How to detour the hazards blocking your safe travel

If you’re thinking of traveling this spring or summer, a new special may give you pause.

“The Court TV Safety Challenge: Traveling Safe,” a one-hour interactive quiz show airing at 8 tonight on Court TV, probably won’t scare you into staying home, but it will give you plenty of precautions to keep in mind when planning your trip.

Don’t let the daunting title deter you. The production, hosted by ABC News legal correspondent Cynthia McFadden, takes viewers on a fast-moving and informative tour of the vacation hazards that may await anyone traveling by air (luggage theft, for example), land (drowsy driving) or sea (cruise ship sickness). It also covers dangers that may arise once you reach your destination, such as hotel fires, lost children and pickpockets.

Questions are presented in multiple choice format, giving viewers a chance to test their travel savvy, and then safety experts offer advice on handling each specific emergency.

Some of the tidbits may be surprising. In drowsy driving accidents, for example, more than half of the motorists at fault say they never felt tired.

And if you do feel fatigue before hitting the road, what’s the best way to perk up: (a) open the window and crank up the radio, (b) take a brisk walk on the side of the road or (c) drink a cup of coffee and nap for 20 minutes?

The answer is ... well, let’s just say you may never be so glad to see Starbucks on seemingly every corner.

Other revelations are especially scary because they come as no surprise. A segment on carnival rides, for instance, reveals such common dangers as frayed cables and missing fasteners.

At the end of this “challenge,” nobody wins a hot spouse, a pile of money or a deal to record soulless music. But viewers just might end up with something in short supply these days: a little peace of mind.