Driving safely is one of the most important things these days, and since almost everyone is using a car these days, we need to pay a lot of attention when we’re in traffic.
When you are taking your driver’s license classes, the first thing that your instructor tells you is to always be careful not just about your actions, but the actions of others that are nearby in traffic. Sometimes you will do everything right while driving, but you will still end up in an accident because someone else is not being careful enough.
Driving is more than what it looks like when you are a passenger. When you finally get behind the wheel, you understand that things are a lot different than what they look like from the other seats.
In today’s article we are going to talk about some of the most common car accidents and how to prevent them, so if you are interested in learning some more, make sure to stay with us until the end.
Not stopping on a red light
Although this seems like the most basic thing that anyone can learn and understand to do in less than five minutes, you would be surprised by the number of car accidents that happen because people don’t follow a simple rule.
Sometimes people think that it’s smarter to rush through the red light “before it closes”, not realizing that it’s going to close anyway because they didn’t calculate their speed well enough, and even if they did, speeding is not allowed anyway, so they’ll be late when they pass the red light and cause a traffic accident.
If the person on the other side doesn’t recognize what the driver is trying to do, they just carelessly pass the street and most likely get hit by the car. Please, for the sake of everyone’s safety, stop on a red light, and if you are on the other side, make sure that others are stopping before you attempt to cross the street. If you see that a car is speeding instead of stopping, get out of the road or don’t cross the street at all until they pass.
If you are a pedestrian, you have the right to use your smartphone or speak with someone while crossing at a pedestrian zone, but since there are drivers who don’t follow the rules, it is much advisable to always have your eyes open.
Taking a turn full-speed
Whenever you need to take a turn, especially if it’s a sharp turn, you should let go of the gas and take it as slowly as you can. Some people think that they are experienced drivers, and even if they are, the risk of getting in an accident is a lot higher if you take the turn full-speed, so why even risk it in the first place? You never know what might happen on the other side of the turn, and even if you end up taking it smoothly, you can still get hit by someone that made a mistake on the other side, but you can’t react as fast because you are speeding as well.
To prevent this from happening, slow down your vehicle before making the turn, you will “waste” five more seconds at most, but your life won’t be in danger, which is quite a good trade-off if you ask me. In case you get into trouble, but it is not your fault, you can contact an accident lawyer to get your justice. Feel free to visit Yeboah Law Group.
Talking on the phone
It is already forbidden and illegal in many countries to talk on the phone while you drive, but not many people follow this rule until life decides to teach you a lesson, that unfortunately can sometimes be pretty unforgiving.
When you are driving, it is your responsibility and obligation to be completely focused on the road and nothing else around you, so speaking with someone on your smartphone is a major distraction that puts both your mind and body completely out of focus. You are not able to think about two things at once, and not to mention that one of your hands will be busy and you’ll have to hold the wheel with just one, with is a major issue already.
To avoid this from happening, simply ignore a phone call until you safely park your vehicle, then kindly explain to the person that you were driving while they were trying to reach you.
Driving under influence
This one is considered to be the reason for most car accidents every year, and for some reason, people don’t realize how dangerous it is to drive under influence, especially if you are still a beginner. Beverage impairs your decision-making abilities, and it reduces your reflexes by a lot. It also reduces your perception of danger, so even if something is very dangerous to do, your brain won’t register it as such, so you’ll do it anyway, and then you’ve made a car accident.
In almost every country these days, it is highly illegal to drive under the influence, and the penalties for doing this are very expensive, but that shouldn’t be your main “motivation” to avoid doing this. Even if you end up paying hundreds of dollars as a penalty, your life is a lot more important than that, so don’t think of your money, think about yourself and the people that are with you in the vehicle.
To prevent this from happening, simply try to always convince yourself not to take your vehicle at an event where you know that you might be drinking. Take a taxi instead, or politely ask for someone to take you. Even if you went to a party with your car, and you weren’t planning to drink, but you ended up drinking anyway, just leave your vehicle there and go home with someone else that’s completely sober. You’ll just take a taxi the other day and retrieve your vehicle back home completely safe, without risking anything bad happening to you.
Conclusion
When you are not driving safely, not only that you’re putting your life in danger, but you’re also endangering everyone that’s around you in traffic or your vehicle. You should always make sure that you are completely sober, well-rested and mentally prepared to drive your car at a certain destination. If you feel like even one of these things is slightly off, you shouldn’t get in your car at all.
