Way to Avoid a Car Crash
A thorough review of comments left on forums was the fuel for this article. We found a lot of helpful tips and points on how to best avoid getting into a car accident from the people who know best, drivers just like you. Here’s what we found:
25 Ways to Avoid a Car Crash
(An informal list prepared by drivers just like you…)
- Road rage: 10 seconds of waiting isn’t going to kill you. A psychopath with a baseball bat might. Get out of their way.
- Every few seconds, think about what your options are, and if you feel boxed in, pinned, limited, adjust your driving and position on the road relative to traffic to improve your set of options. This has saved me a few times. Things happen and I’ve thought about what I can do and was able to just do it without thinking too much. Having that improved reaction time helps bias events toward better outcomes.
- Be SOBER!! Not just sober enough.
- Drive defensively and assume everyone else on the road is trying to kill you.
- Drive according to how the weather dictates.
- Keep your music volume low enough so that you may hear what’s going on around you.
- Wait a few seconds after the red light turns green to be sure there is no oncoming traffic.
- Do not allow any vehicle to drive next to you for any period of time, in particular large interstate trucks.
- In heavy rain, snow, or poor visibility pull over to the nearest safe stop.
- I was reading stats recently regarding the importance of car color for avoiding an accident. I recall white and greys being the safest and blue and black are pretty unsafe!
- Studies have shown that within 7 seconds prior to an accident the driver was distracted. Your best defense is to avoid distractions while driving. No texting, phone calls, let the kids scream, whatever.
- ALWAYS use your signal, even if no one is there to see it. It’s a hard habit to break and a good one to have!
- Maintain a respectable following distance. That is probably the single most important thing you can do to improve your chances of avoiding an accident.
- Always make sure your car is well maintained: Tires are good etc. For a comprehensive look at safe driving in Florida visit the DMV safe drivers handbook page.
- Keep to the speed limit.
- Watch people’s heads to get an idea of what they’re looking at or for. If they’re looking from side to side, they could suddenly do anything, so stay back and don’t try to overtake them. Anybody slowing down in free-flowing traffic is probably going to turn before using their indicator. Somebody talking on the phone or having an animated conversation with a passenger may miss a turn and steer widely at any time.
- Understand what normal traffic patterns are in places you are unfamiliar with.
- Go with the flow.
- Avoid unnecessary lane changes.
- Keep your wheels straight when waiting for left turns. If someone rear-ends you won’t be pushed into oncoming traffic.
- Understand other vehicle behavior: Buses stop near intersections, taxis drive erratically and aggressively, garbage trucks stop constantly, etc.
- Know your car. How fast can you accelerate? How fast can you brake? Then stay well within the limits of your car.
- My number one piece of advice is to maintain adequate following distance. How to know if you are following too close? When the car in front of you passes a reference point, like a bridge abutment or sign, start counting one-one-hundred, two-one-hundred three one-hundred etc. In a car, you should have at least two seconds on clear dry days between you and the car in front. Increase your distance if you are driving a truck or if it is wet or dark. Visit the State of Florida’s Defensive Driving Website for more info
- When traveling through freeway work zones locate workers and lower your speed
- Look each way before taking off from green light to make sure nobody is running the red (intentionally or by accident).
Call Our Car Accident Lawyers at the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident in South Florida- contact the Florida auto accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato we will answer all your questions and explain your rights. Call 1-954-633-8270 to schedule a free consultation.
