Ways To Minimize The Chances Of Car Accidents

Car accidents are not something that is uncommon in pretty much any country around the world. No matter what country you go to, there will always be some news of a car crash or a car accident. Even if you drive around normal streets that you pass by on your daily trip to work or school, you can usually encounter minor car accidents wherein a car bumped the car in the front. I’m sure you don’t want to be the one on the receiving end of an accident. In order to avoid this kind of mishap, what exactly should you do?

Well, I do recommend that you practice defensive driving. Defensive driving is the act of being extremely careful and not being too headstrong when you’re on the road. Let me give you some tips on how to drive defensively.

Ways To Minimize The Chances Of Car Accidents

Avoid Speeding!

This is one of the worst habits of drivers everywhere– speeding. This is especially true during rush hours in the morning and in the late afternoon when people are going to work and going back home respectively. This is in fact, one of the main causes of car accidents in any part of the world. If you want to avoid car accidents, then don’t speed. There are usually speeding signs that tell drivers how fast they are supposed to go. This is too make sure that your car doesn’t go out of control. Follow these speed signs and avoid going too fast!

Learn the Signs on the Road

You must definitely learn all of the signs on the road. These signs were put there to maintain order and they should always be followed by not just drivers, but also pedestrians and motorists as well. Some of the most common signs that you probably already know of are the stop sign, no u-turn sign, and the no parking sign. There are still much more there and you should have an idea of what they are. Also, you must observe the painted signs on the ground. These are also signs that should guide you on how to move on the road. If you don’t follow the rules on the road, then you’ll be caught by the traffic enforcers and have your license taken away so study the signs well and avoid punishment.

Observe The Traffic Signals

Aside from the road signs, you must also take note of traffic signals. These signals can come from traffic lights, traffic aides, or even other drivers on the road. Obviously, the traffic light has three colors: green, yellow, and red. Green means go, red means stop, and yellow means go slower (please don’t mistake yellow for going faster so you can beat the red light).

Traffic enforcers would also give signals in the absence of a traffic light. When an enforcer lifts his hand up, this means that people in your lane will stop. If he signals your lane to go, then you go. Traffic enforcers would also point in the direction that the car is supposed to go in.

Other drivers may also give signals to you as well. For example, if you are a pedestrian and a car is approaching the pedestrian lane, the right act for the car is to stop and beckon the pedestrians to cross using a hand signal. In an intersection, drivers may also beckon other drivers to cross. In order to practice defensive driving, I would always recommend that you let others pass first and then you go after. Learn to allow other drivers the right of way and use a hand gesture to signal them.

Don’t Go Too Near Other Cars

This is yet, another very common cause of car accidents. When two cars are competing for the right of way, they often go too near each other. If you practice defensive driving, then don’t go near other vehicles no matter what. The general rule here is that if you can’t see the tires of the car that is in front of you or at your sides, then you are already too near. Always make sure that you can still see the tires of the cars surrounding you. This will give you an idea as to whether you are too close or not.

Follow Your Lane

Road lanes are put there for a reason. The lane directs you to where you are supposed to go so that you won’t block the other cars at the back of you. If you are in the right lane, you’re turning to the right. If you are in the left lane, you’re turning to the left. If you’re in the middle lane, then you go straight.

Don’t follow the bad practice of “create-a-lane” where you just pick any lane and drive wherever you want to. This can cause accidents especially when the car at the back of you is taken by surprise.

Use Your Indicator When Turning

When you make a turn, don’t ever forget to turn on your indicator or your turn signal. For those who don’t know what the turn signal is, it is a little lever beside your steering wheel that signals the cars surrounding you that you are going to make a turn. Why is this important? It’s because you are making sure that the cars around you are not caught off guard by your movement. Whenever you want to turn, flick your indicator in the right direction so you can give other vehicles a heads up.

Make Sure All your Mirrors are Positioned Properly

Your mirrors are used to make sure that you don’t bump into other cars that may come out from a blind spot. There are three mirrors that should be taken note of. These are the front mirror and side mirrors. The front mirror gives you a heads-up on the movement of the car at your back. The side mirrors, on the other hand, will show you how the cars on your sides are moving. This is extremely important so that you don’t go bumping into a car beside or behind you.

Tune Your Car Regularly

If you take care of your car properly, then it will also take care of you. If there are defective parts inside your car, then your vehicle might go out of control which can, in turn, cause an accident. If you want to avoid having road accidents, then you have to make sure that your car is in good working condition. You don’t need to tune it up weekly but at the very least, you have to tune it or maintain it bi-weekly so that you won’t have a defective vehicle.

The only way to protect yourself from any car accidents is to drive defensively. You can’t control how other people drive but you can definitely control how you drive. Don’t follow the bad drivers because they have a big chance of getting into a car accident. If you value your own safety, then you know exactly what to do when you are on the road. Don’t forget then when you drive recklessly, you are not only putting yourself in danger, but you are putting the people inside your car in danger as well. Drive safely and you won’t have a problem.