's way when you're on the road.

• Find a good driving position. Position the seat so you can just hang your wrist over the top of the steering wheel when you extend your arm. Adjust the head restraint so it's directly behind but not touching your head. Hold the wheel symmetrically, at about 3 and 9 o'clock, so you can steer left or right quickly and precisely. If you drape your arm over the top of the wheel, the air bag can break your arm or push it into your face if it deploys.
  
  
• Go with the flow. Keep up with traffic if conditions permit. A wide disparity in speeds is dangerous.
  
  
• Be a loner. Avoid clumps of cars on the highway so you're not involved in someone else's accident.
  
  
• Keep track of traffic. Look far down the road and keep your eyes moving to spot any problems before you reach them. Check your mirrors frequently.
  
  
• Think ahead. Keep thinking of possible traffic emergencies, and plan escape routes.
  
  
• Don't be a left-lane hog. The left lane is a passing lane, not a "fast" lane. Keep right except to pass. Don't try to block speeders; leave the policing to the police.
  
  
• Signal! Signal lane changes as well as turns.
  
  
• Wait with the wheels straight. When you're stopped in traffic, waiting to turn left, keep the wheels aimed straight ahead until the way is clear. If you wait with the wheels cut to the left, someone could hit you from behind and push you into incoming traffic.
  
  
• Help 'em merge. If you're in the right lane of a multilane highway, you can help entering traffic merge safely and smoothly by temporarily slowing down or moving over a lane if traffic permits.
  
  
• Brake at the right time. Slow down to a safe speed before you enter a turn. Hard braking in mid-corner can upset the car's balance.
  
  
• Try the ABS. If your car has an antilock braking system, the pedal's vibration and rumbling noise could startle you the first time you use it. Don't wait for an emergency; on a rainy day, find a deserted, slippery road or empty parking lot and hit the brakes hard enough to actuate the ABS so you'll know what it feels like.
  
  
• Don't phone while you drive. Using a car phone while driving can increase the risk of having an accident. The risk can be similar for "hands-off" phones.
  
  
• Protect your night vision. Don't stare at approaching headlights. If you're being blinded, focus on the right shoulder of the road.
  
  
• Catch some Z's. Don't drive when you're sleepy. If your eyes tend to stay focused on one spot, that's a danger sign. Pull over as soon as you find a safe place and nap for a few minutes.