The truth is that most accidents can be avoided. But it’s up to each and every person who gets behind the wheel to make sure that they do everything they can to prevent them. So, what are the steps that you should be following? And how do you keep yourself safe?
- Pay Attention to Your Surroundings
Always make sure you’re paying attention to your surroundings. Know what you’re doing and keep your focus and attention on the road. Don’t get distracted by children in the backseat or your friend in the passenger’s seat or your phone call or even the radio. Distracted driving is another huge reason for accidents and if you can keep yourself focused and attentive you’re going to cut down on your risk dramatically. But what if you’re not the one who’s distracted?
- No Drinking and Driving
According to Center for Disease Control (CDC) every forty-eight minutes someone dies as a result of alcohol impaired driving in the United States. CDC also states that approximately one-third of all auto accidents are the result of impaired driving.
It is likely that you pass an intoxicated driver without realizing it and it is only a matter of time before someone who has stubbornly decided to drive after having too much to drink puts your life in jeopardy because of their poor decisions.
Drunk drivers are one of the main causes of car accidents and that means you should never get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. Even if you think it’s not affecting you it’s extremely dangerous to drive because your reaction time could be impaired. If you think someone around you is driving drunk you can avoid a potential accident by carefully pulling off the road and getting out of their way. Also, call 911 for help and let them know your suspicions but don’t stay anywhere near that driver. You never know what they’re going to do.
- Watch for Other Drivers
When you’re driving you’re always going to be surrounded by other people. And the decisions that they make are going to greatly impact whether or not you end up in an accident. The best thing you can do is make sure that you are always aware of the people around you. Watch what they are doing and make sure you always have time to react if you need to. If the car in front of you slams on their brakes you should be able to do so as well. If the car beside you suddenly swerves you should know how to get out of their way.
- Follow the Rules of the Road
Watch things like the speed limit and speed recommendations. Watch for signs that advise you about changes in the road such as bumps, curves and more. But also make sure that you follow all the rules. Follow rules for safe speeds, for passing or not passing, for maintaining distance between drivers and for things like stop signs and lights. These are going to make it easier for you to react in time to anything happening around you.
Focusing on these tips will help you to cut down on your risk of an accident, but keep in mind that there’s never any guarantees. No matter how aware and prepared you are, there’s always the possibility that something will happen. The best thing you can do is prevent as much as possible and have a plan in place of what to do and how to respond when an accident occurs.
Car Accident Facts:
- Average number of car accidents in the U.S. every year is 6 million.
- More than 90 people die in car accidents everyday.
- 3 million people in the U.S. are injured every year in car accidents.
- Around 2 million drivers in car accidents experience permanent injuries every year.
- 1 in 7 people do not wear a seatbelt while driving.
- Seatbelts reduce the risk of death by 45%.
- Seatbelts cut the risk of serious injury by 50%.
- People not wearing a seatbelt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from the vehicle during a crash.
