According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 6.8 million vehicles were involved in accidents that resulted in medically consulted injuries in a recent year. In addition to injuries, accidents cause fatalities and property damage.
While some accidents are beyond the victim’s control, drivers can avoid many incidents by driving carefully and adhering to traffic laws. A driver can apply safe driving tips to minimize their chances of accidents.
You may be entitled to compensation if you’ve sustained an injury due to someone else’s fault. Consider speaking to a trusted Ohio car accident attorney for legal advice and representation if you want compensation from the liable party.
Safe following distance is one of the golden rules of a defensive driver. Leaving a reasonable space between you and the front vehicle allows you to maintain a steady speed. As a result, you have space and time to accelerate and decelerate when necessary.
Whenever you maintain a safe following distance, you always have an escape path for evading a dangerous situation.
Here are a few tips for maintaining a safe distance:
Distracted driving highly increases the risk of a crash. Any activity that takes your eyes off the road, the mind off the road, or hands off the wheel is a distraction. Despite strict state laws against texting and driving or even holding a cell phone in your hands in Ohio, many drivers continue to do so and cause crashes.
You can stay safe on the road by avoiding the following distracted driving activities:
Speeding increases the likelihood of being involved in a crash. When you’re driving too fast, you risk losing control, which increases the probability of being involved in a severe accident.
In addition to driving beyond a specific speed limit, speeding also involves other habits, such as moving too fast in construction zones or poor weather conditions like ice.
Consequences of speeding include:
Further, the faster you are going, the more severe the impact of a crash and the resulting damage and injuries might be.
Whenever drivers jump a red light, they create a safety hazard by putting themselves and others at risk of collision. Drivers who ignore the red traffic lights are often involved in T-bone accidents where one car hits the side of the other.
A t-bone accident can cause direct trauma to the body of the driver they hit, leading to severe injuries, including soft tissue injuries, back and neck injuries, broken bones, shoulder injuries, and internal injuries.
You should also obey stop signs since they’re placed at intersections to minimize the risk of accidents. Stop signs assign the right of way to other drivers and enhance smooth traffic flow. Drivers who violate stop signs are legally responsible for the resulting accidents.
Drivers unaware of the hazards in their blind spot are susceptible to errant driving decisions, including unsafe lane changes leading to collisions. Sideswipe accidents are common accidents triggered by failure to check blind spots where a driver merges or changes lanes without checking for potential hazards.
Drivers should use mirrors to scan for potential hazards before changing lanes or merging into a highway.
Poor weather substantially impacts your driving and often increases the risk of car accidents. Here’s how different weather conditions increase the risk of accidents:
If the prevailing weather conditions are harsh, wait until it clears to enhance your safety. Driving slower than expected is an excellent defensive tactic in all types of bad weather. Slowing down gives you additional time to react to road hazards of traffic.
You are also at lower risk of losing control of your vehicle.
Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is a danger to yourself and others. Although drinking and driving is outlawed in the United States, many people commit the offense, leading to accidents.
Any alcohol in your bloodstream affects concentration, good judgment, and ability to react. Here’s how alcohol leads to car accidents:
Motor vehicle accidents often result in severe injuries, including broken bones, chest injuries, burns, traumatic brain injuries, and disfigurement. Fortunately, you can protect yourself and others by observing safe-driving tips.
More importantly, get in touch with an experienced car accident attorney like Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz L.P.A to understand how to protect your personal injury rights.
Contact us online or at 1.937.222.2222 for a free case evaluation.
Before establishing Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz L.P.A., Doug Mann, a top Ohio Injury Attorney served as a bodily injury claims adjuster at a major insurance firm. With over 40+ years of experience, Doug’s background has proven invaluable in securing maximum cash settlements for his clients swiftly. Since leaving the insurance industry, Doug has devoted his entire legal career to assisting injured clients during their times of greatest need.
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