The nights are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are starting to fall. Once again we are experiencing autumn in New England. This is also a time of the year that road conditions become more dangerous and require us to consider a great number of things.

If you are the parents of a teen driver it would be important to have an extended conversation about the hazards that will confront your young driver during this time of the year. It's also a good time of the year to make sure your motor vehicle is in tip top shape.

There are a number of things that you can do to make sure that your vehicle is safe and roadworthy. At the very least you should do the following:

as part of your regular car maintenance, such as getting your oil changed, you should have your garage check your tires to make sure there is enough tread on them;

you should also make sure you check your tire pressure because tires lose 1 to 2 pounds of pressure for every 10° temperature drop; make sure your lights are working;

check your windshield washer fluid in the reservoir; and

make sure that your windshield wiper blades are functioning properly.

You should also be aware of a number of suggestions for driving safely in the fall and make sure you share them with your new teen driver. A short list of those tips would include:

be careful when braking on leaves, especially when wet, because they can be as slippery as ice;

leaves also hide defects, including potholes in the roadways so be ready for the unexpected;

as it gets darker earlier, be on the lookout for pedestrians and people riding bikes that may appear out of nowhere;

watch for animals, especially deer, darting unexpectedly into the roadway;

sun glare becomes a bigger problem during the fall when leaves are falling from the trees and the roadways that run east and west are especially prone to sun glare;

we also experienced increased rain during the autumn season so be especially careful when driving in wet road conditions; and

as temperatures begin to drop ice can form on the roadways and especially on bridges which can become very slippery.

Although this is a beautiful time of the year, it is also a time when we should be especially careful as the weather changes and the driving becomes more treacherous. If you or someone you know is involved in an accident that is caused by the fault of another, then you need to contact an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer at the earliest possible moment.

We will be happy to provide you with free books which we have written that will tell you how to get better quicker and how to increase the value of your case. Please be especially careful during this time of the year so you and your family can be safe.