RVing or Not--This Warning could save your life!

Whether you are driving your motorhome, pulling a trailer, or simply driving across town in your family car to pick up groceries, here is one warning that most drivers never learn about until it is too late. Whether it is ever mentioned in State driving manuals that are given out for those taking driving tests, I can’t say. And it’s doubly important for RVers to be aware of this danger.

First of all let me say that the last state we got our driver’s licenses in didn’t even have drivers manuals, never mind that new drivers and new arrivals in the state had no way of knowing about local laws or safety issues. And the state we’ve just moved to gives a driver’s test at 16, and drivers keep their licenses for the basically the rest of their lives. So state residents will likely never have to take a written test again after their first one, even though laws change and new dangers emerge. Someone who recently moved here told me her license was good for 45 years! How many older drivers on the road were issued licenses before the first Interstate Highway was built? How did they learn the rules of driving on high-speed highways with entrances and exits unless they read it in a drivers manual?

Anyway, safety is a serious issue that should be routinely covered in the media, especially when it concerns something almost all of us have done at one time or another. And that is driving with the cruise control engaged when it is raining! If you are driving on wet pavement while it is raining, turn off your cruise control.

Even though I’ve been aware that this was a frequent cause of accidents, rain is so unusual here that when I drove out of the garage this morning, I immediately turned on the cruise control. I had driven across town before I remembered to turn it off.

Cruise controls were designed to make driving more relaxing, but when the road is wet, they increase the risk of skidding. Remember to turn yours off when roads are wet.

Write blog content for clients

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again because it bears repeating. Any type of writing you do will make you a better writer. That’s because you build speed and improve your writing skills as you produce content—no matter what type of content that might be. And if you can make money doing it while you get more experience to list on your resume, why not seek out small jobs that you might enjoy.

Almost every small business now has a blog or Website on the Internet, and business owners often don’t have the skills, time, or patience to sit down and write content to keep their Web presence lively and topical. Your veterinarian’s office, local real estate agents, retailers, hair salons and numerous other local businesses already have a blog or site. Check for some local businesses on the Internet and read their content. Does it look sloppy, unprofessional, hurriedly written? If so, you may want to contact the owner and offer to take over that “chore” for their business for a set fee. And no, don’t tell them how bad their site looks. A bad site is only a lead for you to a business owner who needs your services—not someone who will welcome your criticism. A little diplomacy with a huge desire to help will get your foot in the door. Tell them you noticed their site and comment on what a huge job that must be on top of running a business, then listen to what they say. If they sound open to a proposal, tell them that you are a writer and can produce professional but enticing copy for their site for a small fee. Stress how you can help improve their business while saving them valuable time.

Other business owners want to increase their visibility on the Internet, so contacting them with a brochure or a list of types of writing you produce may well land you the job of producing copy for them. If they don’t have a site at all, you can find programs to design and maintain the site for them, or partner with a Website designer and market your businesses as a joint effort.

Producing copy for a blog or Website is not going to make a lot of money for you, but you can quote a price of a few cents per word, or a set fee per week and look forward to having a regular paying gig. You’ll also find that this opens the door to many more opportunities to write content for the Internet, and it will also create opportunities to produce other types of copy for your existing clients. And it adds to your credibility as a writer!

We’re still in a recession with more and more businesses closing because they can’t afford to advertise, and their expenses are creating black holes that they may never climb above. Yet a recession makes it necessary that businesses keep their names at the forefront of prospective customers’ minds, and they often need to be reminded of that fact. Those whose names are most public when the recession ends will see their businesses boom from that point on. Make sure you're in on the boom with them!