Car accidents are one of those occurrences that happen when you least expect them. In a split second, you could go from cruising on the highway to being on the side of the road waiting for help to arrive. No one wants to be that person on the side of the road. Here are five tips on how to prevent car accidents from the car experts at Edmonds. If you follow these five tips, you and your loved ones will be much safer on the road because you know how to prevent car accidents.
Keep right
By staying in the center or the right lanes, you have more of a chance of avoiding car accidents. If you are in the left lane, you have less of a chance to escape should something go wrong. If you are in the center lane, you can go left or right to avoid an accident. If you are in the right lane, you can easily get off the highway if necessary. You do not have many choices in the left lane. In addition, the left lane is often called the fast lane and therefore is the most accident prone of all the lanes. Just being in the left lane increases your chance of an accident. Being cautious about which lane you are in helps your chances of knowing how to prevent car accidents should a situation arise.
Scan the area
When one is driving on the highway, most people look at the car ahead of them as an indicator of what’s ahead. If you are looking two cars ahead of you, it increases your chances of seeing an accident before it happens, and therefore avoiding it. Simply having that sense to watch everything around you gives you a better chance of reacting and knowing how to avoid car accidents before it’s too late.
Judge other drivers around you
Does the guy next to you have a lot of dents on his car? This could be a sign that his driving is not so great, or that perhaps he cares less about the quality of the car than acting out his road rage (or he could just have bad luck with other drivers). Also, if a driver is drifting in and out of lanes, it could imply a driver who is on their cell phone or under the influence. Judge the other drivers around you and try to move away from those who could cause you problems later on down the road.
Night time may not be the right time
Although everyone tends to do most of their driving during the day leaving the roads empty during the night, the night leaves a whole new set of challenges to the driver. Not only will you be dealing with your own impaired senses from fatigue and poorer vision, but you will be dealing with the impaired senses of every other driver on the road with you. In addition, you are more likely to find drivers who are under the influence or teenagers who are going for a joyride at night. Driving during the night may save you from traffic, but it should also cause you to be more careful.
Keep your hands on 9:00 and 3:00
Your Driver’s Ed instructor probably told you this a million times, but it is no less relevant now then it was then. Keeping your hands in the 9:00 and 3:00 positions on the wheel gives you more control and traction, therefore helping you avoid a car accident should one occur around you.
At the end of the day, we can only help teach you how to prevent car accidents by providing all these tips. It is up to you to do your part to stay vigilant on the road and remember these tips on how to prevent car accidents. Should a situation arise, we at T.J. Woods Insurance are only a phone call away to help. Contact us to learn more about you can be protected if a car accident does occur.
What is your best tip how to prevent car accidents? Which of these tips on how to avoid car accidents did you find most useful?
