Many car owners assume that road accidents can not be prevented. Particularly, if someone else other than yourself is responsible for the collision. After all, what can you do to prevent another road user from making a mistake? We understand this point of view, but it’s still false. Almost every accident on the road could have been prevented by someone. Typically, they are caused by negligence, distractions or poor car maintenance. The only accident that can not be prevented on the road is one that is caused by poor weather conditions. But even then, there are ways to limit the chances of bad weather causing you to crash the car. Let’s look at some examples and see how you could help prevent an accident on the road.
Keep Your Car Well Maintained
You might think that if there’s a problem with your car that causes an accident, you’re not at fault. But we’re not so sure. Firstly, it is your car, and you are therefore directly responsible for it. Why didn’t you know about the fault and why didn’t you do something to fix it? There’s no correct answer to these two questions. You should have known, and you should have done something. That’s why you should get your car checked on a regular basis. You also need to know the signs that there is an issue. For instance, a burning smell in a car should always be checked out.
As well as this, there are checks that you should complete each time you take your car out for a spin. Don’t make the mistake of risking it, even once. You should always check the tyre pressure for your car. It may seem silly, but this could be the difference between a safe drive and being involved in an accident.
An extra tip is to keep your car clean. Again, it might seem absurd to suggest that keeping your car clean could prevent an accident. But it isn’t. Dirt can build up under the brake pads. If this happens, it could sharply alter the braking distance of your vehicle.
Other Drivers
We know it sounds crazy to think that you can prevent another driver caused an accident. But you can, and other drivers do this all the time. You might see a driver with no lights on in the dark. What do you do? You flash your lights until they get the message. When you do this, you’ve probably saved them from crashing and maybe even another vehicle that might have collided with them. But there are other things that you can do.
Unfortunately on occasion, you might come across an angry driver. They might get angry because you pulled out on them. If you think you were in the wrong, do apologize with a polite hand gesture. If you don’t think you are in the wrong, ignore them but do not engage. They might attempt to perform a dangerous maneuver. Make sure you give them enough space to do this. At the very least, you will be protecting yourself.
It’s not always possible to save other drivers from their own actions. But you can lead by example here. A person experiencing road rage is like a bully. The best thing you can do is leave them alone until they get bored. Or, you can pull over at a safe place and allow them to drive by. An auto accident attorney can tell you the ramifications of a car collision caused by road rage.
Stay Attentive
It’s so easy to get distracted on the road. It can happen without you even realizing it. You might be driving along and suddenly realize you’re not paying attention to the road at all. This is passive driving and make no mistake; it is dangerous. Have you ever gone for a drive and realized you can hardly remember the journey from A to B? That’s because you weren’t paying attention at all. You were on auto. It usually happens when we’ve driven the same route hundreds of times, or we’re experiencing fatigue. You need to try and avoid this because it can lead to an accident. Don’t forget, if you do feel tired driving you should pull over as soon as it is safe to do so. Fatigue is one of the most common causes of accidents on the road.
Lastly, we need to think about cellphones. Is it ever safe to use a cellphone in a car? The answer is quite simply, no, it isn’t. If you’re using a cellphone, you are not paying complete attention to the road around you. When that happens, you are putting yourself and everyone else on the road in danger.
