After years of driving behind the wheel, navigating heavy traffic, and evading accidents, it is easy to get a bit complacent. We’re not saying you’re a bad driver. We’re saying that everyone could use a little brushing up on a few elements of safe driving. Use these tips to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to avoid car accidents, or at least as much as you can manage.
These tips are all quickly forgotten basics of driving safely, and we teach them to teenagers with gusto, but often relax on them a bit ourselves. Keeping that in mind, be a little forgiving with yourself and the other drivers in your life if you notice that you or the people around you have gotten a little too lazy with these guides for safe driving.
Always Have an Escape Option
It’s easy to get into a song, to yell at the kids in the backseat, or to daydream for a moment. But those are the times when you’re most vulnerable to an accident. It’s not necessarily because you’re distracted, although there’s clearly an element of distraction here. But, one of the bigger struggles is that you aren’t looking out for your escape option.
When you’re driving, always know how you’ll get out of an accident if the absolute worst were to happen. Short of the big earthquake finally rolling in and the freeway system crashing down all across Henderson county, you should be able to avoid most accidents. Changing lanes, getting off a freeway, or reducing your speed to avoid a crash ahead of you are all options that you should always keep in mind.
Check Your Mirrors
We’re not talking about checking your mirrors while you drive. You probably check your mirrors even if you’re not consciously aware that you’re monitoring them. However, when was the last time you parked on level ground and evaluated how well your mirrors improve your visibility?
Most driver’s training books suggest that teens learning to drive should go through a once-a-month review of the vehicle. That review contains things like checking the oil levels and other fluids, as well as the function of the brake lights, and mirror placement. Take a moment once a month, maybe schedule it on your phone’s calendar so you can park and check your mirror adjustments.
Drive at 9 and 3
Way back in the day, it was declared that the go-to position, the position for ultimately safety on the driver’s wheel, was at 10-and-2. The 10-and-2 position is the hand position described as though the steering wheel were to represent a clock. But those days are gone because the National Highway Transportation Safety Association now recommends keeping your hands at the respective 9 and 3 positions. The idea is that you would sustain less damage to your arms if the airbag were to go off.
Reduce Your Speed
Of course, speeding is bad, but keep in mind that a speed limit is the … limit. It means around or slightly below this speed. By bringing down your speed to the posted speed limit but still matching the flow of traffic, you can accurately respond to changes in traffic conditions. Higher speeds make it more difficult to correct issues with the vehicle.
Teen Health resources make it clear that reducing speed can drastically bring down the extent of possible damages from a crash. Reducing your speed allows you to look further ahead as you drive and respond more quickly.
When Accidents Aren’t Avoidable, Bad Settlements Are Preventable
Even in the best of times, an accident may not be entirely avoidable. You might have to prioritize the dangers and use a different ranking system to choose the option that would come with the least amount of damage or injury. But of course, you’re making these choices in the split bits of seconds and in captured fragments of time. What you can always prioritize, however, is your settlement.
Settlements are a difficult struggle for many victims because they almost never recover the full damages of the crash. They’re left with medical bills, a broken-down car, a trashed motorcycle. It’s all enough to make people completely let go of their faith in the car insurance system. Instead, however, you can establish a fair settlement foundation. You can work with a local Henderson auto accident lawyer to support your struggles and do more to argue for the compensation that you deserve as a victim.
