How to Avoid Car Accidents

Millions of people fall victim to accidents on the road every year. You shouldn’t be a statistic. Follow these driving tips and stay safe on the road!

• Always check your vehicle before driving. All lights working, tires inflated, and no leaks. A faulty car won’t be fully prepared for the unexpected.
• Make sure your side and rearview mirrors have good visibility.
• Seatbelts. Always, always wear seatbelts. It could mean the difference between fatality and survival.
• Try to leave early. Rushing to your destination increases the risk of an accident. It’s better to leave earlier and arrive early than not arrive at all!
• Avoid doing anything else when driving, even talking on the phone with a hands-free headset. Unnecessary distraction can be fatal. Pull over to a safe location if you really need to make or take a call.
• Be sure to keep your eyes active. Check your side and rearview mirrors periodically.
• Remember that trucks cannot see what is directly behind them and the area beside them near the driver’s cab. Try to stay out of these dangerous zones. The safest place would be to their left or right, behind them. Take note that they also make large turns.
• On a multiple-lane road, the left side is for fast vehicles and the right is for slower ones. Stay in your lane. If the right side allows parking, watch out for people opening their doors.
• Never ever counterflow unless safety officials like traffic police are there to assist.
• It may sound harsh, but don’t expect everyone on the road to drive safe. Cars may run stop signs, motorcycles might go zipping by and pedestrians may jaywalk. Be sure you are mentally prepared for these incidents and know what to do when they do happen.
• When driving behind another vehicle, make sure there is a suitable gap between you. 4-5 seconds is a good rule of thumb.
• Don’t stomp on the brake pedal! You might lose control of your car. Set a braking distance and step down on the pedal slowly until you stop or successfully lower your speed to the desired amount. In the same vein, avoid sudden acceleration. You can control a gradual climb of speed better than a sudden burst of it.
• If the weather is bad, like rain or snow, drive carefully. Avoid any icy roads.

IF Do remember to follow these driving tips to avoid a road accidents. Utah accidents happens almost every day and even with the utmost care. Following these not only lessens the chance of accidents happening to you but could also mean surviving one if it does happen.