Whenever you get behind the wheel of a car, you have a responsibility to keep yourself, your passengers, and other motorists safe. It’s easy to get behind the wheel and go through the motions of taking a drive to your destination but staying alert and active on the road is the best way to keep you and your family safe.
How Common Are Car Accidents?
While nobody wants to think about a car accident potentially occurring, it’s important to recognize their prevalence. On average, 13 car accidents occur every minute which means around 6.8 million car crashes occur on a yearly basis. While a smaller majority of these accidents turn out to be fatal, the long-term injuries and trauma resulting from any car accident can have lasting impacts.
Tips for Avoiding a Car Crash
To avoid living with the fallout of a car accident, whether it was your fault or not, use some of the following tips to avoid an accident entirely:
1) Follow 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you at a minimum
2) Avoid driving during high-traffic times of the day
3) Limit the amount of time you are driving at night or with limited visibility
4) Deal with your phone prior to putting your car into drive
5) For road trips, always have another driver ready and able to take over if you feel yourself starting to get tired
6) Avoid making sudden lane switches if you see someone driving erratically in your rear-view mirror as your sudden action may cause them to make a move that leads to a crash
All of the above are just a small sampling of actions to take in order to avoid a wreck. The traffic fatality rate in the United States is currently at 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants which means it’s not likely you will die in a crash, but why play the odds when you can be safe instead.
8 Tips to Keep Your Family Safe on the Road
To keep your family safe on your next road trip or even just a trip to the grocery store, consider the following eight pieces of advice:
1) Always Make Sure your Kids are Buckled Up
The first step in making sure your family is safe on the road is ensuring everybody is buckled up before you hit the street. While securing a seatbelt may be muscle memory for most adults, younger children may not yet have the instinct. This is why it’s so important to check your kids’ seatbelts before driving, and to immediately have them re-buckle in if it comes undone on the road.
2) Avoid Driving in Poor Weather Conditions
Sometimes, driving in heavy rain or even snow is unavoidable. If possible, however, avoid driving in bad weather at all costs. The first rain of the season is typically the most dangerous as clogged up oils are released from the road, making the surface extremely slick. On top of this, attempting to drive in poor weather can impact your visibility and make driving a challenge.
3) Schedule a Tune Up for Your Vehicle and Make it a Family Event!
Preventative maintenance is one of the most important ways to stop an accident on the road. This refers to the regular maintenance of your vehicle, such as getting tires rotated or windshield wipers replaced, which can help prevent serious breakdowns or accidents in the future.
4) Don’t Drive While Distracted
Distracted driving is one of the most common causes for accidents. While it can be tempting to look at your kids when you hear weird noises coming from the backseat, allow someone else in the car to do the honors. Keep all of your attention on the road to avoid an accident.
5) Make Sure all Car Seats are Properly Secured
In most situations, car seat laws will vary from state-to-state, but it’s very important to follow the guidelines outlined for the area you live. This means securing all children in their car seat and ensuring they are buckled in prior to getting on the road. It’s important to keep children sitting in a rear-facing seat for as long as possible before moving them into a front-facing seat.
6) Always be Prepared for a Roadside Emergency
You never know when an emergency will happen, which is why being prepared at all times is the best strategy. Have an emergency kit in your trunk with survival items like water, non-perishable food, flares, and more. This can help keep you and your loved ones alive in a serious incident.
7) Have Someone Else Handle the GPS
Trying to navigate your way around a new area is extremely difficult but playing around with the GPS while driving is a recipe for disaster. Let your passengers handle navigation duties while you keep all of your attention on the road to ensure you will be able to react if any accidents happen in front of you.
8) Follow the 12 Second Rule of Scanning the Road
As a driver, reaction time is everything. The more time you give yourself to take evasive action, the more successful you will be. To that end, always aim to scan the road around 12 seconds in front of you to see if there are any slowdowns, hazards, or anything else that will require action on your part.
Keep Your Family Safe Today
All parents want to keep their family safe from danger, but you can’t always control the actions of other drivers. Even if you yourself are following all rules of the road, you can’t predict what another driver may choose to do. That’s why following the above tips is so important.
You can take preparatory steps to keep your family safe from danger, all while turning yourself into a better driver as well. If you do find yourself in a car accident, don’t hesitate to reach out to an accredited lawyer to discuss what occurred as soon as possible to see if there are financial remediations you are entitled to.
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