Earthquakes have been happening a lot more often lately, or at least it seems that way to many. Due to the increased frequency, now is a great time to freshen up on earthquake safety! You may be thinking you do not need to be reminded of what to do in an earthquake, but you can never hear the proper protocol enough! However, today let us specifically focus on earthquake safety when it comes to driving, as this is not a part of earthquake safety guides that is often discussed but is more important than ever as California keeps getting hit by sudden earthquakes.
In general, stop as soon as you are safely able to do so.
If you find yourself behind the wheel when you start to feel an earthquake hit, proceed with immense caution. When it is possible to safely do so, you will want to stop. However, it is important to keep in mind two things when stopping. The first thing is the flow of traffic around you. For example, if you are approaching an intersection and enter it just as the earthquake starts, do not stop in the middle of the intersection. This is important to note as just because you stop, does not mean the others around you will stop, so stopping in an intersection puts you in a dangerous position. If you find yourself in this kind of position, you would instead want to proceed through the intersection and pull off to the side of the road as soon as you can.
The second important thing to be aware of if you have to stop driving on the road due to an earthquake is the surroundings around you.
For example, if you can safely stop with regard to the flow of traffic presently around you, but you would be stopping under a bridge, do not stop there. When it comes to the environment around you, avoid stopping under bridges, overpasses, tress, power lines, light posts, or signs. If you stop under or very near these things, you run the risk of them falling down due to the rumbling of the earthquake and landing on your car or you in your car.
Once you make a safe stop in an earthquake, it is important to stay inside your car until the shaking stops. If you get out of the car, you open yourself up to higher risk, especially depending on where on the road you stopped. Once the shaking has stopped, if possible, wait a few minutes to see if an aftershock occurs. Once you begin to drive again, drive carefully and attentively, looking out for damage to the road or things that may have fallen onto the road.
