Top 5 Factors Avoiding Car Accidents

Playing it safe on the road can sometimes be easier said than done. After all, you don’t have control over other drivers. If you or other drivers are involved in risky behaviors on the road or are inexperienced, your odds of getting into a car accident are that much higher. 

But there are things you can do to keep yourself and those around you safe. Most of it boils down to following the rules of the road, watching what you’re doing, and making good decisions. 

How to Prevent Road Accidents

1. Pay Attention: Being a distracted driver is the number one reason people get into car crashes. There are a variety of things that can cause a driver’s eyes and mind to wander, and these distractions can be categorized into three types of distractions. All three increase your odds of getting into a car accident. 

The first type of distraction is visual; it’s anything that takes your eyes off the road, such as looking down to switch the radio station or adjust the air conditioning. The second type of distraction is mental, such as daydreaming, talking to your passengers, or anything else that distracts your mind. The final one is anything that takes your hand off the wheel like reaching for something you dropped or trying to eat or drink.

2. Don’t Text and Drive

If you want to significantly lower your odds of getting into a car accident, put down your phone. One of the worst types of distracted driving is texting and driving because it involves all three of the major types of distractions. It takes your mind and eyes off the road, as well as your hands off the wheel.

3. Don’t Drink and Drive

This should be obvious. Getting behind the wheel after drinking is certainly not going to help you avoid accidents. Drinking and driving is a common cause of car accidents and is an even bigger risk on weekend nights and holidays. When drivers are impaired by alcohol, their ability to pay attention, focus, and quickly respond is slowed. 

The easiest way to avoid an accident if you’ve been drinking is to have a designated driver. Someone who isn’t drinking should have your car keys and be responsible for getting you home safe. That’s keeping everyone else on the roads safe, too. If you don’t have a designated driver, take a taxi, or use a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft.

4. Don’t Speed

If you want to know how to avoid accidents, driving the speed limit is a great start. Driving too fast is a major cause of accidents on the road. When a speeding driver causes an accident, the impact is even more likely to cause a major injury or even a fatality. May drivers don’t think twice about hovering above the speed limit. They are not only breaking the law, but they are also putting themselves at a much greater risk of losing control. It’s a lot harder to stop or slow down if an obstacle, such as a deer crossing the road or a sudden traffic stop, pops up. Even just a few miles faster than the posted speed limit can increase the risk of an accident.

5. Be Careful in Bad Weather

Unless you are a postal worker, you don’t necessarily need to be out driving in rain, wind, sleet, and snow. It may not feel like a dangerous situation if you’re just encountering a little rain, but don’t be fooled. The beginning of a rainstorm can bring oil up to the surface of the road, causing hazardous slick patches. Heavy rain can impact visibility, making it difficult for a driver to see the lines on the road or even the drivers around them. Fog and heavy snowfall can also cause visibility issues for drivers. Snow, ice, and rain present hazardous conditions, especially on untreated roads.

Avoiding accidents means making driving your number one priority when you’re behind the wheel. Practicing defensive driving skills will help you in situations where other drivers aren’t paying attention or driving recklessly. 

Not all accidents can be avoided. If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact us at Huffman & Huffman Brothers-in-Law for a free consultation. We can help provide guidance and advice to ensure that you get full and fair compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and pain, suffering, and inconvenience from the at-fault party’s insurance. Our attorney team has over 160 years of combined experience handling personal injury cases. Let our family help your family.