3 Ways To Reduce Your Risk Of Getting Into A Car Accident
While no one ever wants to get in a car accident, accidents on the road often aren’t things that you can really see coming in the moment. But although accidents are going to happen, there still are things that you can do on a regular basis to help reduce your chances of getting into a car accident, especially one that you’d be at fault for.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to reduce your risk for getting into a car accident.
Anticipate What’s Ahead Of You
The best way to be a safe driver is to be a defensive driver. What this means is that you anticipate what’s going on around you and that you always look to protect yourself from mistakes or missteps done by other drivers. Essentially, you never give another driver the benefit of the doubt or assume they’ll do something until they actually are doing it.
One great way to put this into practice, according to the staff of EHS Today, is to always be looking about 10 to 12 seconds ahead of your car when you’re on the road. By keeping your vision up and looking at what’s happening this far ahead of you, nothing will ever take you by surprise when you’re behind the wheel.
Lower Your Speed, Especially At Night
Even if you’re in a rush to get somewhere, whoever you’re meeting would rather you get to your destination in one piece and be late than to not get there at all. For this reason, it’s vital that you keep to the speed limit at all times.
According to Jeff Bartlett, a contributor to Consumer Reports, lowering your speed is especially important when you’re driving at night. If you’re going over the speed limit at night, you’re likely out-driving your own headlights. This means that by the time you see something that’s in front of you and requires a reaction, you likely won’t have time to react properly. So to keep yourself and others safe, try to lower your speed at all times.
Ensure Your Vehicle Is Operational
Many times, accidents aren’t necessarily caused by something the driver does wrong but by a malfunction of the vehicle itself. And while sometimes these things can take you by surprise, with proper maintenance, you can keep these kinds of issues from happening.
The best maintenance you can do to help keep your vehicle operational, according to Beverly Mertz, a contributor to Harvard Health Publishing, includes things like having quality windshield wipers, keeping your tires properly inflated, having working lights, and keeping your windows and mirrors clean.
If you want to reduce your chances of being in a car accident, consider using the information presented above to show you how you can do this in your own life.