Cars are as amazing as they are convenient. This innovation that’s been around for near 135 years just keeps getting better with every passing decade. The idea of comfortable transportation and the opportunity to reach nearly every corner of the planet changed how people live their lives today, but also how they perceive distance and time.
But besides offering so much, we should never forget that cars are basically large-scale bullets- a projectile traveling with great speed consisting of heavy metal and flammable fuel and if not handled properly can cause mayhem, destruction, and death.
And this is not the story to scare the little children and those new and fresh teenage drivers. The statistics are very real and sobering. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recorded 5,687,000 police-reported crashes in 2013 only. Out of those, 32,719 were fatal. According to Allstate insurance, drivers average 1 car accident every 10 years.
Still, there are ways we can try to prevent a car accident and it concerns our behavior while behind the wheel. Following the traffic laws is required, but also making sure you are rested and not driving under the influence, creating safer conditions in traffic for all of us.
1. Diving With a Buzz
According to NTHSA, alcohol-related car crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. That includes both DIU, as well as something that is called ‘Buzzed Driving’. Drunk driving often has catastrophic consequences, but so does driving when you’ve had one or two drinks. The warm buzz can often make you sleepy and impair your vision, and any amount of alcohol can reduce your reaction time considerably. This is why there is no limit as to how many drinks you are allowed to have and still drive. The limit is 0 because drinking and driving are some of the riskiest you could do as a driver. If you do cause an accident while driving under the influence, the best thing for you would be to contact an experienced car accident lawyer in order to defend your case.
2. Distracted Driving
How many times have you seen someone driving at a snail pace only to notice they are also talking on their phone?
This kind of behavior is what caused 3,154 deaths in 2013, according to NHTSA and it is equally dangerous for those who do it and those who don’t.
Talking on your phone or texting while driving makes a driver distracted for 5 seconds per one glance at the phone. At the same time, their distracted driving makes other drivers restless, impatient, and angry, causing them to drive recklessly. ‘Hang up and drive’ is a pretty clear message all drivers should follow and keep in mind while in traffic.
3. Speed Regulation
Whenever you see a speed limit sign on the road, make sure you remember that it was not placed or determined arbitrarily. There are people on this planet who dedicate their time and go to school just to calculate the right speed limit for that road. They are the ones that know fast driving makes you consume more fuel, makes your reaction time decrease and braking distances increase, and when they adapt it to the terrain and that particular road, they end up with catastrophic results.
In order to prevent those hypothetical results from becoming a reality, they determine the safest maximum speed of the road and hope everyone will follow it. But not everyone does, and that leads us to almost 30 percent of all accidents (per year) happening because of speeding. If you don’t want to become part of that statistic, lower your speed, follow the speed limit and be especially careful at night.
4. Watch Out For Parking Lots
There is a whole lot going on in a parking lot. Usually located between the road and the sidewalk, it is a perfect zone for disaster. While the driver is focused on finding a parking spot, an excited child may dart between the cars on the parking lot or appear out of nowhere in front of the car still cruising around and searching. Be very careful and slow down your speed when looking for a parking lot, no matter the parking lot design.
5. Drive the Right Model
When the time comes to choose a new car, it may be smart to broaden your buying criteriums a bit. Don’t go for the one that is the newest or is looking pretty cool. You should evaluate handling, visibility, and ease of using controls. Those are the things that will ultimately help you avoid car accidents. Check the crash data for each model and consider buying the one with the best score.
